Chapter 594
The Crown Prince has been negligent in his duties!
He paused, seemingly lacking even the strength to offer another explanation or glance at the chaotic court, and addressed directly in the direction of the Minister of War and the Cabinet:
"The Ministry of War, together with the Cabinet and the Five Military Commissions, should promptly finalize and submit the detailed rules for the rewards and honors. What I want is stability and fairness; I cannot discourage the meritorious officials. That's all for today."
After saying this, Chongzhen stood up before anyone could react.
"Dismiss the court!"
Upon seeing this, Wang Chengen quickly drew out his voice and sang loudly.
Emperor Chongzhen looked away from everyone, turned around, and, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids, quickly left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, soon disappearing behind the beaded curtain at the side gate.
The officials, both civil and military, were left standing there dumbfounded, as if they had all been frozen in place.
"No...this...that's it?"
"The matter of the Kong family, are we not going to mention it anymore? We're not going to investigate it anymore?"
"What exactly does that letter in His Majesty's hand say?!"
"Why is Grand Secretary Xue so determined to stop us? What does he know?!"
"Today's court assembly started strong but ended weakly; what was its purpose?!"
After a brief silence, the court was suddenly filled with a buzzing sound, like a hornet's nest had been blown open.
Confusion, speculation, lingering fear, relief, dissatisfaction... a mix of emotions clung to the faces of the officials.
Countless ministers immediately and instinctively gathered around Xue Guoguan, who was still standing by the imperial road, pale-faced and absent-minded, asking and probing questions all at once.
At this moment, the prime minister who just made that "astonishing kneel" is undoubtedly the biggest mystery and key figure in everyone's eyes.
"Grand Secretary Xue! Grand Secretary Xue! Please say something! What exactly is in that letter?"
"Your Excellency, why did His Majesty heed your advice? Did you know the inside story beforehand?"
"Your Excellency, this matter concerns the reputation of the Emperor and the cultural heritage of the world. You cannot keep it from us!"
Xue Guoguan was surrounded by the crowd, like a lone boat in a raging storm.
His face was ashen, his lips trembled, and he opened them several times but could not utter a single word, only making meaningless "hoarse" sounds from his throat.
What could he say?
To say that Confucius's direct descendants colluded with foreign enemies and recognized a traitor as their father? They might as well just kill themselves on the spot by crashing into a pillar in the Golden Hall! But if they don't, how should they deal with the doubts and veiled accusations from the entire court?
Just as Xue Guoguan was about to be overwhelmed by the saliva and gazes of the crowd and was on the verge of a mental breakdown, Hong Chengchou, who had been silent all along, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and stepped forward to block Xue Guoguan.
His gaze was steady yet sharp as he slowly swept over the assembled officials. His voice was not loud, but it carried the authority and admonition of a new leader about to be born:
"Colleagues! His Majesty has already made a divine decree: the matter of the Confucius family will be temporarily set aside and discussed again later. Both thunder and rain are acts of imperial grace. His Majesty's consideration for veteran ministers and his consideration for the overall situation have profound meaning. There are some things that should not be known, so do not inquire about them; there are some things that should not be asked, so do not ask them."
Knowing too much is not necessarily a blessing for the country, the family, or oneself. The court assembly is now adjourned; everyone should return to their respective offices and complete their duties. Dismissed!
His words were neither too harsh nor too mild, but rather barbed. They both clarified the emperor's attitude and implied that the matter was not over; they also warned everyone not to investigate further; and finally, they brought up the noble cause of "doing a good job," giving everyone a way out.
Everyone was startled, recalling His Majesty's evasive attitude towards the letter, his eventual leniency towards Xue Guoguan's desperate attempt to stop him, and the Crown Prince's absence today.
Intelligent people had already vaguely guessed that this matter was extremely complex, involving a power struggle at the highest level and some unspeakable bottom line. They immediately felt a chill down their spines and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Yes, yes, Lord Hong is absolutely right..."
"I was too reckless, too reckless..."
"Your Majesty is wise and will make your own decision..."
"Farewell, farewell..."
No one dared to ask any more questions. They all bowed and left hastily, filled with doubt, lingering fear, and apprehension about the future, as if the Huangji Hall were some kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair, where staying even a moment longer would endanger their lives.
The vast and majestic palace was soon left with only Xue Guoguan and Hong Chengchou, along with the guards standing on either side like clay or wooden sculptures, casting long, swaying, and lonely shadows in the dim light of the giant tallow candles.
Xue Guoguan gazed at the now empty hall, then slowly turned his head to look at Hong Chengchou beside him, whose expression was complex and who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. He opened his mouth, but in the end, it only turned into a long sigh that seemed to have exhausted all his life force.
He hunched over, as if his spine had been removed, and slowly turned around, walking step by step, extremely slowly, towards the outside of the hall.
The morning light slanted in through the tall palace gates, stretching his lonely, aged shadow long and long until it finally merged into the cool, clear light outside the palace.
He knew that although his kneeling today temporarily preserved his pitiful "dignity" and the last vestige of face for the civil service group, and prevented the earth-shattering letter from being made public, it also completely exposed his "weakness" and "stance," which would inevitably offend the crown prince and might not completely satisfy the emperor.
His old bones really should withdraw completely from this vortex of power, from this cannibalistic court.
However, the way they left the stage was so pathetic, so...unwilling.
Hong Chengchou stood there, watching Xue Guoguan's desolate figure, seemingly aging ten years in an instant, stagger away into the bright light of the palace gate. He felt little joy at his impending ascent to the pinnacle of power. Instead, a heavy, suffocating chill crept up his spine.
He knew that today's storm had only been put on hold by the emperor under the guise of "benevolence" and "balance."
The Crown Prince's plans for the Kong family will not end just because Xue Guoguan knelt down.
That letter was like a sword hanging over Confucius's head and in the hearts of all those who knew about it, ready to fall again at any moment.
For him, the soon-to-be Grand Secretary, the road ahead will be a test far more difficult than war. He will need to find a balance among the Crown Prince, the Emperor, the civil service, the nobles and military generals, and even the scholars of the land, to promote the controversial "relocation of Confucius" policy and maintain the stability of the court.
The road ahead is long and fraught with danger.
On the other side, Emperor Chongzhen walked out of the back door of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He was startled by the still-chilly autumn wind in the early morning and couldn't help but shiver. However, his sleepiness came over him even more strongly.
He yawned widely and rubbed his aching temples as he walked unsteadily along the long palace path towards the inner palace, surrounded by several eunuchs.
In the past two years or so, whether in the military camp in Liaodong or in the imperial palace in Korea, his daily routine has long been out of sync with the strict court assembly schedule in the capital.
Accustomed to the tension of military life and the vigilance of the battlefield, as well as the flexibility to handle affairs at any time according to the military situation in the palace, he had not been woken up before dawn and dressed in full clothes to attend that rigid and lengthy court assembly for a long time.
He had already slept late last night because he was thinking about today's events, and now his eyelids felt incredibly heavy, his head was spinning, and all he wanted to do was go to Kunning Palace, find that familiar soft couch next to Empress Zhou, and get a good night's sleep. As for the uproar that had just occurred in court, to be honest, Chongzhen was indeed quite angry.
According to the message sent by Zhu Cilang last night, things should have gone smoothly—the Crown Prince had already "made arrangements" with Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan, and today's morning court was just a formality. In the face of the "ironclad evidence" from the secret police, the Kong family's crimes would be confirmed, and then the plan to "relocate the collateral branches of the Kong family to educate Liaodong" would be proposed. Xue Guoguan, the leader of the civil officials, would then "gracefully" take the lead, and the matter could be settled logically.
Who could have predicted the outcome?
At the most crucial moment, just as he was about to produce that "secret letter of treason" that could deliver a fatal blow, Xue Guoguan, the Grand Secretary who had "made prior arrangements," unexpectedly betrayed him in public and even knelt down to obstruct him in the most vehement way!
This turned what was originally planned as a thunderous conclusion into a farce that ended hastily and is full of doubts.
Although Emperor Chongzhen ultimately gave Xue Guoguan face and did not force him to read the secret letter, this undoubtedly caused a setback in the entire plan and made Emperor Chongzhen appear somewhat passive and indecisive in court.
Of course, despite his anger, once he calmed down, Emperor Chongzhen could actually understand Xue Guoguan.
He was ultimately a civil official, the nominal leader of the scholar-officials of the land.
To target the descendants of Confucius, even with irrefutable evidence, would be like asking Xue Guoguan to personally smash the tablet of his own faith.
When he knelt, he wasn't kneeling to Kong Yinzhi, but to the clay statue of the "Supreme Sage and Teacher" in his heart, the "orthodox tradition" he had believed in for decades as an official.
Let alone Xue Guoguan, even the emperor himself was terrified when he did this.
I fear that if I'm not careful, I might go too far and really incite the scholars of the world to anger and shake the intellectual community, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ultimately, this country still needs to be governed by these scholars.
However, while I understand, if things go wrong, someone has to take responsibility.
Furthermore, a plan for how to handle the situation needs to be formulated as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen stopped and turned to look at Wang Chengen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who had been following closely behind him. His tone was clearly displeased:
"Master, go to the Eastern Palace and tell the Crown Prince everything that happened in court today. Tell him to think carefully about what to do next! This is entirely his fault for not handling things properly. Yesterday he confidently said that he had reached an agreement with the Cabinet, so how did things turn out like this today? He has put me in a very passive position in court!"
Seeing the emperor's displeased expression, Wang Chengen quickly bowed and replied:
"This servant obeys the decree. This servant will go to the East Palace immediately and report to His Highness the Crown Prince without missing a single word."
After a moment's thought, Chongzhen added:
"Oh, and take that secret letter with you as well. Let him decide how to handle it."
That letter has now become a hot potato. Making it public has its troubles, but keeping it private has its risks, so I've decided to leave it to my son to deal with.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant understands."
Wang Chengen bowed again, then whispered a few words to a young eunuch beside him, instructing him to go back and retrieve the secret letter stored in the sandalwood box. He himself dared not delay for a moment, and turned to hurry towards the East Palace with small, quick steps.
At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM) in the Eastern Palace.
When Wang Chengen arrived at the East Palace, it was only just dawn, and the morning light shone through the window lattices, casting dappled shadows into the hall.
The Eastern Palace was still enveloped in the tranquility of early morning.
His arrival was ill-timed, because at that moment, Zhu Cilang was still in his bedchamber, embracing Zheng Xiaomei and fast asleep.
Although he knew that a major drama targeting the Kong family would unfold at today's court meeting, Zhu Cilang believed that everything had been arranged in advance. The Grand Secretary had been "persuaded," the Eunuch and the Secret Service had solid evidence, the Censor was leading the charge, the script was clear, and the actors were in place. All that was left was for the Emperor to make the final decision.
Therefore, he had few worries in his heart and was quite pleased with himself. He indulged himself and slept in comfortably, planning to wait for the results of the court meeting before getting up to hear the news.
But who would have thought that something would go wrong right at this seemingly foolproof step?
Inside the sleeping quarters, the curtains were drawn low.
Zhu Cilang was half-asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a series of urgent yet respectful knocks on the door.
"Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you awake?"
It was the voice of Ma Bao, the personal eunuch.
Zhu Cilang frowned, his eyes still closed, drowsy, and muttered irritably:
"Didn't I say there would be no court today? What's all the shouting about so early in the morning? Is the sky falling down?"
Ma Bao, standing outside the door, was clearly aggrieved, but dared not delay, and quickly lowered his voice to say:
"Your Highness, it's Eunuch Wang. He says he has an extremely urgent matter to report to you immediately!"
"Eunuch Wang? Wang Chengen?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang's drowsiness vanished instantly, and his mind cleared.
He was somewhat puzzled. Wang Chengen would never leave the imperial court so easily unless something major happened, much less come to the Eastern Palace so early in the morning. Could it be... that something unexpected happened at the court meeting?
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang felt a chill and could no longer sleep. Without saying a word, he sat up, lifted the curtain, and was about to get out of bed.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do?"
Zheng Xiaomei, who was beside him, was also awakened by the noise. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at Zhu Cilang, who was hurriedly getting dressed, in a soft and sweet voice.
As Zhu Cilang deftly tied his sash, he said without turning his head:
"Someone from the palace has come. It's the chief attendant of the Emperor. He says it's urgent. I'll be right back. You should sleep a little longer."
Having said that, without waiting for Zheng Xiaomei's reaction, he hurriedly put on his outer robe, slipped on his shoes, and quickly walked out of the bedroom.
Upon arriving at the outer warm pavilion, Wang Chengen was already waiting there, bowing respectfully.
Upon seeing Zhu Cilang emerge, he quickly stepped forward and bowed:
"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince. I have disturbed Your Highness's peaceful sleep. This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths."
Zhu Cilang waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, and without even bothering to have tea served, he asked directly:
"No need for formalities. What is it that has troubled you to come all this way? Has something changed at the court meeting?"
Seeing the Crown Prince's serious expression, Wang Chengen dared not conceal anything. He immediately recounted in detail the entire process of the morning court session, from the censor's impeachment and the testimony of the secret police, to Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan's sudden kneeling and obstruction at the crucial moment, the Emperor's eventual withdrawal of the secret letter, and the hasty announcement of the adjournment of the court. He even described the reactions of the officials in the court and the tone and expression of Emperor Chongzhen as clearly as possible. (End of this chapter)