A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 83

Dragon’s saliva incense was lit in the Chongzheng Hall.

The Censor in Chief, Zhao Xingli, dressed in crimson robes, knelt in the center of the hall with an ashen face. Next to him was Qiu Renshan, who had been constantly traveling for the nation’s grain taxes, returning to Yongdu at an unknown time.

Xie Yuan, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sat calmly on the dragon chair. Beneath his imperial crown, his expression was also unfavorable. His thin lips were paler than in previous days, a stubble of beard was on his jaw, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

Two groups of people were kneeling in the hall, crying and shouting to protest their innocence. Looking at the embroidered patterns on their official robes, they were the high-ranking officials and department heads from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. The two leading figures were surprisingly Su Chasan, the Minister of Revenue, and Tang Shiqiong, the Minister of Works.

Evidently, the people in the Chongzheng Hall had already gone through the wringer before Chen Liangyu entered the palace for an imperial audience.

Xun Xian had already arrived. Xie Yuan had granted him a long chair, and he was half-reclining on it, clutching his forehead, looking like he was ready to breathe his last at any moment. As Chen Liangyu entered the hall to pay respects to the Emperor, she inwardly grumbled, “The fake illness act is never-ending.”

In a fleeting moment, her peripheral vision found that graceful figure.

Xie Wenjun was seated on a wooden chair carved with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, positioned below the dragon throne.

Xie Yuan slightly raised his hand, signaling her to rise, “Stand up, no need to kneel.” Having this many people kneeling in the hall was already enough to make him feel gravely concerned.

After Chen Liangyu rose, her steps subconsciously moved toward the other side of the main hall.

Xie Yuan’s eyes instantly narrowed; a flicker of doubt wrapped in a hint of unease flashing in his gaze.

Chen Liangyu did not walk to Xie Wenjun’s side.

The place where she stood was still far from Xie Wenjun. She bowed to Xie Wenjun from a distance, “Greetings to the Grand Princess.” With just a glance up, she immediately shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Xie Wenjun rubbed the armrest, seemingly playing with it, but her demeanor was proper as she slightly nodded her head towards Chen Liangyu.

All of this was registered by Xie Yuan, and his sharp eyebrows drew even tighter.

In this imperceptible moment, it seemed that the unspoken agreement he had always firmly believed existed between himself and Chen Liangyu—the agreement between a ruler and his subject—was invisibly torn apart.

Was there truly something in Chen Liangyu’s heart that was greater than the two words, “ruler and subject”?

Xie Yuan had not visited the Nanyuan Palace to discuss state affairs for a long time. Since ascending the throne several years ago, firstly, he had Xie Wenjun assisting him in governing agriculture, secondly, he had Xun Xian to rally and suppress the civil officials for him, and thirdly, he had loyal military generals like Chen Liangyu, Heng Miao, and Feng Jiakun, to ward off external enemies and suppress internal rebellions.

After the Gu family was pardoned, Gu Heng violated his grandfather Gu Zhangxue’s family motto, “Do not enter officialdom,” and became a Hanlin Academician to assist in governance. Since then, officials of the Han Hong faction were also brought into his fold.

Loyal ministers and capable generals gathered under his banner.

His goal was to emulate past wise emperors, hoping that under his rule, the Great Lin Dynasty could carve out an era of clarity and prosperity.

But today, a heavy sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

Xie Yuan pressed his temples. Was it inevitable and unstoppable that the longer one stood at the summit, the deeper the suspicion would grow?

He actually harbored doubts about Jiang Ning and Chen Liangyu too.

Zheng Hechuan, who was attending nearby, thought the Emperor was unwell. With a flick of his whisk, he was about to say something when Xie Yuan raised his hand to stop him. With a slight backward motion of his finger, Zheng Hechuan fell silent, only taking away the tea cup from the imperial desk and quickly replacing it with a cup of hot tea.

The sounds of kowtowing and protesting innocence in the hall were still coming and going, one after the other, without cease.

Xie Yuan looked across the hall at Chen Liangyu, his gaze laden with many profound meanings.

Chen Liangyu immediately understood his intent.

The situation implicated two major government offices: the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works.

First was the construction project for the Yan Zhi Mountain resort under the Ministry of Works. Zhao Xingli, after extensive investigation and evidence gathering, found that Tang Shiqiong, the Minister of Works, had privately commandeered artisans and sold exemptions from forced labor when constructing the Yan Zhi Mountain resort. He forcibly conscripted many artisans and laborers for the resort’s construction. Furthermore, he used this opportunity to amass wealth by collecting the “ding money exemption,” meaning payment of a certain amount of silver could grant exemption from forced labor.

The sale of official titles and exemption from labor was a problem left over from the Xuanyuan era. At that time, to replenish the national treasury and military funds, the populace was allowed to “donate for an official post” or pay silver for exemption from labor. However, measures of expediency were never meant to be long-term solutions. Selling official posts and positions had been explicitly banned by Xie Yuan after he ascended the throne. Tang Shiqiong was not deliberately challenging the Emperor’s authority just for the sake of it, but because the Emperor was urgently pressing for the construction of the Yan Zhi Mountain resort, which forced him to commit public theft and act against the imperial prohibition.

Tang Shiqiong’s cries were the loudest; he genuinely felt in his heart that he had suffered a colossal injustice. How could performing his duties for the Emperor with the utmost dedication lead to an accusation punishable by beheading?

Secondly, Qiu Renshan’s investigation into grain taxes led to the discovery that Su Chasan, the Minister of Revenue, had embezzled tax grain. When collecting local grain taxes, he openly altered the tax rolls and extorted “fire-loss fees” huohao, a tax collected to compensate for losses during smelting/transport. Many commoners were solicited for grain tax a second time.

Su Chasan and Tang Shiqiong were brought to the Chongzheng Hall for questioning together because the extra tax silver collected by the Ministry of Revenue was used to fill the deficit for the Ministry of Works’ resort construction.

Su and Tang were truly speechless with bitter complaints they couldn’t voice. They knew clearly that the matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works absolutely could not be attributed to the Emperor. If they claimed that selling labor exemptions and extorting people’s wealth were for the purpose of building the imperial resort, it would imply that the Emperor was unbenevolent and exploited his subjects.

But the two of them were genuinely dedicated to carrying out the Emperor’s tasks, albeit having been forced into action. They could only continuously cry out that they were wronged.

Xie Yuan was naturally furious. But besides his imperial wrath, he also understood the difficulties the two faced and did not genuinely want to sentence anyone to death. Since the evidence was conclusive, he, as the ruler, could not easily protect them. After careful consideration, Xie Yuan commanded the Scholar-Aids in the Central Secretariat to quickly draft an edict declaring their guilt, ordering Tang Shiqiong and Su Chasan to be penalized by salary reduction and suspension from court, and to reflect upon themselves. He commanded that the privately conscripted artisans and laborers be released, allowing the common people to return home and resume their occupations, and that the excessively collected tax grain by the Ministry of Revenue be returned to the people.

Qiu Renshan, having experienced many years of official life, was unsurprised by such an imperial decision. He glanced at Xie Wenjun, and seeing her slowly shake her head, he refrained from speaking further.

Zhao Xingli, however, was stubbornly unyielding. He did not hesitate to defy the Emperor, citing the Great Lin laws and listing his arguments one after another, firmly requesting the Emperor to dismiss and punish the two officials.

Xie Yuan’s face was as dark as an ink cloud.

That crimson-robed figure was persistently tactless.

Su Chasan aside, Tang Shiqiong was an old minister whom Xie Yuan had found useful since his time in the Linxia fiefdom; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a close minister to the Emperor. Zhao Xingli’s calls for punishment, wasn’t that disrespecting the ruler?

Considering that Zhao Xingli’s defiant remonstrance was indeed the proper duty of a Censor, Xie Yuan did not punish him. However, he was annoyed by his lack of vision and insight, so he simply ignored him and looked towards Chen Liangyu.

Chen Liangyu immediately reported, saying, “Your subject requests permission to speak. The King of Nanzhou is scheduled to depart and return to Nanzhou after the Myriad Felicity Festival.”

“What countermeasures do the officials have?”

Chen Liangyu said, “Liang Qiuting is accompanied by a commoner strategist named Liu Mo. This person has been constantly by the King’s side since your subject went to Nanzhou to quell the rebellion, always following him. However, two days ago, he abandoned Liang Qiuting alone and left, accompanied by a disguised Eastern Yi envoy.” She bowed, “That our vassal state Nanzhou is colluding with Eastern Yi, intending to invade Great Lin, is a matter of great concern. To protect the well-being of the people, I request His Majesty to immediately issue an edict, summoning the King of Nanzhou to the palace, and apprehending Liu Mo and the Eastern Yi envoy, Meng Yuanliang.”

A feature of militarily weak and low-status vassal states is that when faced with danger and unable to resist, they can only seek assistance from a larger power by allowing the foreign military to be stationed in their own territory. While this move can temporarily resolve the predicament, it often marks the beginning of a nation losing its sovereignty.

In the past, Nanzhou relied on Great Lin. Now that the Emperor intends to reclaim the territory, the King of Nanzhou had no choice but to seek outside assistance again. Eastern Yi had also long coveted the fertile lands of Nanzhou, leading to their mutual agreement.

Chen Liangyu continued, “I also request His Majesty to immediately send a swift imperial decree to Marquis Heng, instructing him to keep a close watch and absolutely prevent Liu Mo and Meng Yuanliang from returning to Nanzhou territory.”

The Marquis Heng Chen Liangyu referred to was Heng Miao, the Marquis of Zhongxin.

When Prince Qi usurped the throne, Heng Zhao, the legitimate son of the Heng family, was in Yongdu. After the Heng family mobilized troops, Prince Qi dragged Heng Zhao to the front lines and slit his throat as a sacrifice, and Heng Jinan was also imprisoned. The person in power in the Southern regions now is the eldest illegitimate son of the Heng family, Heng Miao, who has been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Zhongxin.

“If Meng Yuanliang can be captured before Liu Mo and Meng Yuanliang return to Nanzhou, then Nanzhou can be first encircled with heavy troops, securing both the sea and land borders. Since Crown Prince Chu Zhang is still in our dynasty, Eastern Yi will be hesitant and dare not openly become enemies with us. Once Meng Yuanliang is apprehended, Eastern Yi will no longer be able to deny their involvement, and Nanzhou will find it difficult to seek aid from Eastern Yi.”

Xie Yuan said, “What about Liu Mo? This person is not simple.”

Chen Liangyu replied, “A mere scholar, not worth worrying about.”

“Hmph,” Xie Yuan, having been angered, exhaled a gust of air through his nostrils. He glanced at Zhao Xingli, who was still kneeling below the dragon chair, his body as rigid as cast iron, “A mere scholar? Scholars possess great capabilities!”

Zhao Xingli’s body stiffened.

Chen Liangyu steered the conversation toward the matter of reclaiming Nanzhou. If Zhao Xingli were a sensible person, he should have known that the Emperor had already dealt with the issues of privately conscripting artisans and altering tax rolls, and should not continue to cling to the punishment of Su Chasan and Tang Shiqiong. To persist would only incur the Emperor’s displeasure. Yet, this person was stubbornly resistant, biting down on his moral convictions even when facing the Emperor, who held the power of life and death over him.

Zhao Xingli held his ceremonial tablet (hu) and said, “Your Majesty is the father of the people. How can you disregard the livelihoods of the myriad people for the sake of building a palace? How can you show favoritism and protect the guilty?”

“How dare you be so presumptuous!”

Xie Yuan squeezed his thumb against the joint of his index finger, his fingernail turning white.

“Do you dare to seek death, thinking I would not punish you?” He was now intent on killing him.

“Your subject seeks death willingly.”

Zhao Xingli removed his official hat, holding it with both hands and placing it on the floor, “Your humble subject accepts the death penalty, but requests only a clear wind and bright moon, a vast and upright universe! And requests only a wise ruler who treats the people as his children!”

Xie Yuan scoffed, “I shall grant your wish. Guards!”

Immediately, the Imperial Guard Commander, Jiang Andong, led his troops into the hall. Two Imperial Guards stepped forward from behind him, seizing Zhao Xingli one on the left and one on the right.

“Imperial Brother.”

“Your Majesty!”

Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun spoke out simultaneously, intending to plead for clemency, but more so to advise. The two shared a tacit understanding, almost instantaneously agreeing on one thing: Zhao Xingli could not be killed.

The Censor is responsible for supervising all officials and admonishing the ruler. The two major cases—Minister of Works Tang Shiqiong privately conscripting artisans and Minister of Revenue Su Chasan embezzling tax grain—both had witnesses and material evidence, and were not merely Zhao Xingli maliciously slandering them. Killing him alone might be inconsequential, but what would happen to the one hundred and thirty Censors of the Censorate after Zhao Xingli’s execution?

“Iron Face Zhao” had offended so many colleagues in the court, not lacking in high-ranking officials who outranked him. How many people wanted his life? The fact that he was still alive was partly because the Vice-Censor-in-Chief valued his talent and often protected him, but also because there were still many loyal officials in the court who were “like a faint boat chasing the moon’s reflection in the dark night.” Killing him would be tantamount to proclaiming to the world that all those loyal officials and the Censorate’s ministers should abandon their principles and become flattering and deceitful sycophants.

Xie Yuan was blinded by anger. After his mind cooled down, he realized he had narrowly avoided committing the grave mistake of executing a remonstrating minister. He had aimed to become a ruler who ushered in a resurgence, but he almost became an incompetent ruler criticized by literati for generations.

The imperial command was already on his lips.

Zhao Xingli had defied the imperial presence and had to be punished.

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment. After consideration, he swallowed the angry command to “escort him to the Meridian Gate for beheading” that he had not yet announced. He said, “Censor in Chief Zhao Xingli, be escorted to the Imperial Prison.” After the man was led away, Xie Yuan said, “Proclaim the King of Nanzhou to have an audience.”