At the same time, Chu Changge looked at the mountain-like memorial twice as high as yesterday. He pondered for a long time before asking, "Are you people retaliating against me?"
"Your Majesty should refer to yourself as 'Zhen'." The Minister of Rites did not mind taking all the trouble of correcting him for the eighty-ninth time.
Chu Changge also ignored it for the eighty-ninth time, asking, "Did you dig out all the memorials from hundreds of years ago?"
"Back to Your Majesty, these memorials were not yet reviewed by the late Emperor."
Chu Changge impatiently flipped through the elementary one with his hands. His brows raised higher over time, and finally, he threw the copy in his hands onto the table, bellowing, "Burn it, burn them all!"
As soon as everyone heard that Chu Changge wanted to burn all the memorials, they panicked and unanimously advised, "Please don't, Your Majesty!"
"In ancient times, there has never been an Emperor who burned a memorial in the presence of all. Your Majesty defies world opinion by doing something everyone considers wrong. Please think twice, Your Majesty." The Minister of Rites once again took up his official stance and advised. The translator advised reading this chapter at xinshou blogspot com.
"These memorials were presented to the late Emperor. If they are not burned, how can the late Emperor read them?" Chu Changge asked rhetorically.
In one sentence, the ministers were left speechless. They knew that it did not make sense but did not know how to refute it. If they said they would not show it to the late Emperor, it would be treacherous; if they said they would show it to the previous Emperor, there was no other way but for them to burn it.
Seeing no objection, Chu Changge slowly picked up a memorial with two fingers and threw it into the brazier, saying, "Find out the memorial related to plague and how to stable territory, and burn all the other memorials."
"Yes." The Minister of Rites immediately acted as a eunuch with the pen and sorted the memorials.
The rest of the ministers lamented in their hearts that the Emperor seemed cynical but was willing to do the right thing. As the saying goes, all things could be categorised as either slight or important, urgent or nonurgent. In doing so, he was trying to address the most pressing issues first. All those stale matters, such as water conservation and tax increases or reductions, were nothing compared to the plague and war.
In the end, the mountains turned into small hills. All the others went into the brazier, except for Old General Liu's four memorials about the frontier war and one about the control of plague by the Governor of Jinling that were spared.
Chu Changge first looked at the Governor of Jinling's memorial. After reading it for less than a minute, his face changed dramatically. Before, it was only cool in early autumn, but now it was snowing in winter, as the air around him dropped eight degrees with the cold emanating from his face.
True Dragon, Son of Heaven, referred to as Liu Bang.
"Long ago, a poor farmer lived in a wild and rugged land, far from the great cities of China. One day when he came home from the fields, he came to a pond. There he stopped and stared in amazement. On the banks of the pond lay his wife, fast asleep. A great scaly dragon loomed above her. Clouds blackened the sky, lightning flashed, and the air shook with thunder. Months later, the couple was filled with joy when the farmer's wife gave birth to a beautiful son. This boy grew up to become Emperor Gaozu, the first ruler of the Han dynasty."--adapted from a story recounted by Chinese scholar Sima Qian in Shiji (Historical Records), c. 109-91 BC, via American Museum of Natural History
Image Credit | Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
"Long ago, a poor farmer lived in a wild and rugged land, far from the great cities of China. One day when he came home from the fields, he came to a pond. There he stopped and stared in amazement. On the banks of the pond lay his wife, fast asleep. A great scaly dragon loomed above her. Clouds blackened the sky, lightning flashed, and the air shook with thunder. Months later, the couple was filled with joy when the farmer's wife gave birth to a beautiful son. This boy grew up to become Emperor Gaozu, the first ruler of the Han dynasty."--adapted from a story recounted by Chinese scholar Sima Qian in Shiji (Historical Records), c. 109-91 BC, via American Museum of Natural History
Image Credit | Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
"Take the Governor of the Jinling, drag him out and chop him up!" Chu Changge threw the memorial fiercely to the ground and instructed coldly.
All the ministers were so shocked by this order that their hearts skipped a beat. They all looked at the new Emperor, who had given the first decree to kill a minister before the enthronement ceremony had even occurred. And they were at a loss as to what to do next.
In the end, the Minister of Rites picked up the memorial and glanced at it before placing it on the table. Under the eager gaze of the crowd, he uttered his words which did not contradict Chu Changge's, "This person should be killed."
The people, puzzled, looked at each other and began to take turns reading the memorial carefully. The last one to read the folds was Old General Liu. Whenever he had to write a report to the court, he always asked his military advisor to do it for him.
He didn't want to read the memorial. Who the Emperor wanted to kill was the Emperor's business. But the cabinet would decide whether that person was worth being killed or not. He was only responsible for fighting the war. Thus, he didn't care about such things. But seeing that everyone was silent after reading it, he didn't want to be the only one who didn't know the truth of the matter. That was why he absentmindedly opened the memorial.
Just after reading the first line, Old General Liu's face changed. The more he read, the worse his expression became, and finally, in a fit of rage, he threw the memorial into the brazier and roared, "Keeping such people is a waste of national food. Death is not enough for him!" How dare a small governor take the lives of millions of people as a child's play, saying things like 'burning Jinling to suppress the plague'!
"This small official was a jinshi of the same Imperial Examination with the Governor of Jinling. As far as this small official knows, this man is loyal and honest. Although he has no great talent, he has never exceeded moral bounds. He has been working hard in governing Jinling even if he has never performed any meritorious deeds. Apart from this one plague, there has been no major disturbance. It is not like him to say such things as 'burning Jinling' or 'sacrificing something of lesser importance to preserve something crucial." The Minister of Revenue said.
Chu Changge's anger diminished slightly at his words. "Then, in your opinion, something else is going on here?"
"Yes. This small official requests Your Majesty to allow this small official to investigate this matter. If the Governor of Jinling truly puts the people's lives at risk by passively fighting the plague, it will not be too late to kill him as an example to others."
"Alright. I'll give you a day. At this time tomorrow, I will wait here for you to report your findings."
Minister of Revenue: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty should refer to yourself as 'Zhen'." The Minister of Rites corrected for the ninetieth time.
Chu Changge ignored it for the ninetieth time and said to Old General Liu, "Since you are here, I don't need to read these memorials......"
The Minister of Rites interrupted Chu Changge and corrected him for the ninety-one time, "Your Majesty should call yourself 'Zhen'."
The corners of Chu Changge's eyes twitched as he gave him a sidelong glance and said, "If you could be so persistent in your official duties, you wouldn't just be a minister right now."
"I am doing my official duties." The Minister of Rites responded in one strong beat and one weak beat in a measure of music.
Chu Changge was dumbfounded. He had forgotten that correcting the Emperor's faults was the proper job of the Minister of Rites. This stubborn old man, who seemed to only talk about etiquette and law, had a bit of wisdom and courage in his head. Let's be done with it. It was just a matter of time before he had to change how he addressed himself anyway, and it was the same if he changed it early or later. "Zhen, Zhen......" Chu Changge said it twice and cleared his throat again before speaking to Old General Liu. "Zhen will not read your memorials. If there is anything you want to say, say them directly."
"Yes!" Old General Liu said, "Now that Emperor Tian and Emperor Ye, from far away in Yanzhou and Western Shu, have started a war. The war has not yet reached our dynasty. Still, no matter who wins or loses in the end, Emperor Tian and Emperor Ye will be content with things as they are and sooner or later, they will launch a war against our dynasty. Therefore, in my opinion, Your Majesty should consolidate the army, strengthen the border defences and actively prepare for war. Once either one between Emperor Tian or Emperor Ye is defeated, we should immediately launch an attack and reap the benefits from their fight."
"What my dear courtier said is very true." When Chu Changge uttered 'my dear courtier', he clearly saw the Minister of Rites was about to open his mouth before closing it again. "Since Zhen has decided to change Zhen's mind, Zhen will not let my dear courtier catch hold of Zhen again. My dear courtier can focus on other things." [+]
A moment later, the corners of the Minister of Rites' mouth twitched a few times ruthlessly. "It is this small official's duty to urge Your Majesty to observe the rites and laws."
"Yet Zhen thinks you're addicted to catching Zhen in the act."
"Your Majesty is overthinking. Even if this small official had the guts to do so, this small official would not dare to cross Your Majesty deliberately."
"Is that so?" The corners of Chu Changge's mouth slightly curled up. He suddenly found that being the Emperor was not as dull as he thought. At least fighting with the ministers was a challenging and fun thing to do. After looking at the Minister of Rites with a smile, Chu Changge said to Old General Liu. "Although what General Liu said is reasonable, has anyone ever thought that it's impossible for Emperor Tian and Emperor Ye not to understand the concept of once the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold? They know that no matter who wins, the Daye Dynasty will ultimately benefit. So why do they still insist on fighting to the death?"
General Liu: "Your Majesty is right. This General has also thought about this issue but could never figure it out."
Chu Changge returned the four memorials to him and said, "Then come back to Zhen when you have figured it out."
Old General Liu took the memorials back. "Yes."
"Do all my dear courtiers have anything else to present?" Chu Changge asked.
All heads bowed in silence.
"Since there is nothing else to discuss, let's disperse." Chu Changge languidly said as he sat on the armchair and waved his hand.
"When does Your Majesty intend to return to the capital?" It was still the Minister of Rites who spoke.
Chu Changge curled his lips into a smile and asked, "When does my dear courtier intend to control the plague?"
"This minister......doesn't know."
"Then Zhen also doesn't know."
Even the Minister of Rites, with teeth made of copper and iron, was defeated. Hence, the rest of the ministers naturally would not make a fool of themselves by going against the wishes of the new Emperor, who ruled with the power of a thunderbolt and lightning speed.
As soon as the ministers left the 'Imperial Study', they began to talk.
"Lord Nie is indeed right. The Emperor looks unconventional and unrestrained, but he is a master at doing practical work."
"Yes. He handles the affairs of the state in an orderly manner. Although he complains a lot, he does not shirk his responsibilities."
"The Emperor has been dominated by the Empress. So how can he have no complaints? He will be fine after a while, though."
"Talking about the Empress, she's truly admirable too! She's the first person I've ever met who has nothing to do all day but doesn't get depressed."
"It's a skill to be idle to that extent."
"When she returns to the capital later, she will have her hands full. I'm afraid she'll be too busy with all the big and small matters of the harem."
"Speaking of the harem, Lord Yang, isn't it time to prepare for the selection of concubines for the Emperor to fill the harem?"
The Minister of Rites smiled coldly and said, "If you want to choose, you can go and choose yourself. I won't put my hand on this matter."
"This is the responsibility of your Ministry of Rites!"
The Minister of Rites: "You can go to the Emperor and accuse me of dereliction of duty."
"Lord Yang, just now, you never gave up on speaking about etiquette in front of the Emperor. Why are you now deflated when the matter of the harem is mentioned?"
The Minister of Rites did not answer. He just pretended not to hear the question.
At this moment, Old General Liu suddenly remembered something. After a clap, he leaned close to the Minister of Rites and whispered, "Yang Lian, did Nie Qing remind you to stay out of choosing a concubine?"
Yang Lian, the Minister of Rites, was slightly startled and asked in a low voice, "How did you know?"
Old General Liu chuckled. "I remembered when the Empress said I had a bad relationship with Nie Qing. Your relationship with Nie Qing has always been close. He must have warned you what things can be said and what cannot be said, right? You can't say anything about choosing a concubine, can you?"
Yang Lian nodded. "Nie Qing said that no matter when or where never mentioned the selection of concubines in front of the Emperor and Empress."
"Did he say what would happen if you mentioned it?" Old General Liu asked.
Yang Lian shook his head. "He didn't say. However, his expression at that time was solemn, as if only mentioning the matter of choosing a concubine would lead to chaos in the world."
Old General Liu repeatedly nodded with his heart palpitating at Yang Lian's words. It was best for him not to mention it, even if the others beat him to death. It seemed that if there was anything he needed to speak with the Emperor in the future, he must first ask Nie Qing whether he could say it. Otherwise, if he accidentally stepped on the minefield, with such an unpredictable character of the Emperor, he might do something to retaliate against him back.
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