Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1146 Civil Officials' Countermeasures
Jin Yang Bell
It rang out at dawn, signifying peace throughout the land.

Inside the main hall of the Ministry of Justice,
The officials had already entered early, each with a gloomy face, and sat down in their seats. This time, Xu Changwen did not bring any officials with him. Instead, the officials of the six ministries sat on both sides. Apart from the ministers of the six ministries who were still on duty in their respective halls, the rest, including the vice ministers of the six ministries, were all seated here.

On the main platform, the same group of judges who had been in charge of interrogating Xu Changwen, led by the eldest son Li Chaosheng and Minister of Revenue Gu Yichen, took their seats. But the one at the very front was Eunuch Chen Hui from the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Another eunuch, Ma Fei, from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, was there to provide support, along with a whole host of inner court eunuchs and numerous junior eunuchs, all waiting in the area.

now,

Chen, the eunuch, dressed in a red official robe, was sitting there resting with his eyes closed when suddenly his godson, Xiao Li, who was serving him, leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
"Godfather, all the officials from the six ministries have arrived, and the presiding judge is also in place. Only Marquis Luo Yun has not yet arrived."

Mentioning Marquis Luoyun, both men felt a little impatient. In the capital, the only one who was without desires or ambitions, or rather, audacious and reckless, was Marquis Luoyun. Even the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Dongping were careful not to leave any evidence against him. On the contrary, Marquis Luoyun was arrogant and domineering. However, he was favored by the Emperor and protected by the Emperor Emeritus. Today's trial would probably be difficult, and they would have to find another way.

He opened his eyes and saw that among the officials in the hall, he realized he had no choice but to target them.
Has Xu Dong come?

“Reporting to Godfather, Xu Dong was sitting at the very back of the front row. Knowing that Godfather had something to ask, I changed his seat. He couldn’t avoid it.”

Little Li knew his godfather had stayed up half the night preparing for today's interrogation and sentencing, but Xu Changwen hadn't come, so he had no idea how the sentencing would proceed.
"Alright, go outside and wait. We'll begin as soon as Marquis Luo Yun arrives."

"Yes, godfather."

After Xiao Li Zi agreed, Zhang Jinyu slowly got off the carriage. Seeing so many sedan chairs and carriages lined up outside the Ministry of Justice, she knew she was a little late, but didn't pay much attention.

He stepped into the courtyard and entered the main hall of the Ministry of Justice. As soon as he entered, the eyes of all the officials from the six ministries turned to him. The sheer number of them made Zhang Jinyu's heart skip a beat. Good heavens, this was like a court session! Ignoring the gazes of others, he walked straight to Gao Tai and sat down next to the eldest son, Li Chaosheng, intending to exchange pleasantries.

As soon as they sat down,
The vermilion-lacquered beams and pillars in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice gleamed with a cold, hard light in the morning. Chen Hui, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, sat up straight, rose and walked slowly to the incense table at the east end, lit an incense stick, and then returned to the sandalwood table. On the table was a congratulatory letter, "The Book of Peace and Order," copied by Xu Changwen.

One sentence, circled in red ink, reads, “Tianbao means that every household is clean but has no wealth.” The line of words is like a bloodstain, stinging the eyes.

Ma Fei, the eunuch, suddenly spoke up in a loud call.
"Ascension!"

After shouting that, he added another sentence.
"Xu Changwen is nothing but a traitor who has abandoned his country and family. He has severed ties with his sovereign and father. The Grand Secretariat shall preside over the trial, together with the officials of the Six Ministries, to determine his crimes. Xu Changwen shall not be tried. So be it!"

It was clearly an imperial edict from the retired emperor. Zhang Jinyu turned around abruptly. No wonder the officials had come in such a hurry; they were going to disregard the person being tried and convict him directly.

Seeing the gazes of the officials in the hall turn back, Chen Hui raised his hand to wipe away non-existent dust on the table, and his gaze swept across the hall, where the officials of the six ministries were seated according to their rank. Finally, his gaze fell on Shen Zhongxin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Master Shen!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it possessed the unique, subtle yet penetrating quality of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

"The Emperor Emeritus has decreed that officials of the Six Ministries should each draft a memorial refuting Xu Changwen's crime of deceiving the Emperor. I presented all of your memorials yesterday. Today, in front of all the officials and the Grand Secretaries, I would like to ask you, gentlemen, whether the words in your memorials are sincere?"

Shen Zhongxin, dressed in a red official robe, stood with his hands clasped together, his expression calm. He first looked up at the presiding judges. Luo Yunhou was actually dressed in a martial arts uniform, his fingertips casually stroking the teacup. The young Grand Secretary had his eyes downcast, seemingly indifferent. His mentor had his eyes closed, seemingly resting. Clearly, the presiding judge today was Eunuch Chen Hui. In that case, he responded with a word.
"Eunuch Chen,"

Shen Zhongxin cleared his throat, his voice slightly strained.
"Xu Changwen has made unwarranted remarks about the Emperor Emeritus and slandered the Emperor and Father. I have already clearly stated this in my memorial, but..."

After a pause, seeing that Eunuch Chen's eyes darkened, he quickly added, "I need to ask more questions."
“Eunuch Chen, last night we were ordered to write a memorial refuting Xu Changwen’s proposal. We have written it all, but Xu Changwen himself did not appear. Who will answer our questions? How can we be punished?”

"Hmph, well said, Lord Shen. What you mean, what you all mean, is that if Xu Changwen doesn't come, we can't punish him, is that right, Lord Shen Zhongxin?"

Chen Hui sneered, tapped the handle of his whisk on the table, and even called out the name of Minister Shen.

"We are here to investigate the case by imperial decree, and we have to do it your way. Where were you when the Emperor Emeritus was so angry with Hai Rui that he vomited blood? Lord Shen, I ask you, is Xu Changwen guilty or not!"

These words struck the officials like a whip, startling them. They had heard bits and pieces of what happened last night, but the details were distorted and unreliable. They hadn't expected Eunuch Chen to confirm it, and immediately discussions erupted. Only Vice Minister Shen bowed deeply.
"I misspoke! I just felt that refutations need to be supported by evidence in order to convince the people. Since Your Excellency asked me whether Xu Changwen is guilty or not, I would answer that he is guilty."

"Alright, if you're guilty, what is your crime?"

Without giving Shen Zhongxin time to react, Chen Hui pressed him for answers.

"Xu Changwen should not have used disrespectful language to curse his sovereign and father in his memorials and congratulatory messages!"

After saying that, he fell silent, leaving Chen Hui waiting for a while, somewhat taken aback.

"Lord Shen, is he gone?"

"Your humble servant has already answered,"

Shen Zhongxin remained calm and unhurried, while Chen Hui's expression changed.
"Then let me ask you, were his words of cursing the emperor and father correct?"

“It is wrong to curse one’s ruler or father.”

Shen Zhongxin clasped his hands slightly and stood there. Chen Hui narrowed his eyes and sneered.
"Interesting, very interesting. You're going around in circles. I'm asking you, were the things he said right?"

"Eunuch Chen, there are no parents who are not good, and there is no ruler who is not good either. The first sentence was said by the sage, and the second sentence was said by the emperor to the Grand Secretary this January. If you think it is inappropriate, I will take it back."

Shen Zhongxin had already made a grand display of power, and all the officials in the hall were filled with admiration. They themselves would not have been able to do such a thing.

“You, very well, Lord Shen, as expected of the top scholar in the imperial examination, your words are full of sage wisdom. I have truly learned a lot. Eunuch Ma, you may continue the question.” Chen Hui’s face flushed with anger, and he sat back down in a huff. Shen Zhongxin bowed slightly and sat down to the side. Ma Fei, the Director of Ceremonial Affairs, trembled upon hearing Eunuch Ma’s words and coughed twice.
"Ahem, well, since everyone has written memorials refuting Xu Changwen, I suggest we extract the words from those memorials, write them into a separate book, and then have the Grand Secretariat print it in the Imperial Gazette and distribute it to the provinces, the Three Judicial Offices, and the Six Ministries. This would be a good way to determine Xu Changwen's guilt."

Whether it was something amiss in his heart or not, the words that came to his lips were a conciliatory one. As soon as he said this, Yang Zhuo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, immediately responded.
“What Eunuch Ma said is correct. Otherwise, if everyone reads their own people’s memorials aloud, it would take several days to finish. What do you think, Eunuch Chen?”

It was almost as if they had put Eunuch Chen in a difficult position. The people sitting on the high platform suppressed their laughter. Even Zhang Jinyu was a little surprised. Indeed, the mouths of civil officials were invincible. A mere vice minister could make Eunuch Chen take a step back. There were six vice ministers here. Tsk tsk, this case is probably going to be delayed for a long time.

If I had known, I would have bought some snacks to bring with me. The more I think about it, the funnier it gets. I can only pick up my teacup and take a sip to calm myself down.

"Go down,"

"Yes, Eunuch Chen."

Chen Hui shouted angrily, glared fiercely at Ma Fei, slammed his hand on the table, turned to Yang Zhuo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and asked;

"Lord Yang, you are in charge of the promotion of officials and you were also seconded to the Ministry of Revenue for a period of time. Xu Changwen said that during the reign of the retired Emperor Tianbao, 'corrupt officials ran rampant and the people's hard-earned money was exhausted.' What do you think? In your memorial, you wrote that 'Xu Changwen's words are all exaggerations.' But last year, during the disaster relief in southern Beijing, only 30% of the grain funds allocated by the Ministry of Revenue reached the people. Is that also an exaggeration? I remember that last year, the official adjustments in southern Beijing were all documented by the Ministry of Personnel."

Yang Zhuo's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Chen Rui to suddenly bring up old grievances. How could he not know that the grain funds for disaster relief in southern Beijing last year had been embezzled by local officials? He had intended to suppress the matter and deal with it slowly, but who knew that the people of southern Beijing would be incited by a cult and rise up in rebellion, causing great chaos, and the officials in his position would even be killed by the cultists. Now that Eunuch Chen had exposed it in public, and with the Grand Secretaries watching behind the scenes, he could only bite the bullet and reply:

"Eunuch Chen, I have already ordered a thorough investigation into the matter in Jingnan last year. The officials involved have long since died at the hands of the cult. As the saying goes, the debt is settled with the death of the person. Xu Changwen's statement that 'the people's hard-earned money has been exhausted' is an exaggeration. Although the treasury of our Great Wu Dynasty is not full, there is still surplus grain in the granaries in various places. It is far from the point where 'every household is empty'."

"Oh?"

Chen Rui stood up, took two steps forward, and stopped in front of Yang Zhuo.

“Then I’d like to ask, last month Shuntian Prefecture reported that 30% of the grain in Tongzhou’s granary was moldy and spoiled. This matter is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Does the Ministry of Personnel know about it? If that moldy grain were distributed to the people, wouldn’t it save them from going hungry for a few more meals? Or is it that in Lord Yang’s eyes, the lives of the people are not as important as the numbers in the granary?”

The offensive and defensive positions have shifted. If outsiders who don't know the situation came in, they would think that Eunuch Chen is a good official who cares about the people. Zhang Jinyu thought about it with great interest. The grain in Tongzhou is moldy, which must be due to the inaction of the officials. The position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is too hot to sit in.

Vice Minister Yang opened his mouth, his face stiffening, but he didn't know how to refute it. These words hit the nail on the head—the grain in the Tongzhou granary was moldy because of the officials' negligence, but he had not reported it in order to save face for the Ministry of Revenue. Now that Eunuch Chen had exposed it in public, not only would he have to take responsibility, but he might also implicate the Grand Secretary.

At this moment, Wei Zhanying, the Vice Minister of War, stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"Eunuch Chen, you can't say it like that. The war in the south is urgent, and Tongzhou, as a grain storage area, is the first priority for safety. How could the grain depot officials dare to let the grain be left to dry? As for refuting Xu Changwen's words, all the officials have already made their judgments. I have already refuted his accusations of 'exhausting the people and wasting resources' in my memorial, pointing out that he is ignorant of military affairs. Xu Changwen is just a scholar who knows nothing about military matters, yet he dares to make unwarranted comments on state affairs. He should be punished. However, I believe that the trial should focus on the facts and should not involve the faults of other officials. Otherwise, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

Chen Hui glanced at Wei Zhanying, his tone softening slightly:

"Haha, good heavens, Lord Wei is certainly protecting his colleague. But what I'm asking is whether your memorial is sincere. You say Xu Changwen doesn't understand military affairs, but do you dare to say that the military pay for the northern border troops was delayed for three months last year, and that this had nothing to do with your Ministry of War? The border troops were guarding the frontier on empty stomachs, yet you wrote in your memorial that 'the troops are well-disciplined and the provisions are plentiful.' Isn't that deceiving the emperor?"

Wei Zhanying's face paled. He wanted to retort, but he knew Chen Hui was telling the truth. Last year, the northern border army's pay was delayed because of the Ministry of Revenue's delayed allocation, but the Ministry of War also bore responsibility for poor management. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the eldest son, Li Chaosheng, cough lightly behind him:
"Eunuch Chen, today we are judging Xu Changwen's crime. Whether the memorials submitted by the officials are true or not will be judged by the court's laws. If we keep pursuing other matters, it will seem that we are deliberately targeting the officials, giving them a pretext for criticism, and then we will not be able to determine the crime."

Chen Hui was in high spirits at this moment, suppressing the two vice ministers in succession, but he knew in his heart that this young grand secretary was just trying to help the officials out of a predicament. He rolled his eyes and thought that since he had made enough of a show of force, it was time to get down to business.
"Lord Xiao, the Vice Minister of Rites, you are in charge of the Ministry of Rites. According to the rites, what crime has Xu Changwen committed?"

Xiao Zi'en, the Vice Minister of Rites, was of a mild temperament. When Chen Rui asked him this question, he frowned. It seemed that Eunuch Chen was not going to let anyone go. He stood up and replied:

“Eunuch Chen, I believe that the Emperor Emeritus is the sovereign and father, and his subjects should not speak ill of him. Xu Changwen’s actions have violated the proper etiquette between sovereign and subject, and his crime is unforgivable. As for other matters, I dare not say more.”

"You dare not say more?"

Chen Rui sneered, and then said;
"Are you afraid, or unwilling? The Emperor asked you to write memorials refuting Xu Changwen so that the world would know that Xu Changwen's words were wrong and slanderous. But what you did was either avoid the important points or blatantly lie. How can the Emperor entrust the affairs of state to you?"

He had barely finished speaking when Chang Zuo, the Vice Minister of Justice, suddenly spoke up from behind him:
"Eunuch Chen, the esteemed officials did not intend to deceive us. It's just that Xu Changwen's 'Letter on Governance' is sharp in its language and touches on the past affairs of the retired emperor. The esteemed officials are concerned about the relationship between the emperor and his subjects and dare not speak frankly. In my opinion, it would be better to let Xu Changwen explain himself first and see if he truly has a heart of repentance. If he remains obstinate, it will not be too late to punish him."

Chen Rui glanced back at the Vice Minister of Justice, understanding that he wanted to steer the conversation back to Xu Changwen to prevent the officials from being questioned further. Continuing to question them would only offend all the officials of the six ministries. But at this point, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was not afraid of such things. His gaze then settled on Xu Dong, the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, who was at the end of the list.

He returned to the presiding judge's seat and slammed his hand on the table. The sudden noise startled everyone, especially Zhang Jinyu, who spilled tea from her teacup. It seemed that Eunuch Chen wanted to press his advantage. He glanced at the eldest son, Li Chaosheng, who was sitting there leisurely, seemingly lost in thought. He leaned over and asked.
"Young Master, today's court hearing was quite impressive. This Eunuch Chen, one of the six vice ministers, confronted five of them, leaving only the vice minister of the Ministry of Works standing. It was truly a case of one man defeating five men. How wonderful!"

Zhang Jinyu has said plenty of things to incite conflict, and now that the cards are out in the air, the Directorate of Ceremonial and the civil officials of the Six Ministries are already on the stage, just waiting for a referee to shout "start" before they start fighting.

"My lord, please don't joke. This time, the punishment of Xu Changwen was done on behalf of the emperor. Eunuch Chen's efforts are truly commendable and we admire him greatly."

Li Chaosheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture toward the palace, his expression solemn, as if the argument inside the hall had nothing to do with him. Zhang Jinyu narrowed his eyes and cursed under his breath, "Little fox."

"Young Grand Secretary is still the most composed, but I wonder what crime Xu Changwen was ultimately convicted of, or rather, Brother Li, do you have any ideas on how to handle this?"

When asked about Xu Changwen, Zhang Jinyu immediately became more cautious. Although the previous ideas were hers and the two officials', the specifics would depend on Li Chaosheng's decision.

"My lord, there is no need to worry. As the saying goes, 'One must be placed in a desperate situation to find a way out.' Sometimes, it is about finding life in the face of death. The four words His Majesty gave last night, 'bright moon and gentle breeze,' are Taoist proverbs that convey good fortune even in dire circumstances. Therefore, as a subject, one can only obey righteousness. I believe my lord also understood this principle last night."

He smiled slightly and pointed to the situation inside the hall ahead.
"My lord, this argument is directed at the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it has embarrassed Eunuch Chen. But in the end, Eunuch Chen will still be responsible for the conviction. Even if we can't figure out the reason behind it, the palace might have it."

At this point, I cannot say it outright.
Zhang Jinyu's expression relaxed; it seemed that what Lord Meng and Lord Feng had discussed last night was most likely true.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Li. But Brother Li, didn't you find something strange just now? Eunuch Chen just asked Eunuch Ma to continue the interrogation, but why did Eunuch Ma do something like this, refuting it with the official gazette? If that's the case, all the officials in the country will know. I wonder what the eldest son thinks about this."

Whether others noticed or not, Zhang Jinyu felt that something was amiss. She looked at the eldest young master with a strange expression, only to see a hint of a smile flash in his eyes as he whispered.
"Your Excellency sees things clearly. Sometimes, some people don't necessarily stick to one path to the end. For example, when walking on the road and seeing a fork in the road, they might choose a different path, which could be much easier!"

Zhang Jinyu's expression changed, and he secretly gasped. This move by the civil officials to undermine the Directorate of Ceremonial was extremely shrewd. It seemed that the Directorate of Ceremonial was not a monolithic entity. Not only did the two Grand Eunuchs have their people involved, but the civil officials had also extended their influence. So, could there be people from the Directorate of Ceremonial within the Cabinet as well?
(End of this chapter)