Following His Example (Wishing Everyone Good Health)

The officials in the imperial court each had their own personality; there were shrewd ones who were good at choosing sides, as well as scoundrels like Guan Fu who were talented but lacked virtue.

But Zhang Xuezhou was indeed a very unique person, a rare breed in the many years of officials in Xu Chang.

This is the most Xu Chang official I've ever seen in my life.

If the imperial court hadn't been transformed into a one-man show by Anle Palace, and if Zhang Xuezhou hadn't been guaranteed his position with Anle Palace's approval, then if Zhang Xuezhou hadn't attended court the day after he became an official, someone would have inevitably impeached him.

Logically speaking, Zhang Xuezhou, at such a young age and holding such a high position, should have maintained a cautious attitude and cultivated good relationships with many senior officials.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's character was completely different from that of a normal official.

The other party not only didn't visit his colleagues, but he also didn't bother to care about the officials under his command. Many officials couldn't find their superiors at all throughout the year.

Zhang Xuezhou was also known for his long-term laziness in governance, rarely performing regular official duties throughout the year.

Of Xu Chang, it must be said that Zhang Xuezhou's official duties were of average quality.

In the nearly two years since he took office, the only ceremonial reform he has made was to improve the court attire. This achievement is neither particularly good nor bad; it can only be considered as performing his duties normally, and everyone has cooperated with him extensively.

But this was the only official business the other party had done in the past two years, and it only took them one day.

As Zhang Xuezhou's superior, Xu Chang even personally inspected the situation and intervened several times after Zhang Xuezhou abandoned his post, ensuring that the design and production of the court robes proceeded smoothly.

Xu Chang boasted that he consulted Anle Palace on everything, which resulted in him not achieving much. However, compared to officials like Zhang Xuezhou, Xu Chang felt that his political achievements were brilliant and dazzling.

Zhang Xuezhou is usually quiet, but when he does appear, he always stirs up trouble. He caused a ruckus in the court for two months, and now he's making irresponsible remarks about politics, proposing many inappropriate regulations.

Many people argued fiercely about these issues, and even Xu Chang had to get involved in the discussion.

Meanwhile, the other party was urinating in the imperial library.

Not only had no ministers ever done this before, but even members of the royal family never urinated in a place like the Tianlu Qilin Pavilion, a place for studying.

"This is an insult to civility!"

Xu Chang shouted again.

"If everyone followed the example of the Grand Master of the Palace, the court would surely fall into chaos," Xu Chang angrily denounced.

"It's just a pee, you can't blame everything on me," Zhang Xuezhou argued.

"But you are the Grand Master of Ceremonies," Xu Chang said emphatically, "If you act like this, how can it be considered mere moral depravity if those below you follow suit!"

"Then I'll resign as Grand Master of the Palace, and you can use this piss to impeach me!"

Zhang Xuezhou's reply made Xu Chang's heart tighten, as he felt that the other party was repeating the same old tune.

In the past, Xu Chang had focused his attention on Zhang Xuezhou's outrageous and sensational remarks, but now he was closely watching Zhang Xuezhou's decision to resign.

Zhang Xuezhou was a high-ranking official appointed by Anle Palace, but Zhang Xuezhou was also very close to the new emperor and was a young official cultivated by the Weiyang Palace.

This made Zhang Xuezhou's identity extremely special. Xu Chang felt that Zhang Xuezhou desperately wanted to get rid of the symbol of Anle Palace, and even had long planned to get rid of the official position of Taizhong Dafu.

It is not easy to escape unscathed from the imperial court. Officials need both ability and connections to get promoted, and most of them are demoted because of attacks from their rivals. Few can survive such attacks.

This has led to officials spending their entire lives climbing the social ladder, only retiring when they die.

Xu Chang originally intended to remain in the position of prime minister until the day he died of old age, after all, he was already very old, but he did not expect that the Empress Dowager would pass away before him.

He was filled with lingering doubts, constantly pondering whether Zhang Xuezhou's resignation was a safe way to withdraw from office, and whether it would allow him to escape unscathed and avoid being implicated with minimal cost.

"Impeaching an official with a pee seems unprecedented... but absurdity is better than losing your life!"

Even someone as capable as Grand Commandant Zhou couldn't escape unscathed, Xu Chang didn't think he was any more capable.

He pondered Zhang Xuezhou, who was also close to the new emperor, and felt that Zhang Xuezhou was very likely to serve as a benchmark for resigning from office.

If Zhang Xuezhou had resigned in some way and escaped unscathed, they would have only needed to repeat the same actions to smoothly hand over power, without having to criticize and find fault in court, ultimately leading to the destruction of their families.

"You have not followed ancestral rites, so your position as Grand Master of the Palace is sealed," Xu Chang said thoughtfully, then added emphatically, "I dare to request that Anle Palace also remove you from this position!"

"Go ahead, go ahead!"

Zhang Xuezhou a perfunctory response.

Xu Chang feigned anger, implying that this was inevitable.

He felt at ease, and now he only waited to see if Zhang Xuezhou would be impeached and whether the punishment he received would be normal and acceptable.

"Help!"

Xu Chang called out several times.

The guards in the distance peeked out, and when Xu Chang called out again, a six-man squad of guards quickly rushed over.

"Grand Master Dongfang Shuo urinated indecently in the Qilin Pavilion of Tianlu Palace after the banquet. You must immediately detain him," Xu Chang said. "I will go to court tomorrow to impeach this man as a warning to others!"

"Sir... sir!"

The guards looked at each other.

The court officials were fighting amongst themselves, and they were clearly caught in the middle.

Although Zhang Xuezhou didn't say "Let's see who dares" there, the "Censor" badge hanging on the other party's body was genuine.

They couldn't afford to offend Prime Minister Xu Chang, nor could they afford to offend any other officials.

A crucial issue is that Xu Chang did not possess law enforcement authority within the imperial palace, and the demand to forcibly detain officials crossed the line.

Even the Empress and others only had law enforcement authority within the areas under their jurisdiction.

The only one truly enforcing the law throughout the palace was the emperor, and the imperial guards would obey the emperor's orders completely, not the prime minister's instructions.

"What sirs? Can't you see the piss he took here?" Xu Chang roared angrily after seeing the imperial guards dare not move. "If the late emperor were here, his head would be chopped off!"

"There are birds pooping in this palace, but I haven't seen anyone catch them and kill them all," Zhang Xuezhou complained. "Prime Minister Xu is bullying honest people!"

"Where are you being honest?" Xu Chang said, "Your behavior is not in accordance with etiquette; you are unworthy of the title of Grand Master of the Palace!"

"Where have I been dishonest? Where have I acted improperly? Where have I failed to live up to the title of Grand Master of the Palace!"

"You're dishonest in every way, you don't conform to any rules of propriety..."

Zhang Xuezhou responded to Xu Chang with a few words, but when Xu Chang started arguing with him, Zhang Xuezhou suddenly recalled Xu Chang's desolate appearance at the morning court session and realized that the old man's current state was completely different from before.

He pondered for a few seconds before snapping back to reality.

With the death of the Empress Dowager and the downfall of Xu Chang's greatest backer, it seems the other side is already planning their escape route.

The new emperor is plotting to purge veteran officials, and Xu Chang is also planning to withdraw.

The impeachment of Zhang Xuezhou became the link and standard in this process.

If he could extricate himself unscathed, Zhang Xuezhou believed that Xu Chang would follow suit and learn from his example.

This made Zhang Xuezhou curse under his breath, feeling that even if the officials of the court seemed mediocre, they were still as cunning as they should be.

He was well aware that if Xu Chang harbored such intentions, he would inevitably become a tool for testing and probing, and his position as Grand Master of the Palace would be his last.