Huangming

Chapter 170 The Burial Scroll at Wutai, Crimson Robe Falls with Scales

The ink on the secret letter was stark and glaring. Gao Panlong, in his capacity as Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had listed all of Zhou Jiamo's private secrets over the years as charges against him.
Firstly, he formed cliques for personal gain: during the Wanli era, he promoted officials from the Qingli faction while ignoring the meritorious service of border generals, listing specific years and names; in the first year of the Tianqi era, during the imperial recommendation process, he secretly colluded with former members of the Donglin Party to obstruct the emperor's promotion of border generals.
Secondly, he deceived the emperor: last year, when Shandong suffered a famine, his students' memorials concealing the disaster had Zhou Jiamo's red ink mark indicating "temporarily suppressed"; when Han Kuang knelt to remonstrate at Zuoshun Gate, Zhou Jiamo also played a role in fueling the fire behind the scenes. The evidence is conclusive, and he is guilty of serious disrespect.

Thirdly, he was morally corrupt: his eldest son, Zhou Yanru, forcibly seized farmland, causing a man to commit suicide. The victim's blood letter was intercepted by the Censorate, and Zhou Jiamo used the records from the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Evaluation Department to coerce the county magistrate into closing the case.

The final line was even more scathing: "If the Minister does not resign tomorrow to remonstrate with the imperial survey, these three crimes will be reported directly to the Emperor along with a joint memorial from the thirteen censors. Furthermore, the ledger detailing your son's acceptance of a bribe of five thousand taels is already in the copy box of the Office of Transmission. If Your Majesty sees it, I fear it will not be enough to clear up the matter with an imperial prison."

"Crack!"

Zhou Jiamo crushed the teacup with his knuckles, the porcelain shards piercing his palm without him even noticing.

He stared at the last line of writing on the secret note, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh like an owl: "What a pure and upright gentleman! So that case in Shandong before the New Year was a knife that you, Gao Panlong, planted for me!"

The old minister staggered towards the candlestick, placing the secret document on the flame to burn. But after only half of it burned, he hurriedly extinguished the fire. He stared at the falling ashes, his eyes bloodshot.
"If you want me to be the sinner for all time, then I shall be it!"

He staggered to the desk and immediately began writing his resignation.

After writing his resignation, he summoned his newly acquired concubine, Zhang.

Dressed elegantly, Madam Zhang was summoned by Zhou Jiamo. Seeing his ashen face, she asked worriedly, "Master, are you alright?"

Zhou Jiamo shook his head and said, "I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine! There's just one thing I need your help with."

Zhang was stunned, and said somewhat nervously, "Whatever you command, sir, I will do my best."

Zhou Jiamo nodded and said, "Go to the coffin shop and pick out a good coffin to have ready."

Upon hearing this, Zhang was immediately disoriented and burst into tears, kneeling at Zhou Jiamo's feet and crying out:
"My lord is in the prime of his life, why prepare a coffin? Don't frighten me."

Zhou Jiamo looked at Zhang Shi, who was kneeling and weeping, and slowly stroked her hair. His voice was hoarse but calm: "Silly girl, at my age, I should have seen through life and death long ago. In the current situation, only by showing my will with my death can I protect the family."

Zhang grabbed the hem of his robe, tears streaming down her face: "If you leave, sir, I will never live on alone!"

"Confused!"

Zhou Jiamo suddenly shouted and coughed violently. After his breathing calmed down, he pointed to the ashes of the secret letter on the table and said: "Gao Panlong forced me to resign and remonstrate against the Qing Dynasty, but he really wanted to use my head to incite chaos in the court. If I resign while I am alive, I will surely be framed as the principal culprit of treason in the future; if I shed blood in the palace, it will only confirm my reputation as a tyrant - either way, it is a dead end."

Moreover, either way, it's a dead end that would lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

He had no choice but to die in order to break this deadlock.

He pulled a secret letter from his sleeve and slipped it into Zhang's hand: "Keep this safe. After I die, take it to find Zhao Nanxing. Once he has read it, he will protect you. At that time, find a good family to marry into; you don't need to be some kind of virtuous woman."

"It's just a pity for my two good-for-nothing sons. In the end, they will accompany this old man on the road to the underworld."

Upon hearing this, Zhang trembled violently, only to see Zhou Jiamo turn around and take down the precious sword hanging from the beam.

As the sword was drawn, a strand of white hair was severed by the blade and drifted down onto the blood-red ashes of the secret document.

Madam Zhang was terrified and asked, "My lord, is there really no other way? I have heard that His Majesty is wise and sagacious. If Gao Panlong is threatening us, why don't you tell His Majesty the truth? His Majesty will forgive you."

Zhou Jiamo gave a bitter laugh upon hearing this, his sword trembling slightly in the candlelight: "A woman's view! Do you think His Majesty is truly unaware of the trickery involved? Gao Panlong's secret letter is a death warrant, listing three heinous crimes, each enough to exterminate my entire clan!"

Madam Zhang knelt forward two steps, tears streaming down her face: "But what if, sir, you confess to His Majesty?"

"shut up!"

Zhou Jiamo suddenly roared, pointing his sword at the remaining secret letter on the table.

"Why do you think Gao Panlong chose this time to launch his attack? The imperial edict for the land survey is about to be issued, and he needs a head of sufficient weight to incite public opinion! If I were to report this to His Majesty, these accusations would spread throughout the Six Ministries tomorrow—at that point, it wouldn't just be my death, but the entire Zhou family being executed!"

The old minister's face twisted in a grimace: "His Majesty is about to implement new policies and is in dire need of a sacrifice to make an example of someone. If I volunteer to die, I might just get His Majesty to show leniency towards my hometown of Hanchuan."

Sacrificing one's own family to save the entire clan.

Zhou Jiamo felt that this was the best he had ever done.

"Does the master think that Gao Panlong and his men will let him go if he commits suicide?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Jiamo tightened his grip on the sword.

Seeing Zhou Jiamo's wavering expression, Zhang immediately knelt forward, tightly gripping his sleeve. Her voice trembled but was clear: "If you commit suicide now, Master, Gao Panlong will surely seize the opportunity to say that you committed suicide out of fear of punishment! At that time, he only needs to make the contents of the secret letter public and incite the court. In His Majesty's rage, how could he lightly forgive the Zhou family? The two young masters will have no way to survive in the imperial prison!"

"Or, he could say that because the master was dissatisfied with His Majesty's edict, he was willing to die to remonstrate with it. In that case, His Majesty would be furious, and how could the clan escape unscathed?"

Zhou Jiamo's sword paused, the candlelight casting flickering light on his face.

After hearing Zhang's words, he was now in a dilemma, unable to live or die.

It's truly a case of being stubborn to the point of being blocked at both ends.

Madam Zhang gritted her teeth and continued, "Master, you should submit a memorial requesting resignation while still alive—but in the resignation letter, only mention your failure to properly educate your son, and make no mention of the land survey. If Gao Panlong dares to force you, then you can turn around and expose the evidence of his years of forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices!"

Her fingertips dug deeply into her palms, and a hint of ruthlessness appeared on the young woman's face.

"Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well gamble on who His Majesty hates more!"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the old minister's cloudy eyes.

From Zhang's words, he seemed to have found a way to break the deadlock.

He slowly sheathed his sword, his withered fingers stroking Zhang's trembling shoulder: "You're right, you're so clever and perceptive."

"Since even death won't bring peace, I might as well live a wretched life."

His own death was insignificant, because he had lived long enough.

But we must not let our family's 300-year tradition of poetry and scholarship be ruined in our own hands!

Those two good-for-nothings deserve to be punished, but how innocent are those ignorant children in the old family!

Gao Panlong's move was too vicious; he was clearly trying to use the lives of the entire Zhou family to force him to become a sacrifice for this new land survey policy.

He could not allow everything to be ruined because of his own mistakes.

"Mogan, I want to rewrite my resignation!"

Zhang wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, then immediately got up and began grinding ink for Zhou Jiamo.

The reason she didn't want Zhou Jiamo to die wasn't because she had much affection for this stubborn old man with an old-fashioned air about him.

It all stems from oneself.

If Zhou Jiamo dies, and dies with guilt, her fate will be to go to the brothel and become someone else's plaything.

If Zhou Jiamo were to die innocent, she would never be able to remarry. Public opinion would force her to become a chaste and virtuous woman.

No matter what the outcome, it's something she doesn't want to see.

Only if Zhou Jiamo is alive can she have a better life and a higher status.

She wasn't thinking of Zhou Jiamo; she was thinking of herself.

The next morning, the sky was overcast and the wind was biting cold.

Zhou Jiamo, dressed in plain clothes, entered the palace by sedan chair. He first submitted his resignation to the Office of Transmission, and then, instead of going to the Ministry of Personnel, he went straight to the Zuoshun Gate and knelt there for a long time.

Holding a memorial in both hands, he shouted, "Your Majesty, I implore you to rescind the decree to survey the land! If this policy is implemented, it will surely lead to turmoil throughout the land and cause widespread suffering among the people!"

The sound echoed between the palace walls, quickly attracting the attention of the eunuchs on duty.

Before long, the news reached the East Warm Pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao was reviewing memorials when he heard about this. He frowned and said coldly, "Zhou Jiamo? Didn't he submit his resignation? Why is he kneeling and remonstrating at Zuoshun Gate again?"

It turned out that after the Office of Transmission saw Zhou Jiamo's resignation, they dared not delay and immediately presented it to the Emperor.

Zhu Youxiao saw the resignation letter immediately.

I thought the old minister had given up, but I didn't expect him to rise to the challenge and challenge me.

Wei Zhongxian whispered, "Your Majesty, he's been pushed to the limit and is trying to gain fame by dying for his cause. If this leads to other officials kneeling in remonstrance, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly: "I want to see how long he can keep up this act."

After a moment's thought, he ordered, "Issue a decree to bring Zhou Jiamo in. I want to ask him face to face who exactly instructed him to kneel and remonstrate!"

Wei Zhongxian accepted the order and left. Not long after, Zhou Jiamo was led into the palace.

The old minister knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse: "This old minister pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youxiao stared at him sharply and asked, "Minister Zhou, since you have already submitted your resignation, why did you kneel and remonstrate? Could it be that someone coerced you?"

Zhou Jiamo remained silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this old minister knows his sins are grave, but the land survey is truly an act that shakes the very foundation of the nation! This old minister cannot bear to see the gentry of the land disheartened and the people displaced, so I risk my life to remonstrate!" Zhu Youxiao sneered, "Oh? Shake the very foundation of the nation? I had no idea that the land survey was more serious than rampant corruption and the people having no land to cultivate?"

Zhou Jiamo gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, if this policy is implemented, it will inevitably lead to turmoil in the court and the country. Local officials will take the opportunity to exploit the people, and the common people will suffer unspeakably! This old minister begs Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Zhu Youxiao's gaze grew cold as he slowly said, "Zhou Jiamo, you keep claiming to be acting for the people, but your eldest son forcibly seized farmland from the people, and your second son accepted a bribe of five thousand taels of silver. How do you explain that?"

Zhou Jiamo trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and he prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing: "This old minister has failed in his duty to educate his son and deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

Zhu Youxiao slammed his hand on the imperial desk and said sternly, "Since you know your crime, how dare you speak so shamelessly here? I see that you are not speaking up for the people, but pleading for those parasites who have seized the land!"

Zhou Jiamo pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, please understand. This old minister had absolutely no such intention."

"I have no such intention. Then what are you doing right now?"

Zhou Jiamo swallowed hard, his eyes immediately hardening.

Now that the play is over, it's time to get down to business.

"Your Majesty, I wish to submit a secret report."

Zhou Jiamo spoke with a firm tone, looking at Wei Chao and Wei Zhongxian in the East Warm Pavilion, and then said:
"Your Majesty, I request to speak with you privately!"

Zhu Youxiao shook his head and said, "These two are my trusted confidants; they won't cause any trouble."

Wei Chao stepped forward at the opportune moment and said, "I will go back and disperse the people around the East Warm Pavilion. What the Minister said in the pavilion will not be spread outside."

After Zhu Youxiao cleaned up the inner court, the once open and leaky inner court was gone forever.

Now, the palace maids and eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace are all trustworthy people.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiamo's voice became hoarse and trembling, and he finally agreed to tell the truth.

"Your Majesty, please understand! This old minister is kneeling here today at the risk of his life not of his own volition, but because he has been forced to this point by Gao Panlong and other members of the Donglin Party!"

He slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes bloodshot: "This old minister does indeed have something on them. If I do not comply, even if I resign and return to my hometown, I will not have a good end; if I comply, it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor, and the extermination of my entire family would not be a pity. This old minister, this old minister, truly has no way out."

Zhu Youxiao's gaze was sharp as he coldly stared at him: "Oh? Then what brings you to see me today, my dear minister?"

Zhou Jiamo kowtowed heavily, blood seeping from his forehead: "This old minister is willing to perform a play with Your Majesty!"

If he can't die, then he can only live.

Zhou Jiamo's only way to survive was to serve as the emperor's weapon.

Since you forced me to my death, and even after my death you won't let me go, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Trembling, he pulled a blood-stained secret document from his robes and said, "This is evidence of Gao Panlong coercing this old minister. It details how they colluded with court officials and incited public opinion. This old minister is willing to act as bait to lure the snakes out of their holes and expose all the masterminds behind it!"

He raised his aged face, tears mingling with drops of blood as they streamed down his cheeks: "I only beg Your Majesty, in consideration of my forty years of service, to spare the lives of my entire family."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Zhu Youxiao looked at the secret document handed over by Wei Chao, flipped through its contents, and had a complicated expression.

It can only be said that the Donglin Party itself was also rife with factional infighting.

same
Even the most virtuous and upright scholars, when faced with life and death, would lament that the water was too cold.

In the face of life and death, reputation is no longer of any importance.

Zhu Youxiao tapped his fingertips lightly on the imperial desk, then suddenly sneered, "Minister Zhou has certainly played his cards right."

He slowly descended the imperial steps, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming coldly in the candlelight: "Do you know that the crime of deceiving the emperor deserves death by a thousand cuts?"

Zhou Jiamo trembled all over, but dared not raise his head.

"but."

Zhu Youxiao then changed the subject, saying, "If you can truly help me purge the corrupt officials in the court, I might give you a chance to redeem yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiamo was immediately overjoyed and declared, "Your subject is willing to atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service!"

Zhu Youxiao was already aware that some officials opposed the land survey.

We are also preparing to use methods to solve this problem.

Since Zhou Jiamo stepped forward, it actually saved him a lot of trouble.

Zhu Youxiao smiled and asked, "So, how does Minister Zhou plan to atone for his crimes?"

Zhou Jiamo prostrated himself on the ground, his voice hoarse but firm: "Your Majesty, if you want to lure the snake out of its hole, I have a plan—please have Your Majesty escort me to the Zuoshun Gate tomorrow and publicly flog me thirty times!"

Zhu Youxiao raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Flogging?"

"Exactly."

Zhou Jiamo raised his head, his eyes flashing with determination, and said, "As the Minister of Personnel, I am highly respected. If I am publicly punished, those officials who oppose the land survey will not be able to sit still. Especially Gao Panlong and others, who have always considered themselves to be upright officials. If they see this situation, they will definitely come forward to kneel and remonstrate in the name of admonishing the emperor."

He paused, then continued, "At that time, after being flogged, I will publicly confess my crimes, revealing in detail how Gao Panlong coerced me, formed cliques for personal gain, and obstructed the new policies. Those who jump out to speak for him are the true die-hards who oppose the land survey!"

This week, Jiamo was ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to Gao Panlong and his ilk.

Zhu Youxiao really liked this pledge of loyalty!

Zhu Youxiao lightly tapped the imperial desk with his fingertips, his face turning from gloomy to sunny, and he smiled, "My dear minister, you are quite ruthless. But thirty strokes of the cane are no child's play."

Zhou Jiamo smiled bitterly: "I am old and frail. If I were to receive this beating, I fear I would lose half my life. But if I can use this opportunity to cleanse the court for Your Majesty, I will die without regret!"

Wei Zhongxian interjected sinisterly, "Your Majesty, this old servant thinks this plan is feasible. Those upright officials love to seek fame and fortune. Seeing Minister Zhou being tortured, they will surely flock to him. At that time, the mastermind behind it will surely surface."

He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "Very well! I will proceed as planned. However..."

He leaned down and stared at Zhou Jiamo, saying, "My dear minister, you should think this through carefully. Once this play begins, there is no turning back."

If Zhou Jiamo had done this, his life might have been saved.

But one's reputation would be ruined.

At that time, those Donglin Party members and those involved court officials will probably hate Zhou Jiamo to death.

However, at this moment, Zhou Jiamo had no time to care about his reputation.

If he doesn't do this, he will still lose his reputation and it will also implicate his entire family.

He had no other choice long ago.
Zhou Jiamo kowtowed heavily and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I am willing to die for you! I only beg Your Majesty to remember my service today and spare my son's life."

"That's right."

Politics is about transactions.

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with the offer Zhou Jiamo made.

At this moment, the lives of his two sons were no longer of any importance.

Zhu Youxiao waved his sleeve and said, "Wei Daban, go and make the preparations. Remember, the caning must draw blood, but it must not kill Zhou Qing."

Wei Zhongxian smiled obsequiously and replied, "This servant understands and will arrange everything properly."

Zhou Jiamo let out a long sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Your Majesty, I have another request. When I confess my guilt, please allow me to read this secret letter aloud to the public."

"Let all the officials see the true face of this leader of the upright faction!"

Zhou Jiamo hated Gao Panlong to death.

He originally wanted to resign from his post, but this thief Gao refused to even do that.

Having driven him to this point, Zhou Jiamo will not let this scoundrel get away with it!
Let's destroy each other together!

Seeing the Donglin Party members fighting amongst themselves, Zhu Youxiao's smile grew even brighter.

Correct!
Fight!
They started fighting amongst themselves.

If you are united as one, then I should be worried.

"Granted! Today, I want to see how many of these officials in their court are truly loyal ministers who serve the country, and how many are corrupt officials who form cliques for personal gain!"

Thunder rumbled outside the palace, signaling the imminent arrival of a storm to purge the court.

P.S.: Without monthly passes, updating will be difficult!
(End of this chapter)