Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1124 The Emperor Emeritus's Wrath

In Kunning Palace,

Chunhe had already instructed the palace maids to tidy up the hall, and then personally helped the Empress to the East Warm Pavilion. Once the Empress was seated on a soft chair by the east window, Chunhe served her a bowl of lotus seed soup.

"Your Majesty, you've been busy all morning and haven't had a proper meal yet. This servant has prepared lotus seed soup for you to warm your stomach."

Then, after hesitating for a moment, he replied in a low voice;

"Your Majesty, the matter in the front hall happened suddenly. But I heard that it was Magistrate Xu who submitted the congratulatory memorial, which was actually a rebuke of the Emperor Emeritus. It was read aloud on the spot, which angered the Emperor Emeritus and shocked the officials. Several princes said that this man was arrogant and spoke of treason."

The harem is teeming with spies; only the front hall has fewer people, so those who might know, the Empress would surely know as well.
Hearing these explanations, Empress Jiang frowned, picked up the soup bowl, and took a few sips. The soup was soft, glutinous, and fragrant—still the same skill as before.
"Your lotus seed soup is still the most delicious. I didn't expect that Magistrate Xu would be so bold. I wonder what he wrote that angered the Emperor Emeritus. As for the princes you mentioned, let's leave that aside for now. What has the Emperor's reaction been?"

Jiang Yuqing instantly thought of many things, especially regarding Hanyuan Palace. The Emperor had secretly mobilized troops to Nanyuan, along with Marquis Luoyun's 5,000 men. These soldiers were entering the palace, but could the Emperor not restrain himself? If so, how would the situation be resolved? After all, the retired Emperor's influence permeated the court and the country. Suppressing a trace of panic in her heart, everything depended on the Emperor's attitude.

Perhaps understanding the Empress's concerns, Chunhe thought carefully for a moment and replied softly;

"Your Majesty, the Emperor did not say much, but simply allowed the Retired Emperor to issue orders. Even the ministers remained silent. Several princes also had strange attitudes. They had been at odds with Marquis Luoyun before, but in the end, they did not implicate Marquis Luoyun in Xu Changwen's memorial. I can't quite figure it out."

More than just being unable to fathom it, the whole affair was shrouded in mystery. Yet, upon hearing these words, Empress Jiang smiled, realizing that the Emperor's deployment of troops into the city was precisely for this purpose.

"Alright, just send someone to keep an eye on them. Also, tell those three girls to keep a close eye on the three princes and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes, ma'am."

Chunhe nodded in acceptance, wondering how Xia Yu and the others were doing outside the palace.

And so, as the palace banquet ended, more rumors quickly spread throughout the capital.

In the Qianqing Palace.

A deathly silence fell. The civil and military officials were mostly filled with fear and trepidation. No one had expected that a birthday banquet would turn out like this. Was it at the behest of Marquis Luoyun, or was it a trap deliberately set by several princes? Although no one mentioned it, most people knew that congratulatory memorials were usually presented by high-ranking officials in the court. How could a mere county magistrate be the one to read a congratulatory memorial?

These people in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs may have already laid a trap. In this light, it is not impossible that the retired emperor orchestrated the whole thing. Among the civil officials, there were many young officials, and many of them were thrilled to hear that a congratulatory letter had been presented to the world as a petition on maintaining order. However, when they wanted to step forward and speak, the officials around them held their sleeves tightly, and they could only give up out of consideration.

Marquis Luoyun, Zhang Jinyu, sat there somewhat helplessly. Looking at the oppressive atmosphere in the hall, he realized that he hadn't listened to a word he said to his disciple earlier. What about loyal ministers and treacherous ministers? Most officials in the world are corrupt. As long as they are used to their fullest potential, why are there so many upright officials among them?

Thinking of this,

Zhang Jinyu, growing impatient, picked up the piece of venison again with his chopsticks, took a big bite, and savored its rich flavor, still warm. This action drew the attention of all the officials in the hall back to him.

This time,

King Zhou Changde of Zheng instantly flicked his sleeves and rebuked;
"Lord Luoyun, this boy has spoken out of treason, and he is also your protégé and former subordinate. What is your opinion on this?"

Perhaps after waiting for a long time, King Zheng finally couldn't hold back and rebuked him severely, causing most of the nobles to frown in confusion.

Despite being reprimanded, Zhang Jinyu remained calm, swallowing the venison in her mouth, then taking a sip of lotus seed soup to cleanse her palate. She glanced at Prince Zheng's somewhat gloomy face and smiled.
"Your Highness Zheng, you've asked the wrong person. Today is the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet, and all the officials in the capital are allowed to submit congratulatory messages. This has always been the custom. The Directorate of Ceremonial selects the messages to be read aloud from important officials. How come as soon as you princes returned to the capital, someone submitted a message from a mere county magistrate and read it aloud? I wonder who's behind this. Perhaps it was arranged by Your Highness Zheng."

When it comes to verbal skills, Zhang Jinyu is not afraid of these people at all. She can say anything to frame them, or what she says might actually be true.

Perhaps Zhang Jinyu had touched a nerve, because Prince Zheng, Zhou Changde, was so angry that his face turned red. Although he had given the order to do this, the internal arrangements were handled by the people from the Directorate of Ceremonial. He had no idea how it was done. Moreover, he had not expected that he would be involved in arranging the congratulatory message. This was an unexpected surprise.

"Lord Luoyun, stop with your sarcastic remarks. Today's events were merely a chance encounter. No one stipulates that only memorials from high-ranking officials must be read aloud. Any official in the capital can submit a memorial. I ask you, what do you think of the content of the memorial written by your protégé Xu Changwen?"

They pressed on relentlessly, emphasizing the word "disciple" even more.
"Oh dear, Prince Zheng, you're putting me in a difficult position. I was just eating venison, which was a gift from the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus. I dare not waste it. As for what they said, I really didn't hear it clearly. I wonder what Prince Zheng meant."

Zhang Jinyu deliberately feigned a troubled expression. Although he was impressed, he hadn't really absorbed the details of the explanation. Who could possibly memorize every single word?
This question truly stumped King Zheng. After all, he had only heard the commotion, and didn't remember the specifics. His face turned cold.

"What a sharp tongue you have, Marquis Luo Yun! Do you think there's no one in the court who can handle you?"

Perhaps it was because he had gained some authority, but the other princes' expressions were mostly unfriendly.

“Your Highness, what you are saying is utterly treasonous. The court has its own laws. The princes have followed ancestral rules and led troops back to the capital. There are many rumors among the people of the capital that the princes have long harbored rebellious intentions. Last time, when you attacked Prince Jin's convoy, I suspected that you had been planning this all along. Today, I am afraid that your true intentions have finally come to light. Your Majesty, I request that you immediately arrest these traitors and conduct a thorough investigation.”

Whether it was because he had drunk too much, Zhang Jinyu's gaze fell on Wang Ziteng, and then he stood up and stepped forward to bow to the Martial Emperor on the dragon throne.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold and icy. The officials were all shocked, especially Chief Minister Li, who could no longer stand idly by. He thought the emperor would rebuke Marquis Luo Yun for his audacious words, but after waiting for a long time, the emperor on the dragon throne remained silent. Li trembled more and more, after all, the elite soldiers of Hanyuan Hall were right beside him. He tried to get up, but because of his anxious mood, he couldn't stand up for a moment.

"You, Marquis Luo Yun, stop spouting nonsense. I've heard in the capital that you, Marquis Luo Yun, are arrogant and domineering, and that you've been secretly colluding with those princes to force me to abdicate."

The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became, almost to the point of uttering reckless words. All the civil and military officials lowered their heads, except for a few senior ministers who were sweating profusely from anxiety.

Just as the two emperors' expressions grew increasingly grim, Gu Yichen, the Minister of Revenue, suddenly moved again, lifted his official robe, walked straight to the center of the hall, and knelt down to kowtow once more.

"Your Majesty, Minister of Revenue Gu Yichen, requests your assistance."

"Hehe, so you are the Minister of Revenue. I have heard of you. You just said that you wanted to see this memorial."

Out of the corner of his eye, the Emperor Emeritus glanced at Prince Zheng and his companions. He had no interest in listening to their rambling accusations, most of which were driven by selfish motives. He hadn't expected his sons to be so impulsive. The most powerful and noble families in the land belonged to the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. Although they had seized military power from some, there were still two kings and several descendants of dukes stationed at the border. Marquis Luoyun was a rising star and a pillar of the army. As long as the rebel sect within the pass existed, this son must not be touched in the slightest. How could he not see such a simple truth?

"In response to Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow me to see what Xu Changwen wrote." "Heh, that's quite interesting. This time you're not talking about the congratulatory letter, or are you implying that you knew nothing about what Xu Changwen wrote beforehand, is that right?"

The retired emperor's expression was somewhat amused; the composure of a cultivator was long gone, and the golden whisk in his hand, with its countless golden threads, was trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know."

Gu Yichen's expression remained calm, and his answer was as firm as ever.

"Haha, ahaha, oh dear, everyone says that the important ministers in the court have a thousand and one schemes, and today I have seen it for myself. First, they absolve themselves of all responsibility, and then they come to fight me with their magic. Gu Yichen, Gu Yichen, do you know that the devil is one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall?"

The retired emperor, exasperated yet still unrestrained, let out a laugh, flicked his wide robe, and his expression softened.
"I also want to ask you, after Xu Changwen entered the capital, he became a principal official. Which department was he in charge of? And where did this congratulatory letter come from, and who went to pick it up?"

"In response to the Emperor Emeritus, Xu Changwen was the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue under my supervision. The congratulatory memorial was collected by the Office of Transmission and selected by the Directorate of Ceremonial to be read aloud in the main hall."

Gu Yichen remained the same, his answers meticulous and flawless, leaving no room for criticism. However, these words had already terrified Zhou Xianzhe of the Office of Transmission and Chen Hui, the eunuch in charge of drafting documents in the Directorate of Ceremonial, who immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
The Empress watched coldly. Although the matter was not yet clear, her intuition was on these princes. She secretly glanced at them out of the corner of her eye but did not see anything unusual. Could it be that the Directorate of Ceremonial had acted on its own?
"Your answer was so proper. What you just said was really strange. The Ministry of Justice took it, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs sent it to be read aloud, and the person was one of yours. You have quite the silver tongue. Now you still call it a congratulatory letter."

"Grand Secretary Gu, you are a Grand Secretary, you dare to act and do things. Those so-called heroes who gathered to rebel were willing to risk their lives and did not try to explain themselves when they were in the court of punishment. In your department, even a minor clerk knew to prepare his coffin. You, the official in charge, are not even as good as him!"

Chen Hui, emboldened by some unknown source, fiercely questioned the officials, causing some commotion among the civil officials. Grand Secretary Li Chonghou quickly looked at his son beside him and asked.

"Chao Sheng, is what Chen Hui said true?"

If the household had already prepared a coffin, then it meant that plans had been made in advance.

“Father, although I don’t know much about this matter, I do know a little about it. A few days ago, there were rumors that the newly appointed magistrate, or rather, the Magistrate Xu who was tried by the three judicial authorities, was an upright and incorruptible person. On the second day after the joint trial by the three judicial authorities, when I passed by Pingnan Market, I saw this magistrate buying a coffin. It must be true.”

Whether it was a coincidence or not, it just so happened that the steward of the manor went to Pingnan Market to buy Northern Border Sake for himself that day. As for how he recognized him, it was because of the reputation of Magistrate Xu in the capital.

"Oh, is that so? Everyone says there are no honest officials in the world, and even if there are, they are not upright ministers or remonstrating officials. But today, I'm afraid I'm wrong."

A hint of determination flashed across the Grand Secretary's face. Just as he was about to defuse the situation, the Emperor Emeritus suddenly burst out laughing.
"What's wrong? Are you speechless because Chen Hui's questions stumped you, or are you unable to reveal who's behind this?"

Looking at the Emperor Emeritus's face, which had returned to calm, it was the eunuch Chen beside him who had flushed blood and looked somewhat ferocious.

Gu Yichen suddenly straightened up and answered loudly;

"In response to Your Majesty, I was not stumped by the question, but rather I disdained to answer such treasonous words as those of Eunuch Chen. Xu Changwen has only been in the capital for a few days, having been appointed as a principal officer in the Ministry of Revenue, but he is still my subordinate. His deception of the Emperor is tantamount to my deception of the Emperor; this is my first crime."

He cupped his hands in greeting, looked at the somewhat dazed Eunuch Chen, and let out another cold laugh;
"I personally informed Xu Changwen of this congratulatory memorial while I was in the ministry, and I also told him that although the interrogation was still ongoing, all officials remaining in the capital were required to write a congratulatory memorial. The person who submits the memorial and the person who writes it will be punished equally. This is my second crime. I was aware of the outrageous and treasonous words that Xu Changwen submitted. With these two crimes, I cannot escape blame."

He solemnly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed.

"Since Xu Changwen has already committed these two crimes and has prepared a coffin to accept his execution, I will simply prepare a coffin as well and accept my execution. Your Excellency asked if I am inferior to those heroes who gathered to rebel; I will now answer Your Excellency's question."

With sharp eyes, he slowly stood up and stared at Eunuch Chen Huichen;

"Xu Changwen is arrogant and rebellious. Why does Eunuch Chen call him a hero? Xu Changwen is neither a hero nor a detained official. Why does Eunuch Chen also imply that I am a hero? Eunuch Chen's words are treasonous. I humbly request the Emperor Emeritus to order Eunuch Chen to retract his words before I can submit my report."

He knelt down again, startling Eunuch Chen, whose face turned purplish-red and who was furious. Even the court officials were dumbfounded. Not to mention the nobles, even the entire cabinet looked at Grand Secretary Gu with new respect.

Zhang Jinyu had originally intended to be impolite to the princes and say something outrageous, but compared to the words of that old fox Gu Yichen, the difference in skill was immediately apparent. Gu Yichen had said so much that he had almost silenced the Emperor Emeritus and Eunuch Chen. This old fellow still had something to say with his silver tongue. It seemed that the civil officials might have other plans. Zhang Jinyu decided to remain silent and wait and see.

"Haha, good, well said! You have a good eye. This Xu Changwen is a hero, and so are you, the cabinet minister. You are not wrong, and you are absolutely right, absolutely right, absolutely right!"

The retired emperor swept the table with his golden whisk, and the gold-decorated dishes and bowls instantly fell to the ground with a piercing shattering sound that echoed throughout the hall.
"Throughout my life, I've always admired heroes and valiant individuals, including all of you so-called accomplices, backers, and conspirators. Step forward, hahaha, I love you all, hahaha!"

"Your Majesty, I am no hero or valiant man, nor do I have any allies. I was a Jinshi in the eleventh year of the Tianbao era and a disciple of the Emperor. If I were to speak of a mentor, Your Majesty would be my mentor. In the sixteenth year of the Tianbao era, I was appointed as an inspector of the Six Ministries from the Hanlin Academy. Later, I was promoted to Attendant Reader, then Governor, then Vice Minister of Revenue, then Minister, and finally, I entered the Grand Secretariat. Every step of my journey was thanks to Your Majesty's cultivation."

"If we're talking about patrons, then the Emperor Emeritus is my patron. If we're talking about allies, then I can only be the Emperor Emeritus's allies. Although I am old, I know that a ruler who is not discreet will lose his ministers. What the Emperor Emeritus just said is not the way a ruler should judge his ministers. I humbly request that the Emperor Emeritus retract his words."

The emperor and his ministers exchanged eloquently, causing the entire court to fall into such a quiet stillness that one could hear the falling leaves. Even the emperor found it unbelievable that the usually taciturn Grand Secretary Gu would have such a side to him. Moreover, he himself had already noticed these things but had not taken any action to stop them. Who could have imagined that the scholar who had passed the imperial examination would make such earth-shattering remarks?

Could it be that what Father Emperor did back then was already compounding his mistakes?
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, look! Everyone says that court officials and civil servants are quick-witted and eloquent. Today, I have truly experienced it firsthand. This Gu Yichen insists that you take back what you said, and he also wants me to take back what I said. Chen Hui, will you take it back or not?"

Seemingly addressing the Emperor, Chen Hui abruptly changed his tone, looking at Eunuch Chen who was serving him. Chen Hui quickly bowed his head and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I will never retract my statement. This matter was brought from the Office of Transmission by me personally. There has never been a rule that one cannot read congratulatory messages from officials of low rank. This matter is unprecedented not only in our Great Wu Dynasty, but also in previous dynasties, or even in all dynasties. This Minister Gu is clearly a smooth talker, a great villain disguised as a loyal minister. I implore Your Majesty not to be deceived and to investigate thoroughly."

A fierce glint flashed across his face as he glared menacingly at the spot where Gu Yichen was kneeling, showing no sign of weakness. The retired emperor shifted slightly, turning his head to look at the Martial Emperor on the dragon throne, and asked.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Even the Empress Wu hadn't expected that a seemingly insignificant move would have such a brilliant and unexpected use.
"The Emperor Emeritus is absolutely right. Chen Hui, since you say you want to investigate, then tell me, who are you going to investigate, or who will conduct the investigation?"

The Empress then passed the question to Chen Hui. At this moment, Chen Hui's back was already soaked with cold sweat. Hearing the Emperor's question, he knew in his heart that there was no way out today. He gritted his teeth, kowtowed, and returned.

"Your Majesty, this matter will be investigated by this servant!"

(End of this chapter)