Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The next morning at court, the sunlight outside the Zichen Hall was blindingly white. Officials lined up to enter, though in reality, more than half were missing. However, the expressions on everyone's faces were more relaxed than a month ago—the tension that Zhang Lin had suppressed for many years was slowly dissipating, replaced by a cautiousness that was being readjusted.

Lin Yanzhou stood to the side of the imperial desk, while Zhao Yan sat in the main seat. Zhou Yan held three imperial edicts in his hands, and Shen Qing held the corresponding documents, placing them on the desk respectively.

Lin Yanzhou opened the first file and began to read it aloud.

The first edict listed the names of seven people. He would stop after reading each name and explain the crimes committed by that person one by one. His voice was not loud, but the entire hall was so quiet that the soft crackling of the candlelight could be heard.

"Zhou Bing, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, during last year's famine relief efforts, falsely reported 30,000 shi of relief grain and embezzled 80,000 taels of silver intended for the relief of displaced people. The embezzled silver was hidden in a secret compartment in the basement of his private residence west of the city. He distributed old grain mixed with sand as new grain, causing over two thousand displaced people in three counties south of Jizhou to go hungry, and more than four hundred died of cold and starvation after winter began. This is the first offense."

The breathing in the main hall quieted down a bit.

"Ge Yan, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, accepted a bribe of 20,000 taels of silver from a wealthy merchant. He altered the case file of a grain merchant who had hoarded grain, causing prices to skyrocket, and released him without charge. At the same time, he falsely accused a poor scholar who had reported the grain merchant of causing trouble, had him flogged eighty times, and then exiled three thousand li away. The scholar was weak and died on the way to his place of exile. This is the second charge."

An old minister's sleeve trembled slightly, but he remained silent.

"Ma Kui, a judge in the Censorate, abused his power to privately employ twelve江湖死者 (jianghu assassins), who hid in a villa on the outskirts of the city. Under Zhang Lin's orders, they plotted to assassinate ministers implementing the new policies. Simultaneously, he fabricated charges against four upright officials, resulting in the demotion of two and the dismissal of two. This is the third point."

Lin Yanzhou continued reading. Zheng Huai-ren, an assistant minister in the Ministry of War, leaked confidential military reports to Zhang Lin about the weak border defenses, leading the Northern Barbarians to learn of the Xuan Shuo's weak military strength in the north—a crime of treason. Qian Yong, a principal official in the Ministry of Works, cut corners during dike construction three years ago, reducing the stone dam's grouting from three layers to one. During the autumn floods, the dike collapsed by sixty zhang, flooding three villages downstream, killing and injuring over four hundred people, and destroying farmland; that land remains a saline-alkali wasteland, incapable of growing crops. Sun Chengyi, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, accepted bribes from the Zhang family, fabricated evidence to frame an honest prefect for conspiracy and treason. The prefect was unjustly executed, and his wife and young son committed suicide by jumping into a well. Wu Bingzhong, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, accepted bribes and perverted justice, releasing the true culprit in a family massacre case. The victim's elderly father died by running into a pillar at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice.

After the seven people's crimes were read out, the entire hall fell silent. No one pleaded for them; everyone thought, "Even the execution of their entire families wouldn't be too much."

Lin Yanzhou closed the file, his voice steady: "The above seven individuals are guilty of heinous crimes, endangering the lives of ordinary people and disrupting the foundation of the court. According to the law, they should be executed. The execution will take place at noon today outside the Meridian Gate. Their families will be exiled to the frontier, and their descendants will be barred from holding office for three generations."

When the seven men were dragged from the prison by the Imperial Guards, some were limp as mud, some cursed loudly, and some remained silent. As Zhou Bing was dragged across the stone steps outside the Zichen Palace, he suddenly glanced back towards the palace, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something, but the guards pulled him away, and the word remained unuttered. Halfway there, Ma Kui suddenly struggled and shouted to those around him, "I was coerced by Zhang Lin," but no one stopped to listen.

A large crowd had already gathered outside the Meridian Gate. The executioner's blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight. When the first blow fell, an old woman selling vegetables in the crowd turned around to watch secretly; though frightened, she did not leave. When the seventh blow fell, a middle-aged man in an old blue cotton shirt squatted at the edge of the crowd, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling.

The crowd around the execution ground slowly dispersed. The ground had been washed with water, and faint watermarks remained in the cracks of the stone slabs. Someone stuck three incense sticks into the soil around the execution ground; the smoke was thin and straight, and was soon blown away by the wind.

Lin Yanzhou stood under the corridor of the Zichen Hall, gazing into the distance towards the Meridian Gate. The awe-inspiring power has always been the same.

The second edict listed twenty-seven people. Lin Yanzhou opened the file, and this time he did not read out the names one by one, but summarized the crimes of the entire category.

"These twenty-seven people were mostly Zhang Lin's protégés and former subordinates. Although they were not directly involved in the bloodshed, they had long relied on powerful officials, formed cliques for personal gain, tolerated their subordinates' corruption, and turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people. Some of them knew of their subordinates' corruption but never investigated, some fabricated charges against Zhang Lin to seek promotion, and some embezzled 30% of disaster relief funds and grain to give as tribute to the Grand Tutor's mansion."

He read out a few representative names, then closed the file: "Removed from office and investigated, all family property confiscated, sent back to their place of origin as commoners, and banned from ever holding office again."

After the announcement was read, the twenty-seven people were summoned to the Meridian Gate in turn. Some knelt down and wept, unwilling to leave, and were dragged out of the palace by the Imperial Guards; some stood motionless for a long time with deathly pale faces, and finally turned around and walked out step by step, as if each step was filled with lead; others lowered their heads and did not say a word, and after walking out, they looked back at the direction of the Zichen Palace, with a kind of empty relief in their eyes.

As evening fell, twenty-seven donkey carts laden with luggage began to make their way from the streets and alleys toward the city gate. The boxes on the carts were not large, as all their property had been confiscated; they were only allowed to take their personal clothing and bedding. One of the middle-aged officials sat on the cart platform, holding a wooden box in his arms. Inside the box were his son's primers, the only thing that hadn't been taken from him. He kept his head down, his fingers pressing against the edge of the box lid, his fingertips tracing a worn corner, not looking up at the road.

The third imperial edict listed fifty-three people. Lin Yanzhou opened the file, his tone slightly softer than the previous two.

"These fifty-three individuals were mostly forced to bribe Zhang Lin in their early years or passively aligned themselves with him due to his power. After verifying the handwritten letters of repentance found in their confessions and Zhang Lin's secret list classifying them as 'usable but not to be given important positions,' their crimes were deemed relatively minor, and no substantial harm was caused. Their ill-gotten gains were confiscated and deposited into the national treasury; their normal family assets and official positions were retained; they each received a major demerit, which was filed on file. Any future violations will be punished concurrently with multiple offenses, without any leniency."

That evening, queues formed in front of the Ministry of Revenue. Some people drove donkey carts carrying boxes of silver, others carried heavy sacks of copper coins, and still others handed in brocade boxes containing pieces of jewelry. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue worked through the night to register and compile lists, which continued until the early hours of the morning.

The next morning at court, an official in his forties caught up with Zhou Yan after the session ended, his voice low: "Lord Zhou, all my old debts have been settled, including the price of the three bolts of silk from last winter. I will certainly—"

Zhou Yan glanced at him: "The Imperial Advisor said that once the debt is paid in full, it's considered settled. Go back and do your job well, and don't stray from the right path again."

The man nodded repeatedly, took three steps back, and then turned and left.

Lin Yanzhou stood by the side window of the Zichen Hall, watching the official's figure disappear between the pillars. The sunlight outside the window had already sunk under the eaves, casting long shadows across the entire hall.

He knew in his heart that these people might not have truly reformed, but at least now they knew that a knife was hanging over their heads that could fall at any moment, and that knife would not show mercy or consider who was close to whom. This realization was more effective than a hundred imperial edicts.

Today all the other officials have been dealt with, tomorrow it'll be the turn of Zhang Lin's family, the ringleader. I wonder what will happen to his two daughters? That old scoundrel Zhang Lin praised them like they were two beautiful flowers.