With the first shot fired, those in the anti-Su faction who had been prepared in advance moved at once, stepping forward one after another, those impeaching impeached, those reporting reported.
Before Su Yan could respond, Zhu Helin could no longer endure it. He slammed the desk and rose. “What are all of you trying to do! Even if Qi Jingtang was defeated and defected, it is he and his clan who should be punished, what does it have to do with Su Qinghe? Are all of you so sharp-eyed that you’ve never misjudged a person?”
The emperor’s outburst frightened some officials into retreat, and the wave of impeachment immediately weakened.
Xie Shiyan had anticipated that the emperor would favor Su Yan, and only now stepped forward. With a conciliatory smile, as though mediating and smoothing things over, he said, “Your Majesty is wise. Qi Jingtang indeed deserves no forgiveness, but the fault of ‘misusing personnel’ cannot be entirely blamed on Su Gelao.”
“Gentlemen,” he turned to the officials, “who among us does not have relatives or acquaintances? Receiving favors and benefits, and helping to promote someone along the way, is only human. For example, I recently arranged for a fellow townsman to serve as a guard in my household. It’s just that Su Gelao, being in a high position and somewhat impetuous in youth, happened to promote someone a bit too far, which led to this trouble, but I believe this was by no means his intention.”
On the surface, Grand Secretary Xie seemed to be smoothing things over, but in reality every word added fuel to the fire. Immediately, an indignant official jumped out and said: “Arranging a household guard and appointing a court official, are those the same thing? What, does he take the Great Ming court for his own backyard?”
“When Su Gelao recommended Qi Jingtang as Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs, this official opposed it from the beginning, believing the appointment far too hasty, but what use was that? When Su Gelao opens his mouth, it outweighs the entire court.”
“Sigh, for Lord Su to wield power and dominate court affairs at such a young age is truly not the fortune of the state!”
“He’s only just entered the Grand Secretariat, yet already accepting bribes and appointing people based on favoritism, who knows, next he may be selling offices and titles! Your Majesty must not continue to indulge Minister Su and allow him to run rampant in the cabinet!”
Zhu Helin looked at the officials kneeling in unison, forcing a flush of anger through his ashen complexion. In that moment, he finally understood how his imperial father must have felt sitting on the dragon throne every day.
If the emperor’s will was a sword, then sometimes its brilliance was unstoppable, but at other times, the moment it was drawn, it met layers upon layers of obstruction. One could cut through paper, leather, wood, even iron, but when obstacle after obstacle stood ahead, even the sharpest blade would eventually reach the end of its strength, unable to pierce even thin silk.
Back then, in order to clear the path for his return to court, that sword had broken through countless hardships, almost washing half the court in blood, so much so that in the mouths of these civil officials, his later years were tarnished, and he nearly bore the infamy of a tyrant.
Now, he, Zhu Helin, would also become a true tyrant to protect the person most important to him, those officials impeaching Qinghe would be dismissed where they should be dismissed, beheaded where they should be beheaded!
Zhu Helin turned to look at Su Yan, who had remained silent all this time.
Su Yan met the emperor’s intense and resolute gaze, yet shook his head solemnly, relying on imperial might to intimidate the officials, Helin, that is not what I want.
But I want to shield you from wind and rain, just like… Royal Father did. Zhu Helin’s gaze was stubborn.
You are not your Royal father, you are yourself. Su Yan gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. Remember? We agreed to stand side by side at the summit and look upon a flourishing world. Helin, you are a wise ruler, not a tyrant.
The clamor of the court seemed to fade away, leaving only the trace of a smile at Su Yan’s lips. The violent, ruthless impulse in Zhu Helin’s heart gradually subsided, and he returned a look that said, “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Su Yan let out a slight breath of relief.
On the other side, Su Yan’s allies, subordinates, and “running dogs” could no longer hold back and stepped forward.
The first to launch a counterattack was Censor Chu Qiu of the Censorate. While refuting the impeaching officials, his gaze was fixed on Xie Shiyan: “I would like to ask, gentlemen, where does this claim of ‘accepting bribes’ come from? Is there any solid evidence, or is it mere slander? As far as I know, after Qi Jingtang came to the capital, he visited only one Grand Secretary, that would be Grand Secretary Xie, and even presented elixirs from Penglai alchemists, which Grand Secretary Xie gladly accepted in full. Does that count as bribery?”
Xie Shiyan was struck at a sore spot. Suppressing his anger, he said, “What elixirs? They were clearly poison that left me bedridden for half a month! I haven’t even charged him with harming an official. You are the one making baseless accusations!”
Chu Qiu smiled. “Then this becomes interesting. I have three questions, perhaps you gentlemen can enlighten me.”
“First, Qi Jingtang finally managed to get an introduction through Grand Secretary Xie’s disciple and eagerly came to pay his respects. If he were bribing anyone, it should have been Grand Secretary Xie, so how did it get tied to Su Gelao, who has no personal connection to him?”
“Second, he arrived in the capital empty-handed, bringing only a few bottles of treasured elixirs. His family background is ordinary, where would he have gotten the money to bribe Su Gelao?”
“Third, when Su Gelao recommended Qi Jingtang, the Embroidered Uniform Guard submitted a detailed report on his past battle achievements to the cabinet, which both His Majesty and you gentlemen reviewed. With such thorough prior investigation, how can this be called a hasty appointment?”
“Grand Secretary Xie, just because you took the wrong medicine, don’t direct all your anger at Su Gelao.”
That veiled jab about “taking the wrong medicine” made quite a few officials who had heard of the effects of the Spring-Returning Pill cover their mouths and snicker.
Xie Shiyan, flushed red from Chu Qiu’s retort, snapped angrily, “Such an ignorant, low-character person who deceives the ruler and harms the nation, could it be that I was the one who recommended him?”
Jiang Chunian also couldn’t hold back and stepped in. “The… the court has suffered such a defeat. Su Gelao can… cannot evade responsibility. Without holding him accountable, it… it won’t convince the people… Grand Chancellor Yang, you… say something.”
Grand Chancellor Yang Ting opened his mouth, hesitated, and in the end let out a long sigh.
Qi Jingtang’s defeat meant that Su Yan, who had insisted on promoting him against all opposition, indeed had to bear responsibility, on this point, he could no longer speak in Su Yan’s defense.
The “twelve running dogs” began shouting in dissatisfaction, quickly devolving into a chaotic shouting match with the anti-Su faction.
Seeing the court once again racing toward its usual pattern of bickering and infighting, Zhu Helin nearly hurled the bronze incense burner at hand, wanting to roar at these overbearing civil officials: Your voices are louder than mine, why don’t you be the emperor, and I’ll go back to the harem to read my storybooks?!
Su Yan coughed heavily once.
The officials, who had been hurling accusations and spitting arguments, paused in surprise.
Su Yan coughed heavily again.
This time, not only both factions of officials, but even the three Grand Secretaries and the emperor on the throne fell silent, all turning their gaze toward him.
As the central figure of this entire storm, Su Yan had not spoken a single word from beginning to end, yet his presence overshadowed all the officials; no one could ignore him.
Under the gaze of all, Su Gelao finally spoke: “Alive, I want to see the man. Dead, I want to see the corpse.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Who is he talking about?”
The murmurs of the officials were completely suppressed by Su Yan’s next sentence.
Su Yan said solemnly, “If Qi Jingtang has been defeated and died in battle, or surrendered and defected to the enemy, then it is my fault for misjudging him. I will take responsibility and resign from the Grand Secretariat.”
The court fell into complete silence. Zhu Helin suddenly rose to his feet, his sleeve knocking over a stack of memorials. “I do not permit it!”
Su Yan smiled faintly and continued, “On the contrary, if this battle is not a defeat but a victory, then those of you who have made baseless attacks against a Grand Secretary and disrupted the court must likewise resign in apology. How about that?”
No one spoke.
Xie Shiyan clenched his teeth. “Three military reports, the outcome is obvious. Su Gelao still refuses to give up…”
Su Yan ignored him and continued, “As for Grand Secretary Xie and Grand Secretary Jiang, I suppose even if beaten to death you wouldn’t resign yourselves. In that case, you shall publicly apologize to me, and personally support my sedan chair to welcome me back to Wenyuan Pavilion. How about that?”
Jiang Chunian said angrily, “At… at a time like this, you’re still… still taking verbal advantage!”
“Whether it’s just words, we’ll know soon enough.” Su Yan turned and cupped his hands toward Zhu Helin. “I ask Your Majesty to bear witness.”
Zhu Helin met his gaze.
Helin, do you trust me? Su Yan asked with his eyes.
The anger on Zhu Helin’s face gradually faded. Taking a deep breath, he said loudly, “Alright!”
Fubao, standing at his side, flicked his whisk. “The Son of Heaven’s words are final and cannot be changed. Let all officials accept the decree.”
The entire court knelt and bowed. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only respond, “This subject obeys the decree!”
Su Yan stood, brushed the hem of his robe, turned away from the officials, and walked step by step toward the Golden Water Bridge at the front of the square.
Zhu Helin, seated on the throne, felt his heart tighten. “Where are you going?”
As he walked, Su Yan answered in a drawn-out tone, “To bear guilt, suspension from office.”
Before the outcome of the battle was settled, it was inconvenient for him to continue attending court or entering the yamen. The most suitable course was to suspend himself and remain at home, awaiting the final result to determine whether he would stay or leave.
Zhu Helin frowned deeply and shouted, “Court dismissed!” The imperial procession hurriedly departed Fengtian Gate.
Censor Chu Qiu quickly caught up and called out, “Qinghe! Qinghe!”
Su Yan paused and turned. Seeing the anxiety and concern on Chu Qiu’s refined face, he smiled. “What is it, Lingchuan?”
Chu Qiu said, “We are all doing our best to clear your name, why did you swear such an oath in public? Now there’s no room left to turn things around, alas…”
“What, does Lingchuan also think Qi Jingtang’s defeat is certain?”
“I simply believe Grand Secretary Yu’s military reports would not be false.”
“Yes…” Su Yan sighed. “After all, that is Yu Chezhi!” In the historical records, he was praised as “upright and loyal,” a civil official and strategist whose reputation rivaled Qi Jingtang’s.
“And yet you still made such an oath…” Chu Qiu fell silent for a moment, then sighed. “Very well, it is I who cannot see past it.”
Su Yan smiled and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m just suspending myself for a few days, resting at home. Later, I’ll still be riding back to the Grand Secretariat in a sedan chair carried by those two Grand Secretaries.”
Chu Qiu took it as him joking to mask his mood and comforted him, “As long as His Majesty continues to trust you, even if you leave court now, there will surely be a day when you are reinstated.”
Su Yan knew that no one believed there was still a turning point in Qi Jingtang’s matter, not even he himself had complete confidence. He was merely betting heavily on a certain conjecture.
After they parted, Su Yan remembered Cui Jinping, who had received twenty strokes of the rod. He hurried across the bridge and out of the Meridian Gate, only to find that the punishment had long been carried out and Cui Jinping had been taken away somewhere. Only a few Embroidered Uniform Guard officers remained, packing up the instruments.
Seeing him, the officers all saluted.
Su Yan asked, “How is Cui Tongzheng? He wasn’t seriously injured, was he?”
Officer A quickly replied, “How could that be! We neither ‘struck solidly’ nor ‘put heart into it.’ The brothers all know he’s Su Gelao’s friend.”
Officer B added, “Please rest assured, Prime Minister Su, if we couldn’t even think of that, wouldn’t we be flayed alive by the Commander, ”
Officer A coughed loudly, and Officer B immediately shut his mouth. The officers all gave Su Yan sheepish grins.
Su Yan chuckled and cupped his hands. “Many thanks, brothers.”
The officers repeatedly said they didn’t dare, that it was only right.
Su Yan felt that these low-ranking soldiers were far more likable than certain highly educated civil officials at court.
The unlikable Grand Secretary Xie was speaking in a low voice with Grand Secretary Jiang: “Su Twelve swore publicly, is it a bluff, or does he have another scheme? What exactly is he up to?”
“No… no matter what scheme, it won’t… won’t save his career.”
“True. I have planted informants among Yu Chezhi’s attendants. News came last night confirming the military reports are accurate. Su Twelve is like a grasshopper after autumn, he won’t be jumping for many more days.”
After receiving the beating, Cui Jinping had been thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison and would be held for at least twenty days. Knowing his life was not in danger, Su Yan was not in a hurry to visit him. He prepared to take the carriage driven by Jinghong Zhui and first return to the Northern Surveillance Bureau to find Shen Qi.
That night, on the official road from Daming Prefecture to the capital, a courier horse carrying a six-hundred-li urgent dispatch galloped forward. The courier soldier held the latest memorial in his arms, while in the bundle tied to his back was a box containing a human head.
That same night, Su Xiaojing drove the Su residence carriage, carrying the tightly wrapped imperial genealogy, leaving the Ancestral Temple, unaware that three covert agents were trailing him in the shadows. Meanwhile, Shen Qi, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was hurrying under the stars in the direction Su Xiaojing was heading.
That same night, Chu Yuan, dressed in night-traveling clothes, left the imperial city and returned to Fenghe Courtyard. More than half an hour later, when he departed again, he carried on his person a slip of paper with somewhat clumsy and crooked handwriting.
