The opening (III)

The civil officials immediately turned their heads, looking at Duke Cao with scrutinizing and hostile gazes.

In this struggle to seek justice for 380,000 wronged souls, the radical civil servant group was complex in structure. Some were driven by a sense of justice, some by a desire to live up to the teachings of sages, some by fame and fortune, and others by following the prevailing trend.

The radical faction was led by Wei Yuan and Wang Zhenwen.

The opposition's membership is equally complex, primarily consisting of members of the royal family. While there are certainly good people among them, sometimes status determines one's stance.

If the Prince of Huai is convicted, it will be an unimaginable blow to the reputation of the entire royal family. In layman's terms, he will never be able to hold his head up again.

Even ordinary people have a sense of dignity, let alone royalty.

The Prince of Zhenbei can die, but he cannot be convicted.

Secondly, there is the noble class. Nobles are naturally close to the royal family. Once you understand the nature of the title, you will understand that nobles and the royal family are in the same camp.

In two words: aristocracy!

Civil officials are like leeks, constantly being replaced by new forces entering the court. When they are in power, they hold absolute authority; when they fall from grace, their offspring are no different from commoners.

Only the hereditary nobles were born into aristocracy, occupying a different social class from commoners. And the right to inherit and perpetuate their lineage was a gift from the royal family.

Therefore, even if some nobles disagreed with Prince Huai or Emperor Yuanjing, they would mostly remain silent.

Finally, a group of civil officials who wanted to rise in rank, or those in precarious positions, secretly made a deal with Emperor Yuanjing, speaking on his behalf and becoming his weapons.

The opposition was composed of members of the royal family, noble families, and some civil officials.

At this moment, the Duke of Cao stepped forward, representing the noble class and their will.

"Your Majesty, in recent years, the court has been beset by internal and external troubles. Summers have brought continuous droughts, while the rainy seasons have been marked by frequent floods, causing hardship for the people. Taxes from various regions have been in arrears year after year. Although Your Majesty has continuously reduced taxes and allowed the people to rest, the people are still full of complaints."

Duke Cao was heartbroken and said in a deep voice, "At this time, if news of another massacre by the Prince of Zhenbei is reported, how will the people of the world view the court? How will the local gentry and officials view the court?"

"Wouldn't they think the court is rotten, and thus intensify their exploitation of the people, becoming even more unscrupulous?"

"You bastard!"

Emperor Yuanjing flew into a rage, pointing his finger at the Duke of Cao and shouting, "Are you implying that I am a foolish ruler? Are you implying that all the officials in this hall are incompetent fools?"

"Your subject dares not!" Duke Cao shouted.

"But right now, aren't you gentlemen doing just that kind of foolish thing? You keep shouting about seeking justice for the people and trying to convict the Prince of Huai, but has anyone considered the bigger picture? Has anyone considered the image of the court? As officials in the court, don't you know that the face of the court is your face?"

The two of them sang in unison, performing a charade.

The officials in the court began to whisper and murmur amongst themselves.

Governor Zheng was startled and furious. He had to admit that Duke Cao's words were not sophistry; on the contrary, they made a lot of sense.

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

But what about the face of the imperial court?

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

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

Emperor Yuanjing was heartbroken and sighed deeply, "But... but Prince Huai... he was indeed wrong."

The Duke of Cao cried out, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Huai is dead!"

The discussion suddenly grew louder; some remained quiet, while others began to argue fiercely.

The old eunuch gripped the whip, about to instinctively lash the floor tiles and reprimand the officials.

But after being given a cold, sidelong glance by Emperor Yuanjing, the old eunuch understood the emperor's meaning and immediately remained silent, letting the debate fester and continue.

Yes, the Prince of Huai is dead, the greatest "nobles" are gone, and there are no more military generals who can ride roughshod over them. Given this, is it worth tarnishing the court's dignity for the sake of a dead man?

Many civil servants had this thought in their minds.

Emperor Yuanjing angrily retorted, "Does death erase all traces of this?"

Duke Cao bowed and said, "Very well!"

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, his icy gaze sweeping over the Duke of Cao.

Wang Zhenwen took a deep breath and gave a silent, cold laugh.

The two seemed to know what Duke Cao was about to say.

Emperor Yuanjing asked in surprise, "What makes you say that?"

Duke Cao, with a serious expression, said, "Has Your Majesty forgotten who destroyed Chuzhou City? It was the barbarians. It was the barbarians who turned Chuzhou City into ruins."

"Could we look at this from a different angle? The allied forces of the demon and barbarian races captured the city, and the King of Zhenbei fought desperately to Great Feng Kingdom's borders. In the end, the city fell and he perished, sacrificing himself heroically."

At this point, Duke Cao's voice suddenly rose. "However, the sacrifice of the Prince of Zhenbei was worthwhile. He single-handedly fought against the leaders of the demon and barbarian tribes, killed Jili Zhigu, and severely injured Zhu Jiu."

"With one of the two powerful figures who once dominated the north dead and the other wounded, this battle will bring peace to the northern border for a decade or even several decades. The King of Zhenbei died a worthy death; he is a hero of the Great Feng."

When he reached the last sentence, Duke Cao was filled with emotion and his blood was boiling; his voice echoed throughout the hall.

The Duke of Cao gave the officials two choices: one, stick to their own opinion and convict the already deceased Prince of Huai. However, this would severely damage the royal family's reputation and cause a crisis of trust among the people in the court.

Second, they could pull off a clever trick, changing the story to one where the demon and barbarian races destroyed Chuzhou City, and the King of Zhenbei died defending the city, sacrificing himself heroically.

All the officials need to do is to vindicate a deceased prince. This will not only save face for the court, but also further enhance its prestige and power.

At that moment, a mournful laugh rang out, echoing throughout the main hall.

Zheng Xinghuai glanced around at the silent officials, then at the faces of Emperor Yuanjing and Duke Cao. The scholar was filled with both grief and anger.

"Your Majesty, Duke Cao, have you forgotten that I was not the only one who witnessed all this? There was also the entire delegation, the 20,000 soldiers of Chuzhou, the thousands of commoners in the capital who knew of this, and the young students of the Imperial Academy." Zheng Xinghuai suddenly sneered.

"Can you silence all these voices?"

Emperor Yuanjing looked down at him, a deep mockery in his eyes, and said indifferently, "Court adjourned. We will discuss this again tomorrow!"

Huaiqing Prefecture.

In the pavilion in the back garden, at the stone table, Huaiqing was playing chess with Xu Qi'an.

"The day before yesterday, I heard that Lin'an went to the Emperor to question him about the truth, but was stopped outside the Imperial Study. She was stubborn and refused to leave, so she was fined two months' worth of wages. I thought she would go again, but the next day, the Crown Prince was assassinated."

Huaiqing, with her slender, fair fingers, twirled a white chess piece as she chatted idly with a cool expression.

"The Crown Prince shouldn't be dead, right?" Xu Qi'an stared at the chessboard, not making a move for a long time, and casually asked.

"It's just a minor injury," Huaiqing said calmly.

After playing chess for a while, she seemed to find it rather boring to play with Xu Yinluo, and changed the subject. "Have you heard anything about what happened in court today?"

Xu Qi'an nodded grimly. "The officials have suffered a setback, but His Majesty hasn't gained any advantage either. It's likely to be a long and drawn-out battle."

Huaiqing raised her beautiful, refined face, her dark, bright eyes, like a clear pool after autumn, stared at him, and even gave a mocking laugh, saying, "You are indeed not suited for the court."

"?"

"Did I say something wrong? Why are you hitting me like this?" Xu Qi'an frowned.

"This game of chess is rather dull, and I've lost interest. How about we review today's court affairs?" Princess Huaiqing gently tossed the chess pieces into the bamboo chess box.

Xu Qi'an's spirits lifted.

"Today, during the court discussion on how to handle the Chuzhou case, the officials demanded that Father Emperor confirm the crimes of the Prince of Huai, demote him to a commoner, and hang his head on the city wall for three days. Father Emperor was overcome with grief and lost control of his emotions, thus uncovering the major case and rebuking the officials."

Huaiqing smiled and said, "What a clever ruse! First, he closed the palace for several days to avoid their sharp edge, making the angry civil and military officials punch cotton."

"Once they calmed down and their emotions stabilized, they lost that irresistible momentum. That same burst of energy at the start of the court assembly not only shattered the officials' last shred of courage but also turned the tables, making them wary and cautious."

It's like two people fighting, and one of them suddenly goes berserk, grabs a brick and hits himself on the head. The other person will instinctively be wary and cautious, thinking he's crazy. The tactic isn't sophisticated, but it works. Xu Qi'an has to admit that Emperor Yuanjing is quite capable.

"Then, Yao Lin, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Ministry of Rites, jumped out to impeach Chief Minister Wang, who had no choice but to beg for retirement. This was the Emperor's plan to kill two birds with one stone: first, by bringing Chief Minister Wang down, he would have one less major enemy at this court assembly. Moreover, it would intimidate all the officials and serve as a warning to others."

Huaiqing took a sip of tea and said calmly:

"Fortunately, Duke Wei acted in time. Wasn't he going to punish Grand Secretary Wang? Then let's leave no room for maneuver. But that goes against Father Emperor's original intention. He didn't really want to remove Grand Secretary Wang, as that would allow Duke Wei's family to become too powerful. Ha, for Duke Wei, taking this opportunity to get rid of Grand Secretary Wang is also a brilliant move."

Xu Qi'an swallowed hard and unconsciously straightened his posture.

"The plan to make an example of someone failed, so Father immediately ordered Yuan Xiong, the Left Censor-in-Chief, to restore the dignity of the royal family. You must know that throughout history, the dignity of the royal family has been second only to that of the court, and it has a natural power to exert pressure on all officials," Princess Huaiqing said in a deep voice.

As a subject, someone who is determined to humiliate the royal family would undoubtedly put psychological pressure on the officials. Xu Qi'an nodded slowly.

The struggle between people is nothing more than a struggle of force and a psychological game.

Just like a word he often heard before he traveled through time: PUA

"This is setting the stage for Prince Li's later appearance. Yuan Xiong is ultimately not a member of the royal family, and the Emperor is not suitable to be the one hurling insults. The highly respected Prince Li is the perfect candidate. Although this tactic was countered by Duke Wei."

As Huaiqing tidied up the chess pieces, he said, "But Prince Li's commotion did have some effect. And all of this is paving the way for the appearance of Duke Cao later."

"Use the dignity of the imperial court and the royal family, and appeal to their emotions. Explain the consequences of killing the barbarians and Demon Race. Although Chuzhou City is gone, it was all done by the barbarian and demon races."

"The common people were already used to the brutality of the demon and barbarian races, and could easily accept this outcome. However, the demon and barbarian races did not gain any advantage, because the King of Zhenbei killed the leader of the Qingyan tribe of the barbarian race and severely injured the leader of the northern Demon Race race, Zhujiu."

"I ask you, if the people hear this news and are willing to accept it, what will happen?"

Xu Qi'an said in a hoarse voice, "The fall of Chuzhou City is not so unacceptable. Because all the blame lies with the demon and barbarian races, with the war itself."

"The Prince of Zhenbei has transformed from a massacre perpetrator into a hero who guards the borders of the Great Feng Dynasty. Moreover, he has also killed a third-rank expert from the barbarian tribe, achieving an immense feat."

Princess Huaiqing nodded, her voice clear and melodious, but the question she asked was particularly poignant, "If you were one of you gentlemen, what would you choose?"

Xu Qi'an did not answer.

The Prince of Zhenbei is just a dead man; if he were alive, the officials would surely try every means to bring him down.

But he's dead now. What threat does a dead man pose? Thus, the core motivation of these officials has been halved.

If, as Duke Cao said, we can truly reverse the truth of the Chuzhou massacre and turn this scandal into a great victory worthy of praise.

Why not?

Huaiqing said, "Father's next method is to promise benefits. In the court, benefits are the only constant. If Father wants to change the outcome, in addition to the above strategies, he also needs to make sufficient concessions. The officials will then think, if they can really turn a scandal into a good thing and gain benefits, will they still insist on this?"

Xu Qi'an's face grew increasingly gloomy.

"But once most people's thoughts change, Duke Wei and Chief Minister Wang will be the ones facing the overwhelming trend. But they can't close the palace gates, nor can they stop the surging tide." Huaiqing's cold smile carried a hint of mockery.

For a moment, Xu Qi'an couldn't tell whether she was mocking Emperor Yuanjing and the other officials, or Wei Yuan and Chief Minister Wang.

Perhaps both are true, or perhaps she is also mocking herself.

"No, this matter has blown up so big that it can't be resolved simply by the court issuing a public announcement. Rumors are rampant in the capital, and to reverse them, we need a sufficient reason. He can silence the officials in the court, but he can't silence the people of the world." Xu Qi'an shook his head.

"Father, he still has a backup plan," Huaiqing sighed. "Although I don't know it, I have never underestimated him."

The two remained silent for a long while before Huaiqing whispered, "This has nothing to do with you. Don't do anything foolish."

She didn't think I could play any role in this matter. And rightly so, I'm just a minor viscount, a lowly silver-ranking official, unable even to enter the imperial palace. How could I possibly contend with the emperor?

"I'm still too green to fight," Xu Qi'an grinned, revealing an ugly smile. "Huaiqing also thinks I'm not cut out for it."

But I am the hero who killed Kiri Chiko.

The Nightwatchers's office, the Haoqi Tower.

After lunch, Wei Yuan took a short nap before being awakened by an official who entered the room.

"Duke Wei, His Majesty has sent someone to summon you to the palace." The official bowed deeply.

Wei Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, then said in a gentle voice, "Prepare the car."