A Heart-Piercing Argument

The tolling of the dawn bell echoed above the Forbidden City, muffled yet majestic. Inside the Hall of Fengtian, civil and military officials were lined up on both sides. The usual buzzing of whispers was absent; even the curling smoke of the sandalwood incense seemed frozen by the suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.

Wang Hao sat upright on the dragon throne of the supreme ruler. The jade beads of his twelve-tasseled imperial crown swayed gently, cleverly concealing his sharp, falcon-like gaze. Last night, his Brocade Guard cavalry trampled over the bluestone slabs of the capital. Twenty-four imperial officials were thrown into prison, and their confiscated properties piled up like mountains in the Zhenfusi yamen. This fire burned so fiercely and unexpectedly that during today's grand court assembly, even the upright censors who usually loved to smash their heads against pillars to seek fame kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, acting like a flock of quails grabbed by the neck.

"If you have matters to report, speak early; if not, the court is dismissed—"

Sun Li, the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, dragged out his long syllables. His shrill voice echoed in the empty hall, like a bone-scraping steel knife covered in ice shards, scraping against the eardrums of every courtier.

Standing in a single line behind Sun Li were the absolute pinnacles of power in the Great Zhou's inner court: Eunuch Director Hai Dafu, Eastern Depot Director Wei Zhongxian, Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Purified Army Cao Shaoqin, Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Horses Cao Zhengchun, and Western Depot Director Yu Huatian. These six grand eunuchs, draped in magnificent python robes, kept their hands tucked in their sleeves and their eyes slightly lowered. The cold, murderous aura they exuded formed a stark contrast with the trembling fear of the civil and military officials. With just a single look from the young master on the dragon throne, these six vicious dogs could instantly turn the Hall of Fengtian into a slaughterhouse.

Dead silence. A full ten breaths of dead silence.

Just as cold sweat began to seep from the foreheads of some officials with weaker constitutions, a furious shout exploded like a sudden clap of thunder from the very front of the civil officials' ranks.

"Your subject, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Zhuge Huaijin, has a memorial to present!"

An old man with pure white hair and beard, wearing a scarlet official robe with a crane mandarin square, strode fiercely out of the formation. He was not trembling in fear like ordinary officials; his back was perfectly straight, like a war blade that had been sealed away for years. This man was none other than the Grand Secretary whom Wang Hao had forcefully released from house arrest yesterday, Zhuge Huaijin, the hardliner representing the interests of the humble-born.

"Granted." Wang Hao leaned forward slightly, his hands calmly resting on the carved dragon armrests of the throne. He put on an appearance of listening respectfully, but his heart was already blooming with laughter.

The good show had finally begun. Old mad dog, bite them hard for We!

Without any hesitation, Zhuge Huaijin fiercely pulled a thick stack of account books from his wide sleeves and raised them high with both hands. His voice was like a massive bronze bell, making the hall's vaulted ceiling buzz: "Your subject impeaches thirteen officials ranked Director and above from the Ministries of Revenue, Works, and Personnel for embezzling state funds and forming self-serving factions! Last night, I lit a lamp to check the allocation accounts of the Six Ministries over the past half year. I found that just for the Great River embankment repairs alone, three million taels of silver are unaccounted for! Furthermore, seventy percent of the Jiangnan autumn taxes were pocketed under the guise of meltage fees! Every stroke in these account books is the blood and sweat of the people, and every word is a crime that plunges the nation into chaos!"

As soon as these words came out, the entire court was in an uproar. The oppressive calm was instantly torn to shreds.

In the ranks of the military nobles, the nobles led by the Duke of Ying maintained their posture like wooden and clay statues, but if one looked closely, they would notice cold, gloating sneers rising at the corners of their mouths. Meanwhile, the civil official camp exploded like a boiling pot. Several Ministers and Vice Ministers from the named government offices turned deathly pale, their legs going soft.

Countless pleading and expectant gazes instantly focused on the man standing at the very front of the civil officials, just one step behind Zhuge Huaijin, the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the stabilizing pillar for all the noble clans and aristocratic families in the court, Zhang Wuji.

Zhang Wuji's eyelids drooped slightly, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking like an old monk in deep meditation, completely ignoring the chaos around him.

Today, he had originally intended to request a leave of absence under the pretext of catching a cold. But he knew all too well the intention behind the young emperor's sudden massacre last night, it was to establish dominance. If he did not show up today, it would be showing weakness to the emperor; but if he came, he would have to directly face Zhuge Huaijin, this old mad dog who spared no one, not even his own family.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Wuji still stood here. Because he knew that if he retreated even half a step, the fundamental base of the noble families he had managed for decades would be torn to pieces by the combined forces of the emperor and Zhuge Huaijin. Once people's hearts scattered, the team would be hard to lead.

"Lord Zhuge, your words are mistaken."

Just as the buzzing in the hall was about to spiral out of control, Zhang Wuji finally moved. He slowly turned around. His voice was not loud, but it carried the deep, undeniable pressure of someone who had held high authority for a long time, instantly suppressing all the noise.

"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish." Zhang Wuji slightly raised his head, meeting Zhuge Huaijin's fire-spitting eyes. His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "The account books of the Six Ministries are as vast as a smoky sea, and the allocation of money and grain is even more complex, where moving a single hair affects the whole body. It is normal that there are occasional errors and omissions, or expedient measures taken by local prefectures to suit local conditions. Furthermore, the Grand Secretary has been under house arrest for over half a year, and many things in the court have changed."

At this point, Zhang Wuji paused, a sudden glint of sharp light shooting from his eyes, piercing straight at Zhuge Huaijin: "My Lord, you just re-entered the Cabinet last night. Before even taking a sip of the Cabinet's tea, you were able to investigate the deficits of the Six Ministries over the past half year in a single night? Lord Zhuge, are you an immortal descended to earth, or did you have the foresight to know this all along?"

These words could not be described as anything but venomous. Zhang Wuji completely ignored the messy issue of the three million taels of silver, because the accounts were definitely a mess and could not be defended. He directly chose the smartest tactic, attacking the legality of the procedure and the motive, while steering the messy accounts toward expedient measures and common occurrences.

Zhang Wuji turned around, faced the dragon throne, and slowly bowed. His voice suddenly rose, taking on a tone of bitter distress: "Your Majesty! This old minister believes that Lord Zhuge must have been deceived by treacherous people, taking some baseless, pieced-together things to start major litigations and enforce cruel policies right here in the court, right in front of Your Majesty! If we truly rely on these so-called account books to take down all thirteen high-ranking ministry officials, the Six Ministries will be paralyzed, government decrees will not leave the capital, and wouldn't the world be thrown into great chaos? Your Majesty, please see clearly!"

Brilliant! Truly brilliant!

On the dragon throne, Wang Hao could not help but applaud Zhang Wuji in his heart.

With just a few words, this old fox not only steered Zhuge Huaijin's motives toward partisan attacks, but also blatantly issued a political blackmail to him, the emperor: Your Majesty, everything must be centered on the state's affairs. If you chase shadows and start major litigations like this, the officials will panic, and how will the nation remain stable?

"Baseless? What a good baseless claim! What a good major litigation!"

Zhuge Huaijin's hair and beard bristled with rage, like an infuriated lion. He fiercely took a step forward, almost pressing against Zhang Wuji's face, and slapped the account books in his hand with a deafening thud.

"Vice Grand Secretary Zhang, open your eyes and look closely! This document bears the personal signature of the Right Vice Minister of Revenue! It bears the vermilion seal of the Ministry of Works' Department of Construction! Written in black and white, the evidence is irrefutable!" Zhuge Huaijin's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Zhang Wuji. "I have been an official for thirty years. I do not understand any 'measures of expediency,' much less what you call 'the way of the world'! I only recognize the laws of the Great Zhou, and I only recognize the common people! In this imperial court, is the law of the land greater, or is your 'way of the world', Lord Zhang, greater?! You shield traitors to the state today; tomorrow, will you act on behalf of this court full of vermin and swallow the entire empire of the Great Zhou in one gulp?!"

What a heart-piercing condemnation!

Zhuge Huaijin's counterattack was equally ruthless and seasoned, directly twisting Zhang Wuji's "big picture perspective" into "shielding traitors to the state," and even subtly pinning the label of "treason" on him.