Different with Each Passing Day

The detoxification process of Wei Shao'er and the others was much more intense than that of Zhang Xuezhou. Some took two or three Life Creation Pills before they regained control of their bodies.

The more pills consumed, the greater the amount of toxins eliminated.

The downwind half of the Imperial City District was filled with the stench of latrines, which caused many people to shout and curse in the middle of the night. Every now and then, someone would carry a lantern to check the situation of the thatched hut, to see if any excrement or urine jars had exploded.

This kind of thing was not uncommon in Chang'an City. Without a modern sewage system, no matter how large or spacious a house was, people always had to deal with the problem of foul odors from excrement.

For example, the same applies to the problem of the stench from slaughtering livestock in Chang'an City.

People like those who hauled manure were busy every day, only able to operate during the fourth and fifth watches of the night, and had to queue up early at special small city gates to enter and exit.

Many people worked tirelessly through the night, but in the end, it was Sima Tan, who was on a pilgrimage, who let slip the truth, revealing the real reason to some high-ranking officials.

"Your subject hereby reports against Dongfang Shuo!"

As usual, Zhang Xuezhou did not go to the Weiyang Palace to participate in the court proceedings the day after his wedding. After all, he could only shout a few words in front of the main hall of the Weiyang Palace and had no authority to offer suggestions. Listening to the new emperor say a few words was better than observing the court proceedings.

But he ultimately had no choice but to participate in the court assembly.

Following the eunuch who sighed as he delivered the imperial decree, Zhang Xuezhou entered through the East Sima Gate and traveled for a while before entering the main hall of the Weiyang Palace.

"This man released poison in the middle of the night, knocking out four servants and two pigs in the official's residence, and killing eight chickens. The money from the pigs and chickens is secondary; the fact that the people were nearly killed by the fumes is no small matter!"

"Your Majesty, I also accuse Dongfang Shuo of possessing a concubine who is pregnant and has become unwell after being exposed to this foul stench. If anything were to happen to her..."

Zhang Xuezhou entered the main hall of the Weiyang Palace. The officials who had previously impeached him stepped forward one after another and began to denounce Zhang Xuezhou's crimes.

To be honest, as long as one wasn't standing downwind of Wei Shao'er and the others, Zhang Xuezhou didn't think the fumes would knock anyone out. After all, even Wei Shao'er and the others themselves weren't knocked out by the fumes, and the outdoor Tongfeng had dispersed the toxins that could cause illness, making the possibility of death extremely low.

It's understandable that many officials were unhappy, since they weren't close to Zhang Xuezhou and weren't going to tolerate him.

There were clear differences between the civil and military officials during the reign of the Empress Dowager and those during the reign of the Grand Empress Dowager.

Zhang Xuezhou was previously protected by the Empress Dowager, so he would not be attacked in the court, and Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi would even downplay the matter.

During the reign of the Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou was only on good terms with Tian Fen and had a familiar relationship with Han Anguo, who was promoted to Imperial Censor. He was not familiar with anyone else.

He glanced at several familiar officials in the court, then at the rather helpless new emperor sitting on the throne, and then secretly glanced at the Empress Dowager listening to the affairs of state beside the throne.

"Dongfang Shuo, what do you say?"

After nearly ten officials filed their complaints, the scene quieted down, and the new emperor on his seat gestured for Zhang Xuezhou to refute them.

Affairs in the imperial court are nothing but endless wrangling, escalating to the point of back-and-forth attacks, until eventually all the wrangling stops and the matter is over.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my inappropriate handling of the matter and the impact it has had on you all. I am willing to accept any punishment, including any demotion or salary reduction as appropriate," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Um?"

The new emperor was taken aback for a moment, then quickly came to his senses.

Zhang Xuezhou's attitude in admitting his mistake was extremely frank, but how to punish Zhang Xuezhou was indeed a big problem. After all, there were not many places where Zhang Xuezhou's official position could be reduced, and the grain and salary he received every year were far from enough to live on.

The only punishment the imperial court could impose was a reduction in salary and official rank; the new emperor was unlikely to impose a fine on Zhang Xuezhou to quell the matter.

Such a punishment, if it's passable, can quell the anger of many.

Of course, this matter also involves one person, namely the true master of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion.

Without Princess Pingyang's instructions, there wouldn't be so many people jumping out in the court today.

"Dongfang Shuo, I've received some information that you've been fumigating the front yard but not the back. Isn't that a bit deliberate?"

The new emperor gave a reminder, and Zhang Xuezhou quickly realized who he had offended.

He had met Princess Pingyang before, but the new emperor still used the identity of Marquis Pingyang when he traveled, which made Zhang Xuezhou subconsciously overlook the fact that the true master of the front courtyard had returned to Chang'an City.

He visited Princess Dou in the back courtyard but not Princess Pingyang, and even fumed at her residence. Anyone would be furious if he did that.

"Your Majesty, I will go to the Marquis's residence today to apologize!"

As Zhang Xuezhou bowed, the displeasure on the faces of many officials who had previously been filled with righteous indignation quickly subsided.

When dealing with someone like Zhang Xuezhou who pleads guilty, accepts punishment, and is willing to come to apologize, no one can be too demanding.

They all accused Zhang Xuezhou in court, saying that he had indeed been set up. Since the purpose of the action had been achieved, they would not dwell on it further. After all, the stench only made people feel uncomfortable and did not kill anyone. Such matters could be big or small, and whether they had an impact or not depended on how much they talked.

"Since you are willing to confess, you will be fined two hundred shi of salary, and you must not make such a careless mistake again!"

The new emperor gave a brief punishment, and for a moment he couldn't help but wonder what kind of elixir Zhang Xuezhou had produced that had managed to permeate half of the Imperial City District.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou held his wedding banquet last night, and he felt that doing such a thing on their wedding night seemed abnormal.

The new emperor, unable to express his dissatisfaction, gestured to everyone to speak if they had something to say, and to adjourn the court if they had nothing else to say.

After briefly addressing this controversial matter, many officials stepped forward in the court to discuss various matters, both large and small, across the country.

Some regions are suffering from drought and hope for tax reductions; some are flooded and need relief; some have exhausted their funding for road construction and need replenishment. All sorts of issues affect the livelihoods of people in various regions of the Han Kingdom.

The new emperor answered all the questions in court, and inquired about any doubts he had. He would occasionally glance at the Empress Dowager, as if seeking her opinion.

"The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager are indeed different!"

Zhang Xuezhou rarely participated in court assemblies, but he still remembered that the new emperor had virtually no say or decision-making power during the reign of the Empress Dowager.

At present, the new emperor is in charge of many matters, large and small, within the territory of the Great Han Dynasty. The Empress Dowager does not participate in the decision-making process and even strongly supports the new emperor's political views, and does not easily negate the decisions made by the new emperor.

This approach is common when senior management trains employees, and it involves gradually delegating authority as their abilities grow.

Zhang Xuezhou had originally thought that the Empress Dowager and the new emperor were fighting for power; he never expected such a harmonious situation.

If I'm not mistaken, the current area of contention between the Empress Dowager and the new emperor only involves military power.

In the Empress Dowager's eyes, the new emperor was not yet qualified to take over military power, so she took on too much military and political affairs, even transferring Zhuang Zhu and others from military and political positions to administrative positions, thereby relieving the new emperor of his authority to interfere.

"Mother, I received intelligence that a hundred thousand elite troops are stationed in the Yelang Kingdom. General Tang Meng has rashly..."

The Empress Dowager's expression changed only when the new emperor took the initiative to bring up military and political affairs in the southwest. As the new emperor continued to speak, some controversy arose.