Chapter 97 Court Debate
Minister of Rites Wang also stepped forward and knelt down: "Your Majesty, there have been many rumors in the capital recently, and even many children are singing nursery rhymes in the streets, clearly pointing out that Minister Chen is embezzling military rations. Whether it is to reassure the soldiers on the border or to clear Minister Chen's name, I suggest that we investigate."
Sweat dripped involuntarily from Chen Jing's forehead. He knelt down with a thud, looked at the emperor, and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!!"
The emperor on the dragon throne rubbed the jade thumb ring on his hand, his face somewhat cold: "What nursery rhyme? Tell me about it."
After a Ministry of Justice official stepped forward and saluted, he looked at Minister Chen and then at the Emperor and spoke loudly: "The Minister of Revenue is greedy for grain, causing the soldiers of Daxingwei to suffer from hunger and cold. The Minister of Revenue is black-hearted, greedy for silver, causing the soldiers to wear thin clothes. The Minister of Revenue has a bad conscience, causing the soldiers of Daxingwei to suffer from hunger and cold. Daxingwei helped with the flood in Fengyang, and Fengyang helped the soldiers who were hungry and cold. Although the 800 shi of grain is not much, the people's hearts are devoted to the frontier. Daxingwei seized sheep and gave them to Fengyang. The people are overjoyed at the end of the year."
The imperial court was deathly silent in the Golden Hall. Suddenly, the emperor's breathing became heavy. A jarring jingle reached his ears, and his face instantly darkened. Anger surged in his heart, and he slammed his fist on Long An, grabbed a memorial, and smashed it to the ground.
With a "click," the memorial landed right next to Chen Jingde. All the ministers in the court hurriedly knelt down and bowed their heads: "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty, and take care of your health."
Chen Jing lay pressed tightly to the ground, his face deathly pale, his back instantly soaked with sweat. After a long silence, he finally raised his head tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent."
The emperor stared coldly at Chen Jing, unable to believe that his trusted confidant would dare to embezzle military rations under the guise of suppressing the vassal kings. He admitted that he wanted to control the vassal kings, but how could he not know that the border was of paramount importance? He had clearly warned Chen Jing last time, yet he still dared to do these things insincerely.
This isn't a folk song satirizing Chen Jing at all; it's saying that he's a muddle-headed emperor, that the border provisions are all embezzled, and that the soldiers are starving and have to rely on the people saving their own food—it's an insinuation that he's an incompetent ruler!
"Guards, immediately conduct a thorough investigation of Chen Jing, the Minister of Revenue. If the charges are true, I will have you executed by a thousand cuts to uphold the law and appease the people and the soldiers guarding the border!"
After saying that, he looked at the kneeling censors and officials and sneered: "Vice Minister of War, can you answer me? What is this matter of 'Great Xing Stealing Sheep'? And why was it given to Fengyang?"
Chang Xing, the Vice Minister of War, looked up and pondered for a while before saying, "At the beginning of the month, Daxing was replenished with grain and fodder. When the Tartars came down to harvest hay, they chased after people into the grasslands and robbed several thousand sheep from the Tartar tribes to take back to the garrison as military rations."
The emperor raised his eyes, his gaze icy: "I believe that even without provisions, Daxing can still thrive."
The officials' expressions changed drastically. The leading censor stared straight at the emperor: "Your Majesty, it is an undeniable fact that the Ministry of Revenue is in arrears with grain supplies. If we hadn't been pushed to the limit, why would the Daxing Border Army have marched to the grasslands to fight the Tartars for food? We urge Your Majesty to distribute the grain supplies as soon as possible."
The emperor sneered: "When did I say I wouldn't distribute rations? Minister Huang, you are in charge of allocating rations to the Ministry of Revenue. I want the rations from Daxing to be distributed on time by the end of the month. Also, didn't we capture several thousand sheep? They're not the only garrison struggling. Distribute some to the other garrisons. You handle this matter. If you make a mistake, you'll be beheaded!"
Huang Qing, the Vice Minister of Revenue, bowed upon receiving the order: "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."
A nursery rhyme thoroughly humiliated the emperor, but the emperor was still the emperor. He investigated Chen Jingquan to restore his reputation, sent grain to relieve the emergency, and distributed the captured sheep to other garrisons to appease the other vassal kings and quell the grievances of the soldiers. However, this move was likely to truly offend the King of Chu.
Half a month later—
Snowflakes were already falling from the sky, and the cold wind carried the snowflakes, lashing them against the tents. Huang Shilang, dressed in brocade robes and a fox fur coat, walked into the tent with an arrogant expression, surrounded by guards.
"Commander Qi? Is he present?"
Qi Rong, who was reviewing official documents inside, slightly raised his eyes: "Lord Huang?"
Minister Huang nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly: "I hope Your Highness is well. I have come on His Majesty's orders to transport grain. This should relieve your urgent need."
Before Qi Rong could speak, Lin Changning led several commanders into the tent, rubbing their hands together. Upon seeing the newcomers, Lin Changning paused for a moment, and the attendant beside Vice Minister Huang immediately rebuked him coldly: "How dare you! Why can't you pay your respects to the Vice Minister?"
Lin Changning rolled his eyes at his attendant, cupped his hands in a perfunctory manner, and said, "Greetings, Vice Minister."
The other commanders followed suit, joking that since they had been delaying their supplies for so long, they should be expected to pay respects to these parasites. They were being too kind by not cutting them down with a knife.
Huang Shilang snorted and turned his head away: "There is one more thing. His Majesty learned that Daxing Guard has captured several thousand lambs, which is a great achievement. However, the winters in other guard posts are not much better than in Daxing. Therefore, His Majesty ordered that you allocate some of your sheep, giving each guard post a few hundred head, so that everyone can benefit. What do you think of the command?"
Before Qi Rong could speak, Lin Changning bristled, clasped his hands in a gesture of protest, and said in a disgruntled tone, "My lord, to seize so many sheep, our cavalry suffered hundreds of casualties, and the infantry casualties were countless. Our brothers risked their lives to bring back these thousands of lambs. We already have insufficient provisions, so why must we also take away the sheep we captured?!"
Vice Minister Huang's face darkened with displeasure. "Insolence! This is His Majesty's order. To refuse to hand it over is to disobey the imperial decree! That would be punishable by the execution of nine generations of your family! Furthermore, it was seized, and theoretically it should be distributed by the court. Your private retention is no different from embezzlement!"
"You!" Lin Changning almost lost control of his grip on the knife hilt.
After catching his breath, Lin Changning said coldly, "Our garrison's grain supplies were robbed, so why didn't you say anything about our hardship when the distribution was delayed? Why didn't other garrisons send us grain so we could benefit from it? How many brothers sacrificed themselves to get back a few sheep, and you just tell us to distribute them! Why should we?"
Commander Shi, trying to stop Lin Changning, couldn't help but speak up: "That's right, sir. The conditions here are already tough. We finally manage to get some spoils, but we have to share them with other places. Aren't you afraid we'll feel disheartened?"
Vice Minister Huang snorted coldly, his nostrils flaring slightly, and raised his sleeves to the south, bowing respectfully: "The grain and provisions have all been delivered by the officials. Your immediate crisis has been resolved. Moreover, this was ordered by His Majesty. The garrisons belong to the court. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the military pay you receive—everything you have is provided by the court. Everything you have is a gift from His Majesty. The captured sheep naturally belong to His Majesty as well. Or perhaps you think that having achieved some merit in guarding the frontier allows you to be arrogant? You treat the court's orders as mere whispers in the wind!! This is disobedience! It is a great disrespect to His Majesty!"
After speaking, Vice Minister Huang looked at the group of indignant soldiers and sneered: "Valiant warriors, pillars of the state! Humph!"
Commander Zhou couldn't hold back any longer and drew his sword, pointing it directly at Vice Minister Huang: "Who are you calling a pedantic jerk?! Believe me or not, I'll chop you up!!"
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