5. Chapter 5

Mei Changsu banged his fist on his knee. “Who is this man? How can he have bent the court to his will so quickly!”

Meng Zhi scrunched up his face. “I honestly believe you are overthinking this matter, Xiao Su. Tao Mo is a simple man, just as he presents.”

Mei Changsu bared his teeth in a snarl. “Or maybe that’s what he wants you to think!”

Yujin tapped his chin. “He does have the whole court in a tizzy with that ‘falling off his horse’ euphemism. So bold!”

Meng Zhi sighed. “Or perhaps he just, you know, falls off his horse a lot —”

“No, no!” Yujin shook his head. “In the last debate battle, Minister Gao definitely sourced the comment back to a tempestuous poem attributed to Zhang Hua! Which makes sense! Why else would he proudly claim such an act, but then offer his lover sympathy? Hmmm? So clever, what a wit!” He ignored the glares Mei Changsu was sending him.

“But no, he really does fall off his horse quite often. I have assigned several men to escort him for his own safety whenever he rides without Gu She by his side. He falls. A lot .” Meng Zhi nodded fervently, trying to get his point across.

“What does Lin Chen know about him?” Yujin asked, ignoring Meng Zhi completely.

“I know that he is the illiterate son of a restaurateur here in Jinling whose father was executed for treason five years ago. He bought himself a government position in the rural Tan Yang county two years ago and then seduced Gu She over the course of a single month,” Lin Chen all but yelled as he entered the room. “Which I have told Changsu, repeatedly.”

Mei Changsu shook his head grimly. “I do not believe a word of it. It is too easy. He is too nice and calm. He deflects all inquiries!”

Lin Chen nodded. “That, I will grant you. I find his brand of intellectual simplicity and moral purity entirely unbelievable. No one is that nice.”

“Or that uninvested,” Mei Changsu said in agreement while Meng Zhi sighed loudly. “I need to know who this clever strategist is, and who he is planning to support. Even with Prince Yu out of the running, there are plenty of powerful people in court he could be pursuing. I need to discover his weaknesses. I need to see his calligraphy for myself!”

“I’m telling you, Xiao Su: you are overthinking this,” Meng Zhi insisted.