Chapter 43: The Art of Weighing (Part 2)

"Cao Renjie, what else do you have to say for yourself!"

In the letters written by Lin You to Wang Long, he repeatedly provided intelligence to Wang Long, prompting him to take the opportunity to plunder the merchant ships of various prominent families in Yuezhou along the river, with the Qin family naturally bearing the brunt of the losses.

Having finished reading the letters, Liu Heng glared at Cao Renjie in utter fury, even hurling the documents directly before him.

"Open your eyes and take a good look for yourself! This is the fine prefect you recommended to Me, to the imperial court, and to the people of Yuezhou!"

"Your Majesty, this subject deserves a thousand deaths!"

Kneeling on the floor, Cao Renjie could only plead for mercy over and over again.

"Lin You, the Prefect of Yuezhou, colluded with river bandits and committed heinous crimes. Even if he is already dead, We will certainly not spare the Lin family!"

"Li Wei, the Governor of Jiangnan Commandery, failed in his supervisory duties. His salary is to be forfeited for three years, and he shall not receive any promotion for the next five years!"

"As for you, Minister Cao, considering your many years of diligent and loyal service, your salary is forfeited for one year, and you are confined to your residence for a month of self-reflection!"

"If We ever hear of such a thing happening again, We will show you no mercy!"

Among all these punishments, Li Wei, who had been appointed Governor of Jiangnan Commandery for less than a month, appeared to be the most innocent. Yet, as a man belonging to Cao Renjie's faction, he was clearly taking the fall for him.

"This subject thanks Your Majesty!"

Completely defeated, Cao Renjie could only bow low and express his gratitude to Liu Heng.

"Get out!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

At Liu Heng's stern command, Cao Renjie scrambled away in a panic.

However, the moment he turned his back—having trembled in fear before Liu Heng just a second prior—his gaze suddenly hardened into a chilling glare.

"Minister Di!"

After Cao Renjie departed, Liu Heng turned his attention to Di Chao. "The Yuezhou naval forces have rendered meritorious service in annihilating the river bandits this time. We shall reward you handsomely!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Di Chao bowed in gratitude.

Shortly thereafter, Di Chao also took his leave, and Liu Heng's expression darkened once more.

"Hear My decree: the Yuezhou Commander of the Shadow Guard has failed in his oversight and is granted the grace of suicide!"

"All other Shadow Guard officers shall be barred from promotion for five years!"

"As for the Qin family of Yuezhou, considering there were extenuating circumstances, and that the head of the Qin family tragically lost his life on account of this, capital punishment is remitted, but their guilt cannot go unpunished. Over the next three years, the quantity of Xiangyun brocade tribute presented to the imperial household must be increased by ten percent, and the Inner Court will not contribute a single coin!"

"The Xiangyun brocade for this year is ordered to be finished and delivered to the capital by the Yuezhou Qin family within two months!"

"Furthermore, before winter arrives, We also require fifty thousand sets of wool-woven garments."

Remembering that the Qin family possessed such items as woolen clothing, Liu Heng added this instruction without forgetting.

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Standing nearby, Su Peigui hurriedly committed these commands to memory.

"Lin You, the Prefect of Yuezhou, is dead. Must We find a new prefect?"

"Su Peigui, what are your insights?"

Frowning and unable to think of a suitable candidate on the moment, Liu Heng directed his gaze toward Su Peigui.

If the Emperor failed to select a proper candidate, the person chosen at court later—no matter how satisfactory—would never be as ideal as one handpicked by himself.

"Your Majesty, this servant wouldn't dare presume to speak on such matters!"

Seeing Liu Heng's eyes fixed upon him, Su Peigui quickly dropped to his knees.

Given that Yuezhou was Qin Zhong's hometown, official appointments and removals there clearly required far more deliberation than in other places.

The previous Prefect of Yuezhou, Lin You, was a man of Right Prime Minister Cao Renjie, and he had now perished due to his collusion with river bandits.

Who, then, should be appointed to this newly vacant post?

Should it be another man of Cao Renjie's faction, a man of Qin Zhong's, or someone else entirely?

Factions existed in every era, and even Liu Heng could not escape such realities.

Faced with these various cliques, Liu Heng, as Emperor, needed to employ political methods and strategies to consolidate his authority—a practice known as the art of checks and balances.

"Speak if We tell you to speak!"

Seeing Su Peigui trembling on the ground, Liu Heng chuckled half-mockingly and scolded him.

"In that case, Your Majesty, may this servant speak?"

Su Peigui cautiously raised his head, asking in a tentative tone.

As Liu Heng's personal eunuch, Su Peigui had remained by his side since the Emperor's youth.

To say that he understood Liu Heng better than anyone else in the entire imperial palace was no exaggeration.

"We told you to speak, so speak!"

Noticing the impatience in Liu Heng's voice, Su Peigui tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember Su Ren?"

"Su Ren?"

Mulling over the name for a moment, Liu Heng quickly recalled the person. "So it's him!"

As he uttered these words, a trace of resentment even flickered in Liu Heng's eyes.

"Your Majesty, Lord Su Ren rose from humble origins. Although he used to oppose Your Majesty at every turn and was never favored by anyone in the imperial court, it was entirely due to his stubborn temperament. Lord Su Ren is utterly devoted to the people, and his original intentions were always right!"

"Furthermore, according to the predictions of the Bureau of Astronomy, the Jiangnan Commandery and other regions may suffer torrential rains this year, unlike anything seen in decades!"

"Should such severe downpours occur, they will trigger catastrophic floods, leaving countless commoners displaced. The Yuezhou region of Jiangnan Commandery will undoubtedly be the hardest hit!"

"Your Majesty, this servant has spoken out of turn, and begs for Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Having finished speaking, Su Peigui prostrated himself on the floor, pleading for mercy.

"Old fox!"

"When did We say We were going to blame you?"

Liu Heng chided him with a smile, then pressed further, "Is this Su Ren still residing in the Chongwen Academy?"

"Your Majesty, ever since Lord Su was transferred to serve as the Chancellor of the Chongwen Academy five years ago, he has remained within its walls!"

The Chongwen Academy, to put it simply, was the imperial library.

And the Chancellor of the Chongwen Academy served as the library's director. Though it was an official post of the orthodox sixth rank, its actual political power was rather limited.

Su Peigui was truly the one who understood Liu Heng best. After turning the matter over and over in his mind, Liu Heng realized that no one else was more suitable for the position of Prefect of Yuezhou than Su Ren!

"Since Su Ren is devoted to the people, let him go to Yuezhou and solve this difficult problem for Us!"

"Besides, We also wish to see what progress Su Ren has made after five years!"

More and more pleased with the idea, Liu Heng made his decision on the spot.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Hearing this, Su Peigui chimed in with flattering agreement.

Early the next morning, during the imperial court session, before the officials arranged by Qin Zhong could even launch their impeachment against Lin You, Liu Heng openly announced the news that Lin You had colluded with river bandits and subsequently poisoned himself to death.

The officials who had already prepared their memorial tablets exchanged glances, deciding to wait and see how the situation would unfold.

Though Lin You was dead, Liu Heng clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest. The Lin family estate was confiscated; all male members of the Lin family were exiled to distant frontiers, while all females were consigned to the Ministry of Music's entertainment quarters.

Although the mistress and young misses of the Lin family had managed to escape by a stroke of luck, they would still struggle to evade their doom if captured by the authorities.

Furthermore, Liu Heng announced the punishments for the others in the presence of all civil and military officials.

Upon learning that Li Wei, who had been Governor of Jiangnan Commandery for less than a month, was barred from promotion for five years, and that Right Prime Minister Cao Renjie had also suffered a forfeiture of salary, the court officials were thoroughly shocked.

Those standing in the imperial court were all veteran foxes of many years. Although Liu Heng's actions did not spell it out explicitly, they were clearly aimed at Cao Renjie.

He was issuing a warning to Cao Renjie: though Lin You was dead, do not assume the Emperor was unaware of the dirty schemes you pulled.

Additionally, Liu Heng bestowed generous rewards upon the Yuezhou naval forces for their meritorious service in wiping out the river bandits.

As for the captured river bandit prisoners, Liu Heng did not even bother to interrogate them; under the supervision of the Yuezhou Shadow Guard, he ordered the Yuezhou naval forces to execute them all secretly on the spot.

At the very end, when the discussion turned to the appointment of the new Prefect of Yuezhou, while the leading officials at the forefront of the court were still racking their brains to recommend candidates,

Liu Heng, who had long since prepared his choice, issued an imperial decree on the spot, ordering Su Ren to proceed to Yuezhou and assume the office of Prefect.