Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 147 God Bless?

On May 24th of the 37th year of the Xu Tian calendar, a coup d'état, later known as the Evil Moon Coup, occurred, and Emperor Xu died mysteriously. King Zhou succeeded to the throne and changed the era name to "Tianyou." He should have been called Emperor Tianyou, but due to the machinations of treacherous officials around him, Xuan Chong had already jokingly referred to him as Emperor Ling.

In the temporarily renovated central palace, Emperor Ling's enthronement ceremony was finally completed, and the court officials did not rush out to mourn Emperor Ling or question the legitimacy of his succession.

Just when Emperor Ling thought he could sit in the court in peace and properly organize the government, he wanted to give credit to his staff and their faction for their contributions, but he was met with "unpleasant but honest advice".

In the Golden Hall, a displeased minister spoke out: "Now that Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, you need to establish your credibility with the world; yet Your Majesty is lavishly rewarding ministers who have not made any contributions, which will discourage all officials."

Emperor Ling sat in his seat, his face displeased; he wanted to order this fellow to be dismissed from his post. But fate reminded him that this man was not offering honest advice at all, but rather wanted to resign.

This memorial was like an employee who was planning to run away finally being able to stand up and throw out an annoying remark at the sycophantic boss.

Also in the main hall, those who had served Emperor Ling when he was King Zhou were preparing to demote this remonstrating official to a very low level.

Emperor Ling stopped the attendants from launching a group attack and did not let the man leave for the time being, but instead placed him under house arrest in the capital.

At the subsequent court assembly, when former officials who had just been released from prison and some radicals wanted to start a major purge, Emperor Ling temporarily stopped them.

Emperor Ling was well aware that his succession procedure was incorrect. Although Emperor Xu had abolished the line of the Prince of Bo, he still had many illegitimate brothers.

Sitting on the throne, Emperor Ling looked down at the canal network below, which was bent and no longer square due to the earthquake, and at the gap in the Nine Palaces in the sky after the Evil Moon meteorite struck. He couldn't help but feel flustered.

These "meritorious officials" are none other than Su Wang and others who helped the Zhou king seize the throne. To say that these people "have no merit" means that the rewards they received for supporting the king are something that the people of the world resent.
…Xuan Chong: This kind of succession is like sitting on a volcano…

The reason why Li Shimin rewarded his subordinates after the Xuanwu Gate Incident without causing resentment and rebellion from all sides was because Li Shimin's military merit group had been suppressed for a long time.

Emperor Ling took up military affairs in the 27th year of the Tianli era and messed up the encirclement and suppression of the fifteen armies. He had no military merits at all. Did Emperor Ling not want to support the faction with military merits?
After seizing the throne, his advisors shouted "You are the traitor!" to Jupiter, thus pushing aside the best military base that Emperor Ling could have relied on.

Emperor Ling can only rely on these advisors now, otherwise he cannot even guarantee his food and sleep.

Emperor Ling's advisors were selfish and would act solely for their own benefit, implementing plans that were quite short-sighted for the dynasty.

Were these advisors out of their minds when they labeled Jupiter's words as treason? No, it was a whisper that gently guided them, helping them bypass foolish loyalty thinking and clearly analyze the interests they faced.

Emperor Ling could not have discarded the Yin scholars who were "reliant on by the Zhou kings" after using them, just like Emperor Xu did.

Xuan Chong: When a monarch with extremely high authority employs so-called "imperial tactics" in his conspiracies, everything can be planned solely within the emperor's mind. Only a monarch lacking sufficient authority would use "underworld advisors" to help him maintain a balance of power among various factions.

Therefore, if King Zhou had ascended the throne normally, his advisors would have been useless; their merit in supporting the emperor would have been limited to their own sons obtaining minor official positions in the provinces. But now that Emperor Ling had ascended the throne illegitimately, he had no choice but to continue using these people.

Emperor Ling was not unaware that bestowing titles upon close ministers would further erode the dynasty's appeal. However, the environment in which he ascended the throne was far too precarious. He could not afford to fall out with his advisors and had to rely on the advisors from his time as a prince to maintain his intelligence network.

Does this minister offering advice not know Emperor Ling's predicament? Yes, he does, but he simply doesn't want to serve Emperor Ling anymore. He wants to expose this matter and resign to return home.

There are currently quite a few officials who are considering resigning.

In the main hall, Emperor Ling looked at the assembled civil and military officials; many of these ministers had just been released from prison, only spared thanks to Emperor Ling's general amnesty. How Emperor Ling wished that a senior minister had just stood up and reprimanded the so-called remonstrating officials who wanted to resign and leave.

However! All the court officials were like wooden puppets, heads bowed and silent. This created a situation where the new emperor was unable to back down.

No one spoke aloud, but they all tacitly agreed on one thing: "A son killing his father is a violation of human ethics and moral principles!"

Yes, it was indeed wrong for Emperor Xu to kill a large number of his ministers, but according to the theory of feudal ethics, what you, King Zhou, should have done was to accept the punishment and leave quickly to dispel your father's suspicion, rather than using this as an excuse to rebel against your father.

Even by the anti-authoritarian standards of the 21st century, this doesn't make sense; if a son gets rid of his father who has made a mistake, it's correcting the mistake, but the son can't follow the established norms and must inherit his father's authority.

Xuan Chong's historical summary: A person (a time traveler) can adapt to the old era and objectively adopt old standards due to the limitations of the era, but cannot flexibly jump between two eras and apply double standards. Wanting both the freedom of the new era and the inheritance of the interests of the old era is shameless no matter how you look at it.

The warriors holding golden maces took a step forward.

...Disorder without harm is called spiritual...

The conflict did not subside after the first minister who dared to speak out was taken away.
Because the "close ministers" of Emperor Ling who had been granted titles were unwilling to let the matter rest, one of them stepped forward and advised, "This scoundrel has offended the majesty of Heaven and should be thrown into the Heavenly Prison!"

Such a reversal of right and wrong provoked the court officials, who were well aware that once this official (the censor) was sent to the imperial prison, he would die without a trace.

Emperor Ling, still possessing some rationality, managed to spare the censor's life. He ordered the censor to be banished home and confined for one hundred days.

However, the courtiers did not appreciate this gesture.

As a result, even more ministers stepped forward:

"I am old and frail, and unable to serve the country. I request to retire and return to my hometown." "My parents are calling from home; please allow me to return to fulfill my filial duties, Your Majesty." (This is somewhat sarcastic.)
Emperor Ling's expression changed drastically. Looking at these troublemakers and the court officials who lined up to disband the group, he sensed that this was a coup attempt. He then shouted, "Take them all away!"

Emperor Ling's close advisors, as if receiving a signal, decided to expand the campaign and summon the "Golden Gourd Warriors" to the palace.

Groups of Golden Gourd Guards arrived outside the palace to wait. Suwang shouted loudly, "Why aren't you coming in to protect His Majesty!" The guards paused, but His Majesty's face was ashen, yet he did not issue any order to reprimand Suwang.

Therefore, they had no choice but to step forward and arrest these troublemaking officials, and without any regard for the dignity of officials, they used the method of capturing "those who have offended the king's carriage".

But at that moment, a courtier shook off the palace guards who were holding him. These armored warriors were all skilled in martial arts, possessing immense strength in their arms, yet they were now being pushed aside by the civil official. The powerful martial arts energy seemed to have been dispersed by an invisible force.

Although many aristocratic families who inherited Confucianism chose to remain aloof amidst the great calamity, they still possessed a sense of righteousness when defending the Way, even if their sense of "family and country" was trampled upon.

After shaking off the guards, the minister faced Emperor Ling directly and said coldly, "Your Majesty's acquisition of the country was illegitimate. I hope Your Majesty will take heed of this."

Having said that, he rammed his head against a stone pillar and leisurely left.

As the official slammed his head against the pillar, the entire hall trembled. —According to classical mechanics, such a commotion should not occur. The impact was more like a needle pricking a person's sore spot.

The palaces and buildings of Yaodu, having stood for thousands of years, seem alive, breathing and pulsating. They are also inextricably linked to the Mandate of Heaven borne by the emperor.

Because the central palace where King Zhou ascended the throne was hastily repaired, its foundation was severely damaged and has not yet been fully restored. It was merely being propelled several dozen feet into the air by the power of divination based on the earth's veins. Within this repaired central palace, apart from the Ziwei Hall, which was relatively well-preserved due to its construction for the enthronement ceremony, the other halls and buildings were in disrepair, with cracks covering the beams and pillars. The overall levitation of the palace foundation relied entirely on the support of the other eight palaces in the heavens. The point of support was located on the pillars of the Ziwei Hall.

When this remonstrating official bumped into something, he actually bumped into the most vulnerable "scaffolding" of the Empress.

Who can blame the current Emperor Ling for having a flawed destiny, being the most "flawed" one in the entire history of this dynasty?

Like college students witnessing an earthquake for the first time, chaos reigned in the main hall. Large amounts of dust fell from the beams, and the wooden plaque behind Emperor Ling, inscribed with "Mandate of Heaven," tilted in the tremors—an ominous sign unseen in a thousand years.

Emperor Ling was furious and embarrassed. If he had known it would turn out this way, he might have held back and let the minister leave just now to rebuke him for being arrogant and to end this awkward situation.

The new era name was originally set as "Tianyou" to bless the monarch, but Emperor Ling was now disliked by the Mandate of Heaven. However, a close minister who had risen to the throne with Emperor Ling's help, namely Suwang, the brother of Sukang, immediately ordered the stone lions to be moved into the palace to stabilize it from falling.

After the situation in the palace stabilized, Suwang did not claim credit, but immediately labeled his political enemies as "traitors plotting a rebellion."

Emperor Ling felt this was a bit excessive, but personally feeling the questioning gazes from below, he could only grasp at it like a lifeline and order a thorough investigation into the major treason case.

Upon hearing this, the light streaming into the palace seemed to dim even further.

As Xian Daoren gazed upon the palace of Da Yao, he revealed an unprecedentedly relieved smile, for "everything changes" had already begun within this unchanging dynasty.

…a tightly caged confines the emperor's actions…

After June, Emperor Ling began to select capable individuals, that is, people who could help him seize power.

The embroidered-robed envoys, once wielding a knife in the hands of the emperor, were the quickest to change sides. As skilled and ruthless officials, it didn't matter who they served.

On the streets, they became arrogant again, going from house to house interrogating people about whether they were plotting a rebellion. If they did not receive enough benefits or promises, they were immediately convicted.

Emperor Xu still exercised some restraint in using these cruel officials, namely, he designated certain people to prevent them from taking action.

Because the emperor knew that these people had no principles and were only fit to be used as pawns, and that the cuts had to be made with sufficient precision.

It should be noted that Xuan Chong was driven by a "class narrative," but he also dared not rely on these cruel officials who came from even "poorer" backgrounds.

However, Emperor Ling had clearly lost control of the knife and handed it over to his most trusted close advisor.

After several courtiers who still possessed some rationality were quickly branded as traitors and their entire families were captured by the Embroidered-Robed Envoys due to their disagreements with Suwang on governance, several of them were arrested.

The previous "chaotic" situation in the court, where several factions checked and balanced each other, disappeared, replaced by a unified voice led by Suwang. At this point, even if Suwang pointed to a rabbit and said it was a tortoise, the court would all say, "Ah, yes, yes, yes."

After gaining control of the court, Suwang began to advise Emperor Ling on the seventh day of the seventh month: "Your Majesty possesses the wealth of the four seas, but the local officials are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. This is due to the threat of regional military governors."

Emperor Ling: "What should we do?"

Suwang then revealed his strategy for weakening the power of the feudal lords.

Emperor Ling, who was leaning against Consort Li's chest, was about to say, "You decide what to do." Suddenly, he felt a great sense of dread and immediately stood up, saying, "This needs to be discussed carefully."

The starlight of the Vermilion Bird constellation above his head temporarily dimmed, and if this constellation were to concentrate to its peak, a great fire would break out in the palace tonight.

Meanwhile, Consort Li, who was feeding Emperor Ling purple grapes, also burned her fingers and sat down very politely to the side.

…The chaos in the court spread in all directions…

After the Palace Collapse, some of Jupiter's soldiers fled back to Bo County, while others scattered to all corners of the world.

A hundred years ago, ordinary deserters had nowhere to stand in the world. They could only hide in the mountains and forests, keeping company with tigers, leopards, and wolves. In the worst cases, they would become wild men of the mountains, occasionally venturing out and frightening the people. Over time, this would attract the attention of the Demon Suppression Bureau, who would then subdue them as demons. Of course, they might also be valued by immortals and taken in as servants.

But they were no ordinary deserters. The officers chosen by Emperor Xu for Wu Fei all had powerful backgrounds in Yaodu, and these officers' families not only had influence in Yaodu, but also in other parts of the country.

At this time, many veteran officials also left Yaodu, a place of trouble, under the pretext of retiring to their hometowns. Before leaving, they did not forget to leave some trouble for the Suwang faction.

These old men took all the wives, children, and elderly relatives of the deserters back home. After the deserters returned home, they gave them gold, silver, and valuables, and told them to go north to Wu Fei to inquire about the commander-in-chief.

Therefore, a new batch of deserters arrived late in late June. Traveling north along the canal, they reached Bohai within one to two months.

Why did they arrive later? And why did the second wave come here as a group? In the past one to two months, which forces did they meet with? Xuan Chong: "The waters of Da Yao are very deep, and now they've brought the whirlpool here to me."

After the patrol team from Bo County verified their identities, Wu Fei arrived at the training ground and shook his head meaningfully as he looked at these guys whose hair was not completely disheveled.

After verifying the list, Wu Fei decided to punish these returning deserters with "thirty strokes of the military rod each."

The reason for this beating was that they abandoned their commander and fled.

As for the military beatings, they have to be used. Many of these people who came to join us were harboring ulterior motives and were back to cause trouble.

The soldiers had to be deterred from keeping their distance from the deserters by the sound of clubs and flesh hitting each other on the drill ground, but even so, some of the chaos still got out.

The soldiers who were marching in formation during the drills saw this scene and, while trying to understand it themselves, began to whisper among themselves.

New Sergeant 1: "This beating hurts! Is this what they call being beaten with military sticks when you're on the run?"

The old sergeant said, "Tch! You think you can just give thirty lashes for desertion? You're dreaming! Deserters get at least a hundred lashes. And that's only because they received the order to retreat and failed to maintain the ranks; if they desert after engaging the enemy in battle, they should be beheaded. If a general is lost and no one takes over the flag and leads the army, they should be beheaded even more."

New Soldier 2: "Hmm, bro, I heard these guys are all in Yaodu~"

The veteran sergeant suppressed the new recruits' curiosity and cautiously looked around: "Don't spread this around. Our General Jupiter didn't die on the battlefield. He was framed by treacherous officials. So these brothers who escaped here can't be considered deserters. After all, how would we military men understand the power struggles in the imperial court?"

New Soldier 3 lowered his voice: "Ah, Brother, the imperial court is attacking General Mu? And now they're chasing after him. Are we just supposed to surrender without a fight?"

The old soldier's eyes gleamed with pride: "Our commander is a man of honor, he'll definitely protect you. Besides, even if the imperial court finds out that our commander has taken in men, what can they do? Back when our commander was in Yaodu, he ran all the brothels in the city, and none of those people dared to utter a sound."

The soldier almost blurted out something treasonous like, "If the court officials dare to pressure our commander, we will mutiny."

The authority of the imperial court is clearly waning in the hearts of all parties. After all, with the help of various behind-the-scenes manipulators, the news of the Zhou king's murder of his father and usurpation of the throne has spread throughout the north in the past few months. The news that "Wu Fei wants to purge the court of corrupt officials" has also spread.

Wu Fei watched the veterans from afar. His excellent hearing allowed him to discern what they were saying, but Wu Fei's face was solemn. "There is a force in the world that wants me to be the one to stick my neck out!"

…The perspective shifts to the south…

In the south, Zhu Liqiang's three regional military governors had initially intercepted some of the deserters from Yaodu, but they were later frightened by the shouts of these deserters. Subsequently, they deliberately let their guard down at night, allowing these deserters to escape!

In Dai County, at the General's Mansion, Zhu Liqiang, unusually, did not drink. He sent out scouts to the north to spy on the movements of the Eastern Market Army.

When Zhu Liqiang received the letters from various parties, he hurriedly told the members of his clan, "The new emperor has ascended the throne, and in principle we should show our loyalty; however, the emperor is surrounded by treacherous people right now, so we should not get involved."

It should be noted that the collapse of the Northern Route Army was caused by the Zhou King's military supervision. Zhu Liqiang and the other three garrisons were able to stabilize the situation in the north only after they broke away from the Zhou King's faction in time and gained military autonomy.

Wu Fei and the King of Zhou are currently at odds, and Zhu Liqiang and other military generals also have no affinity with this new ruler.

(End of this chapter)