Chapter 2076: Taizong Chronicles 18: Shifting Ground

Liu Yang was still a very diligent emperor, even more hardworking than during his time as Crown Prince, rising before dawn and eating after dark—this was evident from his daily waking time. Many civil officials in the court praised him in unison, saying His Majesty had the style of Shizu in his day, and wrote poems and compositions to record and extol this matter.

Because he was burdened with excessive worries, Liu Yang rose even earlier than usual today. Before the hour of Yin had even passed, he had already left his bed. Before he had even wiped the sleep from his eyes, he heard the news that Song Bai, Governor of Luoyang, was waiting at the palace gate for an audience.

Liu Yang immediately associated this with many things and summoned him. Yet even after personally hearing Song Bai's full report of the commotion that had occurred at the Luoyang prefectural office the night before, he still could not help but be furious. Had his emotional control not been up to par, he would likely have cursed out loud on the spot.

This Liu Ye—had water gotten into his brain, or had lard blinded his heart? How could he be such a scoundrel, throwing his noble person into prison with utter disregard for imperial protocol and the dignity of the Heavenly House? Even the ninth brother, Liu Shu, had never been so reckless about what mattered and what didn't.

Was Liu Ye's action meant to pressure the Luoyang prefectural office, or to pressure the court, or was it to slap the face of him, the imperial elder brother? A trifling matter blown up to such proportions—what was his intention? Was he trying to embarrass this new emperor?

Countless thoughts mixed with anger and suspicion swirled and formed in Liu Yang's mind, but in the end he forcibly suppressed this impulsive emotion. After a long while, he raised his somewhat stiff face, stared at the visibly nervous Song Bai, and asked coldly: "You just let him make a scene?"

"In response to Your Majesty, your servant tried with all his might to dissuade and persuade, but the Duke of Liang would not listen. Your servant truly could do nothing," Song Bai said with a mournful tone.

"Could do nothing?" Liu Yang sneered twice: "Have you ever considered, why would my thirteenth brother lower his face to make a trip to your Luoyang prefectural prison?"

Although the emperor's laughter was quite restrained, to Song Bai it was rather terrifying. Suppressing the fear in his heart, he said in a trembling voice: "It was because Administrative Assistant Kou Zhun, without seeking approval, took it upon himself to lead constables to arrest Zhou Sun, captain of the Duke of Liang's guard, on charges of murder!"

"So you're saying this is Kou Zhun's problem?" Liu Yang said.

Song Bai blurted out: "Had Kou Zhun sought approval beforehand, your servant would certainly have stopped Kou Zhun from acting arbitrarily!"

"Idiot!" Liu Yang finally cursed out loud.

Hearing this, Song Bai seized the opportunity to impeach: "Your Majesty, this Kou Zhun has always acted with arrogance and defiance, doing as he pleases. This trend cannot be allowed to grow, and his actions cannot be forgiven. Your servant requests—"

"I was talking about you!" Liu Yang's voice immediately rose several pitches, cutting off Song Bai: "That Zhou Sun killed someone—is that a fact? What objection is there to Kou Zhun arresting him for questioning?"

Hearing these words, Song Bai realized he seemed to have misread the situation, yet he could not help but harbor doubts—could His Majesty actually approve of Kou Zhun's actions? How was that possible!

However, facing such a rebuke from the emperor, even with doubts in his heart, Song Bai's body instinctively knelt prostrate on the ground, kowtowing: "Your servant is guilty!"

Seeing this, Liu Yang said angrily: "Set aside other matters for now, I ask you this! Does your Luoyang prefectural office have the authority to detain a member of the imperial family? Is your Luoyang prefectural office trying to overstep the authority of the Court of the Imperial Clan?"

How could Song Bai not know where the problem lay? Being called out on the spot by the emperor, he completely panicked and explained urgently: "Your Majesty, please see clearly, your servant would never dare! It was just that the matter arose suddenly, and the Duke of Liang pressed with his authority, and your servant could not respond in time..."

"From the sound of your words, the problems and responsibilities before and after this matter all lie not with you, but with others?" Liu Yang could not help but mock.

Hearing this sarcasm, Song Bai was somewhat embarrassed. Although he truly thought this way in his heart, feeling that being implicated was an undeserved calamity, he still put on a look of shame on his face and kowtowed: "Your servant dares not shirk his own faults. Dereliction of duty and failure of oversight—I cannot escape blame! Your servant is muddle-headed and incompetent, and humbly begs Your Majesty to mete out punishment!"

"You are certainly incompetent!" This was probably the first time since Liu Yang ascended the throne that he had berated a minister so mercilessly: "You could not restrain your subordinates beforehand, and you could not contain the situation afterward. What use do I have for you as Governor of Luoyang? A decoration?"

Facing the emperor's scolding, Song Bai's face burned with shame. He was, after all, a respected Confucian scholar of some standing; to suffer such censure today was a complete loss of face. Without arguing in his defense, Song Bai bowed his head and kowtowed again: "Your servant is muddled and confused, my virtue does not match my position. I dare to request dismissal from my post!"

Song Bai's tone carried a fair amount of grievance, but hearing his request, Liu Yang said with no small amount of derision: "This is the main reason you came to see me this morning, isn't it! Pushing the trouble onto me? Ignorant beforehand, inactive during, incompetent afterward—if the court were full of ministers like you who shirk responsibility and go through the motions, how could this realm remain clear and just?"

"Your servant is deeply ashamed and utterly mortified. Please mete out punishment, Your Majesty—I will have no complaints!" Being so humiliated and mocked by the emperor, Song Bai's pitiful self-esteem was severely wounded, and his old face flushed bright red. If his earlier plea for punishment had carried some pretense, now it came from the heart. Once word of today's exchange between sovereign and minister in the palace hall spread, he would have no face left to sit high in the court and keep company with the worthies.

Looking down at Song Bai, seeing his pitiful state, Liu Yang could not help but sigh. In the end, he let him off, waving his hand: "Enough. Withdraw for now, return to Luoyang and await further orders." "Your guilty servant takes his leave!"

Who was it that had placed this man in the position of Governor of Luoyang in the first place? After the man withdrew, Liu Yang could not help but wonder. It seemed to have been a choice made by the late emperor. Liu Yang had always trusted, even worshipped, the late emperor's judgment. Yet now it seemed that even the most brilliant could err in their choices.

Clearly, after this incident, Liu Yang was extremely dissatisfied with Song Bai. At the same time, he could not help but think of the previous governor, Song Zhun. Both shared the surname Song, yet how vast was the gap between them in official conduct and handling of affairs.

However, compared to Song Bai, what troubled Liu Yang more was obviously Liu Ye, who had caused this trouble. This matter was of course instigated by Liu Ye—had he not acted improperly, how could he have given others an opportunity to exploit and attack? Otherwise, no matter how bold Kou Zhun was, he would not have dared to do such a thing!

Perhaps because of Liu Ye's affair, Liu Yang cancelled the day's small court assembly, and even the normal governance sessions were cancelled. But at the same time, he successively summoned ministers including Prince of Zhao Liu Fang, Director of State Affairs Lü Duan, Commissioner of the Palace City Wang Yue, and Minister of Personnel-designate Murong Defeng.

Regardless of cause or process, the result was that "the Duke of Liang imprisoned" had become a fact, and its impact on the Great Han's court and public opinion could without question be described as a tremendous uproar. It also rapidly diverted the attention of a large portion of court officials, making it another focal event at the center of power alongside the "enfeoffment debate."

And since both matters involved feudal princes, they were naturally linked together in people's minds, also highlighting one point: the current focus of the central court's affairs was the enfeoffment of the princes.

A large wave of officials who had been sharpening their knives over the "cost of enfeoffment" turned their spears after the incident, shifting their attention toward Liu Ye. This was a very serious matter—to a certain extent, it was even easier and more suitable for making an issue of than enfeoffment.

Because for the former, there was the "ancestral system" of Emperor Shizu. No matter how hard one tried, no matter how one attacked it, it would be very difficult to shake in a short time, and the final result might only be securing some superficial adjustments.

The latter was completely different, with even deeper implications, because it involved an extremely sensitive political issue—namely, the "judicial immunity" that the imperial house naturally possessed.

Regarding crimes committed by the imperial house and the imperial clan, Emperor Shizu's legal provisions in this area were somewhat vague, even crude. It was as simple as one rule: clan members who committed crimes were handed over to the Court of the Imperial Clan for disposition. But how the Court of the Imperial Clan handled them was another system entirely. This was clearly a harm to the court's judicial authority. The politically correct notion of "princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners" was completely abandoned in actual legal provisions.

With two such separate systems, conflicts were bound to arise over time. This was different from the independent system within the palace—palace rules were after all limited in scope, with a restricted range, but their regulations were more detailed.

But the imperial clan issue directly involved political and legal systems. Any crime they committed infringed upon the Great Han's normal administrative and judicial order. In the past, the conflicts had not been so obvious.

First, there was Emperor Shizu's suppression—whoever dared to commit crimes faced harsh measures. Not just whipping with leather straps or beating with boards, but even house arrest until death, though it wasn't quite so severe for the dragon sons and grandsons.

Second, in the early years the imperial family members were not yet too numerous, and the scope of influence was limited. But by the late period of Emperor Shizu's reign, the imperial clan had exploded in numbers—the imperial house alone was a huge family, and in the future it would only grow larger. Could the management of the Court of the Imperial Clan truly cover all members of the imperial family? Could it strictly enforce the law? And shouldn't its provisions be clearer and more specific?

Carrying similar considerations, the officials who had shifted their ground began to discuss this matter, speaking up eagerly and offering advice, putting on a show of exhausting themselves for the country and being loyal to the imperial house.

In fact, even Emperor Liu Yang himself had given it thought. The management of the imperial clan truly needed to be tightened, and could not be allowed to run rampant—otherwise what would be ruined was the imperial house's reputation, and what would be threatened was the empire's rule.

However, the ministers' eager remonstrations also made Liu Yang unable to help but suspect: what exactly was the hidden motive behind such enthusiasm? Were they trying to strip away some imperial clan members' judicial privileges in order to restrict imperial power? If that was the case, it absolutely would not be permitted.

But the regulations for managing the imperial house also required some reform. On this, Liu Yang truly fell into a certain contradiction. Still, to be fair, Liu Ye's affair could be considered an opportunity for rectification. Liu Yang's relatively firm position was that he absolutely would not let those court officials lead him around by the nose.

Compared to the complex, obscure balancing and maneuvering at court, the common folk of Luoyang were eagerly feasting on the big drama of "Liu Ye imprisoned." As the ruled with little ability to resist, when facing the powerful and noble, they could only look up in humble awe—but the "psychology" of defying authority was almost instinctive.

When the powerful fell, the most excited were always the common rabble. Even if they themselves could not rise up, if someone stood up to question and challenge authority, that person could become a "hero" in their eyes. In this matter, Kou Zhun became such a figure, bearing the hopes of a certain portion of the common folk to "defy authority."

There were many versions of the rumors about this matter circulating among the people, with Kou Zhun as the absolute protagonist. The most exaggerated version that spread was this: Administrative Assistant Kou, fearless of the powerful and noble, enforced the law impartially, leading men to forcefully storm the Duke of Liang's residence and arrest the murderer Zhou Sun to face justice. Thereafter, the Duke of Liang, overawed by Kou's iron-faced impartiality and righteous spirit, was so troubled that he could not rest easy and voluntarily turned himself in at the Luoyang prefectural office.

When news like this reached the Luoyang prefectural prison, the complacent Liu Ye nearly exploded on the spot! What kind of ignorant fools must these people be to believe such rumors? And yet people did believe them—quite a few, deeply so...