The rain outside the waterside pavilion grew increasingly fierce.
After Xie Miheng finished his analysis, no one in the room spoke another word.
The celadon teacup Cui Jing held in mid-air had long lost its heat, a dim, cold gleam floating on the surface of the tea.
He stared blankly at Xie Miheng opposite him, whose clothes were dampened by the wind and rain, his mind repeatedly chewing over the five words just spoken.
The spring examinations, river engineering, military ordnance, salt taxes, and water transport.
Which of these five was not a foundation upon which the aristocratic families relied for their survival?
Which of them was not an avenue for planting cronies and amassing wealth?
If it was truly as Xie Miheng said, and the old emperor intended to centralize all these financial powers, the centuries-old foundations of the noble families would be destroyed in a single day.
Cui Jing's wrist began to ache. He finally slammed the cup of cold tea heavily onto the table, the spilling liquid staining his cuffs.
The mutton-fat jade thumb ring on Zheng Yuan's right hand stopped turning. The head of the Xingyang Zheng family looked through the pavilion's curtain of rain toward the imperial city.
Grand Secretary Xie, Zheng Yuan's voice was laced with deep suspicion. The current Emperor has been on the throne for over thirty years and has always emphasized checks and balances... Even when dealing with the Wang family, he boiled the frog in warm water, waiting a full ten years before letting the Xu family pull in the net. Why would His Majesty choose to strike out now of all times?
Zheng Yuan withdrew his gaze from the imperial city and fixed it on Xie Miheng's face, trying to find some clue in the expression of the Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
To seize local financial power so hastily is by no means a wise move.
The noble families are deeply rooted in the provinces. If pushed too far, our subordinates will feign compliance while acting in opposition, or even incite civilian uprisings. The very foundations of the Great Qian Dynasty would be shaken. Is His Majesty not afraid that pushing the aristocratic families to the brink will plunge the world into chaos?
Lu Boyuan tucked his hands into his sleeves, his shriveled lips moving as he joined in, Brother Zheng is absolutely right. This goes against all reason.
Lu Boyuan had spent his life studying the texts of sages, valuing checks and balances and the art of compromise.
This head of the Fanyang Lu family understood the emperor sitting on the dragon throne all too well.
The Son of Heaven has always sought stability. If he had taken it slowly, we might have made some concessions. But to make such a grand spectacle of targeting the autumn examinations is no different from holding a knife to our necks, forcing us into a life-and-death struggle.
Such a perilous move is definitely not His Majesty's usual style.
Lu Boyuan shook his head, his gray beard trembling in the wind.
I believe this is merely a test by His Majesty. Xu Youde is nothing but a pawn crossing the river; His Majesty wants to see where our bottom line lies.
Xie Miheng turned around, ignoring his half-soaked robes clinging to his body. The Chief Grand Secretary looked at the three heads of the aristocratic families who wielded the power of the realm, and a short, cold sneer escaped his throat.
A test? Suppression? Xie Miheng shook his head, walked to the desk, and gathered the rain-dampened chess pieces into his palm. Do you think His Majesty is trying to suppress us? You are wildly mistaken.
Xie Miheng slammed the pieces heavily into the center of the chessboard, producing a dull thud.
His Majesty is not suppressing us. He is burning his bridges!
Cui Jing's brows furrowed deeply, his tone full of bewilderment. Burning his bridges? Grand Secretary Xie, your words are overly alarmist.
Today, the Great Qian Dynasty appears peaceful on the surface. The taxes from Jiangnan are abundant year after year. Although the northern borders face harassment from the Helian tribes, with Tie Lanshan guarding Zhenbei City, it is considered stable... In the imperial court, our families are perfectly obedient and respectful.
His Majesty sits securely on the dragon throne. Where does this talk of burning bridges come from?
Cui Jing stood up and paced back and forth inside the pavilion.
Furthermore, even if His Majesty wants to centralize power, he could easily promote a few confidants and slowly divide us. Why resort to such mutually destructive methods?
Xie Miheng ignored Cui Jing's rebuttal.
The Chief Grand Secretary walked to the entrance of the pavilion, glanced left and right to confirm there was only the sound of wind and rain, and then returned, speaking in a hushed whisper.
Peaceful on the surface? That is nothing but a charade to gloss over reality. Xie Miheng's gaze swept over the three faces one by one. A hidden spy I planted in the palace twenty years ago risked their life the day before yesterday to send out a piece of news.
Xie Miheng paused. Seeing the three men holding their breath in rapt attention, he continued, Over the past half year, the Imperial Hospital has been frequently changing His Majesty's prescriptions! I had someone secretly test the discarded medicinal dregs.
They are filled with ginseng, aconite, and cinnamon... all potent, aggressive medicines meant only to string along a dying life!
The pavilion fell so silent that only the sound of the rain outside could be heard.
Zheng Yuan's hand suddenly trembled, and the mutton-fat jade thumb ring knocked against the armrest of his chair, making a crisp clink.
Lu Boyuan's already pale face lost all its color. He slumped back against his chair, his lips trembling.
Xie Miheng straightened his back, his tone chilling. His Majesty's health is at the end of its tether. The old man's days are numbered.
Sitting in his place, Cui Jing felt waves of coldness shooting straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
In his mind, Cui Jing rapidly pieced together all the clues.
A dying emperor, a new monarch about to ascend the throne, and the deeply entrenched aristocratic families.
"So that is how it is..." Cui Jing murmured, his voice dry. "His Majesty knows his days are numbered and fears the new emperor will not be able to suppress us. That is why he wants to clear the obstacles for the future sovereign before he breathes his last! He intends to drag us down with him in a final, desperate counterattack!"
"Crazy... he has truly gone mad," Lu Boyuan muttered to himself, his voice betraying an unconcealable anxiety. "If the Son of Heaven truly no longer cares for his own life, what use are our conventional methods of checks and balances?"
"He could easily issue a single imperial edict to perish together with the noble families who lack military power. Even if it means bearing infamy for eternity, he will pave the way for his descendants."
Zheng Yuan had not sat securely in the position of the patriarch of the Xingyang Zheng family for thirty years by relying merely on luck.
After a brief moment of shock, his mind began to race, rapidly deducing the possibilities.
If the old emperor truly intended to burn his bridges, merely confiscating the funds and provisions of the autumn imperial examinations would absolutely not be enough.
This was only the first step, a probing move, a prelude.
What other, even more insane actions would a dying emperor take to preserve the Great Qian empire and secure the new emperor's throne?
Zheng Yuan's thoughts spun rapidly at this moment.
He took the old emperor's temperament, the overall situation of Great Qian, and the distribution of the noble families, weighing them all together.
The old emperor dreaded the foundation the noble families had established in the north, and what he wanted to protect was the new emperor's throne.
Zheng Yuan opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Xie Miheng.
"Elder Xie," Zheng Yuan's voice became exceptionally calm, even carrying a trace of cruel clarity. "If His Majesty truly harbors such intentions, then what we are facing is likely not as simple as merely having our financial power confiscated."
Zheng Yuan stood up, walked to the edge of the waterside pavilion, and pointed towards the north.
"This capital was originally chosen in accordance with ancestral systems, but... it is currently too close to the Yin Mountains of the northern border! As long as the iron cavalry of the Helian people breaks through Zhenbei City, they could arrive at the city gates in less than half a month." Zheng Yuan turned around, looking at the three men with grave expressions. "If the old emperor knows his days are numbered, in order to keep the new emperor secure and to completely rid himself of our foundation in the north..."
Zheng Yuan enunciated his next words, pausing after each syllable: "Would he use the threat of the Helian cavalry riding south to directly issue an edict to move the capital to Jiangnan?"
Inside the waterside pavilion, the sound of the wind and rain was completely sealed off from the outside.
Xie Miheng's eyes widened in shock, while Cui Jing and Lu Boyuan went completely rigid, frozen in place.
