Wang Xiang immediately frowned and looked first at Cui Zan.
Cui Zan was rather bewildered. Wang Jing said it. Why are you looking at me??
Wang Xiang reminded him, "Lord Wang, you are the Inspector of the Capital. You oversee the many officials outside the palace, not the Palace Officials. We will settle this matter ourselves!"
But the ministers said, "Grand Minister of Ceremonies, can you not even tell us this?"
Did it matter? Of course it mattered!
Was resistance from Yang Hu the same as resistance from Zhang Hua?
Yang Hu could command all the Palace Guards within the Imperial Palace.
Just as Wang Xiang was about to persuade everyone to return, someone announced, "Attendant Zheng requests an audience."
Wang Xiang's face darkened. Before he could speak, Xun Yi ordered, "Show him in!"
Gao Rou, Sima Fu, and Wang Xiang exchanged glances, their expressions shifting uncertainly.
It was under these circumstances that Zheng Xiaotong entered the Imperial Secretariat.
Zheng Xiaotong had always been deeply conflicted.
He bore two identities: the hope for the Zheng Family's rise, and the heir to its Classical Studies.
Back when his mother had just become pregnant with him, Kong Rong had been surrounded by the Yellow Turban Army. His father had gone to the rescue and died on the battlefield.
Zheng Xiaotong had never seen his father. Zheng Xuan had raised him.
Zheng Xuan had doted on this grandson, perhaps pouring all his affection into him after losing his son. He had named him Xiaotong, meaning that he resembled himself.
Having followed the "God of Classics" from childhood, Zheng Xiaotong had gained a profound mastery of the Classics. His learning encompassed the Six Classics, and even in his youth, he had already shown the makings of a Great Confucian.
After entering the Imperial Court,