Chapter 848: Turmoil in the Eastern Capital, Xiang Xun Surrenders Himself

Watching Dang Jin's animated expression, Liu Chengyou's demeanor grew slightly solemn, and he did not immediately respond. Zhao Kuangyi, standing nearby, could not help but ask: "General Dang, what great event has happened in the Eastern Capital!"

Dang Jin laughed and replied: "It's still those men of the Southwestern Army. They've never entered the capital before, and being new arrivals, they're like country folk coming to town—utterly lacking in experience. Thinking they've rendered great merit in pacifying Shu and receiving the Son of Heaven's praise, these days they've been indulging in pleasure within the Eastern Capital, even picking quarrels and stirring up trouble, harassing merchants and commoners alike. Both in court and among the people, there is much criticism of this......"

"Such behavior—corrupting military discipline, acting recklessly without restraint—have the Bureau of Military Affairs and the army commanders not imposed strict discipline?" Zhao Kuangyin spoke up.

"Naturally they have!" Dang Jin said: "Upon learning of the Southwestern Army's insolence, the Bureau of Military Affairs issued an order—over fifty officers and soldiers involved in brawls and harming the people were all beheaded. The rest were ordered back to camp, forbidden from going out again or entering the markets. All the commanding generals received reprimands. Those fellows from the southwest are now in a sorry state, disgraced and humiliated—they can't put on airs anymore."

As Dang Jin spoke, he could not help but laugh with glee. Others' misfortune brought him schadenfreude here—there was something petty about it. However, Zhao Kuangyin could understand his mentality; this was a straightforward man whose every thought and emotion was basically displayed on the surface.

The root cause lay in the "grievance" Dang Jin had suffered in Chengdu. Between the Northern and Eastern route armies, even with Zhao Kuangyin's concessions and Xiang Xun's restraints, conflicts between the generals and soldiers below were inevitable.

Your merit is great, but mine is not small either. Your advance was arduous, but mine was no less difficult. Various disputes arose from comparing merits and achievements—though of course, the primary contradiction lay in the unequal division of spoils.

Regardless, the Northern Route Army held the advantage in numbers and had Xiang Xun as their backing, so they naturally suppressed the Eastern Route Army at every turn. And the Northern Route Army's main composition was the Southwestern Army—now that they had fallen on hard times, Dang Jin was naturally overjoyed.

"Have your subordinate soldiers been properly restrained?" Zhao Kuangyin asked with concern.

"Rest assured, Chief Inspector!" This rough man Dang Jin actually revealed a proud and coy expression, saying: "How could we be like those common fellows? We would never break the law!"

"What I just spoke of was all minor matters!" Dang Jin's enthusiasm grew even greater as he continued.

"What else?" Zhao Kuangyin asked.

"These past few days, the court has been busy verifying military merits and handling rewards and commendations. I hear that His Majesty and Chancellor Wei of the Ministry of War believe that below Lord Xiang, the Chief Inspector's merit ranks first. The generals below him are ranked in descending order of achievement." Dang Jin said cheerfully: "However, a dispute arose between Wang Quanbin and Wang Renshan. Because Wang Quanbin was ranked ahead of Wang Renshan, Wang Renshan refused to accept it.

"Later, the two men simultaneously held banquets for guests at Tongqing Tower. The two factions came into conflict, escalating from insults to violence, causing a huge uproar—they nearly tore the tavern apart. When the Son of Heaven heard of this, he flew into a rage and personally ordered both men arrested!"

The Northern Route Army that campaigned against Shu, though led primarily by Xiang Xun, was divided into different components. It mainly consisted of four categories: first, troops assembled from the local armies of Guanzhong, represented by Wang Renshan and Li Yan; second, naturally, the central imperial army, with Wang Quanbin holding the highest reputation and position; third, the Huaiwei and Huaide armies reorganized from surrendered Shu soldiers and captives, with generals like He Chongjian and Han Jixun who had always kept a low profile; fourth, generals like Gao Huaide and Murong Chengtai, who were relatives of the imperial family.

Though divided into four categories, the main contradiction lay between the Guanzhong contingent and the imperial army soldiers—also representing the contradiction between central and local authority. Having competition and comparison was not a bad thing, and Liu Chengyou was pleased to see it.

However, the conflict between Wang Quanbin and Wang Renshan had escalated too far, exposing the contradictions among generals to outsiders, crossing the bottom line, and creating extremely serious negative effects. How could Liu Chengyou not be angry? That was why he issued the order to arrest both generals.

Hearing Dang Jin's account, the assembled officers could not help but laugh aloud, looking like a crowd of spectators enjoying the drama. Zhao Kuangyi also clicked his tongue and confidently commented: "These famous generals of the southwest, with their illustrious war records—when it comes to fighting over merit, they're no different from ordinary soldiers!

Wang Quanbin is also a veteran of the battlefield with a considerable reputation—how could he be so unwise in such matters? Weren't the lessons of Sun Li and Wang Yansheng, Wang Yin and Han Tong, profound enough?"

"Presumptuous!" Hearing Zhao Kuangyi's glib commentary, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly flew into a rage and rebuked: "What status do you have, daring to be so arrogant, criticizing the court's meritorious generals and calling them by name directly?"

Seeing his elder brother's anger, his stern countenance intimidating, Zhao Kuangyi was startled. Meeting his gaze, he thought for a moment, his expression tightening, then lowered his head and said quietly: "Second Brother's admonishment is correct—I was being frivolous!"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Dang Jin and the others, his hand almost pointing at their noses: "Don't you laugh either, don't be complacent! We are all part of the same Shu campaign force—if our reputation is ruined and General Wang and the others suffer misfortune, how can we possibly come out unscathed?"

"Moreover, don't any of you think that this return to court is simply to receive rewards?" Looking at the assembled men, Zhao Kuangyin's gaze was exceptionally sharp.

"Second Brother, what do you mean by that?" Zhao Kuangyi voiced the confusion that Dang Jin and the others felt.

Cupping his hands toward the direction of Kaifeng, Zhao Kuangyin said in a deep voice: "His Majesty's previous edict called for a summary of the Shu campaign—rewarding merit and punishing fault! You must understand, the rewarding of merit comes first, but the punishing of fault comes after!"

"Punishing fault? Could it be because of the disturbances in Shu?" Dang Jin could no longer laugh.

"So, you must restrain your words and actions. Look at you all—your arrogance shows no sign of diminishing!" Zhao Kuangyin said.

The Eastern Capital, the Southern Office of the Imperial City, the Court of Judicial Review.

With the strengthening and construction of the Great Han's legal system, as the highest judicial review institution of the Great Han, the Court of Judicial Review's authority and influence had been continuously rising. Now, it ranked among the more prominent offices in the Great Han's many government agencies.

The current Chief Judge of the Court of Judicial Review was a man named Cui Zhouding. A jinshi degree holder, he had served as a censor and a remonstrance official in court, and as a commissioner in the provinces. His temperament was fierce and unbending, intolerant of lawlessness. He had once served as Administrative Assistant to Murong Yanchao, Commandery Prince of Changli, and at that time had submitted an impeachment memorial against Murong Yanchao for embezzling money in his post and showing no concern for the people.

This then brought him to Liu Chengyou's attention—after all, in any era, one who does not avoid imperial relatives and does not fear the powerful is extremely rare. Transferred from Yunzhou to the Court of Judicial Review less than two years ago, he had been diligent and conscientious in his duties, clearing up backlogged cases and greatly improving the court's efficiency in handling cases.

However, this Chief Judge Cui was currently facing a difficult problem. Looking at Xiang Xun standing in the middle of the hall, Cui Zhouding hesitated for a moment, then picked up the confession and statement of crimes recorded on the desk, rose, walked before Xiang Xun, and handed it to him: "Lord Xiang, how do you think this record looks?"

Xiang Xun took it and glanced through it briefly. This was Xiang Xun's "confession statement," detailing his crimes in eight articles. Embezzling money; laying hands on the beauties of the Shu palace; oppressing Shu officials; allowing soldiers to plunder the people, losing the people's hearts; failing to suppress the rebellion in time......

One by one, item by item, none were minor crimes. Xiang Xun, however, had come forward voluntarily to surrender himself and submit to the Court of Judicial Review's judgment. None of the court officials dared to take on the case—only Cui Zhouding had a bit more courage, but even he could not help hesitating. After all, this was the supreme commander of the Shu campaign—rewarding his merit was not yet complete, so how could he be punished? Not to mention whether the crimes were even true—even if they were, without the Emperor's approval, who could try him or sentence him?

And Xiang Xun's behavior was even more puzzling. Of course, Cui Zhouding had heard some rumors of the recent disturbances in Kaifeng, but he did not wish to think too deeply about them. After careful consideration, the best course was simply to do his own job well.

"Very good, all recorded according to the facts!" Xiang Xun said with a smile, reaching out a hand toward him: "Bring me a brush and ink paste—I shall sign and affix my seal!"

Cui Zhouding dared not be negligent and personally attended to him. After the signing and sealing were done, Xiang Xun asked with a light laugh: "It's time to throw me in prison now, isn't it? Should I wear shackles?"

Hearing this question, Cui Zhouding could not help but smile bitterly: "Lord Xiang, please do not make things difficult for this humble official!"

"The court's rules cannot be broken, and I cannot be an exception!" Xiang Xun said.

Cui Zhouding's inner thought was: your coming directly to the Court of Judicial Review like this already doesn't conform to proper procedure. But aloud he instructed: "Someone, take Lord Xiang down and see that he is well attended to......"

Soon, Xiang Xun's confession was presented on the Emperor's desk. After reading it, Liu Chengyou dismissed it with a smile. After brief consideration, he issued his endorsement—the matter was to be deliberated jointly by the Three Judicial Offices.