The officials stood in six long rows, divided into groups of three on both sides. They were headed by the six ministers, with a nine-foot-wide aisle in the middle.

Toward the front were the steps and the Dragon Throne at the top, behind which was the inner hall. The emperor would usually rest there first when he arrived and wait until all of the officials gathered. Then he would go directly up the back steps next to the Dragon Throne and take his seat upon it.

This not only avoided the awkwardness of climbing the steps in front of the officials, but also allowed him to sit on high and look down on everyone below.

Just after maoshi, the heavy wooden doors of the inner hall opened and approaching footsteps could be heard.

Everyone tidied their robes and stood up straight. 

Qin Xiao never tired of confirming Bai Lihong’s status, so although he would remain with Bai Lihong for a while in the inner hall, he would take the steps one by one when it was time for court and stand on the front middle step.

At the same time, Eunuch Hong would also walk through the door next to the Dragon Throne, and once Qin Xiao took his seat, he would call for court to begin.

All officials would shout “Long live the emperor” and bow with their hands clasped.

The young emperor would then sit on the throne and ask everyone to stand up.

When they heard the door to the inner hall open, everyone thought Qin Xiao had arrived. Only those military officers with good hearing could tell that there seemed to be two sets of footsteps in the hall.

As the footsteps grew closer, everyone soon looked past the huge dragon-shaped stone pillars and saw who had arrived.

Subsequently, many of them lost their composure, and surprise flashed in the eyes of even the six ministers.

Qin Xiao had indeed arrived, but he wasn’t alone.

Beside him was actually another person.

That person was wearing the same crimson-purple robes as Qin Xiao. He had short, fine black hair, with a long shock of silver-white hair at the back of his head that hung down to his waist.

It was none other than Chu Jiubian.

Dozens of eyes were staring at him, but Chu Jiubian seemed unaware as he walked slowly to the right side of the hall.

The subordinates in crimson official robes subconsciously moved aside, leaving an entire row of spots empty for Chu Jiubian just behind the six ministers.

Chu Jiubian paced to the empty row and stood near the middle of the aisle. In front of him was Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.

Qin Xiao had also stepped up to his high position without announcing what sort of official status Chu Jiubian held.

The Great Ning Dynasty had adopted the system of recommendation to select officials, which were basically high-ranking office-holders and well-known scholars who were selected based on their filial natures and honesty. There were also many wealthy businessmen who would privately pass on official positions to their younger generations.

In this entire court, there was not one official who was of commoner origin.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Chu Jiubian had relied on his connection with Qin Xiao to secure a promotion.

And everyone was already prepared for the inevitability that he would become an official.

It was just that going by the crimson-purple robes he wore, he should be at least a second-rank official, but there seemed to be no such vacant positions in the court…..

No – there should be one coming soon.

Those who were more quick-witted seemed to understand something in an instant, and their gazes fell indirectly on the person in front of Chu Jiubian.

Zhao Qianhe had also come to a realization, and his face paled.

Standing beside the Dragon Throne, Eunuch Hong called out: “Court has begun!”

All of the officials promptly bowed, palm over fist. Chu Jiubian didn’t deliberately seek special treatment, and saluted alongside everyone else.

Standing up high, Qin Xiao saw Chu Jiubian bowing obediently along with the rest. Although he seemed to fit in, his unusual hair still made him stand out.

Although everyone was wearing the same style of official robes, Chu Jiubian looked different, like a cunning white fox mixed in with a pack of wolves.

Qin Xiao looked away and turned his gaze toward the stairs.

Bai Lihong was already familiar with this procedure. He walked through the side door, went to the Dragon Throne, and stretched his arms out toward Eunuch Hong.

Eunuch Hong picked him up and put him on the chair, then helped him straighten his clothes.

Bai Lihong was very small, and it felt like the wide chair could fit five or six of him.

After being seated, he habitually looked toward Qin Xiao. When he saw his uncle looking back at him, he immediately smiled with his small white teeth, which made his chubby face look even chubbier.

Qin Xiao gave him a nod, and Bai Lihong immediately frowned again and said in a crisp voice: “Please stand.”

All of the officials straightened up and looked forward.

When attending court, officials were not allowed to look directly at the emperor’s face without reason, so rather than looking up, the officials looked straight ahead.

Chu Jiubian knew this rule and looked forward just like everyone else. As a result, his gaze happened to land on Qin Xiao where he was sitting on his chair.

Their eyes met. Qin Xiao winked at him.

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

Eunuch Hong went through the formalities: “If you have something to report, do so. If not, please leave the court.”

As soon as his words fell, someone said: “This official has a memorial!”

The familiar voice sounded from the other side of the aisle. Chu Jiubian looked over and saw a man walk out from a row on the left side near the aisle. It was the Minister of Revenue, Su Sheng.

“What do you have to report?” Bai Lihong asked.

“This official wishes to impeach Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.”

Nobody in the court was shocked when these words were spoken, other than Zhao Qianhe, who was as pale as death. He staggered as he stepped out of the row, knelt on the floor, and shouted: “I am unjustly accused!”

Su Sheng didn’t even turn his head. The others didn’t pay any attention to the other man’s fearful and accusing wails.

Because this person no longer had any value.

Anyone with a discerning eye was aware that it was Zhao Qianhe who had instructed his daughter Zhao Xi to carry out yesterday’s incident.

So even though Zhao Xi had “committed suicide out of fear of punishment” and taken all the blame, Su Sheng would not let Zhao Qianhe go.

This was the inevitable outcome after Su Xi identified Zhao Xi.

The fact that Su Sheng could firmly hold the position of Minister of Revenue in a court controlled by noble families with generations of succession was enough to show that this person was by no means simple. 

The amount of information he had in his hands was enough to send Zhao Qianhe into an eternal hell.

Zhao Qianhe also knew that his subordinates were not clean during his years as an official. The secrets yet to be revealed were enough to kill him a hundred times over.

That was why he had requested a three-year salary deduction the previous night, hoping to minimize the severity of the situation and keep his position.

But Qin Xiao didn’t give him that opportunity.

Moving the matter to today’s morning court session gave Su Sheng a period of time to collect evidence pertaining to the events of the previous night, and preferably, to remove Zhao Qianhe from his position.

Now that the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel had been delivered to him, there was absolutely no reason for Qin Xiao to refuse it.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze fell on Qin Xiao, and his eyes dimmed slightly.

He had figured it out yesterday. Zhao Qianhe was not the mastermind. He was just a knife used by the person behind the scenes to deal with Qin Xiao.

If yesterday’s events had developed in the predetermined direction, Su Xi’er would be dead, and there would have been no way to expose Zhao Xi’s kidnapping of her.

By then, there would be a rift between Qin Xiao and Su Sheng, and the purpose of the person behind the scenes would have been achieved.

However, that person’s plan was not limited to this. The other party had made more calculations, and had bigger ambitions.

Had Chu Jiubian not interfered yesterday, the Zhao family might not have fallen so quickly, but the person behind the scenes could bring the truth to Su Sheng as a favor to be repaid, and push Zhao Qianhe to the forefront.

With Su Sheng’s ability, he would definitely make Zhao Qianhe pay the corresponding price. Losing his job and being demoted would be the lightest punishment. He may even be sent to prison, have his property confiscated, and be sent into exile.

At that time, the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel would be vacant.

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of dispatching officials. It could be said that the fate of local officials lay in its hands, and it was evident how much this position drew the envy of others.

If Zhao Qianhe were to step down, the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel would definitely become a target of fierce competition between various forces.

The person behind the scenes would also have the opportunity to push someone they trusted to the top.

Chu Jiubian had saved Su Xi’er and allowed her to expose what Zhao Xi and the Zhao family had done, disrupting this part of the plan, but the general direction was still optimal.

Although he could no longer secure Su Sheng’s loyalty through a favor and also deal with Zhao Qianhe, and had failed to alienate Qin Xiao and Su Sheng, Zhao Qianhe was still going to be moved out of the way.

Indeed.

Su Sheng wasn’t the only one who wanted to do away with Zhao Qianhe. Everyone did.

This was what Chu Jiubian found the most terrifying. The person hiding in the dark had precise control over people’s hearts.

The other party knew that the scheme he set up couldn’t be hidden from all of the intelligent people in the court, so he played his cards directly and told everyone that he had no intention of protecting Zhao Qianhe.

The position of Deputy Minister of Personnel was a slab of fresh meat that he laid before all of their eyes.

It was no surprise that such a piece of meat caused all of the other forces to bite at it like wolves.

And thus, they all became accomplices.

They were all political enemies, but at some point, an unspoken understanding had been reached.

Chu Jiubian could pretty much guess who was secretly cooperating with this plan – for example, the Qiu family.

The auction had been held for so many years without incident, but last night, not one of the numerous Qiu family guards had noticed that two powerless girls had sneaked out of the Treasure Pavilion right under their noses.

Was this with the realm of possibility?

Qiu family had long known that something would go wrong at the auction, and it was they who had allowed the plan to proceed.

And then there was Qin Xiao.

When he figured all of this out, he took advantage of the situation to decisively cut off Zhao Qianhe’s path to survival, cooperating with these people to push the matter to its current state.

He was also a participant in this chess game.

“Your Majesty, this is the evidence of guilt I have collected against Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.” Su Sheng presented the documentary evidence he had compiled the night before.

Eunuch Hong quickly descended the stairs, took the evidence, and then raced back up to hand it to Bai Lihong.

Bai Lihong had no idea what he was reading, so he just flipped through it swiftly, then handed the evidence to Eunuch Hong and told him to deliver it to Qin Xiao.

At a time such as this, the young emperor still had to go through the necessary procedures. Everyone couldn’t help but sigh – Qin Xiao really had good intentions toward his nephew.

Qin Xiao accepted the evidence and flipped through it page by page.

At the same time, Su Sheng began his accusations: “Zhao Qianhe has committed three crimes.”

“Firstly, corruption, bribery, and the sale of official positions and titles. During his eleven years in office, he openly marked prices and sold official positions for great sums, and also accepted gold and silver treasures amounting to hundreds of thousands of silver taels.”

“Secondly, he compelled his daughter to do evil, and allowed clan members to bully men and women in the local area and commit murder and robbery!”

“Thirdly…..”

At this point, Su Sheng paused. He looked up at Qin Xiao and said in a deep voice: “He fabricated charges to frame the faithful and upright!”

Each word was pronounced with great force.

The entire court was silent, everyone wearing different expressions. Zhao Qianhe was speechless, and couldn’t even claim injustice.

Chu Jiubian frowned.

What was going on? Why did everyone look at Qin Xiao when he spoke of framing the loyal and upright?

Did the “loyal and upright” refer to the Qin family?

But hadn’t all of the Qin family members died on the battlefield and become heroes?

Chu Jiubian really wanted to know the whole story, but much to his disappointment, Su Sheng didn’t continue speaking, and Qin Xiao’s expression didn’t change.

Qin Xiao just slowly and methodically stacked the evidence in a neat pile, then cast his gaze upon the man who was already limp and trembling.

Zhao Qianhe had committed numerous crimes, including corruption and abuse of power. The evidence was irrefutable. Qin Xiao said indifferently: “Take him.”

Suddenly, two Imperial Guards came from the right and left sides of the hall and dragged Zhao Qianhe away without saying a word.

Zhao Qianhe said nothing to defend himself, and was powerless to resist.

His legs were weak, and one of his new shoes, which he had only worn twice, fell off as he was dragged. As he rolled down the long steps of Fengtian Hall, the hem of his official robes rubbed against the floor, scratching the cloud embroidery. 

The glory of the Zhao family ancestors had long since vanished, and even the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel had been obtained through their influence.

Zhao Qianhe had known that if he wanted to maintain his position and continue to protect his family, he could no longer be a so-called loyal minister. He needed to shelter beneath a big tree.

However, he had forgotten that big trees had tangled roots and lush leaves and branches, and didn’t require external support.

He stared at the towering palace for the last time as it receded farther and farther away, until the three characters “Fengtian Hall” blurred and could no longer be seen.

Qin Xiao called An Wuji over and said: “Search the Zhao family property and relocate all of the illicit funds to the national treasury.”

“Yes.” An Wuji accepted the order and departed.

The hall fell into silence.

Su Sheng returned to the ranks of civil servants without a trace of joy on his face.

If it was so easy to dispose of a subordinate, then wouldn’t it be equally easy to get rid of him?

Nobody could claim to be without fault, and nobody could walk alone amongst the waves of power. Only when forces joined together could they stand strong against the storm.

Chu Jiubian looked at the empty position in front of him, the position belonging to the Deputy Minister of Personnel, and stepped forward to fill it.

He looked up and saw the Minister of Personnel standing before him. His hair was graying, and his back was slightly hunched.

“Cough, cough…..”

A cough from Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan broke the silent atmosphere.

He covered his mouth awkwardly and coughed twice more before speaking in a hoarse voice: “Your Majesty, I have lost my composure. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me for my advanced age.”

Bai Lihong looked at him and became a little worried, convinced that he might die at any moment. He suggested: “The minister is so old. If he is too tired, he shouldn’t come to court anymore.”

The young emperor spoke in a childish voice. His concern and worry were not feigned, and precisely because of this, the scene came off as a little amusing.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan laughed out loud and said: “Minister Xiao is lucky to receive such care from His Majesty. Perhaps he should thank him and return home to enjoy his remaining years?”

Chu Jiubian looked toward him and saw that this man was around the same age as Xiao Huaiguan, with the same greying hair, but he was energetic and possessed an extraordinary bearing.

As expected of a member of the Wang family, he had an outstanding temperament even in old age.

“Please don’t worry about this one, Your Majesty, this official is at fault.” Xiao Huaiguan ignored Wang Zhiyuan and proceeded to say to Bai Lihong, “The Great Ning Dynasty is in its heyday, and this official wishes to share Your Majesty’s worries for a few more years.”

These words sounded pleasant, but everyone knew that the Great Ning Dynasty was currently riddled with internal and external troubles.

He was nearly seventy years old, yet he still clung to his position. Wasn’t this due to his unwillingness to give up power?

“Although this official is willing, I am indeed old, and I sometimes get so busy that I can’t keep up.” Xiao Huaiguan sighed. “Now that the guilty minister Zhao Qianhe has been imprisoned, I implore Your Majesty to choose another deputy for me.”

And there it was.

After this early-morning court spectacle, they were finally getting down to business.

Now, it was a matter of which side was capable enough to come out on top.

In other words, everything depended on whose conditions could impress Qin Xiao and make him willingly give them this position.

And why did Qin Xiao not fill it with someone of his own?

Of course, it was because he really had no one under his command.

He couldn’t just pick an official from the military camp to serve as Deputy Minister of Personnel. Even if he did so, that person would be replaced in a matter of days.

Therefore, everyone had toiled the previous night to select the candidates they wanted to nominate, preparing conditions that would impress Qin Xiao.

But there was a new variable in court now, so no one was willing to be the first one to speak out.

Chu Jiubian looked forward and met Qin Xiao’s gaze.

In the next moment, Chu Jiubian walked out of the row. His cool voice echoed in the hall: “Your Majesty, this subject requests to temporarily take over the position of Deputy Minister.”

Several inquiring gazes were cast over, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

The new variable was this Jiu-gongzi.

When he was seen attending morning court clad in the crimson-purple robes that only officials of the first or second ranks could wear, everyone could roughly guess that he was the candidate Qin Xiao favored.

Now, it seemed that they weren’t wrong.

Bai Lihong saw Qin Xiao raise his hand and tap his ear three times with his fingertip.

“Zhen agrees,” the child said at once.

Bai Lihong remembered this secret code between he and his uncle. It had taken no more than three breaths from the time Chu Jiubian asked to temporarily take over to the emperor giving his approval, leaving no room for others to interrupt.

After realizing what had happened, they didn’t refute immediately, but weighed the pros and cons.

Had Qin Xiao wanted to put someone else in this position, they would have objected, but this was Chu Jiubian, the “god” they were trying to recruit.

During the poetry debate yesterday, the shocking and overwhelming amount of information Chu Jiubian had conveyed to them was so great that if possible, no one wanted to be his enemy.

As for whether Chu Jiubian already stood on the side of Qin Xiao, everyone had a sense of measure in their hearts. There was no privacy in the private rooms of the Treasure Pavilion, and they had all seen Chu Jiubian stab Qin Xiao twice.

This sort of relationship where one was able to stab the other didn’t look like an alliance at all. On the contrary, it could be seen just how much Qin Xiao desired to curry favor with Chu Jiubian. He didn’t say a word after being stabbed twice, which showed how far he was willing to go.

Today, Chu Jiubian requested the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel, and Qin Xiao fully supported it, so the others naturally weren’t willing to embarrass Chu Jiubian in public. After much thought, they even felt that allowing him to take the office was better than letting one of their political opponents have it.

Subsequently, not a single civil or military official spoke out.

Qin Xiao regarded Chu Jiubian with dark eyes: “Then thank you for your hard work, Grand Tutor.”

Chu Jiubian nodded mildly and returned to his row, leaving the others somewhat shocked.

Grand Tutor?

What was this person’s identity?

So it turned out that Qin Xiao had previously bestowed upon Chu Jiubian the title of first rank Grand Tutor. In the previous dynasty, the Grand Tutor, the Grand Commandant, and the Imperial Censor were the three highest officials. The Grand Tutor was of the same rank as the Prime Minister, and was part of the group that held real power.

After the founding ancestor conquered the country, he abolished this system and replaced it with one where power was divided between six ministers, with the real power in the hands of the emperor.

It was only after the emperor’s death that there were two successive incompetent emperors, which gave the heads of the six ministries the opportunity to expand their power.

By now, the emperor was practically sidelined. If it weren’t for Qin Xiao, the emperor would exist in name only.

Now that Qin Xiao had reinstated the position of Grand Tutor, was he just giving Chu Jiubian a high position in order to curry favor, or did he intend to give him authority equivalent to that of a Prime Minister?

Could this be the condition Qin Xiao agreed to in order to recruit him?

If Jiu-gongzi’s appetite was so large, then what were he and the forces behind him planning…..

Everyone’s minds were working overtime, but they all held back for the time being.

Things had already reached this point. What they were able to think of, Qin Xiao must have thought of as well. Since he dared to offer such a condition, he must have a way to suppress Chu Jiubian. They might as well wait and see.

“Does anyone else have something to say?” Qin Xiao’s gaze moved over the crowd.

A Ministry of Revenue official in dark blue robes walked into the aisle and bowed, saying: “This official has a memorial.”

“Speak.”

“Sichuan, Huguang, and other areas have not seen any rainfall recently, so crops are not growing well, river and lake levels are dropping, and drinking water is becoming scarce. Many prefectures have submitted memorials expressing concerns about drought, and pleading with the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds for digging wells and dredging canals to prevent water scarcity.”

Chu Jiubian frowned and secretly called up the System.

The weather forecast could look back one month. When he checked it a few days ago, there was no rain in the south and only light rain in the north. He wasn’t sure what the forecast would be in the next few days.

Before this, he had been more worried about flooding than drought, because there had been flood disasters in the original novel, and people had even flocked to the county seat outside the capital. It was only after Qin Xiao spent the bulk of the Qin family wealth that he was able to pacify the refugees.

The floods had occurred due to several days of heavy rain, and Qin Xiao had failed to come up with the funds to repair the dams. When Jiannan-wang didn’t travel there to supervise, the people below him grew greedy and continuously cut corners. The dams were not reinforced, and crumbled when they came under pressure.

However, now that the funds were in place and Jainnan-wang had been sent to repair the dams, Hexi Prefecture, which was the most prone to flooding, should be safe.

With no more worries about flooding, the issue of drought became more prominent.

Chu Jiubian checked the weather, and his heart instantly skipped a beat.

In the few days since the last update, there was still no rain in the south, but there were several days of heavy rain in the north!

An official from the Ministry of Works stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, Lord Ning-wang, this official requests that officials from the Water Resources Department be dispatched to the local areas to dredge channels and provide guidance on drought relief.”

The national treasury had become richer these days due to the ice business, but most of it had been used for dam repairs. Nowadays, more material resources and manpower were needed to fight drought. If it didn’t rain for a long time, drought was inevitable, and the court would then need to open its granaries to release grain, which was another huge expense.

This was also Qin Xiao’s worry.

The national treasury was depleted, and the granaries weren’t much better. How could they just give out food rations to the millions of people in the south?

“Can Huguang-wang and Pingxi-wang just eat for free?” Imperial Censor Qi Zhili said coldly. “When the common people under their rule suffer, they ask the court for funds and grain. But in previous years when there were good harvests, we didn’t see them sending much more rice.”

This man spoke sharply in a cold, hard tone, with the aggressiveness typical of an Imperial Censor.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look back, slightly surprised.

This Minister Qi was about thirty years old and looked 60% similar to his first Believer, Jiang Shuoye.

Chu Jiubian suppressed his surprise and turned back around to find Qin Xiao looking at him.

He gave him an inquiring look, but Qin Xiao averted his gaze.

Chu Jiubian: “ ? ”

Could it be that he wanted to find another way to make money?

Weren’t there still the hundreds of thousands of taels he confiscated from Zhao Qianhe? Although rice was the most important thing at the moment, this money should be enough to buy a lot of old grain from wealthy merchants.

As for whether the wealthy merchants would be willing to sell, there was no question about it. 

Scholars, farmers, traders, and artisans – today’s merchants wouldn’t dare go against the Imperial Court.

“Liu Junqi,” Qin Xiao said.

An official from the Ministry of Works immediately responded: “This subject is here.”

“Select a few people from the Water Resources Department to visit the drought-stricken areas and help determine the locations for wells and water channels. You will be fully responsible for overseeing this.”

“Yes.”

“Minister Su,” Qin Xiao said, “The Ministry of Revenue will allocate a batch of funds to dig wells first. Let’s set the rest aside for now.”

Su Sheng agreed.

Qin Xiao asked everyone: “Is there anything else?”

The Deputy Minister of War started to step forward, but was stopped with a look by Minister Lu Youwei, so he didn’t speak up.

When no one spoke, Eunuch Hong called for the court to be dismissed.

Bai Lihong and Eunuch Hong returned to the inner hall through the side door.

Qin Xiao descended the steps and saw Chu Jiubian talking to the Minister of Personnel, Xiao Huaiguan. He paused, then turned around and left the hall with the others.

Chu Jiubian had just taken office as the Deputy Minister of Personnel, and thus felt it necessary to take a tour of the Ministry of Personnel to familiarize himself with the work environment. He walked side-by-side with Minister Xiao, who seemed to be particularly good-tempered.

He caught a glimpse of Qin Xiao hesitating from the corner of his eye, but pretended not to see him.

“I heard that Jiu-gongzi shined brightly at yesterday’s auction.” Xiao Huaiguan’s gait was slightly unstable as he said with a smile, “It’s a pity that I’m too old to see it with my own eyes.”

Chu Jiubian’s expression was indifferent. Hearing this, he simply said: “It was just a retelling of immortal poetry.”

“I’m not talking about the poetry.”

Chu Jiubian turned his head to glance over. Xiao Hauiguan’s smile was still as gentle as ever, like that of a kind elder. “The Su family girl is safe and sound. She has you to thank for that.”

“It was a simple task,” Chu Jiubian said.

“You have courage, wisdom, and compassion, which are rare qualities.” Xiao Huaiguan sighed. “I haven’t seen a good kid like you in a long time. In the future, if you have any problems in the Ministry of Personnel, please tell me. Don’t be afraid if you make a mistake. I will take responsibility for you.”

Chu Jiubian: “Is this the goodwill of the Xiao family?”

Xiao Huaiguan was momentarily taken aback. Then he shook his head and laughed: “You’ve misunderstood. This is my goodwill. I really admire young people like you.”

“Oh.” Chu Jiubian said casually, “Did you say the same thing to Zhao Qianhe?”

The staggering footsteps of the person beside him came to a complete halt.

Chu Jiubian looked back.

Xiao Huaiguan’s cloudy eyes stared at the young man before him who looked like a banished immortal. The other’s inorganic light-hued eyes seemed to see through everything.

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Chapter 20 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 22