Chapter 235: Chapter 235: The Siege
The Great Court Assembly and the routine meetings within the Xuanqing Guard are essentially the same in nature; their main purpose is for the Emperor to hear what major events have occurred recently in the Dynasty, or to discuss any issues or doubts brought up in memorials.
So as soon as the Emperor finished speaking, things proceeded step by step, starting from the Six Ministries, each coming forward one by one to report their own duties.
The officials below listened attentively, occasionally pulling out a charcoal pen to make some notes on their wands.
The Emperor listened from his chair, with scribes at his side to help record various figures and data. When something was unclear or controversial, the Emperor would ask a few more questions, or even call certain people out from their ranks to join the discussion.
This is the Great Court Assembly—nothing particularly unusual, except that the matters discussed are larger in scope and breadth.
The whole morning consisted of departmental reports, with a short break in the middle; the rest of the time was scheduled very tightly.
Afterward, lunch was also taken in the Ten Thousand People’s Palace. Attendants would pack the food in boxes, then bring in puduan and small tables, one set per person, which would be taken away immediately after eating.
The Emperor, too, would dine in the Ten Thousand People’s Palace—monarch and ministers eating together, a unique custom of the Great Court Assembly.
At early 1:00 p.m., the Great Court Assembly resumed.
"Do any of you still have matters to report?"
The morning is for routine reporting; the afternoon is for discussing and presenting special cases. Some memorials the Emperor withheld from issuing would be brought up by ministers at this point, urging the Emperor for prompt action.
Moreover, the afternoon Great Court Assembly becomes the stage for the advisors. They especially love to sternly criticize the court atmosphere at such moments, sometimes even pointing fingers at individuals. Usually, their target is the military; in the past, the military was criticized mercilessly, nearly pounded to dust, and only with Yang Yansi standing firm in the storm did it not collapse. Otherwise, the military might not just have a Military Supervisor set up now, but even the power to command troops might have to be approved by the Civil Servant Group to lead the army.
Now, the military has been utterly suppressed, barely surviving thanks to Yang Yansi, and naturally is no longer worthy of being a target. So the focus has shifted to the Xuanqing Guard.
Unfortunately, while the Xuanqing Guard may resemble the military on the surface, in reality, they are completely different. Moreover, the military’s status has always been delicate in peacetime, but what of the Xuanqing Guard? They are always in a state of battle, fighting constantly in places unseen by the public. Each year, casualties among the Xuanqing Guard number in the thousands. Furthermore, the Xuanqing Guard are the Emperor’s own personal guard, and Commander Pang Ban himself is of Royal Golden Sword Cultivator origin; how could he tolerate provocation from the civil servants?
Hence, there was the creation of the Black Banner Battalion, to conduct internal reform independently.
Then, although the Bai Dang Mountain Wen Family case was aimed at the Jingbei Army—seemingly persecuting the military—in reality, the Cultivation Race group behind the Wen Family was the real target of the crackdown, and those nobles colluding with the Cultivation Race received a resounding slap in the face as well.
Afterwards, especially when leveraging the Pingshun City epidemic cover-up case, the Xuanqing Guard practically stripped the Civil Servant Group—dominated by the nobles and supported by the Cultivation Race—of their dignity in public, exposing them to ridicule. Not only did this inflict a severe reputational crisis on Local Government Offices within the Fengri City jurisdiction, but even all Local Government Offices across Jingxi became detested.
The Emperor even rarely issued three distinct edicts to hold Left Minister accountable and demand self-investigation of degenerates. This was one of the rare occasions in recent years when the Emperor adopted such a harsh stance.
Yet, while the Civil Servants had not yet commenced their self-investigation, the Xuanqing Guard staged the "Jingxi" action in Jingxi, targeting vermin smuggling goods to the Chao Man Race, but their actions directly implicated all government offices and state-run shops across Jingxi. If examined thoroughly, these have always been the core pillars of the Civil Servant Group.
The vermin deserved to be dealt with, but such a storm-like approach, moving without any consultation and immediately lifting the lid, was yet another severe blow to the civil service system’s most valued asset—its "reputation."
What’s even more infuriating is that the Xuanqing Guard only conducted a swift, precise roundup within the Fengri City jurisdiction, leaving not a single suspect at large, but deliberately delayed and indulged those vermin elsewhere in Jingxi, letting them use their networks to attempt self-preservation—unwittingly or intentionally expanding the scope of the impact more than tenfold.
Such relentless counterattacks made the Xuanqing Guard’s stance clear: You think you can slap me and run? Not a chance!
Thus, this time the Civil Servant Group had no way out. Regardless of the outcome, they would have to face the fight head on. Otherwise, next time the Xuanqing Guard would only go further.
And this so-called "Jingxi" action is no longer just the Xuanqing Guard’s own affair; it touches all aspects, even involving the Border Army, which can no longer remain uninvolved.
Resentment against the Xuanqing Guard has soared throughout the entire court as a result of this "Jingxi" operation.
This is the chance—they would see just how Pang Ban planned to wrap this up!
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Minister of Justice Ma Xuanlin stepped out from the ranks and bowed: "Your Majesty, your servant has a matter to present!"
The Ministry of Justice oversees the law, with authority overlapping that of the Local Government Office. Though not the strongest among the Six Ministries, it cannot be underestimated. Minister of Justice Ma Xuanlin also comes from a high aristocratic background, his voice weighty in the temple hall.
The Emperor’s expression showed nothing out of place, still wearing a slight smile, seemingly unbothered that it was the Minister of Justice—not the advisors—who first took the lead.
"Your Majesty, allow me to report. In late August, the Jingxi Xuanqing Guard Commander’s Office carried out a large-scale crackdown on the smuggling case, involving not only numerous state-run shops but also a great many officials. As Minister of Justice, I take Your Majesty’s Holy Edict as my standard, the law as my measure, yet I have never heard of the Xuanqing Guard being permitted to detain officials and seal, confiscate state-run stores without any deliberation with the Six Ministries.
This is a serious abuse of authority and a blatant trampling of the Dynasty’s laws. Even now, the Xuanqing Guard’s crackdown continues, implicating many; some mere rumors and hearsay are taken by the Xuanqing Guard as conclusive evidence. In Jingxi, the people are panicked and uneasy day and night, with signs of further unrest.
I humbly ask Your Majesty to reorganize the Xuanqing Guard’s powers, severely punish those who act lawlessly, and restore the rule of law in our Dynasty."
Ma Xuanlin had barely finished when a Senior Third-Grade Official with graying hair stepped out—it was Minister of Revenue Bai Changqing.
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal. Recently, the Xuanqing Guard has wantonly disrupted the self-supervision system of Local Government Offices, ignoring boundaries of authority and engaging in egregious overreach. Cases of smuggling ought to be investigated by the Government Office, but the Xuanqing Guard interfered without permission. Even when special circumstances arise, the proper course would be to first consult with the Government Office, then assist in transferring the case. But what we have now is utter chaos.
It’s not only in Jingxi that public morale is shaken; even other regions of the Dynasty are affected. All major state-run shops under the Ministry of Revenue are on edge, afraid the Xuanqing Guard will make them a target, flooding us with pleas for protection and seriously impacting this year’s output.
In my humble opinion, the Xuanqing Guard has reached a state of utter lawlessness. I beg Your Majesty to emulate the precedent with the military and establish the post of Military Supervisor within the Xuanqing Guard, lest such incidents recur."
