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

One month later.

August 1st, the tenth year of Jingsheng.

Shenjing City.

At this time, compared to a month ago, the capital city was in a state of terror and bloodshed, with people's hearts in turmoil and rumors spreading everywhere.

In just about a month, more than two hundred civil and military officials in the capital city were arrested and imprisoned by Zhang Tingyu on suspicion of "forming cliques to force the emperor to abdicate and disrupt the government".

Those whose homes were confiscated were executed, those who were dismissed from their posts were dismissed, and those who were exiled were exiled.

In an instant, the entire capital city was filled with fear and unease, with everyone on edge!

Countless people submitted memorials impeaching Zhang Tingyu, attacking him for "using the name of faction to eliminate dissidents," "initiating large-scale purges and causing excessive killings," "violating ancestral rules and abusing the power of the cabinet," "colluding with the Duke of Jing to undermine imperial authority," and "being cruel and disruptive, offending the emperor," among other things.

In short, Zhang Tingyu was impeached from every angle, including the imperial system, moral conduct, and celestial phenomena!

Zhang Tingyu, who was once a kind and virtuous man in the court, suddenly became a notorious traitor whom everyone in the court hated!

There were even censors who produced memorials impeaching Zhang Tingyu for ten major crimes and twenty-four major crimes, practically turning Zhang Tingyu into a "traitor for all time"!

Even some of Zhang Tingyu's fellow townsmen, classmates, and relatives went to his residence several times to persuade him to stop his cruel actions for the sake of his family and his posthumous reputation!

But Zhang Tingyu seemed determined, refusing to give face to anyone, and only stopped after arresting people for a full month.

Before the officials of Shenjing could breathe a sigh of relief, another earth-shattering piece of news came from the court, shocking everyone in Shenjing!

The Imperial Examination has begun! And it's a completely new method, unlike anything seen before!

The assessment, which was originally conducted once every six years, has been changed to a continuous assessment. Furthermore, the assessment has replaced education and indoctrination, forcing officials to take the lead and holding people accountable for their performance!

When the news of the trial implementation of this proposal appeared in the imperial gazette, the entire capital city fell silent!

The officials were just like the cattle and horses in later generations who were suddenly given countless performance evaluations and KPIs. They were in an uproar and in an uproar!

This system of monthly registration and quarterly verification, with every detail recorded in the examination register, leaves no room for officials to survive!

If this is implemented, wouldn't the happy days of listening to folk songs, talking about the past, playing music, and dancing every day be gone forever?

Zhang Tingyu is truly a rare and treacherous minister throughout history!

The strongest reaction came from the civil officials in the Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, and other places who usually had a leisurely life.

They were all high-ranking officials, and now the examination results have fallen on their shoulders. Is there any justice in this world?

Therefore, in the past few days, they have been the most vocal critics of Zhang Tingyu, the Second Grand Secretary!

Countless memorials flew into the palace like snowflakes, vowing to rid the court of this treacherous minister!

No matter how they impeached him, the memorials they submitted were like stones sinking into the sea, not even making a ripple!

Seeing that impeachment was completely useless, undercurrents began to surge in the capital, and countless officials in the city gathered privately to discuss countermeasures.

After several discussions, the officials dared not go to the Meridian Gate to force the emperor to abdicate again and repeat the same mistake. In the end, they decided to meet up and block the gate of Zhang Tingyu's residence!

Even if you can't verbally kill him, you can still give him a good humiliation!

The August sun blazed down relentlessly, making the bluestone slabs in front of Zhang Tingyu's mansion scorching hot.

Starting from the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), people began to gather in this direction.

At first, there were only a few people, but by noon, the alley in front of the gate was full of people.

Those dressed in scarlet robes, blue robes, and green robes stood huddled together according to their rank, like a pot of porridge being slowly simmered over a low flame, bubbling and steaming, but never quite boiling.

They chatted in small groups, discussing either the aftermath of the previous factionalism case or the upcoming imperial examination.

"Have you heard? Another one... They got another one this morning."

"Who?"

"Liu, the head of the Ministry of Works' Land Reclamation Department. What happened last night, they say, is related to the factional case involving Xu Zhuo, Lu Shengnan, and others."

"Wasn't the cronyism case supposed to be closed?"

"Whether it's resolved or not is up to them. Look at the current situation, sigh! Treacherous officials are in power, and petty people hold sway..."

A few more figures swayed at the alley entrance. Someone lifted their foot to go in, but was pulled back by their companion's sleeve.

Everyone was waiting for Zhang Tingyu to come out so they could ask him what he was thinking.

Why have you repeatedly accepted imperial orders to handle such heinous cases and corrupt policies? Have you lost your mind? Or do you want to cut yourself off from the court, from the scholars, and from the world?

Kong Ying, a senior official in the Ministry of War, stood at the front of the crowd. He wore a slightly worn scarlet robe with a finely embroidered pheasant on the rank badge, which made his square face appear particularly cold and hard.

He was born into the Confucian family, and whenever the court implemented policies that harmed the people or issued chaotic orders, he would always be at the forefront speaking out for scholars throughout the land!

For example, last time they went to the Meridian Gate to force the emperor to abdicate in order to abolish the new policies and overthrow Gong Dingzi, and this time they led the way to question Zhang Tingyu!

At this moment, he was having a loud discussion with several censors and officials around him.

"Tomorrow is the beginning of autumn. In previous years, people would have been sending gifts at this time, but who has the mind to do so this year? First, there was the major case of factionalism, which slaughtered countless loyal officials. Now, with the performance evaluation system being used to assess officials in the capital, Zhang Tingyu, as the second-highest-ranking official in the cabinet, is wielding the power of various ministries. He initiates major cases without consulting the Ministry of Justice, and promotes or demotes officials without consulting the Ministry of Personnel. The performance evaluation system is solely controlled by the cabinet, rendering the Six Ministries ineffective. What exactly is he trying to do?"

"What for? He wants to become the Grand Secretary! Grand Secretary Chen is getting old, so he has to curry favor with the Emperor to climb the ranks!"

"Climbing the ranks requires the deaths of so many people? That Tongchengzi is far too ruthless. Does he intend to use the blood of all of us officials to stain his official hat? Doesn't he realize that if the hat turns red, is it still a minister's hat?"

"He's in cahoots with that brute from the Jia family! That brute killed people in the Twelve Battalions, and he killed people in the capital. That brute proposed a major purge and a capital inspection, and he dared to accept it without hesitation. One is a scholar, the other a warrior; they colluded to commit evil, persecuting loyal officials. Whose world is this Han Dynasty after all?!"

"This is utterly outrageous! We've studied diligently for decades, finally managing to enter the imperial court and change our social standing—all for what? Now that the performance evaluation system is in place, the cabinet is just accountants, and the six ministries are just supervisors. Aren't we just like those peasants, reduced to farm laborers? What's the point of studying these classic texts? What about the ancestral system of leniency and support for scholars?"

"Yes! We are all noble officials, isn't this humiliating us? His intentions are sinister and he deserves to be punished! First came the new policies, then the major case, and now this capital inspection—he's trying to undermine the foundation of our great Han Dynasty!"

"No wonder this year, drought has ravaged the land, locusts have swarmed, and the summer harvest has failed. Historical records show that whenever the court abuses its power, commits numerous wrongful imprisonments, or frequently implements wicked policies, Heaven issues warnings, using natural disasters as a cautionary tale. Now, Tongchengzi has instigated numerous wrongful imprisonments, arresting and killing over two hundred people. Resentment is pent up, offending Heaven. If he is allowed to continue, I fear there will be a catastrophe that could overthrow the nation!"

"Then don't let him push it through. Everyone in our court has their own dignity, their own Ministry of Revenue affairs, Ministry of War documents, and Ministry of Works files. They can't be judged by Zhang Tingyu's regulations alone. If he really wants to use the Capital Examination system to attack us, we don't need to kneel at the Meridian Gate. Just slow down the work in our offices and make the documents a bit messy, and he'll know that this performance evaluation system can't be implemented."

"The problem is he can withstand it. During that previous imprisonment, so many people pleaded and tried to dissuade him. I heard even his brother Zhang Tinglu broke off relations with him over it, and someone even threw excrement at his gate at night. Everyone thought he wouldn't make it, but he still survived! Tongchengzi is vicious and cunning, a veritable Huo Guang or Wang Mang reincarnated! If he doesn't stop, he'll surely face retribution sooner or later!"

"That's right! Master Kong, you are a model for our literati, a descendant of the Sage Confucius. The future rests on your shoulders!"

"Yes, don't embarrass yourself! We'll teach Tongchengzi a lesson later and make him look bad!"

"Sigh! Stop talking, stop talking, he's out..."