Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1142 The Dispute in the Imperial Study
In the Hall of Mental Cultivation,

The palace lanterns flickered.

The lights spread throughout the hall, illuminating the Imperial Study. Marquis Luo Yun's simple words were not only deafening, but also demonstrated his courage to speak the truth, especially in front of all the civil and military officials. If everyone else is flattering and one person is the only one doing so, then that person who speaks the truth is considered to be out of step with the crowd.

Everyone understands these simple truths, but who has the courage to be the first to speak the truth? Only Xu Changwen, the chief clerk of the Jiangnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhang Jinyu frowned slightly upon hearing what Grand Secretary Gu said, so he simply stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your Majesty, we were merely listening in the passageway of the Imperial Prison. The Emperor Emeritus, disguised as a prison guard, entered the prison alone and spoke with Xu Changwen. I reported this truthfully. The Emperor Emeritus asked questions that Xu Changwen had to answer, and every word he uttered was thought-provoking."

After glancing at Grand Secretary Gu, he continued;
"I will read what Grand Secretary Gu said again. Our Great Wu Dynasty has tens of thousands of officials, yet not one dares to speak to the Emperor Emeritus. If I do not speak, please ask Your Excellency to pass on my words to Grand Secretary Song and to those officials who want to refute me. If they do not speak, but I speak alone, what is this allusion? If I speak alone, but the officials refute me instead, do they want the Emperor Emeritus to be remembered with infamy for all eternity?"

A righteous and upright aura swept over them, even Dai Quan was surprised and slightly opened his mouth, while the Martial Emperor gasped and his face became solemn.

"Is what Marquis Luoyun said true?"

The Empress's gaze swept over the crowd. The six people below, led by the Junior Grand Secretary Li Chaosheng, all bowed.
"Your Majesty, it is exactly as Marquis Luoyun said. Moreover, before I came here, I compared the accounts recorded by the Ministry of Revenue and found that the grain transport office still had a deficit of about three million taels of silver that is still missing. In addition, the Ministry of Justice strictly investigated the accounts of the Imperial Household Department and found that there were many deficits in the weaving bureau and the transport office. I didn't know until I investigated, and what I found was shocking."

Li Chaosheng stepped forward and gave two examples at length. After finding these, he dared not investigate any further. One account book, when opened to reveal a corner, was already filled with straw. If he continued to investigate, he didn't know what else he might find. So he simply stopped there. However, he had already copied all the account books and documents he had investigated and kept them at his residence as a backup plan.

"Your Majesty, I, Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, also have a report to present. In the past few days, I have organized the staff in the Ministry to thoroughly investigate the account books sent from Jiangnan. We have discovered that the accounts of the Textile Bureau are very suspicious. Before the Imperial Household Department took over, the Textile Bureau had started production many times, but the output was very small. I then went to the Ministry of Justice prison to interrogate Qin Sheng, the former head of the Textile Bureau. He was brought to the capital on charges of embezzlement. After questioning him, I learned the inside story, which was shocking."

He swallowed hard, not daring to raise his hand, which made the Martial Emperor, who had heard him clearly, narrow his eyes and ask in a deep voice;

"What did he say that was shocking?"

"Your Majesty, Master Qin said that the looms in the Weaving Bureau have basically never stopped. The silk and Suzhou brocades produced, as well as large quantities of brocade cloth, are all prepared for the major families in Jiangnan, with the Zhen family of Jinling at the forefront. The raw silk collected from the servants every year is used to weave for them, and the money they generate is comparable to the tribute from the Imperial Household Department."

This was the most crucial point: the Imperial Household Department's assets were used to benefit others, and they even deceived their superiors. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold, prompting the Empress Wu to give a furious, cold laugh.
"Very well, they are all my good ministers. No wonder the land tax in Jiangnan is decreasing year by year, the textile bureau is losing more than half of its revenue, and even the salt tax is barely hanging on. In the end, all my money has been divided up by them."

The Empress stood up, touched the memorials on the table, and spread them out on the table.

"Listen to this, Ma Wenqiu, the prefect of Suzhou in Jiangnan, and Ye Yuanchang, the prefect of Yangzhou, jointly submitted a memorial, saying that there is a shortage of taxable land in Jiangnan and they want to apply for the reclamation of fertile land here. The policy of converting farmland into mulberry fields has been largely implemented. They also said that they want to raise the price of raw silk by 20% to benefit the people. Hehe, so this is the reason behind it."

Emperor Wu chuckled coldly, finally understanding the situation in Jiangnan. Regardless of the price of raw silk, the money would ultimately end up in the hands of those noble families and powerful clans. What they needed most now was Jiangnan's tax revenue and the profits from the textile bureau.
Seeing the Empress's expression grow increasingly cold, Zhang Jinyu couldn't remain silent any longer. Since Young Master Li had started the whole thing, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to add fuel to the fire.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"explain,"

The cold, icy words came through, and Zhang Jinyu raised her head, her gaze resolute.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to select a person to go to Jiangnan to collect land taxes, and then thoroughly investigate the matter of land encroachment. Those noble families should be dealt with severely. If necessary, the elite troops of the Longxiang and Tengxiang Imperial Guards can be used to collect the output of the textile bureau. This will surely solve the national treasury deficit."

The resolute words carried a hint of murderous intent, adding an even more chilling atmosphere to the already oppressive hall. Even Grand Secretary Gu was somewhat surprised. The Ministry of Revenue's deficit had become unmanageable. If the reserves weren't used, they feared they wouldn't be able to pay the year-end allowances for maintaining integrity. But who would dare to easily use those hidden funds?

Therefore, this time, Gu Yichen did not stop him, which surprised Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and his eldest son Li Chaosheng. One move could affect the whole situation, including the powerful and noble families in Jiangnan. What would happen in the capital?

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Meng Li, the Left Councilor of the Censorate, looked grim. How could the inspectors and the Censorate not know about these matters? But if the Jiangnan land issue were truly investigated thoroughly, who could claim to have escaped unscathed? Especially not with Grand Secretary Lu of the Ministry of Personnel—how could he possibly explain himself? He steeled himself and stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I also have something to say,"

"Okay, then you tell us too."

Empress Wu was still weighing the pros and cons. Perhaps she should adopt the method of Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, and sell a portion of the taxable land.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I believe that what the Marquis said is reasonable. However, according to my wishes, a thorough investigation is not feasible. Not to mention the prefectures in Jiangnan, even in Nanjing, four counties are still affected by the disaster, and five counties in Jiangbei are in chaos. The Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Inspector General are both in the capital. Only the Inspector General, Lord Su, is in Jiangnan. He cannot handle the situation alone. I believe that we should fill the vacancies in the officials in Jiangnan and start with a thorough investigation in Nanjing. Other places, such as Suzhou and Yangzhou, can be ignored for the time being."

Before he could finish speaking, he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his official robe. Zhang Jinyu, standing beside him, looked at Lord Meng with newfound respect. It was a pity that as long as the Jiangnan case remained unresolved, no one would dare to make an example of him, and who would be the successor?

"Lord Luo Yun, what do you think?"

Still undecided, the Emperor Wu reached out and repeatedly stroked the dragon pattern on the imperial desk with his fingers. Investigating the case was not easy, and he encountered some obstacles. He didn't know how long it would take. If he were to send someone else, who would be more suitable?

"I believe that Lord Meng's suggestion is sound, but we cannot let Suzhou and Yangzhou benefit from this. I think that the purchase of raw silk this year should be reduced by another 30%, and the tax audit in the fields should be conducted openly and blatantly. This is to make those powerful families panic. People are more likely to make mistakes when they are panicked. This will give Lord Su of Jinling a chance to prove himself. As for other matters, I do not know."

Seeing that even Marquis Luo Yun agreed, Meng Li felt somewhat relieved. At least he had saved face for Grand Secretary Lu, but what happened afterward was beyond his control.

In that case, the Martial Emperor turned his gaze to the people below the hall and asked;
"The matter in Jiangnan is of utmost urgency. The Ministry of Justice should close the case in Jiangnan. As for Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, let him redeem himself through meritorious service and temporarily reinstate him to his original post. But do you have a candidate for the provincial governor?"

What appeared to be an inquiry might have been a subtle warning. Grand Secretary Gu shook his head slightly. The Jiangnan region was a mess, and Lu Wenshan's stronghold; why should northerners come south? Seeing Grand Secretary Gu remain silent, Li Chaosheng could wait no longer, clasped his hands, and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Jiangnan Provincial Governor holds a high position and wields great power. He must not only maintain the stability of the Jiangnan officialdom but also safeguard the 'purse' of Jiangnan for the court. Therefore, I recommend Wang Shuyi of the Hanlin Academy. He is a Jinshi of the 20th year of Tianbao. He is decisive, upright and incorruptible."

Upon hearing this, Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, immediately echoed his opinion.
"Your Majesty, I wholeheartedly agree with what Grand Secretary Li said. Lord Meng's advice to prioritize stability is to address the issue at its core. After Lord Wang leaves, Jia Yucun will be reinstated. We will then appoint two more officials, a sub-prefect and a vice-prefect, to stabilize Jinling City before making further plans."

When Wang Shuyi was mentioned, the Empress frowned, not having much of an impression of him. She looked at Dai Quan beside her, who immediately understood, lowered his head and leaned closer, whispering something in his ear.
"Your Majesty, Wang Shuyi of the Hanlin Academy is a Doctor of the Hanlin Academy, a man of integrity. Moreover, he is a protégé of Chief Minister Li, and has never been appointed to an official post outside the capital." With these few words of reminder, the Emperor Wu instantly understood. This meant that Chief Minister Li was beginning to establish his presence in Jiangnan. Considering the people in the court, the Jiangnan faction was going too far. Since Chief Minister Li was interested, it wasn't out of the question. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said.

"I will keep this person in mind for now. He will be appointed as the Provincial Administration Commissioner, but we will decide on him later. There are still vacancies among the Prefects. Do any of you have anything to say? Marquis Luoyun, do you have anyone to recommend?"

Emperor Wu sat on the dragon throne, taking in the movements of the people below. He saw Marquis Luo Yun standing at the back, looking around, perhaps he had a different opinion.

Zhang Jinyu hesitated for a moment. In truth, the affairs of Jiangnan were nothing more than affairs of officialdom. Once the officials in the bureaucracy were in order, no matter how many problems arose below, they were insignificant. Therefore, the more chaotic a place was, the more it needed people like Xu Changwen.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the officialdom is of utmost importance. If officials possess the virtues of a sage, they will wholeheartedly serve the people and remain loyal to Your Majesty. The chaos in Jiangnan will not end anytime soon. If I were to recommend someone, I would think that Xu Changwen is a suitable official for Jiangnan, a sharp blade in their hands."

Zhang Jinyu's words were so audacious that they left everyone present speechless. Xu Changwen had reached this point, and regardless of the final outcome, even if he survived, he probably wouldn't be able to hold office, especially since there were countless people in Jiangnan who hated him and wanted him dead. How could he possibly return to Jiangnan to serve as an official?

Gu Yichen also felt that Luo Yunhou's words were somewhat inappropriate, and shook his head;
"My lord, there is still the Inspector Su Chong in Jiangnan. After the selection of the Provincial Governor, let Jia Yucun redeem himself through meritorious service. This will stabilize the situation in Jinling. Then we can proceed slowly and surely."

Suzhou and Yangzhou are home to the Imperial Textile Bureau and the Salt Administration, respectively, respectively. Powerful families and local magnates are deeply entrenched in these cities, so we cannot be hasty in dealing with them.

With Grand Secretary Gu's advice, everyone else, including Feng Yongwen and others, felt it was a wise and insightful suggestion for governing the country. However, Zhang Jinyu also shook his head.

"My lord, you are mistaken. It is because of officials like Grand Secretary that local officials are now so emboldened. Knowing that the court cannot do anything to them for the time being, they become even more arrogant and extravagant. In Jinling City, all these things happened because Xu Changwen, a mere county magistrate, insisted on suing his superiors. If we let him go back and make him an inspector to thoroughly investigate the land area in Jiangnan, then who would be able to sit still?"

It is obvious that those noble families, local gentry, and corrupt officials would all be restless. When he was a county magistrate, he could bring down several leading officials. When he reached that position, would he also bring down the officials in the capital?

Thinking this through, everyone present couldn't help but shudder, especially Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of Justice, whose expression changed. If it came to that, every official in the court would be in danger. Besides, Xu Changwen's promotion in just one year was already an exception; going from a seventh-rank to a sixth-rank official—how could he be moved without several years of experience?
“My lord, let’s ignore what you’ve said. Xu Changwen is just a scholar who has already been appointed as a seventh-rank county magistrate. It is already an act of great favor from the Emperor. His transfer to the capital as a sixth-rank official is only a temporary measure. We have to trouble Grand Secretary Gu to agree to it. If it weren’t for this, how could Grand Secretary Gu have gotten involved? Even if he is sent back to Jiangnan to serve as an official, he cannot be given a high position for the time being, so as not to cause unrest in Jiangnan. There is also the Emperor Emeritus to discuss the matter tomorrow.”

Before the Emperor Emeritus left, he ordered all officials to submit memorials refuting Xu Changwen's accusations, clearly indicating that he did not intend to let Xu Changwen off the hook. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs must have received the decree, and a charge will surely be handed down in the end. The official convicted will certainly not be employed by the court. Marquis Luoyun's only thought is to save him.

Chang Zuo's words were well-reasoned and logical, which made the others nod in agreement. The current problem had not yet been solved, yet they wanted to find a solution for the Jiangnan matter. They were taking a bit too big a step.

Zhang Jinyu glanced sideways at the Vice Minister of Justice. A middle-aged man in a high position naturally possesses an air of authority, and what he said wasn't wrong. The Emperor Emeritus hadn't been appeased yet, so how could he possibly reinstate Xu Changwen? But it was precisely because of tonight's conversation that Zhang Jinyu realized the Emperor Emeritus absolutely could not kill Xu Changwen. Throughout history, unless an emperor was utterly incompetent, how could he directly execute a minister? Killing a remonstrating official or a virtuous minister—the swords of history are far sharper than those of reality. If Xu Changwen died, the Emperor Emeritus's life's achievements would be nothing more than floating duckweed on the water.

"Debating the crime is one thing, but if Xu Changwen has violated the laws of the court, he should be punished. If not, then he cannot be convicted. Our Great Wu Dynasty has always ruled the world with benevolence and righteousness. The Emperor Emeritus is wise and powerful, and he will not fail to see this. Therefore, in the end, we will leave it at that."

"This"

Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of Justice, paused. The Marquis's words were not without reason. It was a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. As long as Xu Changwen changed his tune, given the Emperor Emeritus's current temperament, he would at most receive a reprimand and certainly not be executed. However, if he stubbornly refused to admit his guilt, the consequences would be unpredictable.

After arguing for a long time without reaching a conclusion, everyone's attention turned back to the Martial Emperor, and the hall fell silent once more.

At this moment, Emperor Wu had already stood up, spread out a fine sheet of Xuan paper, and wrote the two characters "Bright Moon" on the top. After thinking for a moment, he wrote the two characters "Gentle Breeze" below. Then he put down his imperial brush, sat down again, and waited for the Xuan paper and ink to dry before picking it up and saying.
"Tomorrow, in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, you will still preside over the trial, but Chen Hui from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will also preside. In addition, I have written four characters. One is the two characters 'Bright Moon' that were passed down by the Emperor Emeritus, and the other is one that I added myself. Go back and think about it carefully. In this interrogation, you must speak frankly."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we understand."

Amidst everyone's confusion, they obediently agreed. Dai Quan carefully took the Xuan paper from the imperial desk, glanced at it, and immediately felt puzzled. What was "bright moon and gentle breeze"? It was the note he had just handed over. These four words were related to the case. His mind was in a mess, but he didn't slow down. He took a few quick steps, reached the group, and handed it to Marquis Luo Yun, who was at the front.
"My lord, here you go."

Reaching out, Zhang Jinyu instinctively took the hand. Several people around her immediately gathered around. Seeing the four characters "Bright Moon and Gentle Breeze," they all frowned in thought. Zhang Jinyu, in particular, was puzzled. Were the four characters written in the wrong order? "Bright Moon and Gentle Breeze," could it be "Gentle Breeze and Bright Moon," a Taoist mantra? No, it should be "Taoist Attendant." Usually, in a Taoist temple, there is an old Taoist priest with two attendants by his side, whose Taoist names are "Gentle Breeze and Bright Moon," forming a pair, just like the attendants in Buddhism, such as Sudhana, etc.

But these were all just hints, and there was no way to guess what they meant. Looking up at the people in front of him, he suddenly noticed that Elder Gu and the eldest son seemed to be deep in thought. He was shocked. Had they figured it out? They were so clever.

Just as I was about to ask, I saw that Grand Secretary Gu was leading the way, and we all paid our respects in a sorry state.

"Your Majesty, please rest well. We take our leave."

"Go."

Just as Zhang Jinyu was confused, she was "coerced" out of the Imperial Study by several people and headed towards the main gate of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

inside the house,

As soon as the person left, the Martial Emperor felt mentally and physically exhausted. He rubbed his temples and asked;

"Dai Quan, do you think there's any truth to what Marquis Luo Yun said just now?"

"this,"

Dai Quan gave a wry smile, shook his head, and replied;

"Your Majesty, Marquis Luoyun's idea is good, but not very realistic. We don't know how the Directorate of Ceremonial will conduct the interrogation tomorrow, nor do we know the Emperor Emeritus's attitude. The court hasn't reached a conclusion regarding the interrogation of Xu Changwen. The Marquis's words cannot be implemented. If, if Xu Changwen is found innocent in the end, perhaps this person, this person..."

After stammering for a long time, Dai Quan ultimately didn't dare to speak.
"Hmph, you old codger, what is there to be afraid of saying? Perhaps that Xu Changwen, whose name will be remembered for all time, was both capable and incorruptible, or rather, poor. An official who is not greedy, fearless, and does not form cliques for personal gain is hard to find in all of history!"

(End of this chapter)