Chapter 82: Surrendering to Wei Zhongxian

Seeing Gao Panlong's expression, Han Kuang knew exactly what was going on.

He could not help but speak up: "How could you do such a thing?"

Hearing Han Kuang's words, Gao Panlong's expression turned even more sour.

But Gao Panlong knew full well that he needed Han Kuang's help right now, and absolutely could not afford to fall out with him.

So Gao Panlong suppressed the anger in his heart and said with some helplessness: "This is a long story."

"No matter, take your time." Han Kuang took a sip of tea, putting on an air of being all ears.

Han Kuang's attitude was perfectly clear — if you don't tell me, I certainly won't help.

For Han Kuang, the risk of getting involved in this affair was too great. If he did not understand the full ins and outs of the matter, he might well end up trapped in it himself.

Why would Han Kuang ever do something so high-risk?

Though they were all bound together by shared interests, he could not sacrifice his own future for their stupidity.

Gao Panlong was furious, but also helpless. Han Kuang's stance was clear, and he had no choice.

After pondering for a moment, Gao Panlong said to Han Kuang: "Grand Secretary, do you recall that audience with His Majesty?"

Han Kuang was startled, then quickly caught on and said directly: "You mean that time His Majesty summoned you and Yang Lian?"

Gao Panlong nodded and said with some helplessness: "Exactly that time. Before His Majesty on that occasion, Yang Lian said Yao Zongwen and the others should be severely punished; I, however, said the matter should be played down and settled quietly. You must understand, I acted out of public-mindedness. The situation in Liaodong is unstable, and the Jianzhou barbarians are running rampant. At such a moment, the court's policy should focus on pacifying Liaodong."

"If the Liaodong affair had exploded at that time, and the court severely punished Yao Zongwen and the others, while also severely punishing Li Ruzhen, that would have been bad for Liaodong. Bad for the Great Ming! After Yao Zongwen and the others were transferred to the Ministry of Justice, I discussed this matter with Zou Yuanbiao."

"He shared my view — this was not the time for a great upheaval. So I then discussed it with Yang Lian, and what we settled on was to make a great matter small and a small matter nothing. Of course, someone still had to bear responsibility for the Liaodong affair, and we chose Li Ruzhen."

"If all went smoothly, Li Ruzhen would be beheaded as a public example, and Yao Zongwen and the others would be dismissed from office and sent home. We also said at the time that their dismissal was only temporary — once the storm passed, they could be reinstated."

Hearing Gao Panlong's words, Han Kuang stroked his beard and nodded gently. His expression softened considerably, even carrying a hint of approval as he spoke: "Li Ruzhen first bore responsibility for losing territory, then committed the crime of colluding with court officials. Sentencing him to immediate execution is only fitting."

"As for Yao Zongwen and the others, they were momentarily foolish in accepting Liu Guojin's money. We all know the Censorate is hard-pressed for funds, so some lapse is hardly surprising. Dismissal from office and return home is a perfectly reasonable punishment — this was indeed the counsel of a seasoned statesman. Since that was the decision, how did things go wrong?"

Seeing Han Kuang speak this way, Gao Panlong breathed a sigh of relief inwardly — as long as Han Kuang approved of what he had done, that was enough.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Gao Panlong said helplessly: "The plan was well laid, but who could have known that Yao Zongwen and the others would recant their confessions in open court, insisting to the death that Wei Zhongxian had framed them, refusing to admit to any of their crimes!"

"At that point, we were caught between a rock and a hard place — we could hardly torture them the way Wei Zhongxian would. But persuasion was useless either."

"During this time, Wei Zhongxian kept feeding slander to His Majesty. His Majesty was pressing us hard, and we saw no way out, so we thought we might as well see the matter through to the end. We knew perfectly well what Wei Zhongxian was up to, so we decided to use this opportunity to strike Wei Zhongxian down."

"Looking back now, how foolish that was! From that moment on, we had already fallen into Wei Zhongxian's trap!"

"Feng Sanyuan and the others had long since defected to Wei Zhongxian — their recantation was done at Wei Zhongxian's instigation. By the time we submitted the interrogation records, Wei Zhongxian had already gone before His Majesty with slander, claiming that we officials were shielding one another and twisting black into white. His Majesty naturally grew suspicious, and the result was that His Majesty ordered Wei Zhongxian to retry the case."

"Once the retrial began, Feng Sanyuan and the others, again at Wei Zhongxian's bidding, falsely accused us of forming cliques for private gain. Now we cannot defend ourselves no matter what we say! And when that jailer died, it made His Majesty trust us even less. Wei Zhongxian keeps pouring in his slander, and the matter has become truly thorny. Grand Secretary, we have reached a moment of life and death. Our lives are of little consequence — but the survival of the Great Ming's rivers and mountains is a matter of utmost importance!"

"Wei Zhongxian is vicious, venomous, shameless, and treacherous. If this case is truly settled as one of forming cliques for private gain, then he will inevitably drag us all into it on a grand scale, and the court will be overrun by villains! At that point the Great Ming will cease to be a state! Grand Secretary, at this moment of crisis, you must not waver!"

Han Kuang nodded and said in a low voice: "Indeed, a great case should not be stirred up, but His Majesty must still be given some account of this matter."

"Yao Zongwen and the others accepted bribes and impeached Xiong Tingbi — His Majesty was already deeply displeased. The Censorate's duty is precisely to oversee all officials, yet because of private dealings and reckless impeachments, how could His Majesty not be angry?"

"Originally this matter was nothing much — severely punishing a few people would have been enough. But instead you shielded them, and the one being impeached became Wei Zhongxian, who was investigating the case. Naturally, His Majesty would come to think that we were engaging in private collusion."

"Even though we know this is Wei Zhongxian's scheme, we have no way to prove it. The urgent task now is to calm His Majesty's anger. Only once His Majesty's anger subsides will he be able to listen to our remonstrance. Otherwise, nothing can even be discussed!"

Gao Panlong nodded. He knew Han Kuang spoke sense, and asked directly: "Is there any way to handle this?"

In truth, Han Kuang had no good solution either — but since one could not solve the problem, one could solve the people causing the problem!

Glancing at Gao Panlong, Han Kuang said directly: "His Majesty's distrust of the Censorate now stems from Yao Zongwen and the others accepting bribes. But what truly made His Majesty so angry was the memorial submitted by Yang Lian and the others. That move made His Majesty believe they were colluding in private."

"Feng Sanyuan and the others are now in the Eastern Depot, beyond our reach. Even if we could reach them, it would be very difficult to make them testify against Wei Zhongxian. Since they have been bought by Wei Zhongxian, a few words from us will hardly make them see the error of their ways."

"But these people flip back and forth, sitting on the fence — their words simply cannot be trusted. After you return, have someone summon Zou Yuanbiao and Yang Lian, and tell them to submit memorials of self-accusation. Zou Yuanbiao failed to discipline his subordinates — the Censorate's own Censors accepted bribes, so he cannot escape responsibility no matter what; let him beg His Majesty for severe punishment. As for Yang Lian, let him admit his own inadequacy, that he was deceived by Yao Zongwen and the others, that he has failed His Majesty, and that he requests dismissal from office and punishment according to the law."

Gao Panlong roughly understood Han Kuang's strategy.

On one hand, attack Feng Sanyuan and the others — their words could not be accepted.

On the other hand, submit memorials admitting their own errors and begging His Majesty for severe punishment.

Let His Majesty vent his anger — only thus could they survive this crisis.

But Gao Panlong still hesitated somewhat — was this not tantamount to surrendering to Wei Zhongxian?