Chapter 759 - 761: Sovereign and Subject
Chapter 759: Chapter 761: Sovereign and Subject
After the morning court was dismissed, the civil and military officials were not in a hurry to return to their respective offices. Instead, they gathered in twos and threes as they walked out.
Bai Yugang was originally a military general, but unexpectedly, upon reaching middle age, he began to revere literature. In those years, he mingled closely with the civil servants and gradually distanced himself from the military generals. Now that the man was gone, both sides felt lukewarm towards him. After the memorial services, he merely became a subject of their idle chatter.
"Bai Yugang favored those pedantic scholars back then, but in the end, he became their laughingstock," Cao Xiangqian sighed. "Now everyone is guessing whether the Holy Emperor will let Prince Bai inherit Marquis Bai’s position or demote the title upon succession."
Zhou Shixiong said, "...I think everyone is predicting the worst."
"You hit the nail on the head," Cao Xiangqian replied. "Everyone is making private bets. The likelihood of a demoted title is much higher."
As a fellow titleholder, Cao Xiangqian naturally paid closer attention to this matter. "I heard that the reason this incident escalated so much, ultimately causing Marquis Bai’s death, has something to do with Gu Wenheng and his people."
Zhou Shixiong had also received the news. "It’s merely wealth stirring up greed. However, they’ve forgotten that even though Bai Jinglie is in charge of the sea trade, he doesn’t actually have much of a say. The Holy Emperor didn’t promise him the slightest benefit in all of this, and even sent people to assist him. That alone explains a lot."
Zhou Shixiong wouldn’t dare say he completely understood Hua Shunming, but he was at least sixty percent sure of his grasp on the man.
Bai Jinglie was only the future Marquis Wu’an. Although he held no military power himself, his father-in-law, the Great General of the Southwest Border, Deng Zhiyi, certainly did. When Bai Jinglie married Miss Deng back then, Bai Yugang had surrendered his remaining military power. However, the Emperor was suspicious by nature, and Bai Jinglie was also managing his private wealth. Judging from Hua Shunming’s actions in recent years, Bai Jinglie had to be even more cautious in his conduct.
"Then what about Gu Wenheng and his family still holding a share of the profits in the sea trade?" Cao Xiangqian asked. He still had children and grandchildren in Lu City, relying on Gu Wenheng’s lingering influence, so naturally, he had to inquire further.
"These were all permitted by the Holy Emperor. There won’t be any issues in the next few years, so Marquis Cao need not worry," Zhou Shixiong assured him. But if the timeline extended further, he couldn’t make any guarantees. However, considering the shrewdness of the Gu Family couple, they likely wouldn’t hold onto those shares for too long anyway.
"Alas, children and grandchildren are just debts," Cao Xiangqian said, seeing that Zhou Shixiong understood his concerns. "In a few years, I’ll call those boys back as well. I’m getting older, and I just want my children and grandchildren gathered around my knees."
Zhou Shixiong naturally didn’t mind giving him face. "When the time comes, Marquis Cao will have a house full of descendants and can enjoy a peaceful retirement."
"I’ll take your auspicious words for it..."
Upon returning to the Zhou Mansion, Zhou Shixiong immediately ordered his servants to prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. In less than a moment, two letters were dispatched from the Zhou Mansion—one heading north, the other south. Before he could even catch his breath, an envoy arrived from the palace to summon him. He hurriedly changed into a clean official robe and made his way to Qingzheng Hall.
After exchanging the proper formalities, Zhou Shixiong was granted a seat.
"Minister Zhou, take a look at these memorials." Hua Shunming gestured for Le San to stand beside Zhou Shixiong, holding a stack of memorials.
Zhou Shixiong picked up the first one with both hands. It was an impeachment memorial claiming that the Marquis Wu’an Mansion’s inner quarters were in chaos, and that Prince Bai was disloyal and unfilial, rendering him unfit to inherit the title of Marquis Wu’an. He flipped through the next three, which were all identical in nature. It was as if these officials had coordinated with each other—their words were resolute, but the contents were largely the same.
Just as Zhou Shixiong was about to stop reading, Hua Shunming signaled for him to continue.
This time, he finally saw something different. The person being impeached was Gu Wenheng. Accusations of competing with the people for profit and being heartless and wealthy were piled on, forming a slew of far-fetched charges. In truth, the main argument was that Gu Wenheng had reaped the dividends of the sea trade for so many years and shouldn’t continue monopolizing them. To demonstrate righteousness, the wealth should be taken from the people and used for the people.
Zhou Shixiong closed the final memorial, sitting respectfully and remaining completely silent.
"What does Minister Zhou think of these memorials?"
Zhou Shixiong looked troubled. "Holy Emperor, this subject is dull-witted. Perhaps it would be better to summon the other lords to discuss this together?"
"I have no intention of calling anyone else for this matter. The moment those old fools encounter serious business, they simply pass the buck. Everything they say boils down to ambiguous opinions. Even when I have already made a decision in my heart, they insist on singing a different tune. I’ve long grown impatient with them."
Zhou Shixiong kept his head lowered. He knew that speaking too much would only lead to mistakes. He had no idea what Hua Shunming had up his sleeve today, so he decided it was best to observe quietly.
"The inner courtyard of Marquis Wu’an is indeed a mess. I didn’t even know that the Marchioness, who has been active in Shangjing for so many years, was never actually recorded in the family genealogy! She even attended several palace banquets. This Bai Yugang truly deserves death."
For a mere concubine to enter and exit the palace gates multiple times was the greatest insult to the Royal Family.
"...Prince Bai likely had no knowledge of this." Zhou Shixiong didn’t have any particular friendship with Bai Jinglie, but at this moment, he still spoke a word of fairness.
"He didn’t know," Hua Shunming agreed. He found Bai Jinglie relatively easy to use; although the man had his own petty schemes, his capability to handle affairs was quite decent. Over the years, the Emperor’s private treasury had grown increasingly abundant entirely thanks to Bai Jinglie. What put the Emperor in a difficult spot right now was precisely this issue. "He is still considered loyal. It’s just that I cannot swallow this anger."
"One man’s actions are his own responsibility. The sins Marquis Bai committed himself can be traced back solely to him." Hearing the Emperor’s tone, Zhou Shixiong immediately knew how he should answer. The Emperor was also human; what he needed was a graceful way out.
"I intend to strip Marquis Wu’an of his title and have him buried as a commoner. As for Bai Jinglie, he has been fiercely loyal these past few years, traveling far and wide for my sake. I cannot chill the hearts of my subordinates. He can still take over the Marquis Wu’an Mansion, but he shouldn’t even think about passing the title down to his heirs."
Zhou Shixiong repeatedly praised the Holy Emperor’s brilliance. This was already the best possible outcome. If Bai Jinglie proved exceptionally dedicated in the future, or if he encountered a stroke of great fortune, he might still have a chance to secure the hereditary rights for the title.
"How do you view Gu Wenheng’s share of the sea trade profits?"
Zhou Shixiong knew that this was the true main topic. He hesitated for a moment before answering carefully, "Holy Emperor, the sea trade was single-handedly built up by Mrs. Gu. For Lu City to achieve its current level of development, Mrs. Gu has invested a great deal. Furthermore, she is tactful and hasn’t tightly grasped the sea trade in her own hands. As you can see, she retains less than ten percent now, which has no significant impact on the overall development of the sea trade."
Hua Shunming stared at him and laughed. "I almost forgot that Minister Zhou is quite close with the Gu Family couple. It seems I made a mistake in calling you here."
Zhou Shixiong hurriedly stood up to apologize. "This subject is just a reckless boor and doesn’t know how to beat around the bush. My life was saved by that couple, and over the years, I have received a great deal of help from them. Naturally, I hope they live peaceful and smooth lives."
"Minister Zhou is indeed someone who values relationships," Hua Shunming said with a smile. "So many years have passed. Even if it was a life-saving grace, you’ve pretty much repaid it by now. I remember you sent heavy gifts at the time and dispatched guards to protect them. If it weren’t for you being in Lu City, they wouldn’t have gained a firm foothold so quickly. I even heard that the nannies in their household were requested by you from the Empress."
"Brother Gu is loyal to his ruler and loves the people, and he is fully capable of handling affairs for the commoners of the realm. This subject has always admired him from the bottom of my heart."