Minister Chen and the others were trembling somewhat in the room, truly unable to sit still. They could only stand up and pace back and forth incessantly in the room. It was too terrifying—how could Xu Da be so cruel and ruthless?
Xu Da came in very soon, his hair slicked back with pomade until it shone extraordinarily bright. Upon seeing Minister Chen, he first asked, “How did it go? Were they caught red-handed at the scene?”
“What do you mean caught red-handed?!” Minister Chen was somewhat agitated, his voice beginning to tremble. “We didn’t see the Grand Consort at all! The Grand Consort stayed at Princess Rongcheng’s residence the entire time and never left for even a single step! What exactly are you doing?!”
He was obviously frightened by Emperor Jianzhang’s recent actions of brutally beating those who submitted petitions for amnesty at the Left Shun Gate. His whole body stood rigid as he looked at Xu Da with some anxiety. “What do we do now? You killed the Grand Consort’s people—those were the Grand Consort’s people!”
Xu Da looked at him with a calm gaze. Only when Chen mentioned no one was there did he raise his eyebrows slightly. After Minister Chen finished speaking, he uttered an “oh” sound. “You inquired quite clearly—she left the palace today. How could she leave the palace without going to the residence? She must have already been there.” Xu Da paused mid-sentence. This Sixth Miss Song seemed to truly be as difficult to deal with as the rumors said.
But whether she was difficult to deal with or not didn’t matter. He glanced at the anxious and restless Minister Chen and spoke to comfort him. “Enough! Look at your half-dead appearance. Rest assured, they have no time to come find trouble with you. They’re busy.”
Minister Chen trembled with anger. “What exactly are you people trying to do with your random, disjointed actions?! Everything was fine—why drag the Grand Consort into this?”
Xu Da stood up somewhat impatiently. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. Just do what you’re supposed to do.” Then he added, “Tomorrow it’s your turn to take the stage. Is the memorial written?”
Minister Chen was choked by his words, caught in an awkward position. After feeling embarrassed for a while, he recovered and nodded. “It’s written. We’ve all discussed it.” He was somewhat worried again. “Will His Majesty kill one to warn a hundred in his rage?”
Xu Da patted the snow off himself and sat down leisurely. “He won’t. Where would he get that strength? Tomorrow when so many people make a commotion, whether he can hold on is still uncertain.”
Minister Chen couldn’t help but tremble again.
The next day in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Investigating Censor Wu Yang memorialized requesting peace talks, saying the national treasury was empty and they no longer had the strength to continue fighting. He requested that Emperor Jianzhang prioritize the greater situation and agree to grant amnesty to Prince Gong and Han Zhengqing.
Then Military Affairs Investigating Censor Chen Tingxuan seconded the motion and raised doubts about Prince Gong’s unauthorized escape. “Prince Gong raised the banner of clearing the court of treacherous officials and has wept bitterly before the officials of Taiyuan more than once, saying he was forced to flee and was held hostage by violent bandits, escaping death by a hair’s breadth. Perhaps Prince Gong has suffered injustice—who can say for certain? After all, Your Majesty and the prince are father and son. What grudges can there be between father and son that last overnight? Why not have Your Majesty send an imperial commissioner…”
Right then and there, Investigating Censor Chen Tingxuan was spat on by Cen Biliang. Cen Biliang looked at him as if looking at a dog. “If one didn’t know better, they’d think Minister Chen was Judge Bao reincarnated, so fond of judging cases. So Prince Gong’s rebellion was fake, the people Prince Gong killed at the imperial mausoleum were fake, and the testimony of the heir of Marquis Guangping is also fake—only Minister Chen’s speculation is real.”
“Since you’re so good at crying injustice for others,” Cen Biliang looked at him coldly, “why doesn’t Minister Chen touch his own conscience and tell His Majesty, tell the people of this world, tell those common folk in Xibei who were slaughtered by the Tartars—who invited the Tartars inside the pass? Who abandoned the city without regard, allowing the Tartars to occupy it?!”
Chen Tingxuan wiped the spittle from his face, his expression unchanged and his heart unperturbed as he knelt on the ground. He had clearly anticipated Cen Biliang’s questioning and said unhurriedly, “That’s why this humble minister says we should investigate Xibei. Even now, the information Minister Cui has sent back is limited. On the contrary, quite a few neighboring prefectures have sent messages to the capital. A few days ago, wasn’t there a rumor saying that the Tartars were able to enter Datong Prefecture because Cui Shaoting pressured Han Zhengqing too severely, forbidding Han Zhengqing from resisting the enemy and colluding with Marquis Dingyuan… So Han Zhengqing was forced with no choice but to retreat and defend Jingzhou?”
These words were utterly shameless. Cen Biliang was so angry his beard trembled. He glanced at Song Chengru, saw Song Chengru nod at him imperceptibly, and then looked at Grand Secretary Chang who sat unmoved as a mountain. Suddenly he gave a great shout, took off his shoe, and launched into a chaotic beating of Chen Tingxuan over the head and face, striking him until he was disheveled and in a sorry state.
“I’ll beat you to death, you slanderous villain!” Cen Biliang chased Chen Tingxuan all around the hall. “You scoundrel, boosting others’ ambitions while destroying your own prestige! Han Zhengqing retreated? How many men does General Commander Cui have under his command? Can he even manage Han Zhengqing? Does Marquis Dingyuan even have any troops? How could he pressure Han Zhengqing? You can speak such unconscionable words! What face do you have to see the common people of Xibei whose lives were destroyed by the Tartars?! You’re worse than pigs and dogs!”
Cen Biliang, being of military background, beat Chen Tingxuan until he rolled around wailing for his parents.
Minister Chen frowned, about to respond, when immediately someone else stepped forward and knelt before Emperor Jianzhang. “Your Majesty, regardless of why Han Zhengqing let the Tartars into the city, he certainly deserves death, that’s not wrong. But circumstances are stronger than people—precisely because we must think of the common people, think of the nation and its people, we should not go to war! Fujian already suffers from constant Japanese pirate troubles, Hubei’s disaster situation is severe… If we continue fighting like this, it’s still the common people who will suffer…”
Emperor Jianzhang’s expression revealed neither joy nor anger. He glanced at him and uttered an “oh.” “Then according to your meaning, what should be done?”
The hall quieted down. Chen Tingxuan, holding his head, didn’t dare cry anymore either, staring fixedly at the person kneeling on the ground.
“A marriage alliance.” The man kneeling on the ground, Bai Dong, spoke rapidly. “If we can exchange a marriage alliance for the peace of the common people in Xibei, exchange it for the prosperity of our Great Zhou, wouldn’t that be far better than bringing suffering to all living creatures? Your Majesty in your sagely wisdom and illumination surely cannot bear to see the common people…”
Minister Chen couldn’t hear very clearly what Bai Dong said next. He only stared with wide eyes, his mind buzzing with chaotic noise—just how many more people did Minister Han have hidden? Even Bai Dong, formerly Elder Du’s prized disciple, had been persuaded…
While he was in a daze, he heard Minister of Revenue Zheng Sansi also step forward. “This minister seconds the motion.”
Three words that shocked all the officials into an uproar.
Zheng Sansi hung his head, his expression serious, earnest, and sincere. “It’s not that this minister is greedy for life and fears death, nor that this minister doesn’t find Han Zhengqing’s villainous behavior despicable—it’s just that the common people of this world are pitiful.” As he spoke, he swept his robe aside and knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, this minister pities the common people of this world! If we can avoid war, why must blood flow like rivers?”