The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter XIII

In winter, the sky over Yujing was always overcast, seemingly never to clear, which made the ministers who braved the cold to get to the palace for the morning court feel gloomy. (For faster updates, please search "Lewen" on Baidu!)

The bell in front of the hall rang out once, its deep sound echoing throughout the vast palace complex, its lingering resonance lasting a long time. A gust of biting wind accompanied the sound of the bell, causing the ministers below the white jade steps to shrink their necks as they entered the Qin Zheng Hall, its four doors wide open, one after another, according to their official rank.

In the spacious and majestic hall, officials lined up on both sides, bowing to the emperor, who was dressed in bright yellow, at the head of the hall. The emperor was only twelve years old, and he occupied only a small part of the large, gilded dragon-carved chair. Although young, he was taught to be very imposing, sitting there with his back straight and his face serious.

However, the current situation is clear to everyone. The Empress Dowager, who has always held sway over the court and rivaled the chief ministers, has claimed illness, leading many to speculate that she may finally be stepping down from the court. If this happens, with the emperor still young, the affairs of the court will likely be left to those three veteran ministers. To put it bluntly, in recent years, the court may well have been controlled by the Wang and Feng families.

However, some more shrewd individuals felt that the Empress Dowager wouldn't relinquish power so easily, and would simply remain silent and observe. Therefore, they kept their mouths shut these days, lest that ruthless empress settle scores and bring disaster upon themselves.

Even though several years have passed, everyone knows that the Empress Dowager ordered the execution of the late Prince Xiao Nanhe during a banquet, implicating more than a dozen ministers who were pro-Xiao Nanhe. They were killed without hesitation. Who cares whether the treason charge against that prince is true or false? After all, with his death, only their Liu family's young prince, Xiao Huaixu, was left to succeed him. Who would dare to cause trouble for him? They might just drag him away and directly charge him with treason.

However, in recent years, the Empress Dowager has shown great deference to the two chief ministers, always yielding to them. Not only that, but a few days ago she even let the young emperor handle state affairs and allowed him to consult with the chief ministers. No one can guess whether the Empress Dowager truly wants to step down or is just feigning humility, but many people have already been unable to resist extending olive branches to the two ministers, both openly and secretly.

In this atmosphere, the two chief ministers standing at the head of the court remained silent, and no one dared to utter a sound. Thus, half an hour into the morning court session, everyone was still listening to an official from the Directorate of Ceremonies eloquently praising the emperor.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the hall. A eunuch announced in unison, "The Empress Dowager has arrived." Then, a beautiful woman in full regalia, supported by a young eunuch, and followed by two senior palace maids, gracefully entered the hall.

The hall fell silent abruptly. The official who had been delivering his long eulogy seemed to have choked up, abruptly shutting his mouth and turning bright red. After a moment of silence, everyone reacted and shouted in unison, "Long live the Empress Dowager!" The young emperor also unexpectedly stood up and took a few steps forward.

"Mother, you..." The young emperor swallowed his words halfway through, his face showing concern as he asked, "Is Mother feeling better?"

“If things don’t go well, I’m afraid all of you ministers will forget that there is an old empress dowager assisting the emperor.” Liu Qingtang said meaningfully, without even glancing at the officials bowing their heads on both sides, and walked straight to the chair separated by a screen below the emperor’s dragon throne.

"Your Majesty is too kind." The young emperor's expression was somewhat unnatural, but he quickly put on a smile and said, "With Your Majesty here, I feel much more at ease. Without Your Majesty, I always feel insecure and unable to do things properly. Fortunately, thanks to Your Majesty's blessing, the court has been relatively stable these days, and there have been no major incidents. Otherwise, I would truly have no face to see Your Majesty."

"Still relatively safe? It seems the Emperor is truly unaware of this matter." Liu Qingtang said calmly, ignoring the young Emperor's expression upon hearing her words, and directly addressed a man in his sixties standing at the head of the table below, saying, "Prime Minister Feng, I heard something yesterday that truly pained me. I wonder if Prime Minister Feng is aware of it?"

Prime Minister Feng's heart skipped a beat, wondering if the matter had been discovered. However, he managed to calm down after thinking that he had done nothing wrong. He bowed deeply with a puzzled expression and said, "This old minister is terrified. I wonder what Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is referring to?"

"Yesterday, the young master of the Feng family beat someone to death in a teahouse on North Street. Doesn't Chief Minister Feng know about this?" Liu Qingtang sneered inwardly, but looked surprised on the surface.

Thinking to himself that something was wrong, Chief Minister Feng gritted his teeth and said after only a moment's thought, "This sinful subject deserves to die. I never knew my rebellious son would dare to disregard human life. It is all my fault for failing to properly educate him. I beg Your Majesty to punish me. But I also beg Your Majesty to spare my unfilial son's life for the sake of this old minister who has dedicated his life to the late emperor and the Southern Dynasty. This sinful subject is willing to accept the punishment in his place."

He knew perfectly well that the Empress Dowager was determined to make an example of him, no matter what. Her recent show of appeasement was merely a ploy to embolden them and make them arrogant. He and the shrewd old man from the Wang family wouldn't be affected, but their families and those who had pledged allegiance to them couldn't be as cautious. His son, relying on his growing power in court, had become increasingly arrogant and domineering, and yesterday he finally caused the trouble.

Looking back now, no matter how careful he was yesterday, the Empress Dowager must have been watching, or perhaps this was a trap set for them. If he denies it now, and the Empress Dowager produces some more evidence, he will be dragged down with her.

Grand Secretary Feng spoke with heartfelt sincerity, his voice trembling as he knelt down, tears of remorse streaming down his face. But inwardly, he cursed the powerful Empress Dowager, and of course, his son who had caused such a disaster. If it weren't for the fact that this was his only son, born late in life, he would have loved to beat the brainless son who had brought him so much trouble to death.

Despite the elderly man's demeanor, Liu Qingtang remained unmoved. She knew what this Chief Minister Feng was thinking; he was merely relying on the fact that he was personally appointed by the late emperor and the young emperor's trust in the two chief ministers, assuming that she wouldn't really disregard the young emperor and hold him accountable. He was simply using this as a tactic of retreat to advance.

As expected, before Liu Qingtang could express his opinion, the young emperor hesitated and said, "Prime Minister Feng is also very fond of his son. Considering his many years of service to the country and the people, why not... spare Feng's son from the death penalty?"

"You are the emperor of this Southern Dynasty, and all the people under heaven are your subjects. How can you explain this to the people? If a murder is committed, is a minor punishment all that is needed? Where are the laws of the land?!" Liu Qingtang retorted to the young emperor without any politeness. At this point, what did she have to worry about? This emperor was no longer someone she cared about. He didn't want this face, and she didn't need to protect him.

Liu Qingtang then turned his head and raised his voice: "Those who commit murder should be executed according to the law. As the head of all officials and a veteran minister entrusted by the late emperor, such a thing happened in his family. He should be dismissed from office. However, considering that he is a veteran minister and today he put righteousness before family, setting an example for the world, his merits and demerits will be offset and he will not be investigated."

In her previous life, Liu Qingtang learned of this matter much later. At that time, she didn't pursue the matter further because of her nephew's request. This time, however, she wasn't going to let go of this easy pretext. Because so much time had passed and she couldn't remember the exact date, she had people keep an eye on the Feng family every day. Her informant had sent word yesterday that she would come today to confront him. Even if she couldn't execute him, she was determined to severely weaken him.

Thinking of her past life, Liu Qingtang's eyes flashed with cold light. If she hadn't been given more than a month after her rebirth to calm down and think things through, she probably wouldn't have been able to control herself and would have recklessly confronted those two old foxes. Step by step, she would make sure they were utterly disgraced and their families were destroyed.

Grand Secretary Feng's face stiffened. Only now did he realize that the Empress Dowager was different. This time, she didn't care about the young emperor or his own reputation at all, and seemed ready to tear off all ties with him.

Unable to believe it, Chief Minister Feng could only grit his teeth and express his gratitude. Then, trembling with anger, he got up from the ground, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to protect his only bloodline.

"Wei Zheng."

“Your humble servant is here.” A tall man dressed in a military officer’s robe stepped forward from the ranks.

"You will personally go to the Feng family to arrest the criminal, and then escort him to the Meridian Gate for immediate execution."

"The minister obeys the order."

After Liu Qingtang finished speaking, Chief Minister Feng could no longer contain himself. He had thought that he should wait for some time and then use that time to think of a solution. He never expected that the Empress Dowager would immediately send Wei Zheng, a direct descendant of hers, determined to eliminate any possibility of his Feng family line.

Chief Minister Feng's face darkened, and he gestured behind him. Immediately, an official stepped forward and declared vehemently, "Your Majesty, according to the law, the prisoner should serve three months in jail before being beheaded. Your Majesty's hasty decision is extremely inappropriate..."

Liu Qingtang didn't even look at the official who stepped forward. Before he could finish speaking, she said directly to Wei Zheng, "Shang Fashi has disobeyed my imperial decree and attempted to protect criminals. From today onwards, he shall be stripped of his official position, and his descendants shall never be allowed to enter the court again. Let's drag this out."

The ministers were all dumbfounded, and even the Chief Justice Shang, who was speaking, was stunned. Even though they all knew that the Empress Dowager was ruthless, they had never seen her act so unreasonable, trying to strip him of his official position simply because he had said a few words.

When the soldiers outside the palace came forward to pull him out, but Chief Minister Feng, who had been signaling him to come out, remained motionless, Shang Fashi shouted angrily, "Your Majesty! I have done nothing wrong! I am not convinced! Such baseless persecution of a subject is no different from that of the wicked Empress Yan Ji of the previous dynasty. The Southern Dynasty will be destroyed by a woman... Waaah..."

After Wei Zheng personally stepped forward, gagged her, and dragged her out, not a single minister in the hall dared to step forward and speak. Those officials who had initially prepared to follow Shang Sifa out of the hall upon seeing Chief Minister Feng's gesture also shrank back, their heads bowed low, fearing that the Empress Dowager would lash out again.

Liu Qingtang remembered this Judge Shang; he had only clung to those three old foxes. In her past life, to curry favor with them, she had fabricated a whole host of charges against her father and brother. Those baseless accusations were piled on her father, bending his back under their weight.

The most terrifying thing about censors is their mouths and their pens. Since he's going to work for those two old foxes, he might as well shut his mouth forever.

The Empress Dowager remained silent, the young emperor stood pale-faced to the side, and the two chief ministers looked even more grim. The atmosphere in the hall was so tense it was almost suffocating. Even the officials of Liu Qingtang's faction began to secretly lament their predicament. Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager's father, Marquis Liu, had been on sick leave and recuperating at home, leaving no one able to restrain the Empress Dowager in the slightest.

Fortunately, these people didn't have to worry for long. Liu Qingtang smiled slightly and sat down in the chair where she had always listened to government affairs. The trembling officials immediately relaxed.

Glancing back at Qin Shu, who was looking down at his toes, Liu Qingtang beckoned to Zhuiyi behind her to unfold a drawing in her hand.

As the scroll unfolded, blood-red plum blossoms appeared before everyone's eyes, along with a conspicuous ink stain.

"What do you all think of my recent works written in my spare time?"

………………

On the way back to Cixi Palace in the imperial carriage, it began to snow lightly. Small snowflakes drifted into the carriage from outside the curtains. Liu Qingtang stared blankly at the snowflakes that melted instantly as soon as they entered the curtains, and sighed softly.

Author's Note: Youyou threw a landmine.

October Lemon threw a landmine

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