Chapter 32: A Single Stone Stirs Up a Melee
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At the next morning court, Imperial Censor Luo Xungong, who had always kept a low profile, suddenly submitted a memorial. It was as though a colossal boulder had been hurled into a placid lake.
The resulting waves were nothing short of tempestuous.
In his memorial, he clearly and explicitly impeached Grand Tutor Gu Qingzhi for one hundred and twelve grave offenses.
These included, among other things, allowing his slaves to commit violence, maintaining a private army, embezzling, accepting bribes, neglecting his duties, indulging his children in abusing their power, bullying men and violating women, showing contempt for imperial authority, harboring treasonous intentions, and so on.
Every single one of these offenses was grave enough to warrant the extermination of an entire clan.
More astonishing still, there had been not the slightest warning or hint beforehand. Yet together with his impeachment memorial, Luo Xungong presented several hundred pages of testimony, depositions, and evidence.
It was impossible not to believe that the crimes of the entire Gu household were too numerous to record.
When Gu Qingzhi heard all this, rage and alarm overwhelmed him. Before he could utter a single word in his defense, he fainted.
Fortunately, Gu Qingzhi’s students and former associates were spread across half the court. The words he had not had time to speak were voiced on his behalf by men who knelt, kowtowed, and even threw themselves against the pillars to plead for him and distinguish truth from falsehood.
It was not only these students and former associates who refused to believe it. Zhao Yizhen did not believe it either. Even Secretariat Commissioner Cao Heyong, who had always been at odds with Gu Qingzhi, did not believe a single word.
Cao Heyong was a military man. His manners were rough and his voice invariably loud. He abruptly shoved aside Academician Zhang, who was kowtowing at the front, and began shouting in court:
“Your Majesty, although I have never gotten along with that old Gu cur, I must still speak a fair word for him. If you say he is rigid, obstinate, and lacking in human feeling, I believe you. But if you say he took bribes or harbored treasonous intentions, then beat me to death and I still will not believe it! The old cur’s entire outfit could not be worth ten taels of silver put together. He has worked himself gray-headed and stoop-backed for the sake of Great Yu. If a man like him cannot be counted a loyal subject and a gentleman, then in my view, more than half the officials in this court are damned traitors and petty villains!”
“Minister Cao, do not forget that you still have a great deal of filth of your own left uncleaned. You leap out to plead for Grand Tutor Gu—are you not afraid of sullying his good name?”
“You’re talking a load of rubbish!” Cao Heyong spun around at the sound of the voice. “Old Liu, whose family has never had a few worthless descendants or spoiled scions? No household is filled entirely with fine young shoots, is it?”
Cao Heyong’s words cast far too wide a net.
Though every household had a few younger members who failed to live up to expectations, such matters could be dealt with behind closed doors—argued over, beaten over. There was no need to drag them into public and make everyone lose face.
Cao Heyong’s words aroused the fury of the entire court, and the officials began arguing with him all at once.
“Hey, the worst our worthless descendants do is fight cocks and run dogs. Yours are different—beating commoners in the street, bullying men and violating women. We cannot compare!”
“That is not all. His worthless descendant even married off a servant girl he had slept with to the son of a respectable family, then made the poor man a cuckold!”
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“That is nothing. His worthless descendant even dared to have people call him ‘Your Majesty.’ Which of you would dare that?”
“Shut your filthy mouths!” Cao Heyong had been suppressing a bellyful of fury for a long time. Ever since Cui Ji had impeached him at the previous morning court, he had held it in until now. At last he could bear it no longer. He swung a heavy fist into Cui Ji’s nose. “You old bastard framed me!”
The dignified imperial court turned into a marketplace, and a full-scale brawl broke out.
Only when Zhao Yizhen summoned the Imperial Guards into the hall and had them separate the officials—whose faces were bruised and swollen from shouting and fighting—did the farce finally come to an end.
“You—you are utterly outrageous! Do you still have any regard for me, your emperor, or for the Grand Empress Dowager?” Zhao Yizhen roared in fury, sweeping everything from the imperial desk and smashing it to the floor.
Empress Dowager Wen was astonished by Luo Xungong’s efficiency and results, and even more astonished by the ruthlessness of his strike. He had shown no mercy and had gone straight for the most difficult target to bring down—and the one most likely to retaliate.
Such courage truly forced her to look upon him with new respect.
It also made her heart pound with alarm.
She parted the beaded curtain and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, since someone has submitted an impeachment, the facts must naturally be investigated. Anger will accomplish nothing.”
Zhao Yizhen calmed himself and stared fixedly at Empress Dowager Wen, unable to believe that she had truly resorted to such unscrupulous methods.
“Grand Empress Dowager, this impeachment today was made at your instruction, was it not?”
Empress Dowager Wen shook her head. “I do not know what prompts Your Majesty to say such a thing. I believe in Grand Tutor Gu’s character. However, the late emperor established a rule: accusations based on hearsay may be submitted without penalty. Regardless of the circumstances, the accuser is not to be punished, while the accused must prove his own innocence. What is more, Minister Luo has produced solid evidence. This matter must be investigated thoroughly, so that an explanation may be given to the people of the realm.”
“Good. Good. Good!” Zhao Yizhen repeated the word several times. “Grand Empress Dowager, the late emperor also established another rule: once a memorial is received, action must be taken, and whoever takes action earns merit!”
He raised a hand toward the many ministers sporting bruises and bloodied faces and demanded sharply, “My esteemed ministers, who is willing to undertake the investigation and clear Grand Tutor Gu’s name?”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone exchanged glances.
No one dared, at such a moment, to provoke Emperor Jing and Empress Dowager Wen, inviting trouble upon themselves.
After a brief silence, Cui Ji stepped forward, one hand clamped over his nose. Blood trickled steadily between his fingers.
He held his neck stiffly and said, “Your Majesty, Grand Empress Dowager, I am willing to accept the command and investigate Minister Luo’s impeachment of Grand Tutor Gu in detail. However, I also have a humble request. I hope Your Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager will grant it.”
Hearing this, Empress Dowager Wen guessed what Cui Ji intended to ask. She shouted, “Cui Ji, how dare you! How can you make demands at court as though you may choose whatever you please?”
Zhao Yizhen narrowed his eyes, his expression calm. “Grand Empress Dowager, Minister Cui has not yet said what he wants. Why are you in such a hurry?”
He turned his head and asked, “Minister Cui, what is your request? Speak freely.”
Cui Ji glared viciously at Cao Heyong before turning back. “I request permission to investigate, at the same time, the matter of Cheng Yulin of Bianliang Prefecture impeaching Wen Qixiong, the nephew of the Duke of Wen.”
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At Cui Ji’s words, Empress Dowager Wen suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was merely a collateral member of the Wen family who had committed an offense. Let them investigate if they wished; it would not harm the foundations of the Wen clan.
Yet when she turned her thoughts to the matter, she was once again utterly perplexed.
Had Cao Heyong struck Cui Ji so hard that he had damaged his brain?
A moment ago, he had been snapping at Cao Heyong like a mad dog, refusing to let him go. Why had he now failed even to mention him?
How could he abandon such an excellent opportunity to turn the tables?
Zhao Yizhen was equally baffled. He stared blankly at Cui Ji. “Minister Cui, tell me—whom did you say you wanted to investigate?”
Cui Ji bowed. “I request permission to investigate, at the same time, the matter of Cheng Yulin of Bianliang Prefecture impeaching Wen Qixiong, the nephew of the Duke of Wen.”
Zhao Yizhen was struck speechless. The question escaped him before he could stop it.
“Then you are no longer investigating your impeachment of Cao Heyong?”
“Your Majesty!” Empress Dowager Wen had truly lost her composure today. Her voice was far sharper and more grating than usual, and it cut off the rest of Zhao Yizhen’s words at once.
At that moment, Luo Xungong—who had impeached Gu Qingzhi and caught everyone completely off guard—stepped out from among the officials and bowed.
“I am willing to recommend myself and accept the command to investigate Minister Cui’s impeachment of Minister Cao.”
Zhao Yizhen gave a cold laugh. “You dare investigate it, but I do not dare let you do so!”
Luo Xungong fell silent.
His Majesty’s retaliation was rather too obvious.
Empress Dowager Wen, however, settled the matter with a single decisive word. “I consider this arrangement entirely appropriate. Let Minister Luo investigate Minister Cui’s impeachment of Minister Cao.”
Without waiting for anyone to object, Empress Dowager Wen hurriedly compelled Emperor Jing to draft the imperial edict. She personally affixed the imperial seal, turning the matter into an unalterable fact.
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