Chapter 145: Reinforcements from All Directions

That day, Luan Yi was writing furiously in his cell when he heard a commotion echoing down the corridor. Lifting his eyes, he gasped in surprise, "It's you?"

The newcomer was none other than Wei Ning, who had been arrested for military incompetence. Compared to the welcoming reception Luan Yi had received upon entering the prison, Wei Ning's arrival was far more miserable. The standard thirty welcoming blows given to new prisoners had not been reduced in the slightest, and it even seemed an extra portion had been added. The beating had left the fellow's buttocks torn to shreds, with fresh blood soaking completely through his trousers.

"General Suppressing the East! Do you think this humble one's hospitality is acceptable?" the chief jailer asked, pointing proudly at Wei Ning like a merchant showing off a rare treasure.

"Splendid! Exceedingly good! Go to the Rising Phoenix Pavilion later and collect your reward," Luan Yi casually scribbled a note bearing three large characters—"Fifty Gold Pieces"—and handed it to the jailer.

Upon seeing that it was gold rather than silver this time, the jailer's mouth split into a wide grin. He immediately promised to continue "treating Wei Ning with the utmost care."

Luan Yi added, "Find him a cell closer to mine."

"Closer? That might not be appropriate! This humble one fears that this wretch is too filthy and might offend the General's noble nose," the jailer objected.

"No matter! This General wishes to lecture this scoundrel at all times!"

The jailer had no choice but to comply.

Wei Ning was so infuriated that he bared his teeth. "Luan Yi, stop acting so smug just because you've gained the upper hand! Sooner or later, you'll get what's coming to you."

"I'll give you a taste of bad karma starting today! You beast born without breeding, you've learned nothing else except how to become a running dog for the eunuchs. Is your father a eunuch or what..." Luan Yi launched into a tirade that continued without interruption for over two hours.

The jailer listened with mounting awkwardness. He thought to himself: Look at how this man hurls insults. He never repeats himself, and without using a single vulgar word, he manages to curse the fellow's ancestors back eight generations. This is truly the highest realm of verbal abuse; I must learn well from this. Oh, Wei Ning, Wei Ning, of all the people you could have offended, why did you have to provoke him?

With Wei Ning's arrival, Luan Yi's monotonous life finally found a new source of entertainment—street-style scolding. Every time Wei Ning was left speechless and unable to retort, Luan Yi would experience a morbid sense of gratification.

Naturally, he was well aware that this pleasure was morbid, but what could he do? Since he had way too much time on his hands, he had no choice but to use this method to amuse himself.

Little did he know that even as he was comfortably entertaining himself, countless people were anxiously worrying over his safety.

On the main highway leading from Jingzhou to the capital, a youth galloped furiously on horseback. He had thick eyebrows, hawk-like eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. His handsome face possessed a heroic aura, faintly tinged with an alluring, feminine charm. The long blue scholarly robe he wore fluttered in the wind against the backdrop of the charging steed as he sped past like a gust of wind.

The young page boy trailing behind him worried for his master's safety. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he pleaded, "Young Master, Young Master! Please ride slower. We've been riding the whole day. Let's rest for a while at the town ahead!"

The youth responded with resolute determination, "Let's push on a little further and rest at the next town!" In his heart, he chanted silently, "Brother Yi, Brother Yi, I beg of you, nothing must happen to you. Jia is almost there!"

He was the demonic genius of salvation, Guo Jia, styled Fengxiao.

Coincidentally, along the main roads leading to Luoyang from Jizhou, Liangzhou, and Yangzhou, upon hearing that Luan Yi had been cast into prison, the genius of salvation Xi Zhicai, the oceanic talent of salvation Xun Yu, the stellar talent of salvation Xun You, and the cloud talent of salvation Cheng Yu were all whipping their horses to gallop there at top speed. Even the talented strategist of salvation Xu Shu and the earthly talent of salvation Mao Jie temporarily set aside their current affairs in Jinan to rush over and investigate the situation...

After a separation of three years, the Eight Officers finally gathered once more.

Therefore, when Luan Yi caught sight of his childhood companions in the prison corridor, he was stunned for a long moment. "You... you all, why have you come?"

"Brother Yi has gotten into such a huge mess, how could we not come!" Although Xi Zhicai had grown taller and sturdier, and his voice had changed, the contours of his face remained much the same as they were three years ago.

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Brother Yi has accomplished such great feats—capturing cities, seizing enemy generals amidst tens of thousands of troops—and has built up an enormous reputation. Now that something has happened, the entire nine provinces are shaken. How could we possibly not know?"

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Luan Yi was dumbfounded. It seemed that quite a lot had happened during his stint in the dungeon.

"Even bigger than Brother Ziqi imagines!" Xun Yu spoke eloquently. After Luan Yi's imprisonment, the literati faction led by Yuan Wei first submitted a joint petition declaring him innocent. However, Emperor Ling brushed it aside, stating that since the Yellow Turban Rebellion was not yet pacified, the matter would not be discussed for the time being. Following that, as the Yellow Turban Rebellion subsided, a host of meritorious ministers who had suppressed the rebellion—led by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, and including Yanzhou Inspector Liu Dai, Beihai Administrator Kong Rong, and Nanyang Administrator Qin Jie—successively submitted memorials pleading for Luan Yi. Furthermore, Liu Wu, the Prince of Jinan, even presented a petition bearing the signatures of ten thousand commoners, begging Emperor Ling to clear Luan Yi's name.

Upon hearing this news, far from being gladdened, Luan Yi was alarmed, his face clouding with worry.

The jailer was puzzled. "So many high-ranking officials are petitioning for the General. The day of the General's release is just around the corner. You should be rejoicing, so why are you looking so distressed?"

Luan Yi looked up to the heavens and sighed, "Utterly foolish! Are they trying to save me or kill me?" The civil and military officials of the entire court were jointly recommending him—was this not banding together to openly defy Emperor Ling, who had ordered his arrest? What was originally a minor matter could have been resolved easily once the Yellow Turban rebels were eliminated; Emperor Ling would have forgotten about the Peace Dao after the danger passed, the ministers would have offered a few words of persuasion, and Luan Yi could have begged for mercy, at least balancing his merits against his faults. But now, after such a grand commotion, Emperor Ling would not easily release him simply to save face. "It's understandable that Teacher Cai couldn't see the root of the problem right away, but why did Grand Tutor Yuan, Palace Attendant Wang, and the others follow along in making such a fuss?"

"You cannot entirely blame them!" Guo Jia shook his head repeatedly. "They originally intended for the Three Excellencies to take the lead in advising His Majesty not to blindly believe the slanderous accusations against you—to make their point and then gently persuade him over time. Who would have guessed that General Huangfu, without any prior consultation, would speak up for you in the great hall on the very day of his triumphant return, fiercely denouncing the eunuch faction for disrupting the imperial court and persecuting military commanders on the eve of a major war? Once he broke the silence, there was no stopping it. Memorials flew in from all over like snowflakes—some pleading to restore your freedom, others fiercely denouncing Wei Ning for framing a loyal officer, endless and varied. Moreover, Minister Lu went straight to the Quanquan Palace the moment he was released from prison, and he is still kneeling outside the Quanquan Palace right now!"

"What is he doing?" Luan Yi's tiger-like eyes snapped wide open.

Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow. "What else could he be doing! Begging for mercy on your behalf!"

"What? Has that old man lost his mind?" A warmth flooded Luan Yi's heart, but he said aloud, "Quickly send someone to drag Minister Lu back home! Tell him that going on like this won't work—instead of saving me, it will kill me! He will understand!"

"Indeed! This Majesty of ours simply does not respond to coercion from subjects!" Xi Zhicai smiled faintly, his words heavy with deep mockery. Indeed, coercing the palace only worked on an enlightened ruler, but the reigning Son of Heaven...

Luan Yi asked, "How has His Majesty reacted?"

"We cannot say the lords' actions were entirely useless. At least His Majesty, pressured by the circumstances, has decided to grant an audience to Brother Yi," Guo Jia said.

"An audience?" Luan Yi gave a bitter laugh. "It should be called a trial! When?"

"Three days from now, the grand court assembly of this month!"

"Three days?" The moment he thought that the grand court assembly in three days would be the critical juncture deciding his life and death, Luan Yi suddenly felt a sense of tension. "My brothers, do you have a brilliant strategy to save me?"

True to his past nature, Xi Zhicai spoke with characteristic sarcasm. Instead of answering, he countered, "If we didn't have a plan, why else would we have come here?"

"Haha..." Luan Yi was overjoyed. "In that case, I can rest easy! With all Eight Officers arrived, even if the sky were to fall, we could prop it back up. Quick, let's hear it."

"Brother Yi, do not panic!" Guo Jia paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. "Before that, let us first analyze the crux of the problem. Only by identifying the root cause can we prescribe the correct remedy." He took two steps and continued, "The reason His Majesty had Brother Yi arrested stems from two causes: First, His Majesty believes that the Holy Mother Church founded by Brother Yi has won the hearts of the people, and thus he is deeply wary, fearing that the Holy Mother Church might become a second Peace Dao and trigger a rebellion on an even larger scale. Second, His Majesty feels that the Holy Mother Church privately maintains troops and possesses a formidable, battle-tested army, posing a grave threat to the imperial court. And now there is a third point: Brother Yi has formed cliques for private gain within the court and colluded with officials to shield himself."

At this point, seeing that Luan Jia was about to offer an explanation, Guo Jia waved his hand. "Jia knows that Brother Yi has not formed cliques for private gain, but His Majesty will not see it that way. Just ask yourself, how many people in the Han Dynasty are like Brother Yi, who, the moment he enters prison, has people from all directions coming to plead for him? Zhang Rang only needs to whisper a few slanderous words to leave His Majesty with the impression that Brother Yi is building a faction."

"This..." Luan Yi lowered his head. "With these three crimes, wouldn't I surely die?"

"It hasn't come to that yet!" Xi Zhicai smiled. "Brother Yi didn't listen carefully to younger brother Jia's words just now."

"How so?"

"The three points Jia's younger brother mentioned: one is that His Majesty believes the Holy Mother Church poses a threat to the court. The other is that His Majesty feels the Holy Mother Church privately keeps troops and harbors rebellious intentions!" Xi Zhicai deliberately placed heavy emphasis on the words "His Majesty believes" and "His Majesty feels."

"You mean...?" Luan Yi caught the drift.

"It means that the accusations currently leveled against Brother Yi are all subjective conjectures of His Majesty and lack solid evidence. The only charge that violates the laws of the Han is the private raising of troops. However, when the Yellow Turban calamity first erupted, His Majesty issued an edict ordering gentry across various regions to organize volunteer armies to assist the imperial forces in suppressing the rebellion. From this perspective, the church's troops were a temporary volunteer force organized for suppression, not private troops, and therefore cannot be deemed a crime."

Xi Zhicai paused for a moment and continued, "Thus, if Brother Yi wishes to leave prison unconvicted, the first thing he must do is alter His Majesty's perspective, making him feel that the Holy Mother Church is harmless—at least ensuring it will not plague the realm like the Peace Dao in the future. As for how to do that, surely we don't need to spell it out?"

As Luan Yi's closest friend, Guo Jia spoke bluntly with a suggestion: "Brother Yi, the reason His Majesty has locked you away for so long without passing a sentence is clearly because he appreciates your talent. He is reluctant to kill you; he merely harbors deep apprehension toward the Holy Mother Church. Therefore, Jia suggests that during the grand assembly in three days, Brother Yi should directly promise His Majesty to disband the Holy Mother Church. Without the Holy Mother Church, His Majesty will no longer harbor suspicions against you and will naturally pardon you of all guilt!"

"Disband the Holy Mother Church?" Luan Yi smiled faintly. "That is utterly impossible." The Holy Mother Church was built by his own hands; it embodied the painstaking efforts of himself and countless divine servants, and it had achieved remarkable results in civilizing the people and spreading welfare throughout the regions around Jinan. How could he just disband it upon a whim?

"There is no better way besides this!" Xun Yu was about to offer advice, but Luan Yi cut him off.

Luan Yi said, "There is—of course there are other ways!" As he spoke, a high-risk plan began to take shape in his mind.