Chapter 221 – Impeachment

Xu Chun walked over and bowed deeply. “Greetings, Li Yuanshi. I heard you went to inspect the river work. When did you return to the capital? I didn’t have the chance to pay you a visit, my apologies.”

Li Meiyai snorted coldly. “Oh, wasn’t it convenient to use old man to teach a lesson to that young Zhuang family scholar? Now you remember respect for elders?”

Xu Chun chuckled awkwardly, aware of his own fault, yet knowing that Li Meiyai wouldn’t take it seriously with him. After all… he had accompanied Li Meiyai to the pleasure house! He had seen Li Meiyai scolding people with his own eyes!

He bowed again. “Sir Li is upright and just, your mother is virtuous, and you have raised your children well. I truly admire you. In the debate before the throne, I inadvertently cited you as an example, hoping to emulate you. Please forgive me, sir.”

Seeing Xu Chun’s humble demeanor, Li Meiyai felt pleased and chuckled, nodding toward a chair nearby. “Sit down! Why do you always hang out with military officials? You’re also a proper graduate from the Hanlin Academy, a scholar! Come here, Sir has something to consult with Marquis Hou.”

Xu Chun apologetically glanced at Fang Zijing, who was already engrossed in conversation with others, ignoring him. He sat down beside Li Meiyai and smiled. “Whatever matter, sir, please instruct.”

Li Meiyai said, “It’s nothing major. I heard about what happened with the Zhuang family. You must be careful not to let others imitate their actions. Stay away from scholars and civil officials recently, so they won’t deliberately provoke you and use this opportunity to gain a reputation for integrity.”

Xu Chun replied, “Understood. I hardly go out these days.”

Li Meiyai advised further, “You should also be cautious with the Duke. It would be best to send a seasoned and upright advisor to accompany Duke Hou. Avoid banquets unnecessarily, lest you be swayed by others.” He knew that the Duke of Linhai, Hou’s father, was famously unreliable.

Xu Chun realized that Li Meiyai’s advice was rich with experience and hurriedly thanked him. “Thank you for your guidance, sir.”

Li Meiyai nodded in satisfaction, stroking his beard. Xu Chun then asked, “I heard Sir Li went on a half-year inspection of the river work this time. How did it go?”

Li Meiyai replied, “Everything went smoothly along the way.”

Xu Chun said, “I have a matter I wish to consult with you, sir. If someone under my command is found to be embezzling public funds for personal gain… What should be the punishment and preventive measures?”

Li Meiyai narrowed his eyes, extended his palm, and made a slicing motion downward, saying ominously, “Naturally, make an example out of them, so they know they can never extend their hands again, that if they do, they will be caught. Since you govern troops, military orders are absolute. Those who are corrupt, incompetent, and harm the people should be punished without mercy!”

Xu Chun was speechless.

But Li Meiyai secretly beckoned him closer with his finger, whispering instructions to him.

The other court ministers, who had previously believed Li Meiyai and Linhai Marquis to be at odds, now saw the two seemingly getting along harmoniously. They were all lost in thought.

Was even the crazy Li Meiyai afraid of Linhai Marquis’s power? It was well-known that Li Meiyai was always proud and aloof, not giving face to anyone—of course, rumors of Linhai Marquis’s arrogance and recklessness abounded. But today, he appeared modest and refined, gentle and elegant, indeed unlike a military official, possessing the dignity and integrity of a civil official.

Was there some weakness of Li Meiyai that Linhai Marquis had discovered? Or did Linhai Marquis offer Li Meiyai some great benefit?

As the court ministers pondered and whispered among themselves, the drum sounded, and everyone stood solemnly, adjusting their hats and robes. After three beats of the drum, the gong sounded, signaling the start of court.

The civil and military officials lined up in their respective ranks, entering through the left and right gates respectively. After the announcement, the ministers arrived at the red steps of the Imperial Gate, standing silently, listening to the music played by the musicians. The eunuchs announced the start of court again, and the officials of both civil and military classes entered the imperial path, bowing thrice before the golden throne.

In the silent hall, Xu Chun and Fang Zijing were among the noble kin, at the forefront of the military officials. Prince Jinkuo, Xie He, led the group. After finishing their bows, they stood still in the hall. Xu Chun secretly looked up at the throne, seeing Xie Yi looking down at him. Their eyes met, and Xu Chun couldn’t help but smile mischievously.

Xie Yi, seeing him grinning foolishly, was speechless. But this was the audience with the envoy, and there were no important envoys today, only those from Yizhou, who had come for the marriage of Crown Prince Nong Siji. They expressed their gratitude to the Emperor and presented many tributes.

Xie Yi spoke kindly to them, dismissing them. Then, it was time to meet with officials who were leaving the capital. Today, it was several elderly officials seeking retirement due to illness. Xie Yi praised their long service and maturity, rewarding them according to tradition after expressing his appreciation. The old officials, frail and hunched, bowed and shakily retreated, ready to depart the capital immediately.

Watching the old officials bow with their white hair, Xu Chun couldn’t help but wonder how he and Brother Nine would fare when they were old. Would he retire at that age? Or would he continue to accompany Brother Nine, staying by his side…

Standing there, his mind wandered far. Xie Yi could tell he was lost in thought again, not bothering him. Instead, he signaled for the next agenda item, which was reports from the border regions.

Minister of War Lei Ming stepped forward to report, presenting the dispatches from Helan Jingjiang. There were unusual movements by the Jin people, who launched a preemptive strike before Chongyang Festival, clearing out the northern barbarians who had been raiding the south, capturing numerous heads. They requested reinforcements for their cavalry and infantry.

Xie Yi nodded in approval, praising the soldiers for their bravery and dedication. He ordered the Ministry of War to deliberate rewards and promotions, provide compensation for the soldiers, and show additional grace. The dispatches were to be submitted for reporting achievements, and the process continued.

Looking at Xu Chun again, Xie Yi saw that Xu Chun was staring intently at Lei Ming, clearly concerned about Helan Jingjiang, and he chuckled inwardly.

Then, Fang Zijing presented another dispatch, regarding the wedding of Nong Siji in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, and Xie Yi approved it.

After the border affairs were concluded, the officials from various departments began to present their matters.

Minister of Revenue Luo Hengrui coughed lightly and stepped forward, reporting on summer taxes, droning on in a monotonous manner.

Xu Chun had stayed up late last night waiting for news about the smuggling investigation. Hearing such a tedious report, he started to doze off, his eyelids drooping unconsciously.

Xie Yi watched him from above, amused yet worried. Next time there was a court session, he would make sure Xu Chun slept earlier, not allowing him to stay up late as he had last night.

Finally, Luo Hengrui finished his report and stepped back. The Minister of Rites came forward to report on the construction progress of the Jiuchou Academy. Here, Xu Chun became interested, suddenly paying close attention. He had heard that the civil officials were all against it, expecting the Minister of Rites to receive objections after his report.

Unexpectedly, when Xie Yi inquired, none of the civil officials came forward to object, leaving Xu Chun even more puzzled.

Next, Minister of Works Du Zhengqing reported on the construction and maintenance of the river embankments. His report was lengthy as well, causing Xu Chun to drift off again, admiring how Prince Jinkuo, Xie He, remained steadfastly standing, as straight as a pine tree.

But soon, he felt drowsy again. Finally, hearing Du Zhengqing step back, a sudden cough echoed through the hall. Li Meiyai stepped out of line, declaring, “Your Majesty, subject Li Meiyai has a petition to present! During my inspection of the river work, I uncovered numerous officials guilty of corruption, incompetence, harming the people, and accepting bribes. A total of sixty-two officials have been listed. I humbly request Your Majesty to severely punish them, dismiss them from their posts, and investigate their crimes to rectify the bureaucracy, uphold the standards of officials, and cleanse the government of its unrighteous winds!”

Sixty-two officials!

Everyone looked at Li Meiyai in shock. If all sixty-two officials were impeached, how many would remain in the river region’s prefectures and counties?

Xu Chun’s eyes widened. Was this the smooth journey Li Meiyai had mentioned? Even with a smooth journey, he could still impeach so many people!

Li Meiyai took out the petition from his sleeve and read it aloud. “The governor of Lucheng, Huang Yanlun, is arrogant and lawless, embezzling river funds and misappropriating rations… The magistrate of Weizhou, Pei Tai, coerces civilians and forcibly buys stone materials… The director of the canal transport, Luo Dayu, uses his position to extort merchants and civilians…” He accused each official one by one.

His voice boomed throughout the hall, echoing for nearly the duration of a cup of tea, until he finished reading the petition. Then he declared loudly, “All the accusations in this petition are supported by solid evidence. I request Your Majesty’s instruction and punishment!”

Silence fell upon the court, but most ministers were shocked inside.

Good heavens! This mad dog returned and immediately wielded a broadsword to clean up the court! It had been a long time since such excitement.

Xie Yi, seated above, was also somewhat surprised but remained calm. “Your hard work inspecting the river project is appreciated, Minister. This is a significant matter involving too many officials. Let the Three Ministries review the case, and the councilors and the nine grand secretaries should carefully consider it before reporting back.”

Li Meiyai exclaimed, “Your Majesty is wise!”

Xie Yi coughed lightly. “Is there anything else to report?” He saw Xu Chun staring at Li Meiyai in shock, his lips slightly parted, obviously witnessing such a large-scale impeachment for the first time.

However, Li Meiyai didn’t stop. Instead, he said, “I have another petition to present! Along my journey, even before entering the capital, I heard that the Zhuang family in Jiangdu forced their nephew, a court official, to die protesting. Such despicable and vile acts of rebellion tarnish the scholarly community, disrespecting the sovereign and the parents, defying laws and order!”

“This matter must be severely punished to restore propriety and discipline. In my opinion, the entire Zhuang clan in Jiangdu should be charged with high treason, their properties confiscated, and they should be questioned for their crimes. I request Your Majesty to make the decision and approve my request!”

High treason! That was punishable by clan extermination! The court erupted in commotion. Everyone knew that since the Emperor ascended the throne, he had been cautious with executions, never using such extreme punishments. This would damage the Emperor’s reputation as a benevolent ruler. All eyes turned to Li Meiyai with ill intent, finding him arrogant, conceited, and obstinate. However, no one dared to speak about high treason, all looking at the chief grand secretary, Ouyang Shen.

Ouyang Shen did not disappoint their expectations and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, the virtue of the Son of Heaven lies in cherishing life. Your Majesty has always been kind and virtuous. I request Your Majesty to be cautious with punishment.”

Xie Yi glanced at Xu Chun, only to find him staring at him with wide eyes. Unable to resist, he wanted to laugh.

He said slowly, “This matter, I have already ordered the Ministry of Justice to go to Yangzhou to supervise this case. They will report back later. At that time, we will hand it over to the Three Ministries for deliberation.”

After Li Meiyai dropped these two bombs, the court officials were greatly shaken today. After the official in charge of ceremonies urged them to report matters, no officials stepped forward to present any further petitions.

The official in charge of ceremonies announced the end of the reports, and the gong sounded once more, signaling the end of the audience. Xie Yi rose to leave, and the officials bowed to see him off. After the imperial carriage departed, the officials also left, returning to their respective offices.

Normally, the Emperor would retain a few officials from the Military Affairs Department or the Grand Secretariat for discussions at this hour. However, today, Eunuch Su Kui walked over to Marquis Linhai’s side, bowed, and said with a smile, “Marquis, His Majesty has summoned you to discuss matters in the Wenhua Hall.”

Xu Chun knew that it was lunchtime at this hour, so he gladly followed Su Kui inside.

However, the officials who were leaving court were all whispering amongst themselves. Linhai Marquis was favored by the Emperor. On his first day attending court, he was retained to discuss matters inside. This was extraordinary imperial favor.