Chapter 17: Chief Eunuch of the Office of Imperial Secretariat

A storm swept through the entire city, leaving all the major figures who received the news utterly stunned.

“Who the hell did this?!”

The matter involved too much, and even the usually etiquette-conscious Left Censor-in-Chief Shi Rongxuan couldn’t help cursing.

As the vanguard of the Qingliu faction’s offensive against the eunuchs, the Censorate had finally stepped onto the front stage.

According to plan, using the great defeat in Liaodong as a weapon, they had already gained the upper hand in court.

Perhaps completely crushing the eunuchs was difficult, but tearing off a piece of flesh was not.

Politics, after all, is inherently the result of compromise.

Though they loudly shouted for the eunuchs’ downfall, deep down these senior figures didn’t take it seriously.

Without the eunuchs, another political group would simply take their place as opponents.

The court would not allow any single faction to dominate—that was the Emperor’s bottom line.

Better to keep fighting the familiar eunuchs than to swap in a new adversary.

At least the eunuchs’ reputation was already rotten enough; no matter what happened, a single accusation of “eunuchs framing others” could cover it up.

In Daxu’s public opinion climate, standing against the eunuchs instantly boosted one’s prestige.

If it turned into infighting within the civil official bloc, everyone knew each other too well—any misstep could lead to total ruin.

When the Dengwen Drum case first broke, Shi Rongxuan hadn’t taken it seriously.

For eunuchs to go into the Qingliu’s stronghold and collect taxes—unless something exploded, that would be the real problem.

Privately, they had offered victims minor conveniences to help them bring the matter to the Emperor’s attention, thereby severely damaging the eunuchs’ morale.

At one point, Shi Rongxuan had even devised a plan to stoke the flames, aiming to muddy the waters and strike a decisive blow against the eunuchs in preparation for his own entry into the Grand Secretariat.

But plans changed faster than expected—the Mineral Tax Inspector case exploded across the city, throwing the situation completely out of control.

Anyone with eyes could see someone was behind this.

Stirring up trouble against the eunuchs was fine; but doing so behind his back as a Qingliu elder? That was life-threatening.

It seemed the Qingliu faction now truly held the upper hand, with the entire court and populace calling for the eunuchs’ destruction—the dawn of victory was within reach.

In truth, the opposite was true: this rule-breaking chaos was precisely what the monarch despised most.

Even if the Emperor had intended to chastise the eunuchs, after this incident, he would change his mind.

Affected by this turmoil, the neutral faction in court might also shift their political stance toward the eunuchs.

“Master, we still have no news, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot have arrested many people.”

“If there are any traces left, they’ll be dug up soon.”

Du Shiyeh’s reply made Shi Rongxuan even more anxious.

The person behind this dared to scheme against both us and the eunuchs—they must have prepared thoroughly.

“You overestimate the capabilities of the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard!

If they were truly that powerful, every official in court would be under their thumb.

In fact, evidence isn’t even needed—we can roughly guess who’s behind this.

Only a handful of factions in the capital have the power to stir up such a commotion.

The eunuchs wouldn’t sabotage themselves—that’s far too risky.

The Emperor has no motive to act; our conflict with the eunuchs doesn’t require further provocation.

The meritorious nobles and imperial in-laws have the power, but lack the motive.

Unless something unexpected happens, the mastermind is most likely from within the Qingliu faction itself.

Perhaps the eunuchs’ abuses have become too severe, and the scholar-gentry of the southeast can’t take it anymore—or perhaps someone can’t wait to…”

Knowing the truth won’t help—he’s now been thrust to the center of the storm.

The banner of opposing the eunuchs is indeed useful; raising it wins you countless supporters.

But raising the banner is easy; putting it down is hard.

Countless Qingliu members are watching—there’s no room for retreat.

“Master, perhaps the matter isn’t this serious.

You didn’t plan this—just leak the information privately and let the eunuchs go after the real mastermind!”

Du Shiyeh forced himself to offer reassurance.

He knew better than anyone how dangerous his master’s position was—he had opposed the anti-eunuch campaign from the start.

But an advisor is still an advisor; no matter how trusted, he has no authority to make decisions for his master.

“I hope so!

Take men and search the estate—remove every forbidden item.

Any servant who has committed evil or disgraceful acts—deal with them immediately.

Draft a letter to our ancestral home, instructing our clan to act with extreme caution in the coming days.

Keep your eyes open for any other weaknesses—plug the leaks quickly.”

Shi Rongxuan spoke calmly.

After calming down, he was no longer panicked.

The Censorate holds a unique position; impeaching lawbreakers is within their official authority.

No matter how angry the eunuchs are, they cannot punish the Left Censor-in-Chief merely for submitting an impeachment memorial.

To bring him down, they must find concrete evidence.

…

At the same time Shi Rongxuan reacted, the other court officials who realized the scale of the incident rushed to handle their own problems.

In the palace, Emperor Tianyuan let out a cold laugh as he read the intelligence report.

When the Dengwen Drum case first broke, he had hesitated—but now someone had made the decision for him.

“All of you, rise!”

“Nanzhili is far away; someone deliberately concealed the truth, so your failure to receive the news in time is understandable.

But such incidents will be permitted only once.

Since Liu Dabo’s death, the position of Chief Eunuch of the Office of Imperial Secretariat has remained vacant. I now appoint Guang’en to this post.”

Upon hearing this, the previously terrified eunuchs instantly glowed with burning desire.

The Office of Imperial Secretariat is also known outside as the Inner Court—its power rivals that of the civil official-led Grand Secretariat.

The Chief Eunuch stands equal to the Grand Secretary, a position of immense authority in Daxu.

Most crucially, besides the Chief Eunuch post, Zuo Guang’en now also commands the Eastern Depot.

The combined authority of these two posts has never before been held by any eunuch in Daxu’s history.

“Your servant thanks Your Majesty for this boundless grace!”

Zuo Guang’en knelt and bowed, his expression filled with excitement.

The Emperor’s level of support far exceeded his expectations.

“Enough. Get out now.

Do your duty well—that’s all that matters!”

As he spoke, Emperor Tianyuan kicked Zuo Guang’en in the leg.

“Your servant is leaving at once!”

As he spoke, Zuo Guang’en rolled right there on the floor—his antics were absurd.

Seeing this, the other eunuchs didn’t feel shame—they all wore expressions of envy.

To be personally kicked by the Emperor? Only a true insider gets such treatment.

…

Zhenyuan Marquis’s Mansion.

Upon returning home, Li Mu immediately reported to his uncle, including the joint effort among officials to cover up the matter.

“You handled it well. Only your contact with the Eastern Depot was a bit crude—nothing major.

To think this far ahead, you’re among the top of your generation.

Too bad you didn’t come through the imperial examinations—if you had, in thirty years you’d surely hold a seat in one of the Six Ministries.”

Li Mu paid no mind to his uncle’s sigh.

He wanted to enter office through the examinations too—but he simply couldn’t do it.

Classical Chinese was hard enough to read—he couldn’t even imagine…

(End of Chapter)