Chapter 28: When the Dust Settles

After all, he had spent many years navigating the officialdom, well accustomed to witnessing the utter ruin that followed scandals such as these. Yet he had never imagined that one day he himself would end up in such a state.

With Chen Mu watching him like a hawk from the side, and the Emperor making it clear this time that he had no intention of offering help, Lord Zhang’s heart gradually sank. Still, he had no intention of yielding to fate.

“Your Majesty, concerning the disaster relief funds, I was momentarily blinded by folly,” he pleaded. “But my loyalty and devotion to the country in days past can be attested by Heaven and Earth!”

Even Chen Xingtian could only shake his head in resignation. “Lord Zhang, you are truly… hopelessly obstinate! Very well, then I shall let you see for yourself what manner of loyalty you have displayed in service to the country! Where is Prime Minister Liu?”

From among the ranks of the ministers, Prime Minister Liu hastened forward, bowing respectfully to Chen Xingtian and Chen Mu. “I am here, Your Majesty.”

“A few days ago, I ordered you to thoroughly investigate the national treasury’s accounts. How is that matter progressing?”

“Your Majesty, I have completed the investigation. There are indeed numerous suspicious entries in the treasury records from the past five years.”

Lord Zhang’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. What was happening? He was responsible for overseeing the state finances—how could an audit of the treasury have taken place without his knowledge?

Chen Mu saw through Lord Zhang’s thoughts at a glance. “Lord Zhang, if you had known in advance, what could we possibly have uncovered? With your resourcefulness, you would surely have made everything watertight, would you not?”

Lord Zhang’s lips trembled, but he found himself speechless.

“That’s enough, further words are pointless,” said Chen Xingtian impatiently with a wave of his hand. “Prime Minister Liu, read it out!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Prime Minister Liu opened the ledger in his hands and read aloud before all the civil and military officials.

“On the matter of repairing the Imperial Garden in the third month of the twenty-eighth year of Zhen Guan…”

As Prime Minister Liu recited each account in turn, Lord Zhang’s body seemed to collapse little by little, as if the very life were draining from him with each word. It was over—completely over. Years of painstaking management, always careful to leave no trace, so much so that even the Emperor had never noticed anything amiss. Who would have thought that this time he would be undone entirely by the Crown Prince?

There were so many problematic accounts that Prime Minister Liu took nearly an hour to finish reading them all. At the end, Chen Xingtian pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.

“Lord Zhang, tell me, how many heads do you think you have for me to take?”

By then, Lord Zhang was unable to utter a single word, his whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The entire court was left in shock by the accounts Prime Minister Liu had just read out. Even those who had once been close to Lord Zhang were visibly terrified; none had imagined that a man who appeared so dedicated to the state was secretly engaged in so many disgraceful deeds.

Soon after, Commander Qin Wei of the Imperial Guards presented the silver that Lord Zhang had attempted to bribe him with, the carrier pigeons released from the Zhang residence, and letters personally written by Lord Zhang to the officials in Dongyuan. With both material and testimonial evidence, Lord Zhang could no longer defend himself, no matter how hard he tried. At this point, words were meaningless.

The imperial edict from Chen Xingtian arrived swiftly. The imperial envoy and the local governor of Dongyuan were to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, to be executed after the autumn assizes. In consideration of Lord Zhang’s years of service, his entire estate was confiscated, his male kin exiled to the southern frontiers, and all females of the family consigned to serve as official courtesans.

To a man who had lived his life in comfort and privilege, this was a fate more unbearable than death itself.

Naturally, merit and punishment had to be clearly distinguished. Now that the punishment was dealt with, it was time to speak of rewards.

Chief credit for unraveling these events naturally belonged to Chen Mu. Chen Xingtian openly praised Chen Mu on the court floor and, as Chen Mu had suggested, appointed Li Biao as commander of the Crown Prince’s personal guards—in other words, Chen Mu’s personal bodyguard.

This arrangement had been carefully considered by Chen Mu. During his two visits to Dongyuan, he had come to appreciate Li Biao further. Although Li Biao had started out as a head constable in a small county, he was exceptionally skilled and courageous. The “modest” claim that he merely knew a little martial arts was little more than self-effacement.

During their travels, Chen Mu found Li Biao affable, capable, and—most importantly—fiercely loyal. All things considered, Chen Mu decided to entrust him with this position.

As for the county secretary from Qingqu who had first recorded the corrupt officials’ misdeeds, Chen Xingtian made an exception and promoted him to the new post of Dongyuan’s local governor. There was no need to mention Prime Minister Liu’s reward—Chen Xingtian bestowed upon him generous honors.

All in all, Chen Mu’s two journeys to Dongyuan were of profound significance. Not only had he eradicated a host of parasites from the court, but he had also resolved the major trouble that was Lord Zhang. Had such a threat remained unchecked, who knew what further chaos might have arisen?

As for Lord Zhang’s faction, it was certain that this incident would keep them subdued for a long while. Indeed, in the court sessions that followed, the officials who had once been the most vociferous were now uncharacteristically silent.

It is worth noting that on the day Lord Zhang was exiled from the capital, not a single official came to see him off. Those who had once flattered him now treated him as a plague, eager to avoid him at all costs. Thus did a once-mighty statesman make his final exit from the stage of politics.

For Chen Mu, these journeys to Dongyuan also served another vital purpose: winning the hearts of the people. Now, all the commoners in Dongyuan knew that corrupt officials had embezzled their life-saving grain, and it was the Crown Prince who had come to their rescue.

Such a momentous affair could hardly remain confined to Dongyuan. The exploits of the Crown Prince in distributing grain and arresting corrupt officials quickly spread, and more and more people came to know of their upright and just Crown Prince.

The only blemish was the remnants of Lord Zhang’s faction in court. Although Lord Zhang had fallen, this did not mean they would now be of one mind with Chen Mu. In fact, there was no shortage of those who resented him in secret. Many officials believed that it was solely because of Chen Mu that they were now bereft of support at court. Until they found new patrons, they would keep a low profile, but their resentment remained.

Chen Mu was well aware of this. But there was little he could do. After all, open attacks could be dodged, but hidden arrows were harder to defend against. He knew he would have to be even more cautious in the future and never allow such malicious men to find an opening.

After the storm had passed, Prime Minister Liu’s standing in court naturally rose even higher. Many openly expressed a desire to align themselves with him, but Prime Minister Liu declined them all.