From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 196: Phoenix

The wolves act together to nefarious ends (1).

Liu Yao folded his arms behind his back as he gazed down at the ministers lying blatantly to the face of their liege and felt a profound sadness. It was a monumental sort of pain to have to come to terms with, a pang aching through his chest as he heard his dynasty creaking and groaning to a halt, the broken wheels that struggled to move it toward snapping into two beneath the weight of corruption and treachery.

This was what he lost Ziyu for? This was what tried to take Ziyu away from him again?

Not worth it. Meaningless.

He regarded his right prime minister. "Setting aside the matter of the secret passages...Beloved Subject Ren. What do you have to say about Beloved Subject Yuan’s accusations?" He used the term of address so perfunctorily but the irony was not lost on him.

Right Prime Minister Ren looked up morosely. "Your Majesty!" he cried with passion. "It must not be! For ten thousand times, it must not be (2)! We cannot allow evil to turn us against one another. Minister of Revenue Yuan has fallen thrall to the wicked demon’s spell and seeks to turn us against each other, to bring forth the ruin of Great Ye!"

His supporters nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Your Majesty, heartfelt advice may offend the ear (3) but must nonetheless be said! The fox demon Su Daji once brought about the downfall of the Shang Dynasty by leading its king astray."

"Yes! The wealthy indulged in pools of wine and forests of hanging meats whilst the poor starved in the streets."

"Not to mention, this vixenish demon’s pillow talk turned King Zhou of Shang against his well-meaning ministers, resulting in their torture and execution!"

It took all of Liu Yao’s self-restraint not to laugh outloud in incredulity. How dare they? Were the pools of wine and the forests of meats not now found in the courtyards of his wealthiest officials? Was the so-called ’pillow talk’ not each faction trying their best to influence his decision to suit their purposes?

"So all of you are saying that this sovereign’s Imperial Concubine Hui was the true instigator of all this unrest within the realm and that the evil has now departed and all is well. Is that what you’re suggesting, my beloved subjects?"

A ripple of unease washed through the crowd. Head Eunuch Cao attempted to hand Liu Yao his bronze handwarmer but Liu Yao brushed it aside. He needed to quell the anger that boiled within, not fuel it further lest he made rash decisions in the heat of the moment.

When no one replied, Liu Yao started singling out individuals. "Minister of Justice Ren. This overlaps with your ministry’s jurisdiction, does it not? What insight can you provide on the situation?"

Minister of Justice Ren gave a stiff bow. "This subject is regretful that I too was taken in by the deceitful demon and daren’t give Your Majesty misguided advice." Though younger than the head of his clan, he was made of lesser mettle. His teeth chattered and the straight spine that all the men of the Ren Family were so proud of had finally bent in the time spent experiencing rare physical hardship.

Gui. Precious. Zhou. Helmet.

This was what the descendants of feudal aristocrats were called. Once, their ancestors had ridden in battle next to Liu Yao’s forefather. Now, the pampered hedonism of the capital had stripped them of their spears and shields, leaving them to turn their greedy ambition against the very civilians their families had once vowed to protect.

Worst part of it was that as much as Liu Yao wanted to, even when he had collated all these testimonies and confessions pointing fingers at the likely perpetrators of this latest ploy, he couldn’t rid the kingdom of them at one shot. Not only would that leave him with too many open positions in court and not enough experienced candidates to fill in the gaps, he would also be held accountable by the scholarly masses, most of whom were affiliated to one faction or another.

The saliva from the students who held the right prime minister in high regard would be enough to drown him with censure if he arrested the man on just hearsay evidence alone.

No, every time they clashed in court, Liu Yao found that he had no choice but to play their game. Tolerate their game.

Win at their game. After all, a lack of forbearance in small matters upsets great plans (4). He couldn’t very well expect Liu An to memorise Confucius if he wasn’t familiar with the teachings himself.

But it was exhausting. And not necessarily always suitable for an emperor.

"No one else has anything to add?" he asked. "General Guo, what about your take on the capital’s security? Left Prime Minister Zhao? Should this court let itself be governed by superstition?"

He watched impassively as General Guo faltered, his rough complexion turning ruddy as he was put on the spot. Ever a pompous man, he’d always found it difficult to play the deferent subject in front of Liu Yao, who was of the age of his nephews. Those long discussions held about when Liu Yao was going to send him back to leverage against the southwestern warlord had gone nowhere and Liu Yao knew that General Guo—and whoever he was working with—was running out of patience.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as Liu Yao was emperor, they would do well to keep their tails between their legs and pray he didn’t catch wind of their schemes. The ’little’ mistakes that he had to turn a blind eye would one day add up to become unforgivable crimes.

"Your Majesty." Left Prime Minister Zhao kowtowed. "This old subject is of the opinion that the court should not let a fear of the supernatural dictate its actions. However, we must consider how we have ended up with such a problem to deal with. How even did the concept of spirits, demons, ghosts, and monsters arise for debate in Weiyang Hall?" Unlike most of the other officials, he had accepted the hot tea and floor cushion that the eunuchs had ensured to provide. Hence, he was in a far better state than some of the younger men kneeling behind him.

Liu Yao chuckled softly. "Spirits, demons, ghosts, monsters. Did they arise, as Beloved Subject Zhao puts it, in the capital or in the hearts of humans?" He walked past General Guo, who was about to speak.

He only had patience for so much nonsense left. Best reserve it for Right Prime Minister Ren.

"Beloved Subject Zhao speaks truly; we ought to get to the bottom of the problem, is that not so?" With his officials hanging onto his every word, Liu Yao took his time in a leisurely stroll down the carpeted aisle until he stood in front of the tall steps that led down to a magnificent quadrangle. Here, the ground was an expense of white marble, a symbol of the all-encompassing heavens that loomed overhead. The snow, which had threatened earlier to descend in a thick flurry, had all but ceased, as though even the gods were waiting with bated breath for today’s outcome.

"Beloved Subject Ren." Liu Yao didn’t turn around as he addressed the most powerful minister in his court. It was a lack of respect that went against his noble upbringing as crown prince but frankly, Ren Hao’s unrepentance revolted him and he couldn’t stand the sight of the man anymore. "You deem a mythical fox demon the problem. What solutions do you have for this sovereign?"

It was Director Chen who responded. "If this humble subject may speak, Your Majesty, the threat has already been nullified by the evil demon’s departure—"

"—this demon of yours took off the skin of this sovereign’s concubine and left behind a pair of fox eyes," Liu Yao interrupted. "Does this threat seem ’nullified’ to you? What are you going to tell this sovereign next? That my ’dragon energy’ (5) would be powerful enough to ward of such supernatural evils? As I recall, it did little to save anyone this time around."

"Your Majesty, please quell your anger." Right Prime Minister Ren’s forlorn voice resounded from a distance. He was kneeling at the front of the rows of officials who had followed him here. Liu Yao now stood at the back. "Director Chen’s astronomy talents have revealed that the Tianfu Star wasn’t harmed by the demon."

"Yes, that is correct!" Director Chen was quick to concur. Liu Yao’s lips twitched upwards bitterly. Of course, when it suited them, even his love for Yan Yun could be glorified just to serve their goals. "In fact, Your Majesty, the Tianfu Star shines ever brighter! Congratulations to Your Majesty, how fortunate that you have acquired a destined phoenix to bring prosperity to your rule!"

"May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years! May Imperial Noble Consort Yue live for a thousand years!"

Finally.

Liu Yao closed his eyes. It was, of course, the winter wind that made them sting.

"This old subject sincerely begs Your Majesty to bestow upon the Tianfu Star its rightful place as the mother of Great Ye." Right Prime Minister Ren didn’t miss a beat. Liu Yao wasn’t taken in by this sudden display of loyalty to Ah Yun. They both knew what he was trying to achieve. If Liu Yao’s love for the Ah Yun was genuine, there was no way he would tarnish the coronation of his empress with the inauspicious spilling of blood. What would the historical records say of Emperor Xuanjun’s bride if the day of selection was the same as the mass arrests of prominent court officials?

The old noble clans were here to compromise today and what they were offering up was a lack of resistance to—was support of, in fact—Liu Yao’s choice of a legitimate wife.

But innocents had died because of their selfishness. Liu Yao needed more before he let them go this time.

As though reading his thoughts, Right Prime Minister Ren spoke up once again. "This old subject has one more thing to add, Your Majesty."

"Speak."

Right Prime Minister Ren’s next words came as a surprise.

"This old subject is filled with shame at having been led astray by a demon’s tricks and feels inadequate for the role of Prime Minister." An agitated chorus of disagreement from his supporters in his faction was swiftly quashed by his reprimanding glare. "As this subject is not getting any younger is appears to be the appropriate moment to tender my resignation from my post."

The hopeful lifting of Liu Yao’s heart was soon grounded by logic. A politician as shrewd as Ren Hao was aware that removing himself from the sphere of direct influence on court matters didn’t mean he was out of the game yet. His students and allies remained in the court and would do his work for him.

As such, rather than accept his resignation at face value, Liu Yao just gave him a thin smile.

"Why speak now of resigning? This sovereign sees that Beloved Subject Ren is of robust health and has many strong years ahead of you yet." He brushed off Right Prime Minister Ren’s polite rejections of his token compliment to add in a thoughtful manner, "Then, how about this suggestion? Since Beloved Subject Ren is beside yourself with guilt, this sovereign believes a break from the stressful matters of court is in order." His smile widened. "Or have you forgotten your gift to this sovereign at the banquet of the Festival of Longevity?"

He had the pleasure to see this most eloquent of officials speechless.

"Beloved Subject Ren? Would it not be more meaningful a rest for you should you dedicate your time to assisting the orphans of this sovereign’s kingdom?"

It was the least Ren Hao could do for the people he owed for his crimes.

"...this old subject thanks Your Majesty for bestowing favour."

Liu Yao exchanged a quick glance with Head Eunuch Cao, who gave him a slight nod. The imperial scribe was already prepared to record what he was about to say. Liu Yao himself had long since memorised his speech, the words he’d once inked into parchment also painted on his mind.

"Very well. Since all this sovereign’s beloved subjects have no objections to Imperial Noble Consort Yue’s coronation as empress,"—he enjoyed the ashen faces of a select few as they tried to stomach what was undoubtedly a repulsive thought to them—"pass on this verbal edict. Legitimate son of the meritorious Yan Family, of illustrious upbringing, having demonstrated culture and talent, was selected for the imperial harem. With decorum appropriate to his status, and with elegant display of bright virtue, he has supported this sovereign’s reign. Within the imperial palace, he has deferred to this sovereign’s will, amongst the imperial harem, he has yet to violate the rules. Having scrutinised with imperial favour, and with admiration each time, this sovereign declares it sufficient to determine that the son of Yan, bethrothed to this sovereign, is worthy of being conferred the title of Empress (6)..."