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The second quarter of the Yin hour!

Outside the Meridian Gate, a cold wind howled.

Officials from the capital arrived at the palace one after another by carriage, and then walked to the Meridian Gate.

The howling wind, like a steel knife scraping bone, swayed the lanterns hanging on the city tower and the stone lanterns by the roadside, causing the torches in the guards' hands to shake violently.

The officials were wrapped in thick cloaks and wore windproof hats. A careful observer could notice that, regardless of rank or power, everyone dressed very simply.

The cloak is made of wool, and the hat is made of rat skin.

Even moderately well-off families in the capital could afford this outfit.

The attitude of the officials in Beijing was clear: they were all poor, barely making ends meet, so where would they get the money to donate?

There was still half an hour before the court assembly, and the officials gathered in twos and threes, discussing in hushed tones.

The censors in charge of maintaining order turned a blind eye to this.

"His Majesty is determined to torment us with these daily court sessions."

"Yes, otherwise, how about we donate some silver? It's not much."

"Lord Yang is foolish. He says he only wants us to donate three months' salary, but it's just a feint by His Majesty. I only ask you, when the time comes, and Grand Secretary Wang offers to donate a year's salary, will you all respond or not? Do you really think this small amount of donation is enough? It's just a way to get us talking first."

"Lord Zhu's words are reasonable; I understand."

"We must not back down on this matter, just as we discussed yesterday. As long as we follow your lead and do not yield or give in, His Majesty can only wear us down for a few more days at most."

"Alas, I am penniless and still living in a rented house. The capital is already experiencing food shortages. If we donate our salaries, how will we survive?"

"We, like Lord Zhao, are all scholars with clean hands and honest conduct."

"My lords, this weather is freezing cold, and I am not feeling well. I cannot bear it any longer. Perhaps we should donate as His Majesty wishes."

These are officials who are in a wait-and-see mode, but whose hearts are inclined to donate.

The officials around him immediately showed anger. "Lord Li is too muddle-headed! Snow disasters are occurring all over the country, and there is a shortage of food, charcoal, and silver. How can we fill the national treasury with our meager salaries?"

"Lord Li only sees the immediate situation, without considering the deeper implications. The reason you gentlemen are gritting your teeth is because you've set a precedent. If this happens once, it will happen again, and if it happens again, it will happen a third time. What will we do then when His Majesty is short of money and asks for donations again?"

"Such a simple principle, yet Xu Xinnian, a junior scholar, cannot understand it."

"It's not that they don't understand; they're clearly feigning ignorance to curry favor with His Majesty."

"This young man is arrogant and thinks too highly of himself, relying on his cousin's influence to look down on everyone. Recently, he's also gotten close to the Grand Secretary, and he's become quite conceited."

"Hey, you're not a human being."

An official spat angrily.

On the other side, Zhang Xingying, who had been promoted to Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, slowly approached Liu Hong and sighed softly:

"Your Highness's idea is excellent. If we can mobilize the scholar-official class to donate money, and then have local governments mobilize the gentry to donate money, the disaster can be greatly alleviated and the refugees can be contained."

"As long as people can get through this winter and see hope for spring planting, they will not cause trouble everywhere."

"It's a pity that His Majesty has just ascended the throne, his prestige is not yet sufficient, and his foundation is not stable. Furthermore, Duke Wei has passed away. Otherwise, by joining forces with Chief Minister Wang, they would surely have been able to promote the donation."

"Well, nowadays, some of our own men are also dissatisfied."

Prince Huaiqing instigated Xu Erlang to submit a memorial, something these former Wei faction members were initially unaware of.

Afterwards, the key members discussed the matter and concluded that the plan was unlikely to succeed and would encounter significant obstacles.

First of all, trying to squeeze money out of the officials is an incredibly difficult task. They're all people from the time of Emperor Yuanjing; how could they not know each other's character?

They extorted money and bribes, and amassed wealth without restraint.

Is the decline of the Great Feng Kingdom to this day truly the fault of the late emperor alone? If the late emperor was not upright, then those below him would follow suit.

They're too busy making money to even think about squeezing some cash from these gourmands; you can imagine how much resistance they'll face.

Secondly, this "cold disaster," which almost broke the camel's back, is anyone's guess when it will end. It's only been a month since winter began, and the colder times are yet to come.

What will His Majesty do if the court still has no money by then? Will he launch another appeal for donations?

Ultimately, this was still a power struggle within the imperial court.

The emperor and the officials actually belong to two opposing camps. The new emperor's move to seize power made the civil service group sense something was amiss.

Whether it's out of political stance or love of money, it's an instinctive resistance and opposition.

Let alone Emperor Yongxing, even Emperor Yuanjing would have encountered resistance if he had done the same thing when he ascended the throne.

Liu Hong glanced at the officials who were huddled together, whispering amongst themselves:

"Perhaps, at this moment, His Highness Huaiqing is observing coldly from the sidelines. Who are those who agree to donate? Who are those who agree in their hearts but dare not offend the public? Who are those who are so stingy that they refuse to part with a single penny?"

Zhang Xingying suddenly realized, "She knew this plan wouldn't work?"

He frowned. "Wouldn't that harm Xu Cijiu?"

Liu Hong laughed and said, "It's not that bad. With Chief Minister Wang backing him up, he'll just be sidelined for a few years at most."

Zhang Xingying nodded and sighed:

"I still hope this matter can be accomplished. The national treasury is truly depleted of funds, and now displaced people are causing unrest everywhere, already showing signs of major chaos in the country. If it is not nipped in the bud soon, chaos will ensue sooner or later."

Liu Hong revealed a meaningful smile. At that moment, a commotion in the distance attracted their attention.

Liu Hong and Zhang Xingying squinted and looked over, only to see a young official in a blue robe standing menacingly in front of Xu Xinnian, who was also in a blue robe, shouting angrily and spitting as he spoke.

Liu Hong's eyesight wasn't very good. After looking for a while, he asked:

Who is that?

Zhang Xingying smiled and said, "This year's third-place scholar is Qian Mu."

Liu Hong also laughed:

"Are those hotheads who wrote memorials accusing the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of embezzlement and bribery, and implicated a whole host of officials in the Ministry of Personnel?"

"Looks like he's been sitting on the sidelines for too long and his backside can't stand the cold anymore, so he's come here to pledge his loyalty."

Zhang Xingying shook his head. "Being used as a pawn might bring short-term benefits, but in the long run, ha, if you anger His Majesty, what good will come of it?"

Liu Hong laughed and said, "It's alright. He's sworn in and joined the Green Party. He can still be a good official. As long as he keeps a low profile, will His Majesty still keep an eye on him?"

On one side, people were chatting and laughing, while on the other side, tensions were running high.

Qian Mu pointed at Xu Xinnian and said aggressively:

"During the coldest days of winter, even the most honest officials in the court lacked rice and charcoal. Not everyone is like Xu Tanhua, who has thousands of taels of gold and lives a life of luxury."

"With only three months' salary, how are those penniless colleagues supposed to get through this winter?"

Before Xu Xinnian could speak, he sneered and said sarcastically:

"To curry favor with His Majesty, you have devised such an absurd scheme; you are a despicable man. I, who am of the same generation as you, also feel ashamed."

The officials watching nearby echoed his sentiments.

Xu Xinnian remained expressionless and said, "I acted for the common people, and my conscience is clear."

"What a 'clear conscience'!"

Qian Mu laughed three times and said loudly, "I am willing to give away all my family property to replenish the national treasury and provide relief to the disaster victims. Xu Tanhua, since you have a clear conscience and care for the common people, do you dare to do the same and donate all your family property?"

After he finished speaking, cheers erupted from all around.

"Lord Qian is a man of noble character and integrity."

"Lord Qian is a man of great righteousness."

A series of mischievous glances were directed at Xu Xinnian.

Xu Xinnian frowned. Qian Mu's words were utterly shameless. The Xu Household owned numerous shops, fertile land, and a share of the chicken essence profits left by his elder brother. What did the other party have?

Although they weren't destitute, after sitting on the sidelines for so long, their family probably only had a few bushels of rice and a few taels of silver left.

But he couldn't reason with them, because neither Qian Mu, nor the people behind him, nor the officials around him would listen to reason.

They're just looking for trouble.

If he ignores it, Xu Xinnian might gain another reputation as a "hypocrite" after the court assembly.

Just then, Chief Minister Wang walked over, said nothing, and merely glanced coldly at the officials around him.

The officials immediately fell silent.

Qian Mu smiled. Regardless of Xu Xinnian responded or not, what he wanted to express had already been conveyed.

There was no further movement until the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), when the drums sounded.

The civil and military officials remained silent, passed through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and lined up in order of rank.

Only a very small number of people are allowed to enter the Golden Palace.

Xu Xinnian, as one of the key figures in this incident, was also allowed to enter the hall, but he had to stand at the entrance of the hall.

As the officials entered the hall, Emperor Yongxing arrived a few minutes later.

He sat high on the dragon throne, looking down at his ministers, and said loudly:

"The disasters are severe in various regions, and as the ruler of this country, I am deeply saddened. Do any of my beloved ministers have any effective strategies for disaster relief?"

The officials and nobles below wore expressions of "I knew it would happen this way," and offered a few perfunctory suggestions, such as reducing taxes and calling on local gentry to donate money.

Emperor Yongxing then said:

"If donations are to be made, the imperial court and all the ministers should set an example. Only in this way will the gentry be willing to donate, and it will also serve as a warning to the officials in charge, preventing them from embezzling funds."

If the government only appeals to local gentry for donations, it is highly likely that most of that money will be siphoned off at various levels.

Several party leaders and nobles, in unison, stepped forward one after another, shouting "No!"

At this moment, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review appeared and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the court is rife with corruption and bribery, leading to an empty treasury. Donations are merely a temporary solution; they do not address the root cause. To provide disaster relief, we must first eradicate this Evil Qi."

As soon as the words were spoken, the warmonger, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward and shouted:

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Xu Xinnian, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, for accepting bribes."

No one spoke in the hall, nor did anyone question what kind of bribes the Hanlin Academy's probationary scholars could accept; it seemed that they had already expected this to happen.

A supervising secretary from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward and announced loudly:

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Xu Xinnian, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, for accepting bribes under the guise of Grand Secretary Wang."

Then, the six censors stepped forward to impeach Xu Xinnian.

Those who could stand in the Golden Palace were all seasoned veterans, and they immediately understood what tricks these people were playing.

This is their counterattack.

Using Xu Erlang as a starting point, they rebelled against Emperor Yongxing and Chief Minister Wang.

This approach avoids completely enraging Emperor Yongxing and Chief Minister Wang, while still conveying their stance and telling Emperor Yongxing that they intend to eliminate his vanguard, taking them down one by one.

At the same time, it subtly warned Chief Minister Wang that although the Wang faction was powerful, it had not yet reached the point of having absolute power, and besides, there were dissenting voices within the Wang faction regarding this matter.

Did you receive any gifts Xu Xinnian?

The answer is yes.

As the future son-in-law of the Grand Secretary Wang, he received many gifts from members of Wang's faction. In officialdom, accepting gifts meant you were considered one of their own.

If he wanted to integrate into the Wang faction as a student of the Cloud Deer Academy, he couldn't be too aloof.

Although Xu Xinnian declined many expensive gifts, this cannot change the fact.

"In officialdom, being clean-cut is good but you get nothing out of it, while blending in with the crowd makes you an easy target for political enemies when things get heated. So, the core problem is that you don't have enough power."

The problem to be solved is: attracting more people.

Xu Xinnian suddenly realized something.

Inside the hall, some officials were observing Emperor Yongxing's expression, while others were scrutinizing Chief Minister Wang.

Let's see how they respond.

If Emperor Yongxing were to protect Xu Xinnian, they would have other options. If Grand Secretary Wang were to step in, they would also have other options, such as impeaching him as well.

They are now in control.

No one noticed that Liu Hong slowly stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review is right. The national treasury is empty and taxes are difficult to collect because some people are corrupt and accept bribes."

"Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate all officials and rectify the prevailing atmosphere."

Interesting. All the officials and nobles in the hall looked at Liu Hong.

This is an attempt to take advantage of the chaos. Liu Hong is regarded as Wei Yuan's "successor" in the court, taking over Wei Yuan's team. After the new emperor took the throne, many former Wei party members were demoted or dismissed, and their power was reduced by nearly 50%.

The vacant positions were divided up by the royalists and other political parties.

In official circles, this is an appropriate concession.

Now that Liu Hong has stepped forward, it is clear that the former Wei faction, which controls the Censorate and the Nightwatchers, wants to take advantage of the situation.

Emperor Yongxing smiled, "Minister Liu is right, please continue."

Liu Hong said loudly:

"Since the passing of Duke Wei, the night Nightwatchers have declined in number. I am far less capable than Duke Wei, and though I have devoted myself to this task, my energy is waning. I wish to recommend someone to Your Majesty to take charge of the Nightwatchers's office in my stead."

"To better oversee all officials."

Everyone was taken aback. This wasn't the script they had imagined. Liu Hong was actually abandoning his post at this crucial moment, handing over the Nightwatchers's position to someone else?

Emperor Yongxing feigned surprise. "Whom does Minister Liu wish to recommend?"

Liu Hong glanced at the officials and nobles, some of whom appeared puzzled, others wary, and said loudly:

"Former Nightwatchers, Silver Gong, Xu Qi'an!"

P. S.: I'm going to continue writing the next chapter, but I suggest reading it tomorrow. It's very likely I won't update until tomorrow morning, and I usually write until midnight before taking a nap. Don't wait.

I got my nucleic acid test today and will be going home in a few days.