Chapter 361

The matter was troublesome. Even without considering the possibility of a veiled attack, Zhao Jiu knew from the start that it was troublesome.

The reason was simple.

First, given Hu Yin's experience of nearly being drowned by his parents at birth and then being adopted by his uncle Hu Anguo, along with that bastard's foul temper, the accusations in this memorial were ninety-nine percent true... Hu Mingzhong was simply incapable of properly caring for his biological parents as parents.

And considering that this bastard was already thirty-five or thirty-six, there must have been countless undeniable incidents and evidence between him and his parents over the years, and this evidence was already widely known in his hometown in Fujian.

Second, filial piety in this era was extremely harsh, especially for officials. Hu Yin's case would certainly receive public tolerance in later generations because of his background, but in the present, it was impossible for public opinion to accept it... or to go further, it could be said to be a direct violation of the law.

One must understand that even His Majesty, the Zhao Emperor, supported three empress dowagers all at once as a show of virtue.

If someone went to the Shaolin Temple to interview the Retired Daoist Emperor, the Daoist Emperor would surely say that he was only grateful to His Majesty.

If asked a few more questions, he would probably shed tears and talk about the tragic events at Wuguocheng that he was too embarrassed to mention in his memoirs, and then point out how His Majesty's act of bringing him back to enjoy Buddhist teachings was a heart-touching display of filial piety.

To be fair, thinking about it, Zhao Jiu roughly felt that this matter probably wasn't a veiled attack at all, but rather a genuine impeachment targeting Hu Yin.

After all, to put it bluntly, who was he afraid of now? Among the domestic opposition, who could still speak up in front of him?

Although Zhao Jiu knew that the experience of having served as officials in the court, the organizational form of private academies, and the natural aversion and opposition to the Northern Expedition in the Jiangnan region as a key tax base meant that an opposition faction did exist in the southeastern area of the lower Yangtze River, he couldn't just dump all the dirty water on them.

That group hadn't yet evolved to the level of later-era opposition parties.

Otherwise?

Who was the leader of this Neo-Confucian-Jiangnan-retired official faction?

Li Gang, or Liu Dazhong? It couldn't be Xu Jingheng, could it? In fact, Lu Haowen's old partner, the great contributor of the early Jianyan era, Xu Jingheng, had far more influence in the southeast than Liu Dazhong.

Would Xu Jingheng pull this on him now?

And who was stably providing the funds for this opposition faction?

How were they maintaining their communication network?

After all this fuss, had the Southern News actually come out yet?

What would these people gain by provoking him at this time?

Besides, there was still Lu Yihao!

Even if, hypothetically, there was someone secretly funding and instigating this, and it truly was a veiled attack, it was very likely a personal act... similar to Wang Ciweng's case, a lone wolf operation.

Therefore, the key to this matter actually lay in how to save Hu Yin.

One must understand that Hu Yin, as Minister of Works, had long been treated by Zhao Jiu as a minister without a portfolio, given the court's lack of funds for major construction, and had effectively become the overall person in charge and liaison for the Northern Expedition preparations.

All surplus funds and grain were directly given to the Ministry of Works. The expansion and allocation of military equipment production, the construction and investment in warehouses, the repair and connection of roads, and the planning and adjustment of troop and civilian labor mobilization—almost all of this was his responsibility to coordinate and arrange.

If it had been this time last year, when there was no money and Hu Yin had little work, such an incident would have been fine, and replacing him would have been no problem... Chen Gui, Liu Ji, Lin Jingmo could all have done it.

But now, with the court's financial surplus gained through near-exhaustive measures, many tasks had already begun. Would letting Hu Yin go at this point be just Hu Yin's problem alone?

In the early summer, the weather wasn't overly hot. Zhao Jiu sat in the stone pavilion until dusk fell before rising... In fact, he had made up his mind from the start. Hu Mingzhong's temporary advance or retreat didn't matter, nor did it matter if he himself was being targeted by a veiled attack. After so many years, hadn't he endured before? But the problem was that he absolutely would not allow this matter to shake or affect the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, whether it was premeditated or accidental.

However, Zhao Jiu also knew full well that this matter was truly difficult to handle, because Hu Yin would face pressure from the entire society. He was afraid that even someone as stubborn as Hu Yin might not be able to withstand such corrosive public opinion.

"Trouble Zhengfu to deliver this to Hu Mingzhong, and then tell him..."

After rising, Zhao Jiu directly handed the impeachment document to Yang Yizhong, who had appeared beside him at some unknown time, but he stopped mid-sentence, feeling it was redundant, and after a long pause, could only give a wry smile. "Just deliver this to Hu Mingzhong. He will understand on his own."

Yang Yizhong nodded slightly, stepped forward to take the document, didn't even glance at it, folded it and put it away, then retreated a few steps before turning and striding out—Hu Yin, as Minister of Works, had long obtained a residence in the northern scenic area, where Hu Anguo and his sons, as well as Hu Anguo's wives and concubines who had come later, all lived together.

Leaving the palace to go home at this time was conveniently on the way.

Leaving aside Zhao Jiu's thoughts, when Yang Yizhong arrived at the Hu residence, Hu Yin had indeed just returned from the southern government office not long ago. They exchanged greetings, were ushered into the main hall, and without any unnecessary pleasantries, Yang Yizhong handed over the document:

"His Majesty ordered me to deliver this to Minister Hu."

Hu Yin took it under the lamp, opened it in his hands, glanced at it briefly, and immediately understood everything. His expression didn't change at all, but he fell silent in contemplation.

After a moment, seeing that the other party had nothing to say, Yang Yizhong also stood up to take his leave: "His Majesty's oral instruction has been delivered. I shall take my leave."

Only then did Hu Mingzhong look up, but he earnestly inquired: "May I ask, Commander Yang, did His Majesty have any other words for me?"

"He only said to deliver this to Minister Hu, and the Minister would understand on his own." Yang Yizhong cupped his hands in reply.

Hu Yin nodded, also stood up, but then presented the document with both hands, directly handing it back: "Please tell His Majesty for me that I am already aware of this matter."

Yang Yizhong was startled for a moment, but still took the document, acknowledged the request, and then, full of confusion, disregarding the late hour, turned back into the palace to return the document.

Leaving aside how Yang Zhengfu reported back to the Zhao Emperor, Hu Mingzhong, having returned the document and knowing he might face the greatest setback of his life, still showed no emotion. He first went to his study, wrote a few brief letters, had them sent out, then calmly ate his meal, not mentioning the matter to his adoptive father or adopted brother during that time.

After finishing his meal, he went straight back to his study and continued handling the official documents he had brought back from the office.

The next day, there was no sign of anything unusual; he calmly went to the government office opposite the Xuande Tower to handle affairs.

However, no matter how great Zhao Jiu's resolve or Hu Yin's awareness, what was coming would always come... Those matters couldn't be covered up, because even though the document had been given to the Zhao Emperor, the accusers were still alive and well. Moreover, since this matter had already taken the path of impeachment, the accusers would have long since exchanged information with fellow townsmen and friends to prepare public opinion.

Therefore, although the Zhao Emperor tried to cut off the matter directly from the Ministry of Justice that day, he couldn't stop the relevant talk and impeachment content from gradually spreading among officialdom and the Imperial Academy.

Three days later, as the details of Hu Yin's unfilial behavior gradually received widespread confirmation from Fujian natives in the capital, even the common people were stirred up... Everyone knew that the Emperor had been deceived. That Minister of Works, Hu Yin, was an utterly shameless scoundrel; how could he remain in such a position?

Under this fierce momentum, almost everyone wanted to be Minister of Justice!

At this point, Zhao Jiu also received an official report from the Ministry of Justice. The petitioners were indeed the same group who had previously accused the foreign temple—all scholars in the capital with connections to Fujian.

The source of the specific materials they used for the accusation was also clear: a man named Liu Mianzhi from Jianzhou... He was a true fellow townsman and old friend of Hu Yin and his father Hu Anguo, a well-known young Neo-Confucian scholar in Fujian, and also had a good relationship with Liu Ziyu's younger brother Liu Ziyi. This notable figure had personally witnessed Hu Yin not bowing to his biological parents back in his hometown in his early years, and had publicly criticized Hu Yin's wrongdoing at the time, nearly breaking off relations with the Hu father and son... But later, when Hu Yin entered the Imperial Academy and became a high official, and Hu Anguo also came to the Eastern Capital, Liu Mianzhi, who detested the imperial examinations and was dedicated solely to scholarly research as a true Neo-Confucian, let the matter drop.

Then, about a few days ago, someone attended a routine social gathering among Fujian fellow townsmen. During the gathering, someone mentioned the outstanding figures among the Jianzhou natives, first speaking of Hu Anguo and his son Hu Yin, and then naturally someone brought up Liu Mianzhi.

Unexpectedly, someone then said that Liu Mianzhi could have entered the capital for an official career, that Lu Benzhong, a favorite of the Emperor, had once recommended him, and the reason he had remained a commoner until now was entirely because of Hu Yin... Then others, recalling past conflicts, took the opportunity to open up this topic, which quickly sparked serious dissatisfaction from one of the participants who had been involved in the Imperial Academy protest. This led to on-the-spot discussions and ultimately directly caused the Kaiyuanmen protest incident.

In other words, Ma Shen's meaning was very clear: this matter spontaneously and suddenly erupted in the Eastern Capital, it was an accident, unrelated to Jiangnan, Neo-Confucianism, those retired officials, the Retired Daoist Emperor, or any veiled attack... He asked His Majesty not to make arbitrary conjectures or implicate others.

To this, Zhao Jiu had no intention of making excessive conjectures or implications. He had already made a similar guess earlier, but at the time it was based on the court situation and the size and organizational tightness of the opposition faction. The intelligence Ma Shen submitted verified his thoughts from another angle—based on the dates and the social circles of these people, it was indeed a group of Fujian natives within the Eastern Capital who had stirred things up, and in terms of timing and interpersonal relationships, it had nothing to do with the southeastern opposition.

Moreover, Zhao Jiu vaguely remembered that Lu Benzhong had indeed publicly recommended this man, thinking he was a true scholar who could be converted to the Yuanxue school. However, Liu Mianzhi, whether due to school affiliation or truly not wanting to become an official, had directly refused.

Of course, even if everything matched up, Zhao Jiu still ordered Yang Yizhong to verify again, and then patiently waited for the event to develop and change on its own.

The Ministry of Justice issued an official document clearing the accusers, allowing them to move freely... This was unavoidable; there was no reason to implicate the innocent. Even though Zhao Jiu was furious with these people, he had to admit they were innocent. But this, from an official standpoint, verified the truth of Hu Yin's unfilial behavior.

The statements quoted in their impeachment document, namely the great Confucian Liu Mianzhi's criticism of Hu Yin's unfilial conduct, could withstand the scrutiny of the court's judicial organs.

Then, in a somewhat oppressive atmosphere, a day later, led by Imperial Censor-in-Chief Li Guang, almost all the censors of the Censorate formally submitted memorials, officially impeaching Minister of Works Hu Yin for being implicated in a case and accused of unfilial behavior, demanding that Hu Yin provide an explanation.

This was also a matter of course; Li Guang and his subordinates were fulfilling their duties.

Not only that, but after Ma Shen finished organizing the case files, he also submitted a memorial on the matter in the name of the Ministry of Justice. It is worth noting that this was also Ma Shen fulfilling his own duties.

For a time, impeachment memorials piled up one after another, unceasing, all the way to the imperial presence.

Next, according to political custom, Hu Yin should have submitted a memorial to defend himself and simultaneously request removal from office to clear his name.

This was precisely the situation Zhao Jiu had feared from the start… No one had done anything wrong, there was no grand political conspiracy; on the contrary, as things stood, almost everyone involved in this affair was fulfilling their duties within the bounds of political and moral norms, even those who had come forward to accuse him seemed beyond reproach. Yet the equally innocent Hu Yin had to pay a political price for it, even if it might affect the court's preparations for the Northern Expedition.

This had nothing to do with political opposition; it was the conflict between the ethical laws of the feudal era and common human sentiment.

However, Hu Yin did not resign, nor did he defend himself; he simply buried himself in his work.

But this only further inflamed the anger of the entire court, the literati's public opinion, and even the common people, because clinging to one's post was the most taboo thing for a scholar-official in those days, a moral failing second only to unfilial conduct.

For a time, even the Imperial Academy students, who had previously only murmured privately, began to openly accuse the Court Gazette of shielding high officials by refusing to publish the relevant memorials. They even started posting notices within the Academy, directly questioning Professor Hu Anguo… Yet at the same time, the Zhao Emperor maintained an extremely strange silence.

This seemed to explain why Hu Yin could act with such impunity.

In the following days at court, perhaps sensing the Zhao Emperor's attitude, and with the horse's head, now stinking, still being paraded around the various gates as a warning, everyone was somewhat restrained.

The impeachment memorials gradually dwindled.

It seemed as if the matter might just end like this.

"This matter should have ended long ago!"

In mid-May, south of Xuan De Tower, because the Emperor had moved the Secretariat and the Privy Council into the palace, the original Eastern and Western Palaces had effectively become divided between the various bureaus and the six ministries. At noon that day, the weather was unbearably hot. Under the corridor of the Ministry of Works' office building, Vice Minister Gou Long Ruyuan, after finishing a bowl of iced porridge delivered from outside, was still drenched in sweat. Suddenly, he slammed the table and stood up in public, his expression agitated and resentful. "Ethics are nothing but human sentiment! Don't these people know the ins and outs of Minister Hu's matter? It wasn't them who nearly drowned that day, yet they just spout empty words! It's like sitting in the shade yourself and then complaining that a delivery man out in the sun spilled his soup!"

This was the Ministry of Works, so as soon as these words were spoken, there was naturally a chorus of agreement.

However, while everyone agreed, they couldn't help but feel contempt in their hearts… This Vice Minister Gou Long was undeniably talented; he was the fastest to learn and best at promoting the new figures and large tables the Emperor had handed down. But his character was equally notorious.

Not to mention his two previous flatteries of the Emperor, now he was even trying to flatter the chief minister of the Ministry of Works?

Flattery was fine; everyone did it. But the problem was, judging by his appearance, he seemed to treat Minister Hu's matter as his own… To put it bluntly, if Minister Hu left, wouldn't that be your chance to move up?

What was he pretending for?

He was acting as if it were real.

On the other side, Gou Long Ruyuan, seeing the perfunctory attitude of the surrounding officials, understood perfectly well what they were thinking. But he was full of thoughts he could never share with them. He shook his head repeatedly, then stamped his foot and prepared to go back to work.

However, just as Gou Long Ruyuan turned and entered his office, a commotion arose on the Imperial Street ahead, startling Vice Minister Gou Long into a shiver. He quickly turned back:

"What happened?!"

Attendants nearby had already rushed out to see. Moments later, one man, drenched in sweat, ran back first. Entering the Ministry of Works' courtyard, he hastily reported: "A big incident! A group of Fujianese Imperial Academy students have gone to Xuan De Tower to petition the Secretariat to severely punish our Minister Hu!"

Gou Long Ruyuan's face turned deathly pale. He stood stunned on the spot, then staggered, nearly collapsing under the corridor… leaving the entire Ministry of Works staff momentarily dumbfounded.

They truly had no idea whether this Vice Minister was genuinely worried about Minister Hu or simply an accomplished actor.

When Gou Long Ruyuan came to his senses and steadied himself, he let out a sigh, shook his head repeatedly, and without a word, hurriedly turned into his own office, closing the door to attend to his work.

At the same time, in the Ministry of Works courtyard, the central office had its doors wide open but remained completely silent throughout.

The other Ministry of Works officials, including the newly appointed Right Vice Minister He Zhu, glanced at the open door of Minister Hu's central office, then at Vice Minister Gou Long's closed door. Finding it all rather dull, they could only exchange looks, quickly finish their extra meal, and return to their offices, each harboring their own thoughts.

Now, originally, the Zhao Emperor had almost managed to cool the matter down with the authority of seven years on the throne. However, the Imperial Academy students were a group full of vitality. Once their dissatisfaction arose, they directly petitioned at the palace gates, leaving no room for the matter to be avoided… Even the Zhao Emperor, after the Chen Dong injustice, had to treat this with the utmost seriousness.

The combination of Imperial Academy students and a palace gate petition was indeed immediately effective. The next day, Hu Yin formally issued a self-defense notice in duplicate, submitting one copy to the Secretariat and one to the Privy Council. The former was for his superiors and the officialdom to see; the latter was routine, to be forwarded by the Privy Council to the Emperor.

At the same time, Hu Anguo posted his signed reply behind the screen wall of the Imperial Academy, offering his own perspective on the matter.

However, even the replies of this father and son were quite vehement, showing no sign of compromise whatsoever.

According to Hu Yin, his fellow townsman and great Confucian scholar Liu Mianzhi had accused him of being unable to be "harmonious and joyful" with his "aunt by marriage" at home. That was true. But the problem was that "harmonious and joyful" was something that should exist between mother and son. He had been abandoned as a child and had his own parents and younger brothers (referring to Hu Anguo's family). How could he be "harmonious and joyful" with his "aunt by marriage," that is, his father Hu Anguo's third sister-in-law?

He said a lot, certainly more than this, but the most important point was this: Hu Yin fundamentally denied being the son of his biological parents.

At the same time, Hu Anguo's reply to the Imperial Academy students, though more tactful, also pointed out that when he adopted Hu Yin with the permission of Hu Yin's grandmother, he was only twenty-five years old and had both a wife and concubines. Therefore, it could not have been an adoption for the sake of continuing the family line… It was an adoption of an abandoned infant after Hu Yin's biological parents had abandoned him.

In other words, Hu Anguo also supported Hu Yin's statement. He too believed that Hu Yin was a child abandoned by his biological parents, that the direct relationship between them had ceased from the beginning, and that the new relationship was that of "uncle and aunt by marriage" and "nephew," established from his side.

However, this explanation merely sorted out and presented what everyone already knew, laying it out publicly. It did not convince the public… because essentially, what people cared about was Hu Mingzhong's behavior of knowing a woman was his biological mother yet not treating her as such, not the abandonment or adoption itself.

Did they really think Liu Mianzhi, being so close to the Hu family, didn't know the ins and outs?

Moreover, Hu Yin still hadn't mentioned any request to resign, not even a nominal resignation to avoid suspicion.

Therefore, when the explanation reached the Secretariat, they were caught in a dilemma. After the public documents were circulated to officials and Imperial Academy students, the heat of public opinion did not subside. In fact, some officials were angered by Hu Yin's stance. On the other side, after the Privy Council submitted the memorial to the Zhao Emperor, they prepared for him to summon the chief ministers for a private discussion. But the Zhao Emperor, as stubborn as Hu Mingzhong, refused to see any of the chief ministers, only saying that the matter would be formally discussed at the next ten-day grand court session.

Of course, refusing to see them was also an attitude. Just like his earlier silence, everyone had long since realized that the Zhao Emperor intended to protect Hu Yin at all costs. This move was likely also meant to pressure the chief ministers.

To be honest, from the moment this matter first emerged, the Zhao Emperor's attitude had hung like a shadow over everyone at court… And to be fair, Hu Yin's background was indeed understandable. Therefore, not only Zhao Ding and Liu Ji, but even Ma Shen and Li Guang, at this point, were merely fulfilling their duties and had no desire to press the matter to the death.

As for Zhang Jun's faction, there was even less to say… Except for Liu Ziyu, whose two younger brothers—one a close friend of Liu Mianzhi, the other a close friend of Hu Yin—were a bit cautious at this time.

But the problem was that the root of this matter was not in the court, but in public opinion among the people. The Zhao Emperor could not stop the clamor of a thousand mouths; otherwise, how could there have been a palace gate petition by the Imperial Academy students?

In fact, compared to the stifling, tense atmosphere at court, the Imperial Academy was unusually lively for several days in a row. Countless Imperial Academy students, having drunk too much plum wine, wrote articles refuting Hu Anguo, supporting the Fujian scholars' efforts to clarify the origins of the matter.

This was understandable, because not everyone could have survived the kind of experience Hu Yin had and still come out alive. They could not empathize with Hu Yin.

And the younger they were, the more vigorous their blood, the more they enjoyed the thrill of challenging authority!

To get a handle on a great Confucian like Hu Anguo, a high minister like Hu Yin, and even, from a distance, the entire court of purple-robed officials and the Emperor—while all of them, including the two parties involved, could not easily respond—what a delightful feeling that was!

And so, for several days, public opinion raged on, while the Zhao Emperor remained silent, and Hu Yin and his father each issued only one statement and then said no more… But the matter had to have a resolution eventually. On the twenty-first day of the fifth month, in the height of summer, the court held a grand court session in the Wen De Grand Hall. From the chief ministers down, all officials were present.

Of course, the court had plenty of business. Even though Hu Yin was a minister and the matter was a public uproar, a ten-day grand court session was not going to be held solely for him.

Sure enough, after the court session began, the first topic was army expansion. Since the court's finances were slightly more abundant, it was natural to continue expanding the army according to the original plan, ideally maintaining a scale of 300,000 Imperial Guard troops… Even if it couldn't be achieved immediately, they should work toward that goal.

However, this matter still sparked some controversy, the key issue being whether to prioritize the east or the west… The previous expansion had already allocated the main recruitment quotas to the Guanshan region and the cavalry. This time, many, out of an instinct for balance, wanted to allocate them to the central army and the Jingdong direction.

As for Zhao Jiu, although he had largely made up his mind that, if possible, he would further shift the quotas toward the Guanshan direction to ensure a rapid concentration of superior forces to break the situation open after the Northern Expedition, he was also somewhat worried about leaving too few troops for Yue Fei's side… So this was destined to be another major issue that would require much negotiation.

The discussion went on for a long time. The result, with most people not concealing their concerns about the excessive weight given to the Guanshan direction, forced Zhao Jiu to think even more deeply.

This matter could not be resolved for the time being. The next issue was simpler: the many hostages sent last year, having gained some language proficiency and become familiar with military discipline and local customs, were now to be sent to the military academies and then assigned to the army. On this matter, no one wanted these noble sons of the Dangxiang, Tubo, Mongols, and even Japan to be sent to any of the great generals. Everyone insisted that it was most appropriate to keep them by the Emperor's side in the Imperial Guard.

Zhao Jiu had nothing to say about that.

Next came the issue of Goryeo—the scale of Goryeo's entrepôt trade was growing larger and larger, and the matter was gradually becoming impossible to conceal.

It was impossible to conceal from either side: it couldn't be hidden from the Great Song, nor from the Great Jin.

The high-level officials of the Great Jin were not fools. They certainly knew that conducting such trade while the south was extremely short of gold and silver was tantamount to aiding the enemy.

Thus, Yanjing immediately issued a ban, but the problem was, how could such a thing possibly be banned? And this was the border trade between the Liaodong region, where Yanjing's control was weakest, and Goryeo?

Moreover, to put it bluntly, as the world's largest and possibly wealthiest two countries, the trade potential between them was bound to be astronomical, and there was indeed a huge demand for transactions... Historically, the two countries alternated between war and peace, and the Huai River basin had been thrown into chaos by Du Chong's breaching of the Yellow River, yet that never stopped Xiacai and Shouchun from developing into a city model similar to Budapest due to trade... This shows the immense trade potential between the two countries.

With trade at this level, not to mention that the Great Song court was unwilling to give it up, the powerful nobles of the Great Jin were also unwilling, and the Goryeo people, having only enjoyed the profits for a few months, were probably even more unwilling!

So, after Yanjing's ban came down, Goryeo nominally stopped exporting silk and porcelain to Liaodong, but there was no stopping the endless stream of silk and porcelain that still left port from Jingdong, then somehow emerged from the Yalu River side, and was finally transported all the way to Hebei.

There was no stopping it.

So Yanjing quickly changed its strategy, shifting to direct pressure on Goryeo, and now Goryeo, after being threatened, immediately came to ask Dongjing how to respond?

The result of the discussion was also straightforward: Were the Goryeo people afraid of the Great Jin but not of the Great Song? And this trade—you Goryeo yangban nobles... whether the Kaegyong yangban or the Seogyeong yangban... didn't you all get your share?

Therefore, after a brief discussion at court, the conclusion was to maintain a posture of high pressure, demanding that Goryeo continue the trade unconditionally!

However, aside from this, some also proposed considering direct smuggling from Jingdong, Shanbei, or even by sea from Liaodong.

This was certainly feasible.

But it was a strategy that could only be adopted as a last resort, because once done, it would have to be carried out by the military, and that would be equivalent to actively opening up a source of revenue for the army, which would severely erode the army's combat effectiveness.

The matter of Goryeo was thus settled fiercely and swiftly.

After this, there was also some discussion about the continued rotation of campaigns in the second half of the year... and so on and so forth.

But no matter what, after discussing several matters one by one, when there was finally nothing left to say, it was time for that matter which was not actually major, but which everyone wanted to avoid, yet no one could easily dodge.

Up to this point, the originally fervent Wende Hall gradually fell silent... Several Grand Councilors and the members of the Censorate were actually somewhat uneasy; they knew full well that on this hall floor, they could not outmatch His Majesty Zhao, and no one intended to fight him to the death.

So, as long as His Majesty Zhao made a gesture, Hu Yin was as good as saved today.

But the problem was, even if he was saved, could it influence public opinion?

If it couldn't influence public opinion, would Hu Mingzhong have to continue working while forever bearing the label of being unfilial?

Wouldn't that affect the increasingly busy daily operations of the Ministry of Works?

Moreover, if the posture of protection was too ugly, what would other officials think?

Was Hu Mingzhong really worth that much?

Sometimes, making appropriate compromises seemed beneficial to the overall situation.

But those familiar with this His Majesty knew that while he was usually tactful and forbearing, once it came time for fierce insistence, no one could control him.

"Regarding the Imperial Academy students' petition to impeach the Minister of Works, Hu Yin, do you have anything to say?" Seeing no one speak, Zhao Jiu, seated on the throne, leaned slightly and took the initiative to ask, incidentally causing the hard wings on both sides of his futou headdress to vibrate in the air.

"Your subject has already submitted a self-defense document to the Chancellery." Hu Yin stepped forward, his words crisp and his attitude resolute.

The hall was utterly silent, with only the faint sound of heavy breathing... And with no other choice, Zhao Ding, the Chief Councilor of the Chancellery, first sighed inwardly, then gritted his teeth and stepped forward, ready to respond.

However, just before Lord Zhao gritted his teeth and spoke, His Majesty Zhao, seated above, suddenly took a piece of silk from his bosom, opened it in front of everyone, causing universal bewilderment.

"Lord Zhao, wait a moment." Zhao Jiu spread out the silk, revealing the dense writing on it, and unhurriedly spoke first. "As it happens, just yesterday, I received a document sent from Shaolin Temple, written by the Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign. It was sent from Shaoshi Mountain precisely during the most intense days of the Imperial Academy's criticism of Minister Hu for being unfilial... The Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign, said that everything was fine at Shaoshi Mountain, but it was a bit lonely, and he inwardly blamed me for not visiting him for a long time, for not fulfilling my filial duties enough... What do you, my ministers, think?"

In an instant, the hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop—breathing ceased. Countless people were dumbfounded, and countless others suddenly understood.

Even Hu Yin, who had been as resolute as a stubborn rock, looked up in a daze, staring at His Majesty Zhao on the throne.

Hu Yin was not the only one staring at His Majesty Zhao; from Zhao Ding on down, countless people were staring blankly at this His Majesty.

Now, Minister Lin did not need to think deeply; even the other elite of the empire in the hall understood in an instant:

You must understand, although many things were unclear, there was one thing everyone knew in their hearts: the Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign, on Shaoshi Mountain, absolutely did not have the audacity to write such a document and send it directly to His Majesty Zhao!

So why did such a document still appear?

Of course, someone else forced him to write it.

Who had the ability to force him to write such a thing without worrying about being fed a pound of arsenic one day?

Of course, it was His Majesty Zhao, who sat on the throne with an indifferent expression.

Then, was His Majesty Zhao crazy, to casually pin the label of unfilial on himself for no reason?

Of course, he wasn't crazy, because only by personally stepping in and forcibly substituting himself could he allow his trusted Minister Hu to escape by shedding his shell.

To put it bluntly, he was relying on his own thick skin to taunt and take the matter upon himself... You say so-and-so is unfilial? Never mind, I am also unfilial! Do you want to criticize the Emperor? Is there some conspiracy? Are you cursing the mulberry tree while pointing at the locust tree?

With this burst of madness unleashed, given the absolute authority of this His Majesty at present, whether Imperial Academy students or scholar-officials, they would immediately shut up, while the common people, unaware of the inside story, would be delighted to continue quietly mocking His Majesty Zhao.

But no matter what, Hu Mingzhong was saved.

Compared to directly using imperial authority to force the various lords to stubbornly protect Hu Yin, the advantage of doing this was that the public opinion targeting Hu Mingzhong would disappear and shift, and the lords would not have to take the blame.

The disadvantage was that His Majesty Zhao's reputation would probably take another hit.

But clearly, His Majesty Zhao didn't care.

Moreover, Hu Yin and the several lords would probably feel grateful to His Majesty in their hearts.

Thus, the hall was silent for a long time, with everyone's thoughts racing. The quick ones like Lin Jingmo and Qu Duan, the slow ones like Zhang Jun and Liu Ziyu, and in the end, even Wang De caught on.

But still, no one dared to speak easily.

Finally, Ma Shen, the Minister of Justice, who knew full well that this matter had nothing to do with the Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign, stepped forward and broke the silence indignantly: "Your Majesty, why must it come to this?!"

"Indeed, why must it come to this?" Zhao Jiu sighed, playing with the silk in his hand. "Here I am, nearly exhausted from the Northern Expedition, and he, cultivating in seclusion on Shaoshi Mountain, complains that I don't visit him... As if he is the Retired Emperor, and filial piety is defined by him? What is great filial piety? Isn't it that I fought countless battles, risking life and limb, and brought him back? And after bringing him back, he's still not satisfied, and does things like this? I won't accept this grievance! In my opinion, this matter should be published in the official gazette, to let the whole world judge... Ask the Imperial Academy students and the civil and military officials of the entire nation: am I filial or not? And then, let's also put Hu Mingzhong's matter up there with mine, and let the whole world judge together!"

This was almost a public admission.

"Your Majesty... Your subject..." Hu Yin bowed his head in response, his emotions a complex mix, and he was unable to continue speaking.

And soon, His Majesty Zhao's next sentence even frightened Hu Mingzhong, who was deeply moved: "If these people still say I am unfilial, then I will have no choice but to recognize Emperor Zhezong as my father... I won't accept this grievance!"

Hearing this, Lin Jingmo, the Minister of Revenue, who had already guessed His Majesty Zhao's intention, was the first to react and was about to step forward to respond, to smooth over the wall for His Majesty Zhao, who had already done such a disgusting thing.

However, as it happened, although someone reacted a moment slower than him, their movement was more than a step faster.

"Your Majesty!" Gou Long Ruyuan, the Left Vice Minister of Works, hurriedly stepped forward, cutting in front of Lin Jingmo with a stern expression. "Your subject believes that these two matters cannot be such a coincidence. It is likely that someone with ulterior motives did this on their own, and the previous attacks on Minister Hu were probably echoing this matter... Your subject, while in the southeast, often heard that retired officials there harbored resentment and frequently expressed dissatisfaction with the central government's policies. Among them, if there were a deranged petty man like Wang Ciweng, it would be possible! Your Majesty, Liu Mianzhi is a renowned up-and-coming Daoxue scholar throughout the land!"

"Your Majesty!" Ma Shen reacted, glaring fiercely at Gou Long Ruyuan, then bowed indignantly. "How can you implicate the innocent?"

"No implicating the innocent, just let the whole world judge." Zhao Jiu replied calmly, the hard wings on either side of his head shaking into mere shadows. "Besides, with Minister Ma in the Ministry of Justice, how could the innocent be implicated?"

Ma Shen wanted to say more, but upon hearing His Majesty Zhao's promise not to implicate others, and meeting the slightly mocking gaze of this His Majesty, he finally lost his nerve and could only bow his head in silence.

The surrounding ministers also came to their senses at this point and stepped forward one after another, mostly echoing Gou Long Ruyuan, urging His Majesty to conduct a slight investigation to prevent anyone from sowing discord within the imperial family, and so on.

Among them, Zhang Jun, Lu Zhi, and Qu Duan were the most vehement, which was to be expected.

The next day, the official gazette issued a small-scale supplement. The supplement simultaneously contained the Retired Emperor's accusation that the Emperor was unfilial, the initial petition's text accusing Hu Yin of being unfilial, the Emperor's own defense regarding great filial piety and small filial piety (he ultimately did not include Emperor Zhezong's remark), and Hu Yin's defense of himself.

As soon as the supplement was published, the Imperial Academy immediately fell silent, and several scholars from Fujian packed their luggage, preparing to return home.

As for the Retired Emperor's reply, issued another day later, stating that he had a "sudden realization" after seeing the Emperor's defense, no one cared about it anymore.

Although this matter had stirred up a great commotion, it ultimately ended easily after the Emperor personally stepped forward to shield his minister.

The matter seemed to have a perfect conclusion.

"Your Majesty, that man has confessed."

On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, the day when the hostages from Mongolia, Tubo, and Dangxiang, along with Taira no Kiyomori, son of Taira no Tadamori, and others formally entered the Red Heart Company under Liu Yan's command, Zhao Jiu personally came to the Military Academy to issue sabers to these foreign noble youths one by one. Right after the ceremony ended, Zhao Jiu ascended Xinggang, preparing to use his monocular telescope to steal a glimpse of the Dongjing scenery, when Yang Yizhong, who had hurried over from elsewhere, also climbed the hill. He immediately spoke a baffling sentence.

"What do you mean, that man has confessed? Who is that man?" Zhao Jiu lowered his telescope and turned back in surprise.

"It is the man who, during a gathering of fellow townsmen, spoke of Liu Mianzhi and said that Liu Mianzhi's bleak official career was entirely due to Minister Hu's doing!" Yang Yizhong replied solemnly with a cupped fist salute. "After saying this, this man did not participate in the petition, and no one paid him any attention... It was not until two days ago that I discovered, among the Jianzhou scholars in the capital who were hastily packing to return to Fujian, there was one man not on the record. Moreover, this man deliberately did not travel with those who had participated in the petition. I found this strange and sent people to intercept and question him. The moment he was questioned, he was frightened and then confessed everything."

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then after a long while, he came to his senses while holding the telescope: "There really is a mastermind behind it?!"

"Yes!"

"Who?"

"According to this man's words, it is the former Prefect of Quanzhou, now Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Gou Long Ruyuan!" Yang Yizhong remained serious. "According to this man, the petition at the Quanzhou foreign temple back then was something Gou Long Ruyuan had him run around to arrange... And this latter matter was a whim of Gou Long Ruyuan's after arriving in the capital."

Zhao Jiu stood there dumbfounded... After a long while, he asked again: "Why did he do such a thing?"

"Your Majesty." Yang Yizhong was momentarily speechless, but could only bow his head. "He had wasted over a decade in prefectures and counties before, and after coming to the capital, his post was Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works..."

"To get a promotion...?"

"It should be so."

"The first time was premeditated?"

"Yes."

"The second time, he got a taste of it and couldn't resist trying again?"

"It should be so."

"The absurd flattery in front of Xuande Tower was to test my attitude on this matter?"

"Perhaps..."

"But he didn't expect that I would go all out to protect Hu Mingzhong, so he regretted it right after doing it, and instead had to go all out to defend Hu Yin, afraid of being exposed?"

"That is something your servant cannot know."

"I want to kill this bastard." Zhao Jiu blurted out, then realized that rage was burning from his heart and lungs, already uncontrollable. "I want to kill this petty man!!!"

PS: Routine sacrifice of "The Actor Has No Vacation"... Good night.