Seeing Zhang Yao persistently nitpicking over details, Shao Shang said irritably, "General Zhang shouldn't be guarding tombs—he should be a merchant, so meticulous and entangled in trivialities."
Zhang Yao hated nothing more than people mentioning his tomb-guarding duty, and the girl had brought it up twice. Being narrow-minded by nature, he angrily retorted, "You insolent little chit, still brazenly acting as a witness! I think it's because Huo Bu Yi rejected you that you settled for the Yuan boy. Now you're eagerly currying favor—are you hoping Huo Bu Yi will change his mind?"
As these words landed, Chen Chi looked pained, while the Crown Prince sighed inwardly, wishing it were true.
Shao Shang turned livid with rage, her fingers trembling as she pointed. "You... you... very well..."—This damned Zhang bastard was truly something. In all her years, she'd never suffered a verbal defeat, yet today she found herself at a loss for words. Had she not reformed herself, she might have resorted to vulgar curses!
At this moment, Ji Zun slammed the table for the third time. "Enough! Cease this pointless bickering!"
Zhang Yao remained defiant. "Having someone closely acquainted with Huo Bu Yi testify—this humble official truly cannot trust—"
"Zhang Yao!" Ji Zun rebuked sharply. "You distrust this one and that one. You suspect superiors of shielding Marquis Huo and inferiors of flattering or fearing him. Do you think only your words are credible in this world? If you distrust the entire court, I advise you to resign and retire! Why remain in office?!"
Noticing the Crown Prince's displeased expression, Zhang Yao realized he'd gone too far and quickly bowed. "This humble official dares not. I merely worry about injustice and innocent civilians suffering—"
"Zhang Yao," Huo Bu Yi suddenly spoke up—his first voluntary words since the trial began. "We've known each other long enough. Even if I wanted to kill civilians for merit, with my skills, would the men I trained leave such glaring evidence to be reported?"
Zhang Yao froze, then sneered. "Who knows? If you were truly infallible, five years ago when you slaughtered the Ling clan by night, you wouldn't have been caught red-handed and knocked off the cliff by me!" This was his proudest achievement.
Shao Shang grew displeased and said coldly, "Was it General Zhang's infallible calculations five years ago that positioned you at the cliff to intercept Marquis Huo? There are limits to boasting—gilding your reputation requires real gold, not brass! Five years ago, it was I who reported Marquis Huo, enabling you, General Zhang, to finally showcase your martial prowess beyond your usual frustrations at the Martial Arts Field. If you wish to boast about this again, best do it when I'm absent!"
Chen Chi let out a soft scoff.
The Emperor, being accomplished in both civil and military arts, had established a vast Martial Arts Field in the North Palace where the Imperial Guards and military officers could demonstrate their skills. While Huo Bu Yi couldn't claim invincibility, he'd defeated Zhang Yao at least ten to twenty times.
Zhang Yao recalled this too, his face flushing like pig's blood. In truth, he hadn't boasted about being "infallible"—he'd merely implied Huo Bu Yi wasn't. Yet the girl's scathing retort left him stammering, "You... you..."
Regardless of changing times, reporting one's own fiancé was never honorable. That Cheng Shaoshang could tear open this scar so unabashedly left everyone in the hall sighing speechlessly. The Crown Prince rolled his eyes. "Lady Cheng, you declare this so righteously—truly without reservation."Shao Shang's face was taut, not uttering a word. Huo Bu Yi quickly interjected, "Shao Shang's accusation is entirely correct. It was indeed my fault."
His voice was gentle, his eyes filled with a smile, like a clear and warm spring breeze suddenly blowing into the dimly lit hall. The Crown Prince stared in astonishment, thinking his eyes and ears were deceiving him. The girl was also caught off guard, nearly slipping off the stool.
Ji Zun silently suppressed his anger, picking up the paperweight for the fifth time to slam the table. Huo Bu Yi, sharp-eyed, spoke loudly before he could bring it down heavily, "Lord Ji, please be discerning. I will explain the reasons in detail, but first, please have the bailiffs restrain these four village women."
Ji Zun complied with the request.
Huo Bu Yi began his defense: "Over five years ago, the day I escorted Shao Shang back to the Capital City, I hurried back on horseback. But halfway, I heard that Your Majesty had appointed Cui Hou as commander and was reorganizing the troops. So, instead of returning to the new recruits' camp, I went directly to the main camp at Pan Qing."
Ji Zun nodded. "So you never met Li Si and the others and had no idea what happened at Drum Mountain."
"Exactly," Huo Bu Yi said. "After that, I remained in Cui Hou's command camp, awaiting orders, and later joined the campaign against Rebel Peng. Li Si, seeing the urgency of the war, never found the right moment to report to me and planned to do so after the battle. But before the campaign against Peng concluded, the massacre of the Copper Bull County Magistrate's family came to light, and I returned to the Capital City ahead of schedule. Li Si was left behind in Shou Chun to handle the aftermath. By the time he finished, I had sent him back to his ancestral home on another errand—by then, I had resolved to perish together with the Ling family, and most of my deputies were similarly dismissed."
He looked at the girl apologetically, but Shao Shang silently turned her face away.
"Later, I went to the border city in the northern deserts. A year later, Li Si caught up with me, and only then did we have the leisure to discuss the events of that time in detail," Huo Bu Yi continued.
Ji Zun asked, "What exactly did Li Si say?"
Chen Chi blurted out, "Could those commoners have been killed by mistake?"
Zhang Yao retorted, "How could so many commoners be killed by mistake? Afterward, their heads were severed—clearly, it was silencing witnesses and claiming merit by killing innocents!"
Huo Bu Yi said, "They were indeed commoners, but Li Si and the others didn't kill the wrong people."
"What do you mean?" The Crown Prince was also puzzled.
Huo Bu Yi looked at the four women held firmly on the ground and spoke slowly: "During the chaos of the fallen empire, besides the ravages of war, the most detestable scourge was banditry. In every province and commandery, wherever there were mountains and dense forests for hiding, bandits thrived. But as the realm gradually stabilized, His Majesty ordered the eradication of bandits region by region, encouraging cultivation and reclaiming wastelands. These bandit strongholds, large and small, found it hard to survive."
Shao Shang knew this—Ge Shi's Mother Fu had once said, 'The bandits in Qing Province have been wiped out, and they plan to migrate there to reclaim land and farm.'
As Huo Bu Yi spoke, the listeners began to form suspicions, their gazes turning toward the four village women on the ground.
The four women trembled violently, their faces ashen.
Huo Bu Yi looked at them and continued: "Your bandit stronghold saw the writing on the wall early, knowing the imperial army would come for you sooner or later. So, after deliberation, over two hundred men, women, and children from your stronghold disguised themselves as refugees fleeing disaster and came to the foot of Drum Mountain. Posing as brothers, husbands, wives, and families, you claimed the 'Cultivation Encouragement Decree' and wasteland. During the day, you tilled the land, maintaining friendly relations with neighboring villages. But whenever an opportunity arose, you would rush to the mountain pass on the other side of Drum Mountain, ambushing and killing wealthy travelers and merchant caravans. Isn't that right?"The four women trembled, unable to speak. Zhang Yao still refused to admit he had wrongfully accused anyone, loudly protesting, "This is just Li Si's one-sided account. Just because he says they were bandits doesn't mean they were..."
"I already mentioned earlier—how could the men I trained leave such sloppy evidence for others to frame them?" Huo Bu Yi's lips curled with a mocking smile.
Cold sweat dripped down Zhang Yao's forehead.
"Based on the bodies from the ambush, there were at least seventy or eighty bandits. But when Li Si and his men reached Drum Mountain, they found the terrain flat and the woods sparse—nowhere to hide such a large group. Following the trail, they slowly approached several villages at the foot of the mountain. The bandits, caught off guard, revealed their true colors. Unfortunately, Li Si was leading a squad of new recruits, and many of the bandits—men and women—escaped during the skirmish. Fearing remnants might still be hiding in nearby villages, Li Si ordered his soldiers to dig a large pit. They buried all the seized gold, silver, and valuables inside, covered them with a thick layer of soil, and then piled the bandits' corpses on top..."
Huo Bu Yi cupped his hands toward Ji Zun. "Your Honor, if you order further excavation of that mass grave, you will surely find evidence."
Chen Chi, impressed, slapped the table in admiration. "Brilliant! Even if the surviving bandits returned, they'd never think the loot was buried beneath the corpses. The evidence remains intact—truly, a strong general has no weak soldiers!"
Zhang Yao's face twisted in dismay.
Huo Bu Yi continued, "According to Li Si, though the stolen goods weren't plentiful, they were diverse—gold ingots from Youzhou, pearl strands from Jiaozhou, snowflake silver from Jingchu, hibiscus jade from Longxi. A collection spanning the breadth of the land, proof of their heinous crimes."
The Crown Prince's expression darkened. "What a vile gang of scoundrels! Not only did they rob and deceive the authorities, but they also refused to repent!" What was most chilling was that if these bandits had simply stopped and settled into farming, no one would have ever uncovered their crimes!
By now, the truth was clear. Shao Shang felt utterly superfluous—Huo Bu Yi had clearly planned this all along, making her earlier intervention a joke. She turned to leave, but just then, Ji Zun spoke, and she paused.
"Zhang Yao, the facts are now evident. What do you have to say for yourself?" Old Man Ji ordered the four village women taken into custody, his stern expression quite intimidating.
Zhang Yao muttered, "What can I say?" He gave a perfunctory salute to Huo Bu Yi. "I wronged you this time. It's all these cunning, wicked peasants who deceived me. But you're not blameless either—why wait over five years to bring this up? You’ve made me run around for nothing!"
"How dare you shift the blame!" The Crown Prince finally lost his temper. "Zisheng has been back from the northern deserts for less than half a month—ancestral rites, tomb repairs, settling his estate, and now the court's Land Measurement Decree—when has he had a moment to spare? Though the bandits deliberately concealed their crimes, if you hadn’t jumped at the chance to spread this everywhere, it wouldn’t have become such a scandal! A general accused of killing innocents for merit—is that something the court should be proud of? Even if you trust neither heaven nor earth, you should at least trust Marquis Yang’s judgment! You could have discreetly asked him first. If Zisheng was truly suspect, then you could have made it public. Yet here you are, still defiant and unrepentant—your character is plain for all to see!"
Zhang Yao turned pale under the Crown Prince's scolding but stubbornly refused to yield. "Of course I can't compare to Marquis Huo—he's nobility, beloved by His Majesty. I'm just a commoner...""Just like you, I'm also a fine youth from the Six Commanderies. Why would I deliberately harm you?" Chen Chi spoke earnestly. "No matter how much Your Majesty dotes on Eleventh Master, he still has to charge into battle himself! Weapons have no eyes—do you think the enemy chieftain would show mercy just because he's His Majesty's beloved adopted son?"
"Hmph!" Zhang Yao stiffened his neck defiantly. "His Majesty assigned him the finest steeds, the bravest lieutenants, and the most cunning scouts—of course he wins every battle! I'm a simple man. I know the Crown Prince is already displeased with me, so I'll accept whatever punishment comes. It's not like I dare disobey orders! I just fear that after such loyalty meets this fate, the Crown Prince might chill the hearts of all fine youths from the Six Commanderies!"
"You..." Chen Chi was at a loss for words, while the Crown Prince's face turned livid with anger, his hands trembling.
"This concubine finds it quite strange." A delicate female voice chimed in. Everyone turned to see Shao Shang standing impatiently by the doorway, one hand resting on the doorframe as if she'd been about to leave.
"Marquis Huo is the descendant of martyrs and His Majesty's adopted son—this is common knowledge. Official Zhang has both parents alive and a happy family—what basis is there for comparison with Marquis Huo? If you must compare, shouldn't you be measuring yourself against General Chen instead?"
Shao Shang wore a mocking smile. Chen Chi rubbed his forehead with a wry grin but didn't intervene.
"General Chen is also a fine youth from the Six Commanderies, hailing from the neighboring county. You were selected in the same year and chosen as palace guards together. Yet at every step, he's been ahead of you. When he was appointed Tiger Guard Deputy, you were still an ordinary guard. By the time he became Tiger Guard Commandant, you'd only just been made Feather Forest Deputy... Given this, why aren't you comparing yourself to General Chen instead?" Shao Shang feigned confusion.
The quick-witted Crown Prince immediately sneered: "Of course he dares not compare himself to Chen Chi—because anyone could see he falls short in every way! Less capable, less generous in winning others' respect, and certainly less loyal and virtuous! The only one he dares compare with is Zisheng, yet he stubbornly refuses to admit his own inadequacy!"
Zhang Yao looked like a fish stripped of its scales—his face burning with shame and indignation, body trembling as if suddenly shrunk, no longer able to bluster with self-righteousness.
The crowd regarded him coldly, all recognizing he was no longer worth consideration.
...
Shao Shang had thought she'd be the first to leave, but the Crown Prince strode out faster, his robes billowing like rolling river waves. Shao Shang called softly after him: "Your Highness, walk carefully! Mind your step... Oh dear..."
The Crown Prince actually stumbled slightly before steadying himself and declaring loudly: "Do you think We have as much leisure as you? With countless affairs of state demanding attention, We made time to come here today amidst Our busy schedule!"
Shao Shang very much wanted to say he didn't need to attend (and spectate), but she lacked the courage.
"Zisheng," the Crown Prince addressed Huo Bu Yi behind him.
Huo Bu Yi bowed: "Your Highness may proceed ahead. This subject will follow shortly."
The Crown Prince glanced at Shao Shang, gave a light humph, and swept out with a flick of his sleeve.
Shao Shang, ever alert, had already quickened her steps toward the exit when the Crown Prince spoke to Huo Bu Yi. No sooner had Huo Bu Yi bid farewell than he gathered his robe with his left hand and strode after her with long steps, managing to catch her just as she was about to descend the stone stairs.
"What are you doing? Let go!" Shao Shang's wrist burned where he held it as she glanced around nervously.
Huo Bu Yi maintained his grip on her left hand: "I have something to say to you. This place...""Huo Bu Yi, what do you think you're doing!" Yuan Shen, who had been waiting at the foot of the stone steps, was so shocked by this scene that his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He hastily lifted the hem of his robe and rushed up the steps.
Huo Bu Yi remained calm as ever: "I have something to say to Shao Shang."
"Say what? Can't you say it in front of me?" Yuan Shen was a refined scholar, usually brilliant at debating scriptures on the Scripture Discussion Platform, but unfortunately, his performance now was lacking.
Huo Bu Yi studied Yuan Shen for a moment before smiling. "Very well, Court Official Yuan may come along too..."
What?!—The engaged couple, Yuan Cheng, stared in stunned unison.
"However, this isn't a suitable place to talk. My carriage is waiting below. Let's board first before speaking." With that, Huo Bu Yi grasped the girl's wrist with one hand and placed the other on Yuan Shen's shoulder, gently propelling them forward with slight pressure.
The Yuan Cheng pair were at a loss, numbly allowing themselves to be pushed forward by Huo Bu Yi.
They had just descended halfway down the steps when a slick, frivolous voice suddenly rang out from nearby: "Well, well, who do we have here! Let this prince take a look—oho! Isn't this the Marquis of Gaoyong, Official Yuan, and Palace Order Cheng..."
The trio halted. The Fifth Prince sauntered over, beaming from ear to ear, twirling a gaudy five-colored feather fan in his hand.
"Your Highness, what brings you here? The Court of Justice isn't a place for casual strolls. Have you committed some offense?" Shao Shang remarked.
"Pah! Must you speak so inauspiciously?" The Fifth Prince grumbled irritably. "This prince isn't here for the Court of Justice. I've just come from the Imperial Clan Court..." He smirked proudly. "His Majesty is granting me a fiefdom!"
"Oh, congratulations then, Your Highness," Shao Shang replied without enthusiasm. "Farewell."
Huo Bu Yi resumed pushing them forward.
"Hey, hey, don't leave! This prince came on horseback and is now exhausted. I'd like to ride back to the palace in your carriage, Eleventh Master!" The Fifth Prince's face was blatantly eager for drama, his eyes darting between the three of them. "Besides, meeting like this is fate! Soon I'll be leaving for my fief—who knows when we'll see each other again?"
Yuan Shen said expressionlessly, "If Your Highness behaves improperly in your fief, you'll be recalled for questioning. Thus, we may meet again soon enough."
The Fifth Prince's face turned green. "Yuan Shanjian, must you be so unpleasant?"
"Does Your Highness truly wish to ride in this humble official's carriage?" Huo Bu Yi asked.
The Fifth Prince declared loudly, "Indeed!"
"Very well."
Moments later, the four of them sat inside Huo Bu Yi's newly crafted, massive black iron carriage, recalling the astonished gazes from the crowd at the Court of Justice's entrance—Yuan Cheng's expressions were stormy, the Fifth Prince's sunny, while Huo Bu Yi remained as composed as ever.
"Marquis Huo, what exactly do you wish to say to this humble woman?" Shao Shang looked thoroughly disgruntled.
Huo Bu Yi gazed at her earnestly. "Shao Shang, break off your engagement with Yuan Shen and marry me instead."
Author's Note: The "Six Commandery Good Families' Sons" of the Han dynasties is a fascinating topic.
These sons weren't truly from commoner backgrounds—their families had to be at least moderately well-off, able to afford raising sons who were strong and healthy, not malnourished or sickly. Moreover, their immediate relatives couldn't have criminal records.
The Han emperors selected these sons primarily to prevent powerful nobles from monopolizing military authority.
A famous example from the Western Han was Old Brother Li Guang.In our modern perspective, no matter how you look at it, the virtuous men from the six commanderies who rose from humble beginnings are always seen as positive figures, while the aristocratic scions born with silver spoons are often cast as villains. Yet history enjoys playing cold jokes on us. The Western Han had the imperial in-laws Wei and Huo, and the Eastern Han had the aristocratic prodigy Dou Ban—both were rare talents whose names have echoed through millennia of history.
Under the same battlefield conditions where swords were swung, aristocratic scions had access to superior training and resources, making it difficult for the virtuous men from the six commanderies to stand out militarily.
The aristocratic youths of the Han dynasties were bold, fierce, and fearless in battle, leaving little room for the virtuous men from the six commanderies to distinguish themselves through military achievements.
Take the Eastern Han as an example. The most famous virtuous man from the six commanderies—something few might expect—was none other than Dong Zhuo.
Dong Zhuo was a quintessential example of the virtuous men from the six commanderies: born into a respectable, modest family, he first joined the Feather Forest guards. After years of service, he led troops to Liangzhou to suppress the Qiang tribes, accumulating enough merit to become the Governor of Liangzhou. Later, due to the foolish decisions of the incompetent General-in-Chief He Jin, he marched his army into Luoyang. Amid the ensuing chaos, he seized power and replaced the emperor.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, the Eastern Han had many powerful ministers, but wielding such power required a moral line not to cross. For instance, the overbearing general Liang Ji poisoned the child emperor, leading to the complete extermination of the Liang family. Dong Zhuo, on the other hand, forced the young Emperor Liu Bian to commit suicide and installed Emperor Xian of Han in his place—a textbook example of a treacherous usurper.
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