Day 23, Sunny.
Auspicious for: Sacrifices, recognizing relatives, building stoves, raising beams.
Inauspicious for: False accusations, setting up beds, secret plots, travel.
Today is the last court session of the year.
The next court session will be in the new year.
The weather is bitterly cold.
Minister Lu's residence is considered close to the imperial palace.
As the First Minister, he enjoys many privileges.
For example, while others must dismount from their carriages at the gate and walk in,
Minister Lu can ride in a sedan chair all the way to the inner palace.
His treatment is only slightly inferior to the Emperor's.
The Emperor comes out from the palace in a sedan chair.
Minister Lu can also ride in a sedan chair from outside.
He switches from carriage to sedan chair at the gate.
On normal days, Minister Lu usually doesn't enjoy such honors.
He prefers to walk, with people bowing respectfully along the way.
Bending at the waist, nodding heads, smiling...
He enjoys the feeling of everyone lowering their heads before him.
At the same time, there is much to be gleaned from these eye contacts.
Subtle differences can be judged from people's gazes.
Minister Lu has even detected a traitor's impending betrayal from such subtle cues, allowing him to take preemptive action.
But today is too cold.
He also worked late on official business last night.
In some ways, he is a very dedicated minister, handling most of the empire's memorials himself.
He's constantly busy, barely able to take a midday nap, and working until midnight.
Today is especially cold.
He's not feeling well physically.
There's also a tough battle ahead, so he needs to conserve his energy.
A mere Imperial Secretary isn't really a tough opponent.
But Minister Lu is habitually thorough - even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.
In such a short time, he's gathered enough crimes to charge him with.
Actually, if he wants someone dead, it's quite simple.
But he has to consider the Emperor's mood.
He closes his eyes in the sedan chair, thinking.
He usually doesn't touch the Emperor's close attendants, but this Imperial Secretary makes him uncomfortable.
His years of experience tell him this man cannot be allowed to live.
More importantly, there's the secret plot with the Seventh Prince.
Minister Lu has already been in contact with the Seventh Prince.
To his surprise, he found the prince has quite a few cards up his sleeve.
The Emperor's health is declining these days.
Today, officials will likely bring up naming a Crown Prince again.
In the current situation, proposing any prince as Crown Prince is like sending him to his death, incurring the Emperor's displeasure.
Today should be the turn of the talented and virtuous Sixth Prince.
This is the real important matter. In comparison, eliminating Imperial Secretary Jiang is just a minor issue.
Just an annoying green fly.
An appetizer.
Power struggles are bound to be the dirtiest, ugliest, and most despicable. If you haven't encountered that yet, it means you haven't pushed your power to the limit.
Minister Lu feels pleased imagining the look of despair on that stunningly beautiful man's face later.
It will be an excellent appetizer.
The sedan chair sways, relatively warm inside.
Minister Lu is so tired he almost falls asleep.
When the chair stops, he wipes his mouth, which is a bit wet.
He adjusts his clothes before alighting.
"Greetings, Minister Lu! Minister Lu!"
Salutations ring out from all sides.
With Minister Lu arrived, no court official dares to be later than him.
Except the Emperor.
Minister Lu stands at the very front, looking back at the long line of officials stretching out of sight.
This position at the front allows him to feel the warmth from the main hall.
Charcoal fires have been lit all around.
The low-ranking officials near the hall entrance suffer the most.
It's windy outside, howling fiercely, yet they must stand stiffly without losing decorum, with nowhere to take shelter.
Of course, the soldiers and servants standing outside have it even worse.
They must stand guard regardless of wind, frost, rain or snow.
Jiang Feng is one of the minor officials positioned near the entrance.
A new face.
He has a somewhat obedient and introverted demeanor.
He responds politely when asked, otherwise stands quietly.
He doesn't look around aimlessly either.
Minister Dong, standing near the front, passes by the young man.
Seeing the tall, strapping youth, he secretly approves of his own judgment.
Plus, he happened to save his daughter.
A match made in heaven.
If not for the rescue, Minister Dong might have hesitated about cancelling another engagement, finding the betrothal gifts in hand troublesome.
But seeing his daughter so happy she could barely contain her smile, he relented.
He'll either find a way to conceal it, or have a good talk with the in-laws.
The in-laws are clever people, they'll surely understand the rules of life in the capital.
To avoid suspicion, Minister Dong doesn't approach, just nods slightly.
Meng Qingshe, who usually likes to stand at the back, hesitates today but still stays in the rear.
It's not that he's disloyal or unwilling to accompany his in-law.
He's been too conspicuous lately, selling so many key points, but seems unable to remember them himself.
He really can't recall.
Better to stay in the back.
In case the Emperor decides to quiz them.
He edges back until he's next to Jiang Feng.
Shao Xia is on duty today, standing guard elsewhere.
As a newcomer, Jiang Feng still needs to attend court to show his face.
Meng Qingshe squeezes in beside Jiang Feng.
He has a feeling of bringing his son this time, after bringing his father to get familiar with things last time.
His in-laws' family really is full of talent.
When Meng Qingshe returned home, his mother gave him endless instructions.
In the past, they didn't look down on the in-laws for their humble origins. In the future, they shouldn't flaunt their connection just because the in-laws have become prominent.
Treat people sincerely, regardless of background.
Although that's what was said, last time he was still worried about his in-laws being bullied and thought about protecting them. Now it's better, he probably doesn't need to worry so much, since they're the son of an Imperial Princess - at least they have backing now.
Meng Qingshe whispers some tips on being an official to Jiang Feng.
The surrounding officials overhear and think: ...??
Lord Meng is actually passing on experience of being an official here?
Does Lord Meng have some misunderstanding about himself?
Lord Meng's experience as an official could actually be summed up in one sentence: "My father is Meng Hai."
Jiang Feng listens very attentively, looking obedient and eager to learn.
The surrounding officials all shed a tear of sympathy for this young man.
But when they learn he's the son of Vice Minister Jiang, oh well, they probably won't see him tomorrow anyway, no need for sympathy.
All the officials line up in order.
Jiang Changtian also stands in the middle of the queue.
He feels quite tired.
Early in the morning he rode in a carriage then walked, arrived at the place with no chair to sit on, and still has to keep standing.
After waiting for a while, the Emperor finally arrives.
Wearing dragon robes and the imperial crown, he enters the great hall, looks at the sea of people, and can't help but yawn.
This is why the Emperor's procession is so necessary at times like this.
Various screens ensure the Emperor's yawn isn't seen, preserving the dignity of the imperial visage.
Today is another day of not wanting to hold court.
An especially unwilling day.
He just wants to end quickly and go find Hui Yun.
The Emperor sits on the dragon throne and kicks his legs a bit.
Jiang Changtian stands in line, sensing the strange looks from those around him.
How to describe it - their gaze is a bit like his daughter eyeing a piglet.
Perhaps because he shortchanged his little daughter from the womb, Mian Mian actually likes to eat pork.
Jiang Changtian ponders his situation, thinking he shouldn't be in any danger.
The Imperial Eunuch calls out in a loud voice to begin the court session.
All officials perform a grand salute.
Then officials begin presenting memorials.
Jiang Changtian notices these people glancing at him before presenting their memorials.
His heart sinks.
But he'll deal with whatever comes, playing it by ear.
Minister Lu understands the Emperor well. Seeing the Emperor's impatient expression today, he feels assured.
The matter is already half accomplished.
No matter how others scheme, if the Emperor has no interest in governing, everything will ultimately fall to him to handle. Then he can manipulate things as he pleases.
Censors from the Censorate step forward with memorials to present.
Inspector He raises an eyebrow slightly.
How capable they've become.
There are traitors in his Censorate department now.
They're pulling stunts behind his back.
He's been a bit lazy lately, not keeping everyone in line. They seem to have forgotten about him.
For the court officials, major events are unfolding today.
For the Emperor, it's just his employees stirring up trouble again. So annoying.
He glances at the memorials. One, two, three... seven accusations against Imperial Secretary Jiang.
They accused him of having sinister intentions, being greedy by nature, disloyal and unjust, unfilial and unbrotherly. They claimed he was truly a petty man, unfit for office, and should be demoted to a commoner, banished to the northern seas, and never employed again.
There were several other memorials, largely with the same content, debating how to punish him. Some called for exile, others for the death penalty to serve as a warning to others.
...
The Emperor rubbed his forehead. He had a bit of a headache.
Most of the accusations listed, coincidentally, he was already aware of.
Corruption? Jiang Er had given him all the money. Were they scolding Jiang Er? No, they were scolding him, the Emperor.
As for receiving gifts on his birthday, it was a willing exchange. If you didn't want to give gifts, you didn't have to. To call this a crime was a bit of a stretch. At most, it could be said to show a flaw in character. If they were to investigate this, not a single court official would be innocent.
The second accusation was rebellion. The Emperor had no comment on whether Jiang Er harbored treasonous thoughts. He knew Jiang Er had adopted the son of a lowly official.
Third, allowing his children to bully others. That child must be referring to Jiang Er's young daughter. There were several witnesses. The Emperor almost laughed. He had just heard about this from Heir Apparent Han. It was clearly a case of failed flirtation, where the man had been tricked by a child, and yet he had the nerve to come and complain.
Fourth, being unfilial and unbrotherly. This was a family matter. He had heard that Jiang Er's mother was extremely harsh. The eldest son had been driven to become a monk, and the younger son didn't acknowledge her. These parents weren't exactly exemplary either.
Fifth, colluding with court officials and arranging marriages for his children. Jiang Er had mentioned this and had even secured an official position for his son. Colluding with Inspector He? With He's stubbornly upright personality, it would be quite a feat to collude with him.
Sixth, disrespecting the royal family and beating Heir Apparent Han. The Emperor thought to himself, it was probably because Heir Apparent Han had stolen Jiang Er's sister-in-law. Was Jiang Er not allowed to stand up for himself?
Seventh...
He could actually refute each of these accusations.
But Jiang Er had only been in office for such a short time, and already so many people disliked him.
The Emperor felt a bit impatient.
He tossed the memorials in front of Jiang Er and said, "Take a look. What do you have to say?"
Jiang Changtian picked up the memorials, scanned them quickly, and finished reading the contents.
Minister Lu stood calmly.
Judging by the Emperor's mood, this round was in the bag. However, the matter concerning the Sixth Prince would have to be dropped for today. Next time, perhaps. Resolving one issue was good enough.
The Emperor would most likely hand this matter over to him.
No matter how Jiang Er tried to defend himself, he had ways to finish him off.
Unexpectedly, after reading the memorials, Jiang Er didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he wore an expression of disbelief, then one of dejection and heartbreak.
"Your subject has nothing to say. I admit my guilt," he said.
Jiang Er had surrendered without even putting up a fight.
This left Minister Lu's planned strategies unused. Was this it?
This? He had thought Jiang Er was a loyal dog, but it turned out he was just a paper tiger.
Seeing Jiang Er's expression, the Emperor would normally have been inclined to comfort him. However, he hadn't slept well the night before and was impatient, wanting to go see Hui Yun soon. He said, "Minister Lu, you have full authority over this matter. Have Jiang Er detained in the Ministry of Justice for now. You will conduct the investigation. If there's nothing else, court is dismissed."
...
