Court Debates

Inside the Jin'an Palace, the heads of all ministries and departments had already arrived. The ruler of Chenliu sat upon the cold, solemn golden throne, which lent him a touch of genuine majesty. The civil and military officials stood with lowered heads in silent anticipation. Only Wang Qianzhong, the Imperial Tutor who had long been absent from morning court assemblies, stood beside the ruler of Chenliu, gazing straight ahead and looking out at the scenery beyond the vast hall. Having not seen this view for over a decade, it remained largely unchanged today, though sadly bereft of a towering pillar of the state. During past morning assemblies, the Grand Chancellor Xiao Qinhe would have stood somewhat further down, his eyes fixed on the ruler of Chenliu like a hawk's. The two men would communicate through mutual understanding without a word, and the ruler of Chenliu would never look away for even a single moment until the heads of the various ministries began their frequent memorials, at which point Xiao Qinhe would resume his proper place, towering above all others in the court with neither civil nor military official matching his peerless stature.

The Crown Prince, Chen Jinyu, stood below his father's knees, strictly observant of propriety. Since the beginning of the court assembly, he had not committed a single transgression, and he answered every question posed by the officials with effortless fluency, gradually winning the hearts of the people.

The Fourth Prince, Chen Zuliang, arrived fashionably late. Before the court greetings had even begun, the ruler of Chenliu ordered him to kneel and await instructions in advance, which finally allowed the officials to catch a glimpse of his swollen, bruised face and suppress their stifled, barely contained chuckles in their throats.

Zhao Weizhong led Zhang Ling across the threshold of the grand hall. The aged eunuch walked up to the imperial dais and cried out in a high-pitched voice, "Kneel!"

Throughout the hall, both inside and out, aside from those few high-ranking individuals who possessed peerless achievements and were thus permitted to stand and offer greetings, everyone else dropped to their knees in prostration.

Zhang Ling did the same, though deep down he remained utterly resistant, constantly plotting how he could not let himself take this loss lying down and must stir up some trouble for the ruler of Chenliu.

Once the ceremonial bows were concluded, Zhang Ling stood entirely alone along the central pathway. Officials from the various departments cast sideways glances at the young man, knowing nothing of him save for his identity as a disciple of the Academy, with nothing more. In their eyes, he was merely an insignificant, low-ranking nobody, likely to be appointed at best as a fifth-rank military officer. However, because the nations of Chen and Mo had not engaged in warfare for a long time, it was exceedingly difficult for such men to attain military merits and rise through official ranks, leaving an unbridgeable chasm between him and themselves.

Holding the imperial edict, Zhao Weizhong read out in a loud, resonant voice: "Xiao Qinhe, the assistant chancellor, conspired to raise an army in rebellion during the ancestral sacrificial grand ceremony. The evidence of his crime is conclusive, and moreover, he offered armed resistance. He has been executed on the spot at the prime minister's estate. Nevertheless, mindful of his past achievements, We grant him a generous burial, and his family members are exempted from joint punishment."

Officials long accustomed to the sinking depths of court politics remained entirely unmoved, even when a colleague of many years was demoted or condemned to death. While it was called being upright, impartial, and merciless, the truth was that their hearts had long since grown cold. They performed their routine duties, collected their rightful stipends, and dared not utter the word "human sentiment" within the imperial court.

Lu Hongyan, the Minister of Personnel and head of the Six Ministries, stepped forward out of line and announced, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has a supplementary proposal."

The ruler of Chenliu's expression remained entirely unruffled. This first memorial from Lu Hongyan was completely within his expectations, and he had long since guessed the substance of what the man wished to say. Usually cautious and restrained, the moment Xiao Qinhe fell, this man was jumping like a dog driven over a wall.

The ruler of Chenliu said calmly, "Minister Lu, please speak."

Minister Lu slowly continued, "The traitorous Grand Chancellor Xiao Qinhe conspired to rebel and had long been in covert communication with various military officials. This subject believes that a thorough investigation should be conducted. However, since the plot failed, these individuals might be dealt with leniently: those holding key military posts should be demoted, those of lesser rank should have their stipends docked, and the soldiers under their command should be sentenced to half a year of hard labor. In this way, not only can military strength be preserved intact, but Your Majesty's boundless magnanimity will be all the more apparent."

This moderate and sensible memorial from Minister Lu prompted various other departments to voice their agreement. The ruler of Chenliu had never expected that this man would refrain from kicking a man while he was down, choosing instead to advance by retreating. It made him regard the man with a renewed sense of appraisal.

The ruler of Chenliu asked, "Does anyone else have any objections to what Minister Lu has proposed?"

The officials remained silent. The ruler of Chenliu then declared, "Since there are no objections, let it be done according to the Minister's proposal."

Minister Lu glanced at Zhang Ling, who was sandwiched in the middle, and felt a profound sense of surprise. Why on earth had this person appeared here? Yet, as the other officials returned to their places, Minister Lu also stepped back to await further developments.

Zhao Weizhong put down the decree in his hand and actually picked up another prepared scroll from the desk, reading aloud, "Zhang Ling, hear the decree."

Zhang Ling began cursing inwardly in his heart. They had deliberately called him in before the court assembly just to make him kneel twice—well, excuse him then, but he simply had to cause some trouble for them now.

Seeing Zhang Ling drop to his knees once more, the ruler of Chenliu could not help feeling a wave of inward delight, a smile blooming across his face though he carefully kept it expressionless.

Zhao Weizhong read on: "Zhang Ling, disciple of the Chengdao Academy, rendered meritorious service in the eradication of the rebel faction led by Xiao Qinhe. He is hereby appointed to the post of Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate."

Zhao Weizhong walked down the imperial dais and handed the decree to Zhang Ling. The moment Zhang Ling took the decree and stood up, he lifted his chin and stared directly at the ruler of Chenliu. To his surprise, the Son of Heaven unashamedly curled the corners of his mouth into a rogue's smile in return, looking precisely like two children secretly bickering with one another.

Before his immediate superior, Lu Hongyan, could even voice his thoughts, Li Ya, who harbored a personal grudge against Zhang Ling from a previous verbal clash, could not wait another moment. He stepped out of line and declared, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has an objection."

The ruler of Chenliu asked, "Minister Li, what objection do you have? Please speak."

Li Ya adopted a stern and righteous expression as he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject believes that even though the Academy enjoys the grace and favor of the late emperors, one cannot bestow such a vital and lofty post upon someone on their very first entry into officialdom. Even top scholars from past dynasties had to begin their careers as compilers in the Hanlin Academy. This is truly contrary to all established regulations."

Li Ya's words immediately drew concurring echoes from a good many officials, though notably absent among them was the crafty and calculating Minister Lu.

Observing that Minister Lu had not stepped forward, Li Ya felt a deep sense of bewilderment. Furthermore, such a breach of protocol had not even drawn support from Xie Dancheng, the Minister of Rites. This inevitably caused Li Ya to harbor a trace of doubt regarding his own argument, yet a glance back at the numerous faces expressing approval behind him emboldened Li Ya to bow respectfully once more.

Seeing that no one else stepped forward, the ruler of Chenliu rose to his feet and said, "As it happens, taking advantage of today's gathering, I have one more matter to announce to all my ministers. It has been verified that Zhang Ling is not only a disciple of the Academy, but also the surviving widow of the former Grand General Zhang Mingze. According to the dynastic laws of our State of Chen, whenever a person of distinguished merit dies in the line of duty for the nation, their descendants may forever inherit the protection of that legacy and are exempted from taking the imperial examinations to attain official rank. Furthermore, for those who already hold official status, a rise of one rank is granted to those of the fifth rank and above, while those below the fifth rank are elevated by two ranks. With this established, does anyone still have any objections?"

Once the sovereign finished speaking, many officials began to re-examine the young man in a new light. If this rule applied, leaping straight to the second rank meant that as long as he committed no catastrophic crimes, he was destined to eventually ascend to the head of the Censorate, a position comparable to that of a Grand General or a Prime Minister. At this thought, the hearts of many officials began to stir restlessly, calculating how they might befriend this outrageously fortunate young man who had just stepped into officialdom. To establish a marriage alliance with him would be best of all—not only would one be befriending a rising star, but it would be tantamount to simultaneously forging ties with three military generals and Zhang Hongshan, the Minister of Works. It was a coup of multiple gains from a single move, an opportunity to leap through the dragon's gate that countless men could not hope to encounter in a lifetime of official service.

The two princes standing above also cast their gazes downward. The Crown Prince nodded with a smile, devoid of any complex hidden meaning and purely intended as a sincere congratulation. Meanwhile, when Chen Zuliang looked down and caught sight of that familiar attire, he instantly guessed that Zhang Ling was the very person who had beaten him up. Zhang Ling flashed him a playful grimace, startling Chen Zuliang so badly that he nearly lost his footing.

Chen Zuliang was left on the verge of tears. As an imperial prince, this was the first time he had suffered such an indignity, yet the culprit stood right before him, pressing his advantage further. If he raised a fuss now, past experience told him not only would he gain no advantage whatsoever, but he would undoubtedly receive another severe reprimand. Truly, he was like a mute eating coptis herbs—swallowing his bitterness with no way to voice his grievances.

Li Ya looked back once more, only to see the surrounding officials hastily returning to their proper places. At that moment, he stood entirely isolated, realizing he would likely never be able to vent his pent-up grievance for the rest of his days.