Late Han Zhao Tang

Spring of the eighth year of Shenwu.

Since Guo Huai submitted a memorial last November requesting a campaign against Goguryeo, the imperial court has been transporting grain from Hebei to Yingzhou by sea. After deducting the amount lost at sea, a total of 500,000 shi of grain was provided to Yingzhou.

Zhang Yu originally intended to transfer another 10,000 soldiers from Hebei to Yingzhou, but Guo Huai still refused, believing that transferring troops far away would easily arouse Goguryeo's vigilance. He argued that with his 10,000 infantry and cavalry, along with tens of thousands of soldiers from Yingzhou and other counties, he was more than capable of destroying Goguryeo.

Seeing that Guo Huai had made a good arrangement, Zhang Yu decided not to interfere and let Guo Huai, who was thousands of miles away, make his own decisions.

Aside from the Liaodong affair, Zhang Yu's only worry after the New Year was his ailing father, Zhang Ji.

Since contracting the wind-related illness, Zhang Ji's mental state was initially good. However, as time went on, and with the ineffectiveness of the medicine prescribed by the imperial physicians, Zhang Ji became increasingly depressed, and various ailments followed. In particular, the wounds left from his past battles recurred, tormenting Zhang Ji almost daily.

"The Emperor Emeritus is in poor health; I wonder if he will ever recover?"

In the corridor, Zhang Yu and Prime Minister Zhong Yao walked side by side, chatting about their recent troubles.

Zhong Yao comforted him, saying, "The Emperor Emeritus is blessed by Heaven; I expect he will recover fully this time."

Zhang Yu shook his head and sighed. At the beginning of his illness, he was very confident that Zhang Ji would recover. However, as the illness worsened over the next few months, Zhang Yu was prepared for the worst.

Slightly roused, Zhang Yu asked, "Besides establishing the Central Plains Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, what other important matters are you here to discuss with the palace?"

Zhong Yao carefully considered his words and said, "Last year on New Year's Day, I asked Your Majesty for permission to resign, but since the country had just been at peace, I could not leave abruptly. Since the beginning of this year, my thoughts have been in turmoil, I have had difficulty sleeping day and night, and I feel that my energy is failing. Therefore, I have come to the palace today to ask Your Majesty for permission to resign."

Zhang Yu had anticipated this, but still tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Last year, when the land was surveyed and people were requisitioned, how could more than 1.6 million people have been freed up without the Prime Minister's supervision?"

"Moreover, war is about to break out in the Northeast. Without the Prime Minister in charge of affairs at court, I cannot rest easy!"

Zhong Yao seemed to have long intended to leave, saying, "Minister of State Du Ji is both lenient and strict, and brave enough to shoulder great responsibilities. When Your Majesty was on a distant expedition to Hebei, the people were overwhelmed by the heavy labor and rebelled. Du Ji went alone, and by combining kindness and severity, he managed to appease the people. When I was the Chancellor, I often consulted Du Ji on matters I could not decide. His strict and rigorous nature was of great benefit to me!"

"Du Ji is well aware of the good and bad policies in the country. If Your Majesty can employ him, he will surely be able to eliminate the corrupt practices!"

Zhang Yu was quite interested and asked, "What are some of the corrupt practices in the country?"

Zhong Yao said, “When the world is in chaos, there are many vacancies in prefectures and counties, so many surrendered people and former officials of the Later Han Dynasty are employed. Among them, the quality of officials is uneven. Some are eager for quick success and instant benefits, some are greedy and corrupt, and some are derelict in their duties and incompetent.”

"Your Majesty desires to govern the empire well, which requires the selection of capable officials; and the selection of capable officials requires the keen insight of a superior. My energy is not what it used to be; I am not as capable as I was in enforcing laws and regulations, discerning the smallest details, and eliminating long-standing abuses. This is something I cannot match in Lord Du!"

After a pause, seeing that Zhang Yu did not react, Zhong Yao continued, "Your Majesty gained the throne through meritorious officials. Now that these officials have become wealthy and powerful, they have built grand mansions. Their lackeys have benefited from this and have become arrogant and domineering, and many fear them. I am smooth-talking and can get along with people, but I cannot govern them. Du Ji, on the other hand, is upright and just, and everyone in the court and the countryside respects him."

Upon hearing about the matter of meritorious officials, Zhang Yu's expression finally changed, and he asked, "Why haven't I heard my attendants mentioning the arrogance of these meritorious officials?"

Zhong Yao said, “It is common knowledge that meritorious officials are Your Majesty’s henchmen. Yet no one reports this to Your Majesty, not because Your Majesty is being misled, but because no one dares to rashly submit a memorial to impeach them. If they cannot obtain Your Majesty’s protection, where will the impeachers find refuge?”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and sighed, saying, "I have greatly favored my meritorious officials, and their current arrogance is my fault!"

"You wish to resign as Prime Minister and appoint Du Ji as your successor, but do you know who is suitable to succeed Du Ji?" Zhang Yu asked.

Zhong Yao said, "The Minister of Revenue, Cui Yan, is upright, honest, and incorruptible. Moreover, he is a superior scholar from Hebei. Your Majesty may wish to entrust him with an important position."

"Is it not possible for Yang Jun, the Minister of Personnel?" Zhang Yu asked.

“It is clear that Yang Jun’s strength lies in recognizing talent and talent. If he were to be promoted to Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and tasked with cleaning up long-standing abuses, it would not be in Yang Jun’s area of ​​expertise. Moreover, Yang Jun tends to select officials from his hometown, and many officials in the country are from Henan, Bingzhou, Yinzhou, and Yanzhou. Your Majesty must not fail to recognize this!” Zhong Yao said.

Perhaps because he was about to step down as prime minister, Zhong Yao laid bare many things that were previously difficult to discuss. In particular, the Minister of Personnel, Yang Jun, was known to almost everyone in the court for his preference for choosing people from his hometown, friends, or people he admired, even though most of the officials recommended by Yang Jun were capable.

To put it bluntly, Yang Jun is inevitably suspected of forming cliques for personal gain. However, because Yang Jun is of reliable character and most of the people he recommended are talented, there was not much criticism from the crowd earlier.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Who can succeed me as Minister of Revenue?"

Zhong Yao said, "Sun Zi may be able to take up the post, or perhaps Dong Zhao."

Zhang Yu stopped and said, "Then let Sun Zi serve as Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently as Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and concurrently as Minister of Revenue. And let Yang Jun serve as Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and concurrently as Minister of Personnel."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhong Yao praised.

Zhang Yu looked at Zhong Yao, whose temples were slightly gray, and said with emotion, "You have served me since you were in your forties, working for me for nearly twenty years and making great contributions to the country. Now that you are resigning to retire, I bestow upon you two million coins and five thousand bolts of Shu brocade as a token of my appreciation."

Zhong Yao said, "Your Majesty is to me what Emperor Gaozu was to Xiao He. Therefore, it is my great fortune to have met Your Majesty!"

"I urge you to continue your work for several more months until the end of the year. If there are any matters to attend to during this period, you may ask the Marquis to handle them on your behalf so that he can become familiar with government affairs!" Zhang Yu said.

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty!"

The emperor and his ministers chatted idly about official business as they gradually approached the Da'an Palace. From afar, across the flowerbeds and artificial hills, they could see the Crown Prince's attendants secretly observing from the secluded pavilion of the Da'an Palace.

Zhang Yu became suspicious and beckoned, saying, "Zhongkang!"

Xu Chu, having been granted a noble title, could have returned to his residence to enjoy life, but unable to remain idle, he submitted a memorial requesting to serve in the palace. Zhang Yu, deeply concerned that he could not be without a trusted general to command the imperial guards, thus entrusted Xu Chu with his security duties. "Yes, sir!"

“That servant is a confidant of the Crown Prince; summon him for questioning,” Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

Xu Chu bowed and accepted the order, then crept over alone.

Xu Chu, a veteran of many battles, deliberately concealed himself until he was more than ten paces away from the attendant before letting him see him. Upon seeing Xu Chu, the attendant immediately shouted, as if to deliver a message.

Xu Chu instinctively stepped forward, grabbed the servant by the throat to silence him, then gagged him and took him to see Zhang Yu. The servant, brought before Zhang Yu, turned pale with fright and knelt on the ground with a thud.

Zhang Yu waved his hand, signaling everyone except Zhong Yao to step down.

"If I remember correctly, you are Ma Chen, a servant under the Crown Prince. You were chosen to serve the Crown Prince in the past." Zhang Yu asked with a cold expression, "Instead of serving the Crown Prince, you are hiding in a remote place keeping watch. What is your intention?"

Ma Chen was a Xiongnu man who was captured by Zhang Yu when he was five years old. At that time, Zhang Luo had no companions, so Zhang Yu had Ma Chen, who was about the same age, serve Zhang Luo. This has been the case for more than ten years.

Having served Crown Prince Zhang Luo for many years, Ma Chen knew that he was bound to Zhang Luo. Therefore, when Zhang Yu asked him questions, Ma Chen suppressed his fear and remained silent.

Seeing that Ma Chen remained silent, Zhang Yu suddenly laughed and said, "You are indeed loyal, knowing how to cover up for the Crown Prince. But if you don't speak, I will have no choice but to have the people search the pavilion. I suspect the people in the pavilion haven't left yet."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chen looked terrified. After hesitating for a long time, he kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please shield us from the guards!"

With Zhang Yu's intelligence, he could roughly guess what had happened in the attic. He took a deep breath to calm his anger.

"Who is the Crown Prince close to?" Zhang Yu asked, squinting.

Ma Chen lowered his head and could not answer, fearing Zhang Yu's wrath.

"You are quite loyal!"

Zhang Yu sneered and said, "Where is Zhang Hang?"

"I am here!"

"You will accompany Ma Chen to the side hall to fetch the Crown Prince, and Zhong Kang will go with him."

"promise!"

Zhang Hang and Xu Chu dragged Ma Chen to the pavilion.

After the three left, Zhang Yu sighed deeply, "I could tolerate the Crown Prince's mediocrity. But his moral depravity is truly disappointing!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Zhong Yao reassured him, "The Crown Prince is still young. With more instruction from others, he will surely be able to correct his moral character."

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "King Yunzhong ruled the country at the age of sixteen, while the Crown Prince, who is older than him, is not as capable. As the old saying goes, 'It is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change a person's nature!'"

Although the Second Prince Zhang Bi was impetuous and a descendant of the Xiongnu, he adhered strictly to etiquette. Tian Feng assisted him, sending monthly letters praising Zhang Bi. In contrast, the Crown Prince, on whom Zhang Yu placed high hopes, committed despicable acts while caring for his elders, truly disappointing Zhang Yu.

Seeing that Zhang Yu had the idea of ​​establishing a new crown prince, Zhong Yao dared not utter a word.

Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Zhang Yu first greeted Zhang Ji through Zhong Yao. Because Zhang Ji was unwell, he could only say a few words before Zhang Yu hurriedly went to the side hall, while Zhong Yao stayed outside to await orders.

Inside the side hall, under the watchful eyes of Zhang Hang and Xu Chu, Zhang Bi and his maid Pan Lingwei stood trembling, their expressions filled with panic.

Upon seeing Zhang Yu, Zhang Bi hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your subject knows his mistake and humbly begs for forgiveness from Your Majesty!"

Zhang Yu ignored Zhang Bi and instead looked at Pan Lingwei, who had a beautiful face and sweet appearance, and asked, "When did you enter the palace? Have you ever served the Emperor Emeritus?"

Pan Lingwei sobbed and said, "I know the rules of etiquette, how could I dare to do something that goes against them!"

"I am from Yangzhou. My father resisted the Heavenly Army and was confiscated and sent to the palace as a maid. Fortunately, I was assigned to the Da'an Palace to serve the Emperor Emeritus. Now, I have committed the crime of having an affair with the Crown Prince and I am willing to accept Your Majesty's punishment!"

Seeing that the Crown Prince was merely infatuated with women, Zhang Yu was finally relieved. After all, there was a big difference between flirting with an ordinary maid and having an affair with Zhang Ji's concubine. But even so, Zhang Yu was still furious.

"Please, Your Majesty, pardon Lingwei! I am willing to accept punishment!" Fearing that Zhang Yu would order Pan Lingwei's execution, Zhang Luo pleaded in a fit of rage.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu grew even angrier, kicking Zhang Luo to the ground and cursing, "I ordered you to take care of the Emperor, but you were lusting after women. You show no remorse; you are truly foolish!"

"Guards, imprison the Crown Prince in his residence, along with his beloved son," Zhang Yu said, utterly disappointed. (End of Chapter)