Although he had long known it would come to this, when he truly heard the words, and when the corner of his eye caught the Emperor’s expression, Chen Shao’s heart still gave a quick jolt or two.
“Your Majesty, to repay a life-saving grace with concern is merely human feeling. But if one were to shun them in fear of trouble, or even add insult to injury, then that would be truly alarming of heart,” Chen Shao said.
Attendant Scholar Gao laughed.
“So at this moment Master Chen is also speaking on the grounds of human feeling?” he said.
“I am speaking for human feeling,” Chen Shao replied calmly.
Everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward him.
“Just now, Censor Zhong Hui mentioned the Caochuan River. As for why our forces suffered a crushing defeat there in those days – everyone knows, don’t they?” Chen Shao said.
Back then, when the Great Emperor was unifying the realm, he drove his army all the way into the territory of the Western Barbarians. He could have taken the enemy’s royal court in one decisive stroke, but because the rewards for wartime merit had been delayed for too long, morale scattered. Thus, right at the foot of the Western Barbarians’ city walls, the army collapsed in one stroke at the Caochuan River and returned in defeat.
“To instruct the people, one must stress loyalty, righteousness, filial piety, and brotherly duty. Yet when the people’s wisdom is still unawakened, most value wealth and profit. For generals, the court may bind them with titles and prospects of office. But for the common soldiers beneath them, such means cannot serve the same,” Chen Shao continued. “Persuade them with reason, entice them with reward, and nothing will fail. Today’s debate is whether Jiang Wenyuan acted properly, whether merit went unrecognized. This touches upon the soldiers’ immediate interests, and whether they might feel resentment toward the court. That is only human. And the sentiments of soldiers are also matters of state.”
“And so, if their demands are unmet, if they feel slighted, then they may incite the masses to coerce the court?” Attendant Scholar Gao sneered. “Does the court not act on behalf of the people? Even a farmwife who loses a pig knows to go beat the Drum of Remonstrance. Are you saying this so-called divine doctor – who can cure incurable illness, who runs her own restaurants and taverns, whose father is an acting prefect and whose uncle is a Guide General – does not know how to petition for justice?”
“So Master Gao also admits they have grievances?” Chen Shao asked coolly.
“Whether they have grievances or not, I do not know. What I do see is that Master Chen seems to be harboring grievances,” Attendant Scholar Gao sneered.
“Li Ziwen.”
The Emperor, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, cutting off the quarrel between the two men in the hall.
The Imperial Censorate Deputy stepped forward and answered, “Yes.”
“How goes the questioning?” the Emperor asked.
The Imperial Censorate Deputy answered and drew a document from his sleeve.
“You read it. I’ll listen. Let everyone else hear it too,” the Emperor said, without reaching to take it.
He wouldn’t even take it into his own hand…
That alone revealed the disgust in his heart.
A glimmer of amusement flickered in Attendant Scholar Gao’s eyes, while across from him Chen Shao’s expression was blank.
“Fan Jianglin said that when they followed the general Fang Zhonghe and attempted to bypass Linguan Fort, they unexpectedly ran into the main army of the Western Barbarians. They were outnumbered and outmatched, but in order to buy time for the troops in the rear to form up defenses, fewer than two thousand men held the city to face the enemy. They had agreed to hold out for one hour, yet halfway through Fang Zhonghe deserted and fled. His brothers and the other abandoned soldiers continued to defend the city. When the city was set aflame, the Western Barbarians broke through the gates…”
Li Ziwen’s somewhat stiff voice echoed through the hall.
It was the first time anyone had heard a detailed account of that battle, though more than two months had already passed.
War is cruel – everyone could picture it. But so what? For these officials standing here, was that what they were supposed to weigh? What mattered to them was only the outcome: victory or defeat. As for how victory was won, or how defeat came about – that was of no importance.
A faint smile played on Attendant Scholar Gao’s lips. Was the next part going to be a description of how brutal the battle was, of how heroically they fought?
“…Then he was struck by a heavy arrow from the Western Barbarians, fell from the city wall, and fainted. Later, he was rescued by the reinforcements who had come to relieve them and thus survived with his life,” the Imperial Censorate Deputy said, and then set down the memorial in his hand, signaling that he had finished.
The people in the hall were a little stunned.
“That’s it?” someone couldn’t help but ask.
Li Ziwen carefully picked up the memorial again, glanced through it to confirm, and said, “That’s it.”
He nodded.
That’s it…
“So he fainted halfway through and just happened to survive…”
“Then what does he want? He didn’t die, and still expects compensation?”
“Because the general fled, does that make him the culprit behind the deaths and injuries?”
A low buzz of discussion rose in the hall.
The censors on both sides stepped forward and shouted them down, and only then did the hall fall quiet again.
“And what about that Lady Cheng? What did she say?” the Emperor asked.
Such matters were far more entertaining to the First Prince than watching the ministers quarrel. He watched the Imperial Censorate Deputy with keen interest, and as a thought occurred to him, the corner of his eye strayed toward Duke Jin’an.
At other times always so spirited, Duke Jin’an now looked strangely wooden.
The Imperial Censorate Deputy glanced at the memorial.
“She said… she wants to claim the merit,” he replied.
She said she wants to claim the merit.
The great hall fell silent again.
She said she wanted to claim the merit – not that she was innocently arranging to bury her sworn brothers, not that she merely wanted to put on a display of wealth with a grand funeral, never expecting such consequences, not that it was unintentional or accidental… but that it was deliberate, purposeful.
She wanted to claim the merit!
The hall erupted in uproar once more.
“What merit is she claiming? Countless men have fought to the death without yielding -what makes her so special!”
“Just because she has money to create momentum, does that mean she can act recklessly like this?”
“She’s coercing public opinion!”
The two censors had to step forward once again to shout them down, bringing the hall back to silence.
On the dragon throne, the Emperor gave a faint smile.
“Her admission was rather straightforward,” he said.
At the Emperor’s words and expression, both Attendant Scholar Gao and Chen Shao’s eyes shifted subtly.
This was the Emperor’s way – he liked the sense that nothing escaped him, that no one could hope to deceive him. If this woman had gone on crying injustice and protesting innocence, the Emperor would only have grown more disgusted. But since she admitted it, though it cemented the charge of manipulating public sentiment for her own ends, it also eased the Emperor’s distaste – if only slightly.
But it was only a slight easing. With the label thus affixed, no matter the outcome of Lu Zheng’s impeachment, her guilt was now inescapable.
Chen Shao furrowed his brows. This little lady… risking everything just to win recognition for her fallen sworn brothers. Even if she obtained rank and honor from it, what would it matter? It was nothing more than venting her anger. Properly used, such renown could have brought her great benefit. Instead, with this uproar, her fame had turned into a burden and a harm.
In the end, it was the narrow, impulsive temper of a woman.
“Summon her here. I want to ask her myself – what merit she claims, and what grievance she bears,” the Emperor continued.
At these words, everyone in the hall was shocked.
“Your Majesty must not! How can such a base woman be indulged?”
“Indeed! If she had merely struck the Drum of Remonstrance, then it would be proper for Your Majesty to receive her. But to rely on words of superstition to stir up public opinion, to collude with officials, to slander and frame a frontier general – how can such indulgence be allowed!”
The officials all spoke at once, and the court once again descended into noisy chaos. This time, even after many attempts by the censors to shout them down, the hall could not be brought back to order.
“Precisely because she is as she is, I must hear her speak. By allowing her to speak, I am not only giving her an explanation, but also giving the people an explanation, and giving the accused official an explanation as well.”
Although the officials still wished to object, the Emperor’s mind was already made up. The eunuchs who received the order ran off at once to summon her, while the emperor took the chance to rest a little.
The Emperor withdrew to the rear hall to rest, leaving the officials waiting in the front court. Though the censors stood nearby with sharp, watchful eyes, they could not stop everyone from quietly murmuring to one another as they stood there.
Each person’s expression was different – some excited, some indifferent, some anxious – clearly all were speculating on the consequences that the Emperor’s decision would bring.
“Lu Zheng is finished,” Attendant Scholar Gao said, his expression carrying a trace of ease.
The others also nodded.
“His Majesty is imitating the Great Emperor,” one official remarked.
The court was abuzz with discussion, and outside the court there was unrest as well. What happened within the hall could not be kept secret – especially such a rare occurrence – and soon it spread among those eager for news.
“In those days, the frontier general Song Ming was a blazing figure of merit, but he was violent, greedy, and base by nature. In his jurisdiction he ran rampant, seizing people’s wealth, wives, and daughters. A mere commoner came to the capital to strike the Drum of Remonstrance, and the Great Emperor personally summoned that man to an audience.”
Thanks to his position, Qin Shi’san-lang was able to sit in the side chamber outside his father’s official hall, speaking quietly to Zhou Liu-lang.
Zhou Liu-lang’s expression was heavy. Though he held a teacup in his hand, he hadn’t brought it to his lips for half the day, showing the tension in his mood.
“She may use her renown to coerce public sentiment, but His Majesty can in turn use her coercion to win renown of his own. In any case, the mere fact that His Majesty agreed to receive Lady Cheng has already greatly pleased the people. As for whether rewards or honors are actually granted – that was never what the people cared about. They only care about the matter itself.”
“Then His Majesty will lightly rebuke Jiang Wenyuan for mishandling the army’s morale, order the Northwestern Army to hold another grand sacrifice for the fallen soldiers, and so the people will be soothed. Jiang Wenyuan will be even more grateful for His Majesty’s protection, and both high and low will praise His Majesty as a magnanimous, benevolent ruler. As for Lu Zheng – first he sent out horse couriers without authorization, then he exaggerated public opinion to frame a meritorious general and deceive the court. His Majesty is merciful and will not kill a civil official, but I fear Lu Zheng will not live to make it to Nan-zhou.”
“So in the end, Xu Maoxiu and the others will get nothing?” Zhou Liu-lang asked.
Qin Shi’san-lang glanced at him.
“I think they’ve already gained much,” he said. “The whole capital is abuzz with talk of Maoyuan Mountain, and even the Emperor has personally inquired about it. To have no reward and yet such renown – that is already a great honor.”
Zhou Liu-lang was silent for a moment, then set down the teacup in his hand.
“You’re not wrong, but I don’t think the outcome will be like that,” he said. “Do you really think she went to all this trouble just to fulfill someone else’s ends?”
Is she that kind of person?
“Doing such a thing is nothing but wasted effort,” Attendant Scholar Gao said with a low laugh. He looked across at Chen Shao, who showed neither displeasure nor joy, yet in his eyes there was a trace of ease.
“How can it be wasted effort? If His Majesty is emulating the Great Emperor, that means His Majesty believes Jiang Wenyuan has committed a fault,” Chen Shao replied with a faint smile.
Attendant Scholar Gao’s smile deepened.
“A tree that stands above the forest is sure to be broken by the wind. A man whose nature rises above others is sure to be maligned by the crowd. Jiang Wenyuan holds command in the northwest where affairs are complex. If he showed the least neglect toward the soldiers, it can only be said his considerations were incomplete – hardly some grave fault.”
For the Emperor, such a fault was in fact a benefit. Matters of soothing the army’s morale were far better handled by the emperor himself than by Jiang Wenyuan.
Chen Shao smiled as well.
“And what if his fault were not only this?” he said.
Not only this fault?
What other fault could there be?
Attendant Scholar Gao frowned and was about to speak, when the presiding censor gave a heavy cough.
“Lady Cheng has arrived,” he announced.
The officials in the hall all fell silent, their gazes turning toward the doorway. In the distance, before the vast emptiness of the palace halls, a young eunuch was leading a lady who walked forward in measured steps.
Because she was entering the Emperor’s presence, she had removed her veil and cast off her outer robe. Dressed only in a plain gown, the lady seemed to have grown thinner, and against the towering grandeur of the palace buildings all around, she appeared all the more small and fragile.
So this was that Lady Cheng? For everyone present except Chen Shao, it was the first time seeing her, and they couldn’t help but narrow their eyes to look more closely.
