Chapter 67: Confrontation

Zhu Xu studied him, took a light sip of tea, and said flatly, "Minister Zhang, the tea at the Ministry of War is all stale, isn't it? In a few days, come by my place—I have some tribute tea bestowed by the Empress. I'll give you a few catties."

Zhang Heming had already guessed why Zhu Xu had come. Listening to his words, he furrowed his brow slightly.

But after all, he was a seasoned old hand in officialdom. He raised his head to look at Zhu Xu and said, "Thank you for Your Highness's kindness. This official is incorruptible—such tea suits me fine. Tribute tea should be reserved for His Majesty."

Zhu Xu raised an eyebrow. Is this an open provocation toward me?

He looked up at Zhang Heming, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, barely perceptible smile.

Zhang Heming had long since formed his plan. Today, whether or not His Highness Prince Hui had been sent by the Empress, leading troops into the Ministry of War without authorization was a major "piece of evidence." He had even already drafted the memorial in his head.

The main hall was eerily quiet. Zhu Xu sat smiling without speaking; Zhang Heming was confident of victory. Neither spoke—so silent you could hear a pin drop.

And just then, from behind the main hall, a middle-aged man with a refined, scholarly bearing, dressed in a blue long robe, quietly walked over. He sat down without a sound, leaned his ear toward the wall, and listened intently.

After a long while, Zhang Heming, being advanced in years, could no longer hold out. He looked up at Zhu Xu, deliberately letting a trace of impatience show on his face, and said, "May I ask what instructions Your Highness has for coming to my Ministry of War?"

Zhu Xu picked up the teacup again and said with a faint smile, "I wanted to change your tea for you, Minister."

Zhang Heming looked at the utterly composed Zhu Xu and suddenly felt something was off. But no matter what, with the leverage in hand, he was not afraid of Zhu Xu. His face hardened as he said, "The affairs of the Ministry of War need not trouble His Highness Prince Hui."

"Your Highness, we've found the man."

The moment Zhang Heming finished speaking, an imperial guard rushed in to report. Following behind, a row of imperial guards escorted Zhang Guoji inside.

The moment Zhang Guoji saw that the one seated in the main hall was actually the young Prince Hui, his heart jolted. He hurried over and said, "Your Highness Prince Hui..."

Seeing that he was only slightly disheveled and otherwise unharmed, Zhu Xu waved a hand and said with a smile, "Duke, please take a seat. This prince has matters to discuss with Minister Zhang."

Zhang Guoji stared at Zhu Xu in a daze. The Empress had more than once told him that His Highness Prince Hui, despite his youth, was exceptionally intelligent. Had he obtained the Empress's permission this time?

If outsiders seized on an excuse like "relatives of the imperial consort interfering in governance" or "a feudal prince overstepping his authority," it would surely invite another round of censure.

He opened his mouth to say something, but saw Zhu Xu stand up, look at Zhang Heming, and say with an authority laced through his coldness: "Minister Zhang, do you know what crime it is to secretly detain a Duke of the realm and plot treason?"

Confident of victory, Zhang Heming glanced at Zhang Guoji and said unmoved, "His Highness Prince Hui is mistaken. Duke Zhang was merely wrongly seized by my underlings. I was just about to personally escort the Duke back."

Zhu Xu hated this kind of self-righteous old bureaucrat the most. He smiled faintly and said, "Since Minister Zhang says so, this prince will take your word for it. But secretly detaining a Duke of the realm is tantamount to rebellion—it's not something this prince can simply let go because he believes you."

Zhang Heming looked up at Zhu Xu, about to retort, when Zhu Xu suddenly raised his voice to the imperial guards standing not far behind him: "Men, by my order, notify the Ministers of the other five ministries, the Left and Right Chief Censors of the Censorate, the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, the Office of Transmission, and the Grand Secretariat. Say that Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War, in collusion with a group from the Censorate, secretly detained Duke Zhang, the Empress's own father, intending to falsely accuse the Empress and destabilize the central palace—an act tantamount to rebellion. Have them come to this main hall of the Ministry of War to see me and jointly handle this matter."

The moment Zhu Xu finished, Zhang Heming's anger erupted. He pointed at Zhu Xu and shouted furiously, "Your Highness Prince Hui, this is slander! A feudal prince falsely accusing a senior minister of the court—are you not afraid I will lodge a complaint against you before His Majesty?"

Zhu Xu reached out, took the draft memorial prepared by the Censorate from Cao Wenzhao's hand, and handed it to Zhang Heming. "Would Minister Zhang care to take a look?"

Zhang Heming took it and sneered, "Your Highness Prince Hui, I will absolutely not let today's matter rest. I will certainly submit a heavy impeachment of you before His Majesty at the next court assembly."

"Minister Zhang might as well read it first." Zhu Xu clasped his hands behind his back, his expression growing colder.

Zhang Heming glanced at Zhu Xu, opened the memorial, and looked—his expression shifted slightly.

This was a draft memorial from the Censorate, impeaching Zhang Guoji. Most importantly, at the bottom of the memorial was the list of all the names of those who had prepared to jointly impeach!

Zhu Xu watched Zhang Heming's changing expression and let out a derisive laugh. "Minister Zhang, do you still say now that you had no premeditation?"

The corner of Zhang Heming's face twitched slightly. He hated those people of the Censorate to death—how could they be so careless in their work, letting someone seize leverage like this?

But in his view, the crime of a feudal prince leading troops into the Ministry of War without authorization was even greater. He looked at Zhu Xu with a cold smile: "Your Highness Prince Hui, I don't care where you found this thing—I acknowledge none of it. Your unauthorized entry into the Ministry of War today must be explained clearly before His Majesty."

Zhu Xu looked at Zhang Heming, who was being obstinate and refusing to admit anything, and finally understood in his heart why the court had such a baffling thing as the beating with the rod at court.

Without beating, it wouldn't do!

But Zhu Xu had no intention of wrangling with him. He stepped back and sat down in his chair, quietly waiting for replies from those he had notified.

Seeing that Zhu Xu was not pressing the attack, Zhang Heming felt somewhat relieved and began pondering how to erase the influence of this memorial and continue their plan.

"My lord."

Behind the main hall, a middle-aged man in the fifth-rank official robe walked over to Sun Chengzong's side carrying tea, and spoke in a low voice.

Sun Chengzong nodded slightly, took the teacup, and sat down in his chair. With one hand swirling the tea and the other cupped to his ear, he listened quietly to what was happening outside.

Inside the main hall, each person harbored their own thoughts; no one spoke. But the middle-aged man behind the main hall, looking at Sun Chengzong, lowered his voice and asked, "My lord, how should this matter be concluded?"

Sun Chengzong was one of the representative figures of the Donglin Faction. He shook his head slightly.

The middle-aged man understood. They had only known of this matter without participating. Now that His Highness Prince Hui had seized the leverage, they could no longer step forward.

After another long while, the guards who had been sent out returned one after another to report.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Ministry of Personnel replies that they have no authority to handle this—it should properly be handled by the Ministry of Justice."

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Ministry of Justice replies that this matter should be tried by the Court of Judicial Review."

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Court of Judicial Review replies that this matter should be decided by His Majesty's sacred judgment and referred to the Three Judicial Offices for joint trial."

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Grand Secretariat replies that this should be decided by court assembly."

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Ministry of Rites replies..."

Zhu Xu listened to the unending reports, his expression unchanged. In truth, he had expected this all along—anyone with even a modicum of intelligence would not get involved at a time like this. And they displayed their talent for passing the buck to perfection.

But Zhu Xu would not let them shirk their duty so easily. He looked at Zhang Heming and said with a slight smile, "Minister Zhang, do you have anything else to say?"

Zhang Heming knew that this time he was most likely in for trouble. Those who had long wanted to drive him from office were surely already eagerly writing their impeachment memorials. But he still believed he had done nothing wrong, and said stubbornly and coldly, "I am the Minister of War. Only His Majesty can pass judgment on me. Now, I demand an audience with His Majesty!"