However, with Kou Chun by his side, he maintained his customary caution. He pretended to be a normal infant, his days consumed by eating, drinking, sleeping, and the usual bodily functions. Consequently, he didn’t need to expend too much energy on the Bloodline World for now. This period was opportune for managing court affairs, reasserting control over the court hierarchy, and preparing to pass the imperial throne to Xu Zhang...
Just as he stepped out of the secret chamber, Empress Zhao Yunniang sent the results of the Three Law Divisions’ joint hearing on Yu Ci to a side hall of Ziwei Palace.
"Your Majesty has not personally managed court affairs for many years," Zhao Yunniang said. "I am unfamiliar with the current backgrounds of the officials, so I have added some notes to the memorial Yu Ci submitted to Your Majesty."
Interference in governance by the harem was a major taboo. But she had been involved for twelve years, so an extra day or two hardly mattered. After all, Xu Xing had already stated that he would not occupy the throne for too long. Once court affairs stabilized, he would pass the imperial throne to Xu Zhang and focus more on the Immortal Path. Thus, their relationship as Emperor and Empress no longer needed to be overly guarded.
Xu Xing casually glanced at the memorial and laughed. It seems Yu Ci isn’t foolish. He knows these accusations must target not only his own partisans but also those of Gongyang Yi.
His deliberate decision to release Yu Ci, the mastermind behind the attempted palace coup, was not solely aimed at suppressing Yu Ci’s faction. It was also directed at Gongyang Yi. There absolutely could not be only one voice remaining in the court. Compared to Yu Ci, Gongyang Yi was a far greater concern.
Zhao Yunniang poured tea for Xu Xing, narrating small incidents from outside the palace. "I heard that after Gongyang Yi received the sable fur cloak Your Majesty gifted him, he put it on immediately. Later, as he was leaving the palace gates, he supposedly fainted from the heat before his sedan chair. He’s now bedridden at home, refusing all visitors."
Xu Xing raised his eyebrows. Gongyang Yi is a clever man. Fainting from the heat? Nonsense. He saw I’ve returned and wants to use feigned illness as a way to retreat.
The symbolism of gifting Gongyang Yi the sable fur cloak was to imply that under the scorching sun of imperial authority, any number of "sable fur cloaks"—representing his current power and status—would be useless. The Emperor was hinting that Gongyang Yi should make a wise and timely retreat, returning power to him, the rightful sovereign.
Xu Xing drew out the word, "However... it seems Gongyang Yi doesn’t want to relinquish his power either. He’s feigning illness. If I were to strip him of his authority as Zaifu, the people would call me ungrateful and accuse me of mistreating meritorious officials. His move also cleverly conceals a tactic of advancing by retreating.
Gongyang Yi’s feigned illness had placed him in an unassailable position. Whether he intended to use this to genuinely step down or merely feign retreat as a prelude to advancing his position, both were viable options for him. The presence or absence of the sable fur cloak wouldn’t have changed Gongyang Yi’s course of action. The only difference was that, with the sable fur cloak bestowed by the Emperor, Gongyang Yi could use the pretext to his advantage.
Xu Xing glanced at the Registrar sitting behind the curtain in the hall and instructed him, "Issue a decree: Add two thousand households to Duke Yiguo’s nominal fief and five hundred households to his actual fief."
Gongyang Yi had been enfeoffed as Duke Yiguo for his contributions to the founding of the empire.
"Your Majesty’s intention is...?" Zhao Yunniang prompted, playing her part.
Xu Xing explained softly to Zhao Yunniang, "Gongyang Yi has forgotten something. He is a subject; I am the Emperor. If he refuses to relinquish his power, then I... will have done everything that benevolence and righteousness require."
At this moment, Xu Xing recalled a line from a poem Scholar Su had written with tea on the table during their conversation: "Even white-haired acquaintances keep their hands on their swords; those newly risen to high office behind Vermilion Gates laugh as they flick their ceremonial caps." When the two of them were drinking tea, Scholar Su seemed to be discussing himself and Ouyang Shuda, but was he not also alluding to the situation following my, the Emperor’s, return to the Imperial Court?
Affairs in the court cannot be hidden from the common people in the marketplace. Cannot be hidden from... the storytellers!
「Shenjing, Gongyang Mansion.」
Typically, most ministers preferred to display their noble titles on the plaques outside their residences. Gongyang Yi, however, was an exception; his position as Zaifu was far more significant than his title of Duke Yiguo.
In the bedroom of his rear residence, Gongyang Yi, clad only in a white silk inner garment rather than his court robes, was propped up in bed, a quilt over his knees. "Minister Gongyang Yi thanks Your Majesty for your immense grace..." he said, cupping his hands in a salute to the eunuch who had read the Imperial Decree before accepting it.
As the Zaifu, a veteran minister who enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, and ostensibly suffering from a grave illness, Gongyang Yi was excused from wearing his court robes and performing the full kowtow to receive the decree.
The eunuch delivering the decree exchanged some pleasantries. "Senior official," he relayed, "before I set out, His Majesty repeatedly instructed that I must ensure the act of delivering this decree does not worsen your condition."
Once the eunuch departed, Gongyang Yi dropped the pretense. He rose from the bed and walked to the Eight Immortals Table, about to ask his son to pour him a cup of chilled tea. Then, it suddenly occurred to him that the eunuch had touched the teapot. He frowned and had a servant replace it with a fresh pot and new teacups.
Gongyang Yi’s eldest son, Gongyang De, bowed and advised softly, "Father, His Majesty... is not Crown Prince Xu Zhang, nor is he the Empress. To deceive His Majesty in this manner..."
Gongyang Yi poured himself a cup of tea, then shook his head and sighed. "I know. But... I just can’t accept it..."
His decision back then to abandon Monk Shang and align with Xu Xing had been a testament to his astuteness. Now, however, despite recognizing the dangers lurking within the court’s undercurrents, his reluctance to step down made him unwilling to yield his position as Zaifu. He was only in his fifties; it was far too early for him to request retirement.
Seeing his father’s reluctance, Gongyang De immediately knelt, his voice choked with grief, trying to force a decision. "If Father insists on this course of action, then please, Father, declare me unfilial and banish me from the family!"
A heroic father begets a capable son. Gongyang De, having been long at his father’s side and under his influence, was also well-versed in the ways of power and intrigue. He clearly understood that if his father, Gongyang Yi, persisted in confronting Emperor Tiande, it would not be Gongyang Yi alone who would perish; their entire family would face annihilation. The eunuch’s pronouncement of the decree this time, while ostensibly a reward, was in truth Emperor Tiande’s final ultimatum to Gongyang Yi, the Senior official.
Seeing his son in such a state, Gongyang Yi finally relented with a sigh, "Enough! Enough! Enough!" He had to accept his fate.
Gongyang Yi went to court and confessed that he had committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor by deliberately concealing his illness. Deceiving the Emperor was a grave offense. The actions of the Zaifu of the Inner Council instantly caused an uproar throughout the court and among the populace.
The astute could discern from these actions the underlying struggle between the sovereign and his minister, and Gongyang Yi’s eventual capitulation. The naive, however, merely believed the bond between Emperor and minister was so profound that Gongyang Yi, unable to bear deceiving Emperor Tiande, had willingly confessed his transgression.
Xu Xing first set the tone for the matter, making it clear he would not punish Gongyang Yi. "We have been sovereign and subject, you and I, for a considerable time..." Then, he skillfully defused the situation and minimized its political repercussions by downplaying it: "Once, in the Siming Mountains, Mister Gongyang claimed sick leave due to his heavy workload, but in reality, he had snuck off to amuse himself... Today, Mister Gongyang again claims illness, just as before. However, now I am the Emperor, and Mister Gongyang is my minister; hence, this technically constitutes the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Yet, we were originally close friends. From the standpoint of our friendship, what offense has Mister Gongyang truly committed?" Xu Xing’s tone shifted as he spoke.
Gongyang Yi’s appearance in court to request punishment was a political declaration: he, the Zaifu of the Inner Council, would no longer contend with Emperor Tiande. His remaining partisans were to stand down; he would no longer participate.
When "political opponents" surrender, the victor must never press them too hard; this is an unspoken rule. Therefore, Xu Xing’s words allowed everyone to save face.