Chapter 17: The Seal-Holding Eunuch

A storm swept through the entire city, and the various bigwigs who received the news were collectively dumbfounded.

"Which son of a bitch did this!"

The matter involved was too significant; even Yue Shufeng, the Left Ding Yushi-in-Chief who always prioritized etiquette, could not help but curse at this moment.

As the vanguard for the "Pure Stream" faction's attack on the Eunuch faction, the Censorate had rarely stood at the forefront this time.

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

Perhaps it was difficult to completely crush the Eunuch faction, but tearing off a piece of flesh was not hard.

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

While they clamored about defeating the Eunuch faction, deep down, none of these bigwigs took it to heart.

Without the Eunuch faction, there would be other political groups standing in opposition to them.

The imperial court does not allow any single family to dominate; this is the Emperor's bottom line.

Rather than changing to a new opponent, it is better to keep bickering with the familiar Eunuch faction.

At the very least, the Eunuch faction's reputation is foul enough that no matter what happens, a single claim of "the Eunuch faction framed us" can handle it.

Given the public opinion environment of the Great Dayu, as long as one stands in opposition to the Eunuch faction, one's reputation will soar.

If it were changed to infighting within the civil official group, everyone would be too familiar with each other, and a slight carelessness would lead to ruin.

When the "Dengwen Drum" case first broke out, Yue Shufeng did not take it to heart either.

Eunuchs running to the lair of the Pure Stream to collect taxes—if they didn't stir up trouble, that would be the biggest problem.

If everyone secretly provided some convenience to the victims, allowing them the ability to bring the matter before the Emperor, it could also deal a heavy blow to the Eunuch faction's morale.

At one point, Yue Shufeng even formulated a plan to fan the flames, preparing to muddy the waters and seize the opportunity to severely damage the Eunuch faction, preparing for his own entry into the Grand Secretariat.

Alas, plans could not keep up with changes; the mining tax supervisor case suddenly became the talk of the town, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that someone must be pushing this from behind.

Targeting the Eunuch faction was fine, but doing it behind his back—the bigwig of the Pure Stream—was a matter of life and death.

It seemed that the Pure Stream group was indeed occupying the upper hand now, with the whole country calling for the Eunuch faction to be beaten, and the dawn of victory was right before their eyes.

In reality, the situation was the opposite; this kind of unruly commotion was what the monarch detested most.

Even if the Emperor had the intention to knock the Eunuch faction down a peg, after such an incident occurred, he would change his mind.

Influenced by this storm, the neutral camp in the imperial court might also see their political stance tilt toward the Eunuch faction.

"Master, there is no news yet, but both the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot have arrested quite a few people.

If any traces were left behind, they should be dug out very soon."

Private Secretary Du's answer made Yue Shufeng even more worried.

The person behind the scenes dared to scheme against both them and the Eunuch faction, so they must have made full preparations.

"You overestimate the ability of the Depot and the Guard!

If they were truly that capable, all the officials in the court would be under their thumb.

In fact, this kind of matter doesn't need evidence; one can roughly guess it.

There are only a few forces with the strength to cause such a big stir in the capital.

The Eunuch faction, us, the Emperor, the nobility, and the imperial relatives. The Eunuch faction wouldn't sabotage itself; the risks inside are too great.

The Emperor has no motive to act; given the conflict between us and the Eunuch faction, there is no need to continue instigating.

Although the nobility and imperial relatives have the strength, they lack the motive.

If there are no accidents, the person behind the scenes is mostly likely from within the Pure Stream.

Perhaps the eunuchs were tossing about too fiercely, and the gentry of the southeast couldn't stand it anymore, or it could be that someone couldn't hold back and wanted to..."

Insight into the truth was useless; now he had been pushed to the forefront of the storm.

The anti-Eunuch faction banner was indeed easy to use; raising the banner could gain the support of countless people.

But it is easy to raise the banner, and difficult to put it down.

Countless Pure Stream party members behind him were watching, and they would not allow him to retreat at all.

"Master, perhaps things are not that serious.

This matter wasn't planned by you; at worst, we can secretly leak the news and let the Eunuch faction go find the person behind the scenes for revenge!"

Private Secretary Du bit the bullet and comforted him.

He knew perfectly well how dangerous his master was now. Long before the anti-Eunuch action was launched, he had held an opposing opinion.

Alas, a private secretary is a private secretary after all; even if trusted, he had no right to make decisions on behalf of his master.

"Let's hope so!

You take people to search the mansion and pack up everything that is taboo.

If there are any wicked or base people among the servants, deal with them all.

Draft a letter for me to the ancestral home, telling the clansmen to act cautiously during these days.

You help keep an eye out to see where there are still flaws and hurry to plug the leaks."

Yue Shufeng said calmly.

After calming down, he was no longer panicked.

The Censorate had a special status, and impeaching illegal acts was their duty.

No matter how unhappy the Eunuch faction was, they could not convict him, the Left Ding Yushi-in-Chief, just because he submitted a memorial for impeachment.

To crush him, they must find solid evidence.

While Yue Shufeng was reacting, the various court officials who knew that things had gone too far took action one after another to deal with their own messes.

In the imperial palace, Emperor Tianyuan sneered as he looked at the intelligence in his hand.

When the "Dengwen Drum" incident first broke out, he had indeed hesitated, but now someone had already made the decision for him.

"All rise!"

"Nanzhili is far away, and someone deliberately covered things up; it is understandable that you did not receive the news in time.

However, similar things are only allowed to happen once.

Ever since the passing of Liu Laoxu, the position of the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial has been vacant; Zuo Guangen, this position is now handed to you."

After Emperor Tianyuan finished speaking, the eunuchs, who were originally in a state of panic, instantly revealed burning gazes.

The Directorate of Ceremonial had another name outside—the Inner Court, whose power could rival the Cabinet led by civil officials.

The Seal-Holding Eunuch is the counterpart to the Senior Grand Secretary, and in the Great Dayu Dynasty, he is truly a person of high position and great power.

The most critical thing is that in addition to being the Seal-Holding Eunuch, Zuo Guangen also manages the Eastern Depot.

The power of two positions superimposed together is something no eunuch in the entire history of the Great Dayu has ever been able to obtain.

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for the great grace!"

Zuo Guangen knelt and kowtowed with an excited expression.

The level of support from Emperor Tianyuan this time far exceeded his imagination.

"Alright, get lost if there's nothing else.

Handling the errand well for me is more important than anything else!"

As he spoke, Emperor Tianyuan kicked Zuo Guangen in a huff.

"This servant will get lost right now!"

As he spoke, Zuo Guangen rolled on the spot, the scene was very comical.

Seeing this scene, the eunuchs not only didn't feel humiliated, but instead revealed expressions of envy one after another.

Being personally beaten by the Emperor is a treatment that only one's own people can enjoy.

Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion.

Upon returning home, Li Mu reported to his uncle at the first opportunity, including the act of joining other officials to cover up the matter.

"You handled it well; except for being a bit rough when contacting the Eastern Depot, there are no major problems.

Being able to consider it to this step, you can be considered top-tier among the younger generation.

It's a pity you didn't come from the imperial examination; otherwise, thirty years from now, there would definitely be a place for you among the Six Ministries."

Li Mu didn't take his uncle's exclamation to heart at all.

He also wanted to enter officialdom through the imperial examination, but the problem was that he couldn't do it!

A full page of literary Chinese was difficult enough to read, let alone...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====