The First Jasmine - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: A Battle of Tongues and Swords within the Golden Palace
During the morning court session on this very day, Lord Censor Xu did indeed present a formal memorial straight before the Emperor, explicitly impeaching Minister of Revenue Ye Wenhua for lacking discipline in raising his daughters. Lord Censor Xu truly was worthy of hailing from the number one scholarly lineage of Great Chu; even a mere memorial of impeachment was composed by him with absolute richness and grand flair. He cited extensive scriptures and classical codes to narrate how the fourth daughter of the Ye family had openly appeared in public alongside Prince Li as a couple at a time when the original marriage alliance between the Third Miss of the Ye family and Prince Li had not yet been dissolved, and how she entirely lacked the proper elegance expected of a cloistered young lady from an illustrious clan. Naturally, all of this was fundamentally due to the absolute lack of discipline on the part of the Minister of Revenue, Lord Ye Wenhua. What? You claim that the Third Miss of the Ye family is also Minister Ye's daughter? The Third Miss of the Ye family is the maternal granddaughter of Mister Qingyun; does the Xu family's bloodline and discipline ever require a shred of doubt?
As the maternal family of Ye Wenhua's late wife, the Xu family's lack of hesitation in training their artillery fire directly upon the Ye family was an outcome that was transparently unexpected to everyone. It instantly struck the currently proud and triumphant Minister Ye until he was utterly dizzy and lightheaded. Although he had already achieved the rank of a primary second-class Minister of Revenue, Ye Wenhua still harbored immense dread and reverence toward his former father-in-law. His rather handsome face flushed an absolute crimson, yet he remained fundamentally incapable of uttering half a sentence to defend himself. Although several individuals from the Wang family possessed the inclination to step forward to salvage the situation, it was a pity that their official ranks held absolutely no weight. Furthermore, which among that faction within the Censorate was not a pure-stream literary scholar, and which did not possess unyielding pride? More importantly, the vast majority of them had hailed from the Lishan Academy—their eloquence was by no means a mere display. As for the Prince Li, Mo Jingli—who, though not the direct target of this impeachment, clearly possessed an undeniable connection to the matter—his countenance was currently iron-black, unleashing a freezing aura as if it cost him nothing. It was a pity that although Lord Censor Xu's official robes were somewhat thin, within this weather that was bordering upon the fourth month... it truly was not cold.
Within the Golden Palace, the Emperor of Great Chu, Mo Jingqi, sat highly enthroned upon his dragon chair, gazing with a deeply calculating expression upon the various officials below who displayed entirely distinct countenances. As a sovereign, he did not mind his officials engaging in occasional friction; if they were to form a single, impenetrable group altogether, only then would he harbor true worry. However, that the Xu family would, for the sake of a minor Ye Li, strike out against Ye Wenhua without a shred of hesitation was something he had fundamentally failed to anticipate. Although the Xu family's current influence within the imperial court was already exceptionally sparse, in the eyes of the realm's scholars, the Xu clan remained an object of absolute reverence and worship. It appeared... Minister Ye's days during this coming period would not be entirely pleasant. Acting in this manner was fine as well; excessive glory would merely cause an individual to harbor thoughts they ought not to entertain. Certain individuals indeed required a fair measure of discipline and warning.
"Minister Ye, is what Lord Censor Xu has presented indeed factual?" Mo Jingqi questioned Ye Wenhua with a gentle smile. Yet that genial smile of the sovereign caused a wave of inexplicable coldness to arise within Ye Wenhua's heart.
"Your Majesty... this minister, this minister is wronged..."
"Does Lord Ye imply that Lord Xu is fabricating charges to slander a colleague? However, according to what this lower official is privy to, as early as the Double Ninth Festival of the previous year, someone caught sight of your beloved daughter and His Royal Highness Prince Li appearing together as a couple. At that time... His Royal Highness Prince Li and the Third Miss of the Ye family had not yet dissolved their marriage alliance, correct?" Another imperial censor stepped forward boldly, casting a sidelong glance at Ye Wenhua as he spoke. Although these officials of the Censorate lacked actual administrative authority, they were all individuals possessing genuine talent and learning. Furthermore, the majority of them disdained associating with corrupt factions, and they naturally lacked any fear of offending people. Speaking officials were entirely exempt from criminal prosecution; so long as they did not utter nonsensical fabrications, even the Emperor could not blame them, so what could anyone else do to them?
"Indeed, this minister seems to have caught his wife mentioning this matter as well. I heard that during the Lantern Festival of this year, the Fourth Miss of the Ye family likewise walked hand-in-hand with... to view the lanterns together." Minister Ye's long-standing rival—the father of Noble Consort Liu and the Minister of Personnel—naturally did not lag behind others in throwing stones down the well. The daughters of the Liu and Ye families fought to the absolute death within the imperial harem, and the two households engaged in ceaseless underhanded struggles within the imperial court as well. It was a pity that the Ye family's foundation was shallow; even if they had clutched onto the massive tree of Prince Li at present, they remained temporarily incapable of shaking a single fiber of a grand, established clan like the Liu family. Furthermore, Ye Wenhua currently suffered a fire within his own rear courtyard, being impeached by his late wife's maternal family; if he failed to seize this opportunity to trample him, Minister Liu would consider it an absolute pity. Although Prince Li was the biological younger brother of the Emperor and backed by the Empress Dowager, his Liu family was by no means a soft entity either. Two of his maternal grandsons and one granddaughter were, after all, imperial princes and princesses of the reigning Emperor.
"Jingli, what do you have to say?" Mo Jingqi's gaze swept across the crowd within the hall, placing his focus upon Mo Jingli—who bore an iron-black countenance—as he questioned with a smile.
An absolute silence pervaded the hall for a brief moment before Mo Jingli's cold voice finally drifted out: "This royal brother has nothing to say."
Several conservative elder officials gave cold snorts in their hearts, rendering their evaluation of this prince even lower. There was indeed nothing to say; this sort of matter was originally something the authorities would ignore so long as the commoners did not raise a formal complaint, but once it was explicitly exposed, no amount of punishment could be considered excessive. Who told Mo Jingli and Ye Ying to be so arrogant initially, assuming no one would dare utter a word, and openly appearing in public as a couple? Not only the officials of the court, but even a fair number of ordinary citizens were privy to it. Now that the Xu family had exposed it, the more he equivocated, the more humiliating it would turn out.
The officials belonging to Prince Li's faction naturally could not watch their master swallow this silent loss for nothing, hastily stepping forward to submit a memorial: "Reporting to Your Majesty, that Third Miss of the Ye family is devoid of talent, virtue, and physical beauty, and was originally entirely unworthy of His Royal Highness Prince Li. Furthermore, His Royal Highness Prince Li and the Fourth Miss of the Ye family are at present bound by a marriage alliance explicitly decreed by the Empress Dowager."
Lord Censor Xu gave a cold snort and countered, "Since Prince Li doubted the talent, appearance, and moral virtue of the Third Miss of the Ye family, he ought to have dissolved the engagement in an open, honorable manner before seeking another fine match. Why must he engage in such underhanded and stealthy conduct? According to what this lower official is privy to, on the day the Third Miss of the Ye family suffered the dissolution of her engagement, she did not display a single trace of vehement behavior, nor did she engage in desperate clinging to refuse the dissolution. The Third Miss's moral virtue can be easily inferred from this. Furthermore... the original marriage alliance between His Royal Highness Prince Li and the Third Miss of the Ye family was... bestowed by the late Emperor!" Compared to a marriage alliance decreed by the Empress Dowager and one bestowed by the late Emperor, whose weight was more substantial? To speak of it in a more severe manner, for the Empress Dowager to decree a marriage alliance that completely ran contrary to the late Emperor's decree already bordered upon allowing others to question the Empress Dowager's own virtue.
"..." The official who had loyally stepped forward to protect his master retreated in defeat, his face turning an absolute pale green. The remaining crowd watched the spectacle while silently offering sympathy in their hearts toward anyone who, lacking awareness of death, attempted to step forward to compete in eloquence against Lord Censor Xu. Who among those possessing a shred of insight did not know that the second young master of the Xu family had achieved instant renown years ago at the tender age of sixteen by engaging in a battle of tongues against the six great scholars of the Southern Zhao State? Though he had maintained a far lower profile over these past years, it by no means indicated that the man had suddenly become tongue-tied.
"Very well. Minister Ye, do you possess any words for your own defense?" Mo Jingqi restrained those beneath the dais who were still visibly eager to speak.
Having navigated the official circles for so many years to rise from an ordinary scholar to a primary second-class high official, Ye Wenhua had by no means survived on luck alone. He knew in his heart that Lord Censor Xu had arrived thoroughly prepared and that he himself was indeed entirely incapable of offering a defense, so he simply chose to plead guilty directly: "This minister has consistently neglected the affairs of the inner estate over these many years, resulting in a severe lack of discipline in governing my daughter. I beg Your Majesty to mete out punishment." For a man, it was originally expected that he should not interfere in the management of the inner household, so neglecting the affairs of the inner estate was entirely understandable. The Emperor clearly had no intention of removing a useful official and his most favored younger brother over such a trivial, squabbling matter altogether. Because he was thoroughly satisfied with Ye Wenhua's awareness of the situation—had he continued to quibble, he might have been forced to mete out a heavier punishment—he declared: "Since that is the case, Minister Ye shall be docked one year's official salary, and Prince Li shall be docked half a year's official salary. Furthermore, the Third Miss of the Ye family is elegant, perceptive, and virtuous; she is hereby bestowed one hundred taels of gold and two ruyi scepters of jade, which shall serve as this Emperor's contribution to the wedding dowry of Mister Qingyun's maternal granddaughter."
"Deepest thanks for Your Majesty's absolute grace." Minister Ye spoke with an iron-green countenance.
"Deepest thanks to Your Majesty." Lord Censor Xu maintained a thoroughly calm expression.
"Deepest thanks, Imperial Brother." His Royal Highness Prince Li spoke with an even more ominous tone.