Chapter 362: The Task

"Bullshit 'his crime doesn't deserve death'!"

In the scorching summer heat, atop Apricot Ridge, the Zhao family lord's anger could be clearly felt even from a distance of several old apricot trees, which inevitably made the Red Heart Guard, on duty for the first time, sweat profusely and feel nervous.

If the guards were like this, then one could imagine how the four Grand Councilors, one Censor-in-Chief, and several high-ranking inner court ministers, standing directly before the Zhao family lord by the thatched pavilion, were feeling at that moment.

"Is this about an official position? Is this about petty behavior?"

"Yes, it is petty behavior! But is this ordinary petty behavior? He served as Left Vice Minister of Works for half a month; how much should he know about what the Ministry of Works is currently busy with? Yet, knowing full well that the Ministry of Works is overseeing preparations for the Northern Expedition, he dared, for the sake of a mere promotion opportunity... and not even a guaranteed promotion, at most an acting appointment, possibly not even that... to do such a thing!"

"What does the state mean to him? What do the people of the Two Rivers mean to him? What does the court, which has painstakingly exhausted every means to build its finances, mean to him? What do the blood and sweat of the people of the Central Plains and Jiangnan mean to him? Are they all just things he can exploit?"

"That day, he even had the audacity to tell me, with all due ceremony, that whenever he sees the people of Jiangnan giving up every last coin, he worries that the central government is wasting their blood and sweat... utterly preposterous!"

"You simply don't understand what I'm truly angry about... Do you know how Wang Shuwang's reforms failed? Wasn't it because such petty individuals wormed their way into the New Party? In an undertaking like sailing against the current, once petty men get in, they don't just ruin the reputation; they truly cause the entire situation to collapse!"

"If it were actually Jurchen spies, or a long-planned scheme from the south, I wouldn't be this angry! It's precisely because he is a petty man, a petty man disguised as harmless and even beneficial to the overall situation, that I am this alarmed!"

"Do I need to elaborate on the harm of petty men? Right now, only one Gou Long Ruyuan has suddenly popped up right under my nose. How many are there behind him? Do any of you have people from the south? Have you seen southern cockroaches? Lift a clay pot, see one cockroach underneath, and there are already hundreds of cockroaches nesting in your house!"

"Why did I go to such lengths to protect Hu Mingzhong before?! One reason is that I trusted Hu Mingzhong, knowing he had extenuating circumstances and was a talented man; the other was to tell the world through this matter that anyone and anything related to the Northern Expedition, I dare not say I can give them a 'get out of jail free' card, but I will do my utmost to ensure they are not disturbed by these messy, trivial matters... Defeat the Jurchens for me, and I will grant them merit, rank, and wealth!"

"As for you, you Councilors, you Academicians, and those Military Governors and Generals, why are you so secure? Isn't it the same principle? If this premise is gone, what use would I have for you?! Do you really think you are also beyond reproach?!"

"This matter is bad because it was a momentary impulse; it is bad because there is no legal basis! This man deserves to die precisely because he is just a petty man blinded by lust for power; he deserves to die precisely because his crime does not warrant death!"

"You say his crime doesn't warrant death, that it will cause turmoil at court, that the people of the world won't understand... Then think of a way to make his crime warrant death! Think of a way that won't cause court turmoil and that the people of the world can understand!"

"Anyway, I want him dead! If there's a justification, I'll chop him up; if there's no justification, I'll still chop him up!"

The Zhao family lord's roar lasted a full half an hour. The Grand Councilors and close ministers tried in vain to dissuade him, only to be completely defeated.

There was no help for it. Things had reached this point. On one hand, the Zhao family lord's anger was truly uncontrollable; on the other hand, the ministers themselves couldn't maintain a unified stance... Not to mention others, Privy Councilor Zhang Jun had always followed the lord's lead, and this time, having recommended Gou Long Ruyuan, he was especially uneasy. Now, he actually hoped for a severe punishment for Gou Long Ruyuan to vindicate himself.

At the same time, the close ministers were also divided from the start—Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan shouldn't have meddled in this matter, but because the Zhao family lord's anger was so terrifying, they both tried to dissuade him immediately. However, Hanlin Academician Lu Benzhong, during the subsequent assembly and interrogation, acted out of character, firmly expressing his agreement with the idea of severe punishment.

Of course, Zhang Jun and Lu Benzhong's 'severe punishment' didn't mean beheading Gou Long Ruyuan. But the problem was that the ministers couldn't speak with one voice and share the same thoughts from the beginning. How could they oppose an enraged emperor?

And so, as the uproar by the thatched pavilion gradually subsided, Yang Yizhong personally came down and sternly ordered the attending guards not to spread any words. The several Councilors, under the heavy pressure from the Zhao family lord, had no choice but to disperse.

However, even though they had yielded to the Zhao family lord, how could they easily think of a 'legal' way to kill a petty man like Gou Long Ruyuan?

Therefore, when they returned that day, the four most pressured Councilors were at their wit's end. Yet, they couldn't easily discuss this matter with others. After barely enduring until the end of their shifts, they returned home, only to pair up and hastily invite some key figures to consult.

Among them, Chief Councilor Zhao Ding of the Secretariat-Chancellery, along with Vice Councilor Liu Ji, invited Minister of Personnel Chen Gongfu, Minister of Rites Zhai Ruwen, Prefect of Kaifeng Yan Xiaozhong, plus the Minister of Works, the party directly involved, Hu Yin himself. On the other side, Privy Councilor Zhang Jun, along with Vice Councilor Chen Gui, invited Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo, Minister of War Liu Ziyu, his 'brain trust' Vice Minister of Personnel Lu Zhi, plus Cavalry Commander Qu Duan... The heads of the Eastern and Western Palaces didn't dare to expand the circle, nor did they dare to invite straightforward people like Li Guang or Ma Shen.

The invitations having been sent out, leaving aside that gatherings at Zhang Jun's mansion had become routine, on the other side, Zhao Ding, as the Chief Councilor, had always prided himself on the principle that a gentleman does not form factions. Now, acting so unusually, Chen Gongfu, Zhai Ruwen, Yan Xiaozhong, and Hu Yin all knew something was amiss and dared not be negligent, arriving promptly.

When Zhao Ding led the group to sit in a circle under the awning in his backyard and cautiously explained the matter, it left the several high officials stunned.

After the shock came a long silence—everyone couldn't help but look at the expression of the party directly involved, Hu Yin.

Unexpectedly, although Hu Mingzhong was clearly angry at first, for some reason, he quickly calmed down, sitting upright and motionless, silent.

After a long while, seeing that Hu Yin showed no sign of speaking, everyone withdrew their gaze from him. After a moment's thought, it was Prefect of Kaifeng Yan Xiaozhong who first broke the silence: "So, the lord's intention to kill is set. There's no turning back?"

"Yes." Liu Ji, theoretically of the same faction as Yan Xiaozhong, frowned in response, emphasizing slightly. "If there were even a sliver of a chance, we would have talked him out of it at Yanfu Palace today. But we simply couldn't. And if it comes to issuing a personal decree to kill him by force, Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, despite their earlier pleas, would probably execute it immediately."

"So, we need to follow the lord's will and find a proper way to make this man die?" Minister of Rites Zhai Ruwen interjected.

"Exactly that." Zhao Ding also nodded.

"Can we think of a way to execute him covertly?" Zhai Ruwen pressed on. "Go and tell this scoundrel plainly of the lord's determination, so he doesn't drag others down..."

"No!" Before Zhai Ruwen could finish, Yan Xiaozhong interrupted him again. "In my view, it shouldn't be covert execution, but an open and just punishment. Ideally, his crimes should be announced to the world, so everyone understands exactly why he died... That is the lord's true intention!"

"Correct." Zhao Ding sighed. "Even as I think it over now, since this man must die without a doubt, if we cannot make an example of him, his death would be in vain... To be honest, I now vaguely feel that it would be better to let the lord kill him by force than to execute him covertly or pin other crimes on him!"

"If that's the case, isn't this matter unsolvable?" Zhai Ruwen frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Are we really going to sit by and let the lord forcefully kill a high-ranking official of the Secret Pavilion? You must understand, Gou Long's actions, while utterly despicable, are also extremely cunning... Not to mention the matter of the Quanzhou foreign temple, even this recent opportunity to impeach Minister Hu can at most be called moral depravity and a petty man's face, but it doesn't constitute a violation of the law."

"So, we still need to think of a way to trap him, and ideally, expose his schemes in the process..." Liu Ji reiterated the superior's requirement.

"Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but this matter doesn't necessarily require Councilors Zhao and Liu to rack their brains to respond to the lord." But at this moment, Minister of Personnel Chen Gongfu, who had been silent all along, spoke up, and his words were startling. "You two are Councilors of the Secretariat-Chancellery. You shouldn't be fixated on the difficulty of how a petty man should die... The lord is angry, consumed by rage. Are you two Councilors also that angry?"

"What does Minister Chen mean by this?" The two Councilors, Zhao and Liu, were both stirred. After exchanging a glance, it was Zhao Ding who took the initiative to ask.

Even Hu Yin, who had remained silent, along with Yan Xiaozhong and Zhai Ruwen, now fixed their gaze on Chen Gongfu.

"What I mean is, Councilor Zhang's side is more anxious about this petty man Gou Long Ruyuan!" Chen Gongfu replied unhurriedly, with a serious expression. "This man is a fellow townsman of Councilor Zhang, and his entry into the ranks of high Secret Pavilion officials was also strongly recommended by Councilor Zhang. So, how to deal with Gou Long Ruyuan, how to make him expose his own faults, should be something for Councilor Zhang's side to figure out... Besides, in my view, Councilor Zhang's side has people like Minister Lin, who is subtle, and Vice Minister Lu, who is adept at scheming. If there really is a way, it will inevitably come from them. Why should you two Councilors bother with their affairs?"

Everyone exchanged glances, unable to refute, and then relaxed somewhat.

Zhao Ding thought for a moment, feeling that Chen Gongfu meant more than this, but immediately asked back: "Then may I ask Minister Chen, since the lord has finally shown such thunderous rage and is applying pressure, what should we two, as Councilors of the Secretariat-Chancellery, do to be correct at this time?"

"Naturally, you should share the lord's worries from the root." Chen Gongfu remained unhurried. "Two Councilors, was the lord's fury this time only directed at Gou Long Ruyuan? Wasn't he also worried about petty men scheming, destroying the overall situation from within? If so, why don't you two Councilors abandon Gou Long Ruyuan, take a high-level view, and reassure the lord fundamentally, thereby facilitating the great undertaking of the Northern Expedition?"

The people around all fell into thought, while Zhao Ding felt increasingly that the other's thoughts aligned with his own unspoken ones. He asked seriously again: "Minister Chen, do you have a good plan?"

"I dare not call it a good plan, merely borrowing from others..." Chen Gongfu replied frankly. "Two methods. One is aimed at officials throughout the court, an idea derived from Minister Lin of the Revenue's financial strategies and the recently implemented large-tablet method. The other is aimed at the morale and public sentiment in the south, a cliché... In fact, if we don't do some things ourselves, the lord will probably use others to do them."

The people around, including Hu Yin, all raised their eyebrows and finally couldn't help but take a good look at this Minister Chen.

"Did you four gather your friends last night? Did you think of any solutions?"

The next morning, the Zhao family lord summoned the four Grand Councilors again at the stone pavilion. As soon as they met, he pressed them directly, his anger seemingly unabated.

The four Councilors exchanged glances, then let Privy Councilor Zhang Jun, Zhang Deyuan, step forward, bow before the stone pavilion, and reply: "In response to Your Majesty, regarding the matter of Gou Long Ruyuan, Vice Minister of Personnel Lu Zhi offered me a suggestion, which might be feasible!"

"Speak."

Zhao Jiu's words were crisp.

"Although the case of the Fujian scholars impeaching Minister Hu has been settled, the Left Vice Minister of Works, Gou Long Ruyuan, once stated in the Wende Hall that there might be something fishy behind this matter, suggesting that there could be petty men like Wang Ciweng secretly committing misconduct, openly impeaching Minister Hu while covertly sowing discord within the imperial family... We believe that since he is so enthusiastic, why not transfer him to the position of Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, ordering him to personally try this case and ensure he finds the petty men behind it?" Zhang Jun's forehead was slightly beaded with sweat, but his words were smooth, clearly well-prepared. "If he finds them, then naturally someone will be held responsible for sowing discord and slandering the emperor. If he doesn't find them, then Gou Long Ruyuan is guilty of falsely accusing the innocent!"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly snorted and nodded: "This is a trap?"

"Yes!" Zhang Deyuan nodded without hesitation.

"It can be done!" Zhao Jiu nodded in approval.

Everyone inside and outside the stone pavilion breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Furthermore." Just as everyone thought the matter was settled, Zhang Jun continued to bow earnestly and speak. "Last night, Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo advised me, saying that a councilor should not be preoccupied with the surface while neglecting the core... Your Majesty's anger at Gou Long Ruyuan was not only because he is a despicable petty man, but also because you are worried about the unhealthy atmosphere among court officials, fearing that a thousand-li dike could collapse due to an ant hole... Therefore, last night, we consulted Minister Lin's past financial strategies and combined them with the tablet system Your Majesty has recently promoted, and came up with an internal oversight method!"

"How so?" Zhao Jiu noticed the strange looks from Zhao Ding and Liu Ji behind Zhang Jun, but he couldn't help being intrigued, as these words struck a chord with him.

"Please set a six-month term. Order the Six Ministries, Nine Courts, and Five Directorates to each list their policies for the half-year, as if making a military pledge. Then, establish various sections within the Privy Council to oversee these ministries, courts, and directorates... First, those who fail to act within the deadline will naturally be dismissed. Second, it will also assist the Censorate in ensuring that officials in various departments do not engage in illegal or immoral acts." Zhang Jun bowed his head sincerely. "What does Your Majesty think?"

"I think it's very good." Zhao Jiu nodded, his anger subsiding somewhat. "I know well that one cannot rely on people's hearts, only on systems... For you and Minister Lin to think in this direction shows excellent overall perspective... Much better than me, who was just getting angry and confused."

Zhang Jun was overjoyed at this, but still hurriedly clasped his hands: "Beyond this, there is also the matter of the south... Your Majesty, in former years, officials who retired from Shaoxing and the Daoist academies that fled south were able to unite in the south, repeatedly influencing central court opinion. There was actually a reason for this... At the root, it is still that the taxes and corvée on southern gentry and commoners are so heavy that every last copper is squeezed out to pay military expenses. Thus, the people's hearts loathe northern expeditions. And this is only human nature. Your subject believes the court cannot simply suppress this by force; it should use both kindness and authority!"

Zhao Ding simply raised his head to look at the flying-eave carvings on the stone pavilion.

And the Zhao Emperor was indeed overjoyed: "Deyuan, what other ideas do you have?"

"This is not your subject's idea, but the idea of Minister Liu of the Ministry of War... He believes that although there are still small skirmishes on the front lines, the overall situation is stable. Why not have Your Majesty make a southern tour to Suzhou and Yangzhou to reassure the people of the southeast?" Zhang Jun grew even more serious.

Zhao Jiu also became serious upon hearing this: "How much money would a southern tour cost?"

"If Your Majesty only takes two thousand personal guards, does not prepare an imperial carriage, does not accept tribute, just like the posture of the winter river inspection in past years, how much could it cost?" Another Western Administration Grand Councilor, Chen Gui, quickly stepped forward to show his presence. "The extravagance of an imperial tour lies entirely in excessive ostentation."

Zhao Jiu's heart stirred, and he nodded slightly, while Zhang Jun and Chen Gui were also overjoyed.

However, the Zhao Emperor still remembered that there was a Chief Councilor standing there, and he immediately looked toward Zhao Ding: "Councilor Zhao, what do you think? Is what Councilor Zhang and the others said feasible?"

Zhao Ding was silent, but simply pulled from his bosom a memorial that was already half-soaked with sweat, and silently stepped forward to present it.

The Zhao Emperor personally leaned forward to take it, opened it, and with a casual glance, clearly saw two headings:

First, request the establishment of six bureaus under the Capital Secretariat to oversee the six ministries;

Second, request an imperial southern tour to reassure the people.

"Then let it be settled!" Zhao Jiu finally broke into a smile, but then turned cold as he closed the memorial. "But first, kill that wretch!"