Chapter 45
Regarding the one calling the shots for the a.s.sa.s.sins, even though from how it looks on the surface, my biggest suspect is Shao Qing who’s hiding back in Luoyang, but… my sixth sense is telling me that it’s not him .
Besides, Shao Qing already knows that I don’t have any martial arts .
Of the current three major factions in the Court: The Waiqi want to exploit the little Emperor to vie for power, so they naturally wouldn’t do this . Even if the Qingliu wanted to deceive the world and take false credit, rebellion is out of the question . From the perspective of others, the one who’s most likely to usurp the throne is me, and yet I forfeited my life to save the Emperor . Also, I know it wasn’t me .
Then… does that mean for certain that there’s a force at work I don’t know about?
I feel as if there’s dark clouds pressing down in the distant horizon . Nothing good will come from this . My heart weighs down heavily .
This my most intense battle within the Court to date . The Waiqi started to launch an extremely vicious attack upon Zhou Zizhu and I, saying that we ‘disregarded countrywide law with illegal intent’, ‘stuck our ruler into severe danger’, and said nothing less than that we were planning to rebel against the state .
My clique jumped out to defend me as a savior who abandoned my life, and that I should be greatly commended as well as being a role model for all the world .
The Qingliu smartly keep their silence .
The scope of the Waiqi’s attack gradually narrows in on me, as expected, and doesn’t mention Zhou Zizhu much .
The battle of tongues began to heat up, and the ad hominem attacks have already begun, airing each other’s dirty laundry . I get more impatient the more I listen, flat-out stepping forward, walking to the front of the imperial throne, and falling to my knees with a plop . “This servant did not think that matter through with proper consideration . His behavior was beyond propriety, and he sent to our great ruler into danger . A hundred deaths would not be enough to redeem his crime . Please enact the nine familial exterminations on him, Your Majesty . ”
There was a moment of silence .
Make a gesture of humility to advance forward and add a bit of impetus; this would have some effect regardless of what the situation is .
However, I hadn’t expected that the little Emperor, who’d always acted as a mere set-piece, would actually s.n.a.t.c.h the stage from everyone here and open his mouth first . “Good Subject Zhang was acting upon our orders to bring us out, risking his life to save us . Subject Zhang is without fault . ”
The tiny child used a lot of power to speak loudly, his juvenile voice reverberating all throughout the hall with shining righteousness, extremely unbefitting of this gloomy, ancient place that stifles dignity . Tears nearly fill up my eyelashes at that moment, feeling that all my great efforts were not in vain .
Could it be that while I seem modernized and Westernized, I’m actually feeling the profound influence of traditional Chinese scholars in my bones, as in ‘the scholar should be an official after finishing his studies‘? That the ‘studying the arts of war and literature for the emperor to appreciate’ that Jinzi wasn’t interested in actually very appealing to me?
Seeing that the Emperor actually spoke up, all the court chancellors on the scene immediately lost their heads out of panic .
An Emperor who has no political relations has no right to engage in politics . It’s also really rare for the sitting seven-year-old child to express his opinion .
The very first to react was Gao Yushu . He stepped forward and threw himself to the ground, prostrating and crying miserably . “Your Majesty is a brilliant sage, discerning the loyal from the treacherous . This servant will be unswerving from hereon after, and may die without regrets . ”
The Waiqi waste quite some time hesitating .
Zhou Zizhu came up, knelt down at my side, and said, “This servant and Sir Zhang are equally young, our conduct capricious, yet Sir Zhang sacrificed himself in a critical situation . His deed more than makes up for it . Please punish this servant alone for his crime, Your Majesty . ”
I see out of the corner of my eye and see Gu Yunzhi staring at Zhou Zizhu with a perpetual frown . Zhou Zizhu looks straight ahead and not at his teacher .
I mentally sneer . How could I know know what the Qingliu are planning? They wanted to say that Zhou’s name was clear from my matters, such as saying he was powerless to stop me, went with for lack of a better option, and so on, at that time pushing all the mistakes onto me . Zhou Zizhu would, at most, have ‘handled it inadequately’ .
Now Zhou Zizhu wasn’t willing to do that, so of course Gu Yunzhi has a big scowl on his face . But now there’s nothing to be done about it; Qingliu also has to join in the debate . The Waiqi went up against my group, the Qingliu, the Emperor, and even some of the Zhongli’s old foxes that normally played it safe spoke up for me . It was a matter of course that our side ended up victorious .
As a result, I was to forfeit three months’ salary due to ‘improper conduct’ . However, due to my ‘loyalty and bravery’, I was gifted the color purple as well as a jade belt [1], which is naturally a supreme special honor . Zhou Zizhu was demoted and moved to the Censorate, become the Imperial Censor’s Internal Aide [2] . I also know that it’ll be a given that the Qingliu will push for Zhou Zizhu to be the top Imperial Censor this Annual Election .
Regarding apprehending the a.s.sa.s.sins, there’s naturally no division amongst the Court as to the investigation of this matter, ordering both the Ministry of Justice and the Nine Gates Infantry Commander to be dispatched; and that they had better catch the murderer quickly, as there’s a time limit ten days . Gao Yushu repeatedly wipes the sweat off his brow, seemingly also aware of how th.o.r.n.y this a.s.signment is . The Gates Commander was called to the palace courtyard, as due to the recent endless swarm of a.s.sa.s.sinations, public security was no good .
This has naturally caused some groups joy and some groups worry . I can say that I’ve obtained a pretty good political advantage after the cliff-hanging incident, and the Waiqi and Qingliu each have their own plots with their own gains and losses . However, after we withdrew from Court and were going over the account books in the Office of Eunuch Affairs, an urgent report to palace struck everyone with a bolt of lightning from a clear sky simultaneously .
The Yellow River is a Mother River, and there are of course countless people who have evaluated its pros and cons, and they differ from each of its ends, all clinging to their own differing opinions . However, its reputation as one of the most difficult to control rivers in the world is not one that anyone will likely dissent to . The vast amount of sediment it carries turns it into a suspended river . Every year, there’s always floods both big and small, collapsing several levees and submerging several counties .
However, the flooding within the Gui Emperor’s maiden year seems to be emerging particularly early, and particularly violently .
Summer hasn’t truly begun yet and there haven’t been many rains, yet this urgent sealed report says that Lingyang County’s dam has broken, flooding thirteen neighboring counties and submerging them overnight .
Everyone lost their voice for a moment .
Natural disasters and armed forces have always been big crises that can shake a country’s foundation . This is the first time since I’ve come here that I’ve faced such a huge event .
In the remaining aftershocks, all the important ministers began to talk all at once about how to resolve this, but they don’t have any proper methods and are merely making a big racket without putting forth any sort of conclusion . I end up saying, “First order close-by offices to open up the government storehouses and send relief supplies, then order the nearest to rush to the emergency . As for how this Court can provide emergency aid and handle this incident, we all should go home now, write our accounts, and negotiate this matter in Morning Court tomorrow . ”
No one has any objections, and some have grabbed their brushes to write imperial decrees .
I’m beside myself in worry, feeling a greater pressure than I had during any significant investment mistakes the time before . Furthermore, it’s an area that I’m unfamiliar with, and the concerns are so ma.s.sive, the situation so critical, that feeling helpless is hard to escape from .
After the cacophony in the Office of Eunuch Affairs took up half the day, I went to the Yangxin Hall to see the Emperor . To my surprise I saw him sitting in a chair as I went in, head bowed slightly .
I’ve always liked the appearance of this kid seated upon this tall official’s hat chair, because as the chair’s legs are too tall, his own can’t touch the ground . Yet he doesn’t kick his little legs like other children do, instead sitting up straight as bamboo, as if the ground under his feet could turn intangible . I can’t stop myself from smiling in my mind every time he acts like a mini-adult .
There’s no smiling for me today, however .
The Emperor’s shoulders drooped, his figure unspeakably despondent and dismayed . I’m somewhat startled, walking towards him and speaking softly, “Your Majesty . ”
The Emperor gave a melancholic “mn”, not even really answering . This is awfully rare for the Emperor, who normally speaks with complete adherence to proper etiquette .
I crouch down in front of him, placing my hand on his tiny knee, and said with even more softness, “What’s happened to you, Your Majesty? If you speak it, this servant will share your worries . ”
The Emperor raised his head, little face full of sorrow, his pretty black eyes also having lost some l.u.s.ter . “Good Subject Zhang, is this calamity quite grave?”
Ah . He already knows . News spreads quickly .
I gulped, thinking over what to say, when he spoke again . “The expenses of our Inner Palace can be reduced, and maids can be sent away . ” He looks at me earnestly .
My heart warms up . I can’t stand how touching that is . The Emperor’s only seven! Apparently I’m witnessing the growth of this generation’s wise ruler .
“Your Majesty,” I said as I gently encircled him, “This hasn’t been gotten to yet . Forgive this servant for his indiscretion, but you are still a child . You don’t need to worry about these things, just hand it over to the adults . This servant will handle it on your behalf… Your Majesty just needs to grow up quickly, study well, and become a good Emperor that loves the people as he would his own children as soon as you can . ”
“Okay . ” The Emperor threw himself into my embrace, burying his head into my shoulder .
Though I’m quite fond of hugging this boy with his childish scent, as he’s of the imposing Holy Family, it’s not always a good thing to hold him like an ordinary child . Moreover, he has a precocious pride, so there’s normally no way to treat him as anything other than the equivalent of a mature, independent organism .
Seems like the Emperor actually really likes my hugs, though .
I embrace his teeny form tightly . His downy hair tickles my neck, sending a shudder through my back .
A kid like this… I really can’t help but protect and cherish him in spite of the risk .
“Your Majesty, this servant is determined to defend the land and state for you, and will wait until you’ve grown to hand it over to you in person . ” I speak gently and resolutely into his ear .
No matter how many difficulties I face, or how many dangers, or how many oppose me, or the prices I’ll have to pay .
The Emperor said nothing, only using his short little arms to hug my neck closely, nearly choking me .
After I went back, I looked for Liu Chunxi . We’re both busy for three days straight, settling accounts in the current treasury for its deposits of silver and foodstuffs, and drafting several countermeasures . I then sent a messenger pigeon with a letter to Shao Qing .
[1] Purple-colored fabrics were hard to make in ancient China, which made them very expensive, which made them imperial-use only . The one exception to this is when the Emperor would grant someone permission to use the color as a favor . Jade belts are also a status symbol; they are made of intricately carved jade plaques and buckles fastened to a strip of fabric . Their size, shape, and make vary greatly: here’s an example of a whole belt, and here’s just the plates .
[2] The Imperial Censor has two Aides; a regular one, and an Internal one, who is basically relegated to internal investigations as opposed to field duties .