158 Saving the Country Through a Sideways Path

Emperor Ling had indeed given the department store an extremely pretentious name: Fortune Tower.

Although Luan Yi had been mentally prepared, knowing the Emperor was incapable of coming up with a good name, he never expected something so utterly bizarre, both vulgar and blatant.

Luan Yi had no intention of letting the hard-earned building bear such a designation. Therefore, after obtaining the name from Yu Du, he headed straight for the imperial palace to have an audience with the Emperor.

Upon meeting Emperor Ling, he first praised the name "Fortune Tower" to the skies, remarking that its meaning was direct and unreserved, echoing the style of the ancients. Then, his tone shifted smoothly: while the name was good, it was a bit too brief. A towering structure like the department store ought to have a longer, more fitting name.

Emperor Ling agreed that this made complete sense. Leaving the building aside for a moment, even among ancient ministers, the greater the achievement, the longer the posthumous title; a structure like Fortune Tower deserved a name that was similarly long and imposing. He picked up his brush and pondered for a long time, ink dripping onto the pristine, sacred paper without managing to conjure anything suitable.

At the opportune moment, Luan Yi suggested: "Your Majesty, how about calling it the 'Number One Tower Under Heaven'?"

Emperor Ling’s eyes lit up, and he nodded in great approval. "A wonderful name! Long and imposing! We shall follow Your Excellency's suggestion." With that, he swept his brush across the page, and the characters "Number One Tower Under Heaven" sprang to life on the paper, immediately stamped with the imperial seal.

It had to be said that Emperor Ling’s handwriting was usually mediocre, but whether due to his pleasant mood or a sudden flash of inspiration, the five characters were written with the fluid grace of a dragon in flight and a towering, heroic spirit, bearing the genuine demeanor of a master. Luan Yi accepted the imperial name, offered a round of lavish praise, and then took his leave to find artisans who would craft a plaque scaled to the proportions of the building.

Just as Luan Yi was deeply engrossed in the hectic preparations for the grand opening, trouble finally struck.

During decoration work, an artisan accidentally plummeted from the third floor and died on the spot.

When the news reached the palace, an official from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau submitted a memorial to Emperor Ling, stating: "The construction of towering buildings within the city violates the heavenly dao. The fatal fall of this artisan is a heavenly punishment and an ominous sign."

Though Emperor Ling was reluctant to believe it, the official's arguments were thorough, logical, and backed by reasons, sowing seeds of doubt in the imperial mind.

Yu Du’s spies within the palace halls overheard this conversation and immediately reported it to Yu Du, who in turn relayed it to Luan Yi.

Sensing the hand of Zhang Rang behind this incident, Luan Yi instantly realized that Zhang Rang intended to make a mountain out of a molehill and cause him trouble. To prevent Zhang Rang from taking the initiative first, Luan Yi hurriedly changed into his official robes and entered the palace for an audience.

Upon meeting Emperor Ling, instead of reporting a tragedy, he beamed with joy and announced, "Your Majesty, a great auspicious event!"

"What auspicious event?" Emperor Ling asked, puzzled. Someone had clearly died at the construction site; what on earth was there to celebrate?

"Your Majesty does not know!" Luan Yi fabricated smoothly. "The Number One Tower Under Heaven is nearing completion, yet an artisan accidentally fell to his death... Normally, this should be a time for grief, but by sheer coincidence, the worker fell right outside the main gates, splashing blood all across the entrance."

At the mere mental image, Emperor Ling felt a wave of nausea. "And why is that something to rejoice over?"

Instead of answering directly, Luan Yi posed a counter-question: "May I ask Your Majesty, what color is blood?"

"Naturally, red. Blood red!"

"Then has Your Majesty ever heard the phrase 'a flourishing start at the opening'?"

Emperor Ling had a sudden epiphany. "You mean..."

"Indeed! Blood splattered across the gates—does that not precisely fulfill the omen of 'a flourishing start'? A magnificent, auspicious sign!" Luan Yi rubbed his hands together.

"Haha..." Emperor Ling was also overjoyed. "A flourishing start indeed! The Number One Tower Under Heaven shall open with supreme fortune!"

By conjuring the notion of "a flourishing start" out of thin air, Luan Yi effortlessly swept away all doubt from Emperor Ling's mind.

Sitting in his carriage as it rolled out through the palace gates, a sense of guilt coalesced in his heart. When had he become the kind of person who salted others' wounds just to absolve himself? The poor artisan had died an obscure death, only to become a stepping stone for Luan Yi to secure the Emperor's trust. How was this behavior any different from that of Zhang Rang and his ilk?

Luan Yi began to despise himself slightly, feeling that he was drifting further and further away from the lotus flower painted on his folding fan. He finally understood why Zhu Ying had previously said he did not believe gentlemen existed in this world. It was because anyone wishing to merely survive in these troubled times—let alone live with any semblance of dignity—could not afford to be a gentleman.

For the sake of the country and his own family, he could not afford to be a gentleman either! All he could do was instruct Luan Fu to provide generous compensation to the artisan's family in Jinan State, while doing his utmost to care for them in their daily lives.

The carriage rolled down Zhuque Avenue. They had not gone far when someone blocked the path ahead. Luan Fu recognized the man instantly: it was Yuan Wei, the steward of the Yuan household.

Under Yuan Wei's guidance, Luan Yi entered the Yuan estate once more. His last visit had been on the first day of the Lunar Year to pay respects. Compared to the bustling, crowded liveliness of that time, the Yuan estate now appeared much more tranquil and spacious.

Following Yuan Wei into the main hall, Luan Yi lifted his robes and knelt to one side on a mat, while maidservants subsequently served fruits, melon seeds, and tea.

After waiting for about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, Yuan Wei entered through the rear door. His expression was extremely severe, as if he were harboring blazing anger.

Luan Yi hastily rose and bowed. "This official pays respects to Lord Situ."

Yuan Wei composed his expression, refusing to let Luan Yi take a seat, and scoffed, "Master Ziqi has accomplished quite a magnificent feat! Had this old man known beforehand that you would turn out to be such a person, I would never have saved you back then!"

Luan Yi had already anticipated why Yuan Wei was looking for him—or more accurately, he had foreseen it long ago, though Yuan Wei had come to him much later than expected. He feigned ignorance, playing the fool. "Why does Lord Yuan say such a thing?"

"Hmph!" Yuan Wei let out a cold snort. "What is it you have been up to lately?"

"This official has been building a tower!"

"Building a tower!" Yuan Wei sneered. "Indeed, building a tower! Such a massive tower! A tower fit for royalty. What on earth are you building this structure for?"

"Ah, you speak of this matter!" Luan Yi feigned sudden enlightenment. "That building is intended for commercial trade. It is rather unique, is it not?"

"It is indeed unique, and what is even more unique is that this building is co-constructed by you and His Majesty, with a portion of the future profits going directly to the Emperor. Is this old man correct?"

"Lord Yuan has heard of this?" Luan Yi’s lips curved into a smile. "Indeed, it is so!"

"You smile? You can still smile?" Yuan Wei was beside himself with fury. "Do you realize what you are doing? You are actually dragging His Majesty into the lowly pursuits of merchants! Where do you place the dignity of the Emperor? Where do you place the ancestral altars and the foundation of the Han Dynasty? Do you know how many ministers at court are burning with righteous indignation, demanding your impeachment? If not for this old man suppressing it, the memorials alone would drown you!"

"For this, I offer my gratitude to Lord Yuan in advance!" Luan Yi cupped his hands in a bow.

"Hmph! Luan Ziqi, you have disappointed this old man deeply. How is this behavior of yours any different from the Ten Regular Attendants? It is the quintessential act of a sycophantic minister."

"Lord Yuan, calm your anger and listen to this official's explanation!"

Yuan Wei knew that Luan Yi was not someone who acted recklessly, nor should he be the sycophant others painted him to be. After all, had he harbored malicious intent, how could he have uttered sentiments akin to 'Though my heart turns toward the bright moon, the moon shines instead upon the ditches'? There had to be a reason for such actions! "Speak! This old man wishes to see how you explain this."

"Lord Yuan!" Luan Yi spoke with eloquence: "Ever since the first year of the Guanghe era, His Majesty has been led astray by the Ten Regular Attendants, establishing a special office of official exchange in the West Garden under the pretext of 'urgent state expenditures,' openly setting prices and selling official posts and noble ranks. This has plunged the governance of the state into obscurity and the court into disorder. Officials are selected based on wealth rather than talent, leaving countless capable and talented individuals with no avenue to serve their country, while vast numbers of mediocre officials govern the localities. To recoup the funds spent on purchasing and advancing their ranks, these officials engage in rampant local extortion and corruption, reducing the people to a life of misery and suffering. The Yellow Turban Rebellion is nothing more than the inevitable byproduct of this sale of offices and titles."

Luan Yi continued: "To put an end to the trafficking of official posts, many officials have previously submitted memorials to His Majesty demanding a ban. Yet these efforts came to naught, and some high-ranking court officials even incurred the imperial wrath and lost their lives as a result. And what did those lost lives ultimately buy? Not only was the trade in offices not reined in, but it became even more rampant and intensified."

"This official deeply believes that the buying and selling of offices is the greatest ailment of the Han Dynasty, one that must be eradicated to remove future disasters. However, the lessons of our predecessors taught this official that forced remonstrance is entirely unfeasible; sometimes, potent medicine acts as poison, which will not save the Han but destroy oneself instead. Because of this, I pondered for a long time, gradually grasping the root cause: what is the purpose of His Majesty selling offices and titles? It is nothing more than the desire to amass wealth. Thus, I chose to draw close to His Majesty and teach him the ways of generating wealth. Once His Majesty tastes the sweetness of commercial trade, he will naturally realize that rather than earning paltry sums from selling official posts, he would do far better to channel his energy into commodity commerce. In this way, the trafficking of titles will be halted without the need for an explicit ban!"

"This..." Yuan Wei froze for a moment. "Yet commercial trade is, after all, a base and petty pursuit; it will drag His Majesty's dignity into the dust."

"Dignity?" Luan Yi let out a cold laugh. "Is there any dignity in selling offices and titles? To speak with utter disrespect, right now the common folk across the entire Han Dynasty are calling the Emperor a foolish ruler. Why? Is it not caused by the sale of offices? This official is merely steering His Majesty away from the trade of official posts in a roundabout way, restoring his reputation and effectively saving the country through a detour!"

"Saving the country through a detour?" Yuan Wei’s head buzzed as if struck by a thunderbolt. He muttered to himself, repeating the four characters "saving the country through a detour" over and over. "However... Ziqi! This old man can understand what you have just said, but will the general public understand your actions? Before long, once people discover that you induced the Emperor to engage in commerce, curses will rain down upon you from all sides!"

Luan Yi replied with an air of noble righteousness: "Even if there is vitriol, it will only last for a time and place. In the fullness of time, discerning men will naturally understand my bitter dedication and clear my name. To trade a temporary bad reputation for a lasting era of clarity for the Han Dynasty, this official has no regrets!"

Moved to tears, Yuan Wei took slow, faltering steps toward Luan Yi, grasped his hands, and said with great emotion, "Ziqi disregards his own reputation for such a righteous cause—even this old man falls short of such greatness!"

"Lord Yuan flatters me! However... Zhang Rang will undoubtedly seize upon this incident to throw dirt on this official. When that time comes, I trust Lord Yuan will expend your eloquence to explain the matter to the various lords."

"Naturally!"

After another round of profuse expressions of gratitude, Luan Yi declined Yuan Wei's invitation to stay for a meal and returned home.

For quite a long time to come, he would be a busy man once again.