Chapter 793: The Fall of a Close Minister

"Eunuch Zhang!"

Pausing his motion of boarding the carriage, Li Tao waited at the pavilion, and as the eunuch drew near, he clasped his hands in greeting. His expression was respectful—though the respect was not for Zhang Dejun himself, but for the Emperor behind him. There was no need for deep thought; Zhang Dejun's arrival could only be on Liu Chengyou's orders.

Zhang Dejun dismounted from his horse, a slightly restrained smile on his face, and said to Li Tao: "I pay my respects to the Duke of Ju! Your Grace moves with such swift hands that I nearly arrived late!"

"Chancellor Fan!" He then bowed to Fan Zhi.

Fan Zhi merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"May I ask what instructions the Eunuch has brought?" Li Tao asked Zhang Dejun.

"Before the Duke of Ju, how dare I speak of instructions!" Zhang Dejun kept his posture low, smiling humbly: "I have merely come, by His Majesty's order, to deliver something to Your Grace."

As he spoke, he extended his hand, and the guards behind him immediately presented several items into his grasp, which Zhang Dejun personally handed to Li Tao. Li Tao's expression was solemn as he received them with both hands, appearing to treasure them greatly. A scroll, an edict, and a bronze seal.

Untying the cord and opening the scroll, he found a piece of calligraphy—recognizable as the Emperor's own hand, the ink not yet fully dried. It could hardly be called a masterwork, yet its momentum was grand and its spirit flowed freely. But what mattered was the Emperor's personal seal affixed upon it—that was where the value lay.

Of course, what mattered even more was the scroll's content: "An old steed in the stable still yearns to run a thousand li; a hero in his twilight years still harbors unyielding ambition."

From this, one could faintly sense the Emperor's generosity and encouragement. Li Tao was slightly stunned, obvious doubt stirring within him. Fan Zhi, observing from the side, said to Li Tao with a smile: "Duke of Ju, His Majesty's expectations are already quite clear—it is not yet time for you to retire to your fields!"

Putting away the imperial calligraphy, Li Tao then opened the edict to examine it—an appointment decree composed by the top scholar Dong Chun, with ornate prose and clear intent: Li Tao was appointed as Jinghu Inspector, to tour southern Jinghu on the Emperor's behalf, comforting the scholars and common folk.

"Congratulations, Duke of Ju! His Majesty and the court still need your devoted efforts!" Li Tao said.

That bronze seal was naturally the Inspector's official seal. Putting away what the Emperor had bestowed, Li Tao lifted his sleeves, faced Kaifeng, and bowed low at full length: "Your servant kowtows in gratitude for Heaven's grace!"

Rising, Li Tao's spirits were visibly lifted; the gloom and despondency that had lingered in his heart were swept clean in an instant. After all, he, Li Tao, still had ambition, could still shine for the Great Han—how could he be willing to depart in such bleak desolation?

"Jinghu Inspector..." he murmured, then looked at Fan Zhi: "I recall that in the fifth year of Qianyou, Wensu went north on inspection as Hedong Inspector?"

Fan Zhi nodded: "It seems His Majesty is still uneasy about Jinghu, and wishes to use Your Grace to pacify and govern it!"

"But the division of authority and responsibility seems somewhat vague!" Li Tao hesitated.

At this, Fan Zhi said: "When I inspected Hedong back then, I did so under the title of investigating Hedong's criminal cases. If Your Grace's appointment is not clearly defined, that is indeed improper. When I return to court, I shall speak to His Majesty about it!"

Chancellor Fan has yet another matter to remonstrate about.

The term "Inspector" appeared very early; previous dynasties also had the post of "Inspector Envoy." However, the Inspector of the current Great Han court carried a sense of Liu Chengyou's "original creation." As things stood, in Liu Chengyou's mind, this was still a temporary assignment, with its function primarily supervisory—like the Prefects of the two Han dynasties, able to submit confidential memorials directly, yet without the power to interfere in local governance.

Of course, regarding Jinghu specifically, Liu Chengyou's failure to clarify the post's authority also stemmed from his own hesitation—whether to follow the Ming and Qing models and institutionalize the Inspectorate, making it a local office.

During this inspection tour, Liu Chengyou had discovered that the Administration Commissioner post, responsible for the governance of an entire circuit, while effectively improving administrative efficiency and unifying circuit governance, also meant that all policy originated from the circuit office—the power was somewhat too great.

In recent years, people had repeatedly used Wang Pu's performance in Huaidong to make an issue of it, submitting memorials and remonstrances. Though Liu Chengyou had suppressed them all, how could he not have some thoughts of his own?

Of course, establishing the Inspectorate was merely a trial measure by Liu Chengyou. Given Jinghu's particular circumstances—newly conquered territory, with military and civil affairs hardly stable, and a corruption scandal just exposed—sending Li Tao to Jinghu also coincided with the political changes at court, using him, a chancellor, to pacify and govern that vast region on the court's behalf, to supervise and check the circuit offices, and to strengthen the court's control over the localities. Moreover, in his youth, Li Tao had fled the chaos of the Central Plains and held office in Hunan, so he had experience—going south suited him well.

The specific intent would require Li Tao to ponder carefully on his own.

"Has Li Tao departed?" In Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou looked at the returning Zhang Dejun.

"Before this servant returned to the palace, the Duke of Ju had already set out! Everything Your Majesty bestowed was given to him, and the Duke of Ju wept tears of gratitude in thanks!" Zhang Dejun replied, steadying his breath from the hasty return.

"Were there many people seeing him off?" Liu Chengyou asked again.

"This servant encountered quite a few people along the way—officials great and small, several dozen in number!" Zhang Dejun said.

Liu Chengyou nodded and said: "After all, he was chancellor for many years—such is his reputation!"

"You may go!" He waved his hand, and as the words left his mouth, he added: "Summon Zhao Pu!"

"Yes!"

Before long, Zhao Pu arrived swiftly and bowed: "What does Your Majesty command?"

Liu Chengyou set down his brush and inquired: "Where is Zhao Yan? I have not seen him these past few days!"

Zhao Pu reported calmly: "Zhao Yan is ill, and Your Majesty had already granted him leave, so he is resting at home!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's brow furrowed slightly. After a moment's thought, he suddenly asked: "And Zhao Shangjiao?"

"Four days ago, he had already departed the capital to take up his post in Binzhou!" Zhao Pu said.

Because of the Jinghu corruption scandal, Zhao Shangjiao had recommended corrupt officials and had also been found to have engaged in improper conduct in the past—he was demoted to Binzhou to serve as Administrative Assistant.

At this moment, recalling the matter, Liu Chengyou had a sudden realization and could not help shaking his head: "This Zhao Yan—he is uneasy at heart!"

After considering for a while, Liu Chengyou fixed his gaze on Zhao Pu and instructed: "Send someone to accompany the imperial physician to the Zhao residence to examine his illness, see how Zhao Yan's condition is, and if convenient, have him come to the palace to see me!"

"Yes!"

A bit later, Liu Chengyou saw Zhao Yan again. His handsome face was a pallid white, clearly showing signs of illness. Liu Chengyou immediately said to the palace eunuch: "Quickly, help him to a seat and serve him tea!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Yan observed the formalities strictly.

Looking at him, Liu Chengyou said: "I told you before—since your health is so unwell, there was no need to come to the palace. Why put yourself through this hardship?"

Zhao Yan smiled softly and replied: "Your servant has a memorial that I wish to present to Your Majesty in person!"

As he spoke, he drew a memorial from his sleeve and respectfully presented it onto the imperial desk. Liu Chengyou, slightly puzzled, gave it only a brief glance before pressing it down on the desk and saying in a stern tone: "I do not grant it!"

This, too, was a letter of resignation.

Seeing the Emperor's reaction, Zhao Yan was moved, yet maintained his usual humility. He rose, clasped his hands, and said with emotion: "Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. Your servant possesses no talent for saving the age. Favored by Your Majesty, plucked from the scholarly ranks, employed before my time, entrusted with matters of the heart, moving in and out of the inner councils, treated with exceptional grace beyond the ordinary—for this, I am deeply grateful.

To repay Your Majesty's kindness, I would gladly walk through fire, yet in the end I am young in years and shallow in conduct. My talents and virtue are unworthy of my position; the favor I receive does not match my achievements. I often examine myself, and the thought fills me with shame. Only by leaving my post and yielding to the worthy can my heart be free of guilt!"

Hearing his plea, Liu Chengyou could not help but wave his hand forcefully: "I know you are humble, but why be so self-deprecating? You, Zhao Yan, have been by my side for so many years, handling numerous affairs—is there anything you have not done well? Is there anything delayed or neglected? Can you name even one or two instances?"

Having asked, without waiting for him to respond, Liu Chengyou looked steadily at Zhao Yan: "Tell me—is it because of your father's matter? If so, let me tell you: a father is a father, a son is a son. I will absolutely not implicate you because of your father's case!"

Seeing the Emperor's impassioned words full of intent to keep him, Zhao Yan shook his head and said seriously: "How could your servant not know Your Majesty's magnanimous tolerance? It is only that my body is failing, and of late I find my energy hard to sustain—truly I can no longer manage the affairs of Chongzheng Hall. To bear the weight of a thousand jun with a sickly frame brings no benefit to the state, to Your Majesty, to the court, or to affairs..."

Seeing the serene smile on his sickly face, and hearing his tone, Liu Chengyou knew that he was still affected by his father's matter. Liu Chengyou, in truth, could not quite understand where his guilt and unease came from, or how to explain it—like someone burrowing into a dead end, helplessly frustrating.

After considering for a moment, Liu Chengyou asked: "Your mind is made up to leave?"

Zhao Yan bowed his head: "I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish!"

Taking a deep breath, Liu Chengyou's emotions subsided, and he waved his hand: "Enough! Enough! I will not keep you. However, you are still young—do not speak of resigning from office entirely. That I will absolutely not permit."

"Is there any suitable vacancy in the localities?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Pu, who stood nearby.

Zhao Pu said: "Xuzhou!"

"Xuzhou is a good place. Go there and serve as Prefect, and recover your health while you're at it! Stay in the localities for a few years, then return to the capital!" Liu Chengyou said to Zhao Yan: "On this matter, I will not allow you to bargain!"

Seeing the Emperor's resolute attitude, Zhao Yan could only bow and say: "Your servant accepts the imperial grace and expresses gratitude!"

After Zhao Yan withdrew, Liu Chengyou's mood completely settled. After deliberating for a moment, he said to Zhao Pu: "With Zhao Yan leaving his post, the affairs of Chongzheng Hall will be taken over by you!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Pu also appeared very calm; of course, the wild joy within him did not show in the slightest. After more than two years, he had finally endured to the end—successfully rising to the top!

Just as Zhao Yan himself had said, Liu Chengyou's favor toward him was exceptionally deep, even excessive. However, regarding his resignation, the Emperor still felt somewhat vexed. Yet, before long, he could no longer spare attention for the slight displeasure in his heart.

On the twelfth day of the eighth month of the ninth year of Qianyou, as Kaifeng city was preparing to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Chengyou received tragic news: Zhao Yan had unfortunately fallen into water while en route to his new post, and his illness worsened, leading to his death at the young age of twenty-six.