Chapter 45 045 The Imperial Censor, wielding his scepter, wore his ceremonial robes and a xiezhi (mythical beast) crown! ...
Upon returning to Shensi Hall, Xiao Yu went directly to his study and didn't come to the central courtyard until after midnight.
Luo Fu wanted him to come, so even though she had gone to bed early, she left two lamps on inside the canopy bed to wait for him.
Night had fallen, and Xiao Yu brought in a chilly aura. He entered the canopy bed and saw his wife already sitting at the head of the bed, wearing a cloak. Xiao Yu approached with a lantern and handed her three documents.
One was a letter of divorce to Luo Fu, another was a letter of severing ties with his parents, and the third was a memorial impeaching the Crown Prince.
Luo Fu glanced at the first two papers and put them down; she couldn't look at them for long, or she would want to hit him.
The memorial was only a thin fold, containing Xiao Yu's hearsay report of the day. Every word was like a knife, directly scathing the suffering of the disaster victims in the four prefectures and directly attacking the Crown Prince's dereliction of duty in disaster relief. Even Luo Fu, the wife of the Imperial Censor, was terrified when she read it. One can only imagine how cold sweat must have broken out or how furious the Crown Prince must have been when he saw or heard this memorial.
Out of the corner of her eye, Luo Fu glanced at Xiao Yu and wanted to ask him if he could have written it more tactfully. But when she thought of the disaster victims who had no houses to keep warm and no enough food to eat and were begging everywhere, and when she thought of the innocent people who died and the missing women who did not even have the chance to beg, Luo Fu felt that Xiao Yu's memorial was very satisfying.
After folding the memorial, Luo Fu asked, "Are we going to impeach you tomorrow?"
Xiao Yu explained: "The Censors of the Imperial Censorate impeach officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital, especially those who commit serious crimes, all in the court. This can both deter all officials and demonstrate the power of the censors, and also prevent the emperor from privately favoring and protecting guilty officials, or prevent impeached officials from forming cliques to retaliate against the censors."
Luo Fu understood. For example, if Xiao Yu had openly impeached the Crown Prince in court, and then a few days later Xiao Yu or his family suffered a calamity, everyone would suspect the Crown Prince. But if Xiao Yu only submitted a copy of the impeachment memorial to the Emperor, making it known only to a few people, then either the Emperor, who might favor the Crown Prince, or the Crown Prince himself, who received the news, could secretly suppress or even "get rid of" Xiao Yu.
"In the previous dynasty, the memorials submitted by censors to impeach officials had to be reviewed by the Secretariat, which resulted in many impeachments failing to reach the emperor's ears due to the favoritism of the two chancellors in the Secretariat. Your Majesty is wise. After the founding of the dynasty, this old system was abolished. An imperial edict was issued that all censors of the Censorate could directly present their memorials to the emperor in person or submit their memorials directly, without having to go through the Secretariat. Later, it was discovered that some censors abused this power, which is why the practice of censors impeaching officials of the fifth rank or above in the capital or officials of the capital who have committed serious crimes requires the use of a sledgehammer."
Just as Xiao Yu admired all the capable ministers of the dynasty, he also sincerely believed that Emperor Yongcheng was a wise ruler, a wise ruler who occasionally made mistakes, whose merits were not overshadowed by his faults.
Luo Fu: "If the Secretariat can't control the Censors, then what about the Censor-in-Chief? Don't your memorials need his approval?"
Xiao Yu: "The memorials submitted by censors must be reviewed by the Grand Censor or the Vice Censor-in-Chief to ensure that the impeachment complies with the regulations of the Censorate. As long as the memorials submitted by censors are reasonable, they must sign the memorials to prove that the censors can initiate impeachment. Otherwise, the censors also have the right to impeach the Grand Censor or the Vice Censor-in-Chief for dereliction of duty."
Luo Fu: "...You censors are really powerful, you can even supervise your superiors."
Xiao Yu: "Supervising all officials and upholding discipline is the sole power of the censor, and it is also the reason why the court established the Censorate."
Even a minor county magistrate can govern the people of a county. The virtuous benefit the people and leave behind merits, while the wicked prey on the people and leave behind a bad reputation for eternity. The censor has no real power to abuse power or profit from the situation, and can leave no real achievements. The only thing he can do is to be the eyes and ears of the emperor and the people, and be loyal to the emperor above and loyal to the people below.
Luo Fu: "..."
The man's uprightness almost made her as upright as him; she would rather die than give up on impeaching him!
But Luo Fu's passion and fearlessness lasted only a moment. Afraid of becoming a fool like him, Luo Fu quickly stopped her impassioned speech, pulled Xiao Yu into the quilt, and hugged him tightly. This big fool, she thought, might as well hug him a little longer while he's still here, because she might never see him again in a few days.
.
There was a court assembly on the third day of the twelfth lunar month. On the evening of the second day, the Imperial Censor Fan Yan summoned all the officials in the censorate who were not busy to hold a censorate meeting in advance so as not to delay his colleagues from going home after their shifts.
The meeting ended at 1:15 PM, which was a bit late, but 15 minutes was not enough to cause complaints from the officials.
After all the other officials had left, Fan Yan finished organizing the documents he had brought and stood up, only then noticing Xiao Yu still sitting on the stool diagonally opposite him.
Fan Yan asked curiously, "Yuanzhi, is there something else?" This kid always likes to leave work on time whenever he's not busy. I wonder if he's in a hurry to go home to take care of his parents or to spend time with his wife.
Xiao Yu closed the door first, then took out the memorial he had been hiding in his bosom and handed it to Fan Yan with both hands: "This humble official has a memorial for your review, sir."
Fan Yan put down the documents in his hand, took Xiao Yu's memorial, and after reading the beginning, he slowly sat back down in his chair, leaning on the table.
Fan Yan read the thin page very slowly, and after a long while he raised his head and stared intently at the young man in front of him: "You, have you thought clearly about the consequences of impeaching this matter?"
The impeachment went smoothly, and the Emperor ordered a thorough investigation into the case. Officials could be convicted, punished, and have their property confiscated. The Crown Prince had been highly regarded by the Emperor for over twenty years, so he would probably just get a scolding and be done with it. But if the Crown Prince became the new Emperor, would he have the same magnanimity towards Xiao Yu as the current Emperor?
The impeachment failed, and the emperor, in order to protect the crown prince, dealt with the case perfunctorily. Afterwards, he accused Xiao Yu of falsely accusing the crown prince, and Xiao Yu was doomed to die.
Fan Yan had such passion in his youth, but after the emperor beheaded three upright officials, his blood had cooled considerably. He might still dare to impeach a high-ranking official or an ordinary prince, but he would probably find it difficult to make a decision regarding the crown prince.
Seeing Xiao Yu nod, as calm as he was on the day he took the imperial examination, Fan Yan sighed and picked up his pen to write his name on the memorial.
Watching the ink stains slowly dry, Xiao Yu put away the memorial and placed it away.
Fan Yan only reminded him, "Don't forget to come back tomorrow morning to change into your ceremonial robes."
When the Imperial Censor carried a slingshot in the court, he wore a hat adorned with a mythical beast and a blue robe, symbolizing impartial law enforcement.
Xiao Yu smiled, bowed to express his gratitude, and then took his leave.
That night, the couple embraced intimately, but neither had any other thoughts. Xiao Yu deliberately told his wife about the censor's imposing presence when he wielded his slingshot in the court.
Luo Fu: "No matter how majestic you are, I can't see you. My father can see you, but I'm afraid he'll be scared to death by you."
Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin, both officials, attended court every six days, while their fathers-in-law, who held noble titles, attended court every three days. Censors such as Xiao Yu were required to attend every court assembly.
When his father was mentioned, Xiao Yu remained silent for a long time before saying, "If anything happens, please apologize to my father for me."
Before the impeachment, he didn't want to tell his father because his father might really break his legs and prevent him from leaving the house. After the impeachment, he could return without having to apologize to his father because he was innocent. Since he couldn't come back, he could only ask his wife to convey his shame for being unfilial.
Luo Fu cried and bit him: "I won't help you. If anything happens, I'll take your divorce papers and leave, and I'll have nothing to do with your family anymore!"
She bit down hard, and when she released her grip, a ring of bloody teeth marks appeared on Xiao Yu's fair shoulder.
Xiao Yu counted them one by one and laughed: "This time you don't need to bring your handkerchief."
Luo Fu immediately kicked him a few more times.
Unable to tell when she fell asleep, Luo Fu was awakened by the sound of Xiao Yu getting up. She knew then that it was time for him to enter the palace for court.
It was still pitch black outside the window, and the floor heating wasn't as warm as it had been before she went to sleep. Luo Fu thought of seeing him off, but Xiao Yu stopped her, saying, "Go back to sleep. I'm just going to court. It's no different from usual."
Luo Fu held his hand and forced a smile: "Then you should come back early, I'll wait for you to have dinner together."
Xiao Yu smiled and leaned down to kiss his wife's warm forehead.
At Wanhetang, Xiao Rong also got up very early. Deng Shi, wrapped in a quilt, laughed at her husband: "Others go to court for important matters, but you just stand there and do nothing."
Xiao Rong snorted, "Do you think every official in the court assembly can say a few words? There are plenty of people who can sit still for an hour like me, and they're not even as steady as me."
Looking at the man's fake nobility in his purple court robes, Deng realized that at fifty-one, he was indeed more pleasing to the eye than the poor, handsome man in his early twenties.
After giving his wife a cold slap, Xiao Rong swaggered out. As soon as he stepped outside and was hit by a gust of cold wind, he immediately tucked his hands into his sleeves. Anyway, it was pitch black everywhere, and no one would see him...
"Father."
Xiao Rong, who had just stepped out of Wanhetang, was startled by the sudden sound from the side. After recognizing Lao San's pale face by the lamp in the servant's hand, Xiao Rong straightened his arms and frowned, saying, "Why did you come here?"
In the past, when the father and son went to court together, the third son would wait for him at the door.
Xiao Yu: "I missed you. I'll walk with you a little longer this morning."
These words were more effective than the cold wind of December, giving Xiao Rong goosebumps. If the third brother hadn't never asked him for money, Xiao Rong would have suspected that the kid had ulterior motives.
"Stop talking nonsense and let's get going." With a flick of his sleeve, Xiao Rong quickened his pace and walked out.
Xiao Yu caught up with his father, and when his father mounted his horse, he helped him by helping him, which startled Xiao Rong so much that he almost rode off on his own.
The wind was strong on the way, and no one spoke. After entering the capital city, Xiao Yu said, "Father, please go first. I left my official tablet at the Censorate. I'll go and get it."
Xiao Rong said with obvious disdain, "You can forget this? Run there, or you'll be late."
Xiao Yu actually started running, becoming as obedient as if he were a completely different person.
Xiao Rong shook his head, finding it increasingly difficult to understand his son, the top scholar.
Two rows of palace servants stood in front of the Qianyuan Hall, each carrying a lantern. The lanterns swayed in the wind, and the shadows of the officials on the ground also swayed.
Many officials had their sleeves tucked in, and Xiao Rong was no exception. He huddled together with two marquises, chatting quietly, glancing back every now and then. Unfortunately, it was pitch black from a distance, and he could only make out the faces of the newly arrived officials as they approached.
Another one arrived. Judging from the color of his robe, he wasn't the third brother. Xiao Rong glanced at him and turned his head back. However, the discussions behind him grew louder and louder. Many people mentioned the word "impeachment" and whispered among themselves. There was a strange atmosphere of everyone feeling insecure.
"Lord Xiao, who is Imperial Censor Xiao going to impeach?" A lord suddenly came over and bumped into Xiao Rong's arm to ask. Imperial censors are not scary. When an imperial censor comes to court wearing a ceremonial robe and a xiezhi crown, it's like he's carrying an imperial sword. He will definitely point the sword at someone. The only question is who the unlucky one will be.
Xiao Rong's ears were almost frozen, and he didn't understand. When the other person pulled him around and pointed to the third brother, who had changed into a green robe that looked like a white robe in the night, Xiao Rong was stunned and opened his mouth wide.
Realizing what was happening, Xiao Rong rushed through the crowd towards his son.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yu quickly walked behind a palace censor who was standing on the left side and in charge of supervising the order of the officials' court attendance. He said, "Lord Li, Marquis Xiao wants to find out why I am impeaching him. Please ask for your permission to restrain him."
Imperial Censor Li: "...There is still a quarter of an hour until the morning court session. Your Excellencies, please speak quickly and refrain from making noise or fighting."
When Xiao Rong heard that the other party was not going to help, he reached out to grab his son.
Xiao Yu turned away and led his father to circle around the officials, causing a burst of laughter. Only after being sternly stopped by two palace censors did they shut up and just watch the fun.
In front of the civil officials, the Left Chancellor Yang Sheng looked at Xiao Yu, who was running forward without paying attention to anything else, and Xiao Rong, who was running and cursing his son in a low voice. Then he looked at the Duke of Dingguo, Li Gong, who could still laugh. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and decided to avoid seeing or hearing anything.
In front of him, the Crown Prince was also watching this scene. He whispered to his fourth brother beside him, "In the past, when the Imperial Censor wore his official robes, it would silence all the civil and military officials. Today, Imperial Censor Xiao is quite different."
Prince Fu was even more curious about who Xiao Yu was going to impeach.
The Crown Prince looked at Eunuch Ma, who had come from the high platform to summon the officials to the palace, and smiled, "We'll see soon enough."
As long as it's not one of his people, Xiao Yu impeaches anyone, and that's just a spectacle for him to watch and enjoy.
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Author's Note: A few minutes later, the Crown Prince: [Clown][Clown][Clown]
Here they are! 100 little red envelopes. See you at midnight tonight!
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