The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 667 Paying Homage to the Emperor (Part 1)

Sun Chengzong recognized Jin Bao, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he asked curiously, "Are you Ziming's servant?"

Jinbao nodded hurriedly and said, "That's right, my name is Jinbao, and I'm here to greet Master Sun on behalf of my Third Master."

Sun Chengzong nodded slightly and said, "Ziming, you've put in a lot of effort. Why did you send me back to the capital?"

Jinbao presented the memorial and letter, and respectfully said, "Third Master ordered me to deliver this letter and memorial to Lord Sun."

Sun Chengzong was unaware of what had just happened, so he frowned inwardly, thinking to himself, "Ziming is always cautious and proper in his work. I wonder why he sent such a clown to deliver the letter this time. He actually handed the letter to me in front of others. It's really both funny and exasperating."

At this moment, Zhao Mingcheng stroked his beard and smiled, then turned around and leisurely returned to his desk to sit down and work.

Sun Chengzong first opened Jia Huan's letter and read it through, then looked at the blood-written letter accusing Wan An, and couldn't help but change color in anger, saying: "Outrageous! This Wan An is truly lawless!"

Jinbao rolled his eyes and interjected, "That's right. Our Third Master was furious at the time and said something like... 'To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to create peace for all generations.' This is the motto of our Diecui Academy. Even if we are just a small person, how can we sit idly by and watch the people of Luoyang suffer?"

Jia Huan had never said these words to Jin Bao; it was clearly something he made up on the spot. The key was that he made them up with such skill; it was unclear whether it was a sudden inspiration or a sudden burst of intelligence.

As expected, Sun Chengzong was very pleased to hear this and nodded repeatedly, saying, "It is rare for Ziming to have such a sincere heart. You may go and wait for me. I will write a letter and you can take it back to Ziming."

Jinbao kowtowed and withdrew from the cabinet, waiting outside. Only then did Sun Chengzong open Jia Huan's memorial for a closer look, and he immediately felt as if he were facing a scene of "swords and shadows," and couldn't help but applaud.

Zhao Mingcheng, who had risen from his seat at some point, walked up to Sun Chengzong with a smile and recited: "Peace and safety, peace and safety, yet ten thousand families are uneasy. They treat the land as mines, occupy the mountains as granaries, levy taxes out of thin air, and seduce the enemy without lifting a finger. They devour the people to suck their marrow, consuming the common folk like pigs and sheep. Two years in prison, the sky is three feet high, nine out of ten houses are empty, fathers and mothers are nowhere to be seen... The eunuchs are rampant, throwing their stench to pollute the world, using dung ladles to stain the blue sky."

"Heh, that was a truly scathing rebuke! Jia Ziming's memorial could serve as a model for impeachment. What do you think, Lord Sun?"

Zhao Mingcheng was indeed knowledgeable and had a good memory. Although he had only read Jia Huan's memorial once, he remembered the general contents. Of course, this was also partly due to the fact that Jia Huan wrote it so well and it was easy to read aloud.

Sun Chengzong looked up in surprise, and Zhao Mingcheng stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Lord Sun, there is no need to be surprised. Just now, outside the Six Ministries compound, I had the opportunity to see it in advance, so I know the contents of the memorial."

As Zhao Mingcheng briefly recounted what had happened, Sun Chengzong suddenly realized why Jinbao, the servant, had handed him Jia Huan's letter and memorial in front of Zhao Mingcheng; there was a backstory to this.

At this moment, Zhao Mingcheng solemnly said, "The Emperor is now being misled by the eunuch Shi Dayong, indulging in extravagant construction projects and pleasures. All memorials submitted to the emperor reporting on the mine supervisors and tax officials of the country are shelved; all memorials proposed to exempt taxes and provide disaster relief are kept in the palace without being issued. If this continues, the state of our Great Jin will be in danger."

At this point, Zhao Mingcheng said excitedly, "Lord Sun, although Jia Ziming has been dismissed from his post and reduced to a commoner, he still dares not forget the country and is determined to impeach Wan An, that eunuch faction. You and I are both cabinet ministers, how can we continue to hold our positions without doing anything and sit idly by? This is truly a critical moment of life and death!"

Sun Chengzong frowned slightly. As a seasoned player in politics, how could he not understand Zhao Mingcheng's intentions? So, despite Zhao Mingcheng's impassioned speech, he remained calm and said, "Lord Zhao is exaggerating."

Zhao Mingcheng sighed, “When our dynasty was founded, Emperor Taizu established the rule that eunuchs should not interfere in politics. Now, the eunuch faction is rampant and its poison is deep. The continuous natural disasters in the past two years are a sign of this. Lord Sun, if we do not curb the eunuch faction and allow it to continue to grow stronger, it will be too late to regret it!”

Sun Chengzong pondered for a moment and then asked, "How does Lord Zhao intend to contain this?"

"Now is the perfect opportunity. With the blood-written letter in hand and the evidence irrefutable, even if we can't touch the eunuch himself, cutting off one of his henchmen will at least make him restrain himself and boost the morale of the literati." Zhao Mingcheng continued righteously, "To prevent the Emperor from protecting the eunuch faction and once again withholding the memorial, I suggest that Lord Sun attend court today at noon. We will surely be met with overwhelming support, and with the evidence irrefutable, even if the Emperor wanted to protect him, he would be unable to!"

Sun Chengzong's mind raced. The struggle between the Donglin faction and the eunuch party had now become public. Shi Dayong was using the Imperial Guard to suppress public opinion and was also urging the emperor to increase commercial taxes. All of this touched the core interests of the Donglin faction. The prefect of Luoyang, who was now imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison, was also a member of the Donglin faction. No wonder Zhao Mingcheng was so anxious that he disregarded his status and personally urged him to take the lead. This move was rather clumsy and unprofessional. However... Wan An had indeed caused a great deal of trouble in Luoyang. Such a menace should be eliminated.

Seeing that Sun Chengzong remained silent, Zhao Mingcheng turned and left with a hint of disappointment, but he was secretly pleased. Jia Huan's memorial had already spread, so it was impossible for Sun Chengzong to hide it. Whether he submitted it through the cabinet according to the normal procedure or went directly to court, the Donglin Party could seize the opportunity to make a fuss. Of course, it would be best if Sun Chengzong went directly to court, as the effect would be even more explosive.

Soon, it was time for the midday court session. Zhao Mingcheng was the first to leave the cabinet and head towards the Wenhua Hall.

It is worth mentioning that this year is the eleventh year of the Qiansheng reign. In other words, the Qiansheng Emperor has been on the throne for nearly twelve years. For the first seven years, he basically lived in the shadow of the retired Emperor Kangping, working diligently and cautiously, as if walking on thin ice. In the last five years, he gradually broke free from the constraints of the retired Emperor. It was not until the retired Emperor's restoration failed three years ago that the Qiansheng Emperor was able to truly rule the world.

Since signing the peace treaty with Huang Taiji at the beginning of the year, the northeastern border of the Great Jin Dynasty has been temporarily stabilized. Emperor Qiansheng, who had been diligent for many years, has become somewhat negligent in his duties, and there have been occasional instances of him claiming illness and not attending the morning court. However, the afternoon court still proceeds without fail every day. Meanwhile, when the group of ministers arrived at the Wenhua Hall, Jia Zheng was still standing at the back, seemingly just going through the motions. However, he was feeling uneasy at this moment, as the officials who knew the situation were glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally, making the old man Jia Zheng feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

A moment later, Emperor Qiansheng, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing a winged crown, entered the Wenhua Hall. In his forties, Emperor Qiansheng was in his prime and his health had always been good. However, he had probably been indulging in excessive sexual activity recently, as his lips were slightly pale and his eye bags were quite noticeable.

However, none of the ministers present dared to look directly at the emperor. As soon as Emperor Qiansheng entered the hall, they all knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" Even after Emperor Qiansheng sat down and told them to rise, everyone stood up with their eyes lowered and no one dared to carefully examine the supreme ruler on the throne.

At today's midday court session, both Prince Qing and Prince Min were present, standing before the civil and military officials. Chen Ju, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Shi Dayong, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, stood on either side behind the throne. The latter looked at the group of civil officials in the hall with a seemingly cold smile on his face.

At this moment, Chen Ju stepped forward, cracked his whip, and shouted, "Those with matters to report, speak now; those without, leave the court."

Officials from the Donglin faction all glanced at Sun Chengzong, but the latter remained as still as an old monk in meditation.

Seeing that Sun Chengzong had no intention of taking the lead, Zhao Mingcheng couldn't help but call him an old fox in his heart, while the other Donglin faction officials deliberately cast disdainful glances at him, and the officials of the Diecui Academy faction all felt a little hot on the face.

Shi Dayong was initially a little nervous, but seeing that Sun Chengzong hadn't made a move, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, "Sun Chengzong is quite sensible. It's that old bastard Zhao Mingcheng who's hateful. After I deal with those lackeys, I'll slowly teach you a lesson!"

Emperor Qiansheng glanced around at the assembled ministers, yawned, and said, "Since none of you ministers have anything to report..."

“Your subject has something to report!” Sun Chengzong suddenly stepped forward and spoke.

Everyone's spirits lifted, but Shi Dayong's old face immediately fell.

Emperor Qiansheng calmly said, "Bring it here!"

"Many places in Henan and Hebei have suffered from severe droughts for years, resulting in serious famine and the people are in dire straits. I humbly request Your Majesty to exempt these two provinces from taxes for three years and to promptly open the granaries to provide relief." As he spoke, Sun Chengzong solemnly knelt down.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and said, "Minister Sun, rise. I understand."

Sun Chengzong said excitedly, "Your Majesty, opening the granaries to provide disaster relief is of utmost urgency. If we delay any longer, there will be widespread famine and the country will be thrown into chaos."

Emperor Qiansheng said displeasedly, "Minister Sun, how could you know this while you are in the capital? Henan is irrigated by the Yellow River. Even if there is a drought, it is only localized. It is not that serious. Don't exaggerate!"

Sun Chengzong shook his head: "For months, reports of disasters from all over Henan have been pouring in. Do these local officials dare to collude to deceive the court? Just today, I received a letter from my student Jia Ziming. Jia Ziming was ordered by the emperor to escort Princess Kangle to Hami for a marriage alliance. When he passed through Luoyang, he saw that the Yellow River was almost dry. The land was barren for thousands of miles, the people were starving, and there were many refugees. Even the princess's entourage was almost robbed. It is clear that the situation is already very dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qiansheng's expression immediately turned solemn. He was not an incompetent or foolish ruler, and he clearly realized the seriousness of the matter. He asked in a deep voice, "Is that really so?"

Shi Dayong secretly realized something was wrong, but forced a smile and said, "Impossible. As far as I know, the Imperial Guards just went to Luoyang to arrest the prefect and deputy prefect of Luoyang for falsely reporting the disaster. The Yellow River has not stopped flowing at all."

Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, immediately rebuked, "How dare you! When did it become your place to speak out in the court? Don't you know that eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in politics? This is a rule set by Emperor Taizu."

Shi Dayong was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for forgiveness, but he was filled with hatred in his heart.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and said calmly, "Slap him!"

Shi Dayong dared not disobey, and began slapping himself repeatedly until his cheeks were swollen and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Only then did Emperor Qiansheng coldly say, "Considering this is your first offense, I will spare your life. Step down!"

Shi Dayong hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude and slunk away. Most of the officials present, except for those who had already sided with the eunuch faction, were overjoyed.

Prince Qing was secretly pleased with himself, as this move undoubtedly boosted his standing among the civil officials.

(End of this chapter)