Chapter 116

Chapter 116: I, the Minister, Must Impeach Minister Xu Ming! (4000 words, two chapters combined)

Night fell as a shadowy figure clad in black approached the back gate of an official’s residence in Wudu.

The black-clad man knocked on the gate, but there was no response.

He knocked twice more, still without answer.

On his fourth attempt,

“What is it?”

An elderly voice finally responded from behind the gate.

“I encountered a dog just now,” said the black-clad man.

“And what does that have to do with us?” came the reply from the old man at the gate.

“This dog will bite many people,” the man continued.

“Click.”

After exchanging signals, the door slowly creaked open.

The black-clad man handed over a letter concealed within his robes to the elder: “A message from Baihe County. The situation is urgent. Please deal with it promptly, sir.”

The elder glanced at the black-clad man, then at the letter, and said, “Understood.”

Taking the letter, the elder watched as the black-clad man vanished into the night.

Closing the door, the elder delivered the letter to the study.

Inside the study, an official was busy handling his affairs.

“Master, a letter has arrived from Baihe County,” the steward announced respectfully.

“Baihe County?” The official looked up, regarded his steward for a moment, and after some thought, said, “Ah, yes, the place where the Xu brothers are stationed?”

“Yes, Master,” the steward replied, handing over the envelope.

The official opened the letter, reading it carefully. His brow furrowed slightly before he let out a chuckle: “These two Xus—Ming and Pangda—are quite spirited. Truly, they know no fear like young calves.”

Folding the letter neatly, he placed it back inside its envelope: “Send this letter to Wang. Have him bring up the matter tomorrow during court assembly.”

“Tomorrow?” The steward hesitated, “But Master, if we reveal the matter so soon, won’t that put Wang in a difficult position?”

The official waved dismissively: “I know what you’re implying. Wang isn’t exactly loyal anyway. If it weren’t for the debt he owes to a certain senior official, he wouldn’t even be one of ours. Let’s use his value while we can.”

“Yes, Master.”

At the same time, in the Butterfly Pavilion of the Imperial Palace in Wudu, Eunuch Wei knocked on the door.

The Wu Emperor, who had been resting uneasily on his bed, opened his eyes irritably.

But quickly, his gaze softened as he regained composure.

The Emperor knew that Wei seeking him out so late must mean something urgent.

“Come in,” the Emperor commanded.

“Yes.” Wei hurried into the room, kneeling and bowing deeply, “Your Majesty, the Listening Pavilion has received news from Baihe County.”

“Hmm?” The Emperor frowned, “Let me see it.”

Baihe County wasn’t usually monitored by the Listening Pavilion due to the vastness of the Wu Kingdom and insufficient manpower.

However, because both Xu Pangda and Xu Ming were present, the Listening Pavilion sent a few agents.

This wasn’t primarily about Xu Ming but rather focused on Xu Pangda, whom Mr. Zhang and Chancellor Fang held in high regard.

The Emperor definitely wanted to assess his potential.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wei stood quickly, presenting the intelligence report.

After reading the report twice, the Emperor remained silent for a long while.

“These two youngsters are indeed brash,” the Emperor shook his head with a sigh, “They acted impulsively…”

Eunuch Wei, observing the Emperor’s expression, added cautiously, “Nevertheless, Your Majesty, both Scholar Xu and Second Place Scholar Xu are young men full of vigor—a good trait. They truly act for the sake of our country and its people.”

“But how can such officials survive long in the political arena?”

The Emperor set down the petition and rubbed his eyes.

“For now, suppress this matter. We’ll wait until Xu Pangda gathers evidence against the four powerful clans in Baihe County who have acted recklessly. Hopefully, they’ll act swiftly; otherwise, if others find out, those old foxes in the imperial court will impeach them until they doubt their own existence. Even if they gather sufficient evidence, those people will still attack them relentlessly.”

“Very well, very well…” As the Emperor spoke, he chuckled faintly, almost with a sense of detachment, “Let’s see how resilient these two are. How will they resolve this? If there’s truly no way out, we’ll punish them lightly to teach them a lesson.”

The next morning at the early court session,

The Wu Emperor had already pushed the events of last night aside.

After all, the incident had just occurred and wouldn’t reach Wudu so quickly—it would take at least seven or eight days.

This particular morning court session went smoothly, much like any other.

If anything unusual happened, it was that after Chancellor Xiao Mochi took office, reformist officials completely dominated the scene, especially since the Emperor himself supported reforms behind the scenes.

Thus, the voices of the conservatives grew weaker day by day. In recent days, members of the conservative faction were either demoted, reassigned, or even forced into retirement. It was a tense atmosphere.

The conservative faction was essentially preoccupied with self-preservation. Meanwhile, the reformists were flourishing.

Still, it couldn’t be denied that the reforms proposed by the reformists were proving highly effective, leading the Wu Kingdom towards positive development.

“Are there any other matters my esteemed ministers wish to discuss? If not, we shall adjourn the court,” the Emperor said leisurely.

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

Just as the Emperor was about to follow protocol and adjourn the court, Wang Can, the Censor-in-Chief from the Office of Imperial Censors, stepped forward.

Instantly, all officials turned their attention to Wang Can, the Chief Censor, before looking away again.

Wang Can, despite holding only a fifth-rank official position, was known as the fiercest watchdog in the entire Office of Imperial Censors. He had impeached almost everyone in the court, including the Emperor himself.

So when Wang Can raised accusations, most officials paid little heed.

Some, however, felt irritated.

They wanted to adjourn the court quickly and return home for a nap, but this man delayed proceedings unnecessarily.

“Minister Wang, what do you wish to report?” the Emperor asked with a smile, though he didn’t think much of Wang Can.

Who enjoys being criticized with five petitions just for nodding off during court sessions? Am I always asleep?

It was merely because one day I stayed up too late reviewing petitions and was overly fatigued.

Yet, as a censor, Wang Can enjoyed considerable tolerance in the Wu Dynasty. One cannot kill a censor for speaking out, so the Emperor endured it silently, treating it as mere barking.

“Your Majesty, I seek to impeach Minister Xu Ming!”

Wang Can declared directly.

As soon as Wang Can finished speaking, some officials who had been dozing off suddenly woke up.

Whom did Wang Can want to impeach?

Minister of Civil and Military Affairs? Xu Ming?

That doesn’t make sense.

What did Xu Ming do? Wasn’t he just given a nominal post and left the court to explore the world?

He hasn’t done anything, right?

Even if Xu Ming did something, it should be outside the court, and Wang Can wouldn’t have the authority to impeach him.

So why is Wang Can impeaching Xu Ming?

Many officials immediately perked up, their curiosity piqued, and some even developed a favorable impression of Wang Can.

Impeach Xu Ming?

Good! Go ahead and impeach! Impeach hard! Once Xu Ming gets into trouble, he won’t become the royal son-in-law, and our sons might have a chance!

Upon hearing Wang Can’s intention to impeach Xu Ming, the Emperor also felt a jolt of concern, sensing an ominous premonition.

“Minister Wang, why do you impeach Xu Ming?” the Emperor questioned.

“Your Majesty, last night I learned that Xu Ming caused a massacre in Baihe County. Without evidence, he slaughtered half of the Zhang, Li, Sun, and Xiao families, causing rivers of blood to flow.

How does the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs view the laws of our Wu Kingdom?”

The Emperor’s brows furrowed, his tone stern: “Minister Wang, words carry responsibility. Do you have evidence?”

Wang Can bowed deeply: “Your Majesty, send someone to investigate Baihe County, and the truth will be revealed. I am willing to stake my life on this. If I falsely accuse the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, I will smash my head against the pillar of the grand hall!”

The Emperor: “…”

As the Emperor fell silent, murmurs rippled through the court.

Since Wang Can spoke with such certainty, it was likely true.

Xiao Mochi, standing at the front, and Yu Ping’an, positioned to the right, maintained calm expressions.

The Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the Dragon Throne, pondering curiously.

How did Wang Can learn about Xu Ming’s actions?

The Emperor himself had just received the information last night via the fastest possible intelligence report.

Yet Wang Can had received the report simultaneously? This suggested that some ill-intentioned individuals within the court were also monitoring Xu Pangda and Xu Ming, targeting Xu Ming specifically.

Any slight disturbance, and they immediately caught wind of it.

After all, although Xu Ming didn’t want to marry the Emperor’s daughter, that didn’t mean others weren’t interested.

“Given the great distance between Baihe County and Wudu, how did Minister Wang obtain this news?” the Emperor asked.

“Your Majesty,” Wang Can replied confidently, as if unafraid of investigation, “Last night, while I was reading in my study, I received a letter from a friend in Baihe County. My friend mentioned this event, which I deemed extremely serious, prompting me to file a report today!”

“…” The Emperor naturally knew Wang Can fabricated this excuse but couldn’t pursue it further.

If someone could concoct such an excuse, they must have prepared accordingly.

The Emperor wondered who stood behind Wang Can, abandoning him as a pawn so soon.

Clearly, someone instructed Wang Can to impeach Xu Ming.

Although it seemed trivial, this action ensured that the Emperor would never trust Wang Can again.

In no time, Wang Can would be transferred out of Wudu, and eventually, finding an excuse to dismiss him from office entirely wouldn’t be difficult.

Still, even if the Emperor couldn’t pinpoint who directed Wang Can, he suspected it might involve one of the feudal princes of the Wu Kingdom.

“Then Minister Wang, please elaborate on the specifics,” the Emperor stated, already formulating a strategy in his mind.

“Yes.” Wang Can bowed, “Four days ago, in Baihe County, Scholar Xu Ming visited a pleasure house…”

Wang Can recounted how Xu Ming entered the pleasure house, killed the eldest son of the Sun family, decapitated him, and proceeded to nearly exterminate the four major families of Baihe County within a single day.

In the court, everyone exchanged glances, muttering criticisms about Xu Ming’s excessive bloodthirstiness—”How could the top scholar be so ruthless?” “Does the top scholar respect the law?” “Why did he act this way?”

The Emperor signaled to Wei beside him.

Wei, in his shrill voice, shouted, “Silence!”

Gradually, the chatter among the hundred officials subsided.

“Your Majesty, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. How can the laws of our Wu Kingdom be trampled upon like this?”

“Your Majesty, we may not know how the four families in Baihe County offended the top scholar, but his bloodthirsty nature is troubling.”

“Your Majesty, what wrongs did the remaining members of the four families commit? The top scholar is killing innocents!”

“Your Majesty, our Wu Kingdom has barely achieved balance with various sects. Yet the top scholar needlessly killed their direct disciples and personal disciples! Not only does this embarrass those four sects, but it also unsettles other sects, big and small.”

At this point, several individuals stood up to subtly criticize Xu Ming.

The Emperor inwardly scoffed.

These fellows claimed to act for the sake of the Wu Kingdom, but in reality, they acted for their own interests.

At this moment, Wei stepped forward again, kneeling beside the Emperor with a fearful expression: “Your Majesty, this servant deserves punishment.”

“Hmm?” The Emperor looked at Wei, “For what reason do you deserve punishment?”

Not only did the Emperor ask aloud, but the other ministers also wondered silently, “How does this eunuch deserve punishment? What scheme is he planning?”

“Your Majesty, yesterday evening, this servant actually received a secret report about Baihe County. However, seeing that Your Majesty finally rested peacefully last night, I hesitated to disturb you. I intended to inform you first thing this morning, but I forgot… Forgive me, Your Majesty!”

Saying this, Wei bowed three times, each bow resounding loudly.

“You foolish servant! How could you forget something so important?” The Emperor sounded genuinely angry, “Speak quickly! What exactly happened in Baihe County? Why did Xu Ming kill so many people? Afterward, I’ll decide your punishment!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wei trembled as he spoke.

“When Junior Scholar Xu assumed office in Baihe County, on that very day, commoners outside the county government office beat drums to appeal for justice. County Magistrate Xu and Minister Xu walked out of the office…”