Chapter Ninety-Two: Turning the Tide Against All Odds, Part Two

Given the present situation, the memorial concerning the grain transport canals had little chance of passing smoothly, and at this court meeting there was no possibility of it at all. Setting aside the fact that the Crown Prince, for reasons of pride and face, would certainly do everything in his power to block it, even the Son of Heaven himself might not dare lightly to decide so grave a matter. Clearly, what stood before Li Xian was not whether the memorial would pass, but how to awaken, as far as possible, the Crown Prince’s appetite for power. To do that, he first had to steady the room, to smooth over the sharp conflict that had flared up because of Li Xian’s rash conduct, or at the very least ease it down. This was plainly no easy task. Li Xian did not dare claim he could surely do it, but he had no choice. No matter how hard it was, he had to go forward.

“Father Emperor, may your discerning eye see all clearly. Though the new method of cultivation I mentioned earlier may indeed work wonders, it is not suited to every place. To carry it out, one must be near a water source, or else dig extensive canals for storage. Otherwise, there is the danger of making a tiger only to end up with something like a dog. Moreover, this policy can only relieve, to a limited extent, the shortage of farmland in the capital region. When the population grows again, there may still be a risk of lacking grain. For that reason, I believe the Sixth Brother’s proposal is excellent. The matter of the grain transport canals brooks no delay and should be carried out at once. As for the funds and grain required, in my view the Sixth Brother’s plan is truly a sound and seasoned way of governing the realm. I beg Father Emperor to make a wise decision.” As soon as Wei Xiji withdrew, Li Xian immediately stepped forward and, taking advantage of the Son of Heaven’s good mood, clearly declared his support for Li Xian’s proposal.

“Hm.”

Because he had been frail since childhood, the Son of Heaven had never taken much interest in wine. He would only drink a few cups when hosting grand banquets for the ministers; in ordinary times he hardly touched it at all. To him, wine was at best a dispensable thing. If revenue from permits to brew and sell wine could be used for river and canal works, he was in truth inclined to agree. Yet he could not avoid considering the effect such a measure would have on the people, nor could he ignore the ministers’ objections. It was not a matter on which he could speak lightly in such a setting. Thus he merely gave an indistinct murmur, nodding with an air of thoughtfulness, but for a long while offered no clear answer.

“Your Majesty, this humble servant believes that Prince Zhou’s words are mistaken. The measures of the court ought to be for the convenience of the people; how can the state contend with the people for profit? This servant dares not agree.” Just as the Son of Heaven was hesitating, a middle-aged official in the uniform of an imperial censor suddenly darted out from the end of the civil officials’ ranks and raised a loud objection.

“Censor Xiao speaks as though pleading for the people. He must surely be a man who keeps the state in mind, and I am deeply impressed. Only, I have a question in my heart and would ask whether Censor Xiao knows how many brewing houses there are in and around the capital, and whose they are. Pray enlighten me.” Li Xian turned to look and saw that the man who had jumped out was Xiao Ming, one of the Crown Prince’s trusted supervisory censors. His heart sank at once. Then, seeing signs of movement among the ministers, he did not dare delay. Before the others could launch their attack, he struck back without the slightest politeness.

“This...” Xiao Ming clearly had not expected Li Xian to ask precisely these two questions, and he was instantly taken aback. He was only a censor; how could he possibly have access to detailed figures? Caught off guard, his old face reddened, yet he was unwilling to admit defeat so easily. Rolling his eyes, he countered, “Since Your Highness asks thus, you must surely already have a reckoning in mind. I am but dull-witted. I beg Your Highness to instruct me.”

“Ah, then I fear Censor Xiao will be disappointed. I have no reckoning in mind.” Li Xian slowly shook his head and deliberately left his sentence unfinished. When Xiao Ming’s eyes lit up, preparing to seize the opening and counterattack, Li Xian suddenly changed course, smiling as he said, “However, my Sixth Brother knows the matter inside and out. On this question, I fear only the Sixth Brother can answer.” Having said this, Li Xian ignored how ugly Xiao Ming’s face had become and clasped his hands toward Li Xian. “Sixth Brother, if you please.”

After Li Xian had interrupted him in this way, Li Xian’s earlier agitation had long since returned to calm. Seeing Li Xian so graciously pushing him forward again, he felt deep gratitude in his heart. But this was hardly the time for courtesies. Li Xian merely glanced gratefully at Li Xian, then took a small step forward and bowed to the Son of Heaven. “Reporting to Father Emperor, this son’s petition is supported by evidence and is by no means an idle conjecture. According to our investigation, in the areas surrounding the capital alone, there are forty-three registered brewing houses of various sizes under the jurisdiction of the capital prefecture, not including the private breweries belonging to the estates of the various prefectures. Aside from two small operations created by private merchants, all the rest belong to great clans. Among these, the Du, Ye, and Xu families are the largest. The wine produced each year by those three families alone amounts to fifty thousand jin. Converted into grain, this requires more than three hundred thousand jin. If we add the grain consumed by the whole capital in a year for wine, the total comes to nearly two thousand dan, an astonishing amount. If we consider the whole Guanzhong region, the figure may well be more than ten times that. The reason Guanzhong lacks grain is in part because brewing consumes so much. As a result, the court has had no choice but to draw grain from the south of the Yangtze. In view of this, issuing wine permits in order to raise funds for the river works is entirely reasonable. I beg Father Emperor to examine this matter clearly.”

Boom.

Once Li Xian laid out such exact figures, the ministers in the great hall first fell silent in shock, and then broke into a noisy uproar. The clamor was like water brought to a rolling boil, yet no one dared to stand forth and challenge Li Xian’s words on the spot.

“Father Emperor, I believe that although what my Sixth and Seventh Brothers have said is not without reason, first, this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided in haste; second, the figures cited by my Sixth Brother still need verification. It is truly not appropriate to draw a conclusion today. In my view, it would be better to deliberate again later.”

Seeing the two brothers singing in perfect harmony, the Crown Prince could no longer sit still. In particular, when he saw the ministers all whispering among themselves yet none daring to voice opposition, Li Hong could not help but grow anxious. If the memorial for the river works really passed like this, then given the methods of Li Xian and Li Xian, would not the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Office of Agricultural Affairs all be turned upside down by those two fellows? That was a scene Li Hong could not accept. So, though unwilling to the core, he had no choice but to stand up and try to delay the matter.

“Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince has said is the course of a seasoned statesman. I beg Your Majesty to make the decision.”

“Your Majesty, this old minister believes the Crown Prince speaks truly. This matter of river works is no small affair; to decide it abruptly may lead to much loss and delay. It should be handled with caution.”

“Your Majesty, this minister believes the matter should be explored in detail before further discussion.”

...

The Crown Prince had, after all, overseen the realm many times. His own followers and network were not comparable to what Li Xian and Li Xian had. Indeed, as soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, a great crowd of officials immediately came forward to second him. Among them were not a few senior ministers such as Yue Yanwei and Lu Chengqing. At the same time, many officials who had not ordinarily involved themselves in the struggles of the imperial princes also came forward for one reason or another, all to support the Crown Prince’s view.

“Hmph!”

Seeing that the Crown Prince’s side was strong and well supplied with men, while his own had only two or three small fry, Li Xian’s face immediately turned from clear to overcast. With a cold snort, he seemed ready to rise in fury and fight it out.

No good, Old Six is about to act up again! Li Xian had been watching Li Xian’s changing expression all along. Seeing signs of impulsiveness, his heart sank. He could not care about anything else and hurriedly stepped out before Li Xian, bowing to the Son of Heaven. “Father Emperor, I believe the Crown Prince is right. Great matters should not be decided in haste; they ought to be thoroughly examined before being discussed further. I beg Father Emperor to render your sacred judgment.”

“Hm, what the Seventh says accords with my own thoughts.” At this moment the Son of Heaven himself had not yet made up his mind and naturally did not wish to reach a conclusion so easily. Seeing Li Xian take the initiative to propose delay, there was no reason to refuse. Thus he praised him once, then turned his gaze to the displeased Li Xian and, after a slight pause, said, “All the ministers believe this matter should be postponed. What does Xian’er think?”

What did he think? By this point, even if Li Xian had a thousand grievances and ten thousand unwilling hearts, he dared not say the word no. With no other choice, he bowed deeply and gave the briefest possible reply: “Father Emperor is wise.”

“Hm. Very well. Let this matter be discussed again at the next early court. All of you ministers must exert yourselves and work together to accomplish the great undertaking of the river works. I look forward to it greatly.” Though the Son of Heaven did not wish to decide the matter amid such fierce court contention, deep down he still hoped the river works could be settled in one stroke. Thus he set the tone for the matter in his words.

“We humbly obey Your sacred decree.”

Once the Son of Heaven had spoken, the ministers naturally did not dare to be careless. They bent in unison and replied repeatedly. Yet before the courtiers could even straighten themselves, the Son of Heaven had already risen and headed straight for the rear hall, plainly unwilling to discuss anything else.

“Court dismissed!”

Seeing the Son of Heaven depart, the chief ceremonial eunuch Gao Hesheng quickly swept his whisk, proclaimed the dismissal, and led the little eunuchs after the Son of Heaven into the rear hall. The fierce court debate thus came to a temporary close. Yet everyone in the hall understood that this was only the prelude to a far greater storm. The true and ruthless struggle probably still lay ahead.

“Hmph!” Once the Son of Heaven had gone, Li Xian, feeling utterly thwarted, no longer wanted to remain in court for even a moment. Casting a glance toward the Crown Prince, who was surrounded by the ministers, he gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeve, and turned to leave the hall. On the way out, he even forgot to greet Li Xian, which showed just how high the flames of his anger had risen.

Ah, this novice. Hadn’t it all been agreed? This memorial for the river works was only a smoke screen. Why fuss over so much? What a hopeless fellow! Seeing Li Xian storm off in anger, Li Xian did not know whether to laugh or cry. But there was nothing to be said at this moment. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Unwilling to join the bustle around the Crown Prince, and not wanting to chase after Li Xian either, he simply strolled alone toward the palace gates. Yet before he even reached them, a hurried cry rang out behind him...