The prince is more stable

Chapter 897 Impeachment Counterattack
The new official system of three prefectures and three offices had another impact on the Council of State Affairs: the newly independent Censorate no longer paid any attention to the Council of State Affairs.

This is a truly sad fact.

In theory, the Censorate is now on the same level as the Council of State Affairs. The leaders of the two are not subordinate to each other, and the Censorate is even slightly superior to the Council of State Affairs, because the officials in the Council of State Affairs are also subject to the supervision of the Censorate.

All the officials in Chenzhou were arrested, and the Tiandu Censorate exposed the truth. But no matter how angry Zhang Dun was, he didn't intend to ask the Censorate officials to explain. He knew very well that Han Zhongyan and his ilk wouldn't give him a good look and wouldn't bother with him at all.

The Control Yuan is not obligated to explain its investigations of officials to the Council of State Affairs.

Today, Zhen Qing was summoned to explain, and his answer made the ministers of the Council of State increasingly anxious. Things are different now; the Council of State no longer has the right to question, let alone interfere with, officials.

After Zhen Qing's visit, the Council of State chose to remain silent in despair.

However, the court officials in Bianjing were in an uproar.

The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard arrested and questioned all the officials of Chenzhou, a truly shocking event.

No one expected that the Censorate would have such power and audacity, truly eliminating all threats and leaving no one alive.

Not only officials, but it is said that many merchants, landlords, and officials with official titles in Chenzhou were also invited to the Bingjing Office by the Imperial City Guard.

The intricate web of power and interests within this province was uprooted by the Censorate, making it arguably the biggest case in the nation's history.

The court officials panicked. They were not worried about the fate of the officials in Chenzhou, but rather that if this move by the Censorate became the norm, then all officials in the country would live in fear.

Which official hasn't done something wrong?

Whether it's embezzlement, collusion for personal gain, or even involvement in murder, any crime can be washed away under the cover of power.

Now that the Censorate has been added as an official agency, the future is uncertain.

Moreover, with the establishment of a strict oversight system, the past misdeeds of officials, their involvement in various collusion and transactions, and even their past disregard for human life could all be unearthed by the oversight bureau and severely punished.

On the very day that the Chenzhou officials were imprisoned in Bingjingwu, the court officials in Bianjing submitted memorials one after another, vehemently impeaching the Censorate. Han Zhongyan, Lü Huiqing, and Li Qingchen were particularly condemned, and even Zhen Qing of the Imperial City Guard was among those impeached.

Moreover, the court officials used the banner of ancestral rules to impeach Zhao Xiaoqian for abusing his power and mistreating his officials. This not only violated ancestral rules but also the teachings of the sages. The establishment of the Censorate marked the beginning of the dynasty's tyranny.

Countless memorials were sent to the Hall of State Affairs, putting Prime Ministers Zhang Dun and others in a difficult position.

This time we cannot turn a blind eye and send all the memorials to the Funing Palace without screening them.

The last time the Council of State Affairs did this, the result was that the Emperor picked out the two most offensive ones from the memorials, dug up their past grievances, and openly sent them to the Court of Judicial Review for punishment. On that occasion, the Council of State Affairs was also severely reprimanded by the Emperor.

The same mistake cannot be made twice; no one dared to challenge Zhao Xiaoqian's patience.

Thus, amidst the flurry of impeachment memorials, the prime ministers of the Council of State Affairs were caught in the middle between the emperor and the court officials. They inwardly agreed with the court officials' impeachments, but dared not offend the emperor in their actions.

Frankly speaking, the prime ministers had never been caught in such a dilemma, and they had nowhere to vent their anger.

They could only sift through all the impeachment memorials, selecting a portion with mild wording to send to the Funing Palace.

The next morning, the Imperial Street in Bianjing was filled with court officials at the construction site of the Censorate, which was still under construction.

This time they learned their lesson and dared not kneel at the palace gate, because the emperor wouldn't listen to such nonsense.

But they must make these officials of the Ombudsman's Office taste what it's like to be condemned by everyone.

So the court officials gathered at the construction site of the Censorate, pointing at the still-under-construction rear courtyard and cursing loudly, some even spitting in their anger.

They had assumed that such a shrewish and violent outburst would prompt officials from the Control Yuan to step in and explain, or at the very least, to come out and argue with them.

To their disappointment, after cursing for a long time at the construction site, not a single official from the Inspectorate came forward; they simply couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to them.

On the contrary, the craftsmen and laborers working on the construction site, enduring the spittle of the court officials, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is this the kind of behavior we have in our Great Song Dynasty?

Long insight!

I could be that official too; I could curse them even more filthily than they do.

If you calculate it that way, the old woman at the entrance of our village could be a prime minister.

The worst thing about swearing is not having no audience, but having no opponent.

The court officials cursed for a long time at the construction site, but no one came out to confront them, so they could only leave dejectedly.

…………

Yanfu Palace, Funing Hall.

Zhen Qing stood before Zhao Xiaoqian with his head bowed, giving a detailed report on the results of the past few days, including the incident this morning when court officials went to the construction site of the Censorate to hurl insults. Zhao Xiaoqian listened quietly, his cheeks twitching occasionally, his face expressionless.

"These court officials are truly shameless!" Zhao Xiaoqian cursed. "Where are the censors? What are the censors doing? They disregard the dignity of officials and act like shrewish women, running around the construction site of the Censorate and shouting insults in broad daylight. Didn't the censors see this? Why hasn't anyone impeached these scoundrels?"

Zhen Qing cautiously said, "Among the court officials who were cursing in the street this morning, there were at least ten or so censors. I reckon no one will impeach them."

"These hypocrites are hypocritical to the extreme. If there's even the slightest wrinkle in my clothes, the censors will impeach me, nitpicking over trivial matters. But now that so many people are running around outside cursing, the censors are turning a deaf ear. They're a bunch of scoundrels!" Zhao Xiaoqian cursed.

Zhen Qing hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. If Your Majesty feels that they should be punished, you can order the Censorate to investigate. The Imperial City Guard has recorded every court official who cursed in the street today, and the Censorate can hold them accountable at any time."

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted coldly, "No need. It's not a big deal, but it's very embarrassing. It's a disgrace to me and the entire Song Dynasty. These bastards really have no shame!"

"Even I, with my thick skin, wouldn't dare to do something like swearing in the street. They're bolder than me, but that's fine. If they're so capable, then next time they'll swear naked in the street, and I'll truly be impressed."

Zhen Qing stood in front of him, forcing a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then said, "The officials of Chenzhou have been wiped out in one fell swoop. Does the Imperial City Guard have any solid evidence? This is no joke. If there is no evidence, not only the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard, but even I will be regarded as a tyrant and written into the history books, and I will never be able to turn my back for a thousand years."

Zhen Qing hurriedly said, "Before the Imperial City Guard closed in, they had already collected all the evidence. All the arrested officials have verifiable evidence. I don't believe they won't confess."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "So, the entire officialdom of Chenzhou is rotten to the core? In such a vast place, can't you find a single official who remains untainted by the mud?"

Zhen Qing said helplessly, "According to my investigation, almost all the major officials in Chenzhou and its several counties are corrupt, with only a few minor officials and clerks being clean."

"The local officials, clan gentry, merchants, landlords and other such people have formed a tight-knit network that is impenetrable. This is why the people under the jurisdiction of Chenzhou are living in misery and have nowhere to turn for justice."

Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly, "If that's the case, then punish them severely so that officials throughout the land know that holding power does not mean they can do whatever they want, and that they will eventually pay the price for their mistakes."

"Yes, after all the officials in Chenzhou were taken to Bingjingwu, within just one morning, half of them confessed to the illegal acts they had committed during their tenure, and the confessions were signed and sealed. The case has been made airtight."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow: "That freak Liu Dan doesn't hold back when he hits people. Did he force a confession out of us?"

“There was absolutely no torture to extract confessions. The evidence was presented to them, leaving them no choice but to plead guilty.”

As they were talking, Zheng Chunhe walked into the hall carrying a pile of memorials. There were quite a few memorials, and they were quite heavy, so Zheng Chunhe had some difficulty carrying them.

"Your Majesty, these are all from the Hall of State Affairs. Most of them are memorials impeaching the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard, and some... impeach Your Majesty as well," Zheng Chunhe said cautiously.

Looking at the pile of memorials, Zhao Xiaoqian said unhappily, "Haven't the Council of State learned its lesson yet? They just dump all these memorials on me without even screening them. Are they trying to show off?"

Zheng Chunhe hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Minister Zhang has explained that these memorials were sent after being screened. From yesterday to today, the Council of State Affairs has received no less than several thousand memorials, and very few of them have been submitted to Your Majesty for review."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled coldly: "The entire court is impeaching me, which is quite an honor. It shows they are afraid and worried, and I did the right thing!"

“They are afraid that the status quo will be changed, that power will be divided, and that they will no longer be able to live as freely as before when they are officials… What they are afraid of is exactly what I want to do.”

"Old Zheng, I won't read the memorials anymore. Send them all to the Imperial Kitchen and burn them in the stove."

"Yes, I obey your order."

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Zhen Qing."

"The minister is here."

"Tomorrow is the day of the court assembly. You and the officials of the Censorate will all attend. Prepare the evidence and confessions of the convicted officials in Chenzhou."

"Tomorrow... will be another fierce battle."

…………

The next morning, a court assembly was held in the Daqing Hall.

When the appointed time arrived, all the officials entered the palace.

After the civil and military officials lined up in neat rows, Zhao Xiaoqian, dressed in a yellow robe, slowly entered the hall.

Next came the court officials paying their respects, followed by a chorus of shouts from all the officials.

As usual, Zhao Xiaoqian calmly cooperated with the court officials and completed the court ceremony.

After the ceremony, an eerie silence fell over the Daqing Hall, with hundreds of court officials remaining completely silent.

All the officials had their heads bowed, as if they were afraid of something, or as if they were brewing something.

Zhao Xiaoqian surveyed the assembled officials, a cold smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on Zhang Dun, who held the head of the court.

"Mr. Zihou, is there anything to report to the Council of State Affairs today?"

(End of this chapter)