Chapter 512 Though I Die Nine Times, I Will Not Regret It
Xunyang City, ferry crossing.
"Your subject will die rather than obey the imperial edict."
Many people at the ferry crossing doubted whether they had misheard.
The same was true for Zhang Yu, the eunuch from the Inner Palace who was closest to deliver imperial edicts; a hint of doubt appeared on his usually cold and arrogant old face.
"What did Chief Clerk Ouyang say? What do you mean by 'not obeying'?"
Ouyang Rong did not speak, but took out a thin, dark blue-covered memorial from his pocket.
Immediately afterwards, in front of the imperial eunuch Zhang Yu and everyone present, he loosened his belt, took off his scarlet official robe, and removed his black gauze hat...
As he performed these actions methodically, the once bustling dock fell completely silent.
Countless eyes were watching.
Under the various gazes, Ouyang Lianghan held in both hands a neatly folded stack of official robes and black gauze hats, along with a memorial with a dark blue cover.
He calmly handed them to Zhang Yu, the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, and nodded, saying:
"A forged edict! Your Majesty is a holy man, how could you issue such an edict and do something that would bring disaster to the country and the people? There must be treacherous kings and ministers in the court who have deceived Your Majesty and are falsely conveying your will. This is a forged edict."
"Your Majesty's edict on the creation of the statues stated that it should not be a waste of resources and manpower. Your Majesty loves the people like your own children, and has given you earnest teachings and repeated instructions, which I dare not forget."
“The two edicts are contradictory. I believe the first edict is the correct one, and the second one is a forgery. I will never obey the edict.”
The old eunuch with gray hair, who was being respectfully greeted by all the officials and people of Jiangzhou today, was stunned for a moment. He even looked at the scroll of yellow edict in his hands with a somewhat bewildered expression, and prepared to unfold it again to read it again.
But immediately, Zhang Yu's face contorted with rage, his cheeks flushed as if he had been mocked, and he publicly rebuked him:
"Ouyang Lianghan, how dare you! This is utter nonsense!"
Ouyang Rong gently shook his head:
"The truly audacious ones are King Wei Jisi and Lin Cheng, the Assistant Director of the Imperial Observatory. These two are traitors to the country and should be executed!"
He handed over the dark blue-covered memorial and said in a measured tone:
"The Xingzifang statue incident has brought disaster to the country and the people. The crimes of the two men are too numerous to count. I, in my humble state, impeach the two traitors. I beg Your Excellency to return to the capital and deliver this letter of accusation in blood on my behalf."
The powerful words resonated throughout the venue.
From saying "I will die rather than obey the imperial edict" to now saying "I will kill the traitors of the country," less than ten breaths had passed. Many people in the audience were still processing the sudden change in the atmosphere.
Or to put it another way, everyone actually heard every word Ouyang Lianghan said, but this scene of "refusing the imperial edict," which is rare in eight hundred years, made their brains go blank.
Let alone since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, even looking further back, since the founding of the Great Gan Dynasty, there have been very few people who publicly refused the imperial edict, right?
Well, if this happened to some small Western Regions countries where envoys were sent, and they dared to refuse the imperial edict, they would be destroyed by the iron cavalry of the Great Gan and Great Zhou.
So, isn't this imperial edict something we have to accept? Thunder and rain are all forms of imperial favor; how can you play around like this?
If we were to compare the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty to a game, right now, what you've done... makes everyone feel like they're playing on a completely different server version.
At this moment, Zhang Yu, the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, was also speechless, staring at the "tough nut to crack" in front of him.
Having worked in the field of delivering imperial edicts from the capital for many years, he had never encountered such a situation before.
Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, and the others all turned their heads, their eyes fixed on Ouyang Lianghan, who resolutely refused the imperial edict.
But they weren't the first to stand up and criticize.
It's Rongzhen.
"How dare you, Ouyang Lianghan! Are you still half asleep? Did you get drunk again last night? You're spouting nonsense and daring to talk back to Eunuch Zhang. Get out of here! You drunkard have no right to speak here."
The girl in cold, palace-style attire gave a slightly angry rebuke.
Ouyang Rong frowned, stepped forward again, and continued to hand over the memorial and official robes, but Xie Lingjiang grabbed his hand.
Before Ouyang Rong could react, Rong Zhen had already led a group of female officials forward and surrounded him...
A short while later, the women forcefully dragged him away.
In this round, Xie Lingjiang and Rong Zhen cooperated remarkably well, although the two women who lent a hand didn't even glance at each other throughout the entire process.
However, before Ouyang Rong was "detained," the memorial of apology and his official robes and hat had already been handed to Zhang Yu, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict.
Prince Xunyang, Li Xian, dressed in a python robe, stared blankly, when a veiled princess with plum blossom makeup nudged his arm from behind. Startled, he immediately stepped forward, snatched the memorial and official robe from the old eunuch's hands, and turned to loudly rebuke the surrounding Jiangzhou officials:
"Military Advisor Yan, Chen You, did you two take Chief Clerk Ouyang out for another drunken night? So early in the morning, were you two completely out of it? He's spouting nonsense, it's outrageous..."
"Yes, yes, yes, drinking, drinking. It was my fault for being too drunk and causing trouble. I couldn't help myself and dragged Your Excellency down with me."
Yan Liulang and Chen You rushed forward and stood in front of Xunyang King Li Xian and the old eunuch Zhang Yu, bowing their heads in apology, their faces full of guilt.
"You will each receive a demerit and be fined three months' salary!"
Li Xian, looking displeased, finished his reprimand and immediately turned to the old eunuch Zhang Yu, clasping his hands in apology and saying apologetically:
“Prefect Ouyang accidentally offended you, sir. Please forgive him and don’t take it to heart.”
Khufu also stepped forward at the opportune moment, tugged at Zhang Yu's sleeve as if to slip something inside, and said with a familiar smile:
"This way, Eunuch Zhang. It's been months since we last met, and you seem to be in even more high spirits than before. It must have been a long journey for you to Jiangzhou to deliver His Majesty's decree... We've prepared a banquet at Xunyang Tower in advance. Please, Eunuch Zhang, take your place..."
The eunuch Zhang Yu, who was delivering the imperial decree, had a grim face. He first waved his hand at Hu Fu, a junior member of the Inner Palace Secretariat:
"I'm sorry, Eunuch Hu, I have to return to the capital to report back, so I can't attend the banquet. I'm also afraid that drinking might cause me trouble... I appreciate your kindness, but maybe next time."
Then, the pale old eunuch lifted the heavy, cold, hard object inside his sleeve.
His eyes fell on Li Xian, who was secretly hiding Ouyang Lianghan's memorial and official robes, and he said in a slightly shrill voice:
"Your Highness, this is the Emperor's true edict. I would never dare to forge it even if I had a hundred lives."
The old eunuch gestured to the imperial edict in his hand.
"That's natural."
Li Xian nodded quickly.
"Your Majesty is wise."
A group of Jiangzhou officials, including Lin Cheng and Wang Lengran who had been observing from the sidelines, echoed the sentiment.
Zhang Yu's expression softened slightly.
As if they had forgotten, they no longer mentioned what had just happened.
After a short while, he continued to proclaim the imperial edict. Ouyang Rong was originally one of the first to receive the edict this time, but he was temporarily spared. After the edict was proclaimed, Lin Cheng and the other officials received their orders and left.
When they were alone, Zhang Yu said to Li Xian and Hu Fu, who were still accompanying him:
"Your Highness, Eunuch Hu, let's assume that Chief Secretary Ouyang is still hungover. The things he just said, with so many people hearing them, will surely be spread back to the capital by bored or malicious people, and even the Emperor will hear some of them. That's almost certain. I'm being frank about that."
"Whether these drunken words will be considered true or not, I don't know, but I'll venture a suggestion: once Chief Secretary Ouyang sobers up, he should come quickly to receive His Majesty's edict and take over the post of Left Supervisor of the Jiangnan Construction Project. He should then diligently work on the statues in Xingzifang. Also, since His Majesty is in the north, tell him to face north and kowtow a few times with a sincere attitude... I will report this truthfully. Perhaps His Majesty, appreciating talent and seeing his hard work, will smile and let it pass without being bound by convention."
"Thank you for your advice, Father-in-law."
Li Xian nodded solemnly.
The old eunuch waved his hand:
"The eccentric will leave around dusk and will return in the afternoon. There's still half a day left. Even if he's drunk, he should sober up by the afternoon."
After saying this, the old eunuch boarded the official boat again.
Upon seeing this, Li Xian hurriedly returned to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, gathered everyone in the study, and said anxiously:
Where is my lover now?
Yan Liulang began, looking troubled:
"In the Censorate, the Prefect is as stubborn as a mule. Miss Xie and Lady Rongzhen are afraid that he will go and argue with Eunuch Zhang again, so they will use the pretext of confining him to the Censorate."
Li Guo'er picked up the dark blue-covered memorial and the crimson fifth-rank official robe that Li Xian had tossed onto the table after entering the study. She quietly scanned the memorial, then sighed softly.
"Fortunately, we reacted quickly and stopped it. Ouyang Lianghan's memorial absolutely cannot be submitted to Grandmother in the capital, otherwise the situation will become serious. It doesn't matter if it's about Lin Cheng, but it also puts the conflict between Ouyang Lianghan and the Prince of Wei's mansion on the table. At that point, it will be a life-or-death struggle, and in the end, it will depend on who Grandmother chooses. Only one side can remain in the court..."
She closed the memorial, shoved it directly into the auspicious beast-shaped incense burner in front of her, watched it burn to ashes in the embers, and said with narrowed eyes:
"What's most worrying is that at that time, Father, Mr. Xie, the Master, and Lord Shen certainly won't be able to sit idly by... If they get involved, the struggle will escalate, leading to another fierce conflict between the Li and Wei factions... and then it will be really hard to end."
Li Dalang was taking the ice pack that Wei Mei coldly offered to apply to his bruised eyes when he suddenly spoke:
"Before Tanlang went to Xunyang Ferry this morning, he specifically instructed me to go back and persuade my sister to stop our father from acting impulsively."
Li Xian, who was silently planning to write a letter to the Empress Dowager on her behalf, paused in his actions.
Everyone in the study fell silent.
Wei Mei sighed:
"He was worried from the beginning that Qilang would act impulsively and get involved, so why did he himself rush into the fire? Isn't Tanlang... deliberately heading towards the tiger's den?"
“Yes,” Li Dalang said with a helpless expression, “So when I first heard it, I had no idea that Tanlang meant it that way, and that he would do that later…”
Wei Mei glared at her eldest son, saying with exasperation:
"Didn't I tell you to stay close to Tanlang and try to comfort him? He's acting strangely, didn't you notice sooner?"
Li Dalang looked troubled:
"Tanlang is so smart, there are some things he won't say, and others really won't know them, nor will he show it..."
Li Guo'er shook her head and spoke up for her brother:
"Don't even mention Dalang, I'm a little surprised too... I know Ouyang Lianghan is dissatisfied, Lin Cheng crossed his bottom line, but we're not like Longcheng anymore, penniless and facing an abyss if we back down. Now we can back down a little and lower our bottom line. After all, with more wealth, we naturally have more to worry about, and we'll always have to make choices..."
She murmured to herself:
"But I never expected that he would be so uncompromising... It seems that some people and some things are things that he would defend even at the cost of his life."
"What a fine example of 'though I die nine times, I will not regret it'!"
Yan Liulang lowered his head and said in a deep voice:
"The reason the Prefect didn't mention it beforehand is probably because he was afraid we would stop him. He wanted the Prince to listen to the Little Princess, and he probably didn't want to involve the Prince's family..."
Li Xian stood up, unable to hide his excitement:
“We came from Longcheng together and agreed to return to Luoyang safely together. Not one of us can be missing. Tanlang’s affairs are my affairs. How can I sit idly by? Tanlang is worried that we will be affected, but don’t we worry about him too?”
Li Dalang suddenly said, "Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow."
Seeing her father and brothers like this, Li Guo'er couldn't help but sigh softly:
"That's why I said, it's fortunate that this letter wasn't submitted, there's still room for maneuver."
Just then, Uncle Shun's hurried figure appeared at the door.
"Your Highness, the Censorate and the Jiangzhou Grand Hall... there are commoners, laborers, and scholars gathered there to protest, blocking the entire street... it seems they are testifying for Young Master Ouyang."
"Testify?" Everyone was stunned.
"Because now everyone in the city is saying that Prefect Ouyang spoke up for the people and angered a high-ranking official from Luoyang. The official from Luoyang found a crime for him and imprisoned him. To get out of this predicament, he needs to prove his innocence, so everyone is rushing to testify for him..."
Li Guo'er immediately stood up:
"No, we can't let people gather. We must stop this trend and absolutely not let it cause a public uproar. Otherwise, we won't be saving Ouyang Lianghan, but rather harming him."
The young woman with plum blossom makeup made a quick decision:
“Let’s go, Father will go there immediately to appease the people of Xunyang. This time, we need you, as a prince, to step forward and play the good cop. Yan Liulang, you often follow Ouyang Lianghan, and many people know you. Go and maintain order on the street, and be careful of treacherous people stirring up trouble. Shunbo, go find Hu Fu and help keep Zhang Gonggong at bay, so that he can stay a little longer and buy us some time.”
She allocated the tasks methodically and finally nodded.
"As for Dalang, you and I will go to the Censorate to assist Sister Xie and the others, and also try to persuade Ouyang Lianghan..."
"Yes, yes, I'll be going now."
"Yes, Sister is right."
Li Xian, Li Dalang, and the others nodded in understanding.
With Ouyang Lianghan temporarily absent, Li Guo'er's presence seemed to provide a sense of stability and support for everyone.
The situation was urgent, and without much thought, everyone sprang into action.
Only Yan Liulang, after stepping out the door, first glanced at his friend, the heir apparent of the Prince of Xunyang, hurrying on his way, then turned his head slightly and looked at the calm back of the little princess beside him.
However, compared to the most pressing issues at hand, these are all insignificant.
...
"Look, Miss Qin, Ouyang Lianghan is really bold! He even dares to refuse the imperial edict! He's too arrogant."
"I have heard that the relocation of the Donglin Buddha to Xingzifang was decided by His Majesty at a meeting with princes and ministers of the State Council, a gathering of wise men and women. It was a product of the integration of all these factors."
"He insists that it's a forged edict. Ha, does he think he's smarter than His Majesty and the ministers of the Council of State Affairs? They're all inferior to him."
"How arrogant, Miss Qin! I admit that he is indeed someone I can learn a thing or two from in terms of flood control, but I dare not praise him in other aspects..."
At Xunyang Ferry, outside the crowded streets, a window on the third floor of a nearby restaurant.
Wei Shaoqi pointed to the scene of refusal of imperial decree not far outside the window, and said apologetically to Qin Xiaoniang behind him.
Qin Ying, dressed in a Taoist robe, kept her eyes fixed on the window the whole time.
She looked at that upright figure standing in front of all the people of Xunyang at the dock, facing the Empress's will in person as the eunuch Zhang Yu declared, "I will die rather than obey the imperial edict."
He remained silent.
At one point, Qin Ying suddenly interrupted Wei Shaoqi, who was rambling on and on about how to sow discord.
"Is the result reached by Her Majesty the Empress, the ministers of the Council of State, and even the wise men of the court necessarily correct?"
Why did the Li Zhengyan Rebellion in the Southwest still occur?
"Then why not just let His Majesty and the ministers of the Council of State jointly discuss and decide on all military affairs related to the campaign against the rebels? Why bother asking my eighty-year-old grandfather to be a tyrant who leads troops in the field and holds all the power?"
She nodded slightly, without turning her head:
"It is clear that a group of wise men is not necessarily a group of virtuous men."
Wei Shaoqi choked, his expression stiffening slightly.
(End of this chapter)
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