124. It Has Always Been Difficult to Find an Enlightened Ruler

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Great Liang, Imperial Capital, Forbidden Palace.
"Clang! Clang!"
In the Imperial Study, bottles and jars lay shattered across the floor, yet Tang Xu still felt his fury unvented. His eagle-like eyes radiated a chilling light, so terrifying that the attending eunuchs dared not even raise their heads. The eunuchs and palace maids waiting outside were as silent as cicadas in late autumn.
Tang Xu sat in his chair, gasping for breath, his heart heavy with agitation.
"Bring tea!"
The attending eunuch hurried out to relay the order. In a short while, a young eunuch entered, carrying a new teapot and tea set. The boy quickly poured a cup of hot tea for the Emperor and hurriedly retreated to the side.
"Are you very afraid of Me?" Tang Xu looked at the young eunuch.
The boy shook his head in a panic, forgetting all etiquette in his nervousness.
Tang Xu ignored him, lifting the teacup to his lips.
"Sss!" A sip of the hot tea nearly scalded his lips raw.
"Bang!" The pent-up malice in Tang Xu’s heart could no longer be contained; he hurled the cup of hot tea directly at the young eunuch.
"Base slave! Even you dare to defy Me!" Tang Xu shrieked, his face twisted into a mask of ferocity.
"Yo... Your Majesty, this servant would not dare..." The young eunuch collapsed to the floor in terror, wetting himself in fear.
Tang Xu’s rage flared higher, like a wildfire.
"Guards! Drag this base slave out and beat him to death, right here at the door. I want to see who gave this wretch the audacity."
The warriors outside rushed in and dragged the wailing, screaming eunuch out the door. Soon, heart-rending shrieks echoed through the air.
Tang Xu stood in the doorway, watching the blows rain down on the young eunuch, yet his heart remained unappeased. The ugly faces of the court officials seemed to float before his eyes.
"Hit him harder!" Tang Xu’s face turned crimson.
After only a few strikes, the young eunuch breathed his last amidst his terror and agony.
"Your Majesty, this old servant is late. These blind fools deserve to be beaten to death."
An old eunuch hurried in from outside. He was from the Prince Cheng estate and had served the Emperor personally since before he ascended the throne. Now that Prince Cheng was Emperor, the eunuch had naturally become a figure of absolute authority within the palace.
"You old dog, where have you been?" Tang Xu’s malice softened slightly toward his longtime servant.
"This old servant saw that Your Majesty was stifled by those scoundrels and thought to help you clear your spirit," the old eunuch replied.
"What did you do?" Tang Xu asked in surprise. If those officials were so easy to handle, would he be suffering here?
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this old servant knows the stakes. Come in," the old eunuch called out to the door.
Following the old eunuch's words, a woman entered. With eyes as charming as a painting and skin as delicate as jade, she was a rare beauty. Tang Xu swallowed instinctively.
The old eunuch whispered a few words into the Emperor’s ear. Tang Xu’s eyes began to glow with fervor.
Tang Xu was not a man obsessed with lust, but the dilemmas he faced since ascending the throne, the immense pressure, and the daily exhaustion in the court all created an urgent need for an outlet.
Yet, Tang Xu remained motionless, his jaw tight and veins throbbing on his forehead.
"As the master of the world, Your Majesty, you suffer grievances in the court, but can you not even be the master of this Forbidden Palace?"
The repression, the anger, and the taboo nature of the old eunuch’s words ignited a wild fire in Tang Xu’s heart that he could no longer suppress.
"Just this once," Tang Xu warned himself. He intended to be a good emperor.
Just this once, he would indulge himself.

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...
Soon, the sounds of the Emperor's roar and a woman's cries of agony echoed from the Imperial Study.
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After finishing his duties, Shen Rui returned to the Shen estate in the eastern part of the city as twilight fell.
It was a grand residence, purchased by his father when he was alive. Back then, his father was the Grand Chancellor, and he and his younger brother served in the capital. The household was vibrant and bustling.
But now, his father had passed away, and his brother had returned home to manage the family business. This vast Kyoto Shen estate (the main branch of the Jianglin lineage) was left with only him and his son’s family, feeling far more desolate than before.
As Shen Rui entered the front courtyard, he saw several strangers and heard the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the main hall. It seemed they had guests.
Seeing the young man emerge from the main hall, a smile spread across Shen Rui’s face.
"This nephew pays respects to his eldest uncle!" Pei Yunrui hurriedly bowed to Shen Rui.
"Ruier, when did you arrive in the capital?" Shen Rui asked delightedly. Shen Rui had only one sister, Shen Hui, and since Pei Yunrui had grown up in the Shen family, the brothers treated him as their own son.
"I arrived yesterday, Uncle. I came to see you today," Pei Yunrui said, looking up at his uncle with a smile. Why did his uncle’s smile seem so strained?
Shen Rui inherited the Shen family’s refined genes and the characteristics of a Jiangnan scholar. His dignified, majestic face held a gentle air, and his large, expressive eyes seemed to hide a spring of clear water. A short beard under his chin added to his scholarly elegance, though today he looked utterly exhausted.
"Good, good. I am glad you haven't forgotten this uncle." Shen Rui’s face was filled with joy; the day’s fatigue seemed to dissipate.
"Father! Why are you so late today?" A man of about thirty greeted Shen Rui.
The man wore a simple, casual green robe, and his heroic, handsome face mirrored Shen Rui’s. His eyes were slightly smaller, but his nose was straight, and he carried a more youthful vigor than his father. He was Shen Rui’s son, Shen Jiayi, a thirty-year-old assistant at the Ministry of Justice.
"Let’s go inside to talk!" Shen Rui looked at his son, sighed, and walked toward the room.
Shen Jiayi and Pei Yunrui exchanged wry smiles; it seemed things had not gone well at court today.
Once inside and seated, maids served tea. Naturally, there was the usual exchange of greetings between uncle and nephew, and updates on the family’s situation. However, the conversation inevitably turned to Lu Jin, the Shen family’s son-in-law, whom Shen Rui and his son had never met.
"You’ve seen Xier’s husband. What is he like?" Shen Rui asked from his seat of honor.
Pei Yunrui, who had been chatting happily, felt his mood sour at the mention of Lu Jin.
What was he like? A shameless wretch!
Not only had he stolen his cousin, but he constantly mocked him with sharp words. He would say things like, "It's illegal for cousins to marry," or "It’s shameless to chase after a cousin."
Thinking of this, Pei Yunrui’s face flushed with anger.
Shen Rui had asked a casual question, but seeing his nephew’s distressed expression, he realized something was wrong.
Shen Jiayi had been talking with Pei Yunrui for a while and had already learned quite a bit about Lu Jin. He never imagined a son-in-law could cause such a stir in the family.
"Lu Jin was the top scholar in the Jiangzhou academy exams this year, so he has some talent. But his temperament is unstable. Some time ago, he was kidnapped by water bandits, which caused Xier to fall gravely ill... He played along with the bandits to save his life, and they even sent a message home to report he was safe..."
Pei Yunrui briefly recounted what he knew.
Shen Rui pondered as he listened. While Lu Jin might have talent, he felt like a potential source of instability in the Shen family.
"And what is your grandmother’s and second uncle’s attitude?" Shen Rui asked. His mother was wise, and his second brother was the head of the family; their attitudes were the key.
"Grandmother likes Lu Jin very much. Xier brought him back, and it was Grandmother who consented to their marriage. As for Second Uncle, Xier likes him, so he just lets her have her way!" Pei Yunrui said, lowering his head.
Pei Yunrui spoke with resentment, but more importantly, he and his father had left Jianglin shortly after Lu Jin returned, so he was unaware of many internal details or the shift in Lu Jin’s status.
"Your second uncle shouldn't let Xier have her way in everything!" Shen Rui grumbled. He had written a letter at the time, only for the family to rush into an arrangement. If they were going to marry, why not find someone better? As for being a "top scholar," the Shen family didn't care about such things.
Pei Yunrui stayed silent; he couldn't very well join his uncle in complaining about his second uncle.
"Father, Grandmother is always wise. If she approved of this, then Lu Jin cannot be that bad. And Xier is not an ordinary woman; if Lu Jin were truly worthless, she wouldn't have chosen him," Shen Jiayi remarked.
In truth, Shen Rui knew that with his mother in charge, things wouldn't go too far wrong. Yet, he was unsatisfied with the result: the Shen family’s most outstanding daughter, whom even the Emperor didn't appreciate, had ended up marrying a mere scholar. But it was his third brother’s affair, and he couldn't say much more.

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"Ruier, are you planning to resume your duties at the Hanlin Academy this time?" Shifting his mind away from the family drama, Shen Rui turned to his nephew’s future.
"Yes, Uncle. I plan to rest for a few days before reporting for duty." The journey from Jiangzhou to Chuzhou, and then to the capital, had been long and bumpy, so a few days of rest were necessary.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Wait until your aunt arrives, and you can return home with your eldest brother’s family," Shen Rui suggested.
"Huh?" Pei Yunrui was stunned. Why leave so soon after arriving?
"Father, has something happened?" Shen Jiayi asked. He was thirty and would not be as flighty as Pei Yunrui. If his father said this, there must be a reason. Though he was an official at the Ministry of Justice, he might not always be the first to know about high-level court matters.
"The White Rong have broken through Ningbian and are likely already at Fengzhou, heading toward the capital." Shen Rui’s expression was full of anxiety.
"What? This..." Even Shen Jiayi could not remain calm; his mind was in chaos. How could they have invaded so suddenly?
Shen Rui saw the reaction of the two young men; it was as he had expected. Even he and the entire court were shocked.
"And what about you, Father?" Shen Jiayi asked.
"Today, the imperial decree for promotions was issued. I have been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as Minister, which effectively puts me in the Cabinet. Naturally, I must stay in the capital..."
As the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Shen Rui not only had his duties but was also the face of the Shen family in the capital; he could not simply run away. But if something went wrong, he couldn't let the younger generation suffer.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Uncle!" Pei Yunrui hurriedly stood up and bowed.
"What is there to celebrate? The national treasury was long ago squandered by the late Emperor and a group of parasites. Do you think being Minister of Revenue is an easy job?" Shen Rui forced a smile.
Pei Yunrui looked embarrassed; no wonder his cousin was sitting there so quietly.
"The imperial court has already arranged to mobilize troops from across the country to rescue the capital. It’s going to be chaotic for a while," Shen Rui sighed. When armies pass, they leave nothing behind. The whole country would be in a mess; who knows how many families would suffer.
"Whose idea was this? Even if the White Rong invade, we still have the Yunzhong, Jingdong, and Hedong circuits to block them. Even if troops are to be mobilized, that’s not the way to do it!" Shen Jiayi said angrily.
"Do you think others don't know that? But if the capital falls, who will take the blame?" Shen Rui glanced at his son.
Shen Jiayi and Pei Yunrui sighed.
Aristocratic families had their own interests, just like the imperial family. The two had long been in a standoff; it wasn't a matter of who was more "just," and it wasn't as if the aristocrats weren't patriotic.
The fact that Zhang Yan’s proposal passed today was certainly due to Yuwen Yongjia’s maneuvering, but the key was that Xiao Yi, the Chief Chancellor and representative of the aristocracy, had agreed. The state was in dire straits, and they had to take extraordinary measures. It was, in a way, a compromise between the aristocracy and the imperial family in the face of external pressure.
"The treasury is empty. Today, Zhang Yan proposed ten measures for increasing revenue in the court. First... the Emperor agreed to the first four." Shen Rui gave a brief account of the day’s court proceedings.
A buzz filled the air; Shen Jiayi and Pei Yunrui were even more bewildered. So much had happened today. Not only the White Rong invasion, but many of Zhang Yan’s items were aimed directly at the aristocracy...
"I’m telling you to go back for a reason. Besides the uncertainty of the White Rong, these proposals will have a massive impact on our two families. You can take this opportunity to explain the situation to the family back home."
Shen Rui had other considerations. The Great Liang was currently surrounded by crises; not only were neighbors watching like tigers, but they had now directly invaded. Internally, refugees were everywhere, and now the imperial family was reaching into the pockets of the aristocracy.
Some of the proposals today seemed sound, but others looked like signs of a collapsing state. The new Emperor’s ability and character remained unclear. By sending the younger generation back, they could avoid the immediate storm and wait to see how things unfolded.
"Father, I will stay in the capital with you; let my cousin take the family back," Shen Jiayi said. How could he leave his father alone? And even though he was just a junior official, he held a responsibility. In such a situation, how could he slink away?
"Your mother should arrive in a few days. Let’s wait until she gets here to discuss it," Shen Rui said. He wasn't overly worried; there was time. The White Rong couldn't reach the capital in a few days.
"Father, although the treasury is empty, Zhang Yan’s ten items all point directly at the aristocracy; he is clearly prepared. This Zhang Yan..." Shen Jiayi began.
"Zhang Yan is one of Yuwen Yongjia’s men; he naturally represents Yuwen’s will," Shen Rui said.
"But the Yuwen family is also a powerful northern clan. How can he dig his own grave?"
"In this world, some people value sentiment, some value profit, and some value power. And how do you know the Yuwen family won't be the ones to profit, or become the new hegemon?..." Shen Rui said.
Shen Jiayi was speechless. Beset by enemies from within and without, the Great Liang was truly going to fall into chaos.