Chapter 41: Calming the Waves (Part 4)
On the first day of the tenth month of the nineteenth year of Zheng Yuan, the Emperor issued a decree regarding the “Double Ninth Festival Plea” at the Dengwen Drum Court. Wu Ji Kang, the Emperor’s brother-in-law, was found guilty of undermining the new policies, cheating in the imperial examination, and causing death.
Grand Mentor Wu fainted after kneeling for days at the Yongding Gate, and Imperial Concubine Wu’s repeated requests for an audience with the Emperor were denied.
It rained heavily that day.
The streets of Yun Jing were bustling. People celebrated the Emperor’s just decision, burning paper money for the deceased Ni Qinglan.
The thirty-six scholars who had endured the beating with Ni Su wrote memorials for Ni Qinglan, burning incense and paper money.
“Brother Ji Ming, if you can hear me, are you at peace now?” He Zhong Ping asked, burning his memorial and looking up at the black lacquered memorial tablet, its gold characters blurring through his tears. “If the Emperor is punishing Wu Ji Kang, it must be the death penalty. But Brother Ji Ming…”
He swallowed hard. “I wish his life could bring you back.”
“Brother He, don’t grieve so. Today is a day for celebration. Ji Ming must be happy in the afterlife,” a scholar said, patting He Zhong Ping’s shoulder and burning his own memorial. “Brother Ji Ming, although we didn’t know each other, we are all disciples of Confucius and Mencius. I’ve read your poems and essays and know your character. May you, in your next life, soar high on the back of a kunpeng, fulfilling your aspirations!”
He stood up, lit incense, and bowed.
The small room was crowded, some people even standing on the porch. They lit incense and bowed towards the memorial tablet.
Despite their injuries from the beating, they had all come to pay their respects to Ni Qinglan.
Ni Su, having received sixteen lashes, could barely stand, but she had insisted on changing into mourning clothes and, with Cai Chun Xu’s support, burned two sets of winter clothes for her brother.
Whether it was the smoke from the burning paper or the pain from her wounds, Ni Su’s eyelids twitched, and her forehead was damp with sweat.
She released Cai Chun Xu’s hand and bowed to the assembled scholars. “Thank you all for coming to pay your respects to my brother. At the Dengwen Drum Court, you showed me that justice ultimately resides in the hearts of the people. And as long as our hearts remain true, justice will prevail.”
“My brother wasn’t sociable and had few close friends, but after his death, you all fought for him. I believe that even in death, my brother considers you his friends.”
“Well said, Miss Ni! After this, we consider Ji Ming our friend, regardless of life or death!” a scholar said, bowing in return.
They, too, were injured and didn’t stay long.
“Sister A-Xi, go back and rest. You can barely stand…” Cai Chun Xu said, seeing the bloodstains on the back of Ni Su’s dress. She and Yu Wen helped her back to her room.
As she reached the door, Ni Su turned back, looking at the memorial tablets of her mother and brother, smoke curling from the incense burner. She bit her lip, her eyes welling up.
“Where’s the medicine the Emperor bestowed? Yu Wen, bring it quickly,” Cai Chun Xu said, helping Ni Su lie down on the bed.
After issuing the decree against Wu Ji Kang, the Emperor had sent a eunuch with a message praising Ni Su’s courage and loyalty and bestowing gold, silver, silk, and fine medicine.
Although the medicine was effective, applying it was excruciating. Ni Su clutched the pillow, her mind hazy with pain, until she heard Cai Chun Xu say, “It’s done, Sister A-Xi.”
Cai Chun Xu had seen Ni Su’s wounds before, but each time, the sight was horrifying. She straightened Ni Su’s clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “It’s finally over…” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “You almost died, but you got justice for your brother.”
“So, Sister Cai, I’m happy,” Ni Su said, her voice still hoarse. The rain outside smelled fresh and clean.
Cai Chun Xu, seeing her half-open eyes, her face pressed against the pillow as she inhaled the scent of rain, gently stroked her damp hair. “Sister A-Xi, you’re the most admirable woman I know.”
Ni Su smiled. “Sister Cai, you’re the best sister I’ve met in Yun Jing.”
“Now that everything is resolved, get some rest. I’ll join you for dinner when you wake up,” Cai Chun Xu said with a smile, then left the room.
Silence fell. Ni Su closed her eyes and whispered, “Xu Zi Ling.”
“Mmm,” a faint mist coalesced into a human form behind the screen.
Ni Su clutched the blanket, her eyes still closed. “Will Wu Ji Kang truly be executed?”
Although the Emperor had issued a decree, the court was still debating the punishment.
“The Emperor is determined to implement the new policies, and Wu Ji Kang’s crimes include ‘undermining the new policies.’ This alone warrants the death penalty. Although they’re still debating, I believe they’re only discussing the execution date,” Xu He Xue said, sitting on the couch, his back to the screen. “And…”
“And what?”
“The execution might not be soon. Punishing Wu Ji Kang might just be the beginning. The Emperor might also purge officials from the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy.”
Ni Su was silent for a moment. She understood that even Han Qing and Meng Yun Xian weren’t helping her purely out of altruism. They were using her brother’s case for their own political gain.
“I can wait. I’ll watch him die at the execution grounds. But I feel like I’m dreaming. Every time I sleep, I’m afraid I’ll wake up and everything will be gone.”
The pain from her wounds made her feel detached from reality.
“Are you afraid of starting over?” he asked.
“No,” she replied. Even if she had to, she would fight for her brother again.
Xu He Xue looked out the window at the rain and mist. “Then sleep.”
His voice was soothing. Ni Su’s mind drifted, lulled by the sound of the rain. This was the most peaceful sleep she had had since arriving in Yun Jing.
***
As Xu He Xue had predicted, the decree against Wu Ji Kang was only the beginning. The Emperor’s purge of the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy continued until the end of the year.
The Yin Ye Si’s torture chamber was filled with blood. Dozens of officials were demoted, their homes confiscated, their bodies tortured. A dark cloud hung over Yun Jing.
The officials who had embezzled the river dredging funds were also punished, including Grand Mentor Wu, who was stripped of his rank and titles.
“The Yin Ye Si has been busy lately. You look thinner,” Meng Yun Xian said, returning home and taking the tea offered by Han Qing, removing his official hat but not changing his clothes.
“Being busy is a good thing. Many of those who opposed you most vehemently are gone now,” Han Qing said, his eyes tired but his tone satisfied.
The conflict between the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy had been brewing for a long time. Meng Yun Xian had helped Jiang Xian Ming bring the winter examination case to the Emperor’s attention, anticipating the ensuing arguments.
The escalation into open conflict had also been within his expectations.
They weren’t truly fighting over an unknown scholar’s death. It was a political power struggle.
Few truly cared about Ni Qinglan. They were using his name to attack their opponents.
And Meng Yun Xian and Han Qing had benefited from this conflict, like fishermen reaping the rewards of a fight between a snipe and a clam. They had orchestrated this struggle, eliminating several opponents of the new policies.
Meng Yun Xian took a sip of tea. “We removed a few obstacles to the new policies, and the Emperor removed those who opposed his Mount Tai ceremony and colluded with the imperial clan to amass wealth.”
“Isn’t this a win-win situation? The Emperor has the funds for his palace, and you’ve eliminated your opponents. But you don’t seem happy, Minister Meng,” Han Qing said, observing his expression.
“I just remembered twenty years ago, when your sister was released from prison. You came to me, kowtowing until your head bled, and you smiled at me. I was happy too,” Meng Yun Xian said, a flicker of a smile crossing his face, then vanishing. “Back then, we thought we had won.”
“Didn’t we?” Han Qing asked, puzzled.
Meng Yun Xian shook his head. “The real winner was the Emperor.”
“How so?”
“I was in my forties when I was first appointed to the Grand Council. Seeing the deep-rooted corruption in the Great Qi, I submitted the ‘Qing Qu Shu,’ proposing new policies. The Emperor’s approval made me enthusiastic. I worked with Chong Zhi to rectify official conduct, showing no mercy, making many enemies. I thought any sacrifice was worth it, especially with the Emperor’s trust.”
“But then General Xu He Xue was executed for treason in Yongzhou, and a year later, Chong Zhi and I were discarded without hesitation. I wondered if our new policies had made any difference. It wasn’t until years later, after my demotion to Wen County, that I realized the failed reforms hadn’t changed anything for the nation or the people. But one thing did change.”
“What?”
“The Emperor’s power, and our power to advise him.”
Meng Yun Xian’s expression turned somber. “Han Qing, I thought I was doing something good for the nation and its people, but I was merely a knife in the Emperor’s hand, used to silence his critics.”
At some point, the shared governance between the Emperor and his officials had ended.
“According to the law, your sister should have been executed. But why was she spared? You were too young then, and I was too naive to think about it.”
Meng Yun Xian asked, “Your sister’s life was spared because of me, but not entirely because of me. Do you understand the meaning of ‘imperial law’?”
Han Qing thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No.”
“The Emperor is above the law,” Meng Yun Xian sighed.
Han Qing was stunned.
The Emperor had used the new policies to establish his decrees as superior to the law. That’s how his sister had been spared. But Han Qing couldn’t say whether this was good or bad.
Personally, he was grateful.
But for the sake of justice, he felt sorry for Meng Yun Xian. Decrees were based on the Emperor’s whims, while laws were meant to uphold justice. When decrees superseded laws, it harmed the nation.
“Then the Emperor’s decision to summon you and Minister Zhang back to re-implement the new policies… is it also…” Han Qing trailed off.
“The Emperor implemented the new policies before for power, and this time, he might not be truly prepared to face the pressure from the imperial clan,” Meng Yun Xian said, listening to the rain and smiling faintly. “The Emperor is annoyed that the imperial clan is amassing wealth while he struggles to fund his palace. Chong Zhi and I are merely tools to intimidate the imperial clan and the officials.”
“He wants money.”
“But I don’t care what he wants. As long as I can fulfill his wishes and eliminate my obstacles…” Steam from the tea obscured his expression. “It’s a win-win situation.”
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