Shen Duan had been waiting for precisely those words.
He drew a deep breath, took a memorial from his sleeve, and presented it, his voice solemn.
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter must be investigated and dealt with.
I have drafted several measures for Your Majesty's judgment."
Emperor Jing of Zhou took it and opened it.
The first measure called for investigating these officials of the Ministry of Revenue and punishing any corruption or dereliction of duty without leniency.
The emperor's gaze lingered on that line.
The Ministry of Revenue. Shen Duan had long wanted to sink his teeth into it.
This measure appeared impartial, but every stroke of the blade cut to the bone. Whether the investigation uncovered corruption did not matter. What mattered was dragging those men down first.
The second measure stated that Qin Yan, as Director of Studies at the Imperial College, had behaved improperly in public and disgraced scholarly decorum. He should be demoted and transferred out of the Imperial College.
That was hardly unexpected.
Qin Yan had rolled up his sleeves and hurled curses at the Feng Residence that day. Though the assembled guests had enjoyed the spectacle, it certainly sounded ugly once word spread.
By making an issue of this, Shen Duan had indeed seized upon a weakness.
Of these two measures, one seized power, and the other established authority.
Shen Duan's strike was aimed squarely at the power in Feng Yan's hands. The Ministry of Revenue was a rich piece of meat.
Qin Yan was a banner. Once the banner was uprooted and the trees felled, how much shade could that old tree Feng Yan still offer?
Emperor Jing of Zhou saw it all as clearly as a polished mirror, but he did not rush to express an opinion. He continued reading.