At first, no one paid attention to the umbrella.
Because it was carried by a squad of Dragon Robed Guards.
The Dragon Robed Guards now had a frightening reputation in the capital, so people avoided them when they saw them.
Then the lead Dragon Robed Guard opened an umbrella.
This umbrella didn’t quite look like an umbrella—it was made of cloth, very large, and the cloth wasn’t a single piece but many pieces sewn together, like a patchwork garment.
What was this? The avoiding citizens couldn’t help but be curious.
“The scholars of Jingzhou kowtow in gratitude for the Empress’s protective grace and present this Umbrella of Recognition!” the Dragon Robed Guard shouted loudly, answering the question the citizens hadn’t yet asked.
Then, holding the umbrella, they spurred their horses toward the city center.
Jingzhou? Umbrella of Recognition? Why were Jingzhou scholars thanking the Empress? Only half the questions were answered, which was even more tantalizing than no answer at all. The citizens, no longer caring about fearing the Dragon Robed Guards, surged forward to follow.
“What is an Umbrella of Recognition?”
The Dragon Robed Guards paid no more attention to the citizens and didn’t shout anymore, simply carrying the umbrella forward at an unhurried pace.
But though they didn’t speak, the citizens who had followed from outside the city began to talk. Clearly these people had already witnessed this scene outside the city.
“Look at the umbrella.” “Every piece of cloth has a name written on it.” “These are Jingzhou scholars who each tore a piece from their own robes to sew this umbrella together.” “To thank Her Majesty the Empress.”
Sentence by sentence, the words spread through the street, causing greater commotion and inquiries. Why? Didn’t they say Jingzhou had been trampled by the Dragon Robed Guards? Many officials and citizens had been arrested, doors broken down, families destroyed. They said even the Jingzhou provincial governor had been beaten and submitted his resignation.
“What do you mean why? Have you all gone confused? Because Her Majesty overturned a wrongful case!”
“It was a wrongful case involving the evaluation and ranking of scholars, so the scholars are thanking the Empress.”
“That was a wrongful case with upper and lower officials colluding—airtight as an iron barrel. If Her Majesty hadn’t forcibly intervened, the wronged person would have already lost his head by now, and no one would ever know about this matter.”
“Think about it—someone as important as the Imperial Academy Chancellor, if not for the Empress, who could have arrested him from his home!”
“Those high officials collude with each other, officials protecting officials. Only the Empress can deal with them!”
“So the Dragon Robed Guards aren’t committing evil deeds.”
“They’re arresting evil people—of course that’s not committing evil.”
“These Dragon Robed Guards are punishing traitors and eliminating evil!”
“Oh my, then they’re heroes and good men too.”
Since they were heroes and good men, shouldn’t they be welcomed with cheers and flowers? But these Dragon Robed Guards were different from the previous garrison soldiers. Their clothing, their stern expressions made the citizens not dare to cheer. They could only discuss in low voices as they watched them pass.
The men crowding at the window in the wine shop withdrew their gazes.
“I told you so.” Fifth Master Zhou patted Third Master Xu on the shoulder. “As long as you don’t harm heaven or people, the Dragon Robed Guards won’t raid our shops and property.” (Note)
Third Master Xu forced a slight smile, then frowned. “No, it’s not about whether we harm heaven or people. The key to this matter is that the procedures are wrong.”
This wasn’t something the Empress should do, and the Dragon Robed Guards had no authority to patrol and arrest. If they acted so recklessly just to punish traitors and eliminate evil, that was using evil to control evil—it was all evil—
“Third Xu!” Fifth Master Zhou slapped him hard. “Procedures and such aren’t for us businessmen to worry about. That’s for the big shots above to handle. What we people consider is only that evil people are punished and good people are safe. That way, if someday we encounter a wrongful case, we’ll also have a path to take.”
Who could guarantee smooth sailing their whole life? Even high officials and the powerful couldn’t. Third Master Xu opened his mouth, then finally swallowed the words he wanted to say.
Forget it. The big shots above were fighting for power—what did it have to do with him? Whatever.
……
……
Ding Dachui spread out the cloth umbrella. Xiao Yu, Chu Zhao, A’Le, and Eunuch Qi all gathered around to look. Even Xiao Man cast glances from the side.
“How many people are there?” Xiao Yu cared about this.
A’Le touched the fabric, discovering a detail: “There’s both silk and coarse cloth—these people are both poor and rich.”
“Besides their names, each person also wrote a line from the teachings of ancient sages,” Eunuch Qi said.
Chu Zhao immediately pulled Xiao Yu over, pointing at the different handwriting and varying numbers of characters, asking, “Where does this come from? What does it mean?”
Xiao Yu shook her hand. “Sister, they didn’t send this umbrella to test my learning.”
Everyone in the hall laughed.
Chu Zhao also laughed, then looked at Ding Dachui and asked, “It seems Lord Zhu put in considerable effort.”
Ding Dachui nodded. “Lord Zhu visited Jingzhou scholars house by house. He talked until his voice was hoarse.”
Attendant Yin added from the side, “He even visited the three families involved in the case, saying: ‘You could spend money here to buy exam questions and get positions—how can you guarantee that in the future, in higher places, people more powerful than you won’t buy exam questions and positions to suppress you? Don’t you wonder how you’ll handle the injustice then? Are you willing to let all the money you spent before be wasted?'”
Chu Zhao laughed despite herself. “That works too? He really dares to say anything.”
She didn’t know much about this Zhu Yong. Seeing him stand up in court to seek justice for his friend, plus the materials the Dragon Robed Guards collected afterward, she could tell this Zhu Yong was an orthodox, quiet, gentle official—the type who disapproved of things but didn’t speak up, just lived his own small life.
Volunteering to become a censor could be understood as him being desperate with nowhere else to turn, forced to stand on her side.
But she hadn’t expected his words to be so unorthodox.
“He also promised benefits,” Attendant Yin said, his eyes gleaming with a sly smile. “No, it should be called incitement. He incited Jingzhou’s scholars, telling them to take advantage of this to gain fame and pursue merit. They would use this matter to thoroughly investigate Jingzhou’s officialdom, remove those corrupt and mediocre officials, and then select replacements from among them.”
Reason, emotion, righteousness, and benefit—Jingzhou’s scholars were immediately ignited.
While the Ministry of Justice officials and local Jingzhou officials were still figuring out how to give Zhu Yong the cold shoulder, Zhu Yong paid them no attention. Upon arriving in Jingzhou, he didn’t even enter the government office. He and the Ministry of Justice officials did their own things separately. As a result, without needing to deal with any officials, Jingzhou’s scholars split mountains and parted seas for him.
Chu Zhao looked at the umbrella held open before her, silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “No one should be underestimated.”
Who said honest people couldn’t act like villains?
When honest people truly hardened their hearts, even villains couldn’t handle them.
“There’s more,” Attendant Yin continued. “Lord Zhu said that if our Dragon Might Army is to investigate cases, it would be best to establish a separate division. Since we protect the Emperor, we should establish a Guard Division. That way our actions would have regulations and be justified and well-founded.”
Chu Zhao nodded. “He’s right. The Dragon Might Army is now known to everyone. Since that’s the case, let them exist openly and legitimately. Go discuss and draft the regulations. I’ll announce it in court.”
As for whether the Grand Tutor and court officials agreed or not—that wasn’t her problem.
She would say it anyway.
If they remained silent, that meant they agreed.
Ding Dachui raised the umbrella. “Tomorrow at court, let’s display this and let the Grand Tutor know the scholars’ respect for Her Majesty.”
They said Her Majesty was doing evil—surely they couldn’t say all of Jingzhou’s scholars were collaborating in evil?
Chu Zhao smiled and shook her head. “No need. He doesn’t care about these things, and I don’t need to show him.”
It’s useless? Ding Dachui was momentarily stunned. Then was this all done for nothing?
The next day at court, just as Chu Zhao said, the court officials didn’t mention this matter at all, as if they didn’t know that everyone on the streets was discussing the Umbrella of Recognition.
When Chu Zhao brought up Jingzhou matters, the officials remained silent as before—Zhu Yong hadn’t returned yet, so no one stood up to respond.
“Does the Empress think that this way, she can take the lead in court?” Seventh Master Xie curled his lip after court adjourned. “So what if there’s praise among the people? The common folk can’t charge into court to discuss politics.”
Xie Yanfang put down his fishing rod and moved his arms.
“The Empress didn’t do this to gain praise among the people,” he said.
Seventh Master Xie frowned. “Then what does she want?”
“She doesn’t want anything. She just wants to act as she pleases,” Xie Yanfang said, smiling with satisfaction. “Our Miss Zhao has finally learned how to be an emperor.”
Emperor? Seventh Master Xie didn’t much like this term. “She’s only the Empress. Our Little Yu is the emperor.”
Xie Yanfang said, “For ministers, having one more emperor above them who acts as they please is acceptable. But in court, by their side, they cannot have one more minister who acts as they please.”
Seventh Master Xie didn’t quite understand.
Xie Yanfang smiled. “Someone will understand.”
……
……
Seventh Master Xie soon saw it happen.
One day in court, the officials were hotly debating a matter when the Empress, hearing something that interested her, sat up straight.
“The Xiangzhou summer floods have received relief funds for three consecutive years? Why, after three years, are the floods still unresolved?” she asked. “How much funding was allocated over these three years? How many river channels and dikes were built? Where was all the money distributed?”
The officials who had been heatedly debating instantly fell silent, lowering their eyes and hands as if deaf and mute.
Fine. Chu Zhao didn’t mind either. She would look at the memorials and examine the case files later. She was just about to lean back when an official stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, this minister has something to say about this matter.” He bowed in salute.
Who?
Had that Hanlin Academy compiler returned?
The officials with lowered eyes were startled and turned to look back. There was no one standing at the back of the formation. Meanwhile, the officials at the back looked forward in surprise.
The officials at the front withdrew their gazes and looked at the first three rows.
A purple-robed official with a short beard raised his head, looking at the Empress.
The Empress also looked at him, her expression seemingly somewhat surprised. “Vice Minister of Revenue?” She then set aside her surprise and smiled slightly. “Please speak.”
……
……