"Even with His Majesty's grace, appointing you as the secondary prime minister, it was sheer luck. We are all officials of this court, how can we be treated so rudely? Even if you are the secondary prime minister, you must apologize!"
"That's right, apologize!"
The Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Rites shouted sternly, pressuring Chu Chen.
With two individuals leading the way, several more below the rank of minister jumped out and clamored.
They were extremely unconvinced. This Chu Chen fellow, wasn't he just a eunuch, and a fake one at that, considered to have a eunuch background?
Because of his exceptional talent, his inventions, and his repeated favor from His Majesty, he now held the esteemed position of secondary prime minister at the mere age of twenty-three.
This filled them with envy, jealousy, and hatred. They were all forty, fifty, or even sixty and seventy years old, having been in the official path for at least a decade.
They had only reached their current positions, with the highest being second rank. How could Chu Chen be worthy of being the secondary prime minister?
Who didn't know that Yun Yue Kingdom currently had no prime minister, making the secondary prime minister equivalent to the prime minister.
"Everyone! His Majesty currently favors eunuchs, this is a foolish path, and this trend must not grow! I wish to petition His Majesty, to deeply explain its harm. If His Majesty does not permit it! I shall die to advise His Majesty before the pillars of the court!"
Zhang, the Grand Censor, felt this was an opportunity to leave his name in history and shouted, raising his arm.
"That's right! Die to advise! We absolutely cannot let a mere eunuch deceive the imperial ear!"
"His Majesty can only rely on the loyalty and righteousness of us officials! How can he rely on eunuchs who sow discord and flatter?"
"Seconded!"
A group of censors became excited as if injected with chicken blood.
Chu Chen watched them coldly, clapped his hands, and in an instant, a dozen guards appeared beside him.
Two of them, like those who had attacked before, wore black, but did not wear masks.
The rest wore brocade robes, standing behind Chu Chen, their faces expressionless, their eyes coldly watching these clamoring officials.
"Chu Chen! Do you dare to lay hands on us? Are you attempting to cover the sky with one hand and plot rebellion?"
Zhang, the Grand Censor, immediately threw a heavy accusation.
Chu Chen looked at him coldly and said, "Esteemed Grand Censor, you should carefully consider your past actions, and then think about what the Embroidered Uniform Guard behind me is for, before deciding whether to speak further."
Zhang, the Grand Censor, froze. He recalled his own actions and his body trembled.
Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! The Embroidered Uniform Guard was only established today, how could they have found evidence of my crimes?
No! This Embroidered Uniform Guard wasn't established today. A few days ago, I saw Chu Chen buy two streets around the imperial city. Could it be that he secretly established the Embroidered Uniform Guard then?
But in just a few days, there wasn't enough time for evidence collection. How could he know? This must be a bluff!
Understanding the key point, Zhang, the Grand Censor, took a few deep breaths. Under the gaze of his colleagues, he rebuked, "Although my official rank is not as high as yours, Lord Chu, only a third-rank Grand Censor, you cannot slander me at will! My duty is to report matters as I hear them, what is there that I cannot say? What is there that I dare not say?"
"If you prevent me from speaking, it means you are guilty! I will impeach you before His Majesty, accuse you of forming factions, ostracizing officials, threatening officials! And acting arbitrarily!"
"I will impeach you to death!"
Zhang, the Grand Censor, became more agitated as he spoke, as if fame was within reach.
Later generations would record that he, unafraid of power, died to advise the secondary prime minister Chu Chen, and eventually His Majesty, understanding righteousness, dismissed and even apprehended this scoundrel, thus leaving his own name in history!
Chu Chen was speechless. This fellow must have been blinded by the prospect of leaving his name in history. Did he not remember a single word the Empress said just now? Did he really think this secondary prime minister was joking?
Or did he think the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all useless? Well, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, nominally established only a few days ago, was not expected to be effective.
"What? Lord Chu has nothing to say?" Zhang, the Censor, sneered, his heart filled with excitement, feeling he had already won.
Chu Chen had nothing to say to these scolding hotheads. He waved his hand, and a member of the dark department wearing a brocade robe handed him a ledger.
Opening the ledger and carefully examining it, he quickly found the information on the Grand Censor Zhang before him.
Chu Chen read expressionlessly, "In the year 3237 of the Qingzhou Continental Calendar, that is five years ago, the then Grand Censor of the Censorate, Lord Huang Guowei, due to his age of seventy-five, feeling himself to be old and useless, resigned due to illness to return home for retirement. Before leaving office, he recommended the Vice Censor Lu You to succeed him. His Majesty repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail, and allowed you to return home."
"Lu You, who should have succeeded, was persuaded by Prime Minister Chen Guangliang, and His Majesty appointed Zhang Guojin, the actual Vice Censor of the Right, that is, you, Lord Zhang, to succeed as Grand Censor, overseeing over three hundred people in the Censorate."
"Am I correct?"
Chu Chen looked up at him and asked coldly.
"...So what? It's just a record of my career."
Zhang, the Grand Censor, was silent for a moment, a tremor of unease running through him. He stubbornly replied.
"A stubborn mule." Chu Chen sneered and continued reading, "In May of the 37th year, Lord Huang Guowei retired. Near the end of the month, Zhang Guojin, carrying a box, went to the Prime Minister's mansion and stayed for an hour. The next day, Prime Minister Chen Guangliang lobbied His Majesty and his colleagues on your behalf, strongly supporting Zhang Guojin to become Grand Censor."
"In mid-June, Zhang Guojin, who had succeeded as Grand Censor, drove two carriages from the back door into the Prime Minister's mansion. When he came out, one carriage was missing. Old man, can you explain why?"
Chu Chen looked up at him, as if at a dead man.
"How, how is this possible? How could you know about events from five years ago so clearly?"
Zhang Guojin frantically waved his hands and said, "I was merely delivering some food and cloth to thank Chen Guangliang. Chen Guangliang, fearing his colleagues would say I bribed him, had me use the back door. What's wrong with that? As for the missing carriage, the gift was naturally left for Chen Guangliang!"
"Is that so? But why does the ledger state that someone in the Prime Minister's mansion revealed that your carriage was loaded with a full cart of silver? A total of fifty thousand taels!"
"This is slander, blatant slander!" Zhang Guojin jumped up and pointed at Chu Chen, saying, "This ledger was compiled by your subordinates, surely prepared for today to slander us who oppose you. You truly have a good plan and strategy!"
"Three years ago, the third son of the Prefect of Huan Yue Commandery killed someone in the street. A censor wanted to report it to His Majesty, why did you stop him, and even split one thousand taels of silver with him? With your salary, where did you get so much money?"
"This... this is all fabricated slander by you!"
Zhang Guojin still argued.
Chu Chen didn't want to say more to him. He waved his hand and said coldly, "These words, you should go and tell His Majesty yourself!"
"Where are the Embroidered Uniform Guards?"
"We are here!"
"Arrest him!"
"Yes!"
"Presumptuous! I am a third-rank official of the court, how dare you arrest me?" Zhang Guojin struggled and shouted.
Just as the other ministers were about to speak in anger, Chu Chen drew the Imperial Sword bestowed by the Empress, held it high, and shouted, "By imperial decree, who dares to obstruct? They are accomplices in corruption! Do you all also wish to be arrested?"