Chapter 21: The Morning Meeting

Today's court assembly dispersed exceptionally early, but many of the experienced old hands knew that it wasn't because there was little to do. On the contrary, it might mean that something big had happened!

Some fifth and sixth rank officials of the Capital City, just dismissed from the assembly and ready to return home, looked at the carriages outside Vermilion Bird Gate adorned with black Qilin, murmuring to themselves with uncertainty.

Only duke-level nobility in the Capital City could have Qilin printed on their carriages. Nine such carriages stopped outside Vermilion Bird Gate signified that all nine dukes currently in the Capital City had arrived!!

The Great Jin Dynasty held both grand and minor court assemblies. A grand assembly typically welcomed officials of the seventh rank and above, while a minor assembly required attendance from those of the fourth rank, usually with two grand and five minor assemblies each month, held separately.

Not only had today's sessions overlapped, but even several dukes who had long been absent made their presence known—it was likely something significant had happened!

Officials with a bit of cunning dared not discuss it lightly. They bid farewell to their colleagues and hurried home early, while some inexperienced new officials eagerly discussed in private, not realizing they were being meticulously noted by Palace Secret Guards lurking in the shadows...

About half an hour later, after the departure of officials below the fourth rank, the remaining dignitaries of the Capital City and the newly arrived distinguished military officers all gathered together, and the doors to the assembly were closed again!

The luxurious lineup at this assembly made the historians careful. Since the new dynasty's establishment, the nine dukes had rarely attended court assemblies. In fact, it was extremely rare for all nine to be present simultaneously, the last time being when the Crown Prince's position was confirmed!

The nine dukes wore Qilin black robes. Apart from the newly prominent Duke Liu Yu, the remaining eight were all from bloodline families. And many were aware that these eight families had endured through a millennium, through the changing tides of dynasties, the ironclad lineage of heritage families!

"Liu Qing, please report on the matter…" The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, eyes closed, cultivating his spirit. His tone was indifferent, yet the entire Imperial Court could feel that His Majesty was not in a good mood.

"Yes!" Liu Yu first saluted, then turned and briefly recounted the incident in Lyuzhou.

Shock reflected on the faces of most officials, both civil and military. Whether it was the Thousand-Faced Fox killing the top scholar to infiltrate the Weichi Clan, or Mister Hua Pi controlling the entire Lyuzhou officialdom, it all sounded too frightening!

The majority of elders seemed to come to a realisation. After over twenty years of peace, many had forgotten that they lived in a world where terrifying demons hid...

Countless officials were secretly thankful to serve in the Capital City, secured by numerous protections. Otherwise, if they were in remote regions, they might have ended up like their Lyuzhou colleagues—who were turned into puppets, their families none the wiser...

"Your Majesty!" An official dressed in a Second-Rank Crane Red Robe stepped forward. "Such a significant matter in Lyuzhou, and Weichi Peng, after five years of stationing, remained completely oblivious. Such negligence must be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, the military officers on the other side couldn't help but sneer. Those remaining in the Imperial Court were all from lineage families. They turned their heads to look at the group of civil officials as if wolves eying sheep, causing the group of civil servants to quake in fear and collapse to the ground!

The pitiful scene instantly amused the military generals, provoking hearty laughter, while the group of scholar-officials flushed with indignation.

Certainly, there were standing members among the civil officials, at least the Grand Scholars and the heads of the nine ministries were not intimidated, looking back at the military side with a cold glare.

"Enough!" The Emperor's expression darkened. At such a time they still did not forget to stand in opposition to each other!

"Your Majesty..." Among the nine dukes, a burly man with a full beard and a dark face chuckled heartily, utterly unconcerned about the Emperor's gloomy expression, pointing at the just-spoken Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Personnel, "This old fool is too despicable. The Weichi Clan sent the most promising of their next generation to guard Jiangnan. Now, even the old matriarch of their family has fallen victim, yet this fellow still doesn't hesitate to throw dirt on them!"

The Minister of Personnel responded with a cold expression, "You are saddled with noble titles and share the nation's fate, serving the Imperial Court is not only your duty, but it is also natural. And now you're attempting to justify incompetence?"

"Heh..." The big man scoffed, "Sounds like you scholar-officials don't take money for yourselves. By your logic, the Jiangnan Academic Governor, Mu Hongqing, in charge of the unusual happenings in Jiangnan, should bear the greatest responsibility, shouldn't he?"

"Enough!" The Emperor interrupted their quarrel, somewhat exasperatedly, "You are summoned here today to resolve issues, not to debate over who should be held responsible."

"I propose a complete purge of the Lyuzhou officialdom!" A tall, slim, and fair-skinned middle-aged man stepped forward. Handsome in appearance, his physique seemed out of place among the burly military officers, but those marshals promptly fell silent at his opening remarks, clearly signifying his high prestige.

The Emperor looked over, his gaze imbued with profound meaning.

Duke of Qin: Lumings!

Among the old followers of King Qin, he held the highest prestige, and it was his influence that prevented a revolt by the loyal military officers after King Qin's death. It was also because he showed no ambition to seize power that the Siao Family... could ascend to the throne!

If one were to speak of whom the Imperial Family feared the most, it was undoubtedly the man before them. Even as the Founding Emperor of the highest prestige, he had to be courteous towards this man on regular days. At the founding of the nation, he even proposed treating Lumings as a king, but was refused.

The Thousand-Faced Fox incident could not have occurred without the involvement of someone influential in the Capital City, and if asked who had such capability, the suspicions certainly fell upon the man presently in question.

The Emperor paused, "A purge?"

"Indeed..." Duke of Qin, Lu Ming, said with a bow, "Although according to the Lesser Minister of the Judicial Court, the puppet officials in Lyuzhou all revealed their true forms as lifeless wooden dolls after Mister Hua Pi's death, we cannot rule out the suspicion on other officials in Lyuzhou. For safety's sake, I believe all officials under Lyuzhou's jurisdiction should be immediately recalled to the Capital City for a thorough investigation, and new officials should be dispatched to Lyuzhou to take over their duties!"

"This..." The Emperor frowned. This action was a bit too drastic, but the other party was right. Something like this had happened; indeed, it was necessary to thoroughly cleanse Lyuzhou, and perhaps even the entire Jiangnan region might need to undergo a strict examination.

Where there was Mister Hua Pi, there could be other things. Jiangnan is a crucial land for the Imperial Court's taxation, and we cannot afford any more mishaps!

"Duke of Qin speaks too lightly of it!" the Minister of Personnel coldly scoffed. "Lyuzhou is a direct-controlled municipality, governing nineteen counties, involving no less than three hundred officials. Where am I supposed to find that many new officials to send over?"

The civil officials all nodded in agreement. The dynasty was newly established, and what was most lacking were competent civil servants. Officials were in short supply everywhere, and it wasn't possible to transfer them out. Lyuzhou was such a big hole to fill, even if we sent over the whole Hanlin Academy, it wouldn't be enough...

Duke of Qin, with impeccable manners, bowed to the Minister of Personnel and then said, "Hasn't Your Majesty just held an imperial examination? Don't we now have more than three hundred newly appointed Imperial Scholars waiting?"

"This... this is prepared for the North..." the Minister of Personnel frowned. "If given to Lyuzhou, what about Yan Yun?"

"I think Yan Yun could be temporarily managed by the old officials from the Northern Yan Country..." Lu Ming again bowed and said. "With heavy troops stationed there, and given that Northern Yan has been greatly weakened and has no power to invade, there's no need to worry about any trouble for the time being. Your Majesty could dispatch supervisory officers to monitor the administrative attitudes of these Northern Yan old officials. If they perform their duties effectively, our Great Jin can generously incorporate them as formal officials, which would also showcase the magnanimity of the Great Jin!"

The Emperor nodded slightly upon hearing this, "What Lu Qing suggests is a method indeed, but Lyuzhou is a direct-controlled municipality. The magistrates and county lieutenants of the nineteen counties could be entrusted to the new Imperial Scholars, but what about the officials of Lyuzhou itself?"

The other civil officials also nodded: "Exactly, even the Administrative Commissioner of Lyuzhou is of the Sixth Rank, and the various Regional Governors and new Academic Commissioners are all Fifth Rank officials. Are we to hastily promote and station these new Imperial Scholars?"

Lu Ming's expression remained unchanged, and he continued in a calm voice, "Regional Governors can be filled by transferring officials from other regions, as the Ministry of Personnel sees fit. As for Academic Commissioners, I recommend sending two magicians. The magicians stationed outside our Court are all Academic Commissioners, firstly, because there aren't enough magicians, and secondly, because magicians need to be observed for stability and are not hastily sent out of the Capital City when they are too young."

"However, the situation in Lyuzhou is exceptional now, and after the incident with Mister Hua Pi, I believe that area still hides unresolved evils. Relying solely on Jiangnan Academic Governor Mu Hongqing and some of his disciples might not be enough to cope."

After a moment of consideration, the Emperor nodded slightly: "Lu Qing's arrangements are well thought out. I grant my permission!"

He then looked towards the Minister of Personnel: "For the chief official of Lyuzhou, does Yan Aiqing have anyone to recommend?"

The Minister of Personnel immediately appeared distressed. The Imperial Court was already scrambling to find enough people for its various posts, and with his previous petitions to enlarge the number of Imperial Scholars being rejected, how could he have a suitable candidate to transfer?

"Why not... the new top scholar?"

"That's inappropriate..." Before the Emperor could speak, Duke of Song, Liu Yu, was the first to shake his head: "Even if the top scholar were to study quietly in the Hanlin Academy for two years, the highest position he could be appointed to outside would be of the Sixth Rank. This rule cannot be broken..."

Despite being a noble duke, Liu Yu was considered one of the civil officials. Once he spoke up, including the Minister of Personnel, none of the Nine Ministers argued.

"I do have a candidate..." Lu Ming looked up with a smile.

"Oh?" The Emperor, intrigued, looked at him: "This is the first time I've heard you recommend an official. Let's hear it?"

"I have read Lesser Minister Wang Ye's memorial, and that newly appointed Imperial Scholar named Chen Qing seems to have contributed significantly to this incident?"

"Chen Qing?" The Emperor and the other officials were momentarily stunned. Wang Ye's memorial had mentioned this person, seemingly owing his escape from peril largely to him.

"This..." Liu Yu frowned: "Wang Ye's memorial does indeed praise him highly. When facing danger from a traitor, this Chen Qing, who is a new Imperial Scholar, handled the situation with astuteness and was indeed extraordinary. But to directly appoint him as a head official of a municipality is still..."

"Your Majesty..." Lu Ming said with a smile, "May I ask if the schedule for the Crown Prince's selection of his consort will proceed as usual?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole Imperial Court fell silent. Everyone had not expected the typically conservative and reticent Duke of Qin to be the first to bring up this most sensitive matter.

The Thousand-Faced Fox had not yet been found, but the Emperor's decree had been announced. It was indeed a sensitive and difficult question of whether to prioritize the stability of the dynasty or the principle that 'the Emperor's word must be honored'.

The Emperor squinted his eyes and smiled slightly, "What are you suggesting, Lu Qing?"

Lu Ming bowed: "According to the memorial by the Lesser Minister of the Judicial Court, this Chen Qing is unaffected by the memory influences of the Thousand-Faced Fox. If this person can find the Thousand-Faced Fox, that would be a great merit. Together with the contributions made during the Lyuzhou incident, promoting him to Fifth Rank might just be justifiable."

"Chen Qing..." The Emperor looked at the calm smiling face of the Duke of Qin and glanced over the other dukes, whose expressions gave nothing away, and then he too started to smile. "Well then, let it be as you say!"