Chapter 326 Chaotic Staircase
"Senior Brother, this memorial cannot be presented. You are in a fit of anger; you must be careful."
In the morning, in the courtyard in front of Yinbingzhai, a woman in a red dress blocked the way for the young clerk who was about to go out to work.
Xie Lingjiang held a closed red umbrella horizontally, which blocked Ouyang Rong's right hand, which was holding the memorial.
After their tryst in the study of the Prince of Xunyang's mansion the night before, Xie Lingjiang saw Ouyang Rong leave with a light laugh, and she couldn't help but frown with worry.
The imperial edict arrived shortly after yesterday, and her senior brother's calm and composed demeanor while receiving it only made her more uneasy.
It might be because a light rain fell in Xunyang City after midnight, or it might be for some other reason.
That night, after returning to her room, Xie Lingjiang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The next morning, she carried a red umbrella and went out early. As soon as the curfew was lifted, she arrived at the Huaiye Lane residence in Chaisangfang and stopped her eldest brother who was about to leave.
In the courtyard, Xie Lingjiang, whose skirt was soaked by rain and mud, couldn't help but glance at the memorial in Ouyang Rong's hand.
Sure enough, the eldest brother probably didn't sleep last night, as he was writing furiously at his desk.
Ouyang Rong remained calm and addressed his worried junior sister:
“I’m not angry. I’m very calm.”
Xie Lingjiang shook her head: "Then why are you up so late at night, writing a memorial to the court?"
"Couldn't it have been written calmly?"
"..."
Xie Lingjiang kept a straight face: "Senior Brother, you're not allowed to argue."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "There's no excuse, it's the truth."
He glanced at the noblewoman Xie in front of him a few more times.
She seemed to have rushed here to stop him, sporting faint "panda eyes" as if she hadn't had time to put on makeup to cover it up.
After a pause, Ouyang Rong asked:
“Junior Sister, didn’t you also disapprove of the court’s policies before? You always said that my attitude as your senior brother was too bland and not passionate enough… Why are you stopping me now?”
Xie Lingjiang pouted:
"In the past, I was all alone, with no connection to the court. I acted solely on my whims, indulging in pleasure and revenge, saying whatever I wanted without much thought."
"But things are different now. There are two of us. Your career is the most important thing. We need to consider this carefully..."
After a pause, Xie Lingjiang's eyes reddened slightly as she gazed at him and said:
"I need to rein in my straightforward nature so as not to influence your judgment. We need to consider everything carefully. I... I won't be the 'husband-killing woman' that others talk about."
Her tone was stubborn, and somewhat emotional.
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then chuckled: "So, now you're a virtuous wife?"
"Of course!" Xie Lingjiang raised her snow-white chin, her hair sticking up slightly: "Senior brother, you should be secretly happy. Master Shandao read my face and said that I have a face that brings good fortune to my husband, a face that is one in a million."
"..."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and pondered, "Are the female benefactors of Donglin Temple known for their auspicious appearances that bring good fortune to their husbands?"
"?"
Having dodged a few playful punches and kicks from his wife, Ouyang Rong smiled, then quickly turned serious.
“I understand Wanwan’s concerns, but this memorial must be submitted.”
"Why?" Xie Lingjiang asked, her expression showing some confusion.
"Didn't our eldest brother already know about the Donglin Buddha's location in Jiangzhou before the new year and make preparations in advance?"
“I heard my aunt and Wang Caozhi mention that the eldest brother’s carefully prepared plan to build a Buddha statue also includes flood control. It will not only be less of a burden on the people and less of a waste of money, but will also benefit the people of Xunyang.”
"What else does Senior Brother want to submit a memorial for? Could it be about the Great Zhou's Praise of the Heavenly Pivot? But given the atmosphere created by the Wei family, opposing the Praise of the Heavenly Pivot now is almost equivalent to opposing the Great Zhou's legitimacy. Senior Brother must be aware of this."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Of course I know."
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
At this juncture, the eldest brother's submission of a memorial to the emperor almost explicitly indicated his lack of support, which was tantamount to opposition.
Who knows if this memorial will become a handle for Wei and other political enemies to attack the eldest brother?
Upon learning of the establishment of the Great Zhou Songde Tian Shu and the Four Directions Buddha Statue the night before, Xie Lingjiang sensed a familiar feeling.
She had a general idea of what the public opinion would be like and what kind of upheaval would occur in the court.
This will undoubtedly be another round of taking sides and reshuffling to eliminate dissidents.
Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath and tried to speak softly:
"The imperial edict has just been issued, and the situation in Luoyang is still unclear. Senior Brother, should we wait and see what Master and the others say, as well as the direction of the court, before deciding whether to submit a memorial?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Some things need to be done sooner rather than later."
He glanced at Xie Lingjiang and asked, "Junior Sister, do you know what I wrote in my memorial?"
Xie Lingjiang pursed her red lips into a thin line, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded: "I can roughly guess."
Ouyang Rong looked at her and said seriously:
“I was indeed prepared. There are good plans to deal with the construction of Buddha statues in Jiangzhou Hall, but what about other places?”
"There is not only one Jiangzhou in the world, nor are all states as fortunate as Jiangzhou."
"I have carefully read the imperial edict and the requirements of the Ministry of Rites officials. The construction of the Tian Shu and the Buddha statue is scheduled so urgently in order to coincide with His Majesty's grand ceremony of the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai this autumn."
"Not to mention the Buddha statues erected by those gentlemen in the Ministry of Rites, which are also of extremely high standard, with a requirement that they be no less than thirty feet tall as golden Buddha statues."
"Such a requirement, as Jiangzhou Hall had prepared in advance, can only be met ahead of schedule by tightening its contingency plans and barely reaching this red line."
"But what about the other three prefectures where the Buddha statues were built: Yangzhou, Guizhou, and Taiyuan? Except for Yangzhou, which has the strongest financial resources, the others are under great pressure."
"The so-called 20,000 strings of cash that His Majesty privately donated for cosmetics is not even enough to make a single Buddha's palm, yet he repeatedly emphasizes that it is forbidden to waste money and burden the people... Ha."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"And that Great Zhou Praise the Heavenly Pivot, the so-called 'Praise the Heavenly Pivot,' which ordered all the states in the world to donate to it, will eventually be distributed among the people. How is this any different from adding an extra burden of taxation?"
"From local government to the central government, this copper and silver had to go through countless hands and suffer countless losses before finally being melted down and cast into this 'Praise of Virtue Heavenly Pivot.' What else could it be but 'the people's hard-earned money'?"
"Although I am of humble status, a mere junior official, I may be content with my own life, but I will never remain silent."
He spoke calmly, bypassed Xie Lingjiang, and strode out of the courtyard with the memorial in his hand.
Xie Lingjiang was moved and turned to gaze at his retreating figure, asking:
"But didn't our eldest brother persuade our uncle to leave us in the study the night before last, and even wrote a letter expressing his support? Why is our eldest brother acting like this today..."
Ouyang Rong did not turn around:
"Because the Xunyang Prince's Mansion is like a fish on a chopping block, this is the only way to go. It is my responsibility as the Prince's strategist to advise the lord to write a letter of support."
"But once I step out of the Prince's Palace and put on this official robe, I become the Chief Administrator of a prefecture, a duty I cannot shirk."
Xie Lingjiang stared intently at her senior brother's departing figure.
They didn't stop them anymore...
In the morning, Ouyang Rong submitted a handwritten memorial to the supervising censor stationed in Jiangzhou.
He strode out of the government office.
Shortly after he left, a woman in palace attire appeared in the courtyard of the government office.
The woman was dressed in a crimson palace gown, with makeup on her lips, and a cold expression.
If Ouyang Rong were here, he would recognize at a glance that this woman was none other than Miao Zhen, the lady-in-waiting he had met once before on Luming Street in Longcheng.
Miaozhen stood with her hands clasped, followed by two palace maids in green robes. One held a book, and the other held a vermilion brush. They followed closely behind.
The woman in palace attire first turned her head to look in the direction the person had left.
Then she walked straight into the Censorate and looked at the memorial he had presented.
Slightly raise your chin.
A palace maid went behind her and brought back a memorial. Miaozhen quickly glanced at it, nodded, and turned to leave.
The palace maids went to return the memorials, and then they all left.
Inside the government office, the old censor, whose hair was neatly combed, handled his official duties without glancing at Miaozhen the entire time she entered.
He was like a blind man, letting her take and examine the memorials.
Both sides were somewhat familiar with each other.
Miaozhen walked out of the government office and waved to the side. Two palace maids handed her a booklet and a red brush.
The sixth-rank female official in colorful robes, who had come from afar, moved silently.
She held the booklet in her hands, gripped the vermilion brush, and carefully wrote something on it...
After a short while, I finished writing.
He turned and left.
Miaozhen returned to Xiushui Workshop.
She came with the imperial edict procession from yesterday, but after the envoys escorting the edict entered the city, Miaozhen and her servants quietly disappeared.
She has other tasks.
Miaozhen, accompanied by her palace maids, arrived at an ordinary house diagonally opposite the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Inside the house, there were strict soldiers guarding the place, their eyes fixed straight ahead, with a guard every three steps.
It is unknown how many of the transferred soldiers from the Zhechong Prefecture are hidden there.
Miaozhen slowly climbed to a pavilion with a good view and continued to wait silently.
The first few pages of the newly compiled notebook recording Ouyang Lianghan's little tricks also recorded the behavior of Xunyang Wang Lixian.
The thought of that timid, middle-aged rich man's figure left Miaozhen by the window expressionless.
At one point, he tugged at the corner of his lips.
Yesterday, the yellow-robed messenger arrived with the imperial edict. The details of Li Xian's grateful gesture when receiving the edict were all meticulously recorded by the vermilion pen behind Miao Zhen.
They didn't embellish the story, but they also didn't overlook any suspicious details.
This is her responsibility.
...
The construction of the Great Zhou Songde Tian Shu and the Four Directions Buddha statues caused a great uproar both inside and outside the Great Zhou court.
First, officials from most of the ten circuits of the empire submitted memorials.
Some sang praises and flattered him, some pointed out the advantages and disadvantages and offered advice, and some spoke sharply and vehemently.
The first two naturally make up the majority.
As for third parties, there are quite a few of them.
However, compared to these minority of hot-tempered colleagues, the memorial submitted by a certain young chief secretary was relatively mild and calm.
Regardless, after these snowflake-like memorials flooded into the Phoenix Pavilion of the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, they remained silent for a few days before beginning to resonate.
On the third day, at the monthly grand assembly.
King Liang, Wei Sixing, stepped forward and led the chieftains of the four barbarian tribes to petition Empress Wei, requesting that the names of all officials and leaders of all nations be engraved on the plaque, and that the Empress personally inscribe the plaque "The Great Zhou Dynasty, the Heavenly Pivot of Praise to the Virtues of All Nations".
The Empress approved the plan and immediately appointed Wei Jisi, the Prince of Wei, as the supervisor of the construction project.
Some court officials and censors stepped forward and vehemently opposed the proposal.
Immediately, a heated debate broke out in the imperial court...
noon.
At the meeting, disperse.
The truth eventually came to light.
The construction of the Great Zhou Songde Tian Shu and the Four Directions Buddha Statues continued as before. Wei Jisi, the Prince of Wei, was appointed as the supervisor of the construction, and four princes, including Li Xian, the Prince of Xunyang, and Wei Youxian, the Prince of Duan, were appointed as supervisors of the construction of the Four Directions Buddha Statues.
At the same time, a group of court officials, led by Ji Ganyi, the Minister of Personnel, were dismissed.
Four palace censors and three court officials were each given thirty strokes of the cane, and were either exiled to Lingnan or banished to Liaodong.
Xia Guan, Liang Wang Wei Sixing, concurrently served as the Minister of Personnel.
After the court assembly, a palace maid observed that the Empress looked displeased and rode back to Shangyang Palace.
That night, in the Imperial Study, the Emperor reviewed memorials, his face flushed with anger, and issued an edict to the Ministry of Personnel.
Li Zhengyan, the prefect of Meizhou, was demoted to the position of Sima of Raozhou.
Imperial Censor Wei Shaoqi was demoted to Magistrate of Yi County.
Du Shuqing, a censor, was demoted to the position of Assistant Magistrate of Longcheng.
Wang Junzhi, the registrar of Chang'an, was demoted to the position of Doctor of Jiangzhou...
The Ministry of Personnel issued an official document overnight, and within a single night, more than twenty local or central officials were either dismissed or demoted.
The following day, the Right Chancellor of the court, Mr. Di, submitted a memorial requesting to retire due to old age.
The Empress refuted this.
The Master begged again.
Another rebuttal...
The emperor and his minister rejected the proposal seven times in a row.
Until the Empress issued a solemn decree, granting an exceptional leave to allow the elder statesman to recuperate for ten days before returning to serve the country.
Immediately afterwards, the Empress did not attend court for several days.
During this period, there were no further decrees to dismiss officials.
In the Luoyang imperial court, the turmoil subsided slightly.
However, with the tacit approval of the reigning empress, the two princes of the Wei clan adopted a clever and cunning approach to reduce resistance.
King Wei Jisi did not immediately launch the construction of the Great Zhou Songde Tian Shu upon assuming office. Instead, he proceeded step by step, implementing it gradually.
After resolving the "people and things" step, the next step was tackled... and finally, the construction department responsible for the project was completely integrated.
King Liang, Wei Sixing, was the same...
A month later, Wei Jisi, the supervisor of construction, joined forces with the Ministry of Works to begin selecting a site in Luoyang to build Tian Shu.
Within ten days, the Heavenly Official, under the command of Liang Wang Wei Sixing, frequently issued official documents.
Another major reshuffle of local officials has begun.
Any local official who openly defies or neglects the collection of "Ode to Virtue Bronze" will be dismissed or transferred, and replaced by a corresponding adjutant or a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) waiting in line for selection at the Ministry of Personnel.
Soon, officials from over a hundred prefectures and counties across the ten circuits of the empire began to emerge like mushrooms after rain, eager to support the "Ode to Virtue Copper" and raise funds.
One after another, memorials praising the emperor and expressing support piled up on a desk in the imperial study deep within the Luoyang palace.
With troublemakers being punished one after another as a warning to others, some pro-establishment officials fell silent.
Jiangzhou and Lingnan, popular places for officials to be demoted, have once again become frequently mentioned place names by many disillusioned officials in Luoyang recently.
The criticisms and opposition from both inside and outside the court were eventually gradually erased.
However, the public opinion among scholars in both the north and south could no longer be suppressed.
Scholars from all over the country began to discuss the Great Zhou Dynasty's praise of the Heavenly Pivot in private, and public opinion was in an uproar.
Even Ouyang Rong, who was far away in Jiangzhou, discovered that even in Xunyang City, where the atmosphere was rather sluggish and indifferent, there were quite a few people discussing it indignantly.
While it's officially forbidden to discuss it, it's difficult to silence the gossip.
However, he also knew that public opinion in this era could hardly influence the court's policies... Raising his head would only cause him to vent all his anger on the Wei family, blaming them for deceiving the emperor and being treacherous officials.
The first two months of the first year of Tianyou, just after the New Year holiday, passed quietly as officials and commoners across the land watched the turmoil in the Luoyang court.
The thing that Xie Lingjiang, who was in the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, was worried about never happened.
It seems that no one has paid any attention to the eldest brother's memorial.
His name was never among the series of demotion edicts issued from Luoyang.
Unlike those "exiled celebrities" who were demoted by the Empress but became famous and praised by scholars, he was different.
Ouyang Rong seemed to have been forgotten.
However, this also allowed Xie Lingjiang and other concerned people to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
(End of this chapter)
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