Chapter Forty-Two: Choosing a Site

While Li Chen and the others were discussing the matter of the pastries,

inside the Prince of Dai’s residence,

many vassal princes who were currently in the capital had already gathered.

The Prince of Dai sat upright among them, her expression grave. Before she even spoke, she let out a sigh.

“Every one of you is an outstanding member of the Great Zhou imperial clan. Our ancestors—and many of those seated here—rendered great service to Great Zhou.

“By now, I imagine you can all see the drawbacks in His Majesty’s recent measures.

“So I would like to ask: have you considered how we should respond to His Majesty’s edict?”

The moment she finished, a young commandery prince rose to her feet.

“Aunt, I believe His Majesty has behaved recklessly and absurdly of late. Had he not been fortunate enough to have such renowned ministers as Lord Ouyang supporting him, Great Zhou might already have fallen into ruin!

“When he first demanded pastries, whether out of respect for the emperor or out of regard for the distinction between sovereign and subject, we complied.

“But what about now?

“Has he not added yet another demand? If we continue indulging his every whim while he presses us so relentlessly, who knows what disaster he will cause tomorrow?”

The commandery prince was barely in her twenties, but by blood, she belonged to the branch closest to the Prince of Dai—and even to the emperor, Li Chen.

Now that she had spoken, the others naturally had fewer scruples.

After a brief silence, someone immediately voiced their agreement.

“That is right. Yesterday he wanted pastries; today he wants gold and silver. Who knows what he will demand tomorrow?

“Whatever else we may be, we are vassals appointed and protected by the late emperor. With the emperor behaving this way, we ought to remonstrate with him and urge him to abandon his mistaken course!”

“I said long ago that a male emperor could never be relied upon. With him behaving so absurdly, if we obeyed every order, would we not bring ruin upon Great Zhou?”

“I believe we ought to refuse the emperor’s demand. We can simply say that we have no money. Surely he cannot execute us for that!”

The lowest-ranking among these people was a viscount, and all of them belonged to the imperial clan. Naturally, they spoke with little restraint.

The Prince of Dai remained silent, but inwardly she was already exulting.

She turned toward the commandery prince who had spoken first and said slowly, “Do you mean to defy the imperial edict?”

The commandery prince gave a cold snort.

“We are not defying the edict. We are protecting ourselves—and preserving the realm of Great Zhou!”

The Prince of Dai nodded, as though she had suddenly realized something, and murmured softly, “Preserving the realm of Great Zhou.

“His Majesty wants us to provide the funds to build some sort of Imperial Academy. When the time comes, everyone under Heaven—especially the scholars—will likely believe that we were the ones who forced the emperor to abolish the civil service examinations.

“If that happens, will they not come to think that every member of the Great Zhou imperial clan is cold-blooded and devoid of feeling?

“As for our emperor, he truly is unlike any other. Everything he does, one thing after another, is impossible to fathom.

“Consider the present situation. So many soldiers are shedding blood on the battlefield, yet he is taking consorts and fussing over pastries.

“If the soldiers were to learn of this, how disheartened would they be?

“Even those who once rendered meritorious service to the nation would surely grow dissatisfied upon hearing of His Majesty’s many actions.

“If trouble were to break out at such a moment, Great Zhou would be in grave danger!”

The young commandery prince’s eyes lit up the instant she heard this.

“Exactly! We are not defying the edict! We simply cannot produce such a sum at once, or we need time to raise the funds!

“During that time, we can also arrange for people to inform the scholars and the retired veterans of His Majesty’s recent measures!”

The moment she finished, someone else immediately took up the thread.

“Precisely. Under such pressure, the emperor will certainly be forced to reconsider, perhaps even abolish the various policies and edicts he issued before!

“Then we can preserve our own houses and preserve Great Zhou!”

…

The Chancellor’s residence.

Ouyang Yu was not idle either.

Apart from Zhang Cong, all the other ministers had arrived in the reception hall. Quite a few officials from the Censorate were there as well.

Had there not been a lack of military officers and members of the inner palace, the gathering could practically have been called a minor court assembly.

“Lord Ouyang, surely you must say something!”

Seeing Ouyang Yu remain silent, one official finally could not contain himself and spoke up.

Ouyang Yu looked at him. She vaguely remembered that he was from the Censorate. After a moment’s thought, she asked in return, “What exactly do you all mean? Do you intend to force His Majesty to make a decision?”

The man hurriedly lowered his head and explained helplessly, “We would never dare do that. But you are the chancellor, my lord. Are you truly going to stand by and watch His Majesty behave so recklessly?

“The grand ceremony he arranged before, as well as the opening of the pleasure districts, did allow Great Zhou to amass wealth in the short term, but they also damaged the nation’s reputation to some extent.

“Now that a great enemy stands before us, His Majesty has appointed a mere commandant like Zhao Kuo, and even a lowly groom like Huo Huan, to lead the troops!

“There are already many complaints in both the army and among the people, yet His Majesty remains stubbornly blind. He has even issued another absurd edict, choosing this very moment to take a consort!

“And now, for the sake of his appetite, the emperor of Great Zhou has repeatedly demanded pastries from his ministers!

“This is utterly preposterous!

“Today, word has spread that His Majesty intends to hold some sort of competition, requiring people throughout the realm to submit pastries. Is that not the conduct of a foolish ruler? Is it not a sign that the nation is doomed?”

His speech had been impassioned. Had it been earlier, Ouyang Yu might truly have been persuaded.

But after listening to everyone’s agreement, Ouyang Yu knew that today she had to speak a fair word on the emperor’s behalf.

“According to your reasoning, some of His Majesty’s actions do indeed seem improper.

“But what of the grand ceremony before that? And what of the tribute we used to send to the Song kingdom? Were those not absurd as well? Yet what was the result?

“Does Song dare demand tribute from us now? Have they sent troops against us?

“His Majesty acts according to his own intentions. As ministers, why must we interfere beyond what is necessary?”

The moment she finished, someone unexpectedly contradicted her.

“The chancellor is mistaken! No matter how well His Majesty may have acted before, that cannot change the absurdity and folly of his conduct now!

“Do you not know that people have been arrested and charged by the Western Depot merely because they failed to submit pastries, or because the pastries they submitted were deemed unsuitable?”

At the mention of this matter, the satisfaction on Ouyang Yu’s face became even more pronounced.

“Have you still not seen it? Our emperor is unlike any of the former rulers!

“His ambitions are far greater than you can comprehend. Take those who were arrested: which of them was not either wealthy but heartless, or guilty of corruption and abuse of office?

“His Majesty is merely giving the others an opportunity to reform—or at least to preserve their dignity.”

The officials exchanged bewildered glances, unable to find a reply.

After hesitating for a moment, the earlier speaker seemed to think of something else.

“Lord Chancellor, even if that is so, how do you explain the uproar over submitting pastries?”

“Explain what?” Ouyang Yu asked with a genial smile.

“What His Majesty wants is not pastries at all. He is observing whether we have been living in excessive luxury.

“The greatest danger for an official is corruption and harming the people. His Majesty is using this to issue a warning—and to conduct an inspection!

“Think about it. If another emperor were in his place, would he need to go to such lengths?

“He would have arrested everyone and thrown them into prison long ago!

“Our emperor is a sovereign of great ambition. Surely, before doing all this, he has already made every possible preparation!”

The others were about to continue arguing when Bai Che hurried in from outside.

“Lord Ouyang, my lords, please follow me to the palace at once! His Majesty intends to personally select a site for the Imperial Academy!”

…

Half an hour later, outside the imperial palace.

Shen Wanyi gazed at Li Chen with an obsequious smile. Numerous officials and laborers stood around them.

At that moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Li Chen, as though waiting for him to make a decision.

Ouyang Yu and the others arrived in haste just then.

Yet perhaps this was precisely what Li Chen had intended. Almost the instant Ouyang Yu arrived, he announced his decision.

“There are far too many places on this map to inspect one by one, and I do not find any of them particularly suitable. None possesses the character or scale an Imperial Academy should have.”

As he spoke, Li Chen’s gaze shifted toward the imperial ancestral temple diagonally across from them. He pointed toward it.

“After giving it some thought, I have decided to use this site for the future Imperial Academy. What do you think?”

At his words, every face changed.

Even Ouyang Yu nearly fainted.

What Li Chen intended to move was the imperial ancestral temple!

What was an ancestral temple? It represented the imperial line of succession. It was a symbol of the nation itself!

Li Chen actually intended to demolish the ancestral temple and use the site for the Imperial Academy?

Throughout history, ancestral temples had been destroyed only when a nation was conquered, or when rebels breached the ancestral lands. Yet now the emperor himself intended to tear one down?

Was this not equivalent to the emperor rebelling against his own dynasty?

At that moment, even the ever-slick Shen Wanyi was at a loss. He tried several times to speak, but each time, he lacked the courage…