Chapter 384 My Fortune, the Fortune of the Nation

That night.

Inside the Imperial Study in Nanjing's Imperial City.

Despite being exhausted from days of travel, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an still mustered his strength to summon Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard and Marquis of Wuping, who was left to guard the capital.

Chen Huai'an had already received Luo Yucheng's report regarding the various rumors that his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, had revealed to him in the Cining Palace today.

In fact, although Chen Huai'an had been away from the capital for nearly half a year, he was fully aware of what was happening in the capital.

All of this is thanks to the efforts of Marquis Wuping, Luo Yucheng.

The Dragon City Inner Guard under his command is now the largest intelligence agency in the Tang Dynasty. Tens of thousands of Dragon City Inner Guard members are scattered throughout the country. They regularly collect and report the intelligence they have gathered, which is then compiled into a memorial by Deputy Commander Luo Yucheng and secretly presented to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an.

Therefore, regardless of the various rumors circulating in the court about how he once issued an edict in the Uyghur Khanate to allow the descendants of the valiant Khan Moyanchuo to inherit his title of Western King of the Tang Dynasty;

Alternatively, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was well aware that, in the first special imperial examination held by the Tang Dynasty, only thirteen out of the two hundred candidates nationwide came from the north.

His tireless journey from the Western Regions back to the capital was not only to spend time with his wife and children, but more importantly, to handle government affairs.

During the period when Duke Chang Yuchun of Wei was acting as prime minister, he was diligent and conscientious, but he was too cautious and lacked decisiveness. As a result, undercurrents were surging in the court and the country, and powerful families frequently tested the court's bottom line.

Even during Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's personal campaign, when the "tea and horse smuggling case" involving Liu Ziyu, the Earl of Wuyi, implicated Su Chen and Jiang Ning, the governors of Liangjiang and Lianghu, Chang Yuchun's indecisive handling of the matter sparked a mutiny in Jiangnan.

Fortunately, the matter was eventually suppressed by Chang Yuchun, a military general, with swift and decisive measures.

However, the events that occurred during Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's absence from the capital have shown that, in the midst of the transition between the old and new dynasties, without his presence as the founding emperor, no one else could truly suppress this turbulent situation.

Inside the Imperial Study, Chen Huai'an was drinking tea while conducting an interrogation. Beside him stood Luo Yucheng, the Deputy Commander of the Dragon City Inner Guard and Marquis of Wuping, dressed in a flying fish robe and reporting various matters to him with utmost respect.

Luo Yucheng said, "Your Majesty, I have obtained relevant evidence. The reason why the news that Your Majesty once issued an edict in the Western Regions to allow the descendants of the valiant Khan to inherit his title of King of the West of the Tang Dynasty has caused such a great uproar in the capital is entirely due to the machinations of Liu Huaiyi, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate."

"This Liu Huaiyi was originally an imperial censor of the previous dynasty, and it was only through the emperor's grace that he was able to continue serving in the Censorate of the Tang Dynasty."

"But this fellow is a staunch opponent of the princely faction!"

After a pause, Luo Yucheng continued, "According to the intelligence I possess, Liu Huaiyi, when he served in the previous dynasty, expressed his firm opposition when Emperor Gaozu of the Xin dynasty, Zhao Mang, was enfeoffing his children."

"Furthermore, he was a staunch supporter and executor of the campaign to weaken the power of the princes launched by Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty. All evidence suggests that after the late emperor was murdered and died, it was Liu Huaiyi who instigated Zhao Gan to target the Prince of Jin's residence and issue an edict to send Wu Qingyun's army to the border to strip the emperor of his military power!"

oh?

Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow and said with considerable interest, "Is that so?"

hehe!

Then, he laughed and said, "It seems that Liu Huaiyi, the censor of the Censorate, truly learned from history when he opposed the enfeoffment system. He probably thinks that if Emperor Gaozu of the Great Xin Dynasty, Zhao Mang, had not arbitrarily enfeoffed his family, the Zhao family's dynasty would not have perished after only three generations!"

"Go on!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Luo Yucheng continued, "After thorough investigation, I have found that Liu Huaiyi, the Censor of the Censorate, was indeed an incorruptible official during his tenure."

"That is why he publicly proclaimed his opposition to the feudal system, claiming it stemmed from a sense of responsibility to the nation, the imperial rule, and the common people; it was an act of utmost loyalty, worthy of the teachings of the sages and a clear conscience before Heaven and Earth."

"He even went so far as to say that if the emperor were to announce the conferment of a princeship in court in the future, he would surely remonstrate with his life and demand that the emperor retract his decree!"

As he spoke, Luo Yucheng took out a letter from his wide sleeves and respectfully handed it to Chen Huai'an, saying, "Your Majesty, under the influence of Liu Huaiyi, the Censor of the Censorate, a total of twenty-one officials from the Censorate, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Six Ministries have formed an alliance against the enfeoffment of princes. This is the list I have, please take a look!"

snort!

Chen Huai'an sneered and said, "This Liu Huaiyi, a dignified censor of the Procuratorate, doesn't even understand the principle that great loyalty can appear as treachery. He's utterly pedantic!"

Then, Chen Huai'an took the list and instructed, "Yu Cheng, you continue!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Luo Yucheng said, "Regarding the fact that most of the two hundred successful candidates in this first imperial examination were from the thirteen southern provinces, I have secretly investigated and verified this information, and I have also consulted with Lu Jiang, the Marquis of Zhongyong, who was ordered to inspect the country and supervise the imperial examinations."

"The information we have is basically consistent with that of the Duke of Wei, and there are two main reasons why the number of northern students admitted as tribute students is far lower than that of southern students;"

"Firstly, since the first year of the Jian'an era of the previous dynasty, the north had been mired in continuous warfare, making it difficult for northern students to have a quiet environment for systematic learning;"

"Secondly, during the imperial examination held in the capital, the Marquis of Wuyi, Liu Ziyu, led a rebellion with fierce generals from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, which cut off the official road for most northern scholars to travel south to the capital to participate in the examination."

"By the time these northern students arrived in the capital via a detour, they had already missed the imperial examination, which led to the huge difference in the number of successful candidates from the north and south."

Then, Luo Yucheng added, "As for the person who spread the rumor that the Tang Dynasty only possessed half of its territory, I have secretly investigated and ascertained their identity."

"This man's name is Yu Siqian, a native of Wuzhou in the northern Youyun region. Because he wrote treasonous remarks on his examination paper, the officials grading the papers from the Ministry of Rites disqualified him from taking the exam."

"The latter, feeling dissatisfied, made outrageous remarks and criticized the Emperor while drunk at a post station in the capital. He has been arrested by the Imperial Guards of Longcheng and transferred to the Ministry of Justice for detention!"

After saying that, Luo Yucheng took out a long answer sheet with thousands of words written on it from his other sleeve and handed it to Chen Huai'an, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the answer sheet of the traitor Yu Siqian in the imperial examination. Please take a look!"

Um?

Chen Huai'an frowned slightly and took the exam paper filled with treasonous remarks from Luo Yucheng's hand. After just one glance, Chen Huai'an, who was leaning back in his chair, immediately sat up straight, and his expression became serious and solemn.

His action terrified Marquis Luo Yucheng, who stood to the side, so much so that he fell silent and dared not even breathe.

He thought to himself, "This Yu Siqian is doomed. His entire family is probably going to be executed."

a long time!

Chen Huai'an suddenly slammed Yu Siqian's answer sheet shut and then burst into hearty laughter without any restraint.

Hahaha!

After laughing, he said to himself, "Heaven has been kind to me. The Tang Dynasty has just been established, and I have been fortunate to have such a person. What a blessing for the people and the country!"

Luo Yucheng: Huh?

Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said, "Come, accompany me to the Ministry of Justice prison!"