Chapter 1976: The Old Emperor Can No Longer Sit Still

Zhao Kuangyi—it would not be an overstatement to praise him as deeply calculating and far-sighted. Just as he had estimated, someone had already grown so carried away as to provoke the old Emperor into a thunderous rage, driving this clash between eunuchs and bureaucrats into an even more complex situation.

The cause was simple: among the many memorials submitted to Emperor Liu, one enraged him. Jiang Mu, Left Vice Censor of the Censorate, submitted a memorial stating that the Palace City Office had overstepped its bounds and violated the law, bringing calamity to the state and harm to the people, intolerable to both heavenly principle and national law. He requested that Emperor Liu execute all the treacherous ministers and cruel officials led by Wang Ji'en, and at the same time abolish the Palace City Office—that office of heinous crimes—to restore a clear and pure atmosphere to the court...

A stirring speech, upright and "loyal" words, utterly sincere and earnest—but plainly, Emperor Liu was not buying it. In fact, he was thoroughly enraged.

The reason was also simple. When this remonstrance reached Emperor Liu's ears, translated into his understanding, it meant this: Wang Ji'en is a lowly hound, spying on ministers, insulting the worthy and able, rampant without restraint, abandoned by both gods and men. As for the Palace City Office, it has long weighed upon the worthy ministers of the court; the officials can no longer bear it, and this collective opposition is precisely the eruption of public sentiment.

Now public feeling surges and boils over, hard to contain. To avoid instability among the people and the collapse of the court, I beg Your Majesty to think thrice before acting, and by no means bring ruin upon yourself.

When Emperor Liu thought in this direction, the fury in his heart was easy to imagine. Upon receiving this remonstrance, Emperor Liu had only two reactions.

First, he asked: Who is Jiang Mu? After receiving the answer, he gave the assessment "his heart deserves death," and then said nothing more. But whether close ministers or palace eunuchs, all around him could feel the terrifying anger suppressed beneath that calm, aged face.

In fact, from the moment the petition drum sounded again and Xue Che lodged his complaint before the throne, Emperor Liu had likewise anticipated the course of events—this was the reading ability that decades as Emperor had given him.

But even when Lü Mengzheng and others launched their attack on Wang Ji'en, he maintained silence throughout, never taking a public stance, watching the shifting winds and clouds of the court like a mere spectator.

This was naturally also related to his conflicted state of mind. Toward Wang Ji'en, he did have the intention to deal with him, but not strongly—hence his attitude revealed a certain hesitation and indecisiveness, utterly lacking the decisiveness of the past.

Whether it was the crimes of the Palace City Office or the evidence against the officials, even when everything was laid out on the table, still no decision was handed down, as if he had truly immersed himself in the role of a spectator.

It was precisely this ambiguous attitude that caused the conflict to escalate. Both the court officials and the Palace City Office harbored hope, each displaying their own talents, deploying every means at their disposal. The situation grew ever more tense, until the court itself fell into chaos.

But no matter how they contended, the power of decision still rested with Emperor Liu. Unless this referee stepped into the arena, the matter would be hard to bring to any conclusion.

However, with the appearance of Jiang Mu's remonstrance, Emperor Liu's original "impartial" attitude naturally began to tilt.

If the struggle could be confined to Wang Ji'en himself, Emperor Liu could still exercise restraint. But when these people expanded their target to the entire Palace City Office, they touched Emperor Liu's reverse scale.

This act was viewed by Emperor Liu as a challenge to himself, a contempt for imperial authority. After all, the Palace City Office was an important extension of Emperor Liu's supreme imperial power—its guardian.

Of course, a mere Vice Censor was not qualified to represent ministerial power in challenging imperial authority. So Emperor Liu's gaze of suspicion and even vengeance naturally turned to the few ministers who had been jumping the highest.

And his continued silence was merely to see who else might leap out. Jiang Mu had become another Xue Che in Emperor Liu's eyes, and he hoped to lure out some more valuable targets.

And in Emperor Liu's mind, the measure of this "value" was that even Lü Mengzheng and Zhang Xun were still not qualified. But those at higher levels were all old foxes—each one as shrewd as a crystal monkey—and would never, under such a complex and treacherous situation, make any reckless or risky move.

But of all things, a "great figure" leaped out—one who made Emperor Liu curse aloud: Duke Wu, Liu Hui.

"Idiot!" The angry shout rang out in Chuigong Hall. The old Emperor paced before the imperial desk with a hunched back, his expression one of utter breakdown, his furious old face even appearing somewhat twisted.

Emperor Liu had not taken a stance on Jiang Mu's memorial about abolishing the Palace City Office precisely to fish. And indeed, some small fish and shrimp had surfaced, but the "big fish" Emperor Liu awaited showed not a trace.

But Emperor Liu never imagined that after several days of fishing, the one to leap out in the end would be an imperial prince. How could this not give Emperor Liu a cerebral hemorrhage? On the memorial spread across the imperial desk, a few passages could faintly be seen—Liu Hui's soaring literary talent leaping off the page. But what Emperor Liu felt was a foolish son, bouncing and hopping under the watching eyes of many, smug and pleased with himself, utterly unaware.

Duke Wu Liu Hui, in his memorial, also righteously and sternly presented his remonstrance to Emperor Liu calling for the abolition of the Palace City Office. This alone was enough to make Emperor Liu turn from embarrassment to fury.

At this moment, Emperor Liu truly wanted to summon Liu Hui, crack open his skull, and see what was actually inside. Liu Hui was after all no ordinary prince now—stationed in the Hall of State Affairs, shielded by authority. Whatever Emperor Liu's intentions, it was a mark of regard, and for Liu Hui, a rare opportunity.

After all, the previous royal representative Emperor Liu had placed in the Hall of State Affairs was Prince Jin, Liu Xi. The gap between the two was beyond measure.

Yet Liu Hui had disappointed Emperor Liu once again. He had worked alongside Zhao Pu and the others for several months now, learning none of their wisdom—but he had learned to wade into muddy waters.

"Someone, summon Zhang—" In his fury, Emperor Liu blurted out, then stopped abruptly.

Emperor Liu could not help but suspect that Liu Hui's memorial was not merely a case of a hot head—behind it, who knew what schemers were pulling strings and stirring things up. And that was absolutely not something Emperor Liu could tolerate.

To investigate this matter, in the past Emperor Liu's first reaction would inevitably have been to seek out Wang Ji'en—even now, that was still the case. But considering the current situation at court, and the shift in his innermost attitude toward Wang Ji'en, he ultimately changed a habit formed over decades.

"Summon Deputy Director of Palace Domestic Service Zhou Fang!" Emperor Liu's emotions reined in somewhat, and he said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Deputy Director of Palace Domestic Service Zhou Fang was likewise a senior eunuch of the palace, ranked among the top three in the Palace Domestic Service—only less conspicuous than Yan Tuo and Wang Ji'en. And most importantly, Zhou Fang was also the head of Emperor Liu's secret intelligence agency, the "Xiao." Whenever Emperor Liu needed to deploy Zhou Fang, it meant a major event was about to occur at court.

After giving his instructions, Emperor Liu wore a gloomy face, pondered for a long while, then looked up and sighed softly: "Rotten wood cannot be carved!"

"Go deliver the edict!" After his lament, Emperor Liu resumed his calm, cold expression and said icily to Yan Tuo, who stood nearby with lowered brows and obedient eyes: "Strip Duke Wu Liu Hui of all his court titles! Convey my words to Liu Hui on my behalf—tell him to return to his residence, and from now on, devote himself to his essays and his poetry. The affairs of the court need no speech or interference from him!"

"Yes!" Hearing Emperor Liu's instructions, Yan Tuo was startled inwardly. He had never imagined that in this political storm, the first to be "taken down" would be a full-fledged imperial prince.

After this affair, Duke Wu Liu Hui would likely lose all political prospects at court. Emperor Liu had made his disappointment abundantly clear.

At the same time, a chill spread from the top of Yan Tuo's head gradually down through his entire body. In the instant he bowed and withdrew, his old eyes could not fully conceal their terror and anxiety—he was caught in a turmoil of worry and doubt.

Judging from Emperor Liu's reaction, the situation did not bode well.

Zhou Fang soon arrived upon the summons. After paying his respects, he calmly and composedly awaited instructions. That utterly ordinary face now seemed anything but ordinary.

Staring at him, Emperor Liu wasted no words and directly ordered coldly: "Investigate Liu Hui. See who he has been in contact with recently, and whether anything is amiss!

Also, set all your spies and informants in motion. Compile the results of your surveillance and investigations over this period and give me a report!"

"Yes!"