Chapter 36
"Go, Liao King!"
In the remote frontier fiefdom, Old Master of Liu Family and Commander Pang personally escorted the Liao King into the prisoner's carriage.
"Escort the Liao King and his co-conspirators back to the capital immediately!"
...
On the ninth day after the Golden Ceremony, the imperial ministers gathered for court.
Several ministers loyal to the Empress were about to submit a joint memorial to bring up the issue of designating the Crown Prince again, when they heard the announcement from Emperor Xiao Yunzhou.
"We have already designated the Crown Prince. After the Qianqing Palace is renovated, the edict of succession will be placed behind the plaque. When We have passed away a hundred years from now, you may go and retrieve it."
What?
The ministers were all stunned.
The ministers loyal to the Empress and Noble Consort factions were momentarily at a loss for words.
"Your Majesty, our dynasty has never had a succession arrangement like this before."
The Empress faction adamantly disagreed.
If the Emperor wished to designate the eldest imperial prince, he could just publicly announce it. Why hide it behind a plaque?
Most likely, he wanted to designate another prince, and was hiding it to avoid their opposition.
The Empress faction unanimously opposed, "Your Majesty, this is not in accordance with the proper procedures!"
"Yes, even if the Emperor does not inform the ministers, he should at least notify the Imperial Cabinet." Lord Fucha also stepped forward.
He disagreed as well.
During the Golden Ceremony, his daughter Imperial Noble Fu Cha was demoted, so the Emperor was certainly not designating the Third Prince.
He wanted to reason with the Emperor and delay matters.
Lord Fucha thought, and his party ministers behind him immediately knelt down, one after another.
"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!"
"The recent demotion of the Noble Consort has not been thoroughly investigated yet. It is highly improper to hastily designate the Crown Prince!"
"The matters of the imperial harem are indeed Your Majesty's personal affairs. But designating the Crown Prince is a crucial state affair, how can Your Majesty decide it alone? It should be discussed and determined by the Imperial Cabinet."
Xiao Yunzhou grew increasingly angered as he listened.
If not for his excellent self-cultivation in the Dao, he would have really wanted to have them all whipped a hundred times on the spot!
Damn it!
Xiao Yunzhou only regretted that Old Master Liu had been sent to deal with the Liao King's affair.
Otherwise, he would still have Old Master Liu standing on his side!
What's wrong with everyone in the court, that none of them are as sensible as Old Master Liu?
It would be great if Old Master Liu could come back now!
Then he wouldn't have to fight alone!
Just as Xiao Yunzhou was thinking this, a guard suddenly rushed in and knelt outside the hall.
"Report - Urgent dispatch from 800 miles away!"
"Censor Liu Wenchang and Imperial Guard Commander Pang Rusong have captured the Liao King who rebelled, along with over twenty other traitors. The rebel soldiers have surrendered without a fight!"
Xiao Yunzhou was overjoyed.
But the ministers in the court were all stunned.
What, a rebellion?
Xiao Yunzhou abruptly stood up, his dragon robe billowing.
"Do I need your permission to designate the Crown Prince?"
"Hmph! Do I have to wait for you all to act? My bones might be cold by then!"
"A bunch of useless fellows!"
"The Liao King rebelled, and not a single one of you knew about it!"
The ministers of the court, the Imperial Cabinet, the Six Ministries, civil and military officials of the first and second ranks... were all dumbfounded.
No, how were they supposed to know about a rebellion in the distant frontier when they were in the capital?
Hold on, why was it Old Master Liu who discovered this again?
Emperor Xiao Yunzhou looked at the faces of shock below him, greatly delighted.
Ever since he had Old Master Liu and the Little Princess, he had grown quite fond of court audiences.
As an Emperor, this was the second time he had severely reprimanded the ministers, and it felt incredibly gratifying.
"Imperial Cabinet! Six Ministries!"
"Ministry of Justice!"
"Censorate!"
"You useless wretches, the Liao King could have marched all the way to the capital gates and you might not have even noticed! What else can I expect from you?"
"If I have to listen to you, how will this dynasty and state survive? The ancestral foundation has already been ruined!"
The ministers' faces turned green.
They had been scolded by the Emperor again.
Worse yet, despite their erudition in the Four Books and Five Classics, at this moment they could not refute the Emperor and could only endure his berating.
After all, they had failed to detect this rebellion, and it was discovered by Censor Liu Wenchang, a mere fourth-rank official, and the Emperor before them.
As for the matter of designating the Crown Prince... at a time like this, no one dared to openly oppose the Emperor anymore.
"Your Majesty, we have failed in our duties, please forgive our faults."
Lord Fucha of the Imperial Cabinet, that old fox, was the first to humbly admit fault, temporarily halting the Emperor's continued scolding.
"The most urgent matter now is to apprehend all the Liao King's co-conspirators, to eliminate any future threats. Otherwise, even with the Liao King captured, there may still be accomplices plotting treason."
With just one sentence, he redirected the Emperor's focus from scolding the ministers.
All the ministers in the court looked at Lord Fucha gratefully, relieved.
The Minister of War immediately regained his composure and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, since Censor Liu and Commander Pang are escorting the Liao King back to the capital through the Shu Region, I suggest dispatching another senior general to assist them."
The Ministry of War could not miss out on claiming credit for suppressing this rebellion.
The Emperor had quietly resolved the matter himself without their involvement.
If that happened, the Ministry of War would just become a mere formality.
The Minister of War was a shrewd man, and immediately proposed to the Emperor, "The Shu Region was once guarded by the Liao King in his youth. The soldiers there may be colluding with him."
"I suggest dispatching a senior general to ensure the suppression of the rebellion is flawless."
He was from the Empress faction.
By stepping forward and recommending someone, the person he suggested would owe him a favor in the future, and thus stand with the Empress and Crown Prince.
Upon hearing this, Lord Fucha of the Imperial Cabinet also stepped forward, taking the lead. "Minister of War is right, Your Majesty. We also recommend the Eminent Cavalry General, Zhang Chen."
As he spoke, Lord Fucha's expression was lofty and inscrutable.
The Eminent Cavalry General Zhang Chen came from a family that had fought alongside the founding Emperor. The Zhang family held a lofty position in the military.
Zhang Chen was a neutralist in court politics, not aligning with the Empress or Noble Consort factions.
But both sides wanted to win him over!
After all, to enthrone a prince, they needed the support of not just the civil officials, but also the senior military commanders.
"Lord Fucha, recommending a general is the responsibility of the Ministry of War," the Minister of War from the Empress faction hurriedly said, how dare the Noble Consort's Lord Fucha try to steal their candidate!
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War also wants to recommend the Eminent Cavalry General Zhang Chen!"
After the Minister of War spoke, many of the ministers expressed their support.
The Noble Consort's faction, the Empress faction... they all recommended Zhang Chen, hoping to gain his recommendation and the future goodwill of the Zhang family.
Emperor Xiao Yunzhou, seated on the Dragon Throne, watched this comical tug-of-war over a single person clearly.
He couldn't help but want to laugh, "Oh? Where is the Eminent Cavalry General Zhang Chen?"
The Minister of War hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty has forgotten? You sent him to suppress a bandit during the Golden Ceremony."
"Haha." Xiao Yunzhou immediately burst out laughing.
He abruptly stood up and flung the golden cup on the table straight at the Minister of War's head!
"Ouch!" The Minister of War looked up, his head bleeding.
Wei Zheng, catching the Emperor's signal, stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, you have forgotten. The Eminent Cavalry General has been arrested by the Imperial Guards for colluding with a palace eunuch scribe to assist the Liao King's rebellion, and is now detained in a manor on the outskirts of the capital."
The Minister of War was stunned.
Lord Fucha of the Imperial Cabinet stared with wide eyes.
The ministers in the court were all struck dumb, as if hit by lightning!