Top Scholar

Chapter 554 One sentence is worth ten thousand sentences
Su Lu wore a gold plaque bestowed by the emperor at his waist, which allowed him to freely enter and leave the palace.

The glittering object deterred the Imperial Guards from stopping him, allowing him to proceed unimpeded to the Fengtian Gate.

The midday sun was like a branding iron that had been tempered, and waves of heat rose from the ground. Looking into the distance, Su Lu could only see that the figures of the officials kneeling on both sides of the imperial road had become distorted and blurred.

Only when they got closer could one see that their court robes were covered with rings of white sweat stains. Their faces were sunburnt and shiny, like cooked shrimp glistening with oil, while their lips were dry and cracked.

They had been kneeling for well over an hour, swaying unsteadily like candles in the wind. Every now and then, one of them could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, too weak to even utter a sound...

Although the officials in various departments were spared the punishment of kneeling, they could only pace anxiously to the side, suffering alongside them.

Su Lu glanced around and spotted Zhang Cai huddled in the city gate. He walked over and whispered, "Young Grand Chancellor, may I speak to you in private?"

“Okay.” Zhang Cai followed Su Lu into Fengtian Gate, and the two walked slowly away along the high palace wall.

After distancing himself from the crowd, Su Lu cut to the chase: "Young Master, quickly go and persuade Eunuch Liu to stop. If this continues, he'll be in big trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cai asked calmly, "What do you mean?"

"The Emperor didn't even glance at that anonymous letter before handing it over to Eunuch Liu for disposal. This shows immense trust, but isn't it also a test?" Su Lu said in a deep voice, "But what he did was to run rampant in front of Fengtian Gate, tormenting all the officials half to death. It was utterly outrageous! Why didn't the Junior Chancellor try to dissuade him?!"

Zhang Cai gave a wry smile and said, "I am but a lowly official with little influence. How could I dare to utter a word when Your Excellency is so angry?"

"Besides, Eunuch Liu was indeed acting on imperial orders, so the scope of his investigation might be a bit broad. But sometimes, to correct a wrong, one must go to extremes, and the current situation is unavoidable." He paused, then stroked his long beard and smiled faintly.

"Furthermore, such scenes are not common in the past two years. But back in the first year of Zhengde's reign, they were played out every few days. The top scholar was still a rare sight."

“Yes, I didn’t experience those days.” Su Lu suppressed the urge to punch him and coldly smiled, “But I know the story of marking the boat to find the sword. In two or three years, His Majesty’s ship has sailed far ahead, yet you still want to find your sword by relying on the marks of the past?”

"Oh?" Zhang Cai, also an exceptionally intelligent person, narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and his expression immediately became serious. "I would like to hear the details."

"Didn't you see clearly when the Empress Dowager went on a hunger strike? The Emperor of today is no longer the playful young prince he once was. He has developed his own opinions and has begun to value his authority. Do you really think that the mother and son's struggle is just for Zhang Yanling?"

“Of course not…” Zhang Cai said, sweat beading on his forehead and his voice trembling, “The two saints are fighting over who gets to decide.”

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded. Talking to smart people was effortless. He continued, his words like knives piercing Zhang Cai’s heart:
"So even if the current emperor relinquishes power to Liu Jin, he will not tolerate him becoming the 'established emperor'!"

"..." Zhang Cai was sweating profusely. He had to admit that Su Lu had pointed out Liu Gonggong's biggest mistake—he was still looking at the Emperor with old eyes.

In the past, as long as Liu Jin didn't deceive the emperor, the emperor didn't care what kind of emperor he was.

But the emperor grew up and still didn't know how to restrain himself; he just wanted to die!

"Eunuch Liu's actions today are unprecedented in history—a mere eunuch dared to order officials to kneel under the scorching sun for an entire day. Even the Ten Attendants and Li Fuguo were not as brazen as him! Perhaps only Zhao Gao, who 'called a deer a horse,' is comparable." Su Lu pressed on, adding:
"Throughout history, which powerful eunuch has ever met a good end? With Liu Jin's actions, I think there's a 99% chance he'll follow in their footsteps."

After a pause, Su Lu softened his tone and said to Zhang Cai, who was pale-faced, "I don't care about Liu Jin's life or death at all, but wouldn't it be a great pity if the young prime minister, such a brilliant pillar of the country, were to be implicated by him and end up disgraced?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cai's facial features softened noticeably, and he sighed, "Alas, to be honest, I also think that Eunuch Liu's actions this time went too far. But as I just said, Eunuch Liu is in a fit of anger, and even Grand Secretary Jiao is avoiding him. Why should I be the one to stick my neck out?"

“Young Master is mistaken!” Su Lu said decisively, “You are in the most dangerous moment right now. Eunuch Liu’s wrath will sink your entire ship—only by standing up decisively and turning the tide can you protect yourselves!”

He said, enunciating each word clearly, "Actually, you only need to say one sentence to make Liu Jin stop."

Zhang Cai's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "What did you say?"

Then Su Lu whispered, "Tell him—the matter from last time isn't over yet!"

Zhang Cai's expression changed instantly, and she blurted out, "Do you believe it?!"

Su Lu glanced at him indifferently, without saying a word.

Zhang Cai realized he had spoken out of turn and chuckled awkwardly, "Look at me, wasn't my question unnecessary?"

It's better to believe something is true than to believe it isn't...

“That’s not all.” Su Lu looked at him with a half-smile, his tone carrying a hint of seduction. “Just this one sentence can not only save all of you, but also greatly benefit the young prime minister’s career.”

Having said that, he said no more, bowed to Zhang Cai, and took his leave.

Zhang Cai stood rooted to the spot, her mind in turmoil, weighing the immense stakes behind Su Lu's brief statement...

~~
After lunch, Liu Jin, riding in a sedan chair with a sunshade, shakily returned to Fengtian Gate, wanting to see if those damned bastards had gotten away with it. Actually, he had originally planned to give them a way out, taking advantage of Li Dongyang's words, but these bastards not only didn't appreciate it, but also slapped him in the face repeatedly. Why would Eunuch Liu keep them around for the New Year if he didn't give them a good beating?
Just as Liu Jin was planning to change their orientation and turn them over to dry in the sun that afternoon, he suddenly heard his godson report that Zhang Cai was waiting by the roadside.

Liu Jin looked up and saw that it was indeed Zhang Cai. The gloom in his eyes instantly dissipated by more than half. When he first met Zhang Cai, he was deeply impressed by this man's "tall hat and fine clothes, fair face and tall stature, handsome eyebrows and beard, and eloquent speech".

At that time, he held Zhang Cai's hand and refused to let go for a long time, exclaiming: "You are a divine person, how could I have met you!" Even now, he still feels that he met you too late, and he truly regarded you as a close friend at first sight.

Moreover, Zhang Cai also brought him great honor. After being promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he and Han Ding, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, went to court together to express their gratitude. Han Ding was old and slow-witted, and his bowing and salutations were not quite in accordance with the rules, which was ridiculed by Zhang Yonggu, Dayong, and others.

Liu Jin, who was the recommender, was feeling embarrassed when Zhang Cai walked in. He was radiant and full of vigor, and Gu Dayong and the others were immediately speechless. Only then was Liu Jin happy.

Therefore, even though he was in a bad mood, Liu Jin still managed a smile and asked kindly, "Xi Lu, you've waited here so specially, is there something you want to say?"

Zhang Cai then bowed respectfully and replied in a deep voice, "Sir, in principle, I am but a lowly official and should not speak out. However, this matter is of great importance, and since you remain silent, I have no choice but to venture to speak—please, sir, let this matter end here!"

Liu Jin frowned, his tone turning somber: "Why do you say that, Xi Lu? We need to see how long those rebels can keep up their act."

Zhang Cai then leaned closer to the sedan chair and whispered, "It's not over yet because of what happened last time!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin's face darkened instantly, and he hurriedly pressed, "Which time? Explain clearly!"

"The Empress Dowager is on a hunger strike." Zhang Cai's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it struck Liu Jin's heart like a heavy hammer.

Liu Jin's eyes flickered with panic. Relying on the fact that no one else had overheard his conversation with the emperor, he stubbornly retorted, "What does that matter have to do with our family?"

Zhang Cai remained calm and continued, "I heard that Zhang Yanling confessed that he was instigated by Grand Secretary Jiao. And Grand Secretary Jiao always acts as the old gentleman's spokesperson when he's out in public."

"That old fool surnamed Jiao has ruined my life!" Liu Jin slammed his hand on the armrest in anger and cursed, "I repeatedly warned him not to act rashly on this matter, but he wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened, our weakness is in someone else's hands, and he's trying to push us into a fire pit!"

He suddenly recalled the emperor's joke during the morning court session—'Don't people all want you to be emperor? Why don't you attend court for me from now on?'

Liu Jin broke out in a cold sweat instantly, his body swayed, and he fell off the palanquin... The palanquin was not much different from the sedan chair in Sichuan, just a chair with two poles.

It wasn't that Eunuch Liu couldn't afford a sedan chair; it was just that in the Forbidden City, for a subject to be able to ride in such a thing was already an immense honor!

The palanquin bearers were terrified and froze on the spot. His godsons, who were standing nearby, quickly helped Liu Gonggong up, exclaiming repeatedly, "Father, Father, are you alright?!"

Liu Jin, disregarding all that, steadied himself and gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it! We know who wrote this anonymous letter!"

The godsons, curious, pressed, "Dad, who is it?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Liu Jin glared at them fiercely, then turned to Zhang Cai and asked urgently, "Xi Lu, tell me quickly, what should we do now?"

Zhang Cai bowed and replied, "Sir, please don't panic. The purpose of a minor punishment has been achieved. Why not go with the flow and release the officials? Just issue an order to warn them not to do it again, and at the same time announce that this matter will be investigated to the end. This will preserve your dignity and prevent things from getting out of control."

After saying that, he volunteered again: "If it is inconvenient for the old gentleman to come forward, I will take care of this matter."

"Alright, alright!" Liu Jin nodded repeatedly, his mind clearing up. He quickly said, "I'll leave everything here to you. We have more important things to take care of!"

"Please go ahead and do your work, sir," Zhang Cai replied, bowing slightly.

Liu Jin immediately shouted, "Quick! Help me up, let's go to the Leopard House!"

The eunuchs dared not delay and quickly stuffed Liu Jin back into the palanquin before hurrying off to the Leopard Chamber.

Zhang Cai watched the sedan chair disappear into the distance before turning around and walking calmly to the foot of Fengtian Gate.

He looked at the officials kneeling on the ground, already on the verge of death, and said loudly, "Gentlemen, please get up quickly, go to the shady spot to rest and have some water. The imperial physician is waiting, go and have him examine you. If you have caught a heatstroke, take some medicine home and take it, lest you develop a chronic illness."

The officials had already reached their limit, but upon hearing this, they remained paralyzed on the ground, afraid to move, lest this be a trap set by Liu Jin, who would find another excuse to punish them later.

Seeing this, Zhang Cai said gently, "Please rest assured, everyone. I have already persuaded Eunuch Liu and will not make things difficult for you anymore. Of course, the court will continue to investigate the anonymous seditious letter case. I hope you will be careful with your words and actions in the future and not offend Eunuch Liu again."

"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!" The officials, as if granted a pardon, shakily helped each other to their feet, their backs hunched, and staggered towards the shade...

It's like surviving a disaster.

P.S. I'm completely exhausted, no more energy left. There won't be a next chapter. Goodnight everyone.

(End of this chapter)