On the morning of April 16th, the fifteenth year of the Jingkang era, the thin mist had just dissipated, and the willows along the Bian River swayed gently in the spring breeze like tender maidens.
In the distance, magnificent palaces stand tall beneath the sky, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.
The new imperial palace is nearing completion and will soon become the new power center of the Song Dynasty.
It is said that the new emperor's coronation ceremony will also be held there.
A BMW sped along in the spring breeze.
Many people on the street recognized the owner of the car; he was none other than He Ye, the Grand Censor of the Censorate and a trusted minister of Emperor Shengwu.
But what people didn't know was that the Censorate was about to make a shocking move.
At this time, court officials had already gathered at the entrance of the Daqing Hall.
After the Imperial Noble Consort and the Crown Prince arrived, the court officials entered the Daqing Hall one by one.
After the court officials finished paying their respects to the Imperial Noble Consort and the Crown Prince, neither of them spoke. Such occasions were always presided over by Prime Minister Yu Yunwen.
Yu Yunwen announced loudly, "The court meeting begins today. Gentlemen, please speak freely if you have anything to say."
Liu Yanzong, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, glanced around before his gaze finally settled on He Ye, the Grand Censor.
He cleared his throat and stepped forward, saying, "My lord, I have something to report."
The surrounding ministers immediately became somewhat agitated.
Since His Majesty the Holy Martial Emperor went on his expedition, the Censorate has been very well-behaved, and there have been virtually no cases of impeaching officials.
Even though Yu Yunwen and Zhou Chao have been arguing fiercely recently, the Censorate has maintained a hands-off attitude.
After all, as officials responsible for remonstrating with the emperor, the Censorate was independent of the judicial, administrative, financial, and military branches.
They were specially appointed by the emperor to monitor the words and deeds of all officials and report directly to the emperor.
With the emperor absent, the Censorate naturally had nothing to say.
I wonder why He suddenly stepped forward today.
Yu Yunwen said, "Censor He, please speak freely."
He also said, "My lord, here is a memorial of impeachment. It is from the censors of Jiangnan West Circuit, impeaching Zhang Zhiyao, the prefect of Hongzhou. The memorial mentions that Zhang Zhiyao embezzled public funds allocated by the Royal Bank, neglected civil affairs, and instead went to Jingdezhen to purchase high-quality ceramics to give to you, my lord! This Prefect Zhang also said that he had already given you a batch last month."
His words caused an uproar in the audience.
The other ministers stared at He Ye in shock. Some of Yu Yunwen's faction jumped up and said, "Imperial Censor He, don't speak recklessly. Prime Minister Yu is fair and upright, and what he hates most in his life is corrupt officials!"
The people on the Zhou Dynasty's side burst into laughter, exclaiming, "This is truly heaven's help!"
Zhang Xiaochun, standing to the side, also looked grave; he sensed a conspiracy.
At this time, accusing Yu Yunwen of embezzling Royal Bank funds is clearly a sign that someone is trying to stir up trouble.
Yu Yunwen was completely confused. Had he accepted Zhang Zhiyao's gifts?
When did this happen?
Yu Yunwen felt a sense of foreboding; it was probably his family members who had accepted it without realizing it.
He also said, "Zhang Zhiyao has personally admitted it, and there are both witnesses and physical evidence. We would like to ask the Grand Chancellor to give everyone a reasonable explanation."
Privy Councilor Zhang Xiaochun stepped forward and rebuked, "This is clearly a frame-up by someone with ulterior motives. These are special times, and someone wants to overthrow the court by using conspiracies and tricks to frame the Grand Chancellor. Their intentions are despicable!"
Zhou Chao, the Commissioner of the Three Departments, said leisurely, "What do you mean by that, Minister Zhang? How can something with irrefutable evidence be turned into a frame-up in your words? Does Minister Zhang think that the Censorate wants to overthrow the court?"
Zhang Xiaochun angrily retorted, "Prime Minister Zhou is asking a question he already knows the answer to!"
"I do not know."
"you!"
Zhou Chao listed: "Imperial Consort, Crown Prince, please investigate strictly."
Immediately, a heated verbal battle broke out in the imperial court.
The two sides started exchanging insults.
Liu Yanzong and Prince Kang stood in the crowd, pretending to say a few words as well.
"Stop arguing!" Yu Yunwen shouted. "As important ministers of the central government, how can you openly hurl insults at each other in the court!"
Yu Yunwen was quite intimidating, and the officials below immediately quieted down.
He stood there, showing no sign of backing down.
The Imperial Noble Consort sighed and said, "Liu Yusi."
"Your subject is here!"
"An investigation has been launched."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Yu Yunwen removed his official hat and said, "The law of the land is supreme. I am willing to accept the investigation by the Censorate. The rebels will soon reach the Yellow River. I hope that you gentlemen will do your utmost to assist the new emperor in ascending the throne and to restore order to the country!"
An official below cried out in anguish, "My lord, do not fall for the treacherous schemes of these villains!"
"Gentlemen, there is no need to say anything more."
Zhang Xiaochun glared at Zhou Chao, believing it to be a trap deliberately set by Zhou Chao.
Zhang He, the Director of the Salt and Iron Bureau, stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, since the Grand Chancellor has been temporarily suspended from his post, the central government cannot be without a chancellor for even a day. I believe that a person of high moral character and prestige should be recommended to take charge of important matters.”
"What Dr. Zhang said makes sense."
"In my opinion, Minister Zhou is a veteran official of two dynasties, highly respected and virtuous, and can win the hearts of the people."
Han Chenchen felt a chill run down her spine. Zhou Chao was a typical member of the Liao King's faction. He used the Liao King's rebellion to openly accuse the court of having treacherous officials who were causing chaos in the country. For a time, even Yu Yunwen was powerless to do anything about him.
If the Zhou Dynasty were to seize power, the mother and son would face a terrible fate.
But now, even if she is pushed forward to oversee the overall situation, it's not a matter of whoever is capable taking the position.
Those present were all important ministers of the emperor; none of them were easy to deal with.
Han Chenchen turned her gaze to Privy Councilor Zhang Xiaochun, who said, "I think it's not advisable. If Prime Minister Zhou were to take charge of the Three Departments, who would be in charge of the Three Departments?"
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