“Your Majesty, have you ever considered why this situation has arisen? Previous emperors were no more intelligent than Your Majesty, and certainly not as diligent, yet they never faced such circumstances. Why is it that when it comes to you, so many changes have occurred? Could it be that the ministers are deliberately neglecting their duties and pushing governmental affairs onto Your Majesty?” Zhangsun suddenly thought of a possibility.
Li’er waved his hand and said, “That’s definitely not the case. Lord Fang, Lord Du, Lord Wei, Wuji, Lord Li, Lord Dai, Lord Yu—these men are already doing their utmost. Only matters that truly require my review are sent to the palace. Even someone as unreliable as Yun Ye is working hard to handle governmental affairs. The Lingnan Navy has never given me cause for concern. So, Empress, we must not criticize these loyal and devoted ministers. They have already done their best.”
“If that is so, Your Majesty is diligent, the ministers are diligent, and I, as Empress, am also helping Your Majesty manage the palace’s internal affairs. Why has the current situation come about?”
Li’er pointed to the smoking chimney of the Department of State Affairs and said, “Does the Empress know how many useless memorials the Department of State Affairs burns in a single day?” Seeing the Empress shake her head, Li’er continued, “A full three thousand pounds. The fires for burning memorials never cease throughout the day. Those are all memorials that have already been processed and have nowhere to be stored, and because they cannot be allowed to leak secrets, they can only be burned. Now you understand that the memorials that reach my hands are actually not that many, don’t you? Yet even these memorials leave me utterly overwhelmed. Sometimes I feel more like a human imperial seal.”
“When I’m exhausted, I also wonder what exactly is going on. Only after carefully examining the memorials awaiting my review did I understand what has happened. Look at this—it’s a memorial from the Governor of Yangzhou, requesting that I open the port of Yangzhou and establish a Maritime Trade Bureau there. I’d wager that Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han never had the opportunity to receive such memorials.”
“And there’s this one, a memorial from the director of the Chang’an Industrial District, requesting the establishment of a city within the industrial zone. Do you think Emperor Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han would have received such memorials?”
“This memorial requests legislation to regulate left and right traffic flow for carriages and horses. And this one is extraordinary—it’s a ten-thousand-word petition from the noblewomen of Chang’an collectively impeaching the county magistrates of Chang’an, Wannian, and Lantian Counties for acting recklessly, lawlessly, and encroaching on their fiefdoms. Since when did women’s memorials start reaching me? Looking at it, the momentum seems quite substantial. Haha.”
“Now do you understand, Empress? The Great Tang has gained many new things, and these new things all require my careful consideration before they can be implemented. Because I don’t understand them or comprehend them fully, reviewing them naturally takes longer and is naturally more mentally taxing. This emperor I’m being is far more exhausting than Emperor Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han.”
Zhangsun helped Li’er sit down with sympathy and said, “Is there no good method to resolve this matter? Over time, I worry about your health. If you continue to exhaust your spirit and mind reviewing memorials like this, sooner or later you will burn yourself out completely.”
Li’er burst into hearty laughter, pointing at Zhangsun and saying, “You were just advising me to rein in Yushan Academy a bit, and now you’ve changed your tune? You women always have your reasons, just like those noblewomen. The government is clearly trying to clear the river channels in preparation for the autumn floods that will soon arrive, yet they feel sorry for their own few dozen acres of land while paying no attention to the thousands of acres behind them. I don’t know what they’re all thinking.”
Zhangsun pretended to spit at the Emperor and said, “Don’t underestimate these women. They’re quite capable. They’re all worried about their families’ fiefdoms being affected, so they’re deliberately making things difficult for the government. It’s no problem—I’ll handle this matter. Since those landlords have all pushed their wives forward, perfect—I’ll go see what’s really going on. It would be disgraceful for you to deal with it personally.”
Li’er tossed that memorial to Zhangsun and continued sitting in his chair processing documents. With a bitter smile, he looked at the memorials piled over two feet high, sighed, and opened the memorial from the Governor of Yangzhou. After writing a large character meaning “approved,” he began adding his comments: “The matter of opening the market has been approved, but the officials employed must be transferred from Quan and Guang prefectures—firstly for their experience, and secondly for the sake of integrity. Local people may not serve as substantive officials in the local Maritime Trade Bureau. This shall be established as a permanent precedent…”
When Li You and Yun Ya returned to the Yun Family residence, they happened to see their sisters-in-law also returning. They had heard the women went to the riverbank to weep, so why were they all returning so cheerfully? Xinyue was waving her handkerchief and walking at the front. Na Rimu was wearing a wreath woven from wild chrysanthemums and following behind. Most absurd of all was Lingdang—the willow branch in her hand actually had a long string of small fish threaded on it. The servants and maids also seemed very happy, and the large group entered the gate talking and laughing. Xinyue even pinched Xiao Ya’s cheek to show affection.
Xinyue was thoroughly disgusted by Yun Ye squatting under the eaves with a bowl eating noodles. Only tenant farmers would do such a thing. For a dignified marquis to be chewing on garlic cloves, holding an old bowl bigger than a human head, and eating with loud slurping sounds was utterly disgraceful.
“Mind your own business. Now you complain I don’t have aristocratic bearing—it’s too late. We already have two children. Deep down, I’m just an old farmer. I can’t learn those refined manners of yours. Go get me another head of garlic—I want a single-clove one. Individual cloves aren’t satisfying enough.”
Li You felt his brother-in-law was quite impressive. He also went to the kitchen to get a large bowl and squatted under the eaves together with his brother-in-law, eating and chatting. He wanted to ask his brother-in-law what he should do when he arrived in Qi Prefecture.
“When you return to Qi Prefecture, just live your own little life peacefully. Hand over your fief to the subordinate officials His Majesty assigns you to manage. You only need to collect taxes each year. If taxes are high, give them bonuses. If taxes are low, ask His Majesty for new subordinate officials. You enjoy hunting, so go hunt. As long as you don’t harm the common people’s crops, you can hunt year-round without any problem. Just take care of your health and look after Xiao Ya.”
“Do you feel a bit aggrieved? Feel like your talents are being buried? This world is full of buried talents—how many of them die of old age? Your Third Brother and Fourth Brother—which of them isn’t a resounding talent?”
“Now, what is your Third Brother doing? He’s guarding the Wu-Yue region, busy making babies. Your Fourth Brother is hiding in the underground chambers of the Hall of Martial Virtue researching his scholarship, and when he has nothing to do, he doesn’t even step foot above ground. So you see, if your little bit of talent gets buried, it gets buried. If you really want to do something, go to the academy and pick one of the most difficult problems and see if you can solve it. It’s quite interesting.”
Li You picked up a chopstick-full of noodles, slurped them in, and while wiping his mouth said, “Xiao An and Shishi already have children now. They’re staying in the Land of Abundance enjoying their fortune. I heard they also haven’t personally managed their own fiefdoms and seem to pay no attention to Shu region except for their own businesses. This year they even received commendation from my father the Emperor, who said he was capable and steady, and should serve as a model for all the princes.”
“Now you understand? Your father the Emperor wants you all to do nothing at all. Ever since your Fourth Brother handed over management authority of his fief, if any other prince doesn’t hand it over, first a big hat of ‘harboring ulterior motives’ gets slapped down on him. So you see, Xiao An doesn’t harm the common people, doesn’t interact with local officials, and makes a bit of money doing business—this is absolutely what your father the Emperor wants to see. Since you’re an imperial prince, you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. A lifetime of wealth and honor won’t escape you, and after your eldest brother inherits the throne, it will still be the same.”
After Yun Ye finished his large bowl of noodles, he went to check on Wang Cai. The wound on its leg had already scabbed over, but it was a bit itchy, and it kept wanting to rub against the wall. Yun Ye untied the cloth strips on its leg. He was satisfied with how the wound was healing. Using his fingernail, he gently scratched the skin around the wound, and Wang Cai, who had been somewhat irritable, immediately quieted down.
Only when Yun Ye was together with Wang Cai could he obtain some peace. Tomorrow morning’s court session was something he had to attend. The disposal plan for Hou Junji had come down. That old fellow Dai Zhou was truly impartial and incorruptible—Hou Junji: strangulation. Hou Junji’s three sons: beheading. Hou Junji’s wives, concubines, and daughters: made into official slaves and sent to the Bureau of Music. He didn’t know what kind of great hatred existed between him and Hou Junji that he had to do this.
Liu Fang walked over carrying a pot of wine. Seeing Yun Ye squatting on the ground continuously scratching Wang Cai’s itch while muttering about Dai Zhou, with his thoughts obviously wandering who knows where, and Wang Cai impatiently indicating he should scratch a different spot yet getting no response—
“You’re not getting by in officialdom the right way. Let me tell you, not only did Dai Zhou have no previous enmity with Hou Junji, they were actually close friends. Hou Junji’s second daughter’s husband is Dai Zhou’s youngest son. Up to now, I haven’t heard any news about the Dai family breaking off the engagement. Think about it—why would Dai Zhou disregard even the last shred of face and insist on condemning Hou Junji’s entire family to death?”
Yun Ye shook his head. This was the verdict from the Court of Judicial Review. Unless the Emperor himself overturned it, the Hou family would be dealt with this way. Yun Ye had heard that when nobles committed minor crimes, there were stand-ins to serve their prison terms, but when major crimes were committed, no one dared do such a thing. Once the matter was exposed, their family would share the same punishment as Hou Junji—no room for negotiation.
Liu Fang took a sip of wine and said, “Young man, learn from this. This tactic is called ‘placing in a desperate situation for subsequent survival.’ Hou Junji is definitely going to die—there’s no negotiating that point. But the disposal of his family members leaves much room for maneuvering.”
“The reason Dai Zhou made things so harsh and absolute is actually to provoke His Majesty’s sympathy. What kind of person is Hou Junji? Before this incident, he was the foremost loyal hound in His Majesty’s hands. During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he charged forward courageously, his entire body bathed in blood yet not uttering a single complaint. Moreover, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he had the merit of destroying enemy states. How could His Majesty not leave him even a shred of legacy? The court ministers will inevitably feel the sorrow of ‘when the hare dies, the fox grieves,’ identifying with his fate, and they will also do their utmost to plead for mercy. So you see, except for Hou Junji himself, I dare bet with you that at tomorrow morning’s court session, Hou Junji will be executed, but his family will certainly be unharmed. Banishing the entire family to Lingnan will still be necessary. Although Lingnan is no longer a miasmic plague-land, the Great Tang legal code still treats Lingnan as the preferred destination for exiling criminals guilty of treason and the like. So tomorrow you just need to watch coldly from the sidelines. Wait until the Hou family is exiled to Lingnan before you make your move—that won’t be too late.”
“These fellows who followed Li’er in rebellion truly aren’t people to be trifled with. They’re probably already practiced and proficient at this kind of thing. Who should do what has probably been divided up long ago. The reason that fellow Dai Zhou won’t dissolve the marriage engagement is probably because he’s waiting for the Emperor’s decree to come down. Even if the worst possible situation occurs, he can still rescue Hou Junji’s second daughter from the fire pit.”
A bunch of old foxes! Yun Ye thought admiringly.