Chapter 100 Letter

Chapter 100: Letters

Su Zheng did not answer; he called another person: "Minister Wang."

Minister Wang was also momentarily stunned, thinking to himself that none of his concubines were expecting, so why was the emperor summoning him?

Shaking off his thoughts, he dared not delay in his actions, stepping forward and bowing: "Your servant is here."

"Minister Wang has a virtuous wife at home; your esteemed lady is truly very capable."

Minister Wang's heart pounded, unable to discern the emperor's meaning for the moment, stammering ambiguously: "To answer Your Majesty, my humble wife is, is... decent, decent..."

"Decent? She is indeed excellent! She stops at nothing to suppress competitors, monopolizes the market, causing countless fellow merchants to either lose their businesses or face ruin and death! When people who were wronged came to your residence seeking justice, how did you handle it?"

Minister Wang suddenly recalled that indeed some people had stopped his sedan chair at his gate yesterday, asking him to mediate.

What had he done yesterday?

"A bunch of unreasonable troublemakers; in business, gains and losses are to be expected—if they lost money due to their own incompetence, they reap what they sow! Thinking that gathering at my gate and spouting slander would threaten me? Foolish! Men, beat these rioters and those slandering the families of imperial officials away, and arrest the ringleaders and throw them in prison!"

At this thought, Minister Wang broke into a cold sweat. Could it be that the emperor had found out about it? The emperor's intelligence was far too good!

Minister Wang hurriedly knelt and kowtowed: "To answer Your Majesty, your servant merely, merely thought that one should not listen to only one side..."

"Then did you investigate?"

"I, I asked my wife, and she said there was absolutely no such thing..."

"Hmph! Minister Wang has a fine argument. On one hand, you say you shouldn't listen to one side, and on the other, you trust only your wife's word. What a double standard!"

Although Minister Wang only half understood the last words, he knew clearly that the emperor was angry with him. He hurriedly kowtowed to defend himself.

Su Zheng waved a hand and said: "Men, remove his official hat and throw him into the Jingzhao Prefecture prison. Have the prefecture conduct a thorough investigation, and once the evidence is confirmed, there will be no leniency!"

Minister Wang's pleas for mercy faded away until they disappeared completely, leaving the court in silence.

The ministers now vaguely realized that the emperor might be making an example of them to silence their objections.

Those with guilty consciences grew even more uneasy, lowering their heads further.

The dragon throne was quite long, and when Su Zheng sat in the middle, he had to sit upright with nothing to lean on.

Now that none of the ministers dared to raise their heads, Su Zheng simply sat on the edge, resting his elbow on the armrest and leaning sideways, speaking slowly with a hint of laziness: "Minister Zhang."

The named Minister Zhang gave a start and knelt directly: "Your servant is here."

"Is Minister Zhang very nervous?"

"No, not at all."

"Since you're not nervous, think carefully about what you have done recently."

Minister Zhang's heart skipped a beat, but he comforted himself that he had arranged things discreetly, and those who knew only knew part of it—there was no way the emperor could know everything!

Minister Zhang steadied himself and said with an indignant tone: "To answer Your Majesty, I do not understand."

"Fine! Then I shall remind you. Through the task of raising military grain, you accepted bribes, replaced good grain with old, passed off inferior goods as quality, bought low and sold high, and even tried to pin the blame on the logistics department, disturbing military morale. You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Your Majesty, please see clearly! Your servant is wronged!"

"Wronged? I know every person you arranged, every location, every step of your plan. Men, bring them in!"

Before long, imperial guards entered the hall carrying several trays, along with a line of gagged men tied up back-to-back.

At the sight of these men, Minister Zhang's face turned ashen, and his mouth opened but no words came out.

"Show this evidence to the ministers, and let them see if I have wronged him!"

After the ministers examined them, they glared angrily: "This, this is unforgivable!"

Su Zheng waved his hand: "Drag him away, beheading immediately!"

Minister Zhang snapped back to reality and tried to beg for mercy, but was immediately dragged away.

Su Zheng sat up straight this time, his tone sharp: "Now that there is an external enemy before us, any person or any matter must yield to the defense against the enemy. If I learn of anyone daring to disturb military morale again, they will be killed without mercy!"

The ministers immediately knelt and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor, wise and brilliant!"

"Rise. Let's keep going."

Su Zheng then named several more officials, exposing either their crimes or their secrets.

The courtiers realized that although their new emperor had been on the throne for only a short time, his abilities and methods were not to be underestimated; it was no easy task to do anything shady under his nose!

Seeing that the effect was sufficient, Su Zheng stopped naming names. He stood up, walked to the steps, and waved to those below: "Come, come. Raise your heads and step forward."

The ministers did not know what the emperor wanted to do next, so they only slightly raised their heads and tentatively moved forward a step.

Su Zheng was clearly dissatisfied. He emphasized: "I told you to lift your heads. Have you all not eaten? Such a simple task!"

The ministers could only raise their heads and look up at the steps.

Su Zheng continued to beckon them forward until they were almost at the foot of the steps. Then he pointed at the dragon throne and said: "What is that?"

"The dragon throne."

"Wrong. That is the seat of ultimate authority, the seat of the Son of Heaven. I am the Son of Heaven. Since I sit here, there is nothing under heaven that I cannot know if I wish to. When I appointed General Luo as Grand General Regent, it was because I know that General Luo is loyal to me and to Dayin. General Luo is wholeheartedly dedicated to defending the realm of Dayin, sparing the people from the hardships of war and allowing them to live and work in peace. I trust him! All of you must also trust him! Do you understand?"

The ministers trembled slightly, then replied in unison: "Your servants understand."

Within a few days, the first report of victory arrived from the front: the lost city had been recaptured, and the enemy had retreated several miles.

It was not a complete triumph, but it was enough to boost morale.

Half a month later, reports of victories came in from all three armies. The enemy was being beaten back step by step, unable to withstand further attacks or counterattacks. Complete victory was within reach.

Su Zheng reclined sideways on the soft couch, still surrounded by various snacks and fruits. On his lap lay some sheets of paper—letters from Luo Yunchen that had come with the victory reports.

"First day without my love at my side, unbearable. Many places on my body ache and feel uncomfortable. The incompetent military doctor can find no cause! The pain won't stop. Thinking of my love's comfort helps a little, but I so, so long for my love's comfort..."

"Second day without my love, I dreamed of him. So soft and gentle my love, I don't want to let go..."

"Third day without my love, I miss him so much! When I open my eyes to the dim dawn, I miss him. When I rest and see the dry rations in my hands, I miss him. When I wash and see the clear stream, I miss him even more..."

"......"