Prime Minister

Chapter 92, Episode 091: [Willing to Give Up]

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.

After careful consideration, Xue Huai could roughly understand the reason for the emperor's wrath.

This is actually a matter of face.

In past imperial examinations, large-scale cheating was rare, but it was difficult to find an absolutely fair one; there was always some degree of favoritism in each one.

In such cases, the emperor usually doesn't pursue the matter relentlessly; he either turns a blind eye or simply punishes a few officials to give the court officials a warning.

But this time was different. The emperor had repeatedly warned Sun Yue and his companion beforehand, and the fact that he had kept the personally drafted examination questions in the palace made it clear that he hoped this year's imperial examination would be as fair and just as possible.

If Sun Yue and his companion had been able to keep it a secret, that would have been fine. But Xue Huai had to expose them. When the emperor saw that they didn't take his will seriously, how could he not be furious?
The emperor even changed his usual speaking style, becoming so straightforward that even a seven-year-old could understand him, because he didn't want to give Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming any more chances to argue.

At this moment, Sun Yan's face turned ashen, and he said with shame, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. I have no excuse for this matter. Whatever happened in the examination hall, it is the responsibility of me and Vice Minister Yue. I have been in office for nearly forty years, and my success today is all thanks to the support and favor of the late Emperor and Your Majesty. Now that I have committed such a serious crime of negligence, I, as the chief examiner, bear the heaviest responsibility. Any reason is just sophistry. I only beg Your Majesty to consider my decades of diligence and allow me to retire and return to my hometown."

Yue Zhongming, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but curse under his breath, "You old bastard!"

He's only in his early forties and his official career is only halfway through. How could he possibly give up this position as Vice Minister of Rites that he hasn't even warmed up yet?
But when Sun Yan saw that things were not going well, he retreated to the very end. Anyway, the emperor couldn't cut off his head for this matter; at most, he would just resign and return to his hometown.

The problem is that Sun Yan is nearly sixty years old. Returning home with the title of Grand Secretary of the First Rank Cabinet is considered a triumphant return. If Yue Zhongming, at his age, were to beg for retirement, wouldn't he become a laughing stock in the world?
Thinking of this, Yue Zhongming's face grew even more unpleasant. However, he could not remain silent, otherwise he would be completely outshone by Sun Yan in the emperor's eyes. So he had no choice but to confess his guilt step by step.

Behind the imperial desk, the emperor coldly looked at the two of them.

He could see Yue Zhongming's hesitation and reluctance, and he also understood Sun Yan's true nature—seemingly fearful but actually calm.

It seems that even a mere figurehead Grand Secretary with little real power is far superior to the outwardly strong but inwardly weak Yue Zhongming.

Sun Yan's confidence stemmed from the fact that the spring imperial examinations had just ended and the palace examinations had not yet taken place.

At this critical juncture, if both chief examiners are held accountable, the fairness of this year's imperial examination will inevitably be greatly compromised, and who knows what outrageous rumors might circulate, which would greatly deepen the suspicions of scholars and the public towards the imperial court.

This is clearly not the situation the emperor wanted to see.

Sun Yan understood this, so he readily yielded and bowed his head, actually advising the emperor to downplay the matter and avoid causing a great uproar in the court and among the people.

The Emperor's gaze was cold and stern as he said, word by word, "Your words are inappropriate. The truth has not yet been found out. If I were to ask you to resign now, wouldn't the world think that I am a muddle-headed emperor who cannot distinguish right from wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yan felt a chill run down his spine and secretly realized something was wrong.

The emperor's reaction was completely different from what he had expected.

That day in the Gongyuan Hall, when Xue Huai publicly exposed the matter of cutting up examination papers, Sun Yan had already foreseen the current situation. The emperor could not possibly turn a blind eye to this matter.

But he felt that this was really not a big deal. The corruption scandal in the Ministry of Works was so ugly, but Xue Minglun only resigned to atone for his crime.
Since His Majesty intends to support the Second Grand Secretary to counterbalance the Ning Party, as Ouyang Hui's only supporter in the cabinet, the Emperor should treat him with leniency and not condemn him for such a trivial matter.

However, now that the emperor has made it clear that he wants to conduct a thorough investigation, what is his purpose?
Even with his lifetime of experience in officialdom, Sun Yan couldn't fathom the emperor's thoughts at this moment, and his fear only intensified.

He swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Your Majesty is the Holy Emperor, revered by all the people of Great Yan. How could there be such a person who has no ruler or father?"

"No ruler, no father... well said."

The Emperor looked at Yue Zhongming with his deep gaze, and then said, "Minister Yue, I remember that Liu Yu, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, is related to you?"

"Back to Your Majesty, yes."

Yue Zhongming dared not be careless and carefully said, "My nephew Yue Ning married Liu Bianxiu's sister last year. However, I am not on good terms with Liu Bianxiu. I beg Your Majesty to understand."

"There's no need to say such things."

The emperor's face showed a mocking expression. He gestured for Zeng Min to pick up the broken jade paperweight, and then said meaningfully, "I know you all have it tough. You have to give an account to your superiors and your subordinates, otherwise you can't be officials with peace of mind. But I often tell you that you should know what to do and when, instead of just focusing on the crops in your own fields!"

Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming looked bitter.

The emperor's anger seemed to have subsided, but his high-ranking officials knew very well that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Seeing that the emperor's anger seemed to be focused on Sun Yan, Ouyang Hui, the second-in-command of the cabinet, became somewhat uneasy.

Although he refused to admit it, Ning Hengzhi was superior to him in terms of ability, skill, public relations, and even personal charisma. The overall gap was even greater, and all he could rely on was the emperor's support. Now that he saw signs that Sun Yan was not going to be saved, Ouyang Hui hesitated, but he knew that if Sun Yan was expelled from the cabinet, his confidence in front of Ning Hengzhi would be even weaker.

Upon thinking of this, Ouyang Hui sighed silently, then said, "Your Majesty, the cheating in the imperial examinations was indeed egregious, but it certainly wasn't at the behest of Grand Secretary Sun and Vice Minister Yue. I believe they haven't forgotten Your Majesty's instructions and must have been acting with impartiality. However, human nature is unpredictable, and it's not uncommon for lower-ranking officials to be blinded by money and commit such outrageous acts. The two chief examiners are indeed guilty of oversight, and I beg Your Majesty to consider their years of diligent service and allow them to make amends."

Upon hearing Ouyang Hui's words, Xue Huai couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

In the end, it's nothing more than the old trick of punishing someone with three cups of wine, but that's the norm for how the imperial court operates.

As time goes by, the emperor has long lost his former ambition. Now he detests troublesome matters and prefers that all officials perform their duties to ensure that there is no chaos in the court and the country. As for those who embezzle or break the law in the process, he can simply pretend not to see it.

wrong……

Xue Huai suddenly realized that if the emperor disliked trouble, then what was he doing right now?
Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming were not minor officials. Even disregarding their powerful backers, a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites held very important positions in the court and would not be easily replaced.

Moreover, now that Ouyang Hui has stepped forward to vouch for him, shouldn't the emperor take the opportunity to reprimand Sun Yue and the other man and then let it go?
At that moment, the emperor looked at Ouyang Hui and said, "Does the Vice Grand Secretary think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Ouyang Hui was stunned upon hearing this. Since he entered the cabinet, the emperor had rarely made things difficult for him in public in order to ensure that he had the confidence to face Ning Hengzhi. Why was this happening now?

He said with utmost caution, “Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. I only believe that the two chief examiners had no ulterior motives, but were merely guilty of oversight. Moreover, the palace examination has not yet been held. If we were to conduct a large-scale investigation into this matter, it would inevitably cause panic among the people and affect the dignity of the court.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in the emperor's eyes, but he did not delve further. He took a deep breath and turned to Ning Hengzhi, who had remained silent, asking, "Why does the Grand Secretary remain silent?"

Ning Hengzhi seemed to have been waiting for the emperor to say this. His expression was solemn, and he spoke slowly and deliberately: "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is a matter of fundamental importance to the nation. No one can be allowed to engage in favoritism or corruption. Just now, Xue Shidu pointed out that Liu Yu and others had colluded with several candidates. This is tantamount to disregarding the law. Vice Minister Ouyang said that investigating this matter would cause unrest among the people, but I disagree. If we allow those people to commit crimes because of hesitation, that would be a decision with truly endless consequences."

He paused, looked up at the emperor, and said, "Only when the atmosphere is clean and upright can people's hearts be inspired. Therefore, I believe this matter should be investigated!"

Ouyang Hui was taken aback.

Yue Zhongming could not believe it; he almost used all his strength to suppress the panic and anger in his heart.

He didn't understand why Ouyang Hui was able to step forward to protect Sun Yan, but Ning Hengzhi pushed him away!
Sun Yan, after all, had been a Grand Secretary for many years, and the Emperor and other officials in the court would give him some face. However, Yue Zhongming's foundation was shallow, and he had not yet secured his position as Vice Minister of Rites. Once he lost power, there would be countless people in the court who would take advantage of his misfortune, and even members of the Ning Party would be no exception, since he was blocking the way for some people.

Moreover, Ning Hengzhi's words were clearly aimed at Liu Yu and others, which was an open message to the emperor that he would no longer protect Yue Zhongming.

Yue Zhongming's mind went blank, and his heart sank into an icy abyss.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that Ning Hengzhi had told him before the imperial examination that he should not be biased or corrupt, and that he must make impartial decisions. However, he had not listened to him at all at the time, and his heart was filled with eagerness and excitement to show his skills.

There was dead silence in the hall.

Suddenly, Xue Huai recalled Shen Wang's message: that Ning Hengzhi had long known that Yue Zhongming was ambitious but lacked talent, and that Ning Hengzhi had recommended Yue Zhongming to take over as Vice Minister of Rites.

It was as if a line was being drawn out in front of him.

The Ning faction lost Xue Minglun, but gained Yue Zhongming in return. Ultimately, it was an internal decision. However, due to the corruption scandal in the Ministry of Works, the emperor's dissatisfaction with the Ning faction deepened.

Shen Wang once told Xue Huai that the emperor has an extremely strong desire to control power, and if he discovers that the court is showing signs of getting out of control, he will absolutely not be lenient.

So, back to the present...

Xue Huai cautiously looked up and saw that when Ning Hengzhi pushed Yue Zhongming out, the emperor's brows relaxed slightly, and his restlessness disappeared.

It turned out to be the case.

Ning Hengzhi had long guessed the emperor's thoughts, so he recommended Yue Zhongming as the Vice Minister of Rites and put him in charge of the imperial examinations. He then used Yue Zhongming to show the emperor his true intentions—the so-called Ning faction had always been the emperor's supporters. Ning Hengzhi had no intention of seizing power. He was the chief minister appointed by the emperor, not the chief minister recommended by the Ning faction.

This explains why Ning Hengzhi recommended Yue Zhongming. Even Shen Wang and Ouyang Hui could see Yue Zhongming's true nature, so how could Ning Hengzhi, who promoted him, not see it?

But he still did this, simply to let the emperor know that he would not forcibly protect either Xue Minglun or Yue Zhongming for his own selfish desires, as long as the emperor was dissatisfied.

They retreated again and again until the emperor was satisfied.

Having figured out all the intricacies, Xue Huai's feelings were beyond words. Recalling Ouyang Hui's performance just now, he couldn't help but feel sorry for this aging second minister.

Because his opponent was Ning Hengzhi.

(End of this chapter)