The Villainous Minister 06

Soon, others stepped forward to voice their grievances, accusing Fang Zhiyi of forging imperial decrees and slaughtering numerous court officials and gentry who had attempted to flee. They knew that if they didn’t seize this moment to fight back, allowing Fang Zhiyi to consolidate his power would only make their lives more miserable in the future.

Emperor Shunying slightly closed his eyes. Fang Zhiyi observed him from the corner of his eye. In the original plot, this emperor had indeed trusted Fang Zhiyi implicitly. But now, after quelling the rebel army and taking control of the Xuanjing Bureau, Fang Zhiyi’s reputation was bound to spread far and wide. No emperor would tolerate a subordinate who commanded greater trust and admiration than himself.

"The pardons Fang Zhiyi issued were authorized by me," Emperor Shunying declared calmly as he reopened his eyes. "Moreover, when the rebels besieged the capital, I made it clear that from myself down to the commoners, all were to follow General Fang’s orders. Did you fail to understand?"

He suddenly stood up, grabbed several memorials from the table, and hurled them to the ground. "Look! This is the so-called Grand Secretary Chen, whom you praised for his scholarly integrity! He actually wrote to the rebel army, plotting to open the city gates under cover of darkness and surrender! And this one—your so-called loyal subject—was preparing to flee through the western gate with his concubines and servants!"

The crowd below immediately fell silent. Fang Zhiyi couldn’t even be bothered to glance at them. He had instructed the Xuanjing Bureau to send evidence to the palace for every action they took—or fabricate some if none existed. By both reason and principle, he had nothing to fear from their accusations.

"A bunch of useless fools!" Emperor Shunying panted, struggling to calm his anger before turning to Fang Zhiyi. "My dear minister, what do you have to say?"

Fang Zhiyi rose to his feet, prompting the emperor to hastily motion for him to sit back down.

"Your Majesty, as you know, I have never been fond of courtly disputes. Let them say whatever they wish. However, I do have a memorial here that requires Your Majesty’s approval." With that, Fang Zhiyi presented a document.

A eunuch took it and handed it to Emperor Shunying.

As he read, the emperor’s brows furrowed. He glanced uncertainly between Fang Zhiyi and the memorial before lowering his voice. "Fang Zhiyi, are you certain you want me to decide on this matter?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

Emperor Shunying shot an impatient look at the curious courtiers and ordered them to leave. Once the hall was empty, he even dismissed his personal eunuchs.

"Zhiyi, we’ve known each other since childhood. You know how much I trust you. But this…" The emperor hesitated. "There’s no precedent for this in history. I don’t seek glory, and future historians will surely brand me a tyrant. But if this goes wrong, how will I face my ancestors in the afterlife?"

Fang Zhiyi stood and clasped his fists. "Your Majesty, if that’s the case, let me take full responsibility."

Emperor Shunying was taken aback. Though he was a mediocre ruler, he was still the emperor. He understood Fang Zhiyi’s implication—the infamy would fall on him, while the glory would go to Fang Zhiyi.

The emperor gazed deeply at Fang Zhiyi. "I must admit, when you stood on the city walls fighting the rebels, I doubted you. I wondered if you would turn your spear toward the palace—if it came to that, whether you would kill me." His voice carried a hint of remorse. "But I wasn’t wrong. You are still you—my great general."

He took a deep breath. "In my ten years on the throne, Wei Wu has deteriorated to this state. Since you are resolved to act, how can I let you bear the disgrace alone? Let us share the burden, ruler and subject!"

Fang Zhiyi was genuinely moved by the emperor’s words. But before he could respond, Emperor Shunying stood and patted his belly. "Proceed as you see fit. I must return now—I promised Concubine Xiang three extra nights with her if we won the battle."

He turned to leave but suddenly paused. "Remember, Fang Zhiyi, every action you take has my approval."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Before dawn the next day, columns of armored soldiers marched swiftly through the streets, each led by a dozen Xuanjing Bureau agents.

Many officials were still asleep when they were dragged from their beds and thrown into the Xuanjing Bureau’s dungeons, bewildered by their sudden arrest.

This inexplicable wave of raids plunged the recently stabilized capital back into tension. Many citizens shut their doors, peering through cracks as soldiers hurried past.

Unease spread like wildfire. Ministers who caught wind of the situation rushed to the palace, only to be told the emperor would not hold court for several days. Any matters were to be reported to Chief Eunuch Gao Liang.

Someone shouted outside the palace gates, "Your Majesty! Fang Zhiyi is staging a rebellion! Half the officials from the Six Ministries have been arrested! Won’t you intervene?"

Of course, there was no response—only the silent approach of the imperial guards. Acting on orders, they neither dispersed the crowd nor retaliated, merely using their bodies to push the protesters farther away so their cries wouldn’t disturb the emperor’s leisure.

Some ministers gathered to discuss the crisis. With the emperor absent and Fang Zhiyi commanding both the Xuanjing Bureau and the imperial guards to arrest people indiscriminately, they were all doomed if this continued. How could the emperor allow such a thing?

"A tyrant! A tyrant!" The old scholar wept bitterly.

His disciple clenched his teeth. "Master, if this is how it is, we must warn our families to prepare." Behind these scholar-officials stood powerful aristocratic clans, their wealth and resources vast enough to rival the throne. It was said that of the empire’s wealth, the commoners held one part, the emperor three, and the great families the remaining six.

"If we unite, what can Fang Zhiyi do to us?" The disciple’s face twisted with determination, ready to fight to the death.

Other factions took a different approach. A group of scholars, incited by their mentors, staged a sit-in before the palace gates. Their leader held aloft a silk banner inscribed in blood-red ink, denouncing Fang Zhiyi for arbitrarily arresting and persecuting scholars in an attempt to destroy Wei Wu’s foundations.

The guards at the gate watched coldly, unmoved.

By midday, several scholars had fainted under the scorching sun. When some tried to leave for food and water, they found their path blocked by a line of imperial guards.

"By His Majesty’s decree, since you chose to sit here, you may not leave. The palace gates are not a marketplace—you cannot come and go as you please," a eunuch announced before turning away without another word.

The aristocratic clans in the capital had begun to react, but they were too slow. Before their private militias could assemble, Xuanjing Bureau agents had already broken down their doors.

"Why are you arresting people indiscriminately? My Li family was honored with an inscription by the late emperor himself!"

"The Xuanjing Bureau needs no reason to make arrests," the lead eunuch replied coldly. Recently, he had been quite satisfied. Since Cao Ji’s death, this once-shadowy institution had stepped into the light. No longer bogged down by petty political investigations, they now expanded their reach through bribery and recruitment. With orders from above, they arrested at will, and their privileges had grown—Chief Eunuch Gao Liang had even declared that the Xuanjing Bureau now held the authority to execute first and report later, personally approved by the emperor. Their backs straightened with newfound pride.