Chapter 283 A skilled strategist achieves little but great merit.
On the banks of the Xunyang River, in Xunyang City, Jiangzhou.
South of the city, the governor's mansion.
An official in green robes stumbled and ran into the governor's mansion.
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, something terrible has happened..."
Only the assistant officials were working in the courtroom; Lord Wang was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is the governor? Where is he?" the green-clad official asked urgently.
"The governor is having tea and conversation with Master Sihui in the back courtyard."
The official in green stamped his feet twice, turned and hurried into the inner courtyard, calling out:
"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! Someone from Longcheng County has submitted a memorial..."
In the back courtyard, in a quiet room, Wang Lengran, who had recently been cultivating his character and associating with famous scholars from Jiangnan, faintly heard some shouts and frowned slightly.
He put down the black chess piece in his hand, smoothed his brow, and smiled politely at his new chess partner opposite him:
"Master, please excuse me for a moment."
"You're too kind, Governor Wang. Please make yourself at home." The black-robed monk shook his head calmly.
Wang Lengran left his seat unhurriedly. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he frowned and rebuked his trusted aide who was rushing towards him:
“Shouting and yelling like that, what kind of behavior is this? How have I taught you all to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before your eyes? You never learn your lesson…”
He shook his head, stroked his beard, and asked:
"Tell me, what memorial was submitted from Longcheng? Does that arrogant little official Ouyang Lianghan dare to submit a memorial impeaching his superiors?"
"No, not this." The green-clad official couldn't hide his panic.
"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"
"The family of the deposed Xunyang King of Longcheng County donated a pagoda to Donglin Temple, claiming to worship Buddha on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress and to offer a jade pendant bestowed by Her Majesty."
"The day before yesterday, Donglin Temple discovered that the missing corner of the jade pendant in the sealed box had been restored, claiming that it was a manifestation of Buddha's power, that the divine jade had been restored, and that Heaven was blessing the Great Zhou and the Empress."
"The news of this auspicious event has spread throughout the county. The Longcheng County government has dispatched men to escort the monks of the temple. They have already sent the Fuyuan Divine Jade to Luoyang to present it to the emperor as a symbol of good fortune!"
Wang Lengran stroked his beard, then yanked off a few strands, his jaw dropping in astonishment, his tone incredulous:
“How dare Ouyang Lianghan do such a shameless thing! Isn’t he a gentleman with thick eyebrows and big eyes? How could he do such a flattering thing? It’s outrageous! This guy has no shame at all.”
The nonchalant air he had when playing chess with the scholar was completely gone; the governor of Jiangzhou's face had turned a deep purplish-red.
Upon hearing this, the official in green couldn't help but glance at Wang Lengran with a slightly strange look in his eyes. If he remembered correctly, when Her Majesty the Empress assumed power and the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, this official seemed to have presented auspicious omens along with the Princes of Wei. This could be considered part of this official's rise to power.
Wang coldly questioned, "Where is the procession that was supposed to deliver the auspicious omens?"
"Your Excellency, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they bypassed Jiangzhou City this morning and took another waterway north to Luoyang."
"This...this..." Wang Lengran spun around twice on the spot, his eyes red with anxiety, gritting his teeth:
"This Ouyang Lianghan is utterly audacious! How dare he overstep his authority and act against his superiors? I'm going to impeach him!"
The official in green bowed and whispered, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. It wasn't Ouyang Lianghan who presented the auspicious omen; it was... his subordinate, County Magistrate Diao. Ouyang Lianghan seems to be on leave these past few days..."
Wang Lengran's eye twitched violently, and he roared:
"What's the point of asking for leave? He'll be there."
"Such a big matter was handled meticulously and without any omissions. When Xianrui appeared, he was immediately sent to the capital. Who else could be behind this but him?"
"This guy has been flirting with that Su family for a long time! If it weren't for his involvement in the scheme, I would have eaten the chessboard!"
The official in green remained silent.
Wang Lengran turned around sharply: "Can we bring them back! I will mobilize the soldiers of the Zhechong Prefecture to stop them on the grounds that they have overstepped their command and left the territory without authorization!"
The official in green looked frightened.
"It's... a bit difficult. The key issue is that the matter of the divine jade offering auspicious omens has become the talk of the town, whether someone spread it privately or not. It's hard to suppress, and more importantly, it's difficult to handle... Perhaps... Your Excellency, could give it a try?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Lengran immediately calmed down and did not give the order right away, his eyes darting around.
He suddenly looked up, squinted, and asked, "Where is Li Xian's family? Did they also leave the country together and head to Luoyang to present auspicious omens?"
The following words were spoken in a soft, feline tone, as if there was a hidden expectation of something.
"No...no, that's not the case."
Wang Lengran frowned deeply: "Can they resist such an opportunity?"
The official in green robes looked distressed: "Although they discovered the auspicious omen, the deposed Prince Xunyang and his family are still obediently staying in Longcheng. Only the high monk from Donglin Temple sent the divine jade to the capital, and he..."
Wang Lengran asked urgently, "What happened to Li Xian?"
"It seems he prayed before the Buddha for many days without eating or drinking, and then fell ill. I heard he was quite ill."
"Seriously ill? Seriously ill and you haven't taken him to the hospital yet?"
The official in green shook his head: "No, after the deposed Prince Xunyang fell ill, he remained in the Su residence in Longcheng, bedridden, showing no intention of leaving. He only invited some county doctors to treat him."
"But his condition doesn't seem to be improving. His son, Li Fusu, sent a servant to Jiangzhou to ask the governor for help in finding a renowned doctor, saying that his father was about to collapse..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lengran's heart sank.
Those behind the scenes, including Ouyang Lianghan, did not give him any opportunity to make a mistake; their scheme was watertight.
"I understand." He took a deep breath. "You...you may leave now!"
After dismissing the official in green, Wang Lengran returned to the courtyard. A moment later, he reluctantly saw Master Sihui out the door with a forced smile. The black-robed monk looked at the new governor with a slightly strange expression.
After seeing off the thugs, the courtyard quieted down. Wang Lengran immediately turned around, wrote a letter, and summoned one of his most trusted confidants.
The trusted confidant left with the letter, and Wang Lengran watched with a worried expression as the confidant's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
The main reason he was able to come to Jiangzhou, a bustling waterway in Jiangnan, and become a powerful regional official was largely due to the support of the Wei family's royal family.
"Back then, the two princes, with foresight, repeatedly instructed us to protect the deposed Prince Xunyang and his family, completely blocking their access to the emperor. The two princes and the Prince Xiang's mansion are at a crucial juncture in their struggle; we absolutely cannot allow anything to go wrong here, lest it affect the overall situation..."
Thinking of this, Wang Lengran, who was muttering to himself, suddenly became restless, and his eyes darkened.
evening.
The back gate of the governor's mansion.
A Persian merchant with curly hair and green eyes stepped out of the door, lowered his head, and slipped into the darkness. A moment later, a carriage slowly emerged from the shadows of the alley and drove away.
In the back courtyard of the governor's mansion, in a deserted study where guests had left, Wang Lengran sat alone at the head of the table.
As dusk fell, no candles were lit inside the house.
In the dim light, Wang Lengran's expression was indistinct, with only a gloomy, furrowed brow vaguely visible.
He turned his head and glanced at a teacup that was seven-tenths full on the guest seat in front of him.
The guest seats were still warm, but one of the Persian merchants was nowhere to be seen.
The tea on the table had gone cold.
"What exactly does that Sixth Young Master mean? Has he misunderstood something, or is this the intention of the Prince of Wei?"
Wang Lengran clenched his fists into his sleeves, his face showing hesitation and struggle.
After a few days, the Wei family's attitude towards the deposed Prince Xunyang's family has become ambiguous.
Wang Lengran directly pressed for details about which prince's intention it was, but the Persian merchant who was temporarily in charge of the Wei clan's power in Jiangzhou replied that it was the attitude of the sixth young master whom His Highness the Prince of Wei valued.
In addition, Boss Li also reported the matter to the Prince of Wei, but Luoyang is far away, and there has been no response from the Prince of Wei's residence yet.
Back then, they finally managed to join forces to bring the Li family of Xunyang Prince Li Xian down to earth, cutting off an important wing of the Li royal family, leaving only the other wing of the Prince Xiang's Mansion in Luoyang, which was like a coward hiding its head.
Even after Li Xian moved to Jiangzhou, they plotted to implicate him in a rebellion case thousands of miles away, falsely accusing him of treason.
Fortunately, Li Xian was timid as a mouse, and Her Majesty the Empress seemed to know her son better than anyone else, so she didn't quite believe he was involved and only demoted him instead of killing him.
But this also resulted in Li Xian losing even his last respectable status as the Prince of Xunyang, and his entire family being reduced to commoners, forced to live in fear and huddle in a remote county town.
He could only barely survive by secretly receiving some help from a few pro-Li officials in the Jiangnan region who sympathized with the Li clan, and he lived a life of modest wealth, but his reputation and power had vanished.
This favorable situation, which had almost completely suppressed the rebellion, was rapidly fading away. As a result, Her Majesty the Empress and the courtiers who had sided with Prince Xiang gradually overlooked and forgot about the Li Xian family.
They then made their move, causing the Li family to "die of illness" quietly and naturally.
Even before Wang Lengran came to take up his post, he had received a hint from the King of Wei that he was there to shoulder the final mission of seeing someone off in their final days, and to wait until the later part of his term to make his move.
Then, he would be punished for dereliction of duty and given a sinecure, after which his future would be bright—with the help of the Wei family, he would enter the highest political hall of the empire, which he had always dreamed of!
But who would have thought that before he could even make a move, the Su family in Longcheng would pull such a stunt!
Although both were seriously ill.
But, is it the same whether he made Li Xian sick or Li Xian himself got sick? Huh? Which one is real and which one is fake?
In the dimly lit study, Wang Lengran's expression shifted between light and shadow, and the breathing inside gradually became heavier.
"Ou-Yang-Liang-Han, you did a great job! One minute you're praying for blessings, the next you're bringing good omens, then you're pretending to be sick! Well done!" The tone was full of praise.
No one answered from inside.
After a moment of silence, the governor of Jiangzhou suddenly stood up, swept his sleeve, and the table was instantly cleared, the tea set clattering to the ground...
Night had fallen in Jiangzhou.
However, the main hall of the governor's mansion in the south of the city was still brightly lit, and a group of officials and yamen staff had been summoned to gather, seemingly to work overtime.
"You should have guessed why I called you all here. It's been all over the place today, isn't it? Haha."
Wang coldly glanced around, clapped his hands and laughed, adopting the demeanor of a kind and approachable superior, his tone seemingly very easy to talk to:
"In fact, Magistrate Ouyang has already written to me in detail about this matter and has agreed to it. The auspicious omen appeared suddenly, which caught them somewhat off guard, so they chose to send it to Luoyang immediately. I am very pleased with this action; Magistrate Ouyang has done a good job."
"Longcheng is part of Jiangzhou. Magistrate Ouyang's governance of the people is truly effective, for such auspicious omens have descended upon us. This is a blessing for Jiangzhou, a blessing for the nation, and a blessing from Heaven upon the Great Zhou!"
Wang smiled nonchalantly, handed over a newly written memorial, and kindly instructed:
"Guards, deliver this memorial to the capital for me. Gentlemen, join me in presenting auspicious omens to His Majesty!"
Everyone was stunned.
Wang Lengran remained calm and gave a series of detailed instructions and exhortations.
They were very skilled at performing the ritual of offering auspicious omens.
Perhaps he was genuinely impressed by the young magistrate's potential, which triggered his memories and led him to pick up the old ways he used to take office.
The Jiangzhou officials looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, they all clasped their hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Your Excellency is wise."
The governor of Jiangzhou smiled with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit study in the back courtyard, not far from the courthouse.
The ground was littered with shattered vases, chests, cabinets, writing implements, and other Qing Dynasty tribute items, as well as overturned potted plants and tiles... a complete mess.
...
October of the first year of the Holy Calendar.
The first memorial presented by the emperor from Longcheng County, Jiangzhou, in Jiangnan arrived in the capital.
Within a few days, memorials from officials at all levels in various prefectures and counties of Jiangnan poured into Luoyang like snowflakes, all praising auspicious omens.
They rushed to be the first.
The capital city and its surrounding areas were suddenly bustling with activity.
On a clear day, the emperor toured the Western Garden, accompanied by Princess Chang Le and his court officials, to admire the hundred flowers in the imperial garden.
Upon hearing the auspicious news that the jade had been restored to its original state, the Emperor clapped his hands and laughed. The princess and his ministers offered their congratulations. He immediately issued an edict to rename this garden in the imperial garden "Wanbi Garden" and to build a "Tianyou Hall" among the flowers to enshrine the jade that had been brought down by the Buddha, as a sign of good fortune.
The next day, the morning court session began.
The Zhou court officials submitted a memorial to congratulate the Empress and suggested that she be given the honorary title of "Sage," which the Emperor granted.
An old minister said, "The jade pendant has been restored to its original shape. This is because the deposed Prince Xunyang prayed for the emperor's well-being. The son was filial to his mother, working day and night without rest, even when he was seriously ill and bedridden. The Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on filial piety. Such filial piety moved the Buddha, who then bestowed auspicious omens."
Confucius stepped forward and said, “The moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and even metal, stone, and jade can return to their original state, perfectly restored. Tell me, what kind of affection in the world cannot be restored?”
He then asked, "How does it compare to the bond between blood relatives?"
In the hall, the two kings of the Wei family remained silent.
Xiang Wang Lilun and Princess Chang Le added, "That's generally true."
The officials and ministers offered their advice one after another.
Di Mo replied:
Indeed.
On the day of Ji-Si in the tenth month, an imperial edict was issued, restoring the title of Prince of Xunyang to the third son, Li Xian, and summoning the Prince of Xunyang to move to Xunyang City in Jiangzhou to recuperate.
The emperor dispatched imperial physicians and female officials to Jiangzhou to stay by the sickbed.
This move was praised by scholars and common people throughout the land, and won the hearts of officials and commoners alike.
In early November, the eminent monk Shandao of Donglin Temple and others escorted a divine jade through the Luo River to the capital. The city was deserted as people flocked to watch and talked about it with great interest.
The Empress revered Buddhism and suppressed Taoism, and Buddhism became the state religion of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Following her example, most people in Chang'an and Luoyang believed in Buddhism.
After this, Master Shandao became famous in the capital, and the teachings of the Lotus Pure Land School, which was located in the southern corner of the capital, began to spread to both capitals, and the people all followed the trend of the Lotus School.
Under the grand ceremony, Shenyu was welcomed into the Tianyou Hall. He also summoned monks from famous temples in Luoyang, such as Baima and Fuxian, to join the eminent monks of Donglin Temple in the hall to chant sutras for ten days and pray for the well-being of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The emperor went there to listen to the Buddha's teachings.
As evening approached, he toured the Wanbi Garden, where he feasted his ministers amidst a sea of flowers.
A talented minister was ordered to compose "Ode to the Tianyou Palace".
The emperor was pleased and immediately issued an edict changing the era name to "Tianyou," pardoning prisoners, granting them a year's reprieve, exempting the region from this year's taxes, and bestowing a seven-day feast.
After returning to the palace after the banquet, that very night, an imperial edict was issued, exempting the people of Longcheng County in Jiangzhou from corvée labor and taxation for the rest of their lives!
Officials who presented auspicious omens, including the county magistrate surnamed Diao from Jiangzhou in Jiangnan, were all rewarded.
The Empress changed the era name, and the capital city and its surroundings celebrated for several days.
Welcoming the first year of Tianyou...
Everything was settled, the commotion subsided, and the aftershocks gradually subsided.
Ten days later.
The eminent Buddhist monks inside the Tianyou Hall slowly finished chanting and dispersed one by one.
The people of the two capitals in Guanzhong are returning to their daily lives.
In this vast dynasty, in the incomparably prosperous capital, countless strange and wonderful things happened every day. The auspicious events of the divine jade in Jiangnan Road were popular for a while, but then gradually no one talked about them anymore.
On this day, inside the Ziwei Palace, the Empress was walking along the palace corridor after the morning court session when suddenly fireworks lit up the daytime.
The old woman in the dragon robe stopped and turned her head to admire the scene, while the imperial procession following behind her quietly stopped to wait.
A moment later, the Empress suddenly turned around and issued an edict, ordering the female scribe to immediately draft an imperial edict and send it swiftly to the Phoenix Pavilion and the Luan Terrace for approval.
Both imperial edicts and decrees are imperial edicts in the usual sense, but imperial edicts are the highest-level imperial edicts, specifically used to handle important matters, which are what were previously called imperial decrees.
However, since the empress's name was Zhao, it had to be avoided, so it was called an imperial edict.
At this moment, the imperial edict, personally bestowed by the emperor, contained very simple content:
The relocation to Longcheng appointed Ouyang Lianghan as the Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou, and he was to take up his post immediately.
This appointment and dismissal document passed through the Phoenix Pavilion, Luan Terrace, and Heavenly Officials without any hindrance, and was finally carried by a swift horse out of the Luoyang city gates and sent to Jiangnan Circuit at high speed.
Along the way, all the officials in the court and the Ministry of Personnel who handled it glanced at it, unable to help but repeatedly examine the four-character name on it...
Jiangzhou was one of the top prefectures in Jiangnan Circuit, adjacent to the Yangtze River, a major transportation hub, and a bustling commercial center.
Although there are popular positions for demotion, such as Jiangzhou Sima, these are all idle assistant positions that do not involve state affairs. Do not get involved in them. How can they be compared with the Chief Clerk?
This also illustrates that all the power in a state is concentrated in the hands of a small group of officials at the very top.
The Chief Clerk was a deputy official of a prefecture, whose power was second only to the Prefect.
The Chief Secretary of Jiangzhou was a fifth-rank official.
Some people couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
The youngest fifth-rank official in the dynasty was quietly appointed.
(End of this chapter)
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