The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 49 Learning from Cao Cao's Burning of Letters

The emperor's anger was like the Yellow River bursting its banks, once it started, it was unstoppable.

Faced with an emperor who possessed evidence, the generals of the Beijing garrison had very little they could do but gamble that the emperor would consider the bigger picture and not reveal these matters to the public.

Therefore, Jin Ruohai could only step forward again to answer the emperor's question: "Your Majesty, none of us recognize this person, nor does anyone dare to have any dealings with such a person who defies the will of Heaven and offends the majesty of Heaven."

The emperor asked, "What about the matter of the Yingmao Army?"

Jin Ruohai replied, “Your Majesty, there may be people like Shao Wenbiao in the Beijing Garrison who are greedy for money and break the law, but I dare to guarantee that not a single one of the more than 100,000 soldiers in the Beijing Garrison has any disloyal intentions, and not a single one would dare to associate with the traitor Gao Chonghe if he knew that he was doing something disloyal.”

At this moment, Jin Ruohai changed his tune, no longer mentioning that there were no corrupt individuals in the Beijing Garrison. Instead, he reminded the emperor that while there might be greedy individuals in the Beijing Garrison, there were absolutely no rebels. The Beijing Garrison remained loyal to the imperial family, and even if some were drawing salaries without working, their loyalty remained unchanged.

The emperor said with a cold laugh, "You certainly know how to talk, but as far as I know, there are people in the capital garrison who associate with this Gao Chonghe."

Jin Ruohai prepared to further persuade the emperor, but the emperor did not give him a chance to speak. The emperor said, "I know what you want to say, and I don't want to hear you make excuses for them. Since you are still not giving up, I will make you give up completely. Men, bring the things up."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the Imperial Horse Stables soldiers, who were already prepared, carried up from behind a two-foot-square wooden tray.

On the square tray, stacks of letters were laid out, covered with white paper and pressed down by a paperweight.

Two soldiers placed the square tray in front of the generals of the capital garrison. The emperor pointed to the tray and said, "These are the letters that the Imperial Horse Administration found in Gao Chonghe's house. Do you want me to read them aloud one by one on the spot?"

At this point, everyone panicked. No one could guarantee that they weren't among the pile of letters. After all, over the years, they had all had dealings with the Yingmao Army to some extent. Even if the letters didn't mention anything sensitive, Gao Chong and that bastard were now acting like local tyrants. The emperor didn't care what was said in the letters; any correspondence was a crime.

Prince Jin Ruohai of Xining was at a loss for words, but for the sake of the greater good, he had no choice but to step forward and continue to persuade the emperor: "Your Majesty, we noble families share your joys and sorrows. We dare not say that everyone here is pure and upright, loyal to the country. But when it comes to loyalty, I dare say that every single one of us is the most loyal person in the world."

These words drew unanimous agreement from the generals of the capital garrison, all of whom expressed their loyalty and wished they could rip out their hearts on the spot and show them to the emperor.

The emperor watched their performance with indifference.

Seeing that the emperor did not stop him from speaking, Jin Ruohai continued, "If Your Majesty has any dissatisfaction with the Beijing Garrison, you can issue an edict to the generals and ask them to correct their mistakes. The generals will certainly not dare to disobey the imperial edict."

The emperor sneered inwardly. If he didn't have so much evidence in hand today, would these nobles be so obedient? The retired emperor had ordered them to reform the Beijing Garrison years ago, and yet they were still drawing salaries without working and exploiting the soldiers.

However, the emperor's goal was to reorganize the Beijing Garrison and make these generals obedient, not to dismantle it. Therefore, at this point, the emperor did not intend to press the matter further. The emperor said, "I am well aware of your loyalty; otherwise, I would have sent the Imperial Guard to arrest you all and interrogate you long ago. Now, I can also tell you that I have not read a single one of these letters. As for whether I will read them in the future, that depends on your actions."

The fact that the emperor had not yet read the letter meant that he did not intend to pursue the matter to the end, and there was still room for maneuver.

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Ruohai calmed down and asked on behalf of the generals, "Please enlighten us, Your Majesty."

The Emperor said, “I don’t necessarily want to force you like this, but the Capital Garrison is the army that guards the capital. It has the responsibility of protecting the capital and suppressing the empire. If the Capital Garrison is stable, the empire is secure; if the Capital Garrison is in chaos, the empire is insecure. If every member of the Capital Garrison were like the Ever Victorious Guard, the empire would be in danger of collapse. Therefore, for the safety of the empire, I have no choice but to do this. You must understand my thoughts.”

Since the emperor had spoken so earnestly, the generals present had no choice but to step forward and express their opinion. They shouted in unison:

"It is my fault for causing Your Majesty worry."

After they finished shouting, the emperor continued, "I am not here today to ask you to confess your crimes, nor to recover a few coins, but to know the true situation of the Beijing Garrison so that I can have a clear understanding. Let us, as ruler and subjects, be frank and open today. I can tell you clearly that, taking today as the dividing line, I will no longer pursue the past in the Beijing Garrison. And you should not have any expectations of me. Tell me truthfully how many capable soldiers are currently in the Beijing Garrison so that I can know how to deal with them."

These words marked the first time the emperor had backed down that day, and also represented the emperor giving the generals of the capital garrison one last chance.

Jin Ruohai, knowing the importance of this moment, stepped forward again to reply: "Your Majesty, we would never dare to deceive you. We will tell you the truth about the Beijing Garrison. If anyone deceives Your Majesty, we will be the first to object."

Upon hearing this, the emperor was overjoyed. His previous angry expression vanished, and he laughed heartily, saying, "I knew the generals of the capital garrison understood the bigger picture. Since that's the case, I won't make things difficult for you. Guards, burn this pile of letters in front of all the generals."

The two soldiers who carried the tray were already prepared. Upon hearing the order, they quickly stepped forward. One carried a lit tinderbox, and the other carried a small bag of flammable oil. Working together, they quickly lit the letter in the tray.

As all the letters turned to ashes in the raging fire, the generals in the capital garrison, relieved, praised the emperor highly. Everyone wore expressions of profound gratitude, but how many were genuine and how many were feigning it remained unknown.

As an observer, Tu Chengyu couldn't discern whether they were sincere or not. However, Tu Chengyu could see that his father's acting skills were becoming increasingly proficient; the transition from anger to a beaming smile was much faster than the face-changing act in Sichuan opera.

Moreover, seeing that his father held such a pile of evidence but didn't make any use of it, Tu Chengyu, knowing his father as he did, suspected that these so-called letters were likely fakes made by his father to intimidate these arrogant nobles of the Beijing Garrison.

If Tu Chengyu's guess is true, the emperor has completely manipulated everyone this time.

(End of this chapter)