Chapter 75: Unreliable

Kong Sheng walked at an unhurried pace into the main hall of the courier station.

Li Fuguo sat upright on a luxurious couch, flanked by two young eunuchs attending to him and two personal bodyguards brought from Lingwu—imperial guards in full military armor, tall and imposing, brimming with fierce, untamed energy.

Kong Sheng’s clear and composed gaze swept briefly over Li Fuguo’s ugly features. Suppressing the loathing that welled deep within him, he straightened his expression, bowed low, and intoned, “Your humble servant Kong Sheng pays his respects to the Imperial Envoy!”

Li Fuguo burst out laughing. “Kong Sheng, the nation is in peril, and the court’s decree requires you to assume your post at once. Instead of heading to Henan to take up your duties, why have you come to my residence at the courier station?”

Li Fuguo was, of course, asking a question to which he already knew the answer.

Kong Sheng offered a slight smile. “Replying to Your Excellency, I dare not be remiss. I have resolved to leave Jiangnan at dawn tomorrow to take up my post, and so I have come today to bid Your Excellency farewell. You have journeyed a thousand miles to the south to deliver the imperial edict, bestowing a great favor on me for which I have no way to repay you—please accept this trifling gift as a small token of my gratitude.”

As he spoke, Kong Sheng produced two certificates, each worth a hundred strings of cash, and handed them to one of the eunuchs at Li Fuguo’s side.

Kong Sheng’s manner of presenting the gift was so direct that he did not even bother with the usual pleasantries. The young eunuch glanced at the certificates with a mixture of curiosity and contempt and thought little of it; in recent days, the officials and wealthy merchants of Jianning had come bearing gifts in an endless procession. Each one arrived with carts and chests laden with gold, silver, silks, jewels, and antiques—what could this down-and-out scion, who had only just secured an official appointment and had no fixed abode, possibly offer that would catch Li Fuguo’s eye? Two paltry certificates only highlighted the young man’s poverty.

The eunuch passed the certificates along, and Li Fuguo cast a glance at them. When he saw that they amounted to two hundred strings of cash, he was momentarily taken aback. In these times, two hundred strings was by no means a trivial sum—it was not something an ordinary person could produce at a moment’s notice. That Kong Sheng could present such an amount was wholly unexpected.

Of course, compared to the gifts from the likes of Zhou An, head of the Zhou clan of Yixing, which often exceeded a hundred thousand strings in value, this was nothing.

Li Fuguo’s sly little eyes darted back and forth, narrowing as he pondered the matter. When deep in thought or plotting, his eyes would always narrow to slits—a subconscious habit of his.

Li Fuguo was not moved by the mere two hundred strings, but rather astonished at how Kong Sheng had come by such wealth. Was the rumor about him false?

For Li Fuguo to go down in Tang history as an infamous villain, reviled for generations, he had to possess certain extraordinary qualities. Without some real skill, how could he stir up such storms, or hold sway over the imperial court for so many years? His power was unmatched—even surpassing the likes of Yang Guozhong and, before him, Li Linfu.

Li Fuguo’s narrow eyes glinted coldly as he smiled faintly. “Kong Sheng, I hear your family has fallen on hard times—you’ve not a penny to your name, forced to lodge at inns for a living, and you even sold your ancestral home. Where did you get this money? And why do you come bearing gifts to me for no reason? Young man, what are your true intentions?”

His voice suddenly shot up several pitches, sharp and harsh. Being a eunuch, his tone was already shrill as a duck’s; raised abruptly, it became all the more piercing.

Had Kong Sheng been any ordinary young scholar, he would have been cowed by Li Fuguo’s intimidation—his money lost, perhaps even humiliated and mocked. But Kong Sheng was not so easily shaken; he saw through Li Fuguo’s little tricks at a glance. To take the money yet refuse to owe a favor—truly the act of someone who wants to play both sides, shameless and cunning in the extreme.

Kong Sheng replied calmly, hands clasped in respect, “In answer to Your Excellency: I sold my ancestral home some time ago for three hundred strings. After paying for daily expenses and setting aside necessary funds for the journey, these two hundred strings represent all that I possess.”

Though Kong Sheng spoke with composure, to Li Fuguo the words sounded like a thunderclap. Many sought to curry favor or bribe their way to power, but to give away one’s entire fortune as a gift—surely in all Jianning, only Kong Sheng would do such a thing.

Two hundred strings may not seem like much, but when it is all a man owns, it bears the weight of a mountain. This boldness and sincerity—even a hardened schemer like Li Fuguo was momentarily swayed.

Li Fuguo’s expression shifted. Rising slowly, he gazed intently at Kong Sheng, his eyes flickering for a long moment before the ugly features broke into a slight smile. “Kong Sheng, you are admirable. I have no need of money and care nothing for wealth; these two hundred strings are nothing to me. Yet your sincerity—I shall remember well.”

“You are indeed extraordinary—a young hero personally recommended by Lord Guo of Fen-yang and Master Li Mi. Since you are so earnest, let me point out a better path for you.”

Hearing this, Kong Sheng’s heart gave a jolt: So it was not only Guo Ziyi who had recommended him to the court, but also Li Mi? This Li Mi...

At this point in history, Li Mi was a figure of great importance, threading his way through the chaos and power struggles with a detached air, aloof as drifting clouds. Kong Sheng was well aware of his existence, but had never imagined he might receive his endorsement.

Steadying himself, Kong Sheng said, “I await your guidance, Excellency.”

Li Fuguo looked at the clear-spirited youth before him and, for a moment, felt a rare stir of admiration. Striding over, he chuckled, “Kong Sheng, in truth, you have no need to go to Henan. With the rebels rampant, what good could come of it? Better that you wait a while and return to court with me—I will petition His Majesty to grant you an idle post, and with your talent, you will soon rise high.”

He patted his chest, half-smiling, “With me behind you, what have you to fear for your future?”

As a notorious villain of the imperial court, this might have been one of the few occasions in Li Fuguo’s life where he acted out of genuine goodwill. His suggestion was sincere—a new path for Kong Sheng: do not go to Henan, but return with Li Fuguo to Lingwu. With his recommendation, regaining an official position would not be difficult.

Yet Kong Sheng could never bring himself to consort with such a traitor, to become one of his kept lackeys. Once branded as belonging to Li Fuguo’s faction, that mark would be impossible to erase. Moreover, having resolved upon his path, how could he turn back now? Life is like a hard-fought cultivation; only by pressing forward unwaveringly can one’s purpose be fulfilled. To vacillate would only undermine the very foundation of his resolve.

Besides, if he failed to take up his appointed post, no matter how sound the reason, it would give others cause to accuse him of cowardice. If certain upright officials or rivals at court seized upon this, the stain might cling to him forever. Kong Sheng could not risk it.

Li Fuguo was not a man to be trusted. Today, moved by a whim, he promised a recommendation—but who could say what he would do tomorrow? To entrust one’s future to a man such as this would be the height of folly.