Chapter Forty-Three: A Three-Way Meeting

“Come, come, Zisheng,” General Deng said at once, hurrying forward to welcome Li Zisheng inside. After all, at this moment he was the fresh force of their camp, the most important asset by far, a talent they could not afford to lose.

Li Zisheng answered with a smile and took the seat beside the chief place.

The one who entered right behind him was Mr. Zhong. He glanced at Li Zisheng, then sat down one seat after him.

There was also an old man in the tent, one Li Zisheng had never seen before, yet his bearing was in no way inferior to General Deng’s.

Li Zisheng continued to watch how matters developed.

Mr. Zhong, the mysterious elder, and General Deng were, in effect, the voices of three different factions. As for Li Zisheng himself, he was merely a minor figure. Even if he were to say something, it would make no difference at all. Better to remain silent and wait for the final outcome.

Though he said nothing, Li Zisheng was quietly analyzing the course of events in his heart. What exactly had caused this affair to happen? Somehow he felt it could not be so simple. The Turks might not be wholly innocent, but they were certainly implicated. He understood this very clearly.

“General Deng, how do you intend to resolve this matter?”

The first to speak was the mysterious old man. His tone was equally forceful, and it was clear he did not place General Deng in the least, or perhaps did not regard him as his equal at all. Contempt burned plainly in his eyes.

Li Zisheng now had a rough understanding of the old man.

“Dean, there is no need to be like this. What happened during this assessment is not something I wished to see either. Even if you force me, I still cannot make the injured students recover at once, can I? For now, the urgent matter is to settle the scholars and students properly as quickly as possible. After that, we can look for other talented men to serve as the main force for this assessment. Wouldn’t you agree?”

By now General Deng’s tone had clearly softened, tinged with appeasement. An official one rank higher can crush a man to death; even the slightest difference could do it. In particular, the academy dean was said to have direct access to the Imperial Academy. Though the Deng family possessed some influence, they still could not reach so far as to contend with the dean.

The reason the academy dean was treating General Deng in this way was surely not only because of the frightened horse. More likely, it was because General Deng had directly suppressed the academy supervisor and even arrested Zhou Fulin and the others, which led to such an attitude. Otherwise, no one would want to tear all pretense apart so openly.

That was the crucial point, and General Deng himself must have understood it well. That was why he was now forcing a smile and giving the dean plenty of face.

Only because of this could the conversation continue, and the dean’s attitude would not grow even harsher.

“Yes, yes. What General Deng says is entirely reasonable.”

At that moment Mr. Zhong also spoke up, clearly trying to smooth things over for General Deng.

“Hmph.” Though the dean was unwilling to accept it, Mr. Zhong’s words represented the stance of Governor Zhang behind him. That was something the dean had to take seriously.

“You are the last student to take part in this literary contest, Li Zisheng, are you not?”

Li Zisheng had not expected the dean to notice him directly and shift the topic onto him.

“Yes, sir. This student is Li Zisheng.” He rose and made a proper student’s salute.

The dean was clearly quite pleased by this. Seeing Li Zisheng so courteous, his expression eased a little, and he barely managed to force out something resembling a smile.

“Yes, Dean, this is Li Zisheng, the student who has come to take part in the literary contest. He is a student from the Genius Hall of Huiluo County Academy, and he was recommended by Governor Zhang to join this assessment. He is by no means an empty name; he does have real learning.”

Li Zisheng had not volunteered to introduce himself, and sure enough, after he finished speaking, General Deng forced a hint of a smile and briefly explained Li Zisheng’s identity to the academy dean.

“Mm, good. Neither obsequious nor overbearing; courteous and proper, with a generous bearing. To become one of the students in this assessment is no difficult matter. It is only that, because our Lingzhou Army’s horses ran wild and charged straight into the genius class of Lingzhou Academy, the students there were all badly injured, and they simply cannot take part in tomorrow’s literary contest. I asked this brute Deng Qing to release Zhou Fulin and the others so they could go out and compete, but who would have thought that Deng Qing would be so stubborn and unyielding, clinging to the law of the realm with such deathly resolve that he cares not in the slightest whether this literary contest is won or lost. If our vast and mighty empire were to lose to a Turkish tribe beyond the frontier, it would be nothing short of a laughingstock.”

The academy dean once again seized the chance to heap scorn upon Deng Qing.

Li Zisheng also caught the key point: even if Deng Qing had to sacrifice this literary contest, he still did not want to release Zhou Fulin and the others. That was why the academy supervisor was so furious.

“Indeed, this assessment and literary contest are of the utmost importance. If we lose, it will be a stain on the honor of Great Tang. General Deng, why not release Zhou Fulin and the others first? They can be detained and investigated after the contest is over. There is no need to let such a crucial moment be ruined. We must not lose the greater whole for the sake of the smaller.”

The one stepping forward to advise was Mr. Zhong.

Li Zisheng felt no surprise at all at Mr. Zhong’s words. From the very moment the academy began questioning the arrest of Zhou Fulin and the others, Mr. Zhong had already made his stance perfectly clear: the literary contest came first, and everything else could be set aside for the time being. Even General Deng’s so-called grand plan could be sacrificed if necessary.

At first there had been only pressure from the academy dean’s side. With General Deng wearing a shameless smile and taking a few meaningless lashes of white-eyed contempt, he might perhaps have abandoned the matter and chosen another path. But now Mr. Zhong had joined in, and the balance had tipped entirely toward the academy dean’s side. General Deng no longer had any room to speak.

What had once been a three-way balance had now become a one-sided affair.

So when he heard Mr. Zhong support the academy dean, General Deng’s face, which had previously worn a somewhat easy smile, also darkened. Mr. Zhong’s words represented almost entirely the stance of Governor Zhang behind him, and that power was simply too immense to ignore. He had no choice but to take it into consideration.

General Deng said nothing, only weighing the pros and cons in silence.

If he released them, then all his previous efforts could be said to have been wasted. If he did not, this literary contest might well end in certain defeat. How was he to weigh the matter? It was a difficult question. General Deng’s face turned ashen, and he truly could not think of a better solution.