Chapter 267: Offering Chrysanthemums

In the quiet capital, September was the month for admiring chrysanthemums. However, due to the drought in Yongcheng, the imperial court was still in debt to some of the officials. Following Li Jianting's decree, no grand chrysanthemum banquets were held inside or outside the palace. Fu Man had originally planned to cultivate several hundred pots of rare chrysanthemums in his manor, but now he dared not present them.

Awakening at three quarters past the hour of the Tiger, Fu Man rinsed his mouth and changed clothes with the help of a young eunuch. Eunuchs who served their masters closely couldn't have any lingering scents on them. They wore false collars that could be easily replaced when stained with sweat, and their boots were soft, noiseless velvet ones.

After properly cleaning up and dressing, Fu Man placed his identification badge in front of him and stepped out of the door. Seeing stars still in the sky, he went to the duty room near Mingli Hall and asked the eunuch who had served in the emperor's chambers the previous night, "How did His Majesty sleep last night?"

The eunuch was having breakfast while sipping tea. Those on night duty didn't dare eat much, as they might need to use the toilet or leave an unpleasant odor in their mouths. Thus, before entering the emperor's quarters, they only dared to snack lightly. Upon hearing Fu Man's question, he immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Replying to Grand Ancestor, His Majesty slept reasonably well last night. He turned four times, but didn't call for this servant."

Fu Man calculated the time and figured Li Jianting should be awake by now, so he went to wait under the eaves for the summons. After a brief wait, he saw Feng Quan emerge and simply nodded with a smile as a sign of respect. Feng Quan, seemingly oblivious, returned the gesture according to etiquette.

"Feng Quan," he said, bowing slightly to Fu Man, "the Emperor wished to have the Grand Ancestor attend to him last night. It seems we have a double celebration on our hands."

Confused by Feng Quan's cryptic words, Fu Man felt a sense of unease and cautiously replied, "I'll take that as a good omen, thank you."

Without waiting for Feng Quan to continue, he lifted his robe and entered the Mingli Hall first.

The hanging curtains in the sleeping chamber had just been tied up, and all the windows were wide open, allowing the morning frost to bring a chill. Fu Man sensed the cold and hurried to the copper mirror. He noticed Li Jianting was already dressed and groomed. Normally, he would have offered praise, but on this day, he chose to be cautious and simply said, "Your Majesty, breakfast is ready."

Li Jianting maintained her composure, the floral mole above her forehead adding a touch of elegance. She adjusted her golden hairpin and said, "Something light will do."

"Fear not, Your Majesty, I have not forgotten your instructions," Fu Man bowed slightly as she pretended to support Li Jianting. "I instructed the Board of Rites to prepare simple dishes, such as golden and silver scrolls and jade-white tofu."

Exiting the sleeping chamber, Li Jianting saw that the documents on the imperial desk were all newly annotated from the previous night. She revisited the pile she had specifically set aside.

"Tell Yuan Fu later," Li Jianting unfolded the golden and silver scrolls. "There's no need for cabinet ministers to submit routine reports on their well-being. Take this You Tan from Jiu Xi Liuzhou, for instance. His memorials are overly verbose and filled with meaningless flattery, merely wasting time."

Attending to Li Jianting during the meal, Fu Man chuckled. "This Lord You has quite the reputation, Your Majesty. It's said that even the former Grand Secretary Hai found his writings unbearable in the past."

Li Jianting made no response. After finishing his morning meal, he hurried to attend the early court session.

At the early morning court session where the matter of advancing eastward from Beibei was broached, scouts from Dancheng reported an increase in troops at the Beiyuan Drill Grounds. Before the Military Ministry had even finished presenting its intelligence, the Personnel Ministry and Revenue Ministry were already embroiled in an argument, with the latter being urged to promptly settle the overdue monthly salaries owed. The Revenue Ministry, finding itself in a bind and unable to shift responsibility onto Li Jianting due to lack of funds, silently bore the barrage of criticism. Halfway through this verbal onslaught, censors from the Censorate impeached local officials for negligence in governance, pointing out that within less than half a month since the new Prefect took office in Huaizhou, the region had erupted in unrest.

"The deduction of monthly stipends is for the relief efforts in Yongcheng," the Minister of Revenue explained. "In times of national crisis, we should all be united in our efforts. Your monthly allowances have been withheld, as have ours in the Ministry of Revenue. We're all suffering together; why do people only direct their complaints at us?"

"You've been auditing the accounts, investigating Dancheng and Wucheng, and the Pan and Han families have been seized. In Chuancheng, the Fei family is leading the way, and now the other cities are making up for the agricultural taxes," the official from the Ministry of Personnel countered. "According to the annual budget, there should be enough funds to distribute monthly salaries at this point. Where has the money gone? An explanation must be given!"

"The Empress Dowager has passed, the Emperor has ascended to the throne. Ask the Ministry of Rites where the funds have gone. They've been allocated precisely where they're needed! For the renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the reconstruction of civilian districts, and the works carried out by the Ministry of Works..."

"You're talking about monthly stipends," an official from the Ministry of Works urged anxiously. "What does that have to do with anything else?"

"We have nothing to hide," Liang Disan bowed to Li Jianting. "Your Majesty, the accounts are reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court before being presented to you by the Cabinet. There is no concealment involved."

"Adhere strictly to the law? I'm afraid not, Minister Chongshen," an imperial censor from the Board of Supervisors saluted. "Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach the former Minister of Revenue, Xue Xiuyi, for accepting bribes!"

The hall fell silent at the cry, and all eyes turned to the speaker.

Xue Xiuzhuo stood among the officials, his gaze fixed.

Li Jianting glanced at Xue Xiuzhuo and paused for a moment before asking, "Isn't Xue Xiuyi currently the custodian of the Inner Granary?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the censor replied as he knelt on the floor, lifting his robe. "This man has always been incompetent in his duties at the Ministry of Revenue and repeatedly slandered the government, hence never receiving important appointments."

"After a few months ago, Xue Xiuyi colluded with merchants, taking advantage of Your Majesty's amnesty to bribe eunuchs within the palace and secure the position of custodian," the censor continued. "In this role, he amassed great wealth, acquiring three mansions on East Dragon Street. Not content with his greed, he also conspired with the eunuchs to falsify accounts, stealing and selling precious treasures from the Inner Granary for a total sum of two hundred thousand taels!"

The entire hall erupted into an uproar. The relief funds for Yongcheng had been merely one hundred thousand taels, while Xiao Chiye's bribery case in Quancheng only involved eight thousand taels of silk. Who would have thought that Xue Xiuyi, in less than three months in his new post, would embezzle such a staggering amount!

"Rats... huge rats..." The veteran cabinet minister swayed, dizzy.

Li Jianting's expression darkened. Xue Xiuyi had sold off twenty thousand taels worth of treasures from the inner storeroom but reported only eight thousand to Fu Man. The remaining twelve thousand was pocketed by them.

"The minister wishes to impeach the Deputy Minister of Justice, Xue Xiuzhuo!" The censor turned his accusations directly at Xue Xiuzhuo. "Xue Xiuzhuo abuses his power for personal gain! He holds a high position but fails to reflect on himself. Despite receiving great favor, he fails to understand the emperor's intentions. He allows rats into the granary and colludes with Xue Xiuyi, acting despicably, hatefully, and deserving of contempt!"

"You dare!" Li Jianting bellowed abruptly.

The entire hall fell silent as everyone prostrated themselves, not even a pin could be heard dropping.

Li Jianting rose and stood to one side of the imperial throne, pointing at the censor. "As a censor, you hold the responsibility of supervising and impeaching officials. You should verify facts! You know that you control the discourse in the court, yet you use this power to exclude those who disagree with you. In my eyes, it is you who are despicable!"

Censors held low ranks but their influence reached all levels of the government. Even Emperor Guangcheng, in his early years, did not dare to rebuke a censor; he could only endure their criticism. It wasn't until Tianchen's reign when the rogue Emperor Li Jianheng, in a bribery case, vented his anger on Fu Linye to stabilize the situation. Other than that, no emperor of the Great Zhou had dared to offend a censor in the imperial court.

True to form, the censor immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the evidence is irrefutable, yet you choose to protect a criminal. Are you not disregarding right and wrong, black and white?"

"Xue Xiuzhuo is the emperor's tutor!" Li Jianting said coldly. "How can I allow you to frame my teacher in such a manner?"

Kong Qiu's heart sank as he exchanged a look with Cen Yu while kneeling.

In the face of Xue Xiuyi's corruption, I've already instructed the Ministry of Justice to investigate and ensure a swift resolution," Li Jianting declared, casting off his sleeves. "As for Xue Xiuzhuo, you're spouting nonsense!"

"Your Majesty," the censor pleaded with sorrow, "if the Xues aren't eliminated, they'll form a faction! Clearly, Xue Xiuzhuo is the next Hua Siqian in the making..."

Xue Xiuzhuo remained prostrated on the ground, never uttering a single word.

* * *

Rain began to fall as dusk approached in the capital.

Feng Quan waited outside the Hall of Reason, faintly hearing Kong Qiu's voice urging the emperor inside.

"Though Xue Xiuzhuo is Your Majesty's tutor, his involvement in Xue Xiuyi's bribery case requires him to be suspended for investigation according to the law," Kong Qiu argued. "Your Majesty's reprimand of the censors today goes against Emperor Taizong's teachings. It truly shouldn't have happened."

After the court session, Li Jianting was uncharacteristically silent. Despite Kong Qiu's pressing words, she didn't respond. Kong Qiu rose, bowed, and upon sensing Li Jianting's unwillingness to answer, stood up again and bowed once more.

"I've made up my mind," Li Jianting said. "Prime Minister, there's no need to persuade me further. Feng Quan, assist the Prime Minister in leaving!"

In the continuous drizzle of the capital, Feng Quan held an umbrella over Kong Qiu as he supported the prime minister. As Kong Qiu stepped out of the Hall of Reason, a gust of wind scattered fallen leaves. He turned all his advice into a sigh, gently pushing aside Feng Quan and declining the umbrella. Stepping into the rain alone, Feng Quan hurriedly picked up his robe, holding the umbrella high as he escorted Kong Qiu away.

On the other side, Fu Man, hearing the commotion, hurriedly made his way to the Mingli Hall. Before he could even step inside, he knelt down on the ground. As he knelt, he wiped away his tears with his sleeves and, through the screen, attempted to plead his innocence. However, before he could utter a word, a teacup was abruptly thrown from within, shattering at his feet.

"You ambitiously seek fame and collude with court officials to plunder the imperial storehouse's treasures," Li Jianting reprimanded from behind the screen. "Seize this deceitful scoundrel and remove him at once!"

In the duty room, Fu Man listened intently as the ear messenger meticulously recounted the morning court's dispute. With resolute determination, he knelt upon the shattered porcelain shards, propping himself up as he frantically kowtowed: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please hear this humble servant out once more. The reassignment of Xue Xiuyi was recommended by the senior official of the Ministry of Personnel. How could it possibly have any connection with me, a lowly being such as I? Oh, Your Majesty," he cried out in desolation, "what virtue or ability do I possess that would warrant such grievous injustice?"

Li Jianting waved his sleeve in silence, seemingly still immersed in anger.

Fu Man swiftly followed suit, banging his head loudly against the floor as he wept, "This lowly servant's wretched life is of no consequence; Your Majesty may deal with me as you wish. But the gentlemen on the court are all well-learned scholars – how can they treat this servant so disdainfully?"

Xue Xiuyi's offerings to Fu Man had already been gathered by Fu Man's attendants. Normally cautious, he never sent valuable items into the palace, keeping them instead in his residence in Qudu, under the watch of his adopted sons. Now that trouble had arisen, the Ministry of Justice would undoubtedly investigate him. Thus, while on duty, he immediately arranged for someone to send a secret warning.

Upon hearing Fu Man's pitiful cries, Li Jianting seemed to genuinely feel compassion.

Seizing the opportunity, Fu Man was about to accuse the Board of Censors of seeking fame through criticism when Feng Quan hurried back.

Feng Quan collected his umbrella under the eaves, seemingly oblivious to Fu Man's plea, and reported to Li Jianting inside, "Your Majesty, this servant noticed a few junior eunuchs rushing with flowers on their way. Upon inquiry, they were headed for the Mingli Hall."

Fu Man recognized those eunuchs, each carrying precious chrysanthemums, and seeing Feng Quan standing tall and composed, he sensed impending danger. Li Jianting emerged from behind the screen, his brows furrowing as he asked, "I specifically instructed against wasting time and effort on cultivating these chrysanthemums. Who has presented them? The duty room didn't report this."

The eunuch knelt and bowed, responding, "Your Majesty, this was Lord Fu's instruction."

Fu Man's heart burned with fury as he retorted, "Do you dare to speak nonsense in the presence of the Son of Heaven? Today, it's my turn to be on duty. When did I ever instruct you to do such a thing?"

Owing to the delay in monthly stipends, Li Jianting continued the policy of frugality from Yangcheng, showing signs of discarding extravagance. Fu Man was already entangled with the theft in the inner granary and feared implicating himself in trouble. He had hoped to sacrifice Xue Xiuyi as a scapegoat by emphasizing his own modest living, but now, an unexpected turn of events had pushed him into an even more desperate situation.

"Stop your treachery!" Li Jianting's expression darkened as he sternly addressed the eunuch, "Tell me the truth."

The eunuch replied in fear, "Last night, Lord Fu sent someone to instruct this servant that the chrysanthemums from the estate were to be delivered to the palace along with the purchases from the Board of Rites. The flowers are precious, so they must be taken care of properly. Once Your Majesty finishes court duties today, they were to be brought to the Mingli Hall to entertain you—"

Fu Man's limbs turned icy cold. In an instant, he sharply declared, "You're falsely accusing me with mere words! If I indeed sent someone, where are the orders? The tokens?"

The eunuch raised his arm to wipe the rain, nearly collapsing from Fu Man's sharp rebuke. He stammered, "…The person who came seemed familiar, like, like an adopted son of our ancestor. How could this servant dare to ask for tokens?"

Clutching the porcelain shard, Fu Man's palm was now bloody and mangled. Upon hearing there were no tokens, he exclaimed, "Utter nonsense! I've served noble people in the palace for almost two decades, though not the brightest, I know the rules. I always present tokens when on assignments. Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" He held up his waist token, crawling forward, his sobs growing louder as he looked at Li Jianting, "Even if I die today, I want to die with a clear conscience!"

"Your Majesty, this servant also finds this matter strange," Feng Quan unfolded his robe and knelt before Li Jianting, "Lord Fu manages the internal affairs and is Your Majesty's trusted aide. He cannot be unjustly accused. An investigation is necessary." He then glanced at Fu Man, "Why not summon the 'adopted son' who conveyed Lord Fu's message to appear before the Emperor so that Your Majesty can see for yourself?"

Seeing mockery in the handsome face, Li Jianting didn't wait for Fu Man's response before ordering the guards, "Go find the son of our ancestor."

She emphasized the word "Old Ancestor," sending a chill down Fu Man's spine.

In no time, the guards brought the man before the hall. Rain washed over the steps as this foster son crouched low, shivering in the downpour.

Li Jianting couldn't see clearly and said, "Raise your face."

A sob escaped his throat, sounding terrified. He shook his head frantically, still pressed to the ground. A nearby guard held his shoulders and lifted his head up.

Li Jianting didn't recognize him, but the little eunuch in the rain exclaimed, "It's him, Your Majesty! It's Eunuch Yingxi!"

"Feng Quan whispers to Li Jianting, 'Yingxi, the supervisor eunuch from the Tianchen campaign. He was imprisoned by Duke Donglie and later transferred to the capital's criminal ministry."

Fu Man looked at Yingxi in shock. As the guards approached, he seemed to come to his senses and cried out, "Your servant is innocent... Your Majesty... This person is definitely not..."

Yingxi crawled on the ground, wailing loudly. Clutching the earth, he wept and gasped, "Old Ancestor, save your son!"

Li Jianting pulled back the hem of Fu Man's robe that had brushed against him and stared at the man. "You have quite the influence, to be able to rescue a convicted eunuch from the criminal ministry. Indeed, you are the revered 'Old Ancestor' upon whom thousands depend."

Fu Man felt a chill run through his entire body, realizing that this was a one-way trip to his doom. He pleaded, "Y-Your Majesty, I beg you to consider our past ties..."

"Your relationship with me is merely that of a master and servant within the depths of this imperial palace," Li Jianting declared. "Where does this talk of old affections come from? I've uplifted you, yet you fail to show gratitude. For the grave mistake you've made, it would be just for me to execute you."

The guards dragged Fu Man away, his round collar choking his neck. Panicked, he kicked and struggled, crying out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty—"

Feng Quan signaled to the guards, who promptly gagged Fu Man and swiftly removed him from the scene.

* * *

"Did nothing happen?" Shen Zechuan turned to look at Fei Sheng.

Fei Sheng nodded and said, "Rumor has it that the Empress Dowager reprimanded the censor in front of the entire court, causing quite a stir. Master, didn't she bestow favor upon Jiang Qingshan earlier to challenge Xue Xiuzhuo? With such a perfect opportunity now, why has she suddenly become so concerned about their master-disciple bond?"

Shen Zechuan gazed into the mirror, his jade earring on the right ear dimming. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I underestimated the Empress Dowager."

Yao Wenyu watched the raindrops fall from the eaves and abruptly swept away the chess pieces on the board. The black and white stones scattered into the rain, soon disappearing beneath the ripples. A bitter taste rose in his throat, and he coughed, saying, "A tree that stands tall in the forest will inevitably be felled by the wind; a pile that emerges from the riverbank will surely be eroded by the current."2 The Empress Dowager's words in court suggest that she intends to both utilize and dispose of Xue Xiuzhuo."

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Author's Note:

2: Adapted from Li Kang's "Theory of Destiny"