Chapter 205 This Body is Clear
Du Min stayed in Wuzhi County for four days, settling Wang Zhou's needs and ensuring that Lin Canjun could take over the construction of the workshop. He then returned to Hanoi County, spent the night at home, and at dawn, rode to Luoyang with his entourage.
When Du Min arrived in Luoyang and checked into the post station, the postmaster, upon hearing his name, proactively revealed, "Lord Du, Prime Minister Xu has stepped down."
Du Min asked in surprise, "When did this happen?"
"I heard the news yesterday. His Majesty has approved Prime Minister Xu's petition to resign and retire. Soon, the old gentleman Xu's mansion will have its gate plaque removed." The postmaster made no attempt to hide his schadenfreude.
Du Min glanced at him, but he didn't reply. He took the key and went to check into the other courtyard with his entourage.
As his entourage packed their bedding, Du Min stood outside the door, pondering. Judging by the speed of the ship, Prime Minister Zheng and his party shouldn't have even arrived in Chang'an yet. Prime Minister Zheng and Imperial Censor Dou hadn't even had a chance to exert their influence, and Prime Minister Xu had already fallen? Didn't the Empress Dowager put up any resistance for Prime Minister Xu?
"Master, the bedding has been made. Would you like to rest for a while?" the attendant asked as he came out.
Du Min glanced at the sky; the sunset was already out, so it wasn't a good time to go out.
"Call water, I want to take a bath," Du Min ordered. He rolled up his sleeves, went inside, picked up a pen, and wrote letters. The first letter was to his father-in-law to inquire about the situation. The second letter was to Meng Qing to report the news. The third letter was a visiting card; he wanted to visit Governor Zheng to see if the latter could introduce him to the Director of the Court of Imperial Stud.
The following day, Governor Zheng received Du Min's visiting card and immediately sent someone to invite him to his residence for a chat.
Du Min came in person to deliver the visiting card. He handed it over but did not leave. As soon as Governor Zheng's entourage came out, they saw him.
"Du Changshi, please, the lord wishes to see you."
Du Min followed him in briskly and went to the official residence. He greeted the governor as soon as he entered, saying, "Your Excellency, I have come to bother you again."
"Please rise, please rise." Governor Zheng leaned forward to help him up. "Chief Clerk Du, are you aware that Prime Minister Xu has stepped down?"
"I heard it from the postmaster when I arrived at Luoyang post station yesterday," Du Min replied. "I am not surprised by this news. As the prime minister, he has raised such an unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, and unjust son. He should resign. If he cannot manage his family, how can he govern the country and the world?"
Looking at Du Min's righteous and indignant demeanor, Prefect Zheng felt a chill in his heart. He was glad that Empress Wu and the governor had transferred Du Min to Huaizhou last year. If he had been a step slower and Du Min had been snatched away by the governor, he might have been the one to suffer.
“You’re right,” Governor Zheng echoed.
"Have Prime Minister Zheng and the others returned to the capital? How could Prime Minister Xu have fallen so quickly?" Du Min inquired. "I thought it would be another month or two before I heard this news."
"The memorial arrived before the man did," Governor Zheng replied. "I heard that even Empress Wu did not protect him, and even flew into a rage, rebuking him for not managing his household properly and neglecting to educate his children."
"It's true that Your Excellency is well-informed; I know nothing about this." Knowing what he wanted to know, Du Min immediately changed the subject. "My lord, I have come to ask you something today. I wonder if Your Excellency has any connection with the Director of the Court of Imperial Stud? Could you help me get an introduction?"
“The Director of the Court of Imperial Stud? I don’t know him.” Governor Zheng shook his head. He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll have someone inquire for you and see who in the governor’s office has connections with him. Once there’s news, I’ll send it to the post station to inform you.”
"Thank you very much, sir." Du Min smiled. "Whenever I encounter difficulties, you and Prime Minister Zheng never hesitate to lend a helping hand. I have no way to repay you and I am truly ashamed."
Governor Zheng smiled and said, "It's not that I have nothing to repay you with, it's that I'll repay you with a spring of gratitude. With Prime Minister Zheng in the court, there is no Prime Minister Xu. This promotion and demotion are both related to Du Min."
"Go back to the post station and wait for news," said Governor Zheng, adding, "You should stay out as much as possible these days, or you might get beaten up."
Du Min reluctantly agreed, "This humble official will not disturb you any longer."
In the days that followed, Du Min stayed obediently at the post station, eagerly awaiting news from Governor Zheng.
Five days later, Governor Zheng sent a messenger with news that the Taipusi (Imperial Stud) official left in Luoyang was a member of the Dou family and a cousin of Imperial Censor Dou. He instructed Du Min to visit Imperial Censor Dou.
When Du Min went to visit Imperial Censor Dou, Prime Minister Zheng and others, who were far away in Chang'an, handed over the prisoners and went to the palace to meet the emperor.
Both emperors are present at Zichen Palace today.
"Your subject pays respects to His Majesty and to Your Majesty the Empress." Prime Minister Zheng entered the hall and bowed.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review followed closely behind to pay their respects.
"No need for formalities, please take a seat." The female sage spoke, "His Majesty and I are already aware of the case in Huai Prefecture, and we have troubled you all to make this trip."
Prime Minister Zheng handed the memorial to the eunuch and said, "This is the confiscation of property this time. In the governor's mansion, we found 370,000 strings of cash, over 100 catties of gold ornaments, five cartloads of valuable weapons, three cartloads of jade, and six cartloads of silver, with a total estimated value of 350,000 strings of cash. In the remaining residences of the vice-governor, the military commander, and the six military advisors, we found a total of 420,000 strings of copper coins, and the remaining artifacts are estimated to be worth around 70,000 strings of cash. The land owned by the criminals totaled 70 hectares, and the property deeds filled a box, with an estimated value far exceeding 500,000 strings of cash."
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"The prisoner Xu Ang has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail. We request Your Majesty's instruction on when to execute him," the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked.
"Execute him in five days." The emperor spoke, then turned to the person beside him and asked, "Empress, do you still want to personally interrogate him? So that the ministers won't wrong him."
The female sage seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her words. She looked away from the memorial and said, "I will not investigate further. I trust the character of my dynasty's key ministers. You have been working hard for months; please return to your residences to rest."
"I have another matter to report," Prime Minister Zheng said, then handed a document to the eunuch. "The greatest contributor to the execution of the criminal Xu Ang is Du Min, the Prefect of Huai Prefecture. He not only made the report but also preserved the witnesses and captured the fugitive. I would like to recommend him for the position of Prefect of Huai Prefecture."
“No, as far as I know, Chief Clerk Du has only served as an official for three years and was promoted to Chief Clerk of Huaizhou less than a year ago. Although he is brave and capable, he lacks the qualifications to shoulder such a great responsibility.” The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review jumped out to object.
“There are precedents. Prime Minister Xu was promoted from a junior official in Gaoyang County to a Vice Minister of the Chancellery within two years, and from Minister of Rites to Prime Minister within a year.” Prime Minister Zheng retorted, “I believe that Chief Secretary Du is far more capable than Prime Minister Xu.”
The female sage put down the memorial and looked at Prime Minister Zheng with a probing gaze.
The Vice Minister of Justice also looked at Prime Minister Zheng. He thought to himself that Prime Minister Zheng must have gone mad. Why would he be so crazy as to promote an official from a poor family? Du Min had already brought down two prime ministers. Wasn't Prime Minister Zheng afraid that he would be the third?
"What does Minister Xie think?" the female saint asked.
"I believe that Chief Clerk Du is indeed capable and has the talent of a prefect, but his experience is still shallow. We should not force him to grow too fast, otherwise we may ruin a promising minister." The Vice Minister of Justice was not crazy. It was simply a joke that a peasant boy could rise from a low-ranking county magistrate to a third-rank official in three years.
"What you all say makes sense. I will discuss it with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel." The Empress did not give a definite answer. "I have seen the memorial. Minister Zheng still wants to request commendations for the Commandant of the Vanguard, the Lady of Wu Commandery, and Lady Wang?"
"Yes, the Commandant of the Vanguard, following the orders of Chief Secretary Du, led troops to pursue and capture the fugitive Xu Ang, killing seven guards and capturing eight others. This is a meritorious deed. The Lady of Wu County also made meritorious contributions in investigating the case, using the parrot's words to intimidate Xu Ang and force him to reveal his true colors. Cui's daughter-in-law, Wang Yunrong, is proud and resentful of Xu Ang's oppression. She left a letter and ran away, stating that she would go to the capital to file a complaint, forcing Cui Jin to flee his home with nowhere else to turn, thus completely uncovering the major case in Huai Prefecture," said Prime Minister Zheng.
"The Commandant of the Vanguard has rendered meritorious service in capturing the fugitive, but his supervision was inadequate; therefore, his merits and demerits cancel each other out. Wang Yunrong, the Queen of the Wang Clan, is indeed exceptionally proud and deserves commendation. I have already received her; she felt ashamed for enduring five years of humiliation without urging her husband to denounce Xu Ang from the beginning, and refused any reward, only requesting a decree for divorce, which I have granted. As for the Lady of Wu Commandery, she has not compromised the integrity of a woman and deserves commendation." The female sage replied to each point. "Does Minister Zheng have any objections?"
"No," Prime Minister Zheng replied.
"Where are Xie Qing and Li Qing?" the female saint asked.
The two said nothing.
"Please return," the female saint said.
The three prime ministers left the palace, and then the emperor also left.
"Go and summon Minister Li back," the female sage instructed the eunuch.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review deliberately walked slowly, increasing the distance between himself and Prime Minister Zheng and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
"Lord Zheng, what are you thinking? Are you really going to promote an official from a poor family? Does your Zheng family not have any outstanding sons? How about I lend you a few of our Xie family's sons?" The Vice Minister of Justice caught up with Prime Minister Zheng and asked in succession, "Du Min didn't show any mercy when he dealt with your brother-in-law, and you still want to recommend him for promotion to prefect?"
Prime Minister Zheng chuckled, "Look how anxious you are. Do you think my request for credit will work? You won't agree, let alone the other officials."
The Vice Minister of Justice slowed his pace, realizing what was happening. "Are you trying to sow discord? To make Du Min resent the Empress?"
Prime Minister Zheng did not answer. He had learned this trick from Meng Qing: sowing discord between two sides, so that one of them would eventually become suspicious.
He glanced back, but the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had vanished.
"Minister Li, what is your opinion of Chief Secretary Du?" the Empress Dowager asked the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who had returned to the main hall.
"This young man is very close to Prime Minister Zheng, and they have a close relationship. He is also very casual in his speech and behavior," the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review complained. "Prime Minister Zheng values Chief Clerk Du very much. He not only overruled public opinion to get the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds, but also specified that the funds must be received by Chief Clerk Du personally. When I was in Huaizhou, Chief Clerk Du was ill, and Prime Minister Zheng even visited him in person. A year ago, I heard a rumor that Prime Minister Zheng intended to marry a daughter of the Zheng family to Chief Clerk Du, but for some reason, nothing came of it."
The female saint nodded thoughtfully, "You may leave."
"Yes." The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review left with satisfaction.
*
Five days later, the governor returned to the capital.
The female saint summoned him to the palace and inquired about Du Min again.
"After Prime Minister Zheng returned to the capital, he petitioned for the promotion of Chief Secretary Du to Prefect of Huai Prefecture. What do you think?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"Du Changshi has only been an official for three years. How can he be appointed as a third-rank official? The officials in the court will not agree to it. He gave people hope, and then used you to destroy Du Changshi's hope. This is truly vicious." The governor shook his head. "I believe that Prime Minister Zheng did it on purpose, intending to incite Du Changshi to become estranged from you."
"So you think that Chief Secretary Du is not biased towards the aristocratic families?" the female sage asked.
"In Huai Prefecture, especially in Hanoi County, you enjoy a high reputation among scholars and students. Lord Meng has repeatedly emphasized that the Qingniao Academy was established by your own efforts." The governor secretly admired Meng Qing's character and vision. "I dare to assert that the academy developed by Lord Meng will be the largest and most influential academy among the more than three hundred prefectures of the Tang Dynasty."
The female saint smiled; she had not misjudged him.
"I have dealt with Chief Secretary Du several times, and from my observation, Lady Meng's attitude dictates Chief Secretary Du's stance. Your Majesty, rest assured, nothing will go wrong," the governor said confidently. "Let Prime Minister Zheng try to win him over if he wants. No matter how much he tries to claim credit, the decision is in your hands. Anyone with eyes can see who to curry favor with. I believe there's no need to reprimand or control Chief Secretary Du. It's rare to have a commoner official with good relations with a powerful family. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a commoner official could rise to power by leveraging the influence of a powerful family?"
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