Wen Yanran was brushing her hair when she heard the report, responding only with a noncommittal “Mm,” without offering any further instructions.
The inner officials around her, whose duties revolved entirely around her, were relatively easy to read. Whether it was Chi Yi’s cautious silence the day before or the Director’s fearful apology this morning, both reactions were rather predictable.
When she first came across that book of supernatural tales, Wen Yanran had already anticipated the Director’s attempts to curry favor. She had even deliberately left some openings, hoping to provide a suitable opportunity for the treacherous elements lurking in Jianping to approach her, the “tyrant.”
She had thought her plan was quite reasonable, never expecting it to fail due to Tian Dongyang’s lack of professionalism. Reflecting on this, Wen Yanran couldn’t help but sigh. How could a scoundrel, who made a living by deceiving the powerful to gain wealth and influence, dare to show displeasure to a palace envoy? Clearly, he had an unrealistic judgment of both an unwise ruler’s tolerance and his own ability to withstand the consequences.
After a day of self-reflection, Wen Yanran had come to terms with the setback suffered by the treacherous factions and decided to look for the silver lining in the situation.
Based on her superficial knowledge of history, treacherous officials were always in abundant supply – never too few to be found. Faced with such a widespread group, it was necessary to apply stricter screening before making use of them.
Wen Yanran thought that the punishment of Tian Dongyang could serve as a benchmark for all potential troublemakers. It would serve as a warning to all scoundrels who harbored the idea that “the Emperor should listen to me” to hurry and transform into scoundrels who “will listen to whatever the Emperor says.” Otherwise, just as she had eliminated Tian Dongyang, she could just as easily eliminate other treacherous elements.
As for the Director of Imperial Household, since the matter had already been defined as a mistake, Wen Yanran was certain that if she were to dismiss it lightly, the Director would promptly adopt an expression of “I understand” and swiftly go off to serve the late emperor. Moreover, as the sovereign, Wen Yanran needed others to perceive her actions as following certain norms. Therefore, it was necessary to impose a punishment regarding the Director’s misconduct – one that everyone would consider sufficient to close the matter.
Hardly had the palace attendant finished tying up the sovereign’s hair when another inner official promptly arrived to report – news had just come from the former court that the Dong clan, which had recently suffered the indignity of having their doors broken down by the imperial guards, had unusually submitted a memorial to the Emperor that day. However, it was not to accuse the guards of brutality and impropriety, nor to lament their grievances. Instead, the aunt of Marquis Dong, acting in the capacity of an elder, solemnly petitioned the court to revoke the family’s noble title.
When Chi Yi heard this news, a thought instantly flashed through her mind – So that was it!
From Marquis Dong’s conduct in inviting Xuanyangzi into his home, it was evident that he was not particularly steady in character. Combined with his age, it was easy to surmise that the reason the Dong clan maintained such a normal reputation in Jianzhou was likely due to the restraint imposed by influential elders around him.
When court officials submitted memorials, the documents would be sealed and delivered directly to the inner palace, where the Emperor alone would open them. Yet now, before Wen Yanran had even received the memorial, the matter had already begun to spread widely in the outer court – clearly a result of the Dong clan’s own active dissemination.
This outcome was within Wen Yanran’s expectations.
If the previous day’s standoff with senior court officials had hinged somewhat on the rights and wrongs of the matter, the confrontation with the Dong clan would depend solely on the relative strength of the two sides.
Even if the court officials collectively criticized the Emperor, it did not mean they would later let the Dong clan – the ones who had stirred up the conflict – off the hook.
The prevailing custom of the time was to shape the Emperor’s image toward that of a sage ruler. If the Emperor fell short of sagely, a suitable scapegoat had to be found to bear the responsibility for misleading the sovereign.
The Dong clan, being an official scholarly family themselves, understood perfectly well that those ministers who accused the Emperor of lacking virtue were, in fact, the very pillars defending the young emperor within Jianping when dealing with others. If they did not act proactively, once the court settled on a punishment, there would be little room for maneuver. It was far better to plead guilty voluntarily. By doing so, the emperor might show some leniency in recognition of their humility. Even if leniency was not granted, at the very least, they must avoid incurring the Emperor’s displeasure.
As the attendant spoke, the Dong clan’s petition of repentance was promptly delivered to the Western Yong Palace. Wen Yanran opened it, skimmed through the contents, then set it aside with a light laugh. “Let it be shelved for now.”
Chi Yi carefully stored the memorial away – while the retention or revocation of a noble title was a matter of great significance to an official clan like the Dongs, to the Emperor, it was not even worth prolonged attention.
After all, compared to the other affairs requiring her attention today, the Dong clan’s plea for forgiveness was little more than a minor interlude.
At the start of the morning court session, Grand Tutor Yuan was the first to present a memorial. Departing from his usual gentle and benevolent demeanor, he used the incident involving Xuanyangzi as a pretext to sternly rebuke the officials in his memorial, criticizing the prevailing frivolous trends of the time. This effectively set a public tone that placed the blame for the earlier incident on the ministers. Finally, he requested to resign from his position and no longer serve as Grand Tutor.
Wen Yanran went through the customary ritual of urging him to stay, as dictated by court etiquette, before granting Yuan Yanshi’s request and demoting him to the position of Court Architect for Imperial Entertainment. In reality, given Yuan Yanshi’s seniority and in the absence of any major misconduct on his part, such a demotion was only temporary. When the new era name was declared at the turn of the year, he would undoubtedly be reinstated to a higher position.
In the previous incident involving Ji Yue, the main issue was internal strife within the Imperial Guard, and the Emperor was the aggrieved party. No matter how far the situation escalated, court officials found it difficult to comment. This time, however, Wen Yanran herself had relied on the military force of the Imperial Guard to act with unyielding arrogance in the outer court, yet she still managed to come out entirely on top. This led many to once again revise their assessment of the new sovereign.
To recognize talent and assign responsibilities accordingly, to detect calamity in its subtlest form, and to act with unwavering determination – though newly enthroned, the present Emperor had already demonstrated the compelling qualities of a true ruler.
As the ministers continued their endless stream of reports, Chi Yi, who had been attending inside the hall, stepped out. She glanced at the sky and sent a message to the Imperial Kitchen, instructing them to prepare extra meals for the day.
The northern wind blew cold, and winter snow fell softly.
The palace attendants had already replenished the charcoal braziers several times, yet there was no sign of the assembly in Heqing Hall concluding anytime soon.
While the charcoal could be replenished and the inner officials could take shifts, the Emperor could not simply leave her post or slack off. Seated on the throne, Wen Yanran adjusted her posture and finally understood why her predecessors had chosen to place screens in front of themselves. Creating an aura of inscrutable imperial majesty was likely secondary – the main advantage was being able to stretch and relax their muscles while shielded from view.
Below the throne, an Attendant was reporting, “Gaoyi Commandery in Xu Province and Xiangqing Commandery in Yu Province have both dispatched their Chief Clerics to request the court’s assistance in disaster relief. They are currently waiting in the ministry to be summoned.”
With the authority of the Regional Inspectors limited, the Commandery Administrators could be regarded as the highest local administrators. Now that the Chief Clerics had come as envoys of the Commandery Administrators, Jianping naturally dared not treat the matter lightly.
Wen Yanran’s gaze rested briefly on the Attendant before she smiled and said, “In that case, summon them to the hall.”
As soon as her words fell, Zhang Luo knelt directly and said, “When local officials ascend the hall, may Your Majesty permit the placement of a cloud-patterned screen.”
Wen Yanran gave a slight nod.
The ministers raised no objections – setting up a screen when summoning local officials carried a hint of precaution against potential assassins.
Shielded by the screen, Wen Yanran finally had the chance to stretch her shoulders while recalling the knowledge she had acquired during this period. On the surface, local authorities seeking central government assistance for disaster relief sounded entirely reasonable, but according to the customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, individual commanderies typically handled such issues independently.
Now, these Commandery Administrators were using the snow disaster as a pretext to request aid from the central government. To many court officials loyal to the central authority, this was clearly an attempt to take advantage of the Emperor’s youth and recent ascension to the throne.
The two Chief Clerics were both fair-skinned, slender young men, dressed neatly and impeccably. As soon as they entered the hall, they performed a grand ceremonial bow and remained kneeling. The Chief Clerk from Xiangqing Commandery stayed silent in his kneeling position, while the one from Gaoyi Commandery straightened his upper body, moved forward on his knees two steps, and began reporting the situation in his commandery with tears streaming down his face.
According to the Zhou system, each locality had granaries, from which supplies could be drawn for relief during famine years. However, according to this Chief Clerk, due to consecutive poor harvests in recent years, the reserves in the granaries had been completely depleted.
The Chief Clerk of Gaoyi Commandery sobbed, “…The commandery’s grain supplies are completely exhausted, and we simply cannot sustain any longer. Neighboring commanderies refuse to lend support, and our superiors are unwilling to take responsibility. The Commandery Administrator truly had no other choice but to send me to the capital.”
Hearing this, the court ministers understood the Chief Clerk’s intent. In addition to the local granaries in each region, Jianping housed the Imperial Granary, as well as the Provincial Granaries directly under the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities. Clearly, the commandery sought to draw funds and grain from the Provincial Granary, but the Inspector had rejected the Commandery Administrator’s forceful request for grain allocation, forcing them to turn to the capital for help.
As the young man spoke, he detailed the plight of the disaster victims: “…My lords, you must understand – Gaoyi Commandery is frozen in severe cold, with heavy snow collapsing homes. The people lack clothing and food, truly reaching the point where the starving crowd the roads and the dead lie piled upon one another!”
Wen Yanran leaned sideways against the soft cushion, slightly bowing her head as she gazed through the screen at the two Chief Clerks kneeling on the ground, remaining silent.
Without any reactions from the Emperor, an inner official approached the throne and handed up a memorandum detailing the career histories of the Commandery Administrators of Gaoyi and Xiangqing Commanderies.
Wen Yanran glanced at it and raised her eyebrows slightly – the backgrounds of the Commandery Administrators of these two regions were quite similar. Although elders in their clans had studied and held official positions, they were only minor local functionaries. Such family backgrounds placed them at the absolute bottom among officials of their rank. Under normal circumstances, becoming a county magistrate would have been considered an extraordinary stroke of luck for them.
Yet now, both had managed to become Commandery Administrators – clearly, they had received support from influential patrons.
The memorandum noted that these two Commandery Administrators had been recommended by the Chu and Cui families, respectively, which enabled their steady promotions. Their assigned regions were also strongholds of influential gentry and powerful local clans. Without the covert backing of the Chu and Cui families, they would likely have been transferred, dismissed, or even met their demise for various reasons shortly after assuming office – let alone achieving any political accomplishments.
Such professional connections essentially labeled them as members of the Marquis of Quanling’s faction.
As Wen Yanran read the memorandum, she listened to the Chief Clerk’s account – his eloquence was truly remarkable. Even though many court officials knew he belonged to the Marquis of Quanling’s faction and held preconceived notions, they couldn’t help but feel somewhat swayed by his words.
Disaster relief was closely tied to people’s livelihoods and thus fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Lu Yuanguang had been listening attentively. Ever since hearing that the Commandery Administrators of the two regions had come to the capital, she had vaguely understood why the Emperor had been particularly concerned about the local snow disasters.
Rumors suggested that the Marquis of Quanling was adept at leveraging circumstances. With the severe snow disasters this year, it was natural for her to seize the opportunity to make some moves.
