I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 74: The First Shot of Impeachment Against Zhu Jie

After Zhao Zicheng instructed his men to make preparations, he went to see Wei Xian, the magistrate of Suzhou, the next day.

Wei Xian has been cooperating with him for almost half a year.

Last winter, Wei Xian helped him coordinate the collection of corvée labor in the four counties of Suzhou, and persuaded the officials of the four counties to play to their strengths and cooperate with each other.

Finally, Zhao Zicheng was able to take advantage of his new tools and cement workshop. He estimated a relatively high price for cement, and then Gusu County provided the cement, while other counties provided more labor and grain, and together they completed the labor service.

Although Zhao Zi claimed that he had actually gained an advantage in that project and had also achieved political achievements, Wei Xian still had a very good impression of him and felt that he was a person who promoted benefits and eliminated disadvantages and did practical things.

What's wrong with letting a younger official who has brains, drive and the ability to get things done take advantage of him?
Furthermore, during their collaboration, Wei Xian gained a deeper understanding of Zhao Zicheng's position. The two of them had many private conversations and discussed the situation in the world. Wei Xian came to agree with Zhao Zicheng's perspective and was convinced that Zhao Zicheng, who stood in opposition to Zhu Jie, was a like-minded person who could be recruited as an ally.

Today, Zhao Zicheng asked for a meeting again, so Wei Xian did not hesitate at all and received him cordially at the first opportunity.

"Zicheng, you haven't come to visit for a long time. You have been very busy since you took up your new position. You suddenly came today, so something must be going on." As soon as Wei Xian saw him, he pulled him to sit down with a friendly face and asked the servants to serve him tea.

Zhao Zicheng was no pushover. After laying the groundwork for a few sentences, he got to the point: "To be honest, since taking up my new position, I've spent a month or two sorting out the county's civil affairs and fiscal issues, as well as previous historical debts and deficits, and gaining a deep understanding of the people's sentiments.

I feel that if this continues, Suzhou will be doomed to chaos. We originally planned to play it safe, but now it seems we won't even survive this year. I would like to submit a letter to the emperor, bitterly exposing the malpractices of Jiangnan, and implore him to understand the situation and the hardships faced by the people and abolish the Flower and Stone Tax!
If the Flower and Stone Gang is not abolished, how will the local taxes, transfers, head taxes, purchases, and grain purchases be collected? The people will surely be devastated. And this year, in Shandong, Huaixi, and Hebei, where are there no bandits? I hear there are even bandits around Tokyo.

"Renovating the garden is a waste of resources; it would be better to finish it quickly so the people can have a rest. Therefore, I have decided to risk my life and write a letter of advice!"

Wei Xian had previously discussed this with Zhao Zicheng a few times, but he had always felt the timing was not right. In other words, even if Wei Xian felt the need to advise, he wouldn't have needed to use such harsh words as Zhao Zicheng had.

Historically, Wei Xian himself had submitted a petition to remonstrate with the emperor, but not now, and would have to wait several months. After submitting the petition, he was indeed retaliated against by Cai Jing and Zhu Zhen. However, due to his good fortune, Fang La rebelled before the process of framing him could be completed. The emperor then urgently pardoned him and sent him to Changzhou, a neighboring city, to pacify the local people.

At this moment, Wei Xian felt that submitting the petition immediately would be very risky.

He couldn't help but advise, "Have you thought about how to phrase it? It's better not to be too blunt about this matter. A little more tactful will be safer. It wouldn't be good to make it like when there was a severe drought during the reign of Emperor Shenzong and the old party asked to dismiss Wang Jinggong."

The anecdote Wei Xian mentioned occurred during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song, during the height of the struggle between the old and new factions. During this period, a severe drought persisted in the capital region. Both the common people and the old faction invoked theories of divine interaction, claiming the drought was due to the corrupt government. One of the most ardent petitioners addressed Emperor Shenzong, declaring, "Please dismiss the traitor Wang Anshi. If there is still no rain within ten days after Wang Anshi's dismissal, I beg you to execute me outside the Xuande Gate." This was a gamble of life and death against Wang Anshi.

However, in the political arena, if one wants to gamble small for big, such outrageous and vehement memorials are inevitable. Because the lives of small people are worthless, if every time there is a severe drought, the old party sends out a poor, worthless censor or something like that to gamble their lives with Wang Anshi, Wang Anshi will inevitably lose the bet.

Zhao Zicheng certainly wouldn't take such a big gamble as to impeach Zhu Jie and request the abolition of the Flower and Stone Gang, but his words would certainly be fierce, which Wei Xian had guessed long ago.

Zhao Zicheng could only say in a tactful way that he would be careful about the situation. He was a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty, and even if he said something harsh, his life would not be in danger.

Wei Xian thought about it and said carefully, "This matter should have been handled by me. How can I let you younger generations take on such a responsibility? Why not wait a little longer? When the time is right, I will submit the petition as planned."

But Zhao Zicheng had already thought about it. In history, Wei Xian had gained a lot of fame by doing this, but because he had no foundation, his fame was of little use. At most, he could get a slight promotion.

Zhao Zicheng was different. His surname was Zhao. If a person with the surname Zhao could gain enough reputation among the literati on the eve of the Jingkang Incident, he would have a chance to win the support of the civil service group in the future - of course, the premise was that all of Zhao Ji's biological sons were captured or killed, and no one escaped.

As long as Zhao Gou could escape alive during the Jingkang Incident, it would be useless for Zhao Zicheng to build up his reputation. But who knows whether Zhao Gou can escape alive in a few years? For the sake of the people of the world, and to prevent the barbarians from wreaking havoc in the Central Plains for a hundred years, Zhao Zicheng must take this gamble.

Opportunities only come to those who are prepared.

So he said firmly, "Please, Magistrate, investigate this matter! I must submit a petition to the emperor. I cannot let you be responsible for this. There are three reasons!"

Wei Xian was slightly displeased, but still gestured for him to give a brief account. Zhao Zi said, "First of all, the world does not belong to one person, but to all people. Every man is responsible for the fate of his country. But my surname is Zhao after all. We, the Zhao family, enjoy the support of the people of the world. When it comes to contributing, we should naturally be the first to do so. This is to atone for the sins of our ancestors and those foolish relatives!" This is the first point.

As a member of the imperial clan, even if I submit a petition with harsh words, I won't be in danger of my life, or even exile. At most, I'll be dismissed from my post and imprisoned, living as a wealthy man in Bianjing. While this dynasty doesn't execute scholar-officials, other civil servants convicted of speaking out face the possibility of being exiled to a remote military prefecture. This is the second reason.

Finally, if your petition offends the court, or if it's intercepted by Zhu Zhen's backers at court, like Cai Jing, and the emperor never sees it, how can we remedy the situation? Perhaps they'll completely obstruct your righteous words, preventing them from reaching the emperor's ears. All our sacrifices will be in vain!

My petition, however, was different. I had no authority to submit it, so I could only use the Tongpan's channel to submit it, as a preliminary test. The Tongpan remained in the dark, so as not to seriously offend Cai Jing and Zhu Zhen. If my petition was blocked, the Tongpan could find another channel to reach the emperor and salvage the situation. This was the third reason.

Zhao Zi said he didn't know exactly through what channels Wei Xian had submitted his petition, but he knew that the Tongpan, as a local supervisory official, did have the authority to supervise officials, including the prefect, so he could submit his petition indirectly. He would try the normal channels first, and if his case was blocked, he could use the backup channels to seek redress. If he exposed all of Wei Xian's channels right away and was blocked, there would be nothing he could do.

After hearing this, Wei Xian pondered for a moment, and felt that Zhao Zicheng's statement was about 70% to 80% reasonable, but he was still unsure: "You may have overestimated my ability to reach the emperor. Even if I wanted to make a secret report at all costs, it may not be delivered to the emperor."

The Song Dynasty was different from the later Qing Dynasty. It did not have a system of "secret reports". The channels of the inspectors were indeed special, but they were not omnipotent.

Zhao Zicheng gritted his teeth and decided to reveal a few more key points: "Well, now that things have come to this, there is one thing I won't hide from the Tongpan. In fact, when I was in Tokyo last year, it must have been by chance that I met the emperor who was on an incognito tour..."

Zhao Zicheng had just said half of this when Wei Xian immediately showed a gaping expression, very surprised, and was speechless for a while.

Zhao Zicheng quickly explained, "Don't overthink it. In fact, I'm not sure either, because we haven't made it clear from the beginning. I was in Genyue at the time and saw a clan uncle who claimed to be a descendant of King Pu visiting the garden... But later on, all signs indicated that he seemed to be the current emperor.

After returning to Suzhou, I was promoted repeatedly within a few short months. I secretly speculated that this was probably due to my catching the emperor's eye. Therefore, I thought that perhaps the emperor still had some affection for me, his distant nephew.

Therefore, if I write a letter to impeach Zhu Jie and he is found guilty, the Tongpan can try to appeal separately. As long as he lets the emperor know that "Zhao Zicheng of Gusu has been wronged", he may review the case out of consideration for our family ties, or at least he will not deal with it rashly.

But if the magistrate directly petitions and is convicted, how can we use this second chance to turn the tables? As for me, I absolutely cannot say, "I know that the uncle I met in Genyue last summer is the current emperor." Even if I know about this, I can only pretend not to know. Only that person can acknowledge it, and I absolutely cannot.

I, the humble official, only told you this important matter privately, considering you to be my close friend, regardless of age difference. There are no outsiders here, and I won't let anyone else know. Just the judge needs to hear it."

After leaving the room, Zhao Zi said he would never admit his mistake. He said a few words casually, so he was not afraid of Wei Xian catching him.

When Wei Xian heard this bombshell news, his pupils suddenly contracted several times.

He didn't believe it at first, but then he thought about it and realized that Zhao Zicheng's career had indeed been smooth. He had the merit of being a top student in the Imperial College, yet his first official position was as the magistrate of Gusu County, and he was promoted after only three or four months. Zhao Zicheng's claim that he met the emperor while supervising the construction of Genyue in Tokyo and was appreciated by him made sense.

"He passed the exam last year, while the emperor's most favored prince, Prince Yun, passed the exam the year before, a year earlier than him. And I heard Prince Yun is only a year older than him...

It's human nature to offer a little support to a nephew who is similar in age and experience to one's beloved son. Furthermore, I heard his father was suddenly granted a title and made a founding marquis last winter. From all indications, what he said must be true..."

Wei Xian thought about it in his mind, and after analyzing it carefully, he found that everything matched up.

This is not surprising.

In this case, Zhao Zicheng should be the first to test the waters by submitting a petition for impeachment, while he should be cautious and wait and see in secret. If Zhao Zicheng is retaliated against, he can use the last channel to let the emperor know Zhao Zicheng's loyalty and injustice.

"Since that's the case, I won't fight with you anymore. The people of Jiangnan will all be shouldered by you."

(End of this chapter)