I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 44
After the anti-corruption campaign was launched, the Supervision Office’s personnel reported the situation in Lizhou to Gu Yuanbai first.
Once he read about it, Gu Yuanbai was furious.
The governor of Lizhou executed a corrupt official that year. It was said that the official was an outlaw who had stolen girls and taken bribes. The governor of Lizhou sent him to prison without investigating the matter. After the case was examined by the Ministry of Justice some issues were discovered in it and the governor was asked to judge the case again, but the governor insisted on his initial decision and beheaded the official directly.
Officials from the Supervision Office discovered that, although the official that had been executed was guilty of some embezzlement, it wasn’t worth the death penalty, and they hadn’t commited crimes or stolen civillian girls; it was completely false. With the situation being so, then the governor could simply be accused of having misjudged the case and not knowing how to tell right and wrong apart. However, the men from the Supervision Office found something interesting after investigating.
The official that had been erroneously sentenced to death turned out to be a member of the ‘Shuangcheng School’ in the capital.
And after careful investigation, officials from the Supervision Office discovered that the governor was also a member of the same Shuangcheng School.
Forming factions for personal gain, the greatest taboo before the Emperor.
Gu Yuanbai looked at the letter sent back by the Supervision Office. The Emperor’s anger caused everyone in the hall to kneel to the ground trembling. He sneered, “Alright, very good.”
He had only just cleared out the late Emperor’s court, and the factions among the officials didn’t dare to split. So they started establishing factions within a school of thought?
Gu Yuanbai put the letter on the table. Still burning with anger, he slapped the table again and said coldly, “Summon the Head Instructor of the National Academy.”
At the end of morning court the following day, before the officials could leave, they were led to the National Academy by the Emperor, supposedly in order to inspect the scholars.
The scholars at the National Academy read out loud, their voices crisp and pleasant to the ear. The Head Instructor and lecturers were already waiting before the building to welcome the Emperor.
The group of officials followed the Emperor with a smile, thinking that it was just a whim of His Majesty to go see the great talents at the National Academy.
After the students finished reciting, the officials thought it was over. Unexpectedly, the lecturer invited them into the school with a serious expression.
Several seats were placed inside the academy’s hall. The officials exchanged a look, and the Head Instructor stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness, officials, please sit down.”
The Minister of Industry looked at the front of the room. “Your Highness, please sit.”
Gu Yuanbai walked to the back and said, “We will sit at the end.”
“How can this be?” The Minister of Industry said in a panic. “How can Your Majesty sit behind us?”
But Gu Yuanbai had already sat down with an indifferent expression. “Sit down.”
Everyone sat down, confused.
Normally, high ranking officials sat at the front. Since the Emperor was now sitting at the back, they also sat towards the back.
After all the officials were seated, the instructor spoke, and his first words caused the hearts of all the officials in the room to jump. “I would like to tell you all about the Niu Gao dispute during the late Emperor’s reign.”
The Niu Gao dispute had been a chaotic conflict between factions back when the late Emperor was still alive. It was a bloody political battle between Niu, one of the most important ministers in the court, and another faction headed by Gao.
The late Emperor had been a Buddhist with a kind heart, a soft and benevolent ruler that was easy to persuade. Back at the time, the conflict between Niu and Gao had become turbulent, and the Emperor only punished them to be struck with a board thirty times to get them to learn restraint. Seeing how weak the Emperor’s punishment was, the two factions competed arrogantly for court status and power, relying on the idea that ‘you can’t punish everyone’.
It wasn’t until the current Emperor was born that the late Emperor decided to clear out the factions for the sake of his own son. The members of the Niu and Gao factions, which had been messing with the government for the last 8 or 9 years, were dismissed one after the other.
The incident had also become something that nobody dared to bring up, a topic that was unmentionable.
And now, the Head Instructor of the National Academy was talking about it right in front of the officials of the court and His Majesty.
Officials with good political instincts had already noticed how unusual the situation was. The closer they were to the Emperor, the straighter they sat, and they would listen to every word intently.
“Establishing factions for private gain is a vice that has existed in every dynasty,” said the Head Instructor in a loud voice. “The dispute between Gao and Niu during the late Emperor’s reign was just one among many. Even though the factions were headed by important court ministers, the battlefield extended beyond the capital, to the local provinces…”
Some people had already started to sweat and they lowered their heads slightly, not daring to listen any more.
It was then when the Emperor’s voice came from the back of the room, saying in an indifferent tone, “Raise your heads and listen carefully.”
So the courtiers had to raise their heads, not daring to miss a word. And, as they listened on, their hearts sank down lower and lower.
The Head Instructor explained about the way the local officials from the two factions would frame and kill each other due to the dispute, and these bloody deeds were revealed in all its gory details, every sentence enough to make their hearts skip a beat.
The Emperor was sitting at the end, and he could see everyone’s backs. Some officials glanced outside and they saw the guards guarding the lecture hall, big swords at their hips, and in an instant their backs became soaked with sweat.
After who knows how long, the explanation about the faction dispute finally ended. When the lecturer walked down from the front up to the Emperor, most of the officials sitting in the front breathed a sigh of relief. They felt slightly relieved, and started to think about why the Emperor had brought them to the National Academy to listen to that talk.
The Head Instructor said respectfully, “Your Majesty, I have completed the lecture.”
Gu Yuanbai was leaning against the carved wood of his seat. He nodded slightly when he heard those words, tapped on the armrest with his fingers with a neutral expression, and said, “Then start it again.”
Sweat dripped down the lecturer’s forehead, but he didn’t dare delay for a moment and he walked once more back to the front.
Over and over again. The atmosphere inside the hall was extremely tense. Gu Yuanbai looked around, and he could see at a glance that some people had already begun to fidget.
Tian Fusheng brought Gu Yuanbai some tea, and Gu Yuanbai drank it slowly, the anger that had been in his heart gradually sinking.
What’s the difference between a faction headed by a high-ranking official and one headed by a school or a local official?
They all want to take possession of Our land, rights and resources, use Our means to recruit Our officials, giving away gifts at someone else’s expense.
But the Emperor lamented, how can it be easy to be so generous?
When Gu Yuanbai quenched his thirst, he put down the teacup. He motioned Xue Yuan over, who was standing at the back door, with a smile on the corner of his lips. Xue Yuan walked over to Gu Yuanbai and asked quietly, “What does Your Majesty command?”
My heart is pounding, is this really the heart of an official before his ruler?
Xue Yuan glanced at Gu Yuanbai discreetly, wishing to see him smile and not wanting to see him so angry. What should I do if he gets angry? I guess this is really a heart full of loyalty to the Emperor.
Gu Yuanbai said, “Go and invite Imperial Teacher Li Bao. He experienced the dispute of Niu and Gao personally back in the day, and he speaks with more emotion.”
Xue Yuan stood up, his shadow falling over him, and he accepted the request clearly, turning around to walk out.
Gu Yuanbai was blinded by his shadow, and subconsciously glanced at Xue Yuan’s back. At first glance, he found that, unexpectedly, Xue Yuan seemed to be a little taller.
Gu Yuanbai frowned and asked, “How old is Xue Jiuyao this year?”
Tian Fusheng thought for a while and finally said, unsure, “He should be twenty-four.”
Is it possible to still grow taller at twenty-four? Gu Yuanbai looked at the stressed out officials before him and thought casually, then, since I’m only twenty-one, how come I don’t know how to do it?
The officials before him wished that the Head Instructor would speak faster. After he was finally done speaking, the Head Instructor didn’t dare leave, and a young eunuch next to the Emperor walked over to him and said, “Head Instructor, sir, please come down. You have worked hard today and it’s hot outside, go back and rest first.”
When everyone saw the teacher leave, they all thought it was over and they relaxed suddenly, their faces displaying a calm expression. But nobody spoke before the Emperor, and nobody dared to make a noise.
After over a quarter of an hour of silence, footsteps came through the door. When everyone looked up, they saw the famous scholar, Li Bao, walking in with a cane step by step to the front. After seeing the officials underneath watching him, he took a deep breath and said energetically, “Today, this old man will tell you officials about the conflict with the Niu Gao factions that plagued the rule of the late Emperor!”
The courtiers felt light headed and their hearts were thrown around once more. Such a rollercoaster had their legs shaking.
The sun outside was high but it didn’t shine too strongly. However, the people inside the hall seemed to be in the middle of the summer, to the point that they felt it was too hot to breathe.
After Li Bao finished speaking and was accompanied outside, no one dared to relax again.
Gu Yuanbai waited for a while, and then asked pleasantly, “What do you think, officials?”
We don’t dare to move, we don’t dare to think.
The six ministers and the most important officials of each department looked at each other. The advisors of the Zhengshi Hall were all the same, they didn’t have corrupt people forming factions.
After a while, someone finally stood up and said, “Faction drama will only cause trouble to the court. Once it’s discovered, it must be severely punished!”
“You’re right, Minister of Justice,” said the Emperor. “Then, how severe should the punishment be?”
The Minister of Justice said, “The punishment should be administered at different levels depending on the gravity of the situation.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded, his voice softening. “Minister of Justice, you speak correctly, We think so as well.”
The officials noticed that Gu Yuanbai’s tone was more relaxed, and they became a bit less tense.
But the Minister of Justice didn’t dare to relax. His intuition told him that His Majesty had yet to say the most important words and the actual point.
Sure enough, without changing his tone, the Emperor asked, “Then, if a local high-ranking official from a faction uses his power to eradicate another faction’s officials that are innocent of any crimes and insert people from his faction to cover those positions, what is the crime?”
Suddenly, the pressure on the Minister of Justice increased. He spoke carefully and thoughtfully. “The crimes are forming a faction for personal gain, bending the law, and lack of integrity.”
Without saying whether it was correct or not, the Emperor turned around and called out, “Minister of Public Personnel, what do you think?”
Nobody understood why the Emperor had suddenly called the Minister of Public Personnel, and they turned to look at him. The Minister was also confused, but he replied respectfully, “I think that the Minister of Justice is correct.”
It had been a year since the Emperor had taken the reins of the government, and everyone had had time to study him in detail. If the Emperor was in a good mood, he’d call them official this or official that. But when he was in a bad mood, or an official had violated a rule, he’d call out the full title of his position, just like he had with the Minister of Public Personnel right then.
“We also think that the Minister of Justice is correct,” Gu Yuanbai said with a smile. “Now that the situation We mentioned has happened, and since the Minister of Justice agrees with this situation, then We just need to send the Ministry of Justice to deal with the situation.”
The Minister of Justice wasn’t responsible for handling that sort of case. His eyes opened wide, and he had a bad premonition. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Gu Yuanbai finally stood up and walked out escorted by a palace servant. After a couple steps, he remembered something and turned around to say, “Minister of Justice, the faction involved in this case is the ‘Shuangcheng School’.”
Those in the court that belonged to the Shuangcheng School got suddenly startled.
The Emperor laughed and then his voice suddenly turned cold. “We hope that you won’t commit the same mistake of bending the law for your own sake.
“High-ranking officials should always act for the sake of the country and the citizens.” Gu Yuanbai looked at all the officials one by one, and added, “We hope that all of you learned what you were taught in the three lectures you received today.”
The courtiers, that were themselves members of various factions, had already broken into a sweat and bowed down soberly. “Yes.”
Gu Yuanbai walked out of the lecture hall. The legs of the courtiers who were still standing in the lecture hall had turned stiff. When they were feeling scared, they suddenly heard someone say, “Sirs, please go, the affairs of the government cannot afford to be delayed for another moment.”
General Xue, who was among the courtiers, sensed that the voice was too familiar, and when he looked up, he saw that it was none other than his own son.
Xue Yuan had a courteous smile and an impressive appearance.
The members of the court were all startled awake and started walking out in groups of two and three. General Xue walked up to Xue Yuan on the side and whispered to him, “What happened to His Majesty today? What mess did the Shuangcheng School cause?”
Xue Yuan glanced down at General Xue, and asked lazily, “General Xue, are you questioning the Emperor’s will?”
General Xue was so angry that he strode out.
When everyone had finished leaving, Xue Yuan straightened the saber around his waist and hurriedly chased after the Emperor.
Once he stepped outside the National Academy’s gates, the Emperor’s carriage was already far away. Xue Yuan dropped his smile and looked around. Stepping forward, he pulled General Xue off his horse, jumped on it, raised the reins and chased off in Gu Yuanbai’s direction.
General Xue was so angry that he started jumping on the spot. “Son, you’re being too rebellious—!”
After a while, Xue Yuan caught up with the larger group of guards. He rode his horse up to the carriage’s side and cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, if you’re in a bad mood, you can take out your anger on me.”
After saying just two words, he couldn’t help but laugh.
A few days ago, the Emperor had called him a beast, but nevermind that. Lately, Xue Yuan had felt that he had become too crazy, so maybe if he got scolded again he’d get scared.
A pale hand opened the carriage’s window. Half of Gu Yuanbai’s face became visible, his lips curled up in amusement, and the line of his jaw was sharp, showing a cold, harsh beauty. “What are you talking about, Official Xue? Do We vent Our anger on those around Us?”
What was more, Gu Yuanbai was no longer angry. Why stay upset all for a group of stupid people? If he got annoyed…
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but look at Xue Yuan’s neck through the carriage window.
He still remembered the irritation and annoyance that he had let out from the bottom of his heart the last time he had bit Xue Yuan. It was actually pretty good. Since he had transmigrated to the Great Heng, only Xue Yuan could endure Gu Yuanbai’s anger. The mad dog had thick skin, and Gu Yuanbai could on occasion act outside of how an Emperor was supposed to and be himself.
Other people couldn’t take it, the guard captain couldn’t, Tian Fusheng couldn’t, Chu Wei couldn’t, neither could those in the Supervision Department.
Gu Yuanbai had to be a mountain in their hearts. A mountain couldn’t collapse or act out in irritation or vent when upset, just remain dedicated to serving the country and the people.
But after all, it feels a bit lonely.
That might be how it was meant to be, but, after all, Gu Yuanbai was still an energetic young man from the 21st century who liked adventures and thrills.
Xue Yuan saw that Gu Yuanbai’s eyes were still on his neck, and suddenly he felt as if the place where he had been bitten before was itchy. He reached out and touched it.
His neck having healed, Xue Yuan glanced at Gu Yuanbai, leaned over while on horseback and pressed one hand against the carriage to stabilize his body. With his head close to the window, he coaxed him in a quiet voice. “Your Highness, do you want to bite me again?”
Gu Yuanbai lifted his eyes and glanced at him.
Xue Yuan licked his lips and suddenly smiled. “Don’t you like watching cuju matches? If you are in a bad mood today, this official will play a game against Captain Zhang and the others for you. I think the reward doesn’t need to be anything big.” Xue Yuan stared at Gu Yuanbai with dark eyes, concealing a half truth. “Just smile and be happy, that’ll be enough.”
