Chapter 52: Conflict Before the Throne

Several days later.

The details regarding the pirate invasion in Laizhou Prefecture finally trickled in from Shandong to Beijing.

Political disputes at court had now reached their peak.

Amidst a lingering, misty drizzle, the Emperor issued an imperial oral decree, summoning the Grand Secretariat, the chiefs of the Six Ministries, the Five Courts, and the Censorate to a council at the Wuyi Palace.

Early in the morning, the Ministers of the Six Ministries arrived outside the Hall of Longevity. Instead of entering the hall immediately, they waited outside the palace gates.

Even so, this arrangement offered subtle glimpses of the court's underlying factions.

For instance, Minister of Personnel Wen Yuan stood alongside Minister of Rites Xu Jie and Junior Vice Minister of War Zhan Rong.

Meanwhile, Minister of Revenue Xia Bangmo was quietly conversing with Tu Qiao, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Minister of Punishments Yu Maojian and Minister of Works Wen Ming gathered together, silently observing the two opposing groups before them.

The chiefs of the Five Courts could only linger in the corner, with the newly appointed Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Yan Shifan, standing out prominently among the crowd.

Before long, Senior Grand Secretary Yan Song arrived in a sedan chair from the direction of the Grand Secretariat, accompanied by Zhang Zhi and Lü Ben.

Only then did the assembled officials step forward together.

"Grand Secretary Yan, Grand Secretary Zhang, Grand Secretary Lü."

Surrounding them, the officials cast evaluating glances at the three senior ministers of the Grand Secretariat.

Zhang Zhi followed closely behind Yan Song, his hands slightly raised as if ready to support the Senior Grand Secretary at any moment, while Lü Ben brought up the rear with a rather sullen expression.

Yan Shifan had already stepped forward to support his father.

Yan Song swept his gaze across the crowd, then looked at Huang Jin, who was just walking out of the Wuyi Palace, a smile forming on his weathered face. "Chief Eunuch Huang, is His Majesty's sacred health well today?"

Huang Jin also wore a smile, cupping his hands in greeting before the assembled officials. "After a few drops of rain at the start of spring, the heavens withheld their dew. Over the past few days, His Majesty has been in quiet cultivation, praying for rain, and now the rain has finally come. The drought in the north has eased, and His Majesty has fewer worries on his mind. We also owe thanks to you grand secretaries and ministry chiefs for managing state affairs so diligently, preventing the drought from causing utter chaos."

Once these words were spoken, the officials naturally wore agreeable expressions.

Although the rain had been continuous recently, the drought in the northern regions had indeed been alleviated, promising a good harvest this year.

By this time, Huang Jin had led the group to the palace gates.

He came to a halt, cupping his hands in a formal bow to the gathering, the smile quietly vanishing from his face.

"Although the rain has fallen and the northern drought has eased, His Majesty's mood is far from good."

"On the fifth day of the fifth month, the pirate raid and pillage occurred in Laizhou Prefecture. The officers and men of the Fushan Forward Garrison died to the last man, and the prefectural granary and military storehouses were put to the torch by the bandits. If this had happened anywhere else, it might be overlooked, but Laizhou is slated for the experimental opening of maritime trade. Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng have already rushed there with their men."

As Huang Jin took the initiative to bring up the matter of the pirate invasion in Laizhou, the expressions of those present shifted abruptly.

Yan Song bowed deeper, his weathered face filled with sorrow as he silently raised his head to look at the continuous drizzle outside.

Huang Jin's tone grew somewhat more courteous. "Now that the event has occurred, there is no way to undo it. The people of Laizhou must be pacified, the imperial troops who lowered their guard must be held accountable, and the local government bears a share of responsibility as well. However, the matter of opening maritime trade must not be delayed."

Lü Ben and the others felt their hearts sink; Huang Jin's words amounted to laying the Emperor's bottom line on the table.

At this moment, Huang Jin's tone dropped, growing grave and solemn. "You are all pillars of the state. As I said before, no matter how great the crisis or how fierce the infighting, when it comes down to it, we must all pull together in the same boat."

Pull together in the same boat?

The officials repeatedly weighed Huang Jin's words in their minds.

Before long, they had all entered the Wuyi Palace.

Huang Jin first brought a cushioned stool for Yan Song, then signaled the others to line up on the left and right, while he walked over to stand before the imperial throne.

Witnessing this scene, the officials were momentarily bewildered.

Yan Song looked up at Huang Jin, then glanced toward the inner hall. "Eunuch Huang, His Majesty...?"

Huang Jin smiled faintly. "Grand Secretary Yan, His Majesty is currently in the inner hall reciting scriptures and praying, attended by the Crown Prince. He has instructed you grand secretaries and ministry chiefs to discuss the matter here first."

At these words, another wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.

Everyone began to guess what kind of stunt the Emperor was pulling today.

Only Zhang Zhi, standing among the crowd, kept his hands hidden within his wide sleeves, tightly clutching the memorial capable of piercing the heavens.

A heavy silence settled inside the hall for a good while.

Then, soundlessly, a dull bronze chime echoed from deep within the inner hall.

It seemed to announce that the imperial audience and deliberation for the day had officially begun.

Finally, Director of the Office of Scrutiny Zhao Wenhua took the lead with a cold snort and spoke up. "His Majesty has summoned us to deliberate before the throne today precisely because of the pirate invasion in Laizhou. Now that all the grand secretaries and ministers are present, this official believes we might as well first determine the crime of negligence for the three administrative offices of Shandong and the various officials of Laizhou Prefecture!"

Minister of Revenue Xia Bangmo immediately chimed in. "When the pirates invaded, the Shandong Regional Military Commission gave no prior warning. The Fushan Forward Garrison was wiped out to the last man, the Lingshan Guard stood by with folded arms, the Jiaozhou bailiffs and soldiers idly watched two granaries burn, and the Provincial Administration Commission has yet to issue any disaster relief. According to the law, from the Left and Right Administration Commissioners of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission down to the Prefect of Laizhou, the Magistrate of Jiaozhou, and the Commander of the Lingshan Guard, all such individuals must be investigated and held responsible."

Both men were staunch members of the Yan faction.

By speaking out first now, they intended to pin crimes on all the officials from the Southeast faction serving in Shandong, thereby sweeping them away so their own people could be planted in their stead.

Before the imperial throne, Huang Jin—who had spoken of pulling together in the same boat outside the palace gates—showed no trace of anger on his face, merely watching the men in silence.

At this point, the expressions of Lü Ben and the others shifted dramatically.

Recent controversies at court had been numerous, and the clashes surrounding the Laizhou pirate raid and the trial opening of maritime trade had already grown white-hot.

Now that the Yan faction showed such righteous indignation, their clear intent was to purge officials of all ranks in Shandong to make room for their own cronies.

Minister of Personnel Wen Yuan immediately spoke up with a dark expression to refute the claim. "Pirate invasions have historically been traceless. Yesterday they raided Fujian, today Zhejiang, tomorrow it could be Southern Zhili, and another day Guangdong. Now that Laizhou in Shandong has suffered a pirate raid, how could the officials of the Shandong three commissions have known beforehand?"

With that, he cast a sideways glance at Junior Vice Minister of War Zhan Rong.

Zhan Rong caught the cue and followed immediately. "This pirate raid came under cover of night, attacking the Fushan Forward Garrison rather than the Lingshan Guard, which shows they knew they were no match for the Lingshan Guard. Afterward, they crossed the Jiaozhou inner bay and plundered Fengmeng Town. With such lightning speed, how were the troops of the Lingshan Guard supposed to respond? In recent years, Japanese pirates and sea raiders have continuously attacked, and local governments are already living in terror. Although the Jiaozhou granary and military storehouses were burned, the townspeople suffered no casualties, which shows that the Jiaozhou yamen maintained proper defense at the time. Yet the pirate forces were overwhelming—how could ordinary bailiffs and garrison soldiers hope to slay the bandits?"

The two men, one after the other, struck back against the harsh accusations and entrapments of Zhao Wenhua and Xia Bangmo.

On the other side, Zhao Wenhua looked around, then locked eyes with Yan Shifan.

He let out a cold laugh.

Zhan Rong frowned. "Why is the Director laughing?"

Zhao Wenhua's expression remained unchanged as he sneered, "This official is merely amused by what the Minister and Junior Vice Minister have said. If we follow your logic—since so many soldiers and commoners died outside Jiaozhou City—does that mean not a single person in the entirety of Shandong should be held accountable?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Rong's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Zhao Yuanzhi! Cease your sophistry and harassment here! The soldiers and commoners died at the hands of pirates; what does that have to do with the local government? Did not the soldiers of the Fushan Forward Garrison die fighting bravely against the pirates? Are you suggesting that the pirate raid itself was the fault of these fallen soldiers?"

In the blink of an eye, the two men were at dagger-drawn, evenly matched.

At that moment, a particularly grating, cold snort rang out.

Following the sound, the officials looked over.

They saw Yan Shifan stepping forward with a face full of mockery.