140: Leaving Beijing in disgrace

Three days later, in the Golden Throne Room.

The morning bell had rung three times, its lingering echoes particularly jarring in the empty hall.

Li Shun sat on the Dragon Throne, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the gilded Dragon patterns on the armrest.

Looking down at the sparsely scattered courtiers below, a cold sneer twitched at his lips—of the vast imperial court, less than thirty percent of officials had actually come.

As the eunuch chanted, the morning assembly officially began.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Chancellor Liu has suddenly fallen ill and is on leave at home.”

The newly appointed Vice Minister of Rites, Zhu Hongji, stepped forward to report, “Forty-seven officials from the Six Ministries are absent, all claiming to be ill.”

The remaining courtiers in the hall bowed their heads, as if trying to stare a flower into existence on the floor tiles.

With two powerful figures clashing, it was truly difficult for these small fries caught in the middle!

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Vice Minister of Revenue, stared intently at the tip of his shoe, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed on his cloud-patterned black boots.

He had come to this morning court risking broken legs.

The previous night, before he fell asleep, a sharp arrow had pierced directly into a load-bearing pillar in his study, with a note attached to its fletching. The note contained ten large characters.

“Claim illness for a thousand gold, follow for broken legs.”

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue looked at these words, tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night.

As a small fry like him, he couldn't afford to offend either the Emperor or Chancellor Liu.

Offend the Emperor?

No, no.

Although the Chancellor Liu now controlled the court, it would be as easy as flipping a hand for the Emperor to kill a mere Vice Minister like him.

Offend Chancellor Liu? Well... perhaps that wasn't impossible.

At worst, he'd just break his legs, then put them back together.

Standing in the court now, Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue felt as if both his legs were about to leave him.

His heart was bitter!

There were many officials in the same situation as Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, now trembling with fear, like fish about to be roasted over charcoal at any moment.

* * *

“Minister Zhang seems unwell?”

Li Shun suddenly spoke, making Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue shiver.

“Your... Your... servant...”

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue's tongue suddenly tied itself in knots.

He secretly glanced at Zhu Hongji, seeing that he too was staring at the ground, as if he hadn't noticed him.

“Your... Your servant... drank too much water, and needs... needs to relieve himself.”

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue stammered, finally coming up with an excuse.

“I grant it.”

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue quickly walked towards the outside of the hall. Li Shun took in everything within the hall.

“What? Do all you esteemed ministers also wish to relieve yourselves?”

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the Dragon Throne, the rhythm growing slower and slower.

Li Shun looked at the ministers below, who wished they could shrink into quail eggs, and understood in his heart that this was Liu Chongshan's show of force to him, a young Emperor—to show who the civil and military officials of the court truly obeyed.

This game of feigning illness and taking leave, though a bit childish, was very effective.

For the past two years, whenever Li Shun wanted to implement a policy that didn't suit Chancellor Liu, that old scoundrel would put on this act for him.

In the past, Li Shun would always compromise, even visiting the Prime Minister's Residence himself on several occasions to inquire about his health.

But, this time, it was different.

He, Li Shun, was no longer that pitiful little wretch, suppressed and without hope.

Once a person has hope, has faith, they fear nothing.

Just a mere Chancellor.

Li Shun's thoughts raced. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the Dragon Throne. After a long moment, he suddenly smiled.

“Very well. Since all you beloved ministers are unwell, then there is no need to trouble them with the matter of moving the capital.”

He stood up, his dark Dragon robe shimmering with subtle patterns in the morning light.

“Pass My decree, announce to the world, that in three days, those who voluntarily relocate the capital shall depart with Me. As for the officials who remain...”

His gaze swept over the crowd below, “Their salaries will be halved, and they should seek their own fortunes.”

* * *

After the edict for relocating the capital was issued, the entire capital fell into an eerie silence.

The edict, posted on the bulletin board on Vermilion Bird Street, had not even dried before half of it was torn off by a calloused hand.

“What are you looking at!”

Old Man Wang, the steamed bun vendor, crumpled the torn edict and threw it at the crowd.

“My ancestors have lived in the capital for eight generations, why should I move to that useless Qingzhou!”

The surrounding crowd stirred.

“Old Man Wang, you can't say that.”

Widow Li, the tofu seller, pushed her way to the front, holding her nursing baby in her arms, “My maiden home is in Qingzhou, and I heard that there are really immortals protecting that place now...”

Suddenly, the sound of a gong came from outside the crowd.

The Censor of the City Patrol arrived with bailiffs, the leader holding a yellow silk imperial decree: “By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees, all those who voluntarily relocate the capital shall be exempt from taxes for three years—”

“Pah!”

Old Man Wang suddenly spat at the imperial decree.

“My shop is worth three hundred taels of silver!”

At the same time, in a straw hut in the slum, Widow Li was stuffing dry rations into a tattered bundle.

Her mother-in-law raised a broom to hit her: “Are you crazy? What good can come from following the court? That year, when the late Emperor went on his southern tour, the number of people who starved to death along the way could fill the Wei River!”

“But staying in the capital might not be good either. The land within a hundred li radius of the capital is occupied by aristocratic families. For common folk like us, it's better to seize this opportunity and take a gamble...”

“What you say makes sense.”

The Shen Family.

In the westernmost courtyard of the Shen Family's residence, Shen Mo was kowtowing heavily towards the ancestral shrine.

Two items were placed on the offering table.

On the left was a letter from Shen Jianxing from Qingzhou, and on the right were the Shen Family's account books from over the years.

“Master, are you really going to follow His Majesty?”

The Shen Family's butler wept, “Chancellor Liu's people just came and threatened us with our Shen Family's ancestral graves...”

Shen Mo slammed his ancestral jade pendant onto the table with a heavy thud and sighed.

“Follow, why wouldn't I follow.”

He believed in his son.

Since both Jianhong and Shen Jianxing said that relocating the capital to Qingzhou was a long-term plan, he had to support them.

“It's just a pity about the second son...”

The Shen Family's second son, Shen Jianfeng, had died at the hands of demons years ago and hadn't survived.

How wonderful it would be if he had lived until now.

Now that the third son had survived, it would be difficult for the Shen Family not to rise in the future.

* * *

At dawn, a silent procession of less than five thousand people gathered outside the Xuanwu Gate.

Aside from the entire Shen Family, only dozens of humble officials and over four thousand common people were willing to follow.

Li Shun rode on horseback, looking at the empty city gate, his chest heavy as if a stone was pressed upon it.

Suddenly, urgent hoofbeats sounded from afar.

“Your Majesty! Wait for this old subject!”

Grand Tutor Wang, with a dozen students, galloped over, simple luggage strapped to their horses.

“This old subject... this old subject wishes to see the divine miracles of Qingzhou with his own eyes.”

Li Shun noticed the faint scars visible beneath the Grand Tutor Wang's official robes and understood—he had probably escaped at the risk of his life.