Chapter 50: Sensation
After the officials were seated, the Emperor first looked at Lu Shang before him and said, “Is the Minister of Works’ health much improved?”
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s blessings, this old minister is fine,” Lu Shang replied respectfully. “I can hold on for a few more years.”
“That is good. It is a blessing for the nation when the old Minister of Works is in robust health.” The Initial Emperor showed a gratified smile, which held some genuine feeling. After all, the Lu Clan had always been known among the seven clans for their loyalty to the sovereign. Although the Lu Clan’s actions during the recent succession had angered him greatly, times had changed. Now that he was the Emperor, his perception of the Lu Clan was naturally different.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. This old minister will serve until death,” Lu Shang replied dutifully.
After the ceremonial formalities were completed, the court session entered its main agenda.
Officials from various ministries and departments sequentially presented important matters to the Emperor, but the Emperor generally did not express his stance on the spot, merely saying, “Noted, it will be discussed by the Chancellery,” or “Noted, instruct the Ministry of Personnel to handle it.” This was because the Emperor’s words became law and could not be retracted. Therefore, the relevant authorities needed to first provide appropriate solutions, which would then be promulgated in the Emperor’s name.
Clearly, this system greatly restricted the Emperor’s power. Consequently, emperors throughout the ages had not always adhered to it, occasionally expressing their opinions directly. However, such actions were acceptable occasionally; if done too often, it would inevitably lead to the denunciation of the assembled ministers and dukes, thus undermining the Emperor’s authority.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the Emperor would not easily state his position. Yet, the Emperor would also rarely remain silent throughout an entire court session, as that would appear too weak and fail to demonstrate the Emperor’s authority.
Today, seven or eight matters were presented consecutively, and the Initial Emperor did not deviate from the established procedure, so the court session appeared calm and uneventful.
This caused many dukes and ministers, especially several Clan Leaders, to feel a secret disappointment. In the previous few court sessions, the Emperor and Xiahou Ba had been locked in a fierce battle, which onlookers had found thrilling. However, judging by today’s proceedings, the two sides seemed to have reached some sort of compromise and were no longer providing an opportunity for others to spectate.
It was not until Xie Chuantian, the Minister of Revenue of the Ministry of Personnel, reported to the Emperor, “I humbly report to Your Majesty, the extent of the disaster in the seven affected prefectures has been tallied.”
“Speak,” the Initial Emperor knew this was an opportunity for the Ministry of Personnel to allow him to express his own thoughts.
“East of Bianzhou, the Yellow River has breached in seven locations, twenty-three counties have been submerged by the flood, and another thirty-seven counties have had their farmlands destroyed. The number of disaster victims totals… over 4.6 million people.”
“Ah…” Upon hearing this, all the officials gasped. Luoyang was protected by Mount Mang, and the Yellow River had never been able to overcome it. Thus, it was only at this moment that they realized the magnitude of this disaster.
“How many people does our Great Xuan have in total?” the Initial Emperor asked, his expression extremely grim. “One-tenth of the populace is affected. Could this be divine retribution?”
“Your Majesty worries too much. The heavens are unpredictable, and even prosperous times can face disasters!” Xiahou Ba said in a deep voice. “The urgent task is to properly resettle the disaster victims and solve their food problems, to prevent them from taking desperate measures and becoming bandits!”
“The Grand Tutor speaks wisely,” all the officials echoed in agreement.
Seeing Xiahou Ba’s commanding presence that garnered such immediate support, the Initial Emperor felt a wave of distaste. “Then how should we provide relief?”
“The Chancellery has already issued orders for the opening of granaries in various prefectures and counties to release grain and appease the populace,” Xiahou Ba announced loudly. “However, the disaster victims are too numerous, and simply consuming reserves is unsustainable. We must devise other methods.”
“What other methods are there?” the Initial Emperor asked expressionlessly.
At this moment, Cui Yan, the Minister of Personnel, spoke, “I humbly report to Your Majesty that among the seven affected prefectures, Bianzhou is the most severely impacted and has received the largest influx of refugees. However, Bianzhou’s current strategy is appropriate and its public sentiment is stable, which might serve as a reference for other prefectures.”
“Oh?” The Initial Emperor finally showed some interest. “How did they manage it?”
“Simply put, it was a work-relief program.” Bianzhou is adjacent to Luozhou and is part of the capital region. The Ministry of Personnel is fully aware of the situation there. Cui Yan replied in a deep voice, “The government provided some money and grain, and then mobilized the local populace to contribute. This gathered tens of thousands of disaster victims within the prefecture to rush to the Yellow River breaches day and night to plug them. In this way, tens of thousands of affected families did not starve to death, and the Yellow River breaches within Bianzhou have also been basically plugged. Consequently, public sentiment within the prefecture is stable, and no bandits have emerged.”
“Work-relief program, it sounds good,” the Initial Emperor nodded in approval. He showed some smile towards Cui Yan and said, “The Prefect of Bianzhou is your son, is he not? He is quite talented.”
“He is indeed my son, Cui Yizhi,” Cui Yan said in a deep voice. “However, this idea did not originate from my son, but from the County Magistrate of Yongqiu under his jurisdiction, Li Dayin. It was this individual who first implemented the work-relief program in Yongqiu and stabilized public sentiment. When I saw the excellent results, I then promoted it throughout the prefecture, and within less than a month, the effects were evident.”
“You do not take credit from your subordinates. The Cui family’s descendants indeed possess the demeanor of learned scholars,” the Initial Emperor praised even more. “Cui Yizhi can be greatly rewarded.” However, how he would be promoted or rewarded was not something the Initial Emperor would casually decide. This was because the appointment and dismissal of officials above the rank of Prefect had always depended on the power struggles and compromises among the various clans, and was not something the Emperor could arbitrarily arrange.
“I thank Your Majesty on behalf of my son for your divine grace,” Cui Yan quickly expressed his gratitude to the Emperor.
“And what about that Li Dayin, whose faction does he belong to?” the Initial Emperor asked again.
“Replying to Your Majesty, Magistrate Li is of humble origins,” Cui Yan said softly.
“Since he is a person of talent, he should be utilized. Bring him to the capital to be questioned; perhaps he can resolve the court’s urgent difficulties,” the Initial Emperor said with interest. “Have him attend the next morning court as well.”
“Your Majesty need not wait until next time,” Cui Yan said with a smile. “Your humble servant has already summoned him to Luodu, and he is waiting outside the palace now.”
“Oh, summon him,” the Initial Emperor’s dragon face relaxed. Dealing with these hypocritical aristocrats and noble clans all day, he also wanted to change things up.
“Summon Li Dayin, the County Magistrate of Yongqiu, to an audience.” An official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations immediately relayed the order.
.
Li Dayin had only arrived in the Capital City yesterday. Even now, he still felt as if he were dreaming, never imagining that the Young Master Lu’s words would come true in less than a month.
When the Prefect found him and told him to report to the Ministry of Personnel in the Capital City, he could hardly believe his ears. Based on his years of mistreatment, wasn’t it usually the case that any merit was attributed to his superiors, and he only got blamed when things went wrong? What unexpected turn of events was this?
Of course, he attributed the merit to Lu Yun, thinking he must find an opportunity to properly thank him in person. However, this matter had absolutely nothing to do with Lu Yun. If Lu Yun had that kind of influence, why would he spend his days as a gentleman thief, stealing and committing petty crimes everywhere?
Actually, the reason was quite simple. When the incident occurred that day, there were disciples from the Lu Clan and the Cui Clan present. Moreover, Madam Cui was the sister-in-law of Cui Yizhi, the Prefect of Bianzhou. Even if Cui Yizhi had thicker skin, it would have been too embarrassing to claim this merit for himself. Besides, Prefect Cui was the legitimate son of the Cui Clan Leader and had no need to compete for merit with his subordinates.
Li Dayin waited outside the grand palace gate, not daring to move an inch. Although the summer heat had not yet arrived, he was already drenched in sweat, his face slick with oily perspiration.
When the official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations announced his audience, Li Dayin felt like he was about to faint. He stood there trembling, unable to take a step forward.
The official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations had seen this kind of thing many times. He spoke softly to him, “Don’t be afraid, no one will take you seriously…”
Li Dayin’s breath caught in his throat, but the effect was indeed remarkable. At least he could now move his feet.
He followed the official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations, his steps feeling as if he were treading on cotton, and entered Ying Tian Gate with uneven strides. He saw countless pairs of eyes turn towards him. These were the esteemed gazes of nobles he normally never encountered!
Li Dayin immediately felt dizzy, inwardly cursing the official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations, ‘Didn’t you say they wouldn’t take me seriously?’
The official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations was also very innocent. They meant they wouldn’t take you seriously, but they might still treat you like a monkey.
Li Dayin was now in a complete panic. Just after crossing the Golden Water Bridge, he stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.
The officials watched as the short, dark, and plump man with a large mole on his face landed like a pancake, flat on the ground. Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle and burst into laughter.
The Initial Emperor, however, was somewhat disappointed. How could commoners produce such unsophisticated riff-raff? This made him feel a bit disappointed, and he said listlessly, “You knelt too early.”
Li Dayin wished he could find a hole to crawl into. But having lost all face, he had nothing more to be nervous about. He looked up from the ground and replied to the Emperor, “Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant is overwhelmed with emotion at seeing your divine countenance for the first time and is unable to control myself, thus I can only prostrate myself with my five limbs to the ground in worship!”
At this, the Initial Emperor couldn’t help but laugh. He raised his hand and said, “Alright, stop lying there like a big turtle.”
Li Dayin quickly thanked him and awkwardly got up, then knelt before the Emperor.
“The Minister of Personnel said that the work-relief program you implemented in Bianzhou was quite good.” The more the Initial Emperor looked at Li Dayin, the more amusing he found his appearance, and his initial bad impression greatly diminished.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant dares not take credit!” Li Dayin quickly replied. “‘Work-relief program’ – those four words were thought up by the Prefect. The fact that it could be implemented in Bianzhou is entirely due to the Prefect’s merit.”
“Alright, stop just flattering your superior,” the Initial Emperor chided with a laugh. “How did you come up with this method?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant still dares not take credit.” Li Dayin replied again. “There is someone else who came up with this method!”
