Chapter 27: The Trap

"Yang Yan, why did you present this memorial to His Majesty?" He Xueyi took the lead in questioning.

Chuge struggled to lift his head, "As a subject of the Great Wei, submitting a memorial to His Majesty is the proper way of a sovereign and the duty of an honorable official. To impeach treacherous officials is simply part of my responsibility!"

He Xueyi's eyes narrowed slightly, "Good, then let me ask you another question."

"Who was behind the memorial you submitted?"

Chuge sneered disdainfully, "Does Mr. He always need someone else to instruct him when presenting memorials to His Majesty?"

He Xueyi let out a cold laugh, "Fine, I'll ask you then, how do you explain this line from your memorial?

'Your Majesty, heed your servant's words, scrutinize Chong's treachery, or summon Prince Jing.'

Why call for Prince Jing to be summoned?"

Chuge was well aware that from this moment on, the real test had begun.

If it was a player's first time in this instance, perhaps the initial question could be bluffed through by chance, but the questions that followed were different.

Each question demanded careful deliberation before answering.

Whether it was answering incorrectly or not answering at all, either would directly lead to Yang Yan's death and the failure of the entire trial!

In fact, from the first question, one could roughly determine that He Xueyi's first round of inquiries centered on the keyword "political storm."

The memorial Yang Yan submitted to the emperor was a death remonstration, prepared as though he was ready to lay in his own coffin, resolute in his stance to fight to the death.

The object of this memorial pointed directly at the present Emperor Weizhao and the number one influential official, Wang Chong.

Of course, the posthumous title "Weizhao" was only conferred after the emperor's death. Although this Emperor could largely be considered a dim-witted ruler, he had not yet reached the pinnacle of foolishness. Indifferent to state affairs and fond of grand achievements, he tacitly allowed his subordinates to plunder the wealth of the people, but he was very prideful and indeed clever.

Although it was a petty cleverness.

So, under the cultural norm of "a subject conceals his sovereign's faults," he was forcibly granted the character "Zhao," signifying his cleverness and acumen, a fitting lord.

What He Xueyi quoted from Yang Yan's memorial, "scrutinize Chong's treachery," meant to have the emperor see through the cunning of the influential official Wang Chong.

Yang Yan's memorial was in effect a slap to Emperor Weizhao's face and also directly provoked the anger of the number one influential official, Wang Chong. Thus, upon submission, the memorial had sparked a massive political storm.

Emperor Weizhao was an emperor concerned about his image, and at the same time, someone who greatly deceived himself and lacked self-awareness.

Praising himself as a peerless sovereign, he was infuriated by the harsh criticism from Yang Yan, an ordinary official, and exploded in rage.

During this controversy, whether it was the Emperor or the court officials, each had their own agendas.

For the Emperor, he wished he could immediately behead Yang Yan, yet could not swallow the insult. Yang Yan's memorial had already caused a sensation within the court and the public; if the Emperor killed him in a fit of rage, wouldn't that leave a reputation of being intolerant? Wouldn't it be an admission to the accusations made in the memorial?

Therefore, the Emperor ordered Yang Yan to be flogged with a hundred court rods, but not beaten to death.

He intended for Yang Yan to suffer profoundly and then be refuted point by point, to render the content of the memorial utterly worthless. That was the way to salvage his own dignity.

As for the leading minister of the court, Wang Chong, his thinking was rather simple, he wanted Yang Yan to die as soon as possible!

Because Yang Yan's memorial was a death impeachment, he had launched an extremely fierce attack on him.

Even though Emperor Weizhao favored Wang Chong and let him collect wealth on his behalf, it was impossible for the Emperor, being a man who loved prestige and power, to let Wang Chong's influence grow unchecked forever. Any minor disturbance could lead Emperor Weizhao to seize the opportunity to take Wang Chong down and replace him with someone else.

Therefore, for Wang Chong, Yang Yan's petition posed a serious threat to his position and safety. He was determined to eliminate Yang Yan to feel relieved.

Beyond that, there were still some officials with a conscience left, capable of getting things done and loyal to the state. Although they admired Yang Yan's courage, they dared not step forward to speak on behalf of Yang Yan. Once they did, they could easily be regarded by Emperor Weizhao as "factionalists," rendering Yang Yan's sacrifice in vain.

This was the main political force in the court at that time, but besides them, there was another force that could not be ignored.

That was the neutral or opportunistic faction, like the presiding official of this instance, He Xueyi.

For He Xueyi, this turmoil was certainly dangerous, but it was also an excellent opportunity to get rid of political enemies.

It was too difficult to bring down Wang Chong, but He Xueyi did not want to completely side with Wang Chong and become one of his followers, as he too would surely be implicated if Wang Chong fell from power one day. If he wanted to advance further from his position as a senior official, he had to target someone else.

And identifying "the person behind" Yang Yan was the best method.

The first failure of the man known as "Song of Chu" was largely due to this aspect.

Because of his indiscreet remarks, He Xueyi relentlessly pursued him, linking his petition with Prince Jing, who was the current Crown Prince, and consequently, the blame spread to several of the Crown Prince's tutors, leading to his complete failure.

Song of Chu was very aware that his every word was being recorded by Shi and would be directly reported to Emperor Weizhao's ears. So, he had to be extremely careful in how he answered.

He scoffed, "Now in the court, all are Wang Chong's followers. Other than His Highness Prince Jing, who doesn't fear Wang Chong? If Your Majesty asks others, how can you possibly get the truth?"

Upon hearing this, a trace of disappointment couldn't help but appear on He Xueyi's face.

Because Yang Yan hadn't taken the bait.

He had originally thought that Yang Yan, being a minor official so blunt in his petitions, likely possessed little political acumen and could easily be coaxed into directing this event towards the outcome he had anticipated, causing an upheaval in court. Unexpectedly, his plan had not been realized.

In fact, before the inquiry, many, including the Emperor, the powerbroker Wang Chong, and He Xueyi, had secretly investigated Yang Yan. Any close association with certain officials might have brought deadly trouble to Yang Yan.

But Yang Yan was aware of this and therefore had not shown any vulnerability in this respect.

He Xueyi was also trying out of curiosity, hoping to catch some flaws during the interrogation, to confirm the guilt. However, Yang Yan seemed very cautious and didn't fall for it.

If the best strategy failed, then it was time to switch to the next best.

For He Xueyi, the best strategy was to use an insignificant phrase in Yang Yan's memorial to fan the flames towards Prince Jing and even other ministers, ideally implicating one or two senior officials. That way, once positions became vacant, it would naturally be his turn, for he had achieved results in the interrogation.

The next best strategy was to handle this event properly by refuting and denouncing Yang Yan, to prevent him from continuing to adhere to his views in the memorial. In this way, Emperor Weizhao would be appeased, and He Xueyi similarly would be promoted for his contributions in the inquiry.

He Xueyi sneered, "No accomplices. Very well, I will take your word for it, for the time being."

"But this only proves how utterly foolish you are!

"You say, presenting a memorial is the duty of an official; I see it as merely your excuse.

"By submitting this kind of memorial, even without someone instructing you, there can only be one reason: You are seeking fame and recognition, wishing to write such a memorial to make unfounded criticisms and demean His Majesty, all to gain a reputation for integrity!

"With your low rank and modest position, how could you possibly understand the painstaking efforts of His Majesty and the senior officials in the court? What right do you have to recklessly talk about 'rectifying the ruler's path, naming official duties, and impeaching the corrupt'?"