Chapter 320: Losing Twice Over

Censor Xie Jing’s memorial was merely the clarion call for the reformist counterattack.

Or perhaps it was meant to cast a brick to attract jade.

Because Wang Anshi was currently recruiting troops to his banner. And on the political battlefield, what mattered was one’s stance. Many lower-ranking officials saw this as an excellent opportunity to advance their positions.

A once-in-a-lifetime chance.

It was conceivable that the conservative side certainly included many vested interests who occupied numerous key positions. If they weren’t brought down, how could others rise up?

Thus, one after another, many people submitted memorials impeaching Fan Chunren, Su Shi, and others.

This scene left Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo watching in terror.

Again it was factional scheming for personal gain, again it was eliminating those who dissented.

How remarkably similar it was.

The specter of the Qingli era reforms seemed to descend once more.

Even more deadly was that public opinion continued to ferment among the people, because what the common folk thought was entirely different from what the ministers thought. There was nothing else to it – so many fine tribute fruits, spending so much money to transport them to the capital, only to be wasted like this. Hearing about this matter, everyone felt heartbroken.

Public opinion directly turned toward the New Policies.

The people only thought themselves rational, seeing through everything, but in reality they were still primarily driven by emotion.

The commotion reached such a point that the Emperor could no longer avoid coming forward.

Hall of Delegated Rule.

The murderous atmosphere within the hall left many ministers trembling with fear.

This meeting could be said to be the first direct confrontation between the reformists and conservatives.

Zhao Xu slammed the memorial onto the table and questioned the assembled ministers: “What exactly is going on here?”

Censor Yang Hui immediately stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, this is Xie Jing and others seeking to eliminate dissent, deliberately spreading rumors to slander Fan Chunren, Su Shi, and others. The Procuratorate’s complaint document against the Reform Planning Commission was already submitted to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office a few days ago. They are clearly seeking to resolve the problem through judicial means, fair and square. How can this be called factional scheming for personal gain or using public office for private purposes?”

Lu Huiqing immediately stepped forward and said: “Censor Yang, let me ask you – are the matters stated in Xie Jing’s memorial factual? Recently, Fan Chunren and Su Shi have frequently associated with Liu Shu, Qi Hui, Qian Yi, and others, secretly plotting matters of litigation. Meanwhile, Gu Ji, Li Zhan, Lin Dan, and others have also been rallying support for them in court, giving them assistance.”

Yang Hui immediately retorted: “They were not secretly plotting, merely discussing the details of the lawsuit. As for Gu Ji, Li Zhan, and others, they support the lawsuit and support the law – what wrong is there in this?”

Sima Guang stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, this is actually due to my ineffective handling of affairs. Although the Procuratorate was established, I failed to arrange sufficient personnel. Even Fan Chunren was temporarily assigned to the Legal Aid Office. So when the Procuratorate had to handle matters, it could only seek support from other government offices.”

After speaking, he glanced slightly at Wang Anshi across from him. Seeing that the other man was sitting with eyes closed in meditation, he couldn’t help but look at him with contempt.

What an act!

Zhao Xu nodded slightly. “I see.”

Lu Huiqing asked with a smile: “I recall that when the public security, procuratorate, and judicial court system was first established, Academician Sima repeatedly emphasized loyalty to law and justice. Am I mistaken in this?”

Sima Guang nodded. “What you say is correct.”

Lu Huiqing continued: “Since one should be loyal to law and justice, shouldn’t one maintain a neutral attitude when executing official duties, so as to ensure fairness?”

Sima Guang nodded: “Yes.”

Lu Huiqing immediately addressed Zhao Xu: “Your Majesty, if one carefully examines the list of names in Xie Jing’s memorial, it’s not difficult to discover that people like Liu Shu, Gu Ji, Li Zhan, and others are all opponents of the New Laws, without exception.

I am unclear whether there was secret collusion among them, so I dare not make rash judgments, but to say that this lawsuit is based on neutrality and fairness is truly difficult for me to find convincing.

What they are doing not only seeks to sabotage the New Policies, but is also undermining judicial reform.”

Yang Hui immediately retorted: “Opposing the New Policies does not necessarily mean being unfair. Why doesn’t Drafter Lu reflect on whether there are improprieties in your New Policies?”

Lu Huiqing smiled and said: “Setting aside the fact that their lawsuit appears quite ridiculous to me and is fundamentally unreasonable, even if the New Policies truly had problems, what the Procuratorate has done has already deviated from its original purpose.

The Procuratorate is not the Censorate, nor is it the Remonstrance Bureau. It represents justice, it represents the law. Everything it says and does should be based on justice and law, and should not have any political stance, much less conspire with court ministers to discuss how to prosecute other officials. The very thought of this is spine-chilling.

If the judiciary becomes a weapon of political struggle, where would there be any justice in this realm?”

What?

The Procuratorate couldn’t have a political stance?

The officials on the conservative side couldn’t help but exchange glances with one another.

There had never been a department with such standards before.

Had this been mentioned previously?

Suddenly everyone was at a loss.

Clearly, they had not carefully studied the public security-procuratorate-judiciary public justice system. If the Procuratorate carried a strong political stance while executing its official duties, then it would be completely ruined.

Because the Procuratorate’s authority was very special, with a very significant difference from the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau.

When the Censorate and Remonstrance Bureau impeached ministers, the key lay in the emperor’s attitude, and nine times out of ten nothing would come of it.

Which chancellor hadn’t been impeached hundreds of times?

But if one were prosecuted hundreds of times, they would probably have been reduced to bones long ago.

Because once the Procuratorate formally filed charges, it had nothing to do with the emperor and was based entirely on law. Once successful, the other party would be completely finished.

This power was very frightening, so it had to be rigorous and could not carry a strong political stance. Otherwise, it would truly be deadly!

Sima Guang naturally knew this point and was momentarily speechless.

Discussing prosecution details with a group of conservatives—to say this prosecution carried no political stance, even you yourself probably wouldn’t believe it.

If Fan Chunren were brought here to testify, he would admit it too.

Emperor Zhao Xu glanced at the several State Councilors standing at the front. “What do you ministers think?”

Wang Anshi said: “Although I do not believe there is anything improper about the New Policies, I also respect the Procuratorate’s authority. I have already hired the Bianjing Law Firm to defend me.”

Wen Yanbo threw a dismissive glance at Wang Anshi.

But in his heart, he couldn’t help but praise Wang Anshi for this move.

Wang Anshi would not easily destroy Sima Guang’s judicial reform. Not only that, but he had to show everywhere that he was defending judicial reform.

Because that previous lawsuit had made it very clear that the Reform Planning Commission would be subject to judicial supervision, and the emperor was also very satisfied with this situation.

If his purpose was to destroy judicial reform, first of all, the conservatives would definitely launch a counterattack and would not place their hopes on the judiciary.

More importantly, what would Emperor Zhao Xu think?

This would instead give Wang Anshi more constraints.

He had to make his position clear that he was willing to accept the Procuratorate’s prosecution and willing to fight this lawsuit.

If he didn’t take a stance, or if he didn’t accept this lawsuit, then officials would think that the Reform Planning Commission was not subject to judicial supervision at all.

Actually, Su Shi and Fan Chunren’s prosecution of the Reform Planning Commission was also meant to test Wang Anshi and see whether the judiciary could limit him.

This was actually very unfavorable for Wang Anshi.

At the same time, he had no reason to attack Fan Chunren and Su Shi. If you yourself were playing dirty, what right did you have to forbid others from playing dirty?

Under the circumstances where the rules could not be broken, the only way to avoid this lawsuit was to directly pull the rug out from under them and have someone else take charge of the Procuratorate.

Then it wouldn’t be that he was unwilling to accept prosecution, but that the Procuratorate wouldn’t prosecute him.

Emperor Zhao Xu looked at Sima Guang again.

After struggling for a long time, Sima Guang said: “I also believe that there are indeed irregularities in this prosecution. Even if it goes to court, it would be difficult to convince people. For the sake of judicial fairness, I suggest rejecting the Procuratorate’s appeal.”

Yang Hui and others all looked at Sima Guang in surprise.

Military Commissioner Chen Shengzhi suddenly stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this has already proven that Fan Chunren and Su Shi are completely unfit for the position of prosecutor. In their eyes, the Procuratorate is merely a weapon to attack political enemies, with no fairness whatsoever. I suggest immediately dismissing them from their positions and subjecting them to court investigation.

I recommend Xu Zun, who serves in the Court of Judicial Review, to take the position of prosecutor in the Procuratorate. Xu Zun not only has rich experience in deciding cases but is also fair and strict. During his time at the Court of Judicial Review, he has always been single-minded in assisting Academician Sima with judicial reform. His ability and personal virtue are both sufficient for this position.”

Emperor Zhao Xu nodded. “Your words are reasonable. I have always held great expectations for the Procuratorate, and what Fan Chunren and Su Shi have done in this matter has also greatly disappointed me. Regardless of whether they have formed factions for personal gain, they are no longer suitable for positions in the Procuratorate. I appoint Xu Zun as the new prosecutor, and he will also be responsible for investigating the case of Fan Chunren and Su Shi.”

Lu Huiqing immediately said: “Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury has been selling tribute goods without authorization, poisoning the people and causing public resentment.”

This truly was one wave of trouble after another. The conservative officials were already in deep mourning, and Sima Guang’s direct surrender had left them without any ability to counterattack.

The key issue was that they all knew the truth about the tribute peaches matter, so they didn’t dare discuss it much and could only watch the other side perform.

Zhao Xu nodded and said, “I have also heard about this matter. Is Police Commissioner Cao present?”

“I am here, Your Majesty.”

Cao Ping immediately stepped forward.

Zhao Xu asked, “Has the police bureau investigated this matter?”

Cao Ping replied, “Your Majesty, according to my investigation, those rotten tribute peaches did indeed come from the Imperial Treasury. They sold a total of one tonne of tribute peaches from Qianfeng County to a merchant from Luoyang.

Originally, this Luoyang merchant planned to transport them to Luoyang for sale, but when he saw that the tribute peaches were rotten inside, he worried they would completely rot during transport, so he chose to sell them locally. As for whether there is corruption within the Imperial Treasury, the investigation is still ongoing.”

At this point, he decisively kicked Gu Ji under the bus, wishing he could give him another kick.

“Outrageous!”

Zhao Xu slammed the table hard and immediately ordered, “After the General Police Bureau completes its investigation, immediately hand over the evidence to the Procuratorate for joint review.”

“I obey Your Majesty’s command.”

Cao Ping bowed with clasped hands.

After the meeting ended, Wang Anshi walked toward Sima Guang on the opposite side. “My new policies only seek to enrich the country and strengthen the military—they are not targeted at anyone.”

Having said this, he left.

The implication was that he also hoped Sima Guang’s judicial reforms were for the sake of fairness and justice, not specifically to target him.

The difference in their stature was immediately apparent.

Yang Hui, who had desperately defended Fan Chunren and Su Shi, also complained to Sima Guang, “Academician Sima, why did you just now…!”

“What do you think I should have said?”

Sima Guang said angrily, “Fan Chunren and Su Shi’s prosecution this time was based on political stance, not on law or neutrality.”

Yang Hui said excitedly, “But which court minister doesn’t have a political stance? Doesn’t Xu Zun have one?”

Sima Guang countered, “When have you seen Xu Zun submit memorials supporting or opposing the new laws? Even when he discusses the new policies, it’s based on law—that’s what’s most important.”

At this point, he sighed and said, “It’s not that one cannot have political stances, but even if one does, it should be kept in one’s heart. In all matters, the judicial system should come first. But those two were completely unrestrained, practically wanting to tell the whole world that they intended to use the Procuratorate to oppose the new laws. Now that the other side has caught them red-handed, how can you expect me to defend them?

I also warned them and told them to think carefully, but they wouldn’t listen to a single word.”

Yang Hui said, “Academician Sima should know what kind of people Fan Chunren and Su Shi are. They would never form factions for personal gain. Even if there were improprieties, the punishment shouldn’t be so harsh!”

Sima Guang’s expression softened slightly. “If they haven’t formed factions for personal gain, I believe Xu Zun will give them a fair punishment.”

That man was quite an oddball—heaven knows what charges he might come up with!

Yang Hui immediately stormed off in anger.

Wen Yanbo understood Sima Guang’s position. In this matter, the other side indeed had more justification. According to the institutional design, the Procuratorate could not have political stances and must defend the law.

But Fan Chunren and Su Shi had completely failed to hide their political stances in this case, constantly consulting with other conservatives.

However, it must be said that he, Wen Yanbo, had not previously considered this point either.

As Lu Huiqing had said, he had also confused the Procuratorate with the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau. But the Censorate and Remonstrance Bureau could submit memorials based on rumors and mainly investigated dereliction of duty, which had little relation to law.

“I never thought we would lose so badly.”

Wen Yanbo sighed. “Not only did we lose the Procuratorate, but the other side has also taken the Imperial Treasury into their hands.”

In the entire tribute system, the Imperial Treasury’s warehouses were of paramount importance. If Wang Anshi wanted to reform this aspect, he would inevitably need to take control of the Imperial Treasury. Without the warehouses, he couldn’t make it work.

Sima Guang glanced around, saw that all the ministers had left, and smiled. “That may not necessarily be the case.”

Wen Yanbo quickly asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Sima Guang said, “Actually, what Su Shi and Fan Chunren were worried about was corruption appearing at the local level.”

Wen Yanbo still didn’t understand. “So what?”

Sima Guang said, “Why not let them go to the local level to prove this point?”

Meanwhile, after Lu Huiqing left the imperial city, he immediately went to find Zhang Fei, but came up empty-handed. Upon inquiry, he learned that Zhang Fei was playing ball at a training ground in the western part of the city.

This made Lu Huiqing extremely frustrated.

At a time like this, the boy still had the mood to play ball?

But there was nothing he could do about it, so Lu Huiqing hurriedly rushed to the western training ground.

Zhang Fei was indeed there.

He could be seen with a whistle in his mouth, running around the field with a group of people, occasionally raising yellow cards, occasionally raising red cards, and sometimes even exchanging insults with those people.

They even “cordially” greeted each other’s family members.

No different from street ruffians.

What were they doing?

Lu Huiqing suddenly felt that this boy wasn’t so reliable after all!

After waiting for a while, Zhang Fei finally noticed Lu Huiqing and told the players to “settle things” themselves while he came to the sidelines.

“Why has Lord Lu come here?”

“What are you all doing?”

“Exercising.”

“Does exercising require insulting people’s parents?”

“Uh, that’s just a habit of speech.”

Zhang Fei laughed awkwardly.

Playing football should involve trash talk, otherwise what would be the point.

Lu Huiqing shook his head helplessly and said, “Just now His Majesty has appointed your father-in-law as Chief Prosecutor of the Procuratorate, and he’s also in charge of investigating the case of Fan Chunren and Su Shi forming cliques for personal gain.”

Zhang Fei immediately asked, “Does Lord Lu hope to make this case stick?”

Lu Huiqing hadn’t expected Zhang Fei to be so direct, and felt somewhat embarrassed. “I just don’t understand how forming cliques for personal gain should be judged legally, so I wanted to consult with you.”

Zhang Fei pondered for a moment and answered honestly, “The key to forming cliques for personal gain in legal terms isn’t in the forming of cliques, but in the personal gain – it depends on whether any benefits were generated among them.”

Lu Huiqing, being shrewd, immediately said, “The Imperial Treasury! As long as we investigate the Imperial Treasury case together with their clique formation, we can establish their crime of forming cliques for personal gain.”

This was layperson logic.

Zhang Fei couldn’t help but look sideways at Lu Huiqing.

Lu Huiqing also realized he had spoken out of turn and said awkwardly, “What do you think?”

Zhang Fei said, “Since we brought down Fan Chunren and Su Shi through neutrality and fairness, we must try this case with fairness and neutrality. Otherwise, it might backfire – those people aren’t easy to deal with either.”

Lu Huiqing nodded and said, “What you say makes sense too.”

Actually, his speech in the hall had also been taught by Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei said, “Therefore, we still need to see the specific investigation. If they’re caught red-handed, then they can only pray for their own good fortune.”