After Dai Zhou finished his report, he didn’t step down but remained bowing and didn’t rise, because the Emperor hadn’t spoken. Yun Ye saw the muscles on Qin Qiong’s face twitching. Old Cheng raised his head toward the ceiling of Wanmin Palace. Niu Jinda closed his eyes, appearing extremely desolate.
His crimes did not permit clemency! Dai Zhou’s judgment had not a single error. That Hou Junji could be strangled to death was already considering his status as a duke. What status were the Wuli Commandants? They were Li’er’s personal guards. One hundred thirty-one had died at once, plus his most trusted confidant Diwu Zhou. This time Li’er could truly be said to have suffered heavy losses. Old Qin, Old Cheng—these men didn’t know how to open their mouths to plead.
“Your Majesty, this old subject impeaches Dai Zhou for abusing public office for private gain and rendering unclear judgment. I request Your Majesty punish Dai Zhou’s crime. Hou Junji’s crimes are extreme and heinous, and he committed the great crime of treason—from where comes the notion of reducing his punishment by one degree? Strangulation? Over a thousand officers and soldiers died at this villain’s hands. I request the reinstatement of the severe punishment to serve as a warning to those who come after!”
So it had begun? Wei Zheng’s words rang out powerfully and immediately caused an uproar in the court hall. Several old scholars pointed at Wei Zheng and cursed him roundly, saying that only tyrants like Jie and Zhou used the severe punishment, and that since the Sui Dynasty they had never heard of state law employing such severe punishment. This was regression, a backward current. To restore the severe punishment just to deal with one Hou Junji was putting the cart before the horse and not worth the loss.
After the clamorous voices died down somewhat, Du Ruhui also stepped out of the ranks to memorialize: “Your humble subject also believes reinstating the severe punishment is inappropriate. What Hou Junji did has already aroused the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, and however he is dealt with would not be excessive. But I request Your Majesty, in consideration of his slight meritorious service in the past, leave him some face. His wives and daughters need not be made into official prostitutes—it would be appropriate to behead them all together!”
“Du Ruhui, in vain you’ve always considered yourself a famous minister, renowned throughout the world for your iron-mouthed judgments, yet I didn’t know that at the corners of your mouth you regard human lives as ants, and in your words you treat criminals like pigs and dogs. The Great Tang Legal Code was established over twenty years ago—why not deal with him according to the law? For Hou Junji’s treason, the Great Tang Legal Code has corresponding provisions—what use is your meddling?”
Liu Mi’s words could be said to have brought the situation back around. According to Great Tang law, Hou Junji was certainly doomed, and the Hou family’s eldest, Hou Jie, was also doomed. Hou Ying and Hou Hu would be exiled eight thousand miles away. Wives and daughters would become official property. According to the Eight Considerations clause, Hou Junji’s wife was too old to become official property. The Hou family’s second daughter, because she had a marriage contract with the Dai family, didn’t count as a member of the Hou family. Adding to that, the Hou family’s eldest daughter had once been Crown Princess and had borne children. The remaining few female family members also should not be humiliated excessively. Looking at it this way, they had already cleverly guided the topic to the right point. Now they only needed to rescue Hou Jie.
Yun Ye craned his neck to look around but didn’t see Li Chengqian. That fellow was currently under house arrest, the reason seemingly being that he had secretly gone to see his two wives. The house arrest order was issued by Zhangsun, causing no damage to the Crown Prince’s prestige. It seemed Li’er was unwilling to put his son on today’s hot griddle to suffer. The only imperial prince appearing in the court hall was the twelve-year-old Prince of Jin, Zhi. He was observing governance and had no right to speak.
Li’er had been silent all along. Seeing the ministers unanimously echo Liu Mi’s opinion, only after a long while did he say in a heavy voice, “Bring Hou Junji and Hou Jie into the hall.” Yun Ye detected a trace of weariness in his voice. Hou Junji’s rebellion had undoubtedly stabbed a knife into his heart.
They say Wu Zixu’s hair turned white in a single night. Now Hou Junji also had a full head of white hair—one could even see that his hair tips were still black, but the roots were snow white, like the aftereffects of not dyeing one’s hair for a long time.
With every step, iron chains clanged noisily. The man looked aged, yet still walked with a tiger’s stride and dragon’s gait. His back was straight as a javelin, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of sorrow on his face. Seeing old friends from the past, he even knew to nod in acknowledgment. Walking to the center of the great hall, after prostrating himself before Li’er, he stood up—his bearing a hundred times more distinguished than that of someone like Zhang Liang who had ground his head into the mud.
“Hou Junji, you went from Left Military Guard to General of Chariots and Cavalry, then to General of the Left Guard with the title Duke Luguo, and then to Grand General of the Right Guard. Have I wronged you in the slightest for your meritorious service in following me?”
Speaking of these matters, Hou Junji felt somewhat ashamed. Lowering his head, he said, “No, I was rewarded for meritorious service, not falling behind anyone by a single step.”
“In the fourth year of Zhenguan, you were reassigned as Minister of War and Acting Minister of Personnel with actual prime ministerial authority. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, you served as Supreme Commander of the Jishi Road Campaign. In the eleventh year, you were re-enfeoffed as Duke Chenguo. In the twelfth year, you were promoted to Minister of Personnel. Can it not be said that I placed great importance in you?”
Hou Junji could no longer stand. Lifting his iron chains, he prostrated himself on the ground and said, “Your subject’s career advancement has been rarely seen throughout history, ancient and modern. Your Majesty has not wronged your humble subject. It was your subject himself whose heart was clouded by lard. Every single mistake is your subject’s fault. Your subject has no face to live on shamelessly and only seeks a swift death!”
“Ha ha ha ha!” Li’er’s desolate laughter echoed through Wanmin Palace, ceasing shortly: “Death is easy for you! As long as you take one blade stroke, all matters cease. You followed me in raising troops when you were young, and we walked through bloody storms all the way together. Now when wealth and honor fill your household, precisely when it’s time to savor the fruits of victory, you seek your own death. Hou Junji, both heavenly principle and state law demand your execution, yet I cannot harden this heart. Your heart is stubborn stone, but mine is not. Last night, I sat in this dragon throne in Wanmin Palace all night without sleep. I was unwilling to see daylight appear—I only wanted darkness to persist, so that I wouldn’t have to suffer such painful torment.”
“But the light of day still brightened fully, the palace gates still opened on time, the ministers still entered the imperial palace, and Dai Zhou still read out your crimes. We have been associated for over twenty years—even a stone should have been warmed by now, shouldn’t it?”
“Zhang Liang said you incited him to rebel—I didn’t believe it. Qigan Chengji said you intended to rebel—I still didn’t believe it. I remained in Liaodong precisely to see whether you would actually commit this treasonous act. My moment of benevolence cost over a thousand officers and soldiers their lives unjustly on the grasslands. Hou Junji, you have let me down, let down my expectations of you.”
“Some ministers say severe punishment should be imposed upon you heavily, others say you should be dealt with according to Great Tang law. Whether severe punishment or according to law, they deal only with your crimes. Where should the twenty years of trust I invested go? Hou Junji, you tell me—what should I do?”
Li’er’s words completely drained away even Hou Junji’s last breath of life. After heavily kowtowing three times, he said to Li’er, “Your Majesty, please grant your subject a dagger. Your subject will not commit suicide—it’s just that my chest feels severely blocked, and I want to feel some relief. I beg you, Your Majesty.”
With a wave of his hand, Li’er swept the paper knife from his desk down. Duan Hong picked it up and presented it to Hou Junji with both hands. After thanking him, Hou Junji raised his hand and stabbed that blade under his own ribs. Lifting his head to Li’er, he said, “Your Majesty, these past days in prison, your subject has thought only of past events. I’ve also examined my own heart—why did I come to this step? Why did I think of rebellion?”
“Your Majesty has treated your subject with utmost benevolence and righteousness. Most of those serving in the same hall are good brothers who once shared life and death. Qin Shubao did not forget to visit when your humble subject was imprisoned. Cheng Yaojin personally came to the prison to drink wine and speak happily with me. Niu Jinda worried that my clothing and bedding were thin in prison and came carrying quilts to visit. Dai Zhou would rather bear the responsibility than dissolve my young daughter’s marriage contract. Yun Ye has even already built up the Lingnan lands where my humble subject’s family is to go.”
“Ha ha ha! Looking through all the history books, those who rebelled are countless, but only Hou Junji regrets it until his liver and intestines break inch by inch! Ha ha ha! Your humble subject very much wanted to say ‘a great man who cannot feast from nine tripod cauldrons should be cooked in nine tripod cauldrons’ and be a tough man once, but ah, I have no face to say it! I even know that as long as I, Hou Junji, bitterly beg Your Majesty, perhaps I could still live on shamelessly. But I won’t do it. Hou Junji still intends to keep his last shred of dignity, still intends to let the world know that Your Majesty’s fierce general is not a spineless coward. Ha ha ha!”
“Hou Junji has failed the sovereign, failed his brothers, failed his old wife, harmed his children—what face does he have to live on shamelessly in this world? Gentlemen, Hou Junji has long wanted to die, but wanted to keep this head to serve as a warning to later generations. Your Majesty, Hou Junji has committed monstrous crimes that do not permit clemency. He should be beheaded at the West Market execution ground. Gentlemen need not plead for Hou Junji. As for your great kindness, allow me to repay it in my next life.”
Having finished speaking, he pulled the blade from his waist and ribs, placed it on the ground, took leave of Li’er, and step by step, treading in his own blood, walked out of Wanmin Palace.
Qin Qiong’s old tears already flowed torrentially. Cheng Yaojin, red-eyed, pounded the ground with his fist. Niu Jinda still kept his eyes closed without speaking. Dai Zhou wanted to open his mouth but helplessly closed it again. Even Li’er, sitting high upon the dragon throne, supported his forehead with his fist, seemingly very sorrowful.
Li Pengcheng had already cried like a man of tears. Xue Wanche held his hands together as if reciting Buddha’s name—this dog now knew fear. Yun Ye himself also felt very uncomfortable.
If someone like Hou Junji feared death, it would be a joke. The problem was that dying while still carrying so many debts of gratitude made one die uneasily—even as a ghost one would bear burdens.
Using his arm, he nudged Xue Wanche. This fellow with a guilty conscience jumped in fright. Putting his mouth to Yun Ye’s ear, he said in a small voice, “You’re going to scare your brother to death! Seeing Old Hou’s miserable state, my cold sweat is pouring out. Damn it, fortunately I met you on the ship—otherwise your brother wouldn’t have survived either.”
“How’s your work at the Princess’s residence going? How do you get along with your employer?” Yun Ye’s mood was very poor, so he could only tease this fellow. He’d heard he and the Princess were now a model couple.
“The Princess and I have discussed it—I don’t interfere in her affairs, she doesn’t interfere in mine, but we must both leave each other face and not let outsiders know. We’ll make do for a lifetime.”
“Congratulations! I heard when you went to Yue Prefecture, the Princess seemed to be pregnant again. Separated by thousands of miles—how did you manage that?”
“Stop disgusting your brother, will you? I’ve long since moved to a small courtyard, opened a separate gate, and those serving me are all old servants from my family. Never mind my affairs—tell me, can we save Old Hou’s wife and children? This is too important. If they enter the Bureau of Music, we’ll all be too ashamed to face people.”
While Yun Ye and Xue Wanche were speaking in low voices, a childish voice suddenly rang out.
“Memorializing Father Emperor, Hou Junji has failed the imperial grace and is not worth pitying in death. Father Emperor must absolutely not grieve. Your child is young and cannot express opinions on court governance, but standing in the position of a filial son, I beseech Father Emperor to forgive Hou Junji’s wife and children to manifest Father Emperor’s benevolent and loving heart. Showing mercy to Hou Junji’s family can also relieve Father Emperor’s sorrowful feelings—why not do so?”