Chapter 252 The Game

As soon as the Emperor spoke, everyone present looked at Du Min. Meng Qing and Minister Yin looked solemn, Lu Shaoqing looked wary, the Minister of Justice looked scrutinizing and speculating, while Prime Minister Zheng smiled, as if watching a good show.

Du Min looked up and met the gaze of the female saint. Seeing her displeasure but no intention of stopping him, he bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"Your Majesty, Zheng Qing resigned from his position as Prime Minister by falsely claiming merit. Who will succeed him as the concurrently serving Governor? The land survey is showing initial results and should not be interrupted." The Empress Dowager seized upon the loophole in the wording. Since the inspection was of the free school, inspecting the land was not within Du Min's responsibilities. She suggested, "How about Prime Minister Liu taking over?"

"No, Minister Zheng has resigned from his position as prime minister, and there is currently no successor. There is only Prime Minister Liu in the Council of State Affairs. If he were to become the governor, would the Council of State Affairs still have a head? Who would manage the affairs of the state?" The Emperor rejected the idea. "One should not serve two masters. I think Minister Du is extremely suitable. In recent years, Minister Du has punished many corrupt officials during his inspections. Why not let him take on the responsibility of investigating the land?"

"Your Majesty," Du Min said, his voice trembling with fear, "I fear I am unable to manage so many duties simultaneously." He bowed to Meng Qing and said, "For the past five years, I served concurrently as Governor, and my sister-in-law handled all the affairs of Huai Prefecture, allowing me to focus on my duties without worry. Now, as Minister of Works, responsible for civil engineering, artisan management, land reclamation and irrigation, the construction of official roads and post stations, and the development of mountains, forests, and rivers, I bear a heavy responsibility and dare not shirk my duties. Holding three positions simultaneously, if my negligence leads to serious errors, I will be condemned to death. I implore Your Majesty to appoint another capable person to take over the important task of investigating the land previously undertaken by Prime Minister Zheng."

"What Minister Du says makes sense. Our court is not without capable ministers. Why should Minister Du hold multiple positions?" the female sage said. "If I remember correctly, in the past five years, Prime Minister Liu has accused Ministers Zheng and Du of excessively harsh punishments, cruel torture, and using all means of inducement and coercion during their inspections. He sits in the court and makes extreme demands on his colleagues who are on duty outside. Why not let him go on the inspections himself and experience the hardships that Ministers Zheng and Du have endured?"

"Prime Minister Liu is too old to serve as governor." The Emperor refused to change his mind. "Minister Du is a protégé of Minister Zheng. He understands Minister Zheng's methods of governance and is suitable to take over the work left by Minister Zheng. Du Min, take this imperial decree. You will be in charge of inspecting the fields throughout the country. The matter of inspecting the free schools will be handled by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Du Min dared not struggle any longer and could only resign himself to his fate: "...Yes."

"I hope that Minister Du will not disgrace Minister Zheng's family tradition and will perform his duties diligently. Once Minister Du achieves outstanding results, I will appoint you as Prime Minister." The Emperor promised.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations." Du Min's heart sank to the bottom, but he still had to force himself to cope.

"Minister Du, it's been over five years since you've been home, hasn't it? I'll grant you a month's leave to reunite with your family, and you can resume your inspection tour in October," the female sage said. She looked at Meng Qing and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, under the governance of Lady Wu, the land and commercial tax revenues in Huai Prefecture have doubled compared to five years ago. Wouldn't it be better to continue having her oversee the administration?"

"Absolutely not!" Minister Yao immediately intervened, turning to Minister Yin and questioning, "Minister Yin, is the Ministry of Personnel lacking in talent? Among all the officials in our court, is there not a single one capable of serving as the Prefect of Huai Prefecture?"

"Before Minister Du went to Huai Prefecture to serve as the Prefect, Huai Prefecture was indeed a mess that no one dared to take over. The imperial court allocated more than a million strings of cash to control the floods, but there was no response." Minister Yin stated the facts. "Now, under the joint governance of Minister Du and Lady Wu, the waterways in Huai Prefecture have been brought under control, the land has been returned to the people, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Even mediocre talents like us can serve as the Prefect of Huai Prefecture. There is no shortage of people."

After saying this, Minister Yin bowed to the head of the court and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report that Minister Du has been absent from office for five years, and Huai Prefecture has gradually improved, thanks to the efforts of Lady Wu. I believe that given the current situation in Huai Prefecture, there is no need for an outstanding official to take charge of the prefecture. Lady Wu can continue to oversee the administration."

"Minister Yin, you are stripping Huai Prefecture of its merits as Prefect and Chief Administrator. The governance of a prefecture is not the work of one person alone. Your Majesty, I propose that the Prefect of Huai Prefecture be promoted to Governor." Lu Shaoqing interjected, "I still remember what Prime Minister Liu said five years ago: the court is divided into inner and outer, with the Empress and female officials inside, and Your Majesty and male officials outside. Yin and Yang are clearly distinguished, like the Taiji diagram. Yin and Yang surround each other but do not interfere with each other, so that life can continue. Lady Wu is an official of the outer court. Her supervision of government for the past five years was under the pretext of assisting Lord Du. Now that Lord Du has been promoted, Lady Wu should no longer interfere in the affairs of Huai Prefecture."

"Was Lu Shaoqing born of a man?" Meng Qing suddenly asked.

Lu Shaoqing suddenly stood up, "Madam Wu, you mustn't talk nonsense!"

"If you were born of a woman, with yang emerging from yin, how could you say that yin and yang are distinct and do not interact with each other?" Meng Qing asked. "Prime Minister Liu, is that right? I will pay you a visit another day to ask you how yin and yang can be so distinct and continue to generate life, and how your offspring come to be?"

"Stop your nonsense," Lu Shaoqing scolded. "You really are a merchant's daughter; your words are nothing but vulgarities."

“If your parents weren’t so lewd, you wouldn’t exist; if you weren’t so lewd, you wouldn’t be a father.” Du Min sneered. “Your Lu family is a prestigious clan, but you’ve done plenty of dirty things. Your sixty-year-old uncle was extremely skilled in the arts of Yin and Yang, and he died on your eighteen-year-old aunt. That’s quite a story in Youzhou.”

Lu Shaoqing blushed with embarrassment and anger. Fueled by both new and old grudges, he stepped over the desk in front of him, grabbed Du Min by the collar, and threw a punch at him.

Du Min was not to be outdone. He vented all the frustration he had suffered today on Lu Shaoqing. The two kicked, shoved, pinched, and punched each other, and fought in the hall. Bystanders could not separate them.

After the fight ended, Lu Shaoqing was charged with disrespecting the emperor and was demoted to Meizhou.

As for Meng Qing's supervision of Huaizhou, no one mentioned it again due to the deliberate forgetting of certain individuals.

Du Min, covered in physical wounds, walked out of the Dali Temple as the sun set. Meng Qing lagged a few steps behind and walked and talked with Prime Minister Zheng.

Minister Yin stepped forward and caught up with Du Min, but besides sighing, he didn't know what to say.

"Father, has the relationship between the Sage and His Majesty deteriorated to this point?" Du Min asked in a low voice.

"The Crown Prince is exceptionally talented and enjoys considerable support from the ministers," Minister Yin suggested. "Would you like to stay at my residence tonight? Let's have a chat, father-in-law and son-in-law."

Du Min stopped and looked behind him, asking, "Does my second sister-in-law also live in the Minister's residence?"

"No, her mansion was completed last September. She came to Luoyang a few days ago and is staying at the Lady of the County's residence," Minister Yin replied. "Caiwei and her two children are also in Luoyang; the three of them are staying with me."

Du Min immediately understood; his second brother and Wang Chuan must have also come to Luoyang.

“Father, I’ll come to see you tomorrow, and I’ll go to my second sister-in-law’s residence tonight,” Du Min said. “I’ll go pick up Caiwei and the two children later.”

Minister Yin was not surprised by the result, and he did not force the issue, saying, "Whatever you say."

Meng Qing and Prime Minister Zheng caught up. Prime Minister Zheng gave Du Min a perfunctory bow and said, "Minister Du, congratulations."

Du Min remained expressionless.

Prime Minister Zheng smiled as if a heavy burden had been lifted, "The important task of measuring the fields is now entrusted to you, Minister Du. I urge you to be righteous and selfless and not to back down."

“There’s no need for Governor Zheng to worry about that. Our Suzhou environment is good for people. Governor Zheng can go there and recuperate properly.” Du Min glanced at him, mocking him for staging an assassination attempt to retire due to illness.

"Suzhou is no ordinary place to have produced such a capable minister as Minister Du. When I go there, I will definitely investigate Minister Du's path to education and success," Prime Minister Zheng retorted calmly. "How many years has it been since Minister Du returned to his hometown? Does he miss his parents? Does he need me to visit them on his behalf and fulfill his filial duties?"

Du Min, having his weakness exposed, immediately fell silent.

“My parents-in-law are quite old, and we always report good news but not bad news. Please, Lord Zheng, keep our current situation a secret from us,” Meng Qing said, trying to smooth things over. “If possible, please do not come to disturb them. My parents-in-law have spent their whole lives tending the fields. They are timid and easily frightened. Even a scolding from the ferryman will make them anxious for days, and they are even more terrified when they see the county magistrate. If you come to their door, even with good intentions, they will be quite frightened.”

Seeing that Du Min had been rebuffed, Prime Minister Zheng decided to stop while he was ahead and changed his tune, saying, "In that case, I won't bother you any further."

A bell rang, signaling the end of the day for the officials of the Dali Temple to finish their shift.

"A curfew is about to be imposed, Prime Minister Zheng. We live far away, so we'll take our leave first," Minister Yin said, bowing.

Prime Minister Zheng returned the greeting and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Yin, to change your address. I am no longer the prime minister."

“If the emperor does not proclaim this to his ministers for a day, Your Excellency will bear the title of prime minister for that day. In my humble opinion, you are the most worthy of the title,” said Minister Yin.

Prime Minister Zheng thanked him and then left first.

Meng Qing and Du Min split into two groups: one went to the post station to pick up the guards Du Min had brought back, and the other went to the Yin residence to pick up his wife and children.

Meng Qing arrived at the post station by carriage. The guards were having dinner when they heard the postman's announcement, and everyone at the table put down their chopsticks.

"Second Aunt," Jinshu stepped forward first to greet her, "You're also in Luoyang?"

Meng Qing sized up the burly man in front of her and asked uncertainly, "Are you Jinshu? Staying by your third uncle's side can really toughen you up. You're completely different from five years ago."

Jinshu scratched her head and smiled, "It's me."

"Pack your things and come stay at my residence. Your second uncle and your two younger brothers are there. Your third uncle has gone to pick up his wife and children, and he will come with us in two separate groups," Meng Qing instructed. She then looked at the guards, "Commander Zhao, you will also come with me."

The guard should immediately go back to the house to get his luggage.

Jinshu took his bundle and got into Meng Qing's carriage. The carriage was full of personal belongings. There were children's books for learning to read on the couch, as well as sachets and fans for little girls. He nervously chose to sit on the side near the carriage door, holding his bundle and asking, "Second Aunt, how is my Third Uncle? I heard him say that someone in the court has accused him."

"I've been exonerated, everything's alright now." Meng Qing picked up a round fan and fanned herself, but the heat in her heart wouldn't dissipate. As if she had a sudden urge to confide, she explained in detail: "Prime Minister Zheng didn't escape; he was stripped of his title and demoted to the position of prefect of Suzhou. Your third uncle will take over his duties and will be appointed governor in a month to investigate the land."

"What?" Jinshu was so frightened that he stood up, his head hitting the roof of the carriage with a "thud". He seemed to feel no pain, and just kept muttering in terror, "It's over, it's over, it's over, oh no, Auntie, please tell the driver to stop the carriage, I want to get off."

"What are you doing getting out of the car?" Meng Qing asked.

"I want to go back to Wu County." Jinshu tugged at the car door. "I want to go back to Wu County. I'm not going to risk my life with my third uncle."

The coachman was forced to stop the carriage, and the guards following behind rushed forward to inquire about the situation.

"Young master, what are you doing?" the head guard asked.

"I...I need to go buy something." Jinshu had a hunch.

“He’s going back to Wu County,” Meng Qing exposed his lie.

The head guard's eyes sharpened. He dismounted, pushed Jinshu into the carriage, and then sat on the carriage shaft to drive.

Jinshu squatted in the carriage, glaring at Meng Qing, and pleaded, "Second Aunt, please let me go."

“You were sent by your third uncle. Whether you can leave depends on his decision.” Meng Qing’s gaze wandered before finally settling on Jinshu. “You’ve worked for him for so many years. Help him for a few more years. Once your grandparents pass away and he’s in mourning, you’ll be able to relax.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Meng Qing's face flushed red. Looking back, all her words to Du Li were now a slap in the face. What parents, what human life? She could only be innocent when it didn't endanger herself or her child.

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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.