Chongwen Hall remained the empire’s nerve center. At this moment, as night darkened, dozens of bright horn lamps illuminated the great hall as if it were broad daylight.
Behind the imperial desk, Qing Yang and Grand Empress Dowager Mingcheng Huang E sat side by side, with the new Emperor Yang Bin sitting between them like a puppet, his two small hands held respectively by Qing Yang and Grand Empress Dowager Mingcheng Huang E.
The new Emperor Yang Bin wanted to withdraw his right hand from Grand Empress Dowager Mingcheng Huang E’s grasp, yet his expression showed some fear, afraid of being scolded for not understanding proper etiquette.
According to the rules, Grand Empress Dowager Mingcheng was his mother empress, while his own mother was some Holy Mother Grand Empress Dowager—at his tender age, he could not discern the difference between them. And it was precisely this “mother empress” who had once pretended to accidentally push him down high steps, causing him to fall with a bloodied head, yet his own mother had made him falsely claim it was the palace attendants’ poor care and his own accidental fall.
Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Du Chongtao, Yang En, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Zhang Chao, and others were all granted seats. Han Daoming and the white-haired and white-bearded Yun Puzi, summoned by imperial edict to the palace, now stood in the great hall.
Han Daoming surveyed his surroundings. Seeing no one intended to grant him a seat, he asked in an indifferent tone:
“I wonder why Prime Minister Shen and Prince Shou have arranged yourselves like a joint tribunal to interrogate me?”
“You two brothers conspired together, privately intercepting grain shipments to send to Tangyi, while the Chishan Association over these years has also been something you two brothers plotted in every way to deceive the court and quietly grow in strength,” Zhang Chao, unwilling to become everyone’s target due to his own dereliction of duty, naturally had to be the first to step forward and push all responsibility onto Han Daoming and Han Daochang’s conspiracy, saying with a cold laugh, “Surely Minister Han won’t pretend at this point to know nothing about it?”
“Some matters were indeed not reported in advance, but this was absolutely not intentional deception. It was truly out of concern that Mengwu spies might still be lurking within the various departments, causing information to leak and the situation throughout the realm to collapse,” Han Daoming, now over sixty years old with frost-white temples, spoke with ample vigor.
“What matters were not reported?” Qing Yang asked.
“Reporting to the Grand Empress Dowager, when the Liang Emperor sent people to escort the rebel empress and the late Emperor’s royal grandson Yang Fen south to Jinling for trial, he also sent along a secret letter,” Han Daoming said. “In the secret letter, Liang Emperor Zhu Yu claimed he was gravely ill, while his eldest son, Prince Liang Luo Zhu Zhen, was struck by a poisoned arrow while breaking out from Yong Province City and was also at death’s door—these two pieces of news were verified by Tangyi’s secret agents and are both absolutely accurate. Therefore, although it appeared last year that the Liang army recaptured Heluo from the Eastern Liang rebels, the situation in Heluo is actually precarious as a pile of eggs. The Liang Emperor has sealed off all information, and this time, under the pretext of joining forces to attack Yong, he invited Tangyi to send troops into Heluo—in reality, this is a last-ditch effort to prevent the situation in Heluo from collapsing!”
Han Daoming’s words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, immediately stirring up tremendous waves in everyone’s hearts.
After a long while, Zhang Chao stared at Han Daoming’s gaunt face and relentlessly demanded:
“If the situation in Heluo is precarious, why has Tangyi been massively assembling Chishan Association forces in Xichuan, Donghu, and Tangyi? And why has the Chishan Association, without reporting to the Salt and Iron Transport Commission, increased its shipwrights and sailors several-fold? Do they have any regard for the court whatsoever?”
Not only did Zhang Chao want to shirk responsibility and therefore had to seize on this point to relentlessly pursue Han Daoming, but this was precisely what most alarmed all the assembled ministers.
It was true that Xu Province and Donghu and other places practically monopolized the shipbuilding industry in the Jianghuai region, but the scale of Tangyi’s navy had never been particularly large.
Even after seizing Shou, Huo, and other territories, although Tangyi’s naval defense zone expanded and extended into the middle and upper reaches of the Huai River, Tangyi’s naval forces—including combat troops, shipwrights, and sailors—had long maintained around ten thousand men.
The Chishan Association had initially reported to the Salt and Iron Transport Commission about four thousand shipwrights and sailors, which increased year by year, but the formally reported number before the New Year was over seven thousand nine hundred, plus an additional armed guard force of eight hundred.
During the Chenzhou crisis, the Chishan Association had only assembled over four thousand men to the upper reaches of the Yuan River, and even then, Censorate officials had repeatedly submitted memorials impeaching them, worried that the Chishan Association’s power was growing too large and would become too strong to control.
After the destruction of the Five Guard Army naval forces, the central administration, constrained by various factions, had failed to rebuild naval strength. After the palace coup, part of the naval forces belonging to the Manufacturing Bureau’s Military Equipment Office had also been swept away by Lu Qingxia.
However, aside from the Right Dragon Martial Army maintaining a rather large-scale naval camp, after Huaidong transferred Yang and Tai provinces, the provincial forces in these two places maintained a total naval camp of two thousand men, all under the command of military commissioners dispatched by the Bureau of Military Affairs to Yang and Tai provinces.
Adding the local provincial naval camps of Chi, Xuan, Run, and Su, the court could mobilize naval combat strength of fourteen to fifteen thousand men in the middle and lower Yangtze when necessary.
Beyond this, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan also possessed an elite naval force in the lower Huai River, while Huang Hua in Yueyang was actively promoting the strengthening of naval construction in Hunan’s provinces.
At this time, the naval forces of various powers within Great Chu could still be considered barely maintaining a balance.
This was also the secondary goal Shen Yang could pursue and achieve under current circumstances.
However, who could have imagined that the Chishan Association had quietly grown over several years to more than five times its reported numbers?
While Tangyi’s heavy armored infantry and cavalry-infantry forces had continuously expanded in scale over these years, its navy had not correspondingly expanded. Everyone in Jinling had believed this to be true—who could have imagined this was all a false impression Tangyi had intentionally created? Who could have imagined that Tangyi had actually hidden all its mobilizable naval potential beneath the surface within the lurking Chishan Association?
Yang En, Yang Zhitang, Du Chongtao, and others also stared at Han Daoming with hawkish intensity. These various matters absolutely could not all be explained away by the Liang Emperor’s critical illness.
Han Daoming calmly continued: “Tangyi has clear evidence that before Lu Qingxia launched the palace coup, he secretly sent the traitors Yao Xishui, Zhou Yuan, and others to Huaidong for contact multiple times—Lu Qingxia launched the palace coup but was immediately suppressed by Prime Minister Shen and Prince Shou leading the masses, so Huaidong’s evil deeds were not revealed. But can those present here pat their chests and say he is utterly loyal to the court, with absolutely no possibility of colluding with the Mengwu? In the Hehuai battle, Tangyi exhausted all its strength to resist the barbarian invaders and avenge our sovereign father. Surely you all saw Prince Xin sitting on the wall watching from Chu Province. Can those present here pat their chests and say that if the Hehuai battle had dragged on until now, there would be no possibility of Prince Xin colluding with the Mengwu to attack Tangyi? Han Qian’s assembly of Chishan Association forces at this time is truly because the situation is too urgent, truly out of concern that once news of the Liang Emperor’s critical illness spreads, certain people’s ambitions will become unable to restrain themselves from stirring—the capital region has tens of thousands of elite troops for protection and need not worry in the short term, but Tangyi cannot help but worry about being attacked from front and rear—”
What kind of reason was this?
Prince Xin had never been an easy character—everyone was well aware of this. But after the palace coup, Prince Xin had returned control of Yang and Tai provinces and had Zhao Zhen lead his forces to join the Pacification Army to suppress the rebels north of Xiang, already demonstrating sufficient sincerity. As for Tangyi sending troops to relieve the Liang army’s southern withdrawal from Bian and engaging in fierce battle with Eastern Liang forces and Mengwu troops at Xiacai and Dan counties, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan had chosen to sit on the wall watching from Chu Province—but this was something they had tacitly permitted. The capital hadn’t even hypocritically issued an edict urging Chu Province to send troops, so naturally this responsibility could not be blamed on Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan.
And even taking ten thousand steps back, even if Tangyi had sufficient reason to be a hundredfold more wary of Chu Province, what about privately intercepting grain shipments? What about hiding such massive naval forces within the Chishan Association while deliberately concealing the Chishan Association’s scale?
At this point, no one pursued these questions further—partly to consider the veracity of the news about the Liang Emperor’s critical illness, partly because they all understood that with Han Daoming’s attitude already displayed here, such questioning would not extract anything more substantial.
After a long while, Yang Zhitang looked toward Yun Puzi and asked:
“Daoist Master Yun, what do you have to say?”
“This old Daoist cultivates body and mind daily in his temple, reading scriptures and practicing the Way—what do these various matters have to do with this old Daoist?” Yun Puzi spread his hands and asked in return. “But if Prince Shou insists this old Daoist comment, I feel that what Minister Han said makes considerable sense. I wonder what Prime Minister Shen has to say…”
“The Marquis of Qianyang worries that Chu Province harbors different intentions, but this is absolutely no excuse for him to act arbitrarily and ignore the court,” Qing Yang said, her beautiful features cold as she sat high behind the imperial desk, cutting off the conversation to ask, “Where is the Marquis of Qianyang at this moment?”
“Han Qian has already gone to Luoyang. He’s not even in Donghu. This subject doesn’t know what Prime Minister Shen and Prince Shou mean by this appearance of facing a great enemy—whom are you performing for?” Han Daoming said leisurely.
“Han Qian personally went to Luoyang? What does he intend to do with Liang Emperor Zhu Yu?” Yang En and Shen Yang could no longer restrain themselves at this moment, leaning forward in alarm to ask.
“The Liang Emperor is critically ill, Prince Liang Luo is poisoned and injured, while his other two sons are young and cannot manage military and governmental affairs. The Liang Emperor believes that Han Qian has repeatedly saved Great Chu from dire straits, and that his benevolence, trustworthiness, loyalty, and righteousness are all exemplary in this age. He intends to temporarily entrust the military and governmental affairs of Heluo to him, to await Prince Liang Luo’s recovery or for his two sons to mature,” Han Daoming said.
Yang En looked at Shen Yang, Du Chongtao, Yang Zhitang, and the others with uncertain alarm.
These past two days they had not been able to determine Han Qian’s whereabouts, but they had never imagined Han Qian had personally led twenty thousand elite troops to Heluo.
Qing Yang, however, was calmer than everyone imagined. She looked toward Shen Yang and asked: “Does Prime Minister Shen have anything else to ask Minister Han?”
Shen Yang naturally had too many questions to ask, but he knew that unless Grand Empress Dowager Changxin permitted the arrest and detention of Han Daoming and Yun Puzi with interrogators from the Court of Judicial Review or the Censorate intervening, he could not expect to extract much more substantial content from Han Daoming’s mouth.
They couldn’t even determine how much of what Han Daoming had just said was true and how much was false.
After pondering for a moment and seeing that others temporarily had no better suggestions, Shen Yang said: “Perhaps we should request that Minister Han and Daoist Master Yun temporarily return to their residences and temples, but may not leave freely, so the Grand Empress Dowager can summon them for questioning at any time…”
“Minister Du, in addition to Minister Han and Daoist Master Yun, have a contingent of Imperial Guards escort Minister Qin back to his residence as well, and do not allow others to disturb him!” Qing Yang, ignoring Huang E sitting to the side, directly issued an edict to place Han Daoming, Yun Puzi, and Qin Wen under house arrest.
That Grand Empress Dowager Changxin issued an edict to place Han Daoming and Yun Puzi under house arrest naturally met with approval from Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Yang En, and others. But hearing her issue an edict to simultaneously place Academician Qin Wen under house arrest as well, they all froze there, suspecting they had misheard, and looked in unison toward Qin Wen standing behind Shen Yang.
Qin Wen sighed lightly. Grand Empress Dowager Changxin’s action not only showed her determination to sever relations with Tangyi but also intended to use him to strike at Shen Yang, Yang En, and others.
Of course, he had long anticipated this scene would occur and was not particularly panicked. It was just that when Shen Yang looked over in shocked surprise, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. He walked forward and bowed deeply to Shen Yang:
“These years, Qin Wen has shamefully received Prime Minister Shen’s care!”
“You…” Shen Yang stood up to ask something but stumbled, nearly sitting down on the floor. He stared at Qin Wen in disbelief.
Qin Wen moved to help support him, but Shen Yang forcefully pushed Qin Wen away, awkwardly steadying his seat and sitting down with somewhat trembling hands and feet.
Yang En, Yang Zhitang, Du Chongtao, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Zhang Chao, Huang Huixiang, Zhang Xian, Zhou Qinian, and others—every single one of them—stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.
Qin Wen, whom Shen Yang had regarded as a nephew and consulted on all confidential matters, was actually a nail Han Qian had planted beside Shen Yang all these years?
This was even more shocking to them than when they discovered Wang Lin was a Huaidong secret agent and Wen Rulin was a dormant Liang tiger.
No wonder the Chishan Association had been able to hide so well all these years?
Regarding the Chishan Association matter, aside from Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner Zhang Chao’s failure to investigate, theoretically the provinces and counties should also have been able to detect some traces. It was impossible for Tangyi to have concealed it without revealing any flaws.
However, if at the final juncture before various confidential memorials were consolidated in the Policy Deliberation Hall, all suspicious points that might have raised alarm were silently erased by Qin Wen, no wonder they had all become blind.
“After the New Year, when you invited us to Prince Xin’s mansion to meet the heir Yang Cong, that was also deliberate?”
Yang En had previously concluded that the rumors after the New Year must have been manipulated by Tangyi behind the scenes. Zhou Qinian would have to find a hole to crawl into if he still couldn’t figure this out, but at this moment he was still too shocked.
If Qin Wen had long ago been won over by Han Qian, how many others in the court could they still trust?
Qing Yang’s pair of cold, beautiful eyes swept across everyone’s faces, still unable to suppress their shock at this moment. She could not allow Shen Yang and Yang Zhitang to discover problems with Qin Wen first—if that happened, she would be too passive. Not only would she be unable to clear herself of suspicion of colluding with Tangyi before, but Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, and others might even determine that her very existence would be a huge obstacle to the court’s subsequent efforts to restrict or suppress Tangyi.
At that point, even if that vile servant Huang E didn’t jump out, Shen Yang and Yang Zhitang would most likely no longer tolerate her meddling in state affairs.
Qing Yang recalled the elderly palace attendant’s words and thought to herself that regardless of what that person was ultimately scheming, the only opportunity she could seize the initiative might truly be this moment when Yang Zhitang, Du Chongtao, and others dared not lightly discuss deposing and establishing.
Thinking this, Qing Yang pressed the assembled ministers further: “Should we have the Internal Attendants Office escort Minister Han, Minister Qin, and Daoist Master Yun to leave first?”
Since they could extract nothing from Han Daoming and the others, keeping Han Daoming, Yun Puzi, and Qin Wen present would only make everyone more embarrassed.
Of course, although Grand Empress Dowager Changxin had previously said the Imperial Guards would escort these three back to their residences and temples under house arrest, now she said the Internal Attendants Office would be responsible—but no one felt there was much difference. The Internal Attendants Office was currently under Yang En, mainly managed by elderly members of the imperial clan and imperial clan matrons, which at such a moment could actually give everyone more trust and reliance.
Naturally, that Grand Empress Dowager Changxin’s edict merely placed these three under house arrest without taking other measures—everyone temporarily had nothing to say about this.
At this point they had not yet clarified Han Qian’s true whereabouts, nor had they confirmed whether Liang Emperor Zhu Yu had truly fallen gravely ill or already passed away. To characterize Tangyi and the Han mansion’s actions as treason now would undoubtedly be rash and risky.
And at this point, even if they wanted to prosecute Qin Wen, they could only have the Censorate impeach him for “privately forming cliques.”
Even if they ultimately decided to tear off all pretense, that would have to wait until they first had the confidence to protect themselves.
Watching as people from the Internal Attendants Office “courteously escorted” Han Daoming, Yun Puzi, and Qin Wen away, everyone in the great hall took quite a while to recover their senses.
The problems now before them mainly concentrated on two aspects: first, how much of Han Daoming’s words were credible and what exactly did Han Qian intend to do; second, to what extent had Han Qian infiltrated the court.
Had they gone in a great circle only to find the problems not resolved but actually more complex?
“Cough…” Shen Yang began coughing violently, finally drawing everyone’s attention back.
Shen Yang pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his mouth. After coughing for quite a while before stopping, he looked at the trace of dark red blood on the handkerchief. His heart dead as ashes, he paid it no mind and simply put it back in his sleeve. He walked before the imperial desk and knelt down: “This old minister has grown dull-eyed and failed to judge people clearly, causing the court to be passive at every turn. I have failed the late Emperor’s and the Grand Empress Dowager’s trust. I truly have no face to continue shamelessly remaining at court. I beseech the Grand Empress Dowager to permit this old minister to retire and return home…”
Seeing that Shen Yang actually wanted to retire at this moment, everyone was shocked again.
Qing Yang’s eyes stared at Shen Yang’s defeated, withered old face. She knew the Qin Wen matter had dealt him quite a blow, but it shouldn’t be enough to make him throw down his burden and leave at this time.
Her choice to expose Qin Wen’s identity in such a setting and at such a moment was meant to strike at Shen Yang, but only to dampen his arrogance, not to drive him from the court.
Qing Yang did not give that vile servant Huang E a chance to speak, saying to Shen Yang in a gentler tone:
“Qin Wen disregarded court righteousness to privately associate with high ministers and form cliques—what does this have to do with Prime Minister Shen? At this time, ministers and princes command troops with their own authority, arbitrarily discuss military affairs, and even collude extensively with court officials and palace eunuchs. The court is precarious—how can Prime Minister Shen bear to abandon me and His Majesty?”
Regardless of anything else, as long as Han Qian remained a great minister and veteran general of Chu for one day, Qin Wen serving Han Qian could not be considered an enemy agent—although Qin Wen’s betrayal of Shen Yang was so devastating to Shen Yang, when examined carefully, even the charge of “failing to judge people clearly” could not be publicly stated.
Yang En, Yang Zhitang, Du Chongtao, Zheng Yu, Zhang Chao, and others absolutely would not want Shen Yang to wash his hands of this matter at this time.
“Xu Province prospered because of father and son Han Daoxun and Han Qian. Han Qian spent many years beside the late Emperor managing Jinyun Tower, then raised the Chishan Army. That there are many throughout court and country with Tangyi connections, I am not surprised. During the palace coup, Daoist Master Yun gave advance warning, then led me and His Majesty to hide in the Ministry Personnel Office where we encountered Qin Wen. At that time I was panic-stricken and helpless, able only to rely on Daoist Master Yun and Qin Wen. But thinking back afterward, all of this was too coincidental.”
Qing Yang saw that Shen Yang, somewhat dispirited, had sat back down without raising the matter of resignation again, and continued speaking.
“It is only that the Marquis of Qianyang guards Huaixi and resists enemies abroad, while Han Daoming is a great minister of Chu. I also found it inconvenient to investigate the complications therein too closely. I imagine you ministers share my thinking. However, now regardless of how eloquently they may speak, we should isolate former members of Xu Province, Jinyun Tower, and the Chishan Army from the court. I trust you ministers have no objections?”
Shen Yang’s thoughts had not yet recovered. Yang En looked toward Yang Zhitang and Du Chongtao.
Although they knew Grand Empress Dowager Changxin was saying these words both to defend herself and to sever ties with Tangyi, regardless, even if Grand Empress Dowager Changxin had secretly colluded with Tangyi during the palace coup, her ultimate intention was still for the First Imperial Prince to succeed.
This could not be considered harmful to the Yang imperial clan’s interests.
And at this moment, Grand Empress Dowager Changxin had also made her position clear. What else could they do? Depose the new Emperor at this time and establish Prince Fu instead?
Regardless of anything else, they had to survive this crisis first before discussing other matters. What they needed to do currently, aside from strengthening defenses and clarifying Han Qian’s whereabouts, was indeed to isolate all officials and officers in the court who might have connections to Tangyi.
“What the Grand Empress Dowager says is very true. We could order these officials to rest at home and not participate in departmental affairs anymore, then secretly follow the vine to find the melon and conduct investigations,” Yang Zhitang said after pondering.
Qing Yang recalled what the elderly palace attendant had said about how at this time she had only the Internal Attendants Office as a chess piece to use.
Although the palace still employed large numbers of eunuchs and palace maids, after the Internal Attendants Department was changed to the Internal Attendants Office, those in charge in the palace were mainly imperial clan elders and imperial clan women.
Among them were sons of the old imperial uncle Yang Tai who had died in Shou Province, two legitimate younger sisters of Emperor Tianyou, and two daughters of Emperor Tianyou who were also two elder sisters of Emperor Yanyou and their families. People like Du Chongtao’s wife, though more distantly related by blood to the imperial clan, were more numerous.
During the Jinling rebellion, the vast majority of imperial clan members residing in the capital region had been forced to follow Imperial Clan Minister Yang Tai in rebellion, establishing the then-Crown Prince Yang Yuanwo as Emperor, then being swept away in the escape to Shou Province.
It was only when the Liang-Chu treaty was concluded that these people were allowed to return.
Even though Emperor Yanyou did not prosecute them for the crime of rebellion and still treated them as imperial clan, they had undoubtedly become second-class citizens in Jinling City.
And when Emperor Yanyou was alive, although he ordered the Internal Palace Bureau to continue providing support, compared to the generous treatment before the Jinling rebellion, it was greatly reduced, and confiscated estates were never returned.
It was only after the palace coup, when the Internal Attendants Department became the Internal Attendants Office with imperial clan elders and women in charge, that their circumstances improved somewhat.
Over the past six months, these people serving in Changxin Palace, Chongwen Hall, and even Mingcheng Palace—Qing Yang could feel their intent to curry favor and ingratiate themselves. Aside from these people, Qing Yang could not think of anyone else in Jinling City she could employ.
At this moment, Qing Yang deeply understood why dynasties throughout history had relied on maternal relatives.
Apart from one’s own brothers and sisters, what people could women sequestered deep in the palace truly trust and depend on? Unfortunately, she was alone in Jinling with no brothers or sisters to employ.
Of course, after these imperial clan members returned south, because they all bore the brand of “rebellion,” they were incompatible with court officials and those self-proclaimed pure scholars and gentry clans of Jiangdong.
Qing Yang thought that she needed these people. What she needed to do now was make them understand that only with her would they be valued, only with her would they restore their former glory. She need not worry about how many among them might turn toward that vile servant Huang E.
Thinking this, Qing Yang continued:
“Whether it is the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, or the Censorate, all have been infiltrated by Tangyi’s private officials. I believe that in these extraordinary times, all investigations related to this matter should be handled by Yang En leading the Internal Attendants Office. Do you ministers have any objections?”
“Grand Empress Dowager, this matter…”
Qing Yang’s proposal actually meant reopening the Jinyun Bureau under the Internal Attendants Office to grasp the authority to monitor court and country officials. Although Yang En was the minister in charge of the Internal Attendants Office, he did not want to reopen this evil precedent.
“Marquis Yang, as minister of the Internal Attendants, you should first hear what Prime Minister Shen and Prince Shou think about this matter,” Qing Yang cut off Yang En’s words, not allowing him to express his opinion, and instead looked toward Yang Zhitang and Shen Yang…