039 [The Target of Public Criticism]

The next day, at the morning court.

Within the Hall of Supreme Harmony, officials of the fifth rank and above stationed in the capital stood in ranks, divided between civil and military.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, regular audiences were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The former allowed for the presentation of reports from all quarters, while the afternoon session was restricted to the Office of General Administration, the six ministries, the guards, and other offices reporting on urgent military or state affairs; thus, it was primarily for discussing major matters of state and war.

Today’s morning court, however, was unusual.

Firstly, Shen Wang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, had entered the court to report his findings, accompanied by Xue Huai and other core members of the Investigation Bureau.

Secondly, the Crown Prince and several princes and imperial sons were prominently present.

On the dragon throne, the Emperor of Great Yan wore a cold, indifferent expression, seemingly burdened by a deep gloom due to the massive blunder recently committed by the Ministry of Works.

His deep gaze swept downward, lingering briefly on the face of Ning Hengzhi, the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, before moving forward, passing directly over Xue Minglun, the Minister of Works, and finally resting on the composed figure of Shen Wang.

The officials performed the ritual obeisances. After a brief silence, a middle-aged civil official spoke in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

The crowd turned to look. The speaker was not the expected Shen Wang, but the very man at the center of the storm: the Minister of Works, Xue Minglun.

The Emperor remained expressionless and gave a slight nod.

Xue Minglun immediately stepped out of the ranks, approached the throne, bowed, and spoke without hesitation.

"I, Xue Minglun, Minister of Works, kowtow and submit this to the Holy Ears. Relying on the vast grace of Heaven, Your Majesty specially appointed the Vice Minister of Rites, Shen Wang, as an Imperial Commissioner to investigate the corruption in the Department of Waterways of the Ministry of Works. This was done by your sacred will to rectify the discipline of the court. However, no sooner had Shen Wang received his commission than he began to act in an arbitrary and reckless manner. Not only did he detain the subordinates of the Waterways Department, but he expanded his reach to the Departments of Construction, Provisions, and Land Reclamation, wantonly arresting over a dozen suspected officials—such as Director Kong Shao and Vice Directors Qi Huan and Jia Fan—all of whom are key personnel of the Ministry of Works."

Because he was a member of the Investigation Bureau, Xue Huai’s position today was not far back, but he could only catch a glimpse of his mentor’s profile.

Shen Wang had long anticipated that Xue Minglun would seize the initiative.

He had arrested more than ten officials from the Ministry of Works; it would have been strange if Xue Minglun said nothing. Regardless of the circumstances, he was bound to stand up and challenge Shen Wang’s decisions.

Amidst the solemn atmosphere, Xue Minglun’s resonant voice continued to echo.

"...An Imperial Commissioner is appointed to handle specific major matters and must not overstep his authority; he should follow precedent and exercise restraint. Yet, he has abused his power, arresting officials from three departments without evidence, disregarding the affairs of the Ministry of Works: the Department of Construction manages palace and temple projects, where delays damage the dignity of the state; the Department of Provisions manages the manufacture of weaponry, where interference risks border conflict; the Department of Land Reclamation manages the rents of official fields, where chaos leads to public unrest. Now, Shen Wang has recklessly expanded the scope of the case like a wildfire, paralyzing the ministry’s administration. My office is flooded with backlogged documents, and the court is in an uproar. I fear this will lead to miscarriages of justice, betraying the sacred heart of the Emperor and violating the laws of the land."

Xue Minglun’s statement was clear and logical. He did not deny the existence of problems within the Waterways Department—after all, Gu Heng was still in the Jing'an Bureau’s prison, and he had already confessed everything, including the minor misdeeds from his childhood; the fools in the Waterways Department were certainly doomed.

However, that did not mean Shen Wang could expand the situation at will. If he were allowed to arrest people indefinitely, how could the Ministry of Works continue to function?

The ministry could not be run solely by one Minister and two Vice Ministers; this was certainly not the situation the Emperor wished to see.

At this moment, Xue Minglun wore an expression of indignation as he said in a deep voice: "I have enjoyed the imperial grace to head the Ministry of Works for several years. I know that integrity must be guarded, but I also fear the tyranny of cruel officials, which chills the hearts of good men. I humbly beg Your Majesty to exercise your divine judgment, order Shen Wang to return his authority, release the innocent officials, and strictly investigate his crimes of overstepping his bounds to restore order and secure the state. I await your decree with the utmost trepidation!"

One had to admit that his impassioned speech sounded reasonable, and many officials in the hall nodded in agreement.

Shen Wang remained standing calmly, appearing as though the matter had nothing to do with him.

The next moment, several officials stepped forward one after another.

Mu Huaixin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, spoke loudly: "I kowtow. The Vice Minister of Rites, Shen Wang, has used his authority as Imperial Commissioner to wantonly arrest innocent and capable officials, disrupting the governance of the Ministry of Works. I hope Your Majesty will hold him accountable."

Sun Lie, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, frowned: "I have heard that the Imperial Commissioner has wrongfully investigated the Department of Provisions, misjudging matters of weaponry and risking border conflict. Your Majesty should be troubled by this disaster."

Liu Wenqing, the Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, said respectfully: "I submit: Commissioner Shen has fabricated accusations against the three departments, treating the reputations of officials like grass. If he is allowed to continue, the dignity of the state will be in peril."

Jiang Wenzhong, a Director in the Ministry of Revenue, also stated: "Your Majesty, the investigation into the Waterways Department has caused unrest among the Nine Ministries and wasted the wealth of the national treasury. I request that the case be concluded early to restore peace."

For a time, the clamor of the crowd was overwhelming.

Xue Huai did a rough count. After Xue Minglun initiated the impeachment of Shen Wang, twelve or thirteen officials from various ministries followed suit.

They impeached Shen Wang for overstepping his authority and throwing the Ministry of Works into chaos, which severely affected the daily operations of the ministry and even implicated other offices.

These officials looked righteous and solemn, as if Shen Wang were a petty man drunk on his own success, while they were loyal subjects protecting the stability of the court.

Although there were no heads of ministries or high-ranking cabinet officials among them, this scale was enough to intimidate an ordinary official; after all, few could maintain absolute composure under such a siege.

At this, Xue Huai finally realized the terrifying power of the Ning faction, and this was not even their full strength.

He looked left and right; Fang Jiming and the others, who had been chatting happily and full of hope for the future just last night, now all wore heavy expressions.

As the saying goes, knowing is easy, but doing is difficult. "Though I die nine times, I will not regret it" and "I will march forward even if there are thousands of people against me" are easy to say, but how difficult they are to put into action.

At this moment, Xue Huai could not help but think back to that Great Audience. At that time, he had fiercely denounced Gu Heng in front of all the officials. Even though he knew he had the advantage of a surprise attack, he occasionally felt proud of it when reflecting on it afterward.

Now, watching those officials gang up on Shen Wang, he realized that the previous occasion was merely a minor skirmish, and he had faced almost no resistance at all.

Putting himself in Shen Wang’s shoes, Xue Huai could not help but feel worried.

The momentum of these officials was indeed stunning, but Xue Huai believed Shen Wang would not be frightened. The problem lay in the attitude of the Emperor on the dragon throne.

Shen Wang had said long ago that although the Emperor tasked him with investigating the Waterways Department, he did not want him to implicate the entire Ministry of Works.

Now that Xue Minglun had seized upon this key point and other officials had expressed their support, the Emperor only needed to take the opportunity to reprimand Shen Wang, revoke his authority, and let him focus solely on the Waterways Department, and the situation would develop according to his wishes.

But if that happened, all the efforts of the Investigation Bureau in recent days would go down the drain.

Xue Minglun looked up slightly; the Emperor’s silence today was somewhat prolonged, deviating from his expectations.

After a long while, when the hall had fallen completely silent, the Emperor’s voice slowly rose: "Minister Shen, do you wish to defend yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Senior Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi’s gaze darkened, and he lowered his head.

Shen Wang, however, was not surprised. He stepped out of the ranks to report.

"I have been ordered by decree to investigate the affairs of the Ministry of Works. Now, Minister Xue Minglun accuses me of overstepping my authority—his words are highly fallacious! I have used the three-foot law to uncover the corruption of the four departments; how can this be called overstepping?"

There was not a trace of panic on his lean face. He cast a sharp gaze at Mu Huaixin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, who had accused him of overstepping and collective punishment, then continued: "The Imperial Commissioner’s power to act at his discretion is an ancestral tradition. Corruption in the Waterways Department is linked to the Departments of Construction, Provisions, and Land Reclamation. It is like treating an epidemic: the source is in the foul water, and one must cleanse all four channels—how can this be called a dereliction of duty?"

Mu Huaixin was not without a rebuttal, but the Emperor’s sudden allowance for Shen Wang to defend himself signaled the arrival of danger, so he could only listen in silence.

Shen Wang then looked at Sun Lie, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War who had questioned him, and said sternly: "The crimes of the four departments are not based on speculation, but on hard evidence. The Department of Construction used rotten wood for beams; the Department of Provisions made gun barrels as thin as paper; the Department of Land Reclamation listed fertile fields as wasteland—these are all recorded in official documents stamped by the Ministry of Works. Vice Minister Sun calls them innocent; are they truly innocent, or are you complicit in their filth?"

Sun Lie, over fifty years old, nearly stopped breathing at those words, his face turning bright red with rage.

He had merely made a reasonable inference; to have Shen Wang accuse him of collusion with a Ministry of Works official in front of the Emperor was simply outrageous!

But he knew the sharpness of Shen Wang’s tongue. He had no courage to engage in a war of words with him right now; if he kept arguing, he might trap himself. So, like Mu Huaixin, he closed his mouth.

Shen Wang did not pursue them relentlessly. He stood tall in the hall, rebutting each of the officials who had impeached him. Though he used only a few words for each, he left the hall in total silence.

Watching this, Xue Huai felt a surge of emotions.

He now understood the true meaning of what Shen Wang had told him about letting go and doing his work, with his teacher there to bear the weight if the sky were to fall.

Shen Wang methodically dismantled the baseless impeachments and finally looked at the frowning Xue Minglun, saying in a deep voice: "Minister Xue speaks of 'recklessly expanding the scope,' yet there is evidence for the crimes of all four departments. He speaks of 'crimes of overstepping,' but it is actually the indulgence of corrupt officials that is eroding our country! Now that the corruption has spread to all four departments, if I were to limit myself to the Waterways Department alone, that would be a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the Emperor’s grace!"

Without waiting for Xue Minglun to speak, he turned quickly toward the Emperor on the dragon throne and bowed: "If Your Majesty doubts my claims, you may order the Three Judicial Offices to verify them. If even one injustice is found, I ask to be executed! But if these crimes are proven, what then of Minister Xue’s failure to supervise?"

"I have heard that it is better to see the cruelty of a harsh official than to pardon the greed of a giant rat. The suffering of the people outside the gate is deep, and the rot in the Ministry of Works is deepening. I would rather bear the scorn of overstepping my authority than bear the shame of failing the Emperor’s trust!"

His words were firm, decisive, and resonant.

Xue Minglun’s lips trembled, but he remained silent.

The case itself was not complicated; his greatest reliance had been the Emperor’s attitude. However, the Emperor had shown no clear bias. Could he really step forward and cover Shen Wang’s mouth?

He looked at the head of the civil officials, but could only see the silent, stern profile of the Senior Grand Secretary.

At this moment, the Emperor on the dragon throne spoke: "Minister Shen, you say the evidence for the four departments is conclusive. Then bring it out for the court to see."

"I obey."

Shen Wang did not fully relax. He said calmly, "I request Your Majesty’s permission for the Investigation Bureau’s clerk, Xue Huai, to explain the details of the case."

After a brief silence, the Emperor said faintly, "Granted."

A complex swell of emotions rose in Xue Huai’s heart.

He understood why his teacher had made this arrangement. When he left the Investigation Bureau office early that morning, Shen Wang had said things to him whose every word still echoed in his ears.

He took a deep breath and hesitated no longer.