The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 105
Chapter 105
After speaking those words, Qiu Mingyan bowed deeply and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, “Please return to the palace, Your Majesty, to maintain the stability of the imperial court on behalf of the Grand Tutor!”
Nie Qinglin did not understand why Qiu Mingyan held such intentions.
Even after scouring the history books, she had never seen a precedent where a reigning young emperor maintained the court’s stability for a treacherous official who had usurped power.
Yet, after her inner thoughts shifted through countless turns, she nodded anyway.
Her mind, however… revolved incessantly around a single question: where on earth had he gone?
For some reason, Qiu Mingyan had also brought the memorials from the past few days.
When he selected the most urgent ones to present to Nie Qinglin, she was momentarily stunned.
“Prime minister Qiu, I have not yet begun to rule personally. Is it not somewhat improper for you to show these to me?”
Qiu Mingyan remained insistent, saying, “Your Majesty has been away from the capital for a long time and surely remains unaware of the current bottlenecks in the court. Looking at these will give you a clear understanding. As for the trivial matters within the memorials, I shall naturally handle them for Your Majesty.”
Nie Qinglin picked up a memorial and flipped through it, then suddenly looked up and asked, “What is the origin of that Blood Red Society? Even pirates usually have a base somewhere. The warships the Grand Tutor took were specially made and exceptionally fast. Since they are all seafaring men, it is unlikely they would have the heart to scuttle the ships and sink into the sea. If we search the various docks, it is impossible that there would be no news at all, right?”
As these questions were fired off in rapid succession, Qiu Mingyan simply lowered his head respectfully and said, “I have already dispatched people to investigate. Please do not worry, Your Majesty. The Grand Tutor is surely blessed by heaven and will be safe.”
Nie Qinglin frowned as she looked at Prime minister Qiu.
Had they been on land, she would not be so worried.
However, that was the vast, boundless ocean, the very weakness of Wei Lenghou.
If a person disappeared at sea, what would be the chances of survival?
They returned to the capital without a moment’s rest.
When Nie Qinglin donned her dragon robes and ascended the golden throne once more, she clearly felt the atmosphere of the entire court change.
Sitting on the throne, she only had to look up to see the empty flood dragon chair beside her.
Its abrupt presence there made people instinctively look toward the main hall doors, half expecting a tall man in black court robes with cold, sharp eyes to come walking up the aisle at any moment.
Without the Grand Tutor acting as the stabilizing force, the officials grew restless.
They no longer stood below with disciplined, downcast eyes.
Every time Nie Qinglin looked down, her gaze collided with the probing stares of several ministers.
This gave the Emperor a bit of grim consolation: you are all worthy ministers of Great Wei, yet you are so curious that it must be a struggle to refrain from personally coming up and tearing off my clothes.
Unfortunately, some ministers lacked such restraint.
One eventually stepped out from the ranks and said, “It has been a long time since we saw Your Majesty. There were rumors that you were gravely ill. Seeing your face today brings much peace to us officials.”
Qiu Mingyan was about to speak, but the person on the throne had already replied, “My health has indeed been poor. That is no rumor.”
The man who stepped forward was Minister Geng, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
He was originally an inconspicuous member of the Grand Tutor’s faction, but recently he had been colluding with several high ranking officials and becoming increasingly aggressive.
Nie Qinglin understood Minister Geng well.
The Grand Tutor commanded such absolute loyalty because of his formidable methods and the general realization that he would eventually become Emperor.
To follow the rising sun or abandon a falling house was common in politics.
Although the news of the Grand Tutor’s accident at sea was strictly suppressed, those with intent still managed to find out.
The already wavering hearts of the people grew even more unstable.
Today, the various retainers of regional princes were seen wandering between the mansions of various lords and dukes.
Without the protection of the Demon Dragon, the little Emperor was like a speck of dust that could be brushed away at will.
One wondered who could seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to reach the top and become the new sovereign.
It seemed Minister Geng had found a new master and was eager to step forward to claim credit.
After hearing the little Emperor speak, he continued his petition, “I submitted a memorial the other day. Due to the previous military campaigns in the south, the regional princes were diligent in their tribute and paid quite a bit of extra silver. However, the imperial treasury is now full and there is no need for further war. Could Your Majesty perhaps reduce or waive the annual tribute for the regional princes to lighten their burden?”
At this, Qiu Mingyan spoke up, “When the late Emperor was alive, the regional princes always had excuses and often failed to pay tribute for years. It was only after the new Emperor ascended and the Grand Tutor supervised them closely that they finally paid for less than two years. Yet now you want a waiver. Minister Geng truly cares for the welfare of the princes!”
Minister Geng gave a hollow laugh and said, “Prime minister Qiu, it is wrong to speak like that. The regional princes all bear the surname Nie and are descendants of the Great Ancestor. In the end, this world belongs to the ‘sons’ of the Nie royal family! How could they not care for the court? They only worry that the treasury’s silver is being controlled by treacherous officials to secretly enrich their own houses, wasting the sincere devotion of the princes!”
The implication in those words caused many to gasp.
He was clearly suggesting that the Grand Tutor was greedy for the people’s wealth and was funneling national funds into the Wei family coffers.
Qiu Mingyan turned red with rage and was about to retort when Nie Qinglin spoke slowly, “Minister Geng’s concern is valid. It is a national misfortune if the treasury nourishes fat rats. But does one stop farming and storing grain just because of rats? How about this: Minister Geng shall present a list of regional princes who are unable to afford their tribute. If they can no longer maintain the dignity of their titles, they may simply surrender their lands and return to court, where the state will naturally provide for them.”
The Emperor, who was usually silent in court, had suddenly spoken with such sharp words that it sent a slight shock through the gathered officials.
Minister Geng had been prepared for Prime minister Qiu to attack and had his responses ready.
But since it was the Emperor speaking, he had to observe the etiquette between ruler and subject.
He did not dare be too insolent, yet in his heart, he looked down on this puppet propped up by Grand Tutor Wei.
He bowed and said, “Your Majesty’s words are but the impulsive talk of a youth. It is fine to say such things in this hall, but what if they reached the ears of the princes? Would the ancestral rites and systems not collapse?”
Nie Qinglin looked down at Minister Geng, her hand tightening slightly on the arm of the throne.
In the past, she would pass the time in court by studying the words and movements of these officials.
This Minister Geng was classified by her as a prime example of an opportunist who always acted according to superior orders while seeking personal advantage.
Yet now, he had stepped forward into the court with total lack of fear, aggressively making insinuations about Wei Lenghou.
What kind of reassurance had he received to make him so certain that Wei Lenghou would never return?
Thinking of this, Nie Qinglin’s thoughts churned several times.
After weighing the situation repeatedly, she suddenly spoke: “Minister Geng worries a great deal on My behalf, but We wonder if you are managing too many affairs, such that your energy failed you while handling the land reclamation in Ba Prefecture, resulting in thirty thousand units of private farmland belonging to peasants ending up in the possession of your own uncle?”
The contents of this memorial had been submitted by a minor local county official.
Normally, a report from such a low ranking official would never reach the imperial presence.
However, this official was an upright man.
Because he was an enemy of Minister Geng’s uncle, he had conducted secret investigations and obtained evidence that Minister Geng had conspired with local officials to hide household registrations, underreport the population, and annex large amounts of land.
Unexpectedly, he was harmed by the treacherous villains.
Before he was killed, the official wrote a letter to his mentor, the Grand Secretary Wu Jinglin.
Grand Secretary Wu then took his student’s blood-weeping final words and presented them in a memorial to the throne.
Minister Geng never expected that the sick cat of an emperor would suddenly launch an attack and expose his shameful deeds.
Although he felt panicked, he did not show it on his face.
Thinking that he had long ago cancelled the household registrations and smoothed over the connections, he exerted extreme self control and said: “I do not know from where Your Majesty heard such false rumors. I am wronged. I request that Your Majesty appoint someone to investigate to prove my innocence!”
Grand Secretary Wu stood to the side, coughing as he tremulously stepped out of the ranks and said: “My student Zhou Tong was a county official in Gu County of Ba Prefecture. The evidence of Minister Geng’s private seizure of land is all with this old official. I ask His Majesty to send someone to my residence to collect it and restore my student’s honor!”
“Guards, take Geng Bohuai to the dungeon!” Nie Qinglin suddenly commanded.
Although the Emperor’s golden mouth had opened, the guards in the great hall did not move at all.
After all, this little emperor on the dragon throne was categorized as a clay decoration.
To everyone’s surprise, she had suddenly spoken, yet she possessed no authority whatsoever.
Minister Geng regained his composure and sneered in his heart.
Just a few days ago, he had received a secret letter stating that Wei Lenghou’s life or death was unknown and that he was very likely buried in the bellies of fish.
Because of the Grand Tutor’s previous efforts to weaken the feudal lords, several of the affected princes had long been secretly conspiring together, led by the Prince of Qilu.
Now, the Ministry of War was also filled with the confidants of these princes.
Yesterday, taking advantage of a rotation in the guards, the soldiers in the hall were all loyal to the Prince of Qilu.
Not only could the Emperor not command them, but even Prime minister Qiu might not possess that kind of prestige.
For the little emperor to try and show off her power while the demon dragon Grand Tutor was absent was truly laughable!
He recalled the instructions in the Prince of Qilu’s secret letter.
As long as the little emperor returned, they were to seize the opportunity to strip the imperial robes in front of all the ministers and verify the gender.
At that time, the banner of the Grand Tutor’s faction would be cut down and the followers would scatter like monkeys from a falling tree.
Initially, he had been somewhat hesitant.
After all, if the rumors turned out to be false, it would be difficult to save face.
However, the inner palace was entirely filled with the Grand Tutor’s confidants and guards could not be planted there.
This moment during the Emperor’s court session was the only flaw to exploit.
Since the little emperor had been the first to expose his shortcomings, he could not be blamed for disregarding the old bond between ruler and subject.
In truth, whether the emperor was male or female no longer mattered.
Without the Grand Tutor as a backer, death was the only end.
But if the emperor were truly a woman, then he, Geng Bohuai, would be the official who achieved the primary credit for the Prince of Qilu.
In the future, even when recorded in the annals of the Wei Dynasty, he would be remembered as a capable official who eradicated the faction of the traitor Wei.
Thinking of the blood boiling prospect of achieving great deeds, Minister Geng became solemn.
He gave a look to the commander of the guards in the hall and shouted loudly: “The Emperor has been deluded by evil people. I shall prove my loyalty with my death, for my life is not worth regretting!”
Saying this, he actually rose to strike his head against a pillar.
Naturally, his supporters among the ministers moved to stop him, and the hall instantly fell into chaos.
At that moment, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, the guard commander moved to the side of the throne and reached out to tear the little emperor’s dragon robes.
How could Nie Qinglin not understand what kind of trap she had fallen into at this point? Ordinarily, she would have endured until the end and never touched a poisonous tumor like Geng Bohuai who harbored such malice.
But when she thought that this man might know the inside story of the Grand Tutor’s disappearance, she could not restrain herself.
In her urgency to capture him for interrogation, she had landed herself in this situation where she was about to be shamed in public.
Just as the guard’s large hand was about to touch Nie Qinglin’s dragon robes, a large hand suddenly grabbed the guard’s insolent hand.
Lu Yuda, who had been standing in the ranks, had somehow approached and he grabbed the guard and threw him violently down the steps.
At that moment, several other generals from the Black Flag Army also stepped out from the ranks.
One of them grabbed Geng Bohuai, who was pretending to hit the pillar but was carefully avoiding a fatal blow.
The general lifted him horizontally and swung him like a bell hammer, slamming him violently against a red pillar in the great hall.
With just that single blow, a bloodcurdling scream rang out followed by a heavy thud.
Minister Geng’s wish was fulfilled as he earned his place in history for the act of striking a pillar in the golden throne hall to prove his loyalty with death!
Lu Yuda stood before the young Emperor’s throne and shouted a thunderous question: “Does anyone else wish to prove their loyalty through death?”
