The imperial envoy’s procession clattered as it began its journey back to the capital.
The strong winds that had risen in Yangzhou had already reached Luoyang.
It was as if a spring breeze had come overnight...
In a single day, the news that the imperial envoy, Yang Erlang, had executed 327 corrupt officials and functionaries in Jiangzhe spread through every street and alley of this ancient capital.
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Nearly everywhere people gathered, one could hear the vivid discussions of Luoyang’s citizens about the grand spectacle of Yang Erlang executing the corrupt officials and functionaries of Jiangzhe.
Some said that on that day, the sun and the moon shone together.
Some said, on that day, heavy snow flew under the blazing sun.
Others said countless wronged souls appeared on that day, bowing thrice to thank Yang Erlang...
Everyone spoke as if they had witnessed the unprecedented execution with their own eyes.
Luoyang, after all, is the center of the divine land, the heart of Wei.
Those living under the emperor’s feet are naturally more sensitive to politics than the common folk from other regions.
Add to this the attention-grabbing keyword "execution of corrupt officials," and it’s no wonder such a storm of public opinion has arisen.
But what’s strange is...
In such a massive uproar, where one can find several different versions of the story in a single street, it was extremely rare to see any opposition.
No matter which version of the rumor, the focus was on how wise and valiant Lord Yang Erlang was, discerning even the finest detail, and how detestable, mean, and vile those corrupt officials and functionaries were.
Whenever an opposing view emerged, trying to steer the public opinion in a different direction, it would quickly be drowned out by the ever-growing mainstream voice.
Yes.
The people of Luoyang truly did not know what kind of person this newly emerged Yang Erlang, Yang Ge, was.
But did they not know what kind of scum those corrupt officials and functionaries were?
Everyone had experienced it firsthand, everyone felt it deeply, everyone had their own grievances...
They spoke of Yangzhou with their lips.
But in their hearts, they wished... if only Luoyang could have such a turn, how wonderful would that be?
Just as Yang Ge had predicted earlier.
In the face of such a torrential storm of public opinion, not a single high-ranking court official dared to suppress Yang Ge at this critical juncture!
The previous smear campaign against the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner and Shen Fa also came to a halt overnight.
But just because they couldn’t suppress Yang Ge openly didn’t mean they had no ways to deal with him!
First, senior officials from the Cabinet and the Six Ministries found various reasons to take leave and skip the morning audience.
Then, a large number of vice ministers and senior military officers collectively knelt outside the palace gates, petitioning Emperor Xiping to have the three judicial departments investigate them to prove their innocence.
In the power struggle between sovereign and subjects, kneeling before the palace gates has always been, apart from collective resignation, a powerful weapon, almost amounting to coercion. Each use damaged the bond between ruler and minister and reduced one’s standing in the eyes of the monarch...
But this time, the court officials and military officers used this ultimate weapon without hesitation!
The underlying message: Admit your error now, Emperor, and we can still be each other’s angels, or else we part ways. If we can’t have peace, neither can you!
The united front of the court officials and military officers against Yang Ge was not solely directed at Yang Ge himself, but also at the incident in Yangzhou!
What they sought to protect was not just themselves, but also the shared interests of the civil and military groups within the court.
’If we don’t crush that Yang Erlang this time, what’s to stop any Tom, Dick, or Harry from defecating and urinating on our heads in the future?’
’What’s the point of holding office then?’
They were not opposed to the emperor executing lower-ranking officials.
What they could not accept was this wholesale slaughter over something as minor as corruption and bribery.
Nor could they accept the emperor’s hounds executing court-appointed officials without trial by the Ministry of Punishment, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple.
Because no one could guarantee that the same knife would not one day fall upon themselves or their descendants...
Emperor Xiping clearly understood the intentions of the civil and military officials.
But he understood even more that he could not afford to give in at this critical moment.
It was not that Yang Ge couldn’t die!
In fact, Yang Ge had repeatedly tested his patience, and he was indeed annoyed, even considering whether or not to execute Yang Ge.
But Yang Ge could not die at this critical juncture, not over the issue of investigating corruption and bribery, and especially not under the pressure and threats of the civil and military officials!
Otherwise, all the efforts he had made to reform the administration and reset the court’s order would have been in vain.
Otherwise, in the future, court officials would exploit the common people even more blatantly and fearlessly.
Otherwise, would they not use this method to blackmail him whenever things did not go their way?
Then what would be the point of him being the emperor?
As a result...
On the second day after the civil and military officials knelt at the palace gates, a document was posted on every street corner of Luoyang.
At the top of this document was clearly written: ’The criminal official of Jiangzhe Province, Yangzhou Prefecture, Grade 6 Judge Song Shen, begs for imperial mercy...’
The imperial court announcing a criminal official’s crime was nothing new.
But at a time when civil and military officials were seething with anger over the Yangzhou affair, for Emperor Xiping to post a document that indirectly supported Yangzhou’s cause all over Luoyang was tantamount to slapping the civil and military officials in the face!
’You’d better preserve your own dignity, or I’ll help you save it.’
The provoked civil and military officials naturally grew even more ’enraged.’ On that very day, the number of kneeling officials at the palace gates doubled.