Chapter 113: I Impeach the Minister of Civil and Military, Xu Ming! (Two in One Chapter)

Night fell, and a man dressed in black arrived at the back gate of an official's residence in Wudu.

The man knocked on the gate, but there was no response.

He knocked again—twice—but still, no one answered.

The fourth knock echoed.

"What is it?" came the voice of an old man from behind the gate.

"I just ran into a dog," the man in black replied.

"What does a dog have to do with us?" the old man retorted.

"This dog has bitten many people," the man continued.

Click.

After confirming the code phrase, the gate slowly creaked open.

The man handed a letter from his sleeve to the old man. "A letter from Baihe County. The situation is urgent. Please see that the lord handles it promptly."

The old man cast a glance at the man in black, then at the letter. "Understood."

Taking the letter, the man in black vanished into the night.

Closing the gate, the old man delivered the letter to the study. Inside, an official was busily attending to his duties.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from Baihe County," the steward announced, bowing.

"Baihe County?" The official looked up at his steward, pondering for a moment before nodding. "Ah, I remember—where the Xu brothers are stationed?"

"Yes, my lord." The steward handed over the letter.

The official took the letter, opened it, and began to read. As his eyes scanned the contents, his brow furrowed slightly, only to relax with a faint smile. "Those two, Xu Ming and Xu Pangda, are quite something—bold and fearless, just like young bulls."

Folding the letter back into its envelope, the official handed it back to the steward. "Deliver this to Wang Can. Tell him to bring it up during court tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The steward hesitated. "But my lord, if the matter is exposed tomorrow, wouldn't Wang Can—"

The official waved him off. "I know what you're about to say. Wang Can has never been particularly loyal. If not for the debt he owes to that person, he wouldn't even be working for us. It's better to use him up while he still has value."

"As you command, my lord."

Meanwhile, in the Diefei Palace within the Wudu Imperial Palace, Grand Eunuch Wei knocked on the door.

The Emperor, who had been resting on his couch, opened his eyes in irritation.

But soon, the Emperor's gaze steadied, and he masked his emotions.

He understood that Wei Xun wouldn't disturb him so late unless it was urgent.

"Come in," the Emperor said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wei Xun replied as he entered the room, kneeling in respect. "Your Majesty, we've received some news from Baihe County through the Tingfeng Pavilion."

"Oh?" The Emperor frowned. "Bring it here."

Baihe County was not the kind of place where the Tingfeng Pavilion's agents would normally operate. After all, the Wu Kingdom was vast, and it was impossible to station agents everywhere—they simply didn't have the manpower.

But with Xu Pangda and Xu Ming both stationed there, a few agents had been sent.

Not so much for Xu Ming; the focus was on Xu Pangda, who was highly regarded by both Elder Zhang and Prime Minister Fang.

The Emperor naturally wanted to assess his capabilities.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wei Xun rose and handed over the confidential report.

After reading it once, the Emperor went through it again, his study falling into a long silence.

"These two boys are really headstrong," the Emperor finally said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Reckless."

Wei Xun's eyes flickered, and he quickly added, "But, Your Majesty, Xu Zhuangyuan and Xu Bangyan are both young men. Their vigor and boldness can be a virtue, can it not? They truly act for the nation and its people."

"But how can an official like that survive long in the political arena?"

The Emperor set down the memorial and rubbed his eyes.

"Suppress this matter for now. Wait until Xu Pangda gathers evidence of the four powerful clans in Baihe County acting recklessly. I just hope they move quickly. If this comes to light before then, those old foxes in court will impeach them to the point of doubting their existence! And even if they gather the evidence, those people will still find a way to bite them."

"Forget it, forget it," the Emperor muttered, a faint smile crossing his face, as if resigned. "This will be a good test of their resilience. Let's see how they handle the aftermath. If they truly can't, then punish them. At least they'll learn a lesson."

---

The next morning at court.

The Emperor had already put the previous night's concerns aside.

After all, the events in Baihe County had just occurred and wouldn't reach Wudu for at least seven or eight days.

This court session went smoothly, much like any other.

If there was a difference, it was that ever since Xiao Mochi became Prime Minister, the Reformist faction had completely dominated the court. With the Emperor's backing, the Conservative faction's voice had all but disappeared.

In recent days, Conservative officials had either been demoted, reassigned to distant posts, or even "encouraged" to retire to their hometowns. They were all on edge, focused solely on self-preservation. Meanwhile, the Reformists were thriving like the midday sun.

And to be fair, the Reformists' policies had been effective, steering the Wu Kingdom in a positive direction.

"Do any of you have matters to report? If not, court is adjourned," the Emperor said calmly.

"Your Majesty, I have a matter to report," a voice suddenly called out.

Just as the Emperor was about to formally end the session, Wang Can, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Censorate, stepped forward.

Immediately, all the officials turned to look at Wang Can before quickly averting their gazes.

Although Wang Can held a mere fifth-rank position, he was infamous as the most ferocious "hound" of the Imperial Censorate. He had impeached nearly everyone in court at some point—even the Emperor himself hadn't been spared.

As a result, no one took his impeachments seriously, but many found him irritating.

Some officials, who were half-asleep, were especially annoyed. They had hoped to end court quickly and catch up on sleep, only for Wang Can to waste everyone's time again.

"What matter does Lord Wang wish to report?" the Emperor asked with a faint smile.

The Emperor did not have a favorable impression of Wang Can.

Who would like a man who had submitted five memorials accusing the Emperor of dozing off in court?

Do I fall asleep every session? the Emperor thought bitterly. Wasn't that one time simply because I stayed up late reviewing documents?

But as a Censor, Wang Can had the privilege of speaking freely. The Wu Kingdom prided itself on its tolerance of censors, and no one could be punished simply for their words. So, the Emperor could only endure it, treating Wang Can's complaints like a dog barking.

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Xu Ming, the Minister of Civil and Military!" Wang Can declared.

The moment Wang Can's words echoed through the hall, several officials who had been nodding off suddenly woke up.

Who did Wang Can say he wanted to impeach?

The Minister of Civil and Military? Xu Ming?

Wait, that can't be right.

What could Xu Ming have possibly done? Isn't he just holding an honorary title and traveling the world?

He hasn't done anything, has he?

Even if Xu Ming had done something, it would have happened outside the court. Wang Can has no grounds to impeach him for that.

So why, out of nowhere, is Wang Can targeting Xu Ming?

For a moment, many officials perked up, their interest piqued. A sense of anticipation filled the hall, and quite a few even began to feel a newfound fondness for Wang Can.

Impeach Xu Ming?

Sure, go ahead! Impeach him! Tear him down! If Xu Ming gets into trouble, he won't be able to become the imperial son-in-law. That means my son might have a chance!

Hearing Wang Can's intention to impeach Xu Ming, the Emperor's heart skipped a beat, a sense of unease settling in.

"Lord Wang, you wish to impeach Xu Ming? For what reason?" the Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty," Wang Can responded, bowing deeply. "Last night, I received news that Xu Ming caused a bloody massacre in Baihe County. Without any evidence, he slaughtered over half the members of the Zhang, Li, Sun, and Xiao families, leaving rivers of blood in his wake.

As the Minister of Civil and Military, how can Xu Ming act so lawlessly, treating the laws of Wu as if they were nothing?"

The Emperor's brow furrowed, his voice taking on a stern and commanding tone. "Lord Wang, words have consequences. Do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

Wang Can bowed deeply again, his tone unwavering. "Your Majesty, send someone to Baihe County to investigate, and the truth will come to light immediately. I am willing to stake my life on this. If I am slandering Xu Ming, I will throw myself headfirst into the pillar of this hall and end my life!"

The Emperor: "..."

As the Emperor fell silent, murmurs spread across the court.

Given Wang Can's certainty, the officials began to believe the claim might be true.

At the front of the hall, Chancellor Xiao Mochi and another senior official, Yu Ping'an, remained calm and impassive.

The Emperor tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest of the dragon throne, deep in thought.

How strange.

How did Wang Can learn about Xu Ming's actions?

The Emperor himself had only received the report late last night, delivered at top speed as a confidential dispatch.

Yet somehow, Wang Can had received the same information at the same time? This clearly indicated that someone in the court—someone with ulterior motives—was monitoring Xu Pangda and Xu Ming closely. It seemed likely that Xu Ming was the primary target.

Whoever it was, they must have immediately seized upon any signs of trouble. After all, even though Xu Ming had declined the role of imperial son-in-law, that didn't mean others weren't eager for the position.

"Baihe County is over ten thousand li from Wudu," the Emperor asked, his tone calm but probing. "How did Lord Wang come by this information?"

"Your Majesty," Wang Can replied confidently, without a hint of hesitation, "last night, while reading in my study, I received a letter from a friend residing in Baihe County. In this letter, my friend described the incident in detail. Believing it to be of utmost importance, I bring it to your attention today."

"..."

The Emperor knew full well that Wang Can's excuse was fabricated. Yet there was little he could do to refute it.

The fact that Wang Can had prepared such a plausible pretext indicated that his backers had planned thoroughly.

The Emperor's curiosity turned toward discovering the identity of those behind Wang Can. For them to so easily discard Wang Can as a pawn, it suggested they were formidable.

While Wang Can's impeachment of Xu Ming might seem like a minor affair, it ensured that the Emperor would no longer trust Wang Can. It would only be a matter of time before Wang Can was reassigned away from Wudu—or even dismissed entirely.

Although the Emperor couldn't yet pinpoint the mastermind, he suspected it was likely one of the kingdom's regional princes.

"Very well, Lord Wang," the Emperor said at last, "present the details of this matter."

"Certainly," Wang Can said, bowing once more. "Four days ago, in Baihe County, Xu Ming visited a brothel…"

Wang Can proceeded to recount how Xu Ming had gone to the brothel, killed the eldest son of the Sun family, carried his head out, and, within a single day, nearly wiped out the four most prominent families of Baihe County.

The court fell into murmurs. Officials exchanged glances, whispering among themselves.

Although no one openly criticized Xu Ming in front of the Emperor, the murmurs carried words that reached his ears:

"How could the top scholar act so bloodthirsty?"

"Does the top scholar even respect the law?"

"What could possibly have driven him to such extremes?"

The Emperor glanced at Wei Xun, the chief eunuch at his side, signaling with his eyes.

Wei Xun, understanding immediately, raised his voice in a shrill tone: "SILENCE!"

In the court, the murmurs of the officials gradually subsided.

"Your Majesty, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. How can the laws of our Wu Kingdom be trampled upon like this?"

"Your Majesty, though we do not know how the four families of Baihe County offended the top scholar, such a bloodthirsty disposition is deeply concerning."

"Your Majesty, what wrongdoing could the other members of the four great families of Baihe County have committed? The top scholar is clearly engaging in wanton slaughter!"

"Your Majesty, our Wu Kingdom has worked so hard to maintain a delicate balance with the various sects, and now the top scholar has unjustly killed the legitimate disciples and personal protégés of these sects! This is not just an affront to those four sects—it will undoubtedly unsettle every sect, large and small!"

At this point, several officials stepped forward, tactfully criticizing Xu Ming.

The Emperor smirked coldly in his heart.

These hypocrites… They claim it's for the good of Wu, but in reality, they're only looking out for themselves.

At that moment, Wei Xun, the chief eunuch, stepped forward again and knelt at the Emperor's side, his expression filled with fear.

"Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die."

"Oh?" The Emperor looked at Wei Xun, raising an eyebrow. "Why on earth would you deserve to die this time?"

Not just the Emperor—many officials in the court were also puzzled, wondering, "What is this conniving eunuch up to now? How could he possibly deserve to die?"

"Your Majesty," Wei Xun began, trembling, "last night, this servant actually received a confidential report about Baihe County. But seeing that Your Majesty had finally gone to rest after a long day, this servant could not bear to disturb Your Majesty and thought to report it first thing in the morning instead.

But then… this servant foolishly forgot. This is an unforgivable offense!"

As he spoke, Wei Xun kowtowed three times in quick succession, the sound echoing sharply in the hall.

"You worthless dog of a eunuch!" The Emperor's voice carried a tone of anger. "How could you forget something so important? Quickly, tell me what happened in Baihe County. Why did Xu Ming kill so many people? Once you've explained, I'll decide how to punish you!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wei Xun replied, his voice trembling.

"According to the report," he began cautiously, "when Xu Pangda assumed his position as county magistrate in Baihe County, on the very first day, a crowd of commoners gathered outside the county office, beating the grievance drum to seek justice. Magistrate Xu and Lord Xu Ming both stepped out of the office to address the matter…"

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