Chapter 61: Battle in the Hall Against the Ministers

The ministers all heard this and were startled, turning to look together.

Although Zhao Ti was a Prince of the Blood, he held no official post or assignment, did not attend court, and had never once presented a memorial—what was the matter today?

"Prince Yan, please speak." Zhao Xu leaned forward slightly on the dragon throne, his expression appearing calm, though his fists beneath the desk were clenched tight.

Zhao Ti smiled, swept his gaze across the assembled officials in the great hall, and said: "I, your subject, humbly petition Your Majesty to abolish the old laws and reinstate the new laws!"

"What?" The ministers all froze at his words. The hall was vast, and even the jinshi degree-holders standing far off without official rank were dumbfounded.

"Prince Yan, explain in detail!" A flush of red appeared on Zhao Xu's face; that contradictory air about him briefly vanished, leaving only intense focus on his features.

Zhao Ti raised his court tablet: "Your Majesty, your subject believes the old laws have too many faults—burdensome, redundant, and cumbersome—no longer suited to the present times, no longer suited to the state of the court or the livelihood of the people. The new laws, though they too have flaws, can be corrected and amended; their merits outweigh those of the old. Therefore I beg Your Majesty to reinstate the new laws!"

"You—Prince Yan, you speak wild nonsense!" Only now did the assembled ministers react, and nearly every face changed dramatically.

The Old Party went without saying—even the most learned among them wore savage expressions; the current Grand Councillor and the Ministers of the Six Boards gnashed their teeth in fury.

But some lurking members of the New Party were stunned, hearts shaken, their hands barely able to hold their ivory tablets.

The new laws! In ten-some years, who would dare raise the matter of restoring the new laws? When this subject was broached in court, it was only to attack one another and vie for power!

"Prince Yan, you speak vile slander, talking utter nonsense!" Minister of Rites Liang Dao stepped out from the ranks, trembling all over with rage.

Zhao Ti glanced at him: "Hasn't Minister Liang retired from the Hall of Strategy on grounds of illness, and been assigned to supervise the Liquan Temple? Since you are ill, you should rest and recuperate well—why can't you bear the loneliness and come to the hall? And why speak so rudely? Office does not match virtue, words do not match reason—how then can you lead the Ministry of Rites!"

"I…" Liang Dao said furiously: "As a Prince of the Blood with no official assignment, how can you presume to meddle in governance."

Zhao Ti laughed coldly: "This prince merely presented a memorial stating his views. Has Minister Liang, in the past, framed and entrapped people, pinned big hats on them so often that he now wants to pin one on this prince as well?"

"You, you…"

Zhao Ti raised his court tablet again: "Your Majesty, your subject believes that the flaws of the new laws should be rectified at once, and then the new laws reinstated, with the old laws abolished entirely!"

"Prince Yan's words are mistaken!" Left Vice Grand Councilor and Deputy Head of the Chancellery Lü Dafang stepped out from the ranks: "Since Prince Yan holds no official assignment and knows nothing of court affairs, how can he recklessly prattle about the new laws?"

Zhao Ti glanced at him: "I have heard that Chancellor Lü had already submitted a memorial to resign from the position of chancellor. Why then does he appear here now? Could it be that he clings to fame and power, burnishes his reputation, retreats to advance, and intends to coerce the Son of Heaven?"

"You, you speak gibberish…"

"Where has this prince spoken amiss? If one truly wished to step down and live in seclusion, enjoying fields and gardens, would one not resign one's post and depart clean-handed? How then could one's words and deeds so fail to match, one's utterances so lack forethought? If that is not playing hard to get, then what is it?"

"The new laws cannot be restored, the old laws cannot be abolished—Prince Yan, do not disrupt the court!"

Zhao Ti gave a faint, mirthless smile: "If those who uphold the old laws are all as selfish as Chancellor Lü, accustomed to displaying schemes before men, then they are better dispensed with!"

"Prince Yan, what exactly do you intend to do?" At this moment another man stepped out from the ranks—it was Right Vice Grand Councilor and Deputy Head of the Secretariat Fan Chunren. Fan Chunren was the son of Fan Zhongyan, and likewise a member of the Old Party.

"Prince Yan, now that His Majesty has taken personal rule and is holding court, with congratulations pouring in from all quarters, you raise that new law that brought calamity to the state and ruin to the people—your intentions are sinister. What are you trying to do?"

Zhao Ti cast him a sidelong glance and said coldly: "Chancellor Fan, do not disgrace Lord Wenzheng!"

Lord Wenzheng was Fan Zhongyan; Fan Chunren was Fan Zhongyan's second son.

Fan Chunren's face turned livid with rage. He turned toward the imperial steps and said: "Your Majesty, you must not listen to Prince Yan's wild ravings. Who would have thought Prince Yan was hiding so deeply—he must surely be a leading figure of the New Party, his mind unfathomable and sinister!"

Zhao Xu's brows moved slightly at this from the steps. Hiding so deeply? Was that referring to Prince Yan, or to me…

Some members of the New Party on either side of the great hall exchanged uncertain glances. They had never known Prince Yan was one of their own—they had never heard of it. Not only had they never met privately to discuss plans against the Old Party, they barely even spoke to him on ordinary days, hardly even exchanging greetings.

Zhao Ti said: "Your Majesty, Chancellor Fan has grown senile and spoken without thinking, actually calling the leading figures of the New Party sinister and unfathomable in mind."

Zhao Xu's expression darkened: "Mm…"

"Your Majesty, Prince Yan's conduct today is bizarre—do not listen to him!" Su Zhe stepped out from the ranks.

"Prince Yan, your words are utterly vicious. As a member of the imperial clan, how can you mislead Your Majesty's actions? Your moral character is plainly flawed, your conduct improper. I beg Your Majesty to strip his title and call him to account, as a warning!"

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes at Su Zhe: "Chancellor Su!"

"What has Prince Yan to say? Could it be that this old man has struck your vital point and you now admit your fault? Then hurry and explain to Your Majesty, and apologize to the various chancellors!" Su Zhe said loudly.

Everyone's gaze turned to Zhao Ti. Su Zhe attacked Zhao Ti on the grounds of virtue because Su Zhe himself cultivated virtue and had never once lapsed in moral conduct.

Zhao Ti looked at Su Zhe and sighed: "Chancellor Su speaks to this prince of morality, of conduct. Chancellor Su, have you not heard the saying: if the son is not taught, the fault lies with the father? You hold up virtue as your banner, yet you do not restrain your own household—what manner of virtuous gentleman is that?"

"What does Prince Yan mean by this?" Su Zhe's heart gave a jump, and a sense of foreboding swept over him.

Zhao Ti reached into his robe and drew out the written confession Su Yuan had made that day, tossing it onto Su Zhe. He was not afraid Su Zhe would destroy it—he had ordered Su Yuan to write two copies, and at the time so many imperial guards were present that they could all testify that the son of a sitting chancellor had set up a gang outside, collecting protection money from dock laborers.

"What, what is this?" Su Zhe's eyes went wide. He snatched it up for a look, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

The men of the Censorate, seeing his strange demeanor, all craned their necks to peer over, wanting to see what was written on the paper.

Su Zhe's hands trembled. Suddenly he shoved the paper into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it whole.

The crowd could not help but be stunned. A Supervising Censor of the Censorate who was usually pushed aside and had never dared speak up in court stepped forward: "What is Chancellor Su doing? In broad daylight, with the Son of Heaven present, how can you lose all propriety like this? Could it be that Prince Yan wrote some filthy great secret about you on that paper!"

Su Zhe said not a word, retreated into the ranks, tightly closed his eyes, looked at no one, and did not utter another sound.

"Prince Yan, you—I have heard that on ordinary days you brandish spears and play with staves, behaving like a crude, vulgar warrior. How could you possibly understand affairs of court or of the jianghu? To speak so wildly is simply to rebel against the classics and lose all sense!" At this moment another man stepped out—he was the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review.

Zhao Ti glanced at him coldly, pointed, and said: "A tyrant who knows no lord—you presume to discuss court and jianghu with this prince? Do you know how many wen a sheng of grain costs in the market, how many qian a jin of vegetables? Do you know the people's suffering, the common folk's worries!"

"Prince Yan, do not quibble. You only know how to wield blade and spear—where would you know anything of court affairs? You make a nuisance of yourself, you delay the Son of Heaven—you, you are beyond forgiveness…" At this moment a host of Old Party members leapt out one after another, shouting desperately at Zhao Ti.

Zhao Ti laughed coldly, the corners of his mouth lifting, and cast a sidelong glance up at the ceiling of the hall.