“Th-this, this, this… I think…”
Censor Yan stammered, unable to get the rest out.
Bai Zhao interrupted him coldly.
“Enough with the ‘this, this, this’ and ‘that, that, that.’ His Majesty already thinks what I said makes sense. What? Are you daring to question His Majesty?”
“This minister would never dare! I never questioned His Majesty! His Majesty is wise and mighty, and his words are golden law… how could I possibly dare challenge His Majesty? The Bai Heir is just hurling false accusations and smearing this old minister’s innocence out of thin air. I beg His Majesty to see clearly!”
Censor Yan immediately dropped to his knees before Emperor Qian and complained with a face full of grievance.
Emperor Qian looked at Censor Yan with amusement.
This old scoundrel usually ran his mouth at everyone, and even Emperor Qian himself had been on the receiving end!
There was no helping it. These censors of the Censorate loved nothing more than nitpicking… opposing heaven, earth, and even the air itself. They attacked officials of all kinds, even the emperor, and they were not afraid of death at all!
After all, if the emperor killed them in anger, they would end up looking like loyal remonstrators who died for their principles in the history books, while the emperor would be branded a tyrant!
So these censors were usually the ones who started factional fights in court, and they enjoyed it immensely!
Now that Censor Yan had been rendered speechless by a sixteen-year-old youth, Emperor Qian felt genuinely relieved.
Emperor Qian looked at Bai Zhao and gave him a glance that clearly meant, “Handle it however you want.”
Bai Zhao understood at once.
“False accusations? Smearing your innocence? Wasn’t that exactly what Censor Yan was doing to this Heir just now?
He doesn’t understand the facts at all, yet he opens his mouth with nothing but distortions and tears into this Heir without any regard for right or wrong!
You say this Heir has neither talent nor virtue and is unfit to be Heir. Then let me ask you, Censor Yan: if you’re going to smear mud all over this Heir like that, do you deserve to be a censor of Great Qian?! Do you have any fairness at all?!”
Bai Zhao shouted sharply.
Censor Yan was so shaken by Bai Zhao’s loud rebuke that his whole body trembled. All he could do was kowtow nonstop and beg Emperor Qian for mercy.
“Your Majesty, Censor Yan acted out of public spirit, Your Majesty! He only wanted to protect imperial dignity and His Majesty’s face! He absolutely did not mean any harm! Please show mercy, Your Majesty!”
Watching Censor Yan tremble, Wang Qianshan’s gloomy face revealed a trace of disdain.
Useless trash. He was left speechless by a child who hasn’t even come of age!
But there was no choice. They still had to protect him, or else who would dare come close to the Wang faction in the future?
“Please show mercy, Your Majesty!”
Vice Minister of Revenue Du Ruhai behind him also echoed the plea.
“Don’t rush, Minister Wang. I’m done with Censor Yan. Now let me talk about you.”
Bai Zhao said slowly, a playful smile on his handsome face as he looked at Wang Qianshan.
“What’s there to say about me?”
Wang Qianshan’s heart sank, but his expression remained calm and light as he asked back.
“You, Minister Wang, are a high second-rank official of the court. Yet here on the court floor, you made such a huge fuss over your own worthless wastrel of a son!
The court is for discussing state affairs. It is not the place for you, Wang Qianshan, to come crying and airing family grievances!
When younger people fight, they settle it among themselves. Instead, you dragged it all the way to His Majesty’s Hall of Supreme Harmony! You’re using public office for private ends… you are utterly unworthy of being a minister!
And now I even suspect that you hold a grudge against this Heir because of Wang Li, and that you maliciously slandered and framed this Heir!
Did Censor Yan take some benefit from you, Minister Wang? He came straight after this Heir with a pile of lies!
This Heir also suspects that Minister Wang is colluding with a censor, maliciously framing me, and using public office to settle a private vendetta! I beg His Majesty to render a just judgment!”
Bai Zhao delivered a passionate, forceful rebuke, then knelt before Emperor Qian and spoke in a low, solemn voice.
Wang Qianshan also immediately knelt, no longer caring about Censor Yan, and said with feigned panic,
“Your Majesty, this minister is guilty! I should not have brought family matters before the court. But I absolutely did not use public office for private revenge. I beg Your Majesty to judge clearly and restore this minister’s innocence!”
He had lost. Utterly defeated. Today’s matter had been slipped past by that brat! But don’t be impatient… there will be other days ahead, boy!
Wang Qianshan thought this to himself in silence.
He could afford to lose. If it didn’t work today, he would wait for another chance and strike again later. He would not lose his reason over a single win or loss.
Emperor Qian looked at the kneeling figures before the desk, his authoritative eyes deep in thought.
This little one really had some skill! With just a few words, he had left Wang Qianshan and Old Yan helpless, and even turned the tables on them!
He said he was saving face for me… bah. Did you think I didn’t know your nature? You were clearly just avenging your own maidservant!
Hmm, this was a perfect chance to knock Gu Chuan down a peg. He really had gone a bit too far!
…
After a moment of thought, Emperor Qian slowly spoke.
“Censor Yan, your behavior today has truly disappointed me. You cannot tell right from wrong, and you nearly ruined a pillar of our court! Are you getting old? I permit you to retire and resign.”
That was a dismissal. Everyone in the hall understood it clearly. It was simply a dignified way of sending the old man away. Now nobody would speak up for him either.
Censor Yan understood it too. His whole body seemed to go limp, as if all the bones had been pulled out of him. He weakly kowtowed, performed the rites, and said in a strained voice,
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s mercy. This old minister accepts the decree.”
After that, he stood up and walked out of the hall, utterly dejected.
Emperor Qian then looked expressionlessly at Wang Qianshan again. Inside, he thought:
“Originally I was going to have Bai’s boy beaten with thirty strokes of the court rod, and then everyone would have been happy! I gave you face, and you didn’t give me face in return! Are you satisfied now?”
With that thought in mind, Emperor Qian continued.
“Minister Wang, I know you did not intentionally slander the Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei. But you have failed to educate your son! And here in court, you used public office for private ends!
The Bai boy was right: if a son is not taught properly, it is the father’s fault. You are the Minister of Rites, yet your own son has improper conduct.
Instead of reflecting on your own faults, you made a scene here in my Hall of Supreme Harmony and demanded that I punish the Bai family’s Heir to get justice for you!
I will fine you half a year’s salary and confine you to your home for half a month to reflect. Think it over carefully! As for your son, don’t let him leave the house until his injuries heal. Educate him properly in the future.
Do you have any objections to this punishment, Minister Wang?”
Hearing Emperor Qian’s heavy words of warning, Wang Qianshan silently clenched his fists! He lowered his head and replied without a trace of emotion,
“This minister accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your grace. Your Majesty is wise. This minister has no objections and is willing to accept the punishment.”
Damn it. What do you mean, “I know you didn’t intentionally slander him”? Bah. Was it intentional or not?
Bai Zhao inwardly mocked Emperor Qian’s hypocrisy. He knew there was no way Emperor Qian would truly do anything serious to Wang Qianshan, but it still annoyed him!
Emperor Qian watched Wang Qianshan accept the punishment and nodded slightly.
He leaned toward Grand Seal Eunuch Yu beside him and whispered an order.
The old eunuch Yu respectfully nodded, flicked his whisk, and announced in a loud voice,
“Summon Gu Chuan, commandant of the Left Brave Guard, to enter the hall!”
As a general of the Imperial Guard, Gu Chuan held a fourth-rank post, but even that did not entitle him to stand inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!
While Emperor Qian waited for Gu Chuan to come in, he hesitated over how to handle him.
This Gu Chuan, though he played both sides and offended no one, had some flaws in his conduct and character. But he did have ability!
After all, to rise from a wealthy commoner’s son with no background to a fourth-rank Imperial Guard general before the age of thirty was no ordinary feat.
But precisely because he had no background, Gu Chuan was too cautious. To curry favor and avoid offending the sons of aristocratic clans and noble families, he often did things that went beyond proper limits!
“Fool! As the guard commander of Mingde Gate, the gateway to the capital, and as the general of my Left Brave Guard, I am your greatest backing! What do you need to flatter other people for? You’re simply disgracing me!”
Emperor Qian cursed inwardly with a grim face.
Bai Zhao looked at Emperor Qian’s livid expression and immediately understood that Emperor Qian wanted to give Gu Chuan a light punishment as a warning.
Seeing that you helped me a little today, I’ll give you a way out in a moment.
Gu Chuan walked in from outside the hall. Seeing Emperor Qian’s dark face behind the imperial desk, his heart began pounding. This was bad… something was going to go wrong!
“Your Majesty, this guilty subject Gu Chuan respectfully greets Your Majesty!”
You know you’re guilty, do you? I don’t think you have any idea what you did wrong at all!
Emperor Qian thought irritably.
“Oh? General Gu, let me ask you: what crime have you committed?”
Gu Chuan was immediately stumped.
To be honest, he hadn’t heard everything clearly from outside the hall. He only saw Emperor Qian’s unpleasant expression and guessed that Minister Wang’s group had probably failed to defeat Bai Zhao.
But if you asked him to spell it out clearly, he really didn’t dare say anything rash!
Emperor Qian was already annoyed by Gu Chuan’s bewildered look when Bai Zhao’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Your Majesty, I believe that although General Gu Chuan joined Wang Li in coercing this minister, which harmed the imperial family’s dignity,
I have already punished him for that. Besides, General Gu Chuan has guarded the city gate for many years. Even if he has no great achievements, he still has hard-earned merit. I think Your Majesty should give him only a light punishment as a warning!”
When Gu Chuan heard Bai Zhao subtly reminding him and speaking up for him, it sounded like heavenly music!
He shot Bai Zhao a grateful look. He had never expected that it would be this Heir, the one he had clashed with, who would pull him back at the end.
Emperor Qian glanced at Bai Zhao in surprise, just in time to catch Bai Zhao winking at him!
He couldn’t help laughing. This little brat. He was deliberately giving me a way out!
“Mm, the Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei makes sense. Very well! I will remove you as commandant and demote you to deputy commander of the Left Brave Guard. When you return, you will receive fifty military rod strokes and forfeit one year’s salary!
“The post of commandant of the Left Brave Guard will be temporarily held by your deputy. When you figure out your mistake, you may be reinstated. Gu Chuan, do you accept the punishment?”
The capital’s sixteen Imperial Guard units each had one marshal and two generals.
In military terms, the marshal is called the commander, while the general is called the colonel, and below that are the majors!
Although Gu Chuan was still a little confused about what Emperor Qian meant, he did not dare ask more at this moment. He hurriedly accepted the decree and thanked His Majesty.
Emperor Qian waved him away, then turned to Mei Zhili, the Prefect of the Capital, who was standing at the end of the civil officials’ line.
“Today the Bai Heir was right: water can carry a boat and can also overturn it. Gu Chuan, as the commander guarding Mingde Gate, behaved like this and truly brought shame upon the royal family!
Minister Mei, after court adjourns, draft a notice yourself, state my intentions clearly, and make Gu Chuan’s punishment public. Let the people of Chang’an know that I care for the common people! Do you understand what I mean?”
The Prefect of the Capital had not expected to be pulled into this as well, and hurriedly knelt in a fluster to accept the order.
Emperor Qian nodded with satisfaction. But when he saw Bai Zhao’s smug, triumphant expression, he still felt somewhat irritated!
So you beat someone, you beat my man, and you still walk away with nothing wrong, huh? No, I need to find a way to make trouble for him!
Bai Zhao looked up and saw Emperor Qian’s uncertain expression staring straight at him. He felt a little uneasy.
Emperor Qian shook his head, waited for everyone in the hall to digest his decree, and then continued.
“Yesterday the Great Yan Emperor sent me a state letter, hoping to send the talented scholars of Great Yan to Great Qian for an exchange and study program!
Yesterday all of you ministers made excuses and refused to take on the task. Since today I see that the Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei is eloquent in court and can quote the classics fluently and write polished prose on the spot, then I will entrust this matter to the Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei!
“Bai boy, what do you think?”
Emperor Qian looked at Bai Zhao with a faintly threatening gaze, and there was a trace of malicious amusement at the corner of his mouth. It was obvious he had no intention of allowing Bai Zhao to refuse.
Boy, you’ve been pretending to be dull for so many years. This time I want to see just how capable you really are!
Bai Zhao was speechless inside.
“Damn it, that’s just low. I only helped you out and gave you a way down, and now you turn around and screw me like this! What do I think? Do I dare refuse?
If I end up making a fool of myself and embarrassing everyone, don’t blame me! Whatever happens, happens!”
The more Bai Zhao thought about it, the more annoyed he became. With a dark face, he reluctantly said,
“Yes, Your Majesty. This minister obeys.”
The hall’s reaction was mixed. Most civil officials had a let-the-world-burn attitude and stood there expressionless… some even looked delighted. After all, most civil officials had never gotten along well with the Bai family.
Most military officers, however, were proud. Look at that… he really is Old Prince Bai’s boy! A matter as big as scholars from another country coming to exchange ideas was entrusted by His Majesty to the young Heir rather than those hypocritical civil officials. This really brings honor to our military line!
A few old generals, meanwhile, looked at Bai Zhao with obvious worry.
Chen Wei was torn inside. He wanted to see just how capable Bai Zhao really was, but he was also afraid Bai Zhao would make a mess of it and incur His Majesty’s wrath!
Just as he was about to speak up and plead for mercy, Emperor Qian’s authoritative eyes casually swept over him, and he immediately shut his mouth.
“Bai boy, I can’t help you anymore…”
Seeing Bai Zhao’s reluctant expression, Emperor Qian felt much better.
“Very well. The Great Yan delegation will arrive in the capital in about half a month. Prepare yourself, Bai boy. I’ll have the Fourth Prince work with you on the specifics!
“Ministers, is there any other matter to report?”
After finishing with Bai Zhao’s matter, Emperor Qian went on to deal with the ministers’ memorials.
Bai Zhao rolled his eyes, stepped back, leaned behind a pillar, yawned, and idly drifted into a daze.
An hour passed like that. At last, Grand Seal Eunuch Yu loudly announced the end of court. Bai Zhao, still half-asleep, followed everyone else in the ritual, stretched, and walked out.
“Boy, do you have confidence in this task?”
Chen Wei quickened his steps to catch up and asked in a low voice.
Bai Zhao looked this man over.
He wore the same scarlet brocade court robe as Wang Qianshan, stood about five feet eight inches tall, and had hair that was already turning a little white.
Unlike Wang Qianshan, his face was a little dark, his features sharply defined, carrying a sense of boldness and determination. Beneath thick black brows, a pair of tiger eyes shone with a piercing light.
He had a sturdy build, and the wide civil official’s robe somehow looked slightly tight on him. He looked nothing like a civil official at all… more like a military man.
Bai Zhao also remembered who he was. Wasn’t this the cheap prospective father-in-law his mother had mentioned to him yesterday?
Minister of Works Chen Wei!