Chapter 150: Everyone Demands Severe Punishment for Wei Zhongxian

To be honest, Zhu Youxiao was feeling rather frustrated too.

He had never expected things to end up this way — Zou Yuanbiao had actually died, and died so inexplicably at that.

It really caught everyone off guard. But since things had already come to this, there was no other choice but to take it one step at a time.

There was no way to keep this matter hidden. Within a mere two hours after Zhu Youxiao released the news, word that Zou Yuanbiao had died of illness in the Imperial Prison spread throughout the entire officialdom of the capital.

Everyone's first reaction upon hearing the news was disbelief; after the doubt came deep shock, and then fury.

Every civil official was burning with rage, and their spearheads pointed directly at Wei Zhongxian of the Eastern Depot.

Although the man had died in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Imperial Prison, this time no one targeted the Embroidered Uniform Guard — everyone pointed their spearheads at the Eastern Depot and Wei Zhongxian.

Whether they did it deliberately or genuinely believed it, routine memorials impeaching Wei Zhongxian piled up like ox hairs, all delivered to the palace within just four hours.

For a time, the storm in the capital grew fiercer and fiercer. Everyone had already been extremely worried, and now on top of that, Zou Yuanbiao had died.

If Zou Yuanbiao had died after being convicted, or been executed for some crime, perhaps the crowd would not have made such a fuss.

But now Zou Yuanbiao had simply died of illness in the Imperial Prison without rhyme or reason — who would believe that? Wasn't this just you, Wei Zhongxian, that old eunuch dog, trying to cover things up?

For a time, officialdom in the capital was seething with indignation. Countless people demanded that Wei Zhongxian, this murderer, be severely punished, and Han Kuang was also impeached alongside him.

Zou Yuanbiao's death was more like a fuse, directly igniting the officialdom of the capital.

The Ministry of Works.

After sending everyone away, Zhao Nanxing plopped down onto a chair, sitting alone in the room for a long time without speaking. There was a trace of daze in his expression, and more than that, dejection and disbelief.

How could Zou Yuanbiao have just died?

This put a crack in the conviction Zhao Nanxing had just firmly established.

Zhao Nanxing's gaze was somewhat unfocused. He didn't know whether he should continue on, and his cloudy eyes were slightly moist.

Zou Yuanbiao's departure this time was simply too sudden — it was truly hard for people to accept. Everyone felt this way, and Zhao Nanxing's feeling was especially acute.

At the Zou family's funeral hall, sobbing filled the air, and everyone's spirits were low.

Han Kuang served as the minister in charge of the funeral arrangements and had been busy from the very first moment, leaving him no time to think too much. Han Kuang led people to send Zou Yuanbiao's body home, helped the Zou family set up the funeral hall, and even invited monks to conduct rites — everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

Zhu Youxiao also sent someone to the Zou residence — and it was Chen Hong, the Companion, who came. But the atmosphere at the Zou residence was still rather heavy. Only the wailing of the Zou family carried far; everyone else wore grim faces and said nothing.

Gao Panlong rushed to Zou Yuanbiao's funeral hall at the earliest opportunity. Whether his expression showed grief or sorrow was hard to tell — perhaps it was mostly anger. Gao Panlong's gaze at Han Kuang was extremely hostile.

There was also Grand Secretary Liu Yijing of the Grand Secretariat, who was glared at angrily by many as well.

Although these people dared not say anything to Liu Yijing's face, the expressions on their faces said it all.

For a time, the atmosphere was low and oppressive, yet faintly shrouded in rage.

Chen Hong simply couldn't bear staying in that oppressive place any longer, so he found an excuse and slipped back to the Qianqing Palace early.

Zhu Youxiao listened to Chen Hong's detailed report, his expression unchanged.

Everyone must die eventually — it just depends on how. Zou Yuanbiao had died somewhat ignominiously; even Zhu Youxiao hadn't expected him to end his life this way.

Now that the man was dead, some things had actually become harder to do, and Zhu Youxiao had a bit of a headache over it.

But some things still had to be done — there was no room for negotiation. He had laid his plans for so long and stirred up so many matters; naturally, he couldn't abandon them so easily.

But he couldn't act right now; he needed to slow down. The uproar was fierce, the Donglin Faction was poised for a counterattack, and everyone else had also reined themselves in.

The dead take precedence. This was no time to make a fuss. Besides, the man's family had suffered a death — kicking someone while they were down now would be extremely dishonorable. So for a time, there was a trend toward easing tensions in the court.

Of course, that was only on the surface. Behind the scenes, the Donglin Faction wanted to seize the chance to turn things around, even to topple Wei Zhongxian and take back what they had lost.

But the others couldn't just watch that happen. Though they showed no outward action, their underhanded methods were by no means few.

For a time, the entire court and country felt like a storm was brewing. Zhu Youxiao continued preparing for his grand wedding and did not bring matters to the table.

Meanwhile, Liaodong.

Xiong Tingbi looked at Wei Chao standing before him, his face beaming like a blooming flower.

His Majesty had bestowed rewards upon him and, at the same time, stood up for him. All those who had framed him had been thrown into the Eastern Depot's prison, and even Yuan Yingtai and Wang Huazhen had been arrested.

Xiong Tingbi was in an excellent mood, extremely delighted.

Wei Chao beside him wore a face full of exhaustion, forcing a smile.

This kind of errand running to Liaodong was truly exhausting — but that wasn't the key point. The key point was that he currently had no way to get close to His Majesty. Wei Zhongxian was at the height of his power. If he kept running errands like this for a few more days, he would probably lose His Majesty's favor completely, and then his future would be bleak.

"Eunuch Wei, let me treat you to some wine, Eunuch Wei." Xiong Tingbi said with a smile.

Wei Chao could only force a smile and follow along — there was really no other choice. Since he was already here, he couldn't very well refuse to show face.

Though he didn't want to move in his heart, Wei Chao could only muster his spirits and follow Xiong Tingbi out.

Outside, word that the court had sent rewards had already spread like wildfire, and the generals who received the news were all beaming with joy.

Their own general having prestige was something everyone was happy about; the court having given generous rewards was also worth celebrating — at least they wouldn't be inexplicably suspected by the court anymore.

With such a formidable superior, everyone's days ahead would surely be much better.

In the dead of night, Wang Xiangqian stood atop the city wall of Shenyang, gazing into the distance with an expressionless face.

His figure was somewhat gaunt, looking rather lonely in the darkness, seemingly out of place against the lively scene below the walls. Yet standing there himself, he seemed to fit in quite harmoniously.

Since arriving in Liaodong, he had visited several places and surveyed the situation there.

Overall, the situation in Liaodong was not good. Wang Xiangqian had heard about some of Liaodong's conditions before, and had done some research before coming, so he had mentally prepared himself.

But after actually arriving, Wang Xiangqian found that his preparations were still somewhat insufficient. Liaodong's situation was worse than he had imagined — it simply didn't have the conditions for a counterattack.

Never mind counterattacking — merely holding the line would be the best outcome. Wang Xiangqian began to feel worried: first, that Liaodong couldn't be held; second, that certain people in the court would stir up trouble.

One had to know that Liaodong had never been stable, and the greatest factor affecting it was the court.

Letting out a soft sigh, Wang Xiangqian turned and walked down, saying, "Prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. I want to submit a memorial to the court."

Wang Xiangqian intended to report the situation here to the court in full detail, to let them know what things were really like, to cut off their various wild notions — at the very least, to let the Emperor know not to be easily fooled by others.

Someone beside him acknowledged, "Yes, my lord."

After returning to his room, Wang Xiangqian had people brighten the lamps and began writing his routine memorial. Though he was deeply worried, in this memorial he tried his best not to mix in his personal emotions, lest it cause trouble.

While Wang Xiangqian was writing his memorial, the city of Beijing had already begun to stir — no one was talking about Liaodong at all.

Everyone was busy with factional infighting—who had the mind to care about Liaodong?

Some were thinking of protecting themselves, some were thinking of bringing down others. That was how everything proceeded; no one cared what was happening in Liaodong anymore.

Zou Yuanbiao's funeral arrangements went smoothly, and the Grand Secretariat had already proposed a plan for his posthumous affairs.

The court granted Zou Yuanbiao a posthumous title, and no one brought up the earlier case again. All due honors were given, and the Zou family carried his coffin back, preparing to transport the body home for burial. For this purpose, Zhu Youxiao even had Chen Hong send a good deal of ice over.

Fortunately, the weather had not yet reached its hottest point—otherwise, the body could never have been transported back at all.

Zou Yuanbiao's body was gone, but the remaining matters still had to be handled, and the entire court was waiting. The trend of impeaching Wei Zhongxian grew ever more intense; no one dared to speak in his defense anymore. It seemed everyone believed Wei Zhongxian was about to fall.

Deep within the imperial palace.

Zhu Youxiao summoned the court's high ministers, mainly the six Ministers and the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat.

This counted as a small court meeting, also called a court deliberation—the place where the Emperor and his ministers decided matters.

Of course, it was mainly the court's most important officials, that is, the ministers at the center of power, who participated in this meeting. Only those ministers able to enter this place could be considered holders of the court's top-level power; everyone else could only listen.

"Today's deliberation concerns the recent turmoil of public opinion. I wish to hear the views of my beloved ministers." Zhu Youxiao said softly.

No one spoke; the ministers were unwilling to step forward. At this moment, saying anything seemed wrong. Of course, this referred to those ministers whose positions were not so firm, or rather, those ministers who had no position at all.

Some people, however, needed to step forward. And had to step forward.

Gao Panlong stepped out at this moment, bowing as he said: "Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian is insane with wickedness, subjecting Zou Yuanbiao to excessive punishment. Zou Yuanbiao was a high minister of the court, advanced in years—how could he endure such humiliation? Moreover, Zou Yuanbiao died from the severity of the punishment. I request that Wei Zhongxian be severely punished."

No one present was surprised by Gao Panlong's words; he indeed had the standing to say such things.

After Gao Panlong, another person stepped forward—this person was Sun Shenxing, Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Sun Shenxing also spoke: "Wei Zhongxian is cunning and treacherous, deceiving those above and hoodwinking those below. He punished a court minister to death. I believe he should be severely punished."

After these two stepped forward, others gradually followed suit, their attitudes unanimous—severely punish Wei Zhongxian.

This pressure now fell upon the Grand Secretariat; the several Grand Secretaries also had to state their positions. If they remained ambiguous on this matter, it would no longer do.

Especially Han Kuang—if he could shift the blame onto Wei Zhongxian's head, that would be the best outcome for him. As for whether His Majesty wanted to protect Wei Zhongxian, that had little to do with him; he only needed to make his own stance clear.

But before Han Kuang could speak, the other Grand Secretaries within the Grand Secretariat had already stepped forward.

Shi Jixie was the first to step out, bowing as he said: "Your Majesty, I believe Wei Zhongxian should be severely punished, dismissed from his post, and his crimes adjudicated by the assembled ministers."