Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

It was evening.

As dusk settled over the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, it tinged the palace walls with a dark red hue.

The clouds in the west burned like congealed blood, hanging in wisps on the eaves as if they had been torn open by something.

The square outside the Meridian Gate was not as quiet as usual; instead, it was filled with a dense crowd of kneeling people.

More than two hundred people, including censors, compilers of the Hanlin Academy, and students of the Imperial Academy, knelt prostrate in front of the Meridian Gate, some dressed in court robes and others in white robes and plain hats.

Kneeling at the front were Kong Ying, a senior official in the Ministry of War, and Chen Hongmou, an imperial censor.

Kong Ying straightened her back, holding a scroll of memorials above her head, her voice hoarse yet resonant, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty! The new policies harm the people, are contrary to ancestral rules, and violate the benevolent governance of our Great Han Dynasty for over a hundred years since Emperor Taizu!"

"Gong Dingzi is a treacherous and cruel official. In Jiangnan, he wantonly arrested gentry and coerced officials, frequently confiscating their property and stripping them of their posts. His methods were cruel, and he levied exorbitant taxes, endangering the country!"

"We, your humble servants, risk our lives to petition Your Majesty to dismiss this villain Gong Dingzi and abolish the corrupt practice of requiring everyone to serve and pay taxes equally, so as to bring peace to the realm!"

Today, numerous impeachment memorials have arrived from Jiangnan, claiming that Gong Dingzi, the Grand Secretary and Governor-General of Southern Zhili, recently seized the property of two of the nine major families in Jiangnan: the Chen and Huang families.

He also dismissed several high-ranking officials in the Southern Zhili region, including provincial governors and provincial judges, as well as more than a dozen civil and military officials. His actions were cruel, he suppressed dissidents, and he levied taxes excessively, which aroused the wrath of the people in Jiangnan, and the people suffered greatly.

As impeachment memorials poured in from Jiangnan, countless officials in the capital city also rose up in response.

Starting at noon, officials and scholars from the capital began to gather in an organized manner outside the Meridian Gate, kneeling down to petition.

As soon as Kong Ying finished speaking in the square, more than two hundred people behind her echoed in unison, shouting:

"Your Majesty, we beseech you to dismiss Gong, the treacherous official, and abolish his corrupt practices to bring peace to the realm!"

Various sounds echoed in the square in front of the Meridian Gate, crashing against the vermilion palace walls and bouncing back, buzzing incessantly.

The Imperial Guards stood guard in front of the Meridian Gate, hands on their swords, solemn and silent.

Meanwhile, in the Qianqing Palace,

There was absolute silence; you could hear a pin drop. It seemed as if a storm was brewing!

Xu Zhuo, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Lu Shengnan, the Principal of the Ministry of Works, and Xie Jishi, the Censor, knelt on the cold floor tiles, holding their official tablets.

Emperor Jingsheng sat behind his desk, his face grim. His gaze swept over Xu Zhuo and the others kneeling on the ground before he continued to look at a memorial in his hand, his expression cold and stern.

The memorial was urgently sent to the capital from Jiangnan by Gong Dingzi, and it mainly described the various obstacles encountered in implementing the new policies in Jiangnan.

This included officials and gentry secretly colluding and outwardly complying with but inwardly resisting the new policies, as well as the troops in the Jiangnan Grand Camp repeatedly disobeying orders.

Several subordinates sent out to survey the fields were beaten to death, and even a county magistrate who dared to take responsibility was buried alive.

The conclusion was that the officialdom in Jiangnan was rotten to the core, and drastic measures were necessary!

This also explains his recent actions in Jiangnan.

Emperor Jingsheng read the memorial again and again, his gaze growing increasingly somber.

Gong Dingzi was protected by the Imperial City Guard, and secret reports were sent to the capital every day, so Emperor Jingsheng was well aware of the situation he had encountered in Jiangnan.

In addition to the various things mentioned in Gong Dingzi's memorial, the secret report from the Imperial City Guard also mentioned that his group was under constant surveillance in Jiangnan and had been assassinated multiple times!

Even high-ranking officials and imperial envoys have been assassinated repeatedly, which shows how crazy those people in Jiangnan are in their fight against the new policies of the court!

In their eyes, there is no law, no self-proclaimed emperor!

These lawless and deceitful people, who were only punished by Minister Gong and had two families' property confiscated, actually managed to get so many officials and scholars in the capital to unite and petition for the emperor's abdication!

Not only did they demand the court dismiss the imperial envoy, but they also declared they would abolish the new policies!

Is this still the Han Dynasty? This is utterly outrageous!

Emperor Jingsheng's face turned ashen, his anger growing with each thought. After a moment of silence, he beckoned to Dai Quan beside him and asked in a low voice:

"Haven't Zijie and Zhang Qing arrived yet?"

Dai Quan quickly stepped forward and respectfully whispered in reply:

"Your Majesty! We have already sent people to urgently summon the Duke of Jing and several Grand Secretaries; they should be on their way!"

"Hmm! Let Zijie enter the palace with his sword and shoes. I have something for him to do!" Emperor Jingsheng lowered his voice, his tone cold.

Upon hearing this, Dai Quan's heart tightened. He bowed and agreed, then summoned the eunuch and gave him a few instructions.

At this moment, Emperor Jingsheng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked the kneeling people in the hall in a stern voice:

"I have said this many times! The new policies are good policies that benefit the country and the people, and are for the sake of the national economy and people's livelihood."

"Minister Gong's implementation of new policies in Jiangnan stems from his concern for the nation. For the sake of the court, he requests that you refrain from causing trouble!"

"Why are they now going even further, forming cliques and disrupting the government?"

Since Gong Dingzi went south of the Yangtze River, there has been a constant stream of impeachments against him, both from the imperial court and local authorities.

Emperor Jingsheng also summoned his ministers many times to speak frankly about the purpose of the new policies for the people, and asked them to be more understanding of the difficulties faced by the court.

But I never expected that this time they would dare to cause such a big commotion as a petition to force the emperor to abdicate.

Xu Zhuo, kneeling on the ground, replied upon hearing this:

"Your Majesty! Submitting memorials to the emperor is simply our duty as censors! It is not to cause trouble, much less to disrupt the government!"

Facing Emperor Jingsheng's extremely imposing gaze, Xu Zhuo felt a little uneasy.

However, he and his cousin Xu Qianxue had both received tributes from Jiangnan on numerous occasions, so he had no choice but to stand up and speak for them.

"So you admit to forming a faction?" Emperor Jingsheng asked coldly, flipping through the memorials on the table.

"If His Majesty says it's forming a faction, then it's forming a faction! But a gentleman has a faction, while a petty person doesn't!" Lu Shengnan replied loudly with a solemn expression.

Emperor Jingsheng suddenly laughed, a laugh that carried an indescribable meaning.

"What audacity! Were all those officials and scholars outside the palace who were forcing the emperor to abdicate also your doing, secretly forming your own faction?"

Emperor Jingsheng's voice was cold and hard, each word landing heavily on the golden bricks in the palace.

Xu Zhuo frowned and said:

"Your Majesty! No, the reason why the officials and scholars outside the palace came to petition is entirely because of the cruel official Gong Dingzi."

"When Gong Dingzi was in Jiangnan, he would confiscate property at the drop of a hat, without asking the reason or considering the severity of the crime. If there was even the slightest deficit, the property would be confiscated, leaving women displaced and the old and young weeping."

"The old saying, 'A clean prefect for three years can amass 100,000 taels of silver,' still had laws to follow; but now, with the corrupt official Gong, a single order to confiscate the treasury can cause two powerful families to collapse overnight."

"Such cruel policies, even if Zhang Tang and Lai Junchen were resurrected, could not surpass them!"

This explanation is somewhat evasive, completely ignoring the benefits of the new policies and the investigation of embezzlement, and only saying that Gong Dingzi's methods were cruel and caused unrest among the gentry!

Lu Shengnan's expression was solemn as he said:

"Jiangnan is a land of wealth and the foundation of the nation. Gong Dingzi was there, and his pursuit of wealth was excessive, his taxes were excessive, the people were emaciated, and there were many starving corpses in the fields."

"Recently, in the Suzhou and Songjiang areas, people have gathered to resist taxes and vandalize government offices. There are also White Lotus rebels lurking in the shadows. Although it has not yet turned into a major disturbance, signs of danger have already appeared."

"If we continue to tolerate his cruel policies, the wealth accumulated in Jiangnan over hundreds of years will be reduced to ashes!"

This means that Gong Dingzi's actions caused unrest in the region, which could easily incite popular uprisings!

The mention of the White Lotus Sect, in particular, carries a hidden threat.

Xie Jishi said:

"At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Taizu, he was greatly helped by the gentry in Jiangnan. He promised them light taxes and levies and allowed the people to rest. This is a law that will never be changed for all ages."

"Gong Dingzi, with the schemes of a few corrupt officials, hastily changed the established laws of his ancestors, levied exorbitant taxes and levied heavy levies, and pursued back debts accumulated over the years. He called it 'investigating deficits,' but in reality, it was a policy that would ruin a family."

"Once this precedent is set, other provinces will follow suit, causing widespread unrest, and the century-long benevolent rule of Emperor Taizu will be completely lost!"

"It appears to be for the purpose of implementing new policies and investigating deficits, but in reality it is to curry favor with His Majesty."

"Knowing that everyone should serve the same duties and pay the same taxes in accordance with ancestral rules, yet still insisting on doing so, thus incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people, is such a person not a treacherous minister or cruel official?"

This is directly resisting the new policy by upholding ancestral laws!

"Snapped!"

"Great! You've finally spoken your mind!"

Emperor Jingsheng slammed a porcelain jade cup with dragon patterns onto the ground, roaring in thunderous fury!