Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 123 : Yanqing

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By the time Yu Xiaozai spoke to this point, the tea on the small table had already gone cold. He continued, “I don’t understand. The students were initially so harsh on the officials of humble origins, then why would they flock to Xue Xiuzhuo overnight? Don’t tell me Xue Xiuzhou, who is merely the common son of the Xue clan, would be able to do his best for those from humble families more than Minister Kong from Cangjun Commandery, who has been diligent in administering state affairs? The Grand Secretary went to the trouble to pave the way for us. But who would have expected that it’s still the noble clans who gained the upper hand in the end?”  

“Xue Xiuzhuo might not necessarily let the noble clans gain the upper hand.” Xiao Chiye poured cold tea and said, “He struck this round when his opponents were unprepared, and so caught both sides off guard. The empress dowager had been going around in circles with Han Cheng because she had no one in her hands to use. Xue Xiuzhuo obviously had not leaked any words of it to the conservative noble clans headed by the empress dowager. Furthermore, at the time when the former emperor passed away, he had Han Cheng trapped as a pawn. In other words, he had already offended the noble clans, and this is something he knows better than anyone else.” 

With a worried frown, Yu Xiaozai said, “I’ve been thinking about it on the way here, but I still can’t figure it out. I don’t understand what his intention is. The foundation of the new emperor is unstable, and she’s a woman to boot. If he did so for merely a moment of power, then even if the Xue clan rises in power, he wouldn’t be able to last long under pressure from the empress dowager and the others.” 

Thoughts flashed through Shen Zechuan’s mind. He contemplated it for a moment, then said, “We can’t let go of any clues if we want to probe into a person’s motive. During the reign of Xiande at the Nanlin Hunting Grounds, Hua Siqian was forced into rebelling, and it was Secretariat Elder Hai and Xue Xiuzhuo who masterminded it. At that time, Xue Xiuzhuo held office as the Chief Supervising Secretary in The Office of Scrutiny for Revenue and audited their accounts. You said that Secretariat Elder Hai mentioned this matter before he died in remonstration. Then my guess is that Xue Xiuzhou was aware of the inside story of the Zhongbo troops’ defeat. This was probably the reason he could later go on to join forces and work as one with the Juexi’s Provincial Administration Commissioner, Jiang Qingshan, to investigate and take out Hua Siqian. Looking at it this way, this person is not of the same kind as Wei Huaigu, because he has been striking out the noble clans right from the start.”  

“I once heard Xi Hongxuan talking about him. He said Xue Xiuzhuo was busy all day with governmental affairs. After I took office as the Northern Judge of the Imperial Bodyguards, I sorted out the case records the Imperial Bodyguards and the Court of Judicial Review joined forces to investigate. I discovered that he did indeed handle many cases after he was transferred away from the Office of Scrutiny for Revenue to the Court of Judicial Review. Secretariat Elder Hai was an upright person who would never stoop to flattery, and his repeated promotion of Xue Xiuzhuo is not without merit. Even His Excellency Cen has spoken to me many times about Xue Xiuzhuo. His political achievement to date could be said to be outstanding among the up-and-coming talents.” 

Enlightened, Yu Xiaozai said, “To tell you the truth, Vice Commander, this is where I can’t figure it out. All along, Xue Xiuzhuo has a good reputation. Even the imperial censors from the Chief Surveillance Bureau hardly have any objections of him. The Chief Surveillance Bureau’s appraisals of him are excellent. This is clear as day to everyone, so I really can’t understand the rationale behind his current actions. Because as we have seen before, he’s not a man like Pan Rugui who would seize the opportunity to get rich.”