Chapter 384 Opening (Part 3)

Immediately, the civil officials turned their heads, casting scrutinizing and hostile glances at the Duke of Cao.

In this struggle to seek justice for the "thirty-eight grieving spirit" (thirty-eight grieving spirit can be translated as "thirty-eight grieving spirit" but it's a cultural-specific expression, so for clarity, I'll use "thirty-eight martyrs" here), the radical civil officials were a complex group. Some fought for their inner sense of justice, some to honor the teachings of the saints and scholars, some for fame and fortune, and others simply followed the trend.

The radicals were led by Wei Yuan and Wang Zhenwen.

The opposition was equally complex in composition. Firstly, there were the royal relatives, among whom there might be kind-hearted individuals, but their status often dictated their stance.

Once Huai Wang was convicted, it would deal a devastating blow to the reputation of the entire royal family. To put it in colloquial terms, they would never be able to hold their heads high again.

Ordinary people care about their faces, and how much more so for the royal family?

Zhenbei Wang could die, but he must not be convicted.

Secondly, there was the group of honored aristocrats who were naturally aligned with the royal family. Understanding the nature of the peerage made it clear that the aristocrats and the royal family were on the same side.

In two words: aristocracy!

Civil officials were like waves of cut grass, always being replaced by new waves entering the court. When they were in power, they held sway over the country; when they fell, their descendants were no different from ordinary people.

Only the hereditary aristocrats were born aristocrats, occupying a different class from the commoners. And the power to pass down titles through generations was granted by the royal family.

Therefore, even if some aristocrats did not agree with Huai Wang or Emperor Yuanjing, they would mostly remain silent.

Lastly, there was a group of ambitious civil officials or those in difficult situations who secretly struck deals with Emperor Yuanjing, speaking on his behalf and becoming his weapons.

Royal relatives, aristocrats, and some civil officials formed the opposition.

At this moment, Duke Cao stepped forward, representing the aristocrats and their will.

"Your Majesty, in recent years, the court has faced both internal strife and external threats, with constant droughts in summer and floods in the rainy season, making life difficult for the people. Taxes from various regions have been in arrears year after year. Despite Your Majesty's constant reduction of taxes and allowing the people to rest, the people are still full of complaints."

Duke Cao spoke with deep concern, saying solemnly, "At this time, if news of Zhenbei Wang's massacre spreads, how will the common people view the court? How will the local officials and gentlemen view the court?

"Will they think that the court has decayed and thus become even more ruthless in extracting wealth from the people?"

"Scoundrel!"

Emperor Yuanjing flew into a rage, pointing at Duke Cao's nose and shouting, "Are you mocking me as a foolish emperor? Are you mocking everyone here as fools?"

"Your servant dares not!" Duke Cao exclaimed loudly.

"But right now, aren't you all doing just such foolish things? You claim to seek justice for the people and convict Huai Wang, but have you ever considered the overall situation? Have you considered the court's image? As officials in the court, don't you know that the court's dignity is your dignity?"

The two engaged in a dialogue, playing a duet.

The officials began to whisper and gossip among themselves.

Zheng Buxing felt a chill in his heart, both shocked and angry. He realized that Duke Cao's words were not unreasonable. In fact, they made perfect sense.

The dignity of the royal family was not enough to change the officials' stance.

But what about the dignity of the court?

In the hearts of the officials, the authority of the court was above everything else, because the authority of the court was their authority; the two were one and inseparable.

Even Zheng Xinghuai himself couldn't help but think about how the court could restore its dignity and the image in the hearts of the people.

Emperor Yuanjing sighed deeply, saying, "But, but Huai Wang... he did make a mistake."

Duke Cao shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, Huai Wang... is already dead!"

The murmurs grew louder, some still in low voices, but others began to argue fiercely.

The old eunuch grasped his whip, about to instinctively strike the floor tiles and rebuke the officials.

But when Emperor Yuanjing gave him a cold glance, the eunuch understood the emperor's intention and remained silent, allowing the debate to continue.

Yes, Huai Wang was dead, the biggest "aristocrat" gone, no more martial officers riding over them... So, was it worth tarnishing the court's dignity for a dead man?

This thought flashed through the minds of many civil officials.

Emperor Yuanjing shouted angrily, "Just because he's dead, can we erase what happened?"

Duke Cao bowed and said, "Yes, we can!"

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, scanning Duke Cao with a cold gaze like a knife.

Wang Zhenwen took a deep breath and smiled silently.

Both of them seemed to know what Duke Cao would say next.

Emperor Yuanjing asked in surprise, "How so?"

Duke Cao looked serious and solemn, saying, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten who destroyed the city of Chu? It was the barbarians. The barbarians turned Chu into ruins.

"Couldn't we look at this matter from another angle? The combined forces of demons and barbarians captured the city, and Zhenbei Wang fought desperately to defend the gates of Da Feng. In the end, the city fell and he died heroically.

"But Zhenbei Wang's sacrifice was worthwhile. He fought alone against the leaders of the demons and barbarians, killing Jili Zhigu and severely injuring Zhu Jiu.

"He made the two powerful leaders of the north one dead and one injured. After this battle, the northern border will enjoy peace for decades, even for a century. Zhenbei Wang died a worthy death and is a hero of Da Feng."

As he spoke the last sentence, Duke Cao was filled with emotion and excitement, his voice echoing in the grand hall.

Duke Cao presented the officials with two choices: one, to stick to their guns and convict the deceased Huai Wang, which would greatly damage the royal family's dignity and lead to a crisis of trust between the people and the court; two, to pull off a switch and change the narrative to the demons and barbarians destroying Chu, with Zhenbei Wang dying heroically defending the city.

All the officials had to do was to rehabilitate the reputation of a deceased prince. This would not only restore the court's dignity but also further establish its prestige and strength.

At this moment, a bitter laugh echoed through the grand hall.

Zheng Xinghuai looked around at the silent officials, scanning the faces of Emperor Yuanjing and Duke Cao. This scholar was both grief-stricken and angry.

"Your Majesty, Duke Cao, have you forgotten that it wasn't just me who witnessed all this? There were also members of the diplomatic mission, the 20,000 soldiers of Chu, as well as countless citizens and young scholars in the Imperial College who knew about this." Zheng Xinghuai suddenly sneered, "Can you silence all these mouths?"

Emperor Yuanjing looked down at him from above, with a hint of mockery in his eyes, and said calmly, "The court is adjourned. We will discuss this again tomorrow!"

Huaiqing Prefecture

In the pavilion of the back garden, beside a stone table, Huaiqing was playing chess with Xu Qian'an.

"The other day, I heard that Lin'an went to confront our father to demand the truth but was blocked outside the Imperial Study. She's stubborn and refused to leave, so she was fined two months' worth of allowance. I thought she'd go again, but the next day, the Crown Prince was assassinated."

With her pale, slender fingers, Huaiqing picked up a white chess piece and casually chatted with a cold expression.

"The Crown Prince should be alive," Xu Qian'an stared at the chessboard, hesitating to make a move, and casually asked.

"He only suffered minor injuries," Huaiqing replied calmly.

After a short while of playing chess, she seemed to find it boring to play against Xu Yinluo and changed the subject: "Have you heard about what happened in court today?"

Xu Qian'an nodded with a gloomy expression: "The ministers were frustrated, but the emperor didn't come out unscathed. This will probably be a long, drawn-out battle."

Huaiqing, the princess, lifted her beautiful and refined face, with eyes as dark and bright as a clear pond after autumn, staring at him and actually chuckled: "You're really not suited for court politics."

"?"

Did I say something wrong? Why are you attacking me like this... Xu Qian'an furrowed his brows.

"This chess game is also boring. I'm not in the mood anymore. How about we recap what happened in court today?" Princess Huaiqing gently tossed the chess pieces back into the bamboo box.

Xu Qian'an's spirits lifted.

"Today, the court discussed how to handle the Chu Prefecture case. The ministers demanded that our father confirm the Huai Wang's guilt, exile him to a commoner's status, and hang his head in the city for three days... Our father was so grief-stricken and emotionally overwhelmed that he overturned the table and scolded the ministers."

Huaiqing smiled: "That was a clever trick of self-sacrifice. First, he closed the palace for several days to avoid their sharp edges, letting the enraged ministers' punches land on cotton.

"When they calmed down and their emotions stabilized, they lost their irresistible sharpness. At the beginning of the court session, he did it again, not only crushing the ministers' last bit of courage but also turning the tables, making them wary and cautious..."

It's like two people fighting, and one of them suddenly goes crazy, grabs a brick, and hits themselves on the head. The other person will instinctively be wary, cautious, and think the first one is crazy. The tactic isn't ingenious, but it works... Xu Qian'an had to admit that Emperor Yuanjing had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Next, Yao Lin, the director of the Ministry of Rites, jumped out to impeach Wang, the Prime Minister. Wang had no choice but to request retirement. This was our father's plan to kill two birds with one stone. By knocking Wang down, he lost a major enemy in this court session. And it also intimidated the ministers, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."

Huaiqing took a sip of tea and said calmly:

"Fortunately, Wei Gong stepped in in time. If they wanted to punish Wang, they shouldn't leave any room for maneuver. But this contradicted our father's original intention. He didn't really want to dismiss Wang, as it would make Wei Gong too powerful. Heh, for Wei Gong, using this opportunity to eliminate Wang is also a clever move."

... Xu Qian'an swallowed and instinctively sat up straight.

"When the plan to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys failed, our father immediately had Yuan Xiong, the Left Chief Censor, step in to uphold the dignity of the royal family... You know that throughout history, the dignity of the royal family is second only to the dignity of the court, exerting a natural oppressive force on the ministers." Princess Huaiqing said in a deep voice.

As ministers, wanting to bring shame to the royal family undoubtedly puts psychological pressure on them... Xu Qian'an nodded slowly.

The struggle between people is nothing more than physical conflict and psychological warfare.

It's like a word he often heard before crossing over: PUA.

"This was to pave the way for Li Wang's subsequent appearance. Yuan Xiong is not a member of the royal family, and our father was not suitable to be the scolder. The respected Li Wang was the best choice. Although this move was foiled by Wei Gong."

As Huaiqing packed up the chess pieces, she said: "But Li Wang's commotion still had some effect. And all of this was to pave the way for Cao Guogong's appearance.

"Using the dignity of the court and the royal family to appeal to emotions. Using the outcomes of battles against the barbarian and demon tribes to reason with them. Chu Prefecture is gone, but all of this was done by the demon and barbarian tribes.

"The people have long been accustomed to the brutality of the demon and barbarian tribes and can easily accept this outcome. And the demon and barbarian tribes didn't gain any advantage because the Zhenbei Wang killed the leader of the Qingyan tribe of barbarians and severely injured the leader of the northern demon tribe, Zhu Jiu.

"If you ask, how will things turn out if the people hear this news and are willing to accept it?"

Xu Qian'an said in a husky voice: "The fall of Chu Prefecture will not be so unacceptable. Because all the blame falls on the demon and barbarian tribes, on war.

"The Zhenbei Wang has also gone from being a murderer who slaughtered the city to a hero defending the gates of Da Feng. Moreover, he killed a third-rank strongman of the barbarian tribe, earning immense credit."

Princess Huaiqing nodded, her voice clear and beautiful, but her question was particularly harsh: "If you were the ministers, what would you choose?"

Xu Qian'an didn't answer.

The Zhenbei Wang is just a dead man. If he were alive, the ministers would definitely try everything to bring him down.

But he's dead now. What threat does a dead man pose? As such, the core motivation of the ministers is reduced by half.

If it's really possible, like Cao Guogong said, to reverse the truth of the Chu Prefecture massacre and turn it into a victorious feat worthy of praise.

Then why not?

Huaiqing said, "Our father's next step is to promise benefits. In the court, benefits are eternal. To change the outcome, besides the above strategies, our father also has to make sufficient concessions. The ministers will think, if they can really turn the scandal into a good thing and gain benefits, will they still insist?"

Xu Qian'an's face darkened further.

"And once most people's minds change, Wei Gong and Wang, the Prime Minister, will be the ones facing the overwhelming trend. But they can't close the palace gates and stop the overwhelming wave." Huaiqing's cold smile carried a hint of mockery.

For a moment, Xu Qian'an couldn't tell if she was mocking Emperor Yuanjing, the ministers, or Wei Yuan and Wang, the Prime Minister.

Maybe all of them, or maybe she was also mocking herself.

"No, this matter has caused such a big stir that it can't be resolved with just an announcement from the court. Rumors are spreading like wildfire in the capital. To reverse the rumors, there must be sufficient reasons. He can silence the ministers in court, but he can't silence the mouths of the people." Xu Qian'an shook his head.

"Our father has a backup plan..." Huaiqing sighed, "Although I don't know what it is, I've never underestimated him."

The two didn't speak again for a while. After a long silence, Huaiqing whispered, "This matter has nothing to do with you. Don't do anything foolish."

She doesn't think I can play a role in this matter. She's right. I'm just a small count, a mere silver gong bearer. I can't even enter the Golden Hall. How can I fight against the emperor of a country?

I'm still too inexperienced in playing politics. Huaiqing also thinks I'm not up to it... Xu Qian'an grinned, revealing an ugly smile.

But I'm the hero who killed Jili Zhigu.

........

At the Night Watch Office, the Majestic Tower.

After lunch, Wei Yuan took a short nap and was then awakened by a clerk who entered.

"Master Wei, the emperor has sent someone to summon you to the palace," the clerk bowed low with his head down.

.... Wei Yuan paused for a few seconds in silence before speaking in a gentle voice, "Prepare the carriage."