Chapter 586: The Dreadful Li Chongju

At dawn, in the main hall of the Wude Office, over twenty black-robed, eagle-emblemed officials stood in two rows, waiting respectfully. From Deputy Commissioner Zhou Can on down, the heads of each bureau, intelligence officers, and the commanders of the two battalions were all present. It had been some time since the Wude Office had gathered for morning roll call like this—all to welcome the newly appointed Commissioner of the Wude Office.

"Reporting to the Commissioner, all subordinate officers and clerks in the capital have arrived!" After the roll call was completed, the recording clerk reported to Li Chongju.

Li Chongju had arrived at the office early in the morning. He had been sitting behind the desk for half an hour already, holding in his hands an organizational chart of the Wude Office along with the accompanying roster of duties and personnel.

Upon hearing this, he waved his hand lightly, looked around the room, and said in a normal tone: "Gentlemen, I have been favored by His Majesty's regard and entrusted with the affairs of this office. I feel the weight of responsibility keenly. However, as I have just taken charge of this bureau, I am not yet familiar with its affairs above and below. All of you present are seasoned officials of this office, long practiced in official business. From this day forward, I hope you will not hesitate to offer your guidance and assistance!"

"The Commissioner speaks too humbly!" Zhou Can took the lead, bowing to Li Chongju: "We subordinates will naturally do our utmost to assist the Commissioner!"

Nodding, Li Chongju spoke: "Where are the two commanders of the Wude battalions?"

"Here!" Two generals in black armor with red tassels stepped out of the ranks.

Li Chongju glanced at the two of them and ordered: "I come from a military background and have always valued soldiers. You two return to your camps, assemble your men—this afternoon, I will personally inspect them!"

"As ordered!"

Having issued the order, Li Chongju waved his hand again and said: "The rest of you, return to your posts and prepare your official affairs for consultation. Deputy Commissioner Zhou, stay behind. The rest of you may withdraw!"

The crowd filed out one by one, and the hall suddenly became quiet. Seeing Zhou Can still standing there, he gestured with his hand and revealed a smile: "Deputy Commissioner Zhou, please take a seat!"

"Thank you, Commissioner!"

Zhou Can's expression was calm. Toward this new superior, he maintained an attitude neither servile nor overbearing. Li Chongju took no offense at this, put away the charts, and said: "The Wude Office has recently suffered upheaval, and morale is unstable. I hope Deputy Commissioner Zhou will help me soothe it!"

Zhou Can looked at Li Chongju and replied: "The Commissioner has a reputation for magnanimity and is respected by all. Now that you have arrived bearing His Majesty's trust, those above and below will naturally find peace."

Li Chongju glanced at this man—a man of literary background, yet without the pedantic weakness of scholars. After a moment's thought, he said: "I hear that Deputy Commissioner Zhou is talented and experienced, with a reputation for cunning schemes. In the days ahead, should I encounter anything I do not understand, I hope you will enlighten me!"

"I will naturally do what little I can; I dare not be remiss!" Zhou Can replied.

He could sense that air of unfamiliarity. After brief consideration, Li Chongju set aside any thought of deeper conversation, smiled faintly, and instructed him: "The office's urgent matters of late—draw up a memorandum for me!"

"Yes! Your subordinate takes his leave!"

"Deputy Commissioner, how is it?" As Zhou Can left the hall and returned to his own desk, a personal attendant immediately came up and asked in a low voice.

"How is what?" Zhou Can asked.

The attendant pointed in a direction and said: "Commissioner Li!"

"The office records show that Commissioner Li is mild in temperament and devoted to his duties. Having such a superior is quite good!" Zhou Can said flatly.

"Deputy Commissioner, don't jest!"

"Do I look like I'm jesting?" Zhou Can looked at him and asked: "What do you want to say?"

Lowering his voice, the attendant said: "Since Duke Wang's death, you have been the one managing the office's affairs. We all thought you would be the one to succeed him, yet His Majesty sent this Commissioner Li instead. He's a military man—how could he understand this craft and manage such a vast organization as the Wude Office?"

"Just now in the hall, Commissioner Li gave orders with composure and ease—not a trace of unfamiliarity!" Zhou Can said. "The Wude Office is not something just anyone can manage!"

The attendant sighed and said in a low voice: "I simply feel it's a pity on your behalf, Deputy Commissioner!"

Zhou Can smiled lightly: "If I don't feel it's a pity, why should you?"

Meeting Zhou Can's gaze, the attendant lowered his eyes and whispered: "When Duke Wang was in power, within two or three months he crushed the subordinates of Duke Shou. Now that Duke Wang has been killed, and a Commissioner Li has come—we are all Duke Wang's old subordinates, promoted by his own hand. I only fear..."

Hearing this, Zhou Can tilted his head and shot him a glance. His small eyes seemed to harbor a formidable energy that silenced the man. Zhou Can said: "If you have leisure to make wild speculations here, you'd do better to return and organize the affairs in your hands, to be ready for consultation. If Commissioner Li asks and you cannot answer, or your answer displeases him, then perhaps you truly will be on the list of those purged!"

"If there's nothing else, go attend to your duties. I still have to organize recent affairs—Commissioner Li is waiting to see them..."

"All the dossiers and records of the Wude Office are kept here?" At the archives, where security was tight, Li Chongju observed the layout under the chief archivist's accompaniment. Row upon row of case files, categorized and neatly arranged, filled the room.

"Exactly!" the chief archivist replied. "All casework handled by the Wude Office, all intelligence and secret files from within and without the Eastern Capital—everything is here! Stored and accessed according to classification level!"

"Then do I have any restrictions?" Li Chongju looked at the chief archivist.

"The Commissioner is the head of this office—naturally you may access anything at will!" the chief archivist answered humbly, then pointed to an inner chamber and said: "However, the registers and files within that room—only the Commissioner of this office has the qualification to examine them!"

Li Chongju nodded and waved his hand: "You may withdraw! I will look around myself!"

"Yes!"

Li Chongju entered the inner chamber and swept his gaze around. Inside and out—military and civil affairs, prefectures and circuits, officials and commoners—intelligence and archives covering every conceivable aspect lay before him, enough to make Li Chongju's eyes swim.

Among the military files, Li Chongju pulled out one concerning the Inner Palace Guard. He had only flipped through it briefly when his pupils contracted. It contained the list of Wude Office spies within the Inner Palace Guard, along with considerable detailed information about the army—including records of his own Li Chongju's daily words and deeds...

His expression gradually grew grave. Even with but a glimpse through a narrow tube, Li Chongju could appreciate the terror of the Wude Office. Only now did he truly understand what kind of beast this was.

The more he thought, the paler his face became.

"Your Majesty, Li Chongju, Commissioner of the Wude Office, requests an audience!"

"Summon him!"

In the hall, looking at Li Chongju approaching with a solemn, grave expression, Liu Chengyou said with a light smile: "Shouze has come. How goes the management of the Wude Office? Are you adapting well? What important matters bring you to the palace this time?"

Upon hearing this, a look of struggle flickered across Li Chongju's face. Then he prostrated himself, knocking his head against the ground: "Reporting to Your Majesty, upon examining the affairs of this office, I am filled with dread. I feel myself unequal to the task. I beg Your Majesty to select another worthy person!"

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou was somewhat surprised and said: "What is the reason for this? What has made you so fearful?"

Keeping his head down, feeling the coolness of the floor, Li Chongju organized his words slightly and reported: "Your Majesty, the Wude Office monitors the entire realm. Its reach extends throughout military and civil affairs, and the secrets contained within are truly beyond what a subject can control. If entrusted to the wrong person, it could easily throw military and civil governance into chaos and disturb the court and the realm. This is a source of calamity..."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou understood. He blinked his eyes and looked at him with amusement: "You've read the office files?"

"I have!" Li Chongju kept his head lowered and answered honestly.

Rising, Liu Chengyou walked before Li Chongju, looked down at him, and said: "Shouze, the fact that you came to me of your own accord to resign, that you recognized the importance of this office—I am very pleased. This makes me all the more certain that placing you in charge of this office was the right decision!"

Looking up at Liu Chengyou, seeing the Son of Heaven's calm countenance, Li Chongju said: "Your Majesty, your subject—"

Liu Chengyou raised a hand to stop him and said unhurriedly: "I can basically understand your concerns. By now, I imagine you understand what kind of entity the Wude Office is. It is a heavy instrument that repels enemies without and averts calamity within on my behalf. With it, I can govern the state and command the army with ease!"

"Let me speak some words from the heart to you, not for outsiders' ears. Since the mid-Tang, imperial authority has waned, and the court's discipline has been hard to restore. By the end of the Tang, through three generations, there has been year after year of war and calamity, the realm shattered, the dignity of the Son of Heaven trampled and scorned by those with strong soldiers and stout horses. All this stems from the decline of imperial power and the failure of the sovereign's way.

I intend to sweep the realm clean, purify the world, and restore the state to the rule of the Han. To do so, I must strengthen imperial authority. And the Wude Office is the sharp weapon for consolidating that authority! Do you understand?"

Hearing Liu Chengyou's heartfelt words, Li Chongju's face remained taut. His anxiety did not diminish—rather, his dread deepened.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Chengyou bent down and personally helped him up, saying: "Given the weight of the Wude Office, it must be entrusted to a trusted minister. When Wang Jingchong held the post, there were frequent violations of law and propriety, stirring public outcry and widespread criticism. I use you because I want you to restrain those above and below, rectify the atmosphere, improve it, and make it a more reliable instrument of state. Since you can recognize the flaws within it, I trust that you are sufficient to carry out my original intent and bear this responsibility!"

Patting Li Chongju on the shoulder, Liu Chengyou stared into his eyes and said: "Someone must bear this authority and responsibility on my behalf. I wish to have you share my burdens—how could you bear to refuse?"

Under Liu Chengyou's gaze, Li Chongju sighed and bowed deeply: "Since Your Majesty has spoken thus, how dare your subject seek to avoid it further!"

"Good! I believe you will not disappoint me!" Liu Chengyou revealed a smile: "Do well!"

"Yes!"

Li Chongju withdrew, and Liu Chengyou watched his retreating figure, his smile gradually fading, his eyes still bright, yet his gaze growing ever deeper.

"One as cautious and humble as Li Shouze—I can rest assured with him..." Within the imperial hall, Liu Chengyou's tone betrayed neither affirmation nor doubt.

As for Li Chongju, he emerged from Chongzheng Hall and looked up at the sky. The winter sunlight seemed unusually pale, yet it stung the eyes. Letting out a long sigh, Li Chongju could not help but feel bitter—in truth, he knew full well that once he took his seat in the Wude Office's hall, he would not be rid of it so easily.