Chapter 154: Yang Lian Impeaches Wei Zhongxian

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Though Wang Wenyan came from the rough-and-tumble world and had not been sparing in his use of schemes and tricks over the years, his long contact with these scholars had forged in him an iron heart and steel bones, loyal and righteous to the core.

Looking at Tian Ergeng and the other two, he sneered, "So what if it was me? Come at me all you like!"

Xu Xianchun had the look of a cruel official about him. He gave a cold laugh, his gaze fierce as he said, "Refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! You bribed the inner court with forty thousand taels and the Grand Secretariat with sixty thousand. As for the rest, you might as well confess it all now."

Wang Wenyan was not at all surprised that these two matters were known — he had offended both sides, after all. But he would not utter a single word about anything else. Listening to Xu Xianchun's words, he merely gave a cold snort and made no move to speak.

Xu Xianchun clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes growing colder and more ruthless as he said flatly, "In the Xiong Tingbi case, your Donglin Faction defended him with all its might. A hundred thousand taels was probably just the loose change. You certainly can't produce that. Come now, who else was involved?"

Wang Wenyan's expression shifted slightly. His eyes dark and gloomy upon the three men, he said, "You... want me to drag others down with false accusations?"

Seeing that they had finally reached the crux of the matter, Xu Xianchun's face showed excitement as he said, "Wrong — you are to confess truthfully!"

Only now did Wang Wenyan finally understand — this was not about his bribery being exposed, but a premeditated frame-up!

The corner of his eye twitched as he barked, "What exactly are you after?"

Tian Ergeng walked over, the corners of his face twitching slightly, hideous and fearsome as he said, "No need to waste words with him. Use the torture first, until he's willing to confess!"

Wang Wenyan's face was ashen, but he remained unmoved.

Manacles, shackles, clubs, finger-squeezers, leg-splints — whatever instruments the Embroidered Uniform Guard possessed, they were applied to Wang Wenyan one after another. They were not after a confession now, but deliberately tormenting him, venting their spite.

When Wang Wenyan was seized, the first to feel the danger and burn with fury was not **xing, but Yang Lian.

Yang Lian and Wang Wenyan were extremely close — a hair's breadth short of kowtowing to the ground and swearing brotherhood as sworn kin.

At this moment, in the Yang residence, Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou sat side by side, both with stern expressions and eyes cold as frost. The two men were incorruptible and upright, unbending in their integrity, and enjoyed immense prestige at court, where they were known as "Yang-Zuo."

Yang Lian wasted no words. His face grim yet earnest, he said, "Brother Zuo, I have drawn up a list of twenty-four great crimes of Wei Zhongxian. Tomorrow at the morning court, I will expose them openly before the assembly. I hope Brother Zuo will lend his aid!"

Zuo Guangdou was equally indignant. Hearing this, he replied, "Rest assured, Brother Yang. I shall return at once to contact our colleagues. Tomorrow at court, that will surely be the hour of the eunuch faction's downfall!"

These two were no pushovers either. Over the years, upholding the principle of "driving out the wicked with the righteous," they had driven out who knows how many people, and naturally had their own methods. After deliberating for some time, the two parted ways to attend to their respective tasks.

The next day, Yang Lian brought his memorial, intending to expose Wei Zhongxian's crimes openly at court and rally all the ministers to pressure the Emperor into issuing an immediate decree to deal with Wei Zhongxian — but Zhu Youxiao did not hold court that day.

Zuo Guangdou had not anticipated this either. He pulled Yang Lian aside and said thoughtfully, "Brother Yang, the longer we delay, the more chances for things to go wrong. The memorial must be submitted as soon as possible!"

Yang Lian too worried that dragging things out would invite leaks. Understanding at once, he said, "I'll go to the Huiji Gate at once and hand it to the Grand Secretariat's proclamation office, to be forwarded to His Majesty."

With that, Yang Lian turned and hurried straight for the Huiji Gate.

After the Grand Secretariat read the memorial, how could they dare delay even a moment? As if throwing away a hot iron in their hands, they drafted a rescript at flying speed and had it sent to the Directorate of Ceremonial at the earliest opportunity.

Once the Directorate of Ceremonial knew, that naturally meant Wei Zhongxian knew.

Wei Zhongxian hurried into the palace. Looking at Yang Lian's memorial, the knife-carved wrinkles on his face gathered ever deeper, and a cold murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

'Zhongxian was originally nothing more than a street thug, who in middle age submitted to castration and insinuated himself into the palace. He cannot grasp letters or reason, having risen from the Document Office to the Directorate of Ceremonial.'

'Of late he has openly gathered in groups of three and five, forcing his way into deliberations by shouting and clamoring. The very hall of governance has nearly become a market square. There are even cases of him issuing inner-court approvals directly, without consulting anyone. Should he produce a slip of paper at midnight to kill a man, the Emperor would not know, and the Grand Secretaries would have no chance to question it — is the harm trivial? The Grand Secretaries are so oppressed and aggrieved that some firmly wish to resign, destroying over two hundred years of our ancestors' governing institutions. This is great crime number one.'

'Today he secures a sinecure in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for one relative, tomorrow a post in the Secretariat for another. The halls of the Golden Guard are filled with milk-mouthed youths, and the proclamation offices with men who cannot tell one character from another. Men like Wei Liangbi, Wei Liangcai, Wei Liangqing, Wei Xikong, and his nephew by a sister Fu Yingxing — how did they come by such honors? What military merit has Zhongxian, what ministerial achievement, to so defile the titles of the court? This is great crime number thirteen.'

'Thus within the palace precincts, they know there is a Zhongxian but not an Emperor; within the capital city, they know there is a Zhongxian but not an Emperor. Even the host of officials, great and small, swayed by accumulated weight and driven by accumulated power, have unconsciously reached the point of knowing no Emperor but only Zhongxian.'

'I beg Your Majesty to rouse your thunderous wrath, assemble the civil and military officials and the nobles, and order the Ministry of Justice to conduct a strict interrogation, so that the laws of the realm may be upheld.'

In a few hundred flowing characters, Yang Lian laid out Wei Zhongxian's origins, character, and twenty-four great crimes with perfect clarity — every word drawing blood, every sentence a blade.

With each character Wei Zhongxian read, the veins on his forehead gave a violent throb. His face was dark as ink, his teeth clenched in fury.

Liu Chao, watching Wei Zhongxian's expression and recalling the "humiliation" Zuo Guangdou had dealt him before, said in a sinister tone, "Your Excellency, Wang Wenyan is already in prison. Why not have him produce a confession and drag Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, and the rest down with him!"

"Go and handle it!" Wei Zhongxian's gaze was like a sword, each look fit to kill. His voice icy, he said, "Whatever methods it takes, I want them to confess!"

Liu Chao's face twisted savagely, his voice growing more sinister as he said, "Rest assured, Your Excellency. This servant will not disappoint you."

Wei Zhongxian stood in the great hall, the fury in his heart seeming about to explode, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. Gritting his teeth and drawing a deep breath, he took the memorial and hurried straight to Jingyang Palace.

He knelt on the ground and cried out, "Your Majesty, this servant is wronged! Everything I have done has been in wholehearted loyalty to Your Majesty — never have I overstepped the slightest bound. Now these outside officials have listed twenty great crimes against me, seeking to drive me to my death. This servant's death would be of no consequence, but when I think that Your Majesty will thereafter have no one to serve you, my heart is filled with sorrow..."

Wei Zhongxian made no mention whatsoever of the crimes. He presented himself as one who had done everything solely for the Emperor, as one who had taken the blame for the sovereign, and worried only that His Majesty would have no one to use in the future — and so on.

Zhu Youxiao listened to Wei Zhongxian's words while flipping through Yang Lian's memorial, his face indifferent, his thoughts unreadable.

Wei Zhongxian secretly raised his head for a glance, then spoke again: "This servant dares not harbor resentment. It is only that the Sage Mother of Reverent Virtue has been gone these many years, and still the outside officials will not let the matter rest. This servant begs Your Majesty to permit me to retire, so that I may not end my years in misery, with my very bones left unburied..."

Zhu Youxiao's eyelids gave a violent twitch, and anger appeared on his cold face. Madam Ke was a taboo in his heart — whenever anyone so much as mentioned her, his nerves felt as if pricked by needles, let alone when someone raked up old accounts concerning her.

In his view, Madam Ke ought to receive full respect. That anyone still dared to speak so brazenly could only be malicious slander!

But Zhu Youxiao had long grown accustomed to the ways of outside officials. Though his expression was ugly, he could only suppress his anger, offering Wei Zhongxian kind words of comfort, and then directly issued a decree reprimanding Yang Lian.

Wei Zhongxian watched Zhu Youxiao's face and listened to his words, joy and rage mingling in his heart. What pleased him was that he had once again accurately grasped Zhu Youxiao's mind, successfully provoked him, and foiled Yang Lian's scheme. What enraged him was that every word of Yang Lian's twenty-four great crimes lingered in the depths of his heart, impossible to shake off.

Wei Zhongxian thought of Wang Wenyan still in his hands. His gaze flashed coldly as he said to himself, 'Yang Dahong, I will kill you!'