boyutpedia Chapter 167 Wen Zongji's Response
Chapter 167 Wen Zongji's Response
The following day, the Beijing Daily
Yao Maofang handed the finalized draft of the fourth issue of the Beijing Daily to Wen Zongji: "Please take a look, sir. Is this final draft acceptable?"
As the staff of the Beijing Gazette Bureau became more and more proficient, Wen Zongji no longer needed to do everything personally; he only needed to check if the final draft was acceptable.
Wen Zongji took it and read it very carefully, word by word.
His pupils contracted when he saw the line below the recommended section: "Is this the list of people who bribed those minor officials in their attempt to pull strings behind the scenes?"
Yao Maofang nodded: "That's right. I checked with those clerks repeatedly and made sure that no one was missed."
Wen Zongji's gaze deepened as he looked at the name "Zhou Fangguang": "Have you investigated their identities?"
Yao Maofang said, "I have already investigated. These people are led by Zhou Fangguang, the nephew of Eunuch Zhou, the chief eunuch of Linhua Palace in the palace. Only Zhou Fangguang has some background; the others have no connections."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sir, could you please inform Steward Zhou in advance?"
Emperor Shun'an was wise and powerful, so there was naturally no such thing as a eunuch faction during his reign.
No one dared to look down on Zhou Wangliang, but he knew Emperor Shun'an's temperament well and never abused his power to bully others, and he also restrained the behavior of the Zhou family.
There was only a dissolute young master like Zhou Fangguang, who only liked to eat, drink, and have fun, and occasionally got into arguments with others over women. In the eyes of important people, these were just trivial matters and nothing to worry about.
But all of this will change when the fourth issue of the Beijing Daily is published.
Zhou Fangguang's attempt to bribe a minor official in the Beijing Gazette Bureau to engage in underhanded dealings will be forever stigmatized by the publication of the Beijing Gazette.
The Zhou family's reputation was also ruined because of him.
Furthermore, the Zhou family had only risen to power because of Zhou Wangliang, and was already looked down upon by others. As a result, it became even more difficult for the Zhou family to integrate into the circles of the capital.
It can be said that the publication of this issue of the Beijing Daily will be a major upheaval for the Zhou family.
Wen Zongji did not respond, but continued to review the manuscript until he had finished reading the entire draft of the fourth issue of the Beijing Daily. He said, "The content is fine. Send it to the printing press and have them print it as soon as possible. The demand for the Beijing Daily in the capital is increasing. Let them print more."
Yao Maofang sighed inwardly, took the manuscript, and respectfully said, "Your humble servant obeys."
After Yao Maofang left, Wen Zongji pondered for a long time before rising and saying, "Let's go to the palace."
……
Wenyuan Pavilion
When the Crown Prince saw Wen Zongji, he asked, "Why have you come to the palace today?"
Wen Zongji didn't beat around the bush and directly told the Crown Prince what had happened yesterday, along with his decision: "This trend must not be allowed to continue. Only by giving them a good beating once and for all will they not dare to do it again. However, Zhou Fangguang is, after all, Chief Steward Zhou's nephew. Could you perhaps inform Chief Steward Zhou in advance?"
The Crown Prince said calmly, "I understand. This matter will proceed as you wish. You need not concern yourself with Eunuch Zhou."
Wen Zongji nodded: "Your humble servant obeys."
The Crown Prince said, "Changning's birthday is in a few days. You are my cousin's husband and also Changning's cousin's husband. You will come with my cousin to celebrate her birthday."
Wen Zongji was taken aback: "This... I heard from the county princess that Her Majesty the Empress did not intend to hold a grand ceremony, as the Fengyi Palace is mostly attended by women. Would it be inconvenient for me to attend?"
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow: "Father and I are here too."
Wen Zongji felt even more troubled upon hearing this, for he had not forgotten the look in Emperor Shun'an's eyes when he last met him at Fengyi Palace.
It's just like watching a wild boar stealing your own cabbage!
Wen Zongji never expected that he would not feel this kind of gaze from Duke Pei, but instead from Emperor Shun'an.
There is a lot of pressure!
The crown prince found his expression somewhat amusing: "So afraid of Father Emperor?"
The two had become somewhat familiar with each other. Wen Zongji was calm and composed in his dealings with others, and it was rare for the Crown Prince to see him looking so troubled.
Wen Zongji said, "Your Majesty's imperial might is immense, and I naturally hold it in awe."
The Crown Prince made the decision: "It's settled then."
Wen Zongji raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince.
Although the Crown Prince showed no expression, Wen Zongji inexplicably sensed his perverse sense of humor.
Wen Zongji sighed inwardly and said helplessly, "Your humble servant obeys."
"Don't worry, I'll be there to protect you."
The Crown Prince still had a conscience; he didn't intend to take Wen Zongji with him and then leave him alone.
"Your humble servant thanks Your Highness."
……
After Wen Zongji left, the Crown Prince continued to observe government affairs in the cabinet as usual. After having lunch and taking a short rest, he went to Linhua Palace.
Emperor Shun'an has been feeling unwell these past few days. Fortunately, the Crown Prince has been assisting Emperor Shun'an in handling memorials for some time and is now able to help share some of the workload.
With the Crown Prince around, Emperor Shun'an could relax and take a longer nap during his afternoon rest to recuperate.
Just like the previous days, when the Crown Prince arrived at Linhua Palace, Emperor Shun'an was still taking a nap.
Zhou Wangliang selected a portion of the memorials sent by the cabinet and placed them in front of the Crown Prince's desk.
The Crown Prince sat behind his desk and looked up at Zhou Wangliang: "Eunuch Zhou, I remember that your family is in the capital."
Zhou Wangliang's eyes flickered slightly, and he bowed, saying, "Thanks to His Majesty's grace, my elder brother has been given a job, allowing him to establish himself in the capital."
"Eunuch Zhou, you serve the Emperor all day long, so you probably don't have much time to see your family, do you?"
"This servant has the Emperor's trust and dares not slack off in the slightest."
The Crown Prince praised, "Eunuch Zhou truly lives up to Father's high regard; he has indeed fulfilled his duties. However, missing one's family is only natural, and I believe Father will not blame you. If Eunuch Zhou wishes to see his family, he should simply tell Father."
"Your Highness is kind and benevolent; this servant is grateful."
The crown prince smiled, said nothing more, opened a memorial, and began to review it.
Zhou Wangliang stood by and waited. After a while, thinking that Emperor Shun'an should be waking up soon, he turned around and went into the side hall.
Before entering the inner room, he beckoned a young eunuch to come in: "Go and ask the Crown Prince who he met today."
"Yes, Godfather."
Zhou Wangliang then went into the inner room to wait for Emperor Shun'an to get up.
News circulates freely within the palace; unless a gag order is deliberately issued, nothing can be kept secret.
After Emperor Shun'an got up, he went to the main hall to handle memorials with the Crown Prince.
Zhou Wangliang noticed a small eunuch flash by outside the hall, so he took the opportunity of serving tea to come out.
The young eunuch immediately approached and said, "Godfather, besides observing state affairs in the cabinet today, His Highness the Crown Prince only saw Lord Wen... it was Young Lord Wen."
Fearing that Zhou Wangliang might get confused, the young eunuch deliberately added a sentence.
Zhou Wangliang confirmed again: "The husband of Princess Anhe?"
"Exactly."
Zhou Wangliang nodded and waved for the eunuch to leave.
He then carried the tea back to the main hall and served tea to his father and the crown prince every day, before standing behind Emperor Shun'an.
Unless Emperor Shun'an gave the order, Zhou Wangliang remained completely invisible, without making a sound.