Chapter Sixteen: An Impeachment That Begins with a Roar and Ends with a Whimper

Crash!

The carefully arranged teacups were shattered into pieces.

"Xu Miaojin, you wretched woman! You would rather marry that country bumpkin than me, the Duke of Cao? I’ve treated you so well!"

"Take her out and bury her!" Li Jinglong cast a look of disdain at the maid and waved his hand at the steward.

The steward sighed inwardly. This was already the tenth one. At this rate, the maids of the Duke of Cao’s household would soon be tormented to extinction by Li Jinglong.

"My lord, there is news from the Examination Courtyard: the results of the metropolitan examination are out. Zhu Yang has placed first. Tomorrow, after His Majesty reviews the results at court, the list will be officially published!" A servant hurried in and whispered in Li Jinglong’s ear.

Li Jinglong’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Is that true?"

The servant dared not conceal anything and nodded promptly. "Absolutely true! And it’s said that among the top five, only Zhu Yang was a provincial champion. The rest were students of modest reputation. The highest-ranking provincial champion from the other provinces only placed eighth!"

"Excellent! This is tremendous news. Steward, contact those censors at once. At tomorrow’s morning court, I must destroy Zhu Yang and let Xu Miaojin see just how worthless the country bumpkin she fancies really is!" Li Jinglong laughed heartily and strode into the inner chambers.

Soon, unusual gasps could be heard from within.

...

At five in the morning, officials gathered at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"Petitioners, speak; those without business, withdraw!" At the eunuch’s call, the officials began reporting the affairs of the empire to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Time ticked by. Standing among the military officials, Li Jinglong grew restless. Zhu Yang had become a thorn in his flesh, tormenting him with every passing minute.

After Zhu Yuanzhang had addressed each matter raised, he scanned the assembly and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Ren Hengtai, acting Minister of Rites and Vice Minister of the Left, stepped forward from the ranks of civil officials. "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

"Speak," Zhu Yuanzhang commanded from the dragon throne. But his eyes, narrowed, were not on Ren Hengtai, but on Li Jinglong; the Grand Secret Police had long since reported Li Jinglong’s collusion with the censors.

"After several days of examination, your humble servant, together with the Ministers of Personnel and Justice, has prepared the list of successful candidates for Your Majesty’s review," said Ren Hengtai, presenting the memorial with both hands.

Normally, only a simple report of the results was required; there was no need to announce them at court. But this year’s examination had been eventful, and Zhu Yuanzhang had executed a number of officials, leaving those overseeing the exam anxious, preferring to deliver the news formally at court.

If Zhu Yuanzhang was pleased, all would rejoice; if not, the list would be amended until he was satisfied, sparing the next official from facing his wrath with a bloody blade.

"There’s no need for me to look at the list. Publish the results as usual," Zhu Yuanzhang said, having already learned the outcome by other means.

At this, Ren Hengtai and the other ministers let out a sigh of relief. This meant Zhu Yuanzhang was satisfied with the results.

His own eldest grandson had taken first place—of course Zhu Yuanzhang was pleased.

"Your Majesty, I too have a memorial to present!" As Ren Hengtai returned to the ranks, a censor not far behind stepped forward.

"I accuse Zhu Yang, the top scorer in this examination, of using strange questions on the eve of the test to disturb the minds of other scholars, causing them to lose composure. Many who might have been first place could not perform, and one was even driven to violence in the examination hall!" The censor fell to his knees, speaking righteously. "Your Majesty, Zhu Yang has resorted to unscrupulous means for his own gain, using witchcraft and showing a most malicious heart. I beseech Your Majesty to execute him on the spot to—"

What? Kill my son? Zhu Biao’s rage erupted the moment he heard this.

"Outrageous!" Before the censor could finish, Zhu Biao stepped forward and kicked him. "How dare you order His Majesty to kill? You say Zhu Yang used unscrupulous means—do you have proof? I have heard that only when a dynasty is in decline do demons and sorcery run rampant. You claim Zhu Yang uses witchcraft—are you saying the Ming dynasty is at its end, about to fall?"

Ming had only been established twenty-four years. If such an accusation stuck, not only the censor, but his entire clan would be doomed.

"Mercy, Your Highness, I meant no such thing! I was only—" The censor crawled up, begging for forgiveness, his head knocking the floor, cursing himself for accepting Li Jinglong’s bribe and acting rashly over a concubine.

The other officials looked on in astonishment. The Crown Prince, known for his gentle demeanor, rarely lost his temper. Now, for Zhu Yang, he had struck a man in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"Who is this Zhu Yang?"

"The Crown Prince’s son? Never heard of him!"

"Could he be an illegitimate child?"

Many officials made a mental note of Zhu Yang’s name, determined to acquaint themselves with this young man.

Li Jinglong, too, was taken aback. He had never expected Zhu Biao to intervene so forcefully.

What should he do now? Li Jinglong’s face darkened. With Zhu Biao’s open support, Zhu Yang was not only safe—he might very well rise rapidly in the future.

Confront him directly? Li Jinglong didn’t have the courage. He was Zhu Yuanzhang’s grandson by marriage, yes, but even his own father, Li Wenzhong, who was the emperor’s nephew, wouldn’t dare challenge Zhu Biao head-on.

Zhu Biao was Zhu Yuanzhang’s legitimate son, groomed as heir since Zhu Yuanzhang’s days as Prince of Wu.

Li Jinglong faltered. The other censors, emboldened moments before, now shrank back as well.

"Ahem, the Crown Prince has assaulted an official—dock him half a day’s pay," Zhu Yuanzhang announced once Zhu Biao had finished.

"Half a day’s pay?"

The officials eyed Zhu Yuanzhang. They knew he would protect his son, but could he at least pretend to be impartial? Half a day’s salary—was he joking?

"As for that day at the Scholar’s Pavilion, when Zhu Yang competed with the others—I was present. I saw the entire affair from beginning to end. Jiang Huan, show the ministers the contract those scholars signed with Zhu Yang," Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.

This contract had been obtained by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, disguised as Old Man Huang, after learning from Jiang Huan that Li Jinglong and the censors planned to target Zhu Yang.

"This boy is truly meticulous," Zhu Yuanzhang thought as he watched the ministers whisper among themselves.

"As for the student who committed violence, the Ministry of Justice has already investigated and found the reasons. If you have questions, consult the Ministry. As for the claim that the provincial champions underperformed, I am not unreasonable. Ministry of Rites, notify the unsuccessful provincial champions—they may participate in the palace examination. But if they fail to take first place, they are barred from future civil service exams!"

"Barred for life if they don’t win first place?" The officials understood instantly: this was a trap. There could only be one top scholar each year, but there were many provincial champions.

To risk lifelong disqualification for a slim chance at first place—none but a fool would do so.

"Now, since we’re here, let’s discuss the chief examiner for this year’s palace examination. Hanlin Scholar Liu Sanwu will be chief examiner; the six ministers will serve as his deputies. The seven of you must work together to select the best talents for Ming!" Zhu Yuanzhang declared.

Liu Sanwu, now seventy-nine, was a former Yuan official and a highly respected Confucian scholar of the early Ming. He had served as education commissioner in Guangxi during the late Yuan, and made significant contributions after the founding of Ming. He drafted the dynasty’s civil service examination regulations, wrote the preface to the early Ming legal code, and edited the Universal Gazetteer, an encyclopedia of neighboring countries.

Along with Wang Rui and Zhu Shan, he was known as one of the "Three Elders." The History of Ming described him as generous, open-hearted, calling himself "the Candid Old Man"—a paragon of both character and scholarship.

A palace examination of such caliber raised the officials’ expectations for this year’s scholars.

Little did they know, Zhu Yuanzhang’s true intention was to ensure that no one in future generations could question Zhu Yang’s top place—he wanted his eldest grandson to win the title honorably and beyond reproach.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang’s confidence in his grandson, it was nothing more than the universal flaw of all grandfathers: an inexplicable faith!