Chapter 607: Chapter 446: Unsettled Situation
In this world, there are those who carry heavy burdens forward, and naturally, there are those born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
Zhao Huai, that is, Emperor Taichang, was born with the biggest silver spoon.
Less than an hour after he was born, he had become the Emperor of Daqing.
According to historical records, the youngest emperor was the last emperor of the Great Yu a thousand years ago, who ascended the throne at the age of two.
Thus, Emperor Taichang broke a series of records, becoming the youngest emperor to take the throne by year, month, and hour. Regardless of whether he did well or poorly in the future, he was certain to be immortalized in the history books.
On this day.
...
April 16th, the new Emperor’s mourning period ended.
Emperor Taichang, still unaware that he would be immortalized in history, officially attended court for the first time.
It was still not fully light at the hour of Mao, and Emperor Taichang lay in the Empress Dowager’s arms, receiving the homage of the civil and military officials.
“Long live, long live, long may the Emperor live!”
Hundreds of officials, royal relatives, and eunuchs, according to their ranks, filled the inside and outside of the Diligent Administration Hall, their unified shouts deafening.
“Giggle giggle giggle…”
Emperor Taichang let out a cheerful laugh, seeming quite satisfied with the officials.
However, this was not the case; the child, not yet a full month old and yet to start speaking, did not understand satisfaction or dissatisfaction—his laugh was merely due to the Empress Dowager’s finger gently stroking his bottom.
During the mourning period, the Empress Dowager subtly trained Emperor Taichang.
He had to cry when his buttocks were pinched, and laugh when they were gently stroked; otherwise, she would keep pinching him forcefully.
Children with incomplete mental faculties are easier to train, and nothing but a short time, Emperor Taichang had formed a conditioned reflex, crying and laughing under the guidance of the Empress Dowager.
The officials, unaware of the rationale, called Emperor Taichang a prodigy, born with inherent wisdom!
The Empress Dowager declared, “My officials, you may rise.”
The officials stood up and waited silently, while a nearby eunuch with a reedy voice announced, “Those with matters may present them now, others may leave the court!”
“Your servant has a memorial…”
Jiang Yuanwailang from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward and said, “The Empress Dowager is informed, there is a severe drought in Liangzhou, and we must quickly allocate money and food to prevent the gathering of refugees from turning into a disaster.”
Knowledgeable officials frowned; Liangzhou was by the coast, what drought could there be at this time of year?
Zhou Yi, the chief of the eunuchs, raised an eyebrow and glanced at a pageboy from the Ministry of Revenue.
The Empress Dowager, having lived in seclusion in the palace, how could she understand the climate and seasonal conditions? Hearing about the drought in Liangzhou, she naturally thought it appropriate to allocate food for disaster relief and nodded in agreement.
“Quickly allocate the money and food, we cannot bear to see our people suffering,” she responded.
Jiang Yuanwailang glanced at Tang Mingyuan, and seeing the chancellor nod slightly, he bowed and said, “Your servant obeys the decree. The Empress Dowager’s compassion will surely be remembered gratefully by the people of Liangzhou.”
The Empress Dowager’s face lit up with pleasure, thinking that ruling the country was no more difficult than this.
Provide relief in times of disaster, collect taxes when due—with the support of the common people, one’s position is secure.
“I also have some personal savings, which must be sent to Liangzhou without delay,” she said.
Before she had finished speaking.
Li Shilang from the Ministry of Works stepped forward and said, “The Empress Dowager is informed, your servant accuses Jiang Daren of deceiving the Emperor in an attempt to embezzle disaster relief funds, a crime that deserves death!”
The Empress Dowager showed a puzzled expression; the funds had not yet been allocated, how could there be conviction for embezzlement?
Li Shilang explained, “During the fourth and fifth months, Liangzhou is in the rainy season and will definitely not experience a drought.”
The Empress Dowager’s brows furrowed sharply; to be made a fool of by an official during her first court session would ruin her regency’s authority in the future.
“Sun Daren, I ask you, is there really a drought in Liangzhou?”
“Your servant… does not know.”
Sun Yuanwailang fell to his knees on the ground, explaining, “Your servant received the information from Count Angong of the Ministry of Revenue, and so, following the established procedure, applied to the Imperial Court for disaster relief.”
There it came!
Zhou Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he watched Tang Mingyuan for a long time; the other’s expression was as calm as water.
The Nine Regular Attendants from the late emperor, the Eastern Depot and Western Depot, and the Bureau of Imperial Attendants had already been judged and executed, while those holding office in the Six Ministries were yet to be dismissed.
The Three Judicial Offices convicted without reason, declaring guilt as they saw fit, but the Six Ministries operated with due process.
The Empress Dowager turned to Look Gonggong and asked, “Count Angong, is there any truth to this?”
Look Gonggong’s face darkened, and he quickly thought up an excuse, saying, “The Empress Dowager is informed, I too received a secret report from the eunuchs and was deceived. Please punish me!”
To badly paraphrase, you can kill the servant but not the master; with power in hand, there can be innumerable more ‘servants’ in the future.
The Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward to counter, “The Ministry of Revenue’s pageboy only has the duty of supervision and no right to participate in the matter. Count Angong overstepped his authority, and by law, he should be stripped of his position.”
Then a Ministry of Rites official joined in, “Count Angong’s residence exceeds regulations…”
One after another, officials stepped forward, laying out a litany of charges against Look Gonggong. Each piece of evidence was solid, enough in sum for an immediate execution.
All the more so as eunuchs were already expelled from their family trees, and even the execution of the Nine Clans would not affect their family’s fate.
Look Gonggong, unable to argue back, paled with fear, looking pleadingly toward Zhou Yi.
Now, only the supervisor could save his life!
The Empress Dowager, seeing the situation of the officials surrounding and attacking, quickly figured out that the Six Ministries wanted to use Count Angong’s false report of the drought to drive him out of the Ministry of Revenue.
As the Imperial Court’s Six Ministries were led by Tang Mingyuan, the Empress Dowager directly asked,
“Chancellor Tang, what do you think?”
Tang Mingyuan stepped forward and replied, “Your Highness, we can hand Eunuch Lu over to the Ministry of Justice to be tried according to the laws of the National Dynasty.”
The implication was that Eunuch Lu deserved to die.
The Empress Dowager was about to nod in agreement, thinking that the death of a mere eunuch was not worth opposing the Six Ministries over.
“Then let it be according to…”
“Your Highness,”
Zhou Yi stepped forward and said, “Eunuch Lu was also deceived by others. He can be fined and made to reflect on his fault. His crime does not warrant sending him to the Ministry of Justice.”
The Empress Dowager hugged Emperor Taichang without getting angry at Zhou Yi for interrupting her speech, but rather, she grew curious.
During the mourning period after the previous emperor’s death, to truly exercise the regency powers, the Empress Dowager carefully combed through the Imperial Court’s forces, pondering whether they were friend or foe, and examining their relation to her in terms of closeness or distance.
Among them, the Eastern Depot and the Nine Regular Attendants were absolute adversaries; the latter had diverted power from the former, which is why after the late emperor’s demise, the supervisor had executed Eunuch Wu directly.
Why then was the supervisor speaking well of Eunuch Lu today?
Tang Mingyuan did not need to think to guess Zhou Yi’s sinister intentions and said in a deep voice, “Even the emperor, if he violates the law, shares the same punishment as the common people. Is a mere castrated dog somehow more precious than His Majesty or the nobles?”
Zhou Yi did not refute Tang Mingyuan; no matter how one debated the “evidence of guilt,” Eunuch Lu was undoubtedly doomed. Instead, he said to the Empress Dowager,
“After all, Eunuch Lu was the previous emperor’s adopted son, a brother of His Majesty. Your Highness must consider this carefully!”
What does it mean to be a brother?
It is like the bones in the body, an extension of one’s strength!
The Empress Dowager instantly understood what the supervisor meant and, after a moment of thought, she realized that the Six Ministries’ influence was within the reach of her own power. No wonder the late emperor had dared to face the world’s disapproval by granting official titles to eunuchs.
When it came to power, the crime was not important!
“The supervisor makes a good point; how should we deal with this, then?”
Zhou Yi bowed and said, “The Eastern Depot could investigate privately. This would neither indulge the criminal nor tarnish the royal family’s face.”
Tang Mingyuan was about to speak when the Empress Dowager gently patted Emperor Taichang’s back.
Giggles!
The Empress Dowager said, “His Majesty seems so delighted; he clearly does not wish for sibling strife. Then let the supervisor deal with this case.”
Zhou Yi bowed and said, “This slave obeys the order.”
Eunuch Lu, spared from death, kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude and was dragged away by several eunuchs who entered the hall.
Though it was known that Eunuch Lu would not be condemned, appearances still had to be maintained to prevent the common people from gossiping.
After further investigation made it clear that Eunuch Lu was innocent, he would merely have to drink a penalty of three cups!
With the major issue resolved, several other matters were discussed and handled exactly as the officials had suggested.
For instance, one new policy involved the Ministry of Revenue leading in the establishment of an Imperial Court Bank; it seemed to compete with the people for profit, but the Empress Dowager and the supervisor did not consider it a major issue and directly passed the proposal.
During the third session of the court.
The mood of the ministers from the Six Ministries was mostly gloomy, occasionally casting cold glances at the group of eunuchs, cursing the late emperor for deserving his death in their hearts.
By granting officials titles and promoting eunuchs, the late emperor enabled the eunuchs to gain the qualification to deliberate on state affairs in court.
Ministry of Rites Du Shangshu approached Tang Mingyuan and whispered, “Chancellor Tang, shall we continue to investigate the Six Regular Attendants? With the supervisor protecting them, it will be difficult to eliminate them.”
“A thorn lodged deep within the bone, no matter how pleasing the flesh appears, can never conceal the pain and illness,”
Tang Mingyuan said, “Continue the investigation into the Six Regular Attendants. I have ways to keep the supervisor busy, so he won’t have time to concern himself with matters of the Imperial Court.”
Elsewhere.
A swarm of eunuchs surrounded Zhou Yi, much like stars surrounding the moon.
The remaining five clerks, due to respect for the late emperor, did not dare to offer themselves as adopted sons. Hence, they lowered themselves before the supervisor, referring to themselves as “servants.”
“Hehehe…”
Zhou Yi laughed triumphantly, having completely triumphed in today’s court struggle.
By controlling the Six Regular Attendants, the power of the Eastern Depot effectively infiltrated the Six Ministries. Once Tang Mingyuan was defeated, the supervisor would have the final say in matters both inside and outside the court.
Balance?
Zhou Yi had already killed two emperors; his very survival was the greatest balance.
The most dejected group among the departing crowds were the relatives of the Zhao clan. Whether princes or lords, they all shrank back, trying to minimize their presence.
Fearing that the Eastern Depot or the Six Ministries might catch them on some pretext and send them for a tour through the dungeon or the sky-prison.
Supervisor Zhou and Chancellor Tang were fiercely clashing in the court, just shy of pointing fingers and cursing each other, yet none of the clan members dared to speak out, as doing so would instantly lead to them being jointly suppressed by both sides.
The struggle always exists and never ceases, and the parties involved in the struggle may change at any moment.
It does not distinguish between right or wrong, kinship or estrangement; it only regards interests!