Chapter 508: Great Villain Chu Lushan

The Prince of Beiliang's manor was adorned with "fu" characters (fortune/blessing) intentionally hung upside down. The main meal was simple: dumplings. The brothers Xu Fengnian and Xu Longxiang, along with Xu Beizhi and Chen Xiliang, prepared the dumplings together in the kitchen, leaving the women, like Wang Chudong, with no tasks. After the meal, Xu Fengnian asked the two strategists to keep Xu Xiao company, while he himself visited the quiet mausoleum.

Upon his return, a large group gathered in the Wutong Courtyard to celebrate New Year's Eve, enjoying themselves thoroughly. The vermilion-clad maids in the adjacent room, having finally found a half-day of leisure, went one after another to their room to read by lamplight the mountain of court gazettes and intelligence reports. Chen Xiliang's young daughter from Beiliang, whom he had brought along, was already fast asleep in his arms. Xu Fengnian suggested he take the little girl back to rest, and Chen Xiliang did not object. Wang Chudong, who loved to hibernate, was also dozing off there and was half-carried, half-supported by Xu Fengnian out of the Wutong Courtyard.

By the time Xu Fengnian returned to the courtyard, Xu Weixiong had also gone to the adjacent room to attend to military affairs. Only Xu Beizhi, an outsider by surname, remained with Xu Xiao, an old man who was once a Grand Tutor in civilian affairs and a Grand General in military matters. For some reason, Xu Xiao was consulting the young man about the different ranks of officialdom. Xu Beizhi, unfazed, spoke in a way that made Xu Xiao nod frequently in deep agreement.

After Xu Fengnian took his seat, 'Orange' (Xu Beizhi's nickname) had already described the nineteen ranks of officialdom from lowest to highest, reaching the sixteenth. Unable to resist the Prince's insistence, Xu Beizhi had to roughly recount them from the beginning. Officials who relied on their ancestors' prestige, landing a cushy minor post through their family register, were called "Grandson Officials." Those who merely croaked and never got involved in actual work were called "Toad Officials." Vicious and cunning, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, bowing to the powerful but roaring at the common people—these were "Dog Officials." Those who stuck to old ways, occupied their positions without performing duties, and were adept at seeking benefits but unaware of avoiding trouble were called "Corpse Officials."

Xu Fengnian playfully asked what rank the current clerks in Lingzhou belonged to. Xu Beizhi replied that they were "Fox Officials," because they "borrowed the tiger's might" and were skilled at observing people's expressions. Xu Fengnian retorted, "Then what about the county magistrates and powerful lieutenants who instructed these clerks to stir up trouble and create a bleak atmosphere? Are they 'Tiger Officials'?" Xu Beizhi nodded with a smile, adding that above "Tiger Officials" were "Ghost Officials." These officials committed all sorts of evil deeds, manipulating things from behind the scenes, yet remained reclusive, leading the uninformed common people to still consider them upright. These were considered the most formidable among the first fourteen ranks.

Xu Fengnian continued, "What rank does Zhong Chengxin, the Prefect of Longqing County, belong to?"

"Zhong Chengxin is at the fifteenth rank. In my opinion, there's nothing easier in the world than being an official: not being greedy or acquisitive, progressing steadily, having advisors and retainers offering strategies and rectifying situations, while you yourself act as a hands-off manager, indulging in leisurely pursuits. There are no great merits and no great faults; generally, they live in peace with the common people."

"What about Wang Xihua, the Registrar of Huangnan County?"

"Their administrative work is unremarkable, but their reputation is excellent. They are never corrupt or harmful. Upwards, they strongly assist good policies and deeds; downwards, they treat the common people as their own children. These are the upright officials common folk most desire, and they are at the sixteenth rank. The extent of their achievements depends on whether their superiors are wise, whether the overall situation is clear, and whether good practices are adopted from above. In such cases, their positions naturally rise. If the situation is corrupt, such officials will sooner or later have to resign, claiming they would not 'bow for five pecks of rice' or 'pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence.' It's not that they don't want to be officials, but they lack the ability to turn the tide, so they settle for less, cherish their reputation, and retire gracefully. Officials who are remembered in history are often of this type, though, of course, they usually need to leave behind a few popular poems. Many of the steadfast civil officials highly praised by later generations in history books actually lacked a comprehensive view; their actions did nothing to help the national situation, but merely sought favor by sacrificing their reputation as martyrs. If they encountered a foolish emperor, they might succeed. But if it was a cunning monarch, especially one with a narrow mind, a little manipulation could ensure they remained frustrated and unfulfilled their entire lives. In Xu Beizhi's view, Wang Xihua was actually not suited to be the Prefect of Huangnan County. Instead, he was more like Huan Wen of the Imperial Academy, someone who should lie low in officialdom, dedicate a few years to scholarly pursuits, and then, when the time was ripe, burst forth dramatically."

"What about Song Yan, the new Lingzhou Aide-de-camp who is about to become your assistant?"

"The sixteenth rank: Capable Officials. They aren't particularly skilled at gaining fame, but their methods of maneuvering in official circles are not bad. Crucially, they can manage their jurisdiction vibrantly and successfully. They possess great foresight, discerning trends beyond the scope of officials in the first fifteen ranks, and genuinely care about the common people. However, such individuals, once they reach a certain rank in officialdom, are destined to struggle unless they encounter a highly influential figure in the imperial court. Not to mention, even ordinary citizens, whose perspectives are inevitably narrow due to their background, might curse these officials during their tenure. Yet, throughout history, many measures benefiting generations and leaving a lasting legacy were initiated by officials of this type."

Xu Xiao, who had been silent, peeled a yellow tangerine and quietly chuckled, asking, "Beizhi, then how would you evaluate Li Gongde?"

Xu Beizhi still spoke directly: "They aren't as incorruptible as upright officials, for they too can be greedy. Nor are they as capable as truly skilled officials, though they do get things done. Overall, they can balance both aspects, qualifying as good officials. Prefect Li Gongde is already a leader among officials of this rank. If not for his somewhat narrow-mindedness, he could have advanced another level. He possesses the talent of a prime minister but lacks a prime minister's magnanimity. Serving as Prefect in Beiliang is acceptable, but if he were to occupy a crucial position in the imperial court, like 'a calf pulling a large plow,' he would likely ruin important affairs."

Xu Xiao nodded, handed the peeled tangerine to Xu Fengnian, and said, "In that case, the Green-Eyed One can be considered a pillar and statesman of a dynasty. His personal conduct and governance are flawless, and he personally opened up a new order for the realm. Does he belong to the eighteenth or the final nineteenth rank?"

Xu Beizhi took the half tangerine Xu Fengnian offered him, popped a segment into his mouth, and smiled faintly, "Eighteenth."

Xu Xiao fell into thought.

Xu Fengnian broke the silence, roaring with laughter, "Xu Xiao, you're truly oblivious! After discussing the eighteenth rank, only the nineteenth is left. Orange specifically set aside such a grand compliment for you, yet you turn it back on him! How is he supposed to flatter you now?"

Xu Xiao paused, looking a bit awkward. He smiled apologetically, "I always thought I was, at best, at the 'Ghost Official' level. My apologies, Beizhi."

Xu Beizhi shook his head with a smile. After finishing the tangerine, he bid farewell and left.

No sooner had he stepped out than a fat pig trotted in right behind him, rolling into the room. Xu Fengnian immediately raised a hand and commanded, "Silence!" The fat man forcibly swallowed the wailing sob that was about to escape his lips. Xu Xiao beckoned, "Lushan, quickly, sit down."

Chu Lushan, who had recently been promoted to the second-rank Protector-General of Beiliang, rubbed his hands together with a smile. He plopped himself down on the floor, which was warmed by underfloor heating, so it wasn't cold. With a guilty expression, he murmured, "Godfather, this time I've come to humble myself before His Highness and the Second Princess. However, it's New Year's, and 'Lulu-ball' going bare-chested with a thorny branch might look too unlucky."

Xu Fengnian sighed helplessly, "Regarding Song Gu's matter, just know what you're doing. There's no one smarter than you under heaven. And as for my sister, don't go provoking her any further."

Chu Lushan grunted in acknowledgment and said nothing more.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Weixiong stepped out of the room and coldly addressed Chu Lushan, "You, a dignified Protector-General of Beiliang, aren't you bored by all those petty, sordid things you've been doing for the past five days?"

Chu Lushan shrunk his fat, short, almost invisible neck, not daring to talk back. In fact, back then in the Xu family, the Eldest Princess Xu Zhihu had always detested this fat man, whereas Xu Weixiong held no prejudices against him. Xu Weixiong turned to Xu Xiao and said, "Father, I will use the official ranks Xu Beizhi described to create a confidential secondary assessment for Beiliang officials. It won't be made public, only given to Fengnian for reference."

Xu Xiao nodded.

Xu Fengnian quietly asked, "Lulu-ball, what atrocious deeds have you committed to make my sister so furious? Did the Falconers and Hawk Riders get into a massive brawl or something?"

Chu Lushan sheepishly replied, "How could I dare? They were just little pranks from boredom, not worth mentioning."

The more Chu Lushan tried to conceal it, the more curious Xu Fengnian became. He pressed, "Tell me about it."

Chu Lushan scratched his head and softly, cautiously explained, "In the past, Beiliang's spies were all under Lulu-ball's command, so Lulu-ball knew some things about Your Highness's three journeys. When you went to Beimang for the third time, Godfather told me even more, so..."

Xu Fengnian scoffed, "Spit it out!"

Chu Lushan, seemingly resigned to the idea that 'a single chop awaits whether you stick your neck out or pull it back,' spilled everything like 'pouring beans from a bamboo tube,' leaving Xu Fengnian silent. It turned out that the current situation in Beiliang was subtly turbulent, with rumors and unrest spreading.

After Chu Lushan became Protector-General of Beiliang, he didn't initiate any major reforms. Instead, the more idle he felt, the more he arbitrarily rounded up several unlucky individuals and threw them into the Fushui Chamber, where they were thoroughly 'disciplined.' These individuals, seven or eight in total, included peasants, scholars, officials, martial artists, and military officers—all of them couldn't control their tongues. Their behavior was similar to the boastful talk Xu Fengnian had recently overheard from Skinny Monkey and his gang at the tavern; he would have merely dismissed it even if he, the Prince, had stumbled upon it, finding it not worth bothering with.

However, Chu Lushan clearly didn't possess such a good temper. He sent them all to the Fushui Chamber, where, according to Chu Lushan's whimsical and meticulous design, he began making their lives a living hell. One of them, a robust middle-aged peasant, had said while drinking with a group that being the Prince of Beiliang, Xu Fengnian, was too easy. He had never suffered in his life. "Can the Prince, living in luxury, ever know the hardship of an old man burning charcoal in the mountains or tending crops?"

Consequently, upon arrival at the Fushui Chamber, he was subjected to over 160 cuts, administered every few days. The number and severity of the cuts varied each time. After being wounded, he was immediately treated with top-grade wound medicine, served fine wine and beautiful women during his recovery, and as soon as he healed, the next cut followed. The reason for this specific number of cuts was not arbitrary: Chu Lushan had set the rule based on the sixteen light and heavy cuts His Highness had endured since he began practicing blade arts and killing before ascending Mount Wudang. This included his confrontation with Princess Suizhu's Eastern Yue escorts at Wudang, killing armored men in the reed marsh, killing Xieling at Duck Head Green, being hunted by Tuoba Chunjun, mutual killings with Fifth He in the Rouran Mountains, and later at Iron Gate Pass and Shenwu City, plus being handled by Master Liuhao, and so on.

Before the Fushui Chamber began the torture, Chu Lushan had told them that if they endured enough suffering, each would receive rewards according to their background: 100,000 taels of silver, a captaincy leading 1,600 soldiers, a seventh-rank official position, and so forth. If they couldn't bear it, they would be released. Without exception, none of them endured more than two hundred cuts. Two tough martial artists, after a specific diagonal cut to the armpit and abdomen—modeled after the "Lightning Spear Thrust to the Abdomen" from Duan Bo'er Huihui—could no longer bear it and cried out that they no longer wished to found a martial arts sect in Beiliang. Among the seven or eight individuals, the scholars and literati all cried for their parents after just one cut and withdrew. Surprisingly, it was this peasant who gritted his teeth and persevered the most. Alas, he still couldn't hold out in the end, because the Fushui Chamber never told him how many cuts constituted the end. Not only them, but even the executioners in the Fushui Chamber didn't know; only Chu Lushan was aware.

Indeed, none of these people died in the Fushui Chamber. After they safely returned home to their villages, those with mothers found their mothers had died. Those without mothers found their fathers had died instead. Those with sisters found their sisters had died. Those without sisters found their younger sisters had died. Not only that, some of their good friends ended up with broken arms and legs, and it was later said that these misfortunes were due to their involvement. Some scholars who valued their reputations became infamous hypocrites, despised by all. In short, whatever they valued most, Chu Lushan made them lose it. Chu Lushan's ruthlessness lay in the fact that when these people were on the verge of madness, he had Fushui Chamber agents appear before them, offering them another chance. Not a single person accepted, and then there was no 'then' because Chu Lushan had them killed.

Chu Lushan, sitting on the floor, had a calm, unconcerned expression and chuckled softly. "Before they died, I told them: 'You used to complain about your humble origins, lacking family background, yet you claimed not to fear hardship. So I gave you a chance. The extent of His Highness's injuries over the past few years—discounting his physical reliance on various cultivation realms and adjusting for the strength and pain tolerance of an ordinary person receiving cuts—in Lulu-ball's view, was actually quite minimal for common folk. Following the sequence, it only amounted to 314 cuts in total.'"

Xu Xiao popped a tangerine segment into his mouth and simply smiled, letting it go.

Xu Fengnian frowned and uttered the exact same words as Xu Weixiong: "Aren't you bored?"

Chu Lushan looked up, smiling brightly, and shook his head.

Xu Fengnian said flatly, "From now on, don't engage in such acts that harm your karma."

Chu Lushan, usually utterly obedient to the Prince, surprisingly declared, "It's fine as long as I don't see it or hear it, but if I, Chu Lushan, come across it, I'll deal with every single one of them. The Fushui Chamber has no shortage of torture instruments or personnel, and some new recruits need to warm up anyway."

Xu Fengnian turned his head, stared at Chu Lushan, and slowly said, "They are all Beiliang people."

Chu Lushan's smile faded. He looked up, meeting the displeased gaze of the Prince. "Though my surname is not Xu, I am still a member of the Xu family. This entire life, I have been the Grand General's adopted son. I have never known any Liyang nor do I recognize Beiliang as distinct from my allegiance to him."

Xu Fengnian angrily exclaimed, "Chu Lushan! I told you to stop!"

Chu Lushan clenched his fists, resting them on his knees, and ground out through gritted teeth, "Your Highness!"

Chu Lushan had to brace himself with one hand to rise. As he bent and stood up, he let out a series of dry, cackling laughs, mocking himself. "I, Chu Lushan, am a neat freak; I change into luxurious clothes every day. I love extravagance; I change my mount every day. I crave fine food; I demand new dishes from the chef every day. I change everything, except my master. Chu Lushan wished that all those ungrateful 'white-eyed wolves' in Beiliang who had benefited from the Xu family would learn a simple truth: there are two great sorrows in life—wanting something you cannot have, and having something you then lose. As long as Your Highness allows Chu Lushan to hold power for a day, Chu Lushan will not tolerate anyone speaking carelessly without consequence."

After standing, Chu Bachua, this brilliant and shrewd man, lowered his head, his eyes red, and slowly said, "Chu Lushan has only one master: my Godfather. As for Your Highness, ever since I first held that little boy in swaddling clothes from my Godmother's hands, from the moment he smiled at Chu Lushan, I have treated him as my own younger brother!"

Xu Xiao chuckled, "Alright, alright, Lushan, sit down with your Godfather. What are family members arguing about? But then again, a little argument is good; speak your mind, and there won't be any insurmountable obstacles."

Chu Lushan obediently sat down.

Xu Fengnian silently walked out of the room and stood alone in the courtyard.

Xu Xiao softly said, "Lushan, Fengnian is also looking out for you. He believes in fate and cherishes blessings and connections deeply. He fears you will face retribution. Your Godfather has already lost three adopted sons. If you or Yuan Zuozong were to die on the battlefield, he would feel immense guilt towards me, his father. But who could he talk to about it? For years, he has cherished the maids in Wutong Courtyard, yet he dares not care too much, precisely because he worries that one day something might happen to them because of him..."

Hearing this, Chu Lushan seemed about to speak but stopped. Xu Xiao waved his hand, saying, "Perhaps not before, but now he can bear it. There's nothing for it; who told him to be my Xu Xiao's son?"

Chu Lushan slammed his fist hard onto his knee.

Xu Xiao smiled knowingly, "That little girl Changsheng has a blessed appearance; your Godfather really likes her. Now, while your Godfather's mind is still clear and he can still manage things, shall we settle this child betrothal?"

Chu Lushan was stunned. Then he saw his Godfather pull a heavily water-damaged jade bracelet from his sleeve. Any layman would know it wasn't worth much silver, yet Chu Lushan, this great villain who could make children stop crying, suddenly began to sob.

Xu Xiao rose from his chair, squatted in front of Chu Lushan, and said with emotion, "By rights, this heirloom bracelet of our Xu family, your Godfather was supposed to help your Godmother pass on to the future Princess Consort of Beiliang. But that's still an utterly baseless matter, not even a hint of it exists. So your Godfather thought about it, and giving it to a granddaughter-in-law is the same as giving it to a daughter-in-law. You know, among the six adopted sons, your Godmother actually cherished you the most. She said you were talented, had a simple nature, knew how to repay kindness, and even encouraged you to read and study more. You also know that your Godmother rarely shed tears. But that time, when you took so many sword and blade blows for your Godfather, and your Godmother saw you carried back on horseback, she cried in front of everyone. She even cursed me, Xu Xiao, saying I was a heartless person and didn't treat you as a son. And that time you led a thousand cavalry into Shu, your Godmother calculated the days and then waited on the mountain for several days, always fearing you wouldn't return. She even told your Godfather that later, when you had a daughter, she definitely wanted to strengthen the family ties through marriage. Who would have thought you'd have a string of sons? Before your Godmother passed away, she was still thinking about this, saying it would just have to be for a granddaughter-in-law now."