scarlet heart | exo

Obstacles

"I want to crack down on the officials."

"You what?" Xuefeng was flabbergasted.

From the moment of his coronation, it was clear that currying favour from the officials was not at the top of Zitao's priority list. However, she never would have guessed that he was entertaining the idea of actively antagonising them.

"You heard me. I want to crack down on the officials."

"Yes, but— I mean— why?" she stuttered. "All the officials are working well in the government departments, and everything is going well, just as it has been during Father Emperor's reign. It's already a great relief that the transition between emperors was smooth. Why rock the boat?"

Zitao's brow knitted. "Everything is working, but not as well as it can potentially be. There's still corruption amongst the officials, and even though it is relatively small at the moment, they are still a burden on the system, and I need to put an end to it before it becomes rampant and impossible to stop."

"Fair enough," Xuefeng conceded. "You'll need a Prince, one of your brothers, to head the investigation into the corruption. I suggest appointing Yixing."

There was a noticeable tilt to Zitao's head, but his voice remained in its expressionless state. "Why him?"

She replied with a smile, a little strained, but a smile nonetheless. "Yixing, like you, abhors corruption— it is obvious from the way in which he built the case against Jongin's corruption back then. He is tactful, too— and for that reason alone, you can't appoint Luhan."

"Why not?" Zitao's brows furrowed as Xuefeng disagreed with his initial choice. She could almost taste his displeasure.

"Luhan is more of a warrior, less of a thinker. He will get the job done, yes— but he would be more hot-headed about it, likely to rush things without really thinking. He will alert everyone as to your intentions, and it will give the most cunning of the officials time to destroy evidence and slip away. Yixing is more steady. He can do the job discreetly, and with minimal disturbance to the court, which is important as you are still in the early days of your reign. Yixing's progress might be slower, but I think you can trust him to catch more of them, and especially the big ones."

Seeing as Zitao was unconvinced, Xuefeng continued, "If you think of it as the Yangtze River, the wider and the deeper parts are Yixing. Slow moving and steady. The shallow and narrow parts are Luhan, surging forward and choppy, and fast. Either way, you will get to your destination, but it is much easier to navigate a steady stream rather than a choppy one."

He levelled a gaze at her. "Then what if I want use the fast one to get to my destination quicker?"

"Your Majesty." Her lips curled into a bitter smile as she saw his eyes flash with definite distaste at the title. He hated her calling him that, obviously. But this was a last resort. "It is not wise to rush certain things."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Emperor asked me to lead an investigation into corrupt officials." Yixing remarked to Huiting in the privacy of his study. Her brow creased in concern— they both knew that Zitao and Yixing were political rivals, so this came as a surprise.

Huiting looked over the scroll detailing Zitao's instructions. "Do you think the Empress is behind this?"

"The Empress is not allowed to comment on matters of state," Yixing pointed out. "Even if she did, we know that my brother is not someone that can be easily influenced."

"So, he must have had you in mind to begin with already," remarked Huiting. "Somehow, I don't like the sound of this."

"You're not alone," replied Yixing. "He might have laid a trap for me, or it is his way of forcing my hand in prosecuting the officials that are loyal to me. At the very least, it is his way of exerting his power over me." He chucked the scroll aside in annoyance.