Chapter 97 Shen Cong's Protection
As soon as Zhao Hong entered the hall, he felt the stagnant atmosphere.
As soon as he knelt down, he heard the emperor give a cold snort, followed by a question.
"Zhao Hong, I ask you, how did you know there would be a torrential rain?"
Zhao Hong's heart tightened. Since being transferred to Bianjing, this was his first time speaking before the emperor, and he was extremely nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
He vaguely remembered the words the eunuch had hinted at earlier.
"The Left Chancellor means he will not question why you wrote the memorial about the torrential rain in advance, but this matter has already aroused His Majesty's suspicion, and someone needs to step forward to appease His Majesty's anger."
"Your Majesty may accept a stupid official, but will never tolerate an ambitious minister who plays with the lives of the people."
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and made a decision.
With his forehead pressed deeply to the ground, he said in a trembling voice, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. I... I heard it from my father-in-law."
"Your father-in-law? Song Cheng?"
"Exactly."
The emperor recalled what had just happened and seemed to be deep in thought.
"How did Song Cheng know that there would be a heavy rain? Did he hear it from the wife of the Marquis of Anping's heir?"
Zhao Hong looked bewildered and subconsciously looked up at Prime Minister Han.
Han Zuoxiang nodded almost imperceptibly, implying that he should take the opportunity to push everything onto the wife of the Marquis of Anping's heir.
Although Zhao Hong understood Han Xiang's implication, he subconsciously nodded and said yes.
Sitting in the chair, Shen Cong coughed softly and turned to look at him.
"When did you hear from the wife of the Marquis of Anping's heir that a heavy rain was expected?"
Zhao Hong gave a vague answer.
About three or four days ago.
Shen Cong gave a half-smile, "Three or four days ago? What arrangements did you and Lord Song make after receiving the news?"
Why weren't the people notified to collect their grain in advance? Why weren't the people notified to evacuate in advance?
Zhao Hong felt a chill run down his spine and quickly changed his words.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is mistaken. It was on the day it rained that we learned of this matter."
"Oh? So you saw Lady Song, the Crown Prince's wife, on the rainy day? When and where did you see her?"
"On... on August 28th, in China."
"You're lying!"
Shen Cong's face darkened, and his voice suddenly dropped two octaves, which triggered a series of coughs.
The emperor looked over with concern.
"Speak calmly, don't get angry."
Shen Cong covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed lightly a few times. Then he put the handkerchief away and continued, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Lady of the Heir Apparent of Anping Marquis only learned about the possible heavy rain on the 26th of August."
"After arranging for the people on the estate to harvest the crops, the Lady of the Marquis of Anping's Heir returned to the city early on the morning of August 27th, so Zhao Hong is lying."
The emperor flew into a rage and grabbed the paperweight from the table, smashing it down.
"You, Zhao Hong, how dare you deceive the emperor!"
Bang.
The paperweight landed precisely on Zhao Hong's official hat, which fell to the ground, and blood slowly trickled down his temples.
Zhao Hong immediately lay prone on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I... I shouldn't have lied to Your Majesty to cover for my father-in-law."
"I'm giving you one last chance. I want to hear the truth."
Zhao Hong dared not raise his head, his eyes darted around, and he gritted his teeth and said, "My father-in-law... after he was demoted to the position of Vice Minister of Rites that day, he became somewhat insane."
On the 28th of August, I went to visit him in the capital. He grabbed me and said that a wandering Taoist priest had predicted that there would be a rainstorm.
Not long after he said that, it actually started to rain.
After Zhao Hong finished speaking, his heart pounded with nervousness.
I've heard that His Majesty is a devout follower of Taoism, so fabricating a story about a wandering Taoist priest would be more believable.
The emperor was indeed skeptical.
"Then why are you so certain that the dikes in China will burst? Was that also said by that wandering Taoist priest?"
Zhao Hong quickly considered the matter in his mind before replying, "The Taoist priest only mentioned the possibility of a dam breach, but he didn't explicitly say that the entire country would experience a dam breach."
But my father-in-law firmly believes that the dikes of the land have been in disrepair for many years and will inevitably burst.
The emperor frowned: "Outrageous! Is this something that can be speculated on so casually? Have you even gone to the dikes of the capital?"
Zhao Hong trembled.
"My father-in-law said he went to see him..."
When did you go to see it?
"My father-in-law happened to visit China last month, and he said he saw it with his own eyes..."
"Cough cough cough."
Two coughs, neither too loud nor too soft, sounded behind me.
It was the voice of Han Zuoxiang.
Zhao Hong felt a chill run down his spine. Although he didn't understand why Han Zuoxiang had given him a warning, he quickly cut off the conversation.
He lay on the ground, sobbing, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I should not have listened to my father-in-law when I knew he had a mental illness."
But at that time, the rainstorm suddenly started, and all I could think about was that the rainstorm had already started, and if the dikes really broke, what would happen to the people?
It's better to believe something is true than not! I would rather write a memorial to Your Majesty first, even if I am punished afterward and nothing happens, it's a thousand times better than the people suffering.
His words were so righteous and inspiring that they almost moved even himself.
The emperor snorted coldly.
"But the truth is that you called the people out in the middle of the night, which almost disturbed the people's peace of mind. Moreover, because of your unilateral decision, many people did not go home in time to prevent flooding, and their homes were flooded."
Zhao Hong dared not refute, and stammered, "Your subject knows his crime."
Han Zuoxiang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Zhao was also misled by his father-in-law, and his actions were entirely motivated by concern for the safety of the people."
However, the handling of the situation was inappropriate. Being a young official, and having just been transferred to the capital, his methods for dealing with major events were inevitably immature.
The emperor was furious.
"You are an official officially selected by the imperial court. I have seen that you have achieved considerable political success in the local areas in recent years, which is why I have transferred you to the capital."
And what was the result? She was not even as good as the wife of the Marquis of Anping, who was just a woman. At least she knew to harvest the grain and notify her neighbors to deal with it together.
"You lot are doing nothing but banging drums and gongs, disturbing the peace and order of the people. You're utterly useless! If only you could go to the fields and help the people harvest some grain!"
Unfit for any important task!
Upon hearing those four words, Zhao Hong turned ashen-faced and nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Your subject acknowledges his guilt and will certainly not dare to make such a mistake again in the future."
Emperor: "Afterwards? Do you dare to have a afterward? Guards, drag Zhao Hong away and give him twenty strokes of the cane, then demote him..."
Han Zuolian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the people are suffering from disaster, and this is the time when manpower is needed. Why don't you punish him by sending him to Changyuan for disaster relief?"
Is this a chance for him to redeem himself?
The emperor thought about it and reluctantly agreed.
"He still needs to be punished, lest he learn his lesson. Also, what about that Song Cheng, the Vice Minister of Rites? Now that he's afflicted with a mental illness, he's no longer fit to be an official."
The imperial decree was issued: he shall be flogged twenty times, dismissed from all posts, and never to be employed again.
Zhao Hong's face was ashen, devoid of any color. He didn't know whether to be glad that he had kept his official position or to be sad that he had pushed his father-in-law out as a scapegoat.
He kowtowed tremblingly, "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."
Two imperial guards came in and dragged Zhao Hong away. Soon, the dull thud of a cane striking someone's body could be heard outside, accompanied by Zhao Hong's screams of agony.
The hall was completely silent.
The emperor's gaze fell on Shen Cong.
"I've noticed you're quite protective of the Marquis of Anping's residence. What? Could it be that you...?"
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