Chapter 46 046 The Crown Prince is Confined to His Home, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice...
The main gate of the Qianyuan Hall was wide open, and the Imperial Guards stood on both sides with their swords at their sides, watching the civil and military officials file in one after another.
The wind caused the eternal flames of the candles inside the hall to flicker, casting shifting shadows.
As Emperor Yongcheng appeared from the side of the imperial road and walked towards the dragon throne, the officials below were no longer as relaxed as they had been when they watched the farce of the Xiao family father and son. One by one, they lowered their heads and lowered their eyes. Those who were upright and honest were fearless, while those with guilty consciences secretly reflected on whether they had left any evidence in their actions and silently prayed that Xiao Yu would not impeach them later.
Xiao Yu was a sixth-rank censor, ranking after all the other censors who regularly attended court—civil officials of the fifth rank and above, military officials of the third rank and above, dukes, marquises, earls, and princes. However, while the sixth-rank censors on either side of him wore dark green official robes, he wore a blue robe and a black xiezhi crown, making it difficult for the Yongcheng Emperor, who sat high above him, to miss him.
Each court assembly would first address important and urgent matters, including the execution of the Imperial Censor's weapon.
"Xiao Yu, who do you want to impeach?" Emperor Yongcheng asked bluntly.
Xiao Yu stepped forward and stood near the entrance of the main hall. His gaze passed over the rows of civil and military officials who were turning their heads to look back, and he looked at Emperor Yongcheng, who was sitting high on the dragon throne. He raised the memorial in his hand and spoke in a clear and loud voice like a bell: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach the Crown Prince for serious dereliction of duty in the disaster relief efforts in the four prefectures, which caused the disaster victims in the four prefectures to be displaced."
The sound fell to the ground, struck the carved beams and painted rafters above the main hall, and bounced outwards in all directions. For a brief yet seemingly endless period, the entire hall was filled with Xiao Yu's voice: "Your Majesty, I impeach the Crown Prince," "Serious dereliction of duty," "Disaster victims are displaced."
The prince's head was buzzing, and his face was full of disbelief!
Just then, Xiao Yu looked at the back of the Crown Prince, who was still standing at the head of the civil officials, and repeated his words in a louder voice.
According to the laws of this dynasty, any official impeached by the censor in the imperial court must immediately appear before the court to await punishment.
The Crown Prince was finally brought back to his senses by Xiao Yu's impatient and dissatisfied tone. He quickly glanced at his father, the Emperor, and walked calmly to the center of the hall, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he didn't understand where Xiao Yu's impeachment came from.
Emperor Yongcheng tightened his right hand, which was resting on his knee, and looked at Xiao Yu, saying, "Since the Crown Prince is already awaiting punishment, read out your memorial."
Xiao Yu unfolded the memorial and said, word by word: "Outside the city, I encountered a beggar, dressed in rags and emaciated. When I asked him where he came from, he wept and said Hua County. He also said that the disaster victims from the four counties had already spread throughout the capital. I rode my horse to the outskirts of Yanshi City. I traveled eighty li through four towns and thirteen villages and personally saw more than a hundred beggars. When I asked fifty-three of them, they were all disaster victims from the four counties. Some said that the government made them porridge with wild vegetables and rotten rice, which caused them to die of stomach pain, and it would have been better to starve to death. Others said that the government's dilapidated wooden sheds could not withstand the wind and snow. Some said that their children had disappeared in the chaos and died after pleading with the government. Others said that their family members had fainted from hunger and died mysteriously after being carried away by the yamen runners. Some said that the Crown Prince's inspection of the people was superficial and perfunctory. Others said that they were intercepted by unidentified people ten li away from the capital."
"I believe that as the Imperial Envoy for Disaster Relief, the Crown Prince is the primary culprit in causing the disaster victims in the four prefectures to suffer such hardship. I implore Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation!"
This is the power of the censor to report matters based on hearsay.
If Xiao Yu had only heard from a beggar about the suffering in the four prefectures, the officials might have found the news unbelievable. But Xiao Yu had gone all the way to Yanshi and described the number of disaster victims he had seen and asked about so clearly. Most of the officials had their own judgment on how the disaster victims in the four prefectures were actually doing.
Emperor Yongcheng knew the truth perfectly well, but he couldn't be sure whether his crown prince was simply being misled by his subordinates due to poor performance, or whether the crown prince was knowingly committing a wrongdoing.
Emperor Yongcheng looked expressionlessly at the Crown Prince, who was standing below the imperial steps.
The Crown Prince knelt down with a thud, his face as white as paper: "Father, I am innocent! I have followed your teachings and personally handled everything during the disaster relief efforts in the four prefectures. I did not even use all the disaster relief funds you granted me; I returned a portion to the national treasury and the imperial granary. How could I have deliberately left the disaster victims in the four prefectures to suffer from hunger and cold? I beg you, Father, to investigate and restore justice to me!"
Xiao Rong knew nothing of the inside story, only that the third son, who was the reincarnation of a debt collector, had impeached the Crown Prince!
His legs were shaking even more violently than when he followed Emperor Yongcheng to break through the siege years ago. His knees were so weak they felt like mud. Xiao Rong knelt down, sweating and looking ashen-faced. Just as he was about to reprimand his son, Emperor Yongcheng turned around. His expression and eyes were as if he were looking at a fly or moth that had disturbed his serious conversation.
Xiao Rong immediately knelt down and dared not utter a sound.
As if he had found a place to vent his anger, Emperor Yongcheng glared at Xiao Rong for a long time. Of course, Xiao Rong was a useless person who had nothing to do with this matter and could not control his own son at all. What Emperor Yongcheng hated was the corrupt officials who had harmed the disaster victims in the four prefectures and were the culprits who ruined his plan to win back the hearts of the people through this disaster relief!
In previous years, when disaster struck, the government would only provide the victims with one full meal a day. This time, however, he specifically requested that during the most difficult month, the victims be given two meals of porridge and rice a day. But what happened? The local government cooked rotten rice and wild vegetables for the victims! Whom did the victims curse when they were in excruciating pain after drinking the porridge? Not those nameless minor officials, but the crown prince in charge of disaster relief—this heartless, incompetent emperor who made them eat rotten rice!
"Zhang Ji, immediately dispatch one thousand Imperial Guards to stand by outside the Ministry of Personnel!"
Zhang Ji, the commander of the Imperial Guards, accepted the order and strode out of the main hall.
"Yang Sheng, Xue Chang, I want you and Liu Baoxiu to prepare a list of all the officials in the capital and local areas who are involved in this disaster relief before the end of the court session. Those of the third rank and above shall remain in their posts pending investigation, and those of the third rank and below shall be suspended from their posts and sent home to await trial. Once you have prepared the list, do not bring it to me. Give it directly to Zhang Ji and have him send the Imperial Guards to keep a close watch on them day and night. Without the orders of the Three Departments, no official on the list shall leave the house without a valid reason or engage in secret conversations or collusion with outsiders."
Left Chancellor Yang Sheng, Right Chancellor Xue Chang, and Minister of Personnel Liu Baoxiu stepped forward to receive the imperial decree and hurried to the Ministry of Personnel to retrieve the official roster.
"Fan Yan, Lin Bangzhen, and Zou Dong, I hereby order the three of you to lead three hundred Imperial Guards to the four prefectures to thoroughly investigate this case. If Xiao Yu's account of the disaster relief situation in the four prefectures is true, I order you to find out all the derelict officials, no matter who they are!"
The case involves the Crown Prince and is of great importance. Censor-in-Chief Fan Yan, Chief Justice Lin Bangzhen, and Minister of Justice Zou Dong are duty-bound to take charge and have been ordered to carry out their duties.
The Imperial Guards in charge of guarding the area, the two Ministers of Personnel responsible for providing the list of officials involved in the case, and the three chief officials in charge of investigating the case were all in place. Emperor Yongcheng scanned the officials in the hall one by one and then pointed out two more: "Chen Wenqi, you have been repairing canals in the four prefectures for four months, and the disaster victims in the four prefectures all trust you. So, you and Xiao Yu will go to the four prefectures to assist in the investigation. Make sure that the disaster victims can seek redress for their grievances and report any cases they have."
Chen Wenqi, the Director of Water Conservancy, stepped forward to receive the imperial decree and left the main hall with Xiao Yu.
Emperor Yongcheng then looked at the Crown Prince, whose face was growing increasingly pale. The Crown Prince was sweating profusely and tried to speak several times but could not utter a single word of grievance. Emperor Yongcheng then summoned two more Imperial Guards who were guarding outside the palace and said in a deep voice, "Send the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. Without my decree or an order from the Three Departments for interrogation, no one in the Eastern Palace may enter or leave."
The crown prince was shocked and finally cried out, "Father!"
Emperor Yongcheng lowered his eyes and waited for the guards to escort the Crown Prince away before continuing to preside over today's court session: "Is there anyone else who wants to report?"
.
The court session continued for another hour. Emperor Yongcheng ignored him, so Xiao Rong knelt for the entire hour. After the court session ended, Duke Dingguo, Li Gong, who was still walking out, pulled him back.
Looking up and recognizing the old Duke, the father of his father-in-law Li Wei, and the grandfather-in-law of his second son, Xiao Rong was so ashamed he wanted to disappear: "Please believe me, Duke, I truly didn't know Xiao Yu would dare, he would dare..."
Li Gong, who had a granddaughter who married into the Xiao family and a daughter who married into the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess, was one of the people in the court with the most complicated feelings today. He was certainly unhappy that Xiao Yu impeached his Crown Prince son-in-law, but if the Crown Prince really did such a bad job in disaster relief, then what was wrong with Xiao Yu, as an imperial censor, impeaching the Crown Prince for this?
As for Xiao Rong, the emperor didn't take him seriously, and Li Gong was too lazy to make things difficult for him.
"No need to say more, let's see the results of the three departments' thorough investigation."
Li Gong released Xiao Rong's weak arm and walked forward without looking back, leaving Xiao Rong standing alone in the main hall. The dukes' friends who had kept their distance when the third brother was imprisoned but gradually gathered around after the third brother became the top scholar in the imperial examination had all dispersed.
Xiao Rong had no time to argue with them. After bending down and rubbing his sore knees, Xiao Rong walked out awkwardly, his mind filled with all the unusual things his third brother had done that morning. He thought about how the third brother wanted to help him and that the debt collector knew he might not have the chance to take care of his father in his old age again, so he was trying to be nice in advance!
The moment he stepped out of the main hall, the morning light shone down, stinging Xiao Rong's eyes. He turned his head to avoid it, and when he saw the swords at the waists of the Imperial Guards beside him, Xiao Rong gritted his teeth and muttered a curse to himself, "If I had known this brat would cause so much trouble, I should have strangled him and broken his legs when he was born!"
With the capital at peace, it didn't matter that Xiao Rong, the commander of Jianchun Guard who guarded the city gates, missed several shifts. He returned to the Marquis's residence dejectedly.
He had been a marquis in the capital for over twenty years, experiencing setbacks and grievances, but Deng had only seen him this miserable twice: once after learning the real reason why he failed the imperial examination at the age of thirty-nine, and once after learning that he had been imprisoned before the palace examination was over...
Mrs. Deng swayed slightly, then, leaning on the table, asked, "Third son, he... he's caused trouble again?"
When this was mentioned, Xiao Rong was surprised to find that he wasn't so angry. He calmly said, "Well, he impeached the Crown Prince for his poor disaster relief efforts during the morning court session. Now the Crown Prince is confined to the Eastern Palace, and the Emperor has sent him to the four prefectures to assist the Censor-in-Chief, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Justice in investigating the case."
Ms. Deng slumped into a chair.
But this time she recovered quickly, clenching her fists and comforting her husband as well as herself: "It's alright. Since the Emperor sent him and three top officials to investigate this case, it means that there really were corrupt officials who embezzled disaster relief funds and cheated the disaster victims. The bad things were done by the corrupt officials below. At most, the Crown Prince will get a scolding from the Emperor. He won't hate the Third Prince too much, right?"
Xiao Rong looked at his wife, whose face was full of hope, and said with a smile, "Yes, you are becoming more and more knowledgeable about the affairs of the court."
Ms. Deng wanted to remind her husband how ugly his smile looked, but instead she cried out, "Just kidding me, if only it were that simple."
The news quickly reached Shensitang.
Having already prepared for all sorts of worse scenarios, Luo Fu learned that Xiao Yu was not only not imprisoned for impeaching the Crown Prince, but had also gone to the four prefectures to investigate the case with the upright and incorruptible Doctor Fan. The anger that had been weighing on her chest all night and into the morning dissipated considerably. The rest would have to wait for Xiao Yu to return from his investigation and reach a conclusion.
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Author's Note: The investigation process won't be described in detail, as three highly capable investigators were involved, working swiftly and efficiently. The results should be covered in tomorrow's first update, so please be patient!
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow! [kissing emoji]
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