Chapter 126: You Do the First of the Month, I'll Do the Fifteenth

From this moment on, the situation at court grew more and more intriguing.

Liu Yijing had begun making his move against the Donglin Faction—something Zhu Youxiao had not anticipated, yet was delighted to see.

Beyond these two forces, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had also started clashing with each other.

Relations between Wei Zhongxian and Chen Hong had also begun to sour. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had thrown its support behind Chen Hong, and the two sides were now evenly matched. As long as he himself didn't meddle recklessly, this situation would likely persist for quite some time.

Among the civil officials, there was another force he intended to nurture—the disciples of the School of Mind.

Of course, calling it the School of Mind wasn't quite accurate. It was really Li Zhi's doctrine—or rather, Li Zhi's doctrine as he himself had reformed it. But none of that mattered; what mattered was that this doctrine was one he had improved and then backed.

Take it slow!

Everything was now in place, and the curtain had been raised. This struggle would likely last for a while—exactly how long, even Zhu Youxiao didn't know.

If things went according to his own plans, with everyone acting as he had arranged, then naturally it could all be resolved quickly.

But reality was clearly not like that. The Donglin Faction was fighting back with desperate ferocity, and the one masterminding their response was vicious and deadly.

Liu Yijing wanted to reap the benefits of the fisherman, hoping to pick up an advantage when the Emperor struck against the Donglin Faction, and to stomp hard on them while they were weakened.

This old fox's conduct displayed all the seasoned cunning of officialdom at its finest. It gave Zhu Youxiao a new understanding of Liu Yijing.

In the consciousness Zhu Youxiao had carried over from before his transmigration, his assessment of Liu Yijing had not been high.

The reason was very simple—in governing this country, or rather in all matters of statecraft and military affairs, Liu Yijing had never displayed any extraordinary ability whatsoever. This was evident from his career record.

Liu Yijing was a typical product of the pure-stream official class—a jinshi from the Wanli era, selected as a Hanlin Bachelor, holding posts like Sacrificial Wine of the Directorate of Education and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, before now entering the Grand Secretariat.

The other reason for this impression came from later accounts—namely, that Liu Yijing had yielded his position too readily. He had directly handed his seat to Ye Xianggao, the leader of the Donglin Faction, which made many people look down on him.

Although Zhu Youxiao didn't look down on Liu Yijing, he hadn't thought highly of him either. In fact, when preparing to strike against the Donglin Faction, the first person Zhu Youxiao thought of wasn't his Chief Grand Secretary, but Fang Congzhe—who had already been driven back to his hometown by the Donglin Faction.

But this act of kicking a man while he was down had made Zhu Youxiao look at Liu Yijing with fresh eyes.

This old fox hadn't made any rash moves before this, showing he could bide his time. Now, at this moment, he had struck with exceptional decisiveness, and the affair he had stirred up was big enough. One could say his hand was steady, accurate, and ruthless. Whether in choosing the timing or grasping the opportunity, everything was perfectly apt.

Now Zhu Youxiao had some expectations for Liu Yijing.

Since Liu Yijing was willing to step onto the stage, let him take the lead for now!

Glancing at Chen Hong standing not far away, Zhu Youxiao spoke with an expressionless face: "Go and deliver an imperial edict of mine. Tell Chief Grand Secretary Liu Yijing that recently many people have submitted memorials demanding a thorough investigation of the Donglin Faction case, and the case of Xiong Tingbi being framed for colluding with Li Ruzhen of Liaodong. Some also want these investigated together, saying they should be merged into one case."

"I wish to know what the hundred officials think. Instruct the Grand Secretariat to issue a directive asking for the officials' opinions, then have the Grand Secretariat compile the results and present them to me."

Chen Hong hastily bowed and assented: "This servant will go at once."

With those words, he turned and hurried out.

Zhu Youxiao turned and walked back to his couch, leisurely letting out a breath, and reclined sideways against it.

A hint of ease appeared on his face, and his whole body relaxed considerably. The Ge You slouch really was extremely comfortable.

Things were actually easier to handle now—his own people didn't need to step forward so early.

Since the civil officials were willing to fight, let them slug it out among themselves first. Wait until they produced some kind of result.

He wouldn't worry about the other matters—he just needed to sit back and watch the show. This would be a very fine show indeed.

The situation at court these days could be described in four words: turbulent and unfathomable.

Every faction had made its grand entrance, each playing its own role. One side sang and another took the stage, dizzying to behold—and even more so, leaving people at a loss for what to do.

The atmosphere in the Grand Secretariat at this moment was extremely oppressive.

Both Han Kuang and Liu Yijing wore very grim expressions.

Recently, someone had dredged up Fang Congzhe and submitted memorials impeaching Noble Consort Zheng, claiming that people inside and outside the court had banded together to form a treasonous clique—not only murdering the late Emperor, but also harboring ill intentions toward the current Your Majesty.

The moment this came out, it shook the entire Grand Secretariat.

Han Kuang and Liu Yijing didn't need to investigate carefully—just by looking at who had submitted the routine memorials, they instantly understood who was pulling the strings behind this.

Neither of their expressions was pleasant.

Liu Yijing said bluntly: "These people are truly detestable! Is this the kind of thing one can casually say? Is this case something that can be casually stirred up again? What good does it do anyone to make a fuss? They truly have no regard for their lives—none of them do!"

Han Kuang found Liu Yijing's words rather unconvincing.

What use was throwing such a tantrum now?

Wasn't it because you yourself had struck so ruthlessly first?

You do the first of the month, I'll do the fifteenth—an exchange of blows between parties was hardly a big deal.

Losing composure like this made it seem like he couldn't take what he'd dished out.

But Han Kuang also knew that Liu Yijing was afraid.

The two of them knew all too well what kind of strength the Donglin Faction possessed.

They had barely made their move when such a powerful counterattack came, carrying a strong sense of "if I'm done for, you won't be fine either"—striking a posture of mutual destruction.

This was genuinely frightening for the two of them.

What had been dredged up was a case of treason—the gravest kind. Whoever got dragged into it would come to no good end. The two sides had truly locked horns now.

Han Kuang stood up, walked straight over to Liu Yijing's side, picked up the teapot and poured him a cup, then poured one for himself before turning back and sitting in his own seat.

After taking his seat, Han Kuang took a gentle sip of tea before speaking slowly: "Grand Secretary, the affairs of this world are always tangled and complex. If one didn't think about doing things, there would be no such worries. But since one must do things, such worries are unavoidable. At this point, saying anything else is meaningless. What we need to do is figure out how to resolve this matter."

With that, Han Kuang took another drink of water, and in a somewhat low voice said: "After all, they will never let us go now."