Chapter Fifteen: Grasshoppers on the Same Rope

In the blink of an eye, six weary officials, their faces lined with exhaustion, hurriedly entered the main hall. Their official robes were somewhat disheveled, as if they had endured a long and arduous journey. Anxiety and fear flickered in their eyes as they cautiously approached the throne, then knelt on both knees with bowed heads, solemnly proclaiming in unison, “Your humble servants pay homage to His Majesty, long live the Emperor, long live, long live forever!”

Seated upright upon the dragon throne, Xiao Ceyun slightly raised his right hand, waving it casually. His tone was calm as he signaled, “Esteemed ministers, please rise.”

Upon hearing the emperor’s command, the six officials felt as if they had been granted a great pardon. Hastily, they rose, yet maintained their respectful posture, bowing deeply as they replied, “We thank Your Majesty for your grace.”

At this moment, Xiao Ceyun’s voice grew low and resolute as he questioned, “All of you here are local magistrates from the disaster-stricken regions. I wish to ask: have you all received the full amounts of silver and grain allocated by the court for disaster relief?”

Caught off guard by the emperor’s sudden inquiry, the officials dared not hesitate. They lowered their heads and answered in unison, “Your Majesty, we have all received the relief silver and grain as distributed by the court. We are grateful for the court’s care and compassion for the people in the disaster zones. On behalf of the elders and villagers in our counties, we bow deeply to express our gratitude!”

Xiao Ceyun nodded and pressed further, “Very well. Since that is the case, how much silver did each of you receive exactly?”

At the forefront, Qiu Yangshu stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully, “In response to Your Majesty, I am the magistrate of Minzhou County. This time, I have received 300,000 taels of silver and 2,500 dan of grain.”

Close behind him, Ping Borui hastened to report, “Your Majesty, I am the magistrate of Long’an County. My jurisdiction has received 307,000 taels of silver and 2,000 dan of grain.”

Following him, Ji Yuntao replied, “Your Majesty, I am the magistrate of Luya County. I have received 305,000 taels of silver and 2,000 dan of grain.”

[...]

After the six officials had each reported their figures in turn, Cheng Qianyou respectfully informed the emperor, “Your Majesty, after meticulous verification, the data presented by these six officials perfectly corresponds with the actual quantities of silver and grain received, without a single discrepancy.”

Hearing this, Xiao Ceyun reached out and gently picked up the ledger placed on the desk, flipping through it carefully. The ledger detailed every transaction and expense. The officials’ statements matched precisely the various vouchers he had personally signed and sealed, as well as the original records left at the time of the initial allocation.

Slowly closing the ledger, Xiao Ceyun’s gaze sharpened like a blade as it fixed upon Song Hanlin, whose face was now written with astonishment. With an authoritative yet calm voice, he asked coldly, “Grand Tutor Song, do you have anything to say about this?”

Song Hanlin’s expression was one of disbelief, his shock mounting. He could not help but shout loudly, “Esteemed ministers! Has some treacherous villain threatened or intimidated you? The Emperor is right here; you may boldly expose those who threaten you without fear or concealment. Speak the truth, and the Emperor will surely uphold justice and fairness for you!”

The six ministers exchanged glances, the atmosphere growing tense and awkward.

Ping Borui stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the Grand Tutor, “Grand Tutor, rest assured, every word we have spoken is the honest truth, not a single falsehood. No one has dared threaten us! Thanks to the court’s relief, the situation in Long’an County has greatly improved. Those villagers who were forced to flee because of the disaster have gradually begun returning home. There is nothing we need to hide.”

Before he finished, Song Hanlin suddenly roared, “If you do not report truthfully, that is treason against the sovereign! If an investigation were sent to Long’an County and the actual conditions were not as you described, what would you have to say then?”

Unfazed by the accusation, Xian Yuzhou immediately stepped forward, loudly defending, “Grand Tutor, please calm your anger and allow me to explain. We would never dare deceive His Majesty; everything we say is true. Not only Long’an County but the other disaster-stricken areas under our charge have indeed seen significant improvement. If you harbor doubts, you may dispatch investigators immediately to verify the facts—the truth will become clear.”

“Then, if you insist you have not embezzled any silver and the local situation has improved, how do you explain the counterfeit silver?”

At this question, the six officials who had been confidently speaking suddenly felt a heavy weight in their hearts, secretly shocked. Forging silver was a grave crime. Though they claimed ignorance, they had unknowingly become accomplices. Fortunately, after receiving the counterfeit coins, they had heard that Wei Tianze’s men had burned them.

Wei Changlong’s lips curled into a faint, disdainful sneer as he spoke coldly, “Grand Tutor, if you harbor doubts about this matter, you may personally visit the disaster area. Then you will see whether these ministers are lying. This batch of official silver was dispatched from my residence; each coin is genuine, not a trace of counterfeit. The escorting soldiers guarded the transport all the way and never witnessed any fake silver. The officials at the disaster sites received genuine gold and silver coins as well. Yet here you stand, adamantly claiming the silver sent to the disaster area is counterfeit. Do you expect your word alone, without evidence, to condemn me? If that were true, could I not also accuse you of secretly colluding with foreign enemies or conspiring with neighboring states without proof?”

Hearing this, Grand Tutor Song’s face flushed red with fury, veins bulging on his forehead. His anger erupted like a storm as he shouted, “You speak nonsense and slander! Such utter rubbish!”

Wei Changlong showed no fear, instead pressing on with relentless questioning, “What’s this? I merely accused you twice, and you lose your temper so easily? Yet when you previously insisted I fabricated counterfeit silver, threatened officials, and colluded with Minister Cheng, did you ever consider giving me a chance to defend myself? Have I ever responded with such wild fury as you do now?”

The six ministers exchanged knowing glances, seemingly understanding one another. Suddenly, they knelt together and declared in unison, “Your Majesty, we can testify that we have never seen any counterfeit silver as the Grand Tutor claims. What we received was undeniably genuine gold and silver. We implore Your Majesty to judge wisely!”

Now with no way out, if they reported the truth about the official silver, the repercussions would be far-reaching and unpredictable. They had no choice but to align with Chancellor Wei, who would shoulder the responsibility if trouble arose.

Finally, the six cried out together, “We earnestly beseech Your Majesty to stand as our protector!”

Xiao Ceyun’s expression darkened like still water, his sharp gaze fiercely fixed on Grand Tutor Song before slowly speaking, “Esteemed ministers, you may rise. I have full confidence in you.”

“Your Majesty...” Grand Tutor Song refused to concede. His anger still simmered as he prepared to argue again, but before he could speak, Xiao Ceyun’s sudden, thunderous command cut him off.

“Enough!”

The sharp reprimand echoed like thunder through the court.

Xiao Ceyun’s face grew even grimmer. His piercing eyes bore into Grand Tutor Song as if to see through him. Then he turned his gaze to Wei Changlong, who had remained silent until now, his tone softening slightly as he asked, “Minister Wei, you seemed to have something to say earlier. What is it?”

Hearing the emperor’s inquiry, Wei Changlong quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, “Your Majesty, what I wish to report concerns the batch of silver in the outskirts, as Minister Kang mentioned earlier.”