Chapter 0231: Mixed Reviews for Xie Chengze, Liang Wan Da’s Excellent Acting
As more and more scholars arrived in the capital, Xie Chengze’s actions in Yi Province and Liaozhou quickly spread throughout the city. The Prince Regent’s reputation soared, gaining high acclaim among the scholars.
The Cao family did not sit idly by. They swiftly took action to remove the banners lining the streets and spread rumors that the Prince Regent was abusing his power and engaging in corruption and bribery. They shifted public opinion to criticize Xie Chengze’s “using violence to suppress violence” as unacceptable, causing his reputation to become mixed.
Indeed, the strategist behind the Cao family was shrewd. They pinpointed a critical weakness of Xie Chengze: first, they highlighted that his methods of amassing wealth in various regions were improper, and the money seized from corrupt officials was not used for the local people but instead allocated to Yi Province’s flood relief. This was equivalent to using the hard-earned money exploited from people across different regions to build his own achievements, hardly qualifying as serving the people.
Next, they sowed discord between the scholars from Yi Province and those from other regions—
“Using the hard-earned money exploited from our parents to support your people in Yi Province—aren’t you ashamed?”
Any rhetoric involving parents would incite public outrage. Conflicts among scholars from different regions instantly escalated, with daily arguments and debates becoming commonplace. Some even resorted to street brawls at the slightest disagreement.
Many court officials submitted memorials urging Xie Chengze to address the situation, arguing that he was unfit for his position. Now that the Crown Prince had recovered from poisoning, they believed the Crown Prince should assume governance.
Xie Chengze put on a show of throwing the memorials in anger, his face flushed red as he declared, “This Prince will handle it! There’s no need for you to remind me!”
But his so-called handling was merely passive inaction. Public opinion in the capital continued to condemn the Prince Regent for using his public office for private gain, deeming him unfit as a virtuous minister.
That was until Liang Wan Da arrived in the capital.
As the highly anticipated Yizhou Zhifu, his arrival drew scholars from various regions to block his carriage, demanding with unwavering conviction whether he had a clear conscience using the hard-earned money of people from other cities to support his own populace.
Liang Wan Da showed a surprised expression. He stood up and stepped out of the carriage, addressing the blocking scholars, “Gentlemen scholars, why do you say this?”
“This is the truth, and the Zhifu still asks us?” The scholars were enraged, forming a human wall that blocked the street entirely, determined to seek an explanation.
Liang Wan Da sighed repeatedly, raising his hands in a calming gesture. “This official truly does not know. I beg you to explain in detail. If I have indeed done wrong, I will report it to His Majesty.”
Seeing Liang Wan Da inquire so gently instead of reacting with the anger and shame they expected, the scholars exchanged glances. Eventually, someone explained how he had used money seized from corrupt officials in various regions to support the people of Yi Province.
After listening attentively, Liang Wan Da slapped his thigh and displayed an expression of disbelief. “How could this be! This official had no idea that the silver was actually the hard-earned money the Second Prince seized from corrupt officials! If I had known, I would never have used those funds!”
“Does the Zhifu truly not know?” The scholars eyed Liang Wan Da suspiciously, their gazes filled with distrust.
They still believed that Liang Wan Da was in cahoots with the Prince Regent, using the hard-earned money of their parents and local people to build their own achievements. Naturally, they detested such behavior even more than the direct exploitation by their local officials.
“I truly have no knowledge of this! Why would I deceive you?” Liang Wan Da shook his head with a sigh, his face filled with sorrow and resentment. “How could the Second Prince deceive the world like this! When I enter the palace, I will certainly submit a memorial to His Majesty! How could such a sinister and unscrupulous person be worthy of the position of Prince Regent!”
Seeing Liang Wan Da’s intense anger and dissatisfaction, even going so far as to publicly denounce the Second Prince as unworthy of his position, the scholars couldn’t help but exchange glances again, quietly thinking that Liang Wan Da might genuinely be unaware and had been deceived himself, with everything being the doing of the Second Prince.
Then, they heard Liang Wan Da raise his voice to his guards beside him, “When I return to Yi Province, I will definitely smash that commemorative plaque carved beside the water conservancy dam!”
“That despicable Second Prince! He clearly stated back then that those funds came from compassionate people across various regions who, seeing the countless casualties from the flood disaster in our Yi Province, donated silver to help our people overcome this crisis. He even ordered us to write promissory notes, stating that when we become prosperous through grain production in the future, we must repay the people of all regions to acknowledge their life-saving grace—”
Liang Wan Da was so enraged that his voice cracked, “What ‘when one place is in trouble, aid comes from all sides’—it was all a lie to me! This silver didn’t come from kind donations by people across regions, but was corrupt money seized by the Second Prince through unscrupulous means!”
Upon hearing this, the scholars immediately sensed something amiss.
“Wait, Your Honor just said that the Second Prince claimed the silver was donated by people from various regions? Not that he gathered it through his own efforts to amass wealth?”
“He made you write promissory notes? And said you should repay various regions in the future?”
“‘When one place is in trouble, aid comes from all sides’…” one scholar murmured these eight words, feeling inspired. “What a magnificent concept—’when one place is in trouble, aid comes from all sides’! We originally thought the Prince Regent was gathering wealth from various places for his own achievements. We never imagined that, although the Prince Regent’s methods might be unconventional, he was actually collecting disaster relief funds in the name of charitable acts by people from different regions for Yi Province, promoting the kindness of various communities rather than monopolizing the credit without giving back!”
“This action, while not entirely perfect in method, achieves a beautiful purpose!”
“According to the law, wealth obtained from corrupt officials through confiscation typically goes into the imperial treasury and doesn’t directly return to the people’s pockets. The Prince Regent directly donated the confiscated corrupt funds to the people of Yi Province in the name of the populace. Once Yi Province’s heavenly fields are established, countless grains will flow back to famine-stricken areas. This embodies knowing gratitude and repaying kindness, which is the very meaning of a nation’s existence!”
“Many hands make light work—one person cannot carry a thousand catties alone, but many people can move ten thousand mountains. Doesn’t this perfectly complement Yi Province’s way of splitting mountains and dividing rivers, giving rise to infinite reflections?!”
“Although it doesn’t comply with the law, it fully embodies the spirit of human compassion. The law is strict, but human kindness is warm. In emergencies, we must adapt to circumstances. The Prince Regent used wealth collected from the people to build a land of abundance. I boldly believe the Prince Regent has done nothing wrong!”
“Well said! I agree!”
“We were foolish to misunderstand the Prince Regent!”
The tide turned once again. The scholars ceased their arguments and fights. Since Jian’an wasn’t stable to begin with and required collective effort, how could they attack their future colleagues over this and nearly disappoint the Prince Regent?
The atmosphere in Jingcheng returned to harmony. Regarding “when one place is in trouble, aid comes from all sides,” the scholars had many reflections, exploring whether genuine mutual support could be achieved and how to move closer to that ideal.
Back in the carriage, Liang Wan Da silently wiped the sweat from his brow, a triumphant smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
His acting was truly superb!
——
Kunning Palace.
Cao Qingran removed the peachwood prayer beads from her wrist and placed them on the lacquered redwood table.
“His Majesty has taken no action?” she asked indifferently, her calm eyes fixed on the Soul Incense as she slowly crushed it to powder with her fingertips.
Qing Momo hesitated for a moment before replying, “His Majesty has done nothing these past few days, leaving everything to the Prince Regent to handle. Except for one order…”
“Oh?” Cao Qingran’s tone remained equally unfluctuating.
“Except… he ordered the creation of a new dragon robe.”
The motion of crushing the incense paused. A subtle shift appeared simultaneously in Cao Qingran’s eyes and voice. “Do we know… for whom it was prepared…”
“This…” Qing Momo paused briefly. “It seems to be tailored for the Second Prince.”
Cao Qingran suddenly let out a soft laugh, a trace of mockery flashing through her eyes.