Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1135 Changes in the Imperial Study
Inside the main hall of the Ministry of Justice,
The atmosphere remained tense.

By this time, Chen Hui had long lost his arrogant tone. One case led to another, and involved many other inside stories. If these things didn't exist, it would be fine to fabricate stories, but he himself had heard about these things, and every word he said was true. Take the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner's Office, for example; the deficits over the years were all laid out in the memorials from the Directorate of Ceremonial. In Jiangnan, it was practically an ironclad case. As for the Weaving Bureau, Eunuch Yang had already gone mad.
"Then please issue an imperial decree. Someone, quickly report the recorded documents to the palace."

"Yes, Eunuch Chen."

Immediately afterwards, a young eunuch collected the official records and documents, packed them up, and hurriedly led the Imperial City Guard back to the Imperial Palace.

Those who remained at the Ministry of Justice, at Grand Secretary Gu's instruction, had tea and snacks served and took a short rest.

Inside the palace,

In the flower hall of the East Warm Pavilion, the Empress did not review any memorials today. Instead, she had Dai Quan move a reclining chair to the side of the east window, where she lay down and pretended to doze. The sound of cicadas chirping outside the window drifted in, as if there was noise in the stillness. The Empress lay on the reclining chair, playing with a string of amber prayer beads in her hand, her fingertips stroking the smooth beads. Her movements were unhurried and unhurried, as if everything outside the palace was as quiet as usual.

After a while,

But he could never let go of the Ministry of Justice.

"The Ministry of Justice held a trial today; I wonder how it went."

His voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the afternoon. Standing to the side, Dai Quan bowed and replied.
"Your Majesty, we just received news that the presiding judges of the Ministry of Justice have all arrived and are currently conducting the interrogation. We expect to receive more news soon. However, since last night, when the people from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs went to inquire, they found that this Chief Clerk Xu remained silent and had to return empty-handed."

Dai Quan's eyes held a hint of thought. Since the birthday banquet, the people from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had been jumping around everywhere, especially Chen Hui and his group. It seemed that they couldn't hold back any longer. Perhaps it was some kind of test from Chang Le Palace.
"Whether or not someone pleads guilty depends on the interrogation and the evidence. There have been quite a few changes at the Directorate of Ceremonial, so you'd better keep a close eye on things."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant receives the decree."

Seemingly a warning, the Empress Wu stopped short of making a move. Just then, a eunuch rushed in from outside and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, we have received a memorial from the Ministry of Justice, as well as the interrogation statement of Chief Clerk Xu."

Holding the memorial and confession in both hands, Dai Quan walked over quickly, took the items, and waved his hand. The eunuch who had delivered the message kowtowed and stood up to wait. Dai Quan then handed the remaining items to the table in front of Empress Wu.

He knew the Emperor's temperament. Such an important interrogation, yet only a few confessions were recorded. Clearly, something was amiss. He wondered if the Grand Secretaries had acted swiftly and decisively, or if that Chief Clerk Xu had confessed.

Take two steps back.
Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong simply grunted an "Mmm" and said nothing more. He just spun the prayer beads in his hand even faster. Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting scattered shadows on his face, obscuring the expression in his eyes. His bright yellow dragon robe shone even brighter.

"I was just thinking about the matter with the Ministry of Justice, and now the documents have arrived. I never expected those people to be so fast,"

With a smile, the Empress finally sat up, reached for the document on the table, and did not rush to read it. She weighed it in her hand and found it was indeed light. She put the document aside and instead picked up the confession recorded from beginning to end and read it carefully.

The contents are clearly remembered, and some of the words written are quite startling. The Ministry of Justice officials' record this time is indeed accurate, but there is some hesitation in the handwriting. A censor said that Xu Changwen, "although arrogant, is not a treacherous minister" and suggested that he be punished leniently.

However, many people, such as Song Zhen, the Minister of Justice, said, "The country has its laws, and the laws are as heavy as mountains. If we indulge them, it will be difficult to convince the public."

He turned the pages one by one, his gaze calm, neither frowning nor nodding, as if it were an ordinary matter. After reading several pages of the memorial, he then read Xu Changwen's defense. The handwriting was as black as ink, in a rare style of the "slender gold" script, indicating that he had received guidance from Marquis Luo Yun. It is said that handwriting reflects the person; the tip of the brush carried a sharp edge, completely opposite to Marquis Luo Yun's restrained style. Then he read the defense.

"I dare not disobey your orders, but there is a miscarriage of justice in the case. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may investigate the old accounts of Jiangnan and the Grand Canal. I am willing to guarantee it with my life." His words carried a hint of solemnity.

"Old accounts related to the Grand Canal transport, old accounts related to the farmland in Jiangnan, these..."

The Emperor Wu repeated it in a low voice, lightly tapping the old accounts with his fingertip. How could he dare to casually bring up these old accounts? He remembered that when the Emperor Emeritus was handling the canal transport case, he was still in the Prince's Mansion in the capital. He had heard about many things. Even if it was a major case, no matter how many people were killed, it was not enough to protect the family by killing those officials. Therefore, these cases could not be touched for the time being.

“Dai Quan,”

The Martial Emperor suddenly spoke.
"Is there any movement from Chang Le Palace?"

Dai Quan was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied;

"Your Majesty, a eunuch has reported that the Emperor Emeritus has not calmed down since returning home these past few days. He has barely been able to meditate or practice meditation, and he has been urging the Ministry of Justice to interrogate Xu Changwen."

The Empress's lips curled into a smile, so fast it was almost impossible to catch.
"The Emperor Emeritus is still in a hurry. Case interrogation can't be done so quickly. The more complex the law, the more complicated it is."

He put down the documents and confessions in his hand, walked to the window, and stood in the courtyard of the imperial study, where several pine trees stood tall, providing shelter from the wind and rain. His gaze gradually deepened.

"Do you think Xu Changwen is truly fearless, or is he thinking of something else?"

Dai Quan dared not speak rashly, but simply lowered his head and said...

“This servant is dull-witted and has never seen anyone who is not afraid of death, like Master Xu. This is the first time I have seen someone like him in the Great Wu Dynasty. I cannot see through him.”

Not only were they unable to see through it, but they were also somewhat shocked and surprised. It is said that matters of the court are decided by the cabinet. Now the cabinet cannot make a decision. The people of the Directorate of Ceremonial are rushing to the front. Is this a blessing or a curse? Let's wait and see about Chen Hui and his people.

The Empress smiled, turned around and walked to her desk, picked up Xu Changwen's defense, pointed to one sentence, and underlined it.
“If the judge has selfish motives, it is better not to judge. I don’t know what Song Zhen did to offend him. Of course, if this person is not seeking fame, I can give him a fair trial.”

The word "fairness" is the most difficult word in the world. In such a vast world, where can one find true fairness? In the past, various major cases, including those related to the Grand Canal, were carried out to stabilize the court. Some people escaped justice. Does that count as "fairness"?

These old cases were investigated to uncover the truth. But was it "just" to implicate innocent people back then? Now, everyone has their own calculations, so where is the word "fairness"?

He closed the folded document in his hand, without even writing a red annotation, and instead tossed it onto a corner of the table.
"Tell the Ministry of Justice that there's no rush with Xu Changwen's case; send him back to the imperial prison first."

Dai Quan was stunned. The case was still under trial, and it was over already?
"Then, Your Majesty, what about the Emperor Emeritus?"

What should we do then?
"As for the Emperor Emeritus, I will explain it to him myself later."

The Empress's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.
"Have them bring up copies of Xu Changwen's account books, as well as those from Zhuang Shouzhi and Jing Cunliang. After making rubbings of them, send them over as well. I want to see them myself."

Dai Quan was startled—was the Emperor going to personally handle the case? And dredge up old grievances? Thinking of the mess left by the Imperial Household Department, he was also alarmed.
But he dared not ask further, and simply bowed in response:
"The slave obeys the order."

After Dai Quan left, the Imperial Study returned to silence. The Empress lay back on her reclining chair, but stopped making Buddhist prayer beads. She gazed at the caisson ceiling above the beams, where auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns were carved, with the dragon above and the phoenix below, just as the rules of the world dictate.

But Xu Changwen insisted on going against the rules, using the heart of a scholar to challenge these rigid rules. Should he go with the flow and implement the new policy again, or should he take a step back?

When I was a child, my teacher taught me to ride a horse and said, "To ride a horse, you must understand its temperament. If it is strong, treat it gently; if it is gentle, treat it strongly." Isn't the world today just like a wild horse?
The retired emperor once used firmness, but perhaps he should use gentleness. However, this gentleness is not indulgence, but rather finding a path within the rigid rules that would allow the court to go far.

The cicadas outside the window gradually quieted down, and the sunlight slanted, casting longer shadows on the ground. The Empress closed her eyes, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the recliner, as if deep in thought.
a long time,

He opened his eyes, the thoughtful look from before gone, replaced by a calm stillness. This case couldn't be rushed. Xu Changwen wanted "fairness," so he would give him "fairness," but this "fairness" had to be done slowly, step by step, to gain the respect of the people and to make the Emperor Emeritus... understand gradually.

He picked up the teacup beside him. The tea had gone cold, but he still took a sip. He tasted a slight bitterness on his tongue, but after the bitterness came a sweet aftertaste that lingered on his tongue.

In Chang Le Palace,

Inner Hall

Inside the hall, the sandalwood incense in the bronze crane incense burner was burning to the third inch, the smoke drifting obliquely upwards, but suddenly swirling half a foot from the top of the beam, as if it were being gripped by the suddenly taut air inside the hall.

The eunuchs serving in the corridor had already held their breath, not daring to disturb the dust in the grout between the gold bricks on their boots. The old eunuch who had just delivered the documents had just placed the stack of files sealed with oiled paper on the rosewood table when there was a crisp "crack" sound, followed by the sound of a teacup shattering on the ground. The sound of porcelain shards flying echoed three or four times in the empty hall before settling down.

The retired Emperor Zhou Shengzhuo was wearing a dark blue casual robe. The dragon pattern embroidered on the collar, which was originally curled up, now seemed to come alive, straightening taut as he suddenly stood up.

now,

The retired emperor had a gloomy expression. His left hand was pressed against the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the patina on the table surface was made even shinier from the knuckles. He grabbed the stack of documents with his right hand, squeezing the oiled paper into deep creases, as if he wanted to crush the words inside into his palm.

The few words in the document were recorded in such a harsh and stern tone.

"Reverse! Reverse!"

The sound came crashing down, a powerful roar, yet tinged with a barely perceptible tremor.

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, which were originally shallow marks etched by time, now stood up like they had been cleaved by a knife and axe, squeezing his eyes, which had seen through the storms of two dynasties, into two cold beams of light that shot straight at the old eunuch kneeling on the ground.

"Xu Changwen? Who does he think he is! A mere clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, yet he dared to turn the files of the Six Ministries upside down. And now, during his trial, it's gotten to the point where they have to petition the Emperor? During the Ministry of Justice's interrogation, he himself has become a nail in the ironclad case. Who is he trying to impress!"

The old eunuch who delivered the message lowered his head even further, his forehead almost touching the cold gold brick floor.

He had followed the retired emperor for forty years, from his former residence to the Eastern Palace and now to this Chang Le Palace. He had seen him beat eunuchs to death in a fit of rage, and he had seen him smash an entire shelf of porcelain when he couldn't sleep all night because of border troubles. But he had never seen him so enraged that his eyes were red.

The anger seemed to rise from his dantian, so intense that his teeth chattered as he spoke.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice's documents say... that Chief Clerk Xu remained obstinate in prison and refused to plead guilty during the trial. Not only did he not admit to the crime of falsely accusing someone of treason, but he also... produced copies of the account books for the losses incurred in the Grand Canal and Jiangnan, saying... that he wanted to present them to Your Majesty in person to clarify the truth."

"Account books? He still has the nerve to mention account books!"

The retired emperor slammed the document onto the table, scattering the scroll to reveal densely packed small characters inside. Several pages contained Xu Changwen's handwritten defense, the characters strong and powerful, even the brushstrokes exuding an unyielding spirit.

In particular, when he glanced at the words "Though I am humble, I dare not betray the people of the world," he was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He reached out and ripped the page off, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground.

"The common people? He's just a petty official, how dare he talk about the common people! Back then, I had no choice but to stop the investigation and confiscation for the sake of the stability of the court, so I just let it go. Now he wants to overturn the case because he thinks I handled it unfairly. As for the matter in Jiangnan, it was nothing more than me using some jade, and he's still pursuing it. He just can't stand me."

The head eunuch, Xia Shouzhong, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward, holding a new teacup to offer it, but the Emperor Emeritus elbowed him away. The teacup clattered to the ground, splashing hot water all over Xia Shouzhong's trouser leg. He didn't dare to utter a sound, but hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your health is of utmost importance! Xu Changwen is just a stubborn scholar; there's no need for you to get so angry..."

"Stubbornness?"

The retired emperor gave a cold laugh, his laughter laced with icy malice.
"Was he being stubborn? He was banging an egg against a rock, wanting the whole world to see how hard the rock was and how 'innocent' his egg was! Look at his defense, saying things like 'If the judge has personal biases, it's better not to judge at all.' He was cursing the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and everyone who handled his case! He even dared to make veiled criticisms... subtly criticizing the Grand Canal transport incident back then, saying that the entire court was in cahoots!"

When he mentioned the word "Grand Canal Transport," he suddenly stopped, his chest heaving even more violently, as if something was blocking his throat. It would be impossible to say that he had no selfish motives; the tens of millions of taels of silver confiscated were all put into the imperial treasury.

Xia Shouzhong secretly glanced up and saw that the Emperor Emeritus was gripping the paperweight on the table tightly. It was a paperweight made of Hetian jade with a crouching tiger design, a tribute from the Prince of Xi's mansion. As for the grain transport embezzlement case ten years ago, which implicated nearly a hundred officials from the six ministries, it was only after the Emperor Emeritus made the final decision to arrest a few minor officials to take the blame that the case was finally suppressed. This matter had always been a thorn in the Emperor Emeritus's side, and now that Xu Changwen had brought it up in prison, it was tantamount to slapping the court in the face.

"Investigate! Investigate for me!"

The retired emperor suddenly raised his voice, causing dust to fall from the beams.

"Investigate where his account books came from! Investigate whether anyone is behind him! Are those upright censors trying to use his name to go against me and the court? And those useless people in the Ministry of Justice, they've investigated a case multiple times, only to come up with a result of 'requesting an audience with the Emperor'? Are they afraid to investigate, or do they not want to? Tell the Minister of Justice that I want to see Xu Changwen's confession within three days, otherwise, let him take off his official hat and go back to his hometown!"

Xia Shouzhong kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead striking the gold bricks with a dull thud.

"This servant will go and deliver the decree immediately! This servant will go right away!"

Just as he was about to get up, the retired emperor called him back:

"and many more."

The Emperor Emeritus's voice deepened slightly, but after venting his anger, his rage subsided considerably. He rose and walked to the scattered documents, bending down to pick up the crumpled statement of defense. He carefully smoothed the paper with his fingers, tracing the words "Your Majesty, I request a personal trial" with his fingertips. His eyes were so sinister they seemed to drip with malice.

"Furthermore, make a copy of this document and send it to all the government offices so they can see how Xu Changwen is 'loyal to the emperor and patriotic.' I want to see who in the entire court dares to speak up for him!"

After saying that, he threw the paper back onto the table. The eunuchs in the corridor trembled with fear. One of the new eunuchs lost his balance and knelt down with a thud, tears welling up in his eyes.

Xia Shouzhong quickly winked at them, signaling them to leave, while he remained in the hall, watching the retired emperor's retreating figure.

The sandalwood incense inside the hall was still burning, but the smoke no longer swirled; instead, it rose straight up. Just then…
The eunuch guarding the gate suddenly entered.
"Report, Your Majesty, someone from the Hall of Mental Cultivation went to the Ministry of Justice to deliver a message saying that the case will be postponed for further trial, and Xu Changwen has been escorted back to the Imperial Prison, where he will remain imprisoned."

"what!"

The retired Emperor Zhou Shengzhuo suddenly turned around, frowning. The Emperor wanted to postpone the trial and keep him imprisoned in the imperial prison. What did this mean?
"Have you made sure you've found out exactly what the Emperor said?"

"Your Majesty, I heard you clearly and would never dare to speak nonsense. However, regarding the Ministry of Justice, Eunuch Chen's intention is to conduct a secret interrogation in the Imperial Prison."

The young eunuch who brought the news was so frightened that he quickly kowtowed, his lips trembling as he relayed what Eunuch Chen had instructed, not daring to raise his head.

This single moment was enough to close the Emperor Emeritus's eyes. It seems the officials in the court harbored differing thoughts. If that's the case...
"Shouzhong, recall all the men we just sent out. Since the case has been postponed, let it be postponed. Tonight, I want to personally meet this so-called upright minister. Also, notify the cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial to summon Marquis Luoyun and Marquis Xiangyang. Furthermore, let the presiding judges also listen in!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. This old servant will go and deliver the message immediately. The Emperor Emeritus must take good care of his health. Xu Changwen dares to make such a request for fame; this is a common tactic used by upright censors."

He wanted to say more, but the Emperor Emeritus waved his hand, so he had no choice but to kowtow and leave.
(End of this chapter)