From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 185: The Seventh Noble Clan

It wasn’t particularly surprising when none of Liu Yao’s beloved officials stepped out to claim credit for stirring up enough trouble that they’ve spent the entire morning court discussing it. He hadn’t been harbouring high hopes either.

He shifted subtly on his throne—it wasn’t a particularly comfortable sort of chair and if he didn’t slouch in it, he wasn’t able to recline against the backrest—before moving on to the next matter on his agenda. The Kaiming were already investigating the murders and the latest ploy against Ah Yun behind the scenes. There was something else Liu Yao had to achieve today.

"Beloved Subject Ren."

Right Prime Minister Ren, whose expression had been stiff since Liu Yao had launched his offensive, stepped forward and bowed. "This subject is present."

"Your effort in bringing the Yan daughter back to the capital is to be thoroughly commended," Liu Yao said calmly. "This sovereign has thought long and hard about the implications of allowing her to reside within the imperial palace. Given that this was in part due to your encouragement, can this sovereign take it to mean that it is finally time to clear Prime Minister Yan’s name of treason?" He was confident the troublesome old man wasn’t going to admit that he didn’t care whether Yan Xi was a suitable candidate for the inner palace or not as long as it caused trouble for Imperial Noble Consort Yue.

The outburst that ensued threatened to bring the rafters down. Right Prime Minister Ren didn’t respond immediately but the furrow on his brow deepened, the age lines on his face growing more pronounced. Liu Yao was once again reminded that this man, who had resisted his rule every step of the way, was weathered by the poisonous political climate of Great Ye, just like the six old noble clans.

And all of them ought to be relics of the past and nothing more.

There was even precedent for doing away with the nobility status of a clan. After all, before the Yan Family’s ruin, there had been seven old noble families in the capital.

"This sovereign is aware of the reservations all my beloved subjects undoubtedly have with respect to this issue." Liu Yao’s next words had to be phrased with great caution, otherwise he wouldn’t hear the end of the literary officials accusing him of a lack of filial piety. "At the time of Prime Minister Yan’s trial, this sovereign’s royal father had passed away shortly after condemning the Yan Family. This left this sovereign with a conundrum because in actuality, Prime Minister Yan had not pleaded guilty to the crime he’d been accused of."

After catching the eye of his clan head, Minister of Justice Ren was quick to advise Liu Yao to reconsider. "Your Majesty is a busy man with endless matters of state to attend to and might have forgotten, but there was no uncertainty to ex-Prime Minister Yan’s confession in his cell."

Of course there wasn’t. Liu Yao even knew why. He’d been the last person to meet Yan Guozhong before this man, whom Liu Yao had respected from the depths of his heart, had written his confession on the floor of his cell in blood before bashing his head in against the stone walls.

Liu Yao had gone to reassure Prime Minister Yan that he was working to acquit him.

Prime Minister Yan had shaken his head and replied, "Your Majesty is newly ascended to the throne in these unstable times, akin to a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river (1)." He fell to his knees and kowtowed three times before resting his forehead against the back of his hands on the ground. "In order for Your Majesty to get to the other side safely this time, this guilty subject must die. Thus, I humbly beg Your Majesty to convict me of my crimes."

Of course, Liu Yao had refused. As the most prominent of the old noble clans, the Yan Family had only ever served the best interests of the kingdom. Liu Yao had attended court diligently as crown prince, had seen firsthand all the good Prime Minister Yan had done, where most other nobles just coveted the accumulation of more power and prestige.

To reward such unwavering loyalty with death had been something the younger, more idealistic him struggled to accept.

"This guilty subject’s death is necessary. Your Majesty, you must not forget; a dead emperor’s decision can never be pronounced wrong by his successor. Anyone else can choose point out the mistakes of the previous emperor, except you." The calmness of Prime Minister Yan’s words had been a sharp contrast to the bitter helplessness that had gnawed at Liu Yao from inside.

"Your clan...hundreds of innocents will die because of an undeserving filial piety," he’d replied, voice hoarse.

Prime Minister Yan had raised his head and looked him squarely in the eye.

"If Your Majesty is so soft that you allow your enemies to question your worthiness to inherit the throne, how many more people do you think will die?"

Liu Yao had been left speechless.

"This guilty subject’s parting words to Your Majesty... ’The common folk before self.’ The duty I chose to bear upon my shoulders once I accepted the mantle of court official is as such. Your Majesty was crown prince before ascension and a general before a crown prince. This is not a lesson this guilty subject needs to impart to you."

Back then, Liu Yao had abhorred himself for being so weak. For months, he’d dreaded closing his eyes at night, afraid of the overwhelming guilt that he’d felt every time he relived the scene of carnage that had been Prime Minister Yan’s suicide. The sea of blood that had followed suit with the mass execution of the nine degrees of kindred of the Yan Family had only exacerbated his sleeplessness.

Liu Yao had understood that Yan Guozhong was right. But that was due to a flaw in the system. If an emperor could not right the wrongs of his predecessor, was it truly filial piety to allow the mistakes of his ancestors to perpetuate with severe consequences? Why should morality waver in the face of blood ties?

He’d refused to promise that he would let the previous emperor’s conviction of the Yan Clan to proceed.

The next morning, he’d received word that Yan Guozhong had taken the decision out of his hands.

But Liu Yao stood by his opinion even though he knew it to be radical. Only now, years after the fact and with the Kaiming firmly established under his belt, did he dare challenge tradition.

"The night before Prime Minister Yan ended his life, this sovereign had notified him of my intention to prove his innocence," Liu Yao told the court for the first time in half a decade. He caught Grand Preceptor Du’s eyes but had to look away from the unbearable sympathy he saw in them. His hands were clammy, his heart sinking with each syllable that left his lips, because he knew that every word he uttered here today was going to make its way back to his Ah Yun’s ears. And if it didn’t do so via the usual gossip routes, someone would go out of the way to ensure that Ah Yun knew the exact part Liu Yao had played in his father’s death.

But this was the only way he could restore Prime Minister Yan and the Yan Clan to their rightful glory.

"Prime Minister Yan had chosen to sacrifice himself to stabilise this sovereign’s reign. When this sovereign refused, he decided to confess to a crime that he didn’t commit, thereby using the law to force this sovereign’s hand."

Yan Guozhong had loved Great Ye more than anything or anyone else. He’d been the best subject...and the worst father.

"Your Majesty’s word is no doubt worth its weight in gold but...when it comes to matters of a trial, this subject is afraid more is required than just a description of the events..."

The court official that spoke up was from the Court of Adjudicature. As an entity, they were more neutral than the Ministry of Justice, within which the old noble clans held more sway. The main reason for this was because of the previous emperor’s preference for the latter over the former, a preference that Liu Yao had not adopted. Whilst not completely independent from the politics of the morning court, he could at least trust the Court of Adjudicature to make fair attempt at upholding justice and this was also why, when Ah Yun had previously been accused of the incense poisoning attempt on Liu Yao, he had placed them in-charge of the investigations.

But the flip side to this was that the Court of Adjudicature would demand evidence.

"This sovereign is aware that it would be futile to retrial Prime Minister Yan’s case without new evidence for the court to consider." Liu Yao took a deep breath before continuing, "As my beloved subjects might be aware, this sovereign was the first to arrive at Prime Minister Yan’s cell after his death, where the prison guards who had discovered his body stood watch to ensure that no one would enter the cell before they received further instructions."

This prison they were referring to was reserved for members of the imperial family and nobles who committed heinous crimes. The security measures implemented within weren’t of a comparable magnitude to that of the Department of Careful Punishment. It would be infinitely more difficult to tamper with the evidence in there.

At Liu Yao’s indication, Cao Mingbao beckoned for the double doors of Weiyang Hall to be opened, admitting two middle-aged men in guards uniform as well as an elderly coroner, who trembled under the weight of Liu Yao’s gaze when he was brought to kneel before the throne.

"Minister of Justice Ren, do you recognise this man?"

Before Minister of Justice Ren could reply, the coroner cried out in dismay, "Your Majesty, please spare this commoner’s life! This commoner o-only kept the letter a secret on Your Majesty’s orders!"

Liu Yao’s lips curved upwards. "Fret not, Coroner Lin. This sovereign didn’t summon you here for condemnation but to testify to the morning court that Prime Minister Yan had carried a letter on his person at time of death, penned in blood."

The coroner nodded fervently. "In usual circumstances, this commoner would have declared this finding to the relevant authorities but..."

Liu Yao gave him a reassuring smile, not that he dared glance up to see it.

Coroner Lin had been responsible for reporting the details of Prime Minister Yan’s death to the Ministry of Justice. His omission of the letter wasn’t punishable though, especially since Liu Yao had been involved.

"Your Majesty...this...this doesn’t strictly adhere to the rules," another official from the Ministry of Justice protested.

"And why not? This sovereign is a relevant authority, am I not?"

No one was crazy enough to deny it to his face.

Minister of Justice Ren’s expression was as dark as his formidable uncle’s.

"If it pleases Your Majesty, could this humble servant have a look at the letter?"

Fully intending for the entire court to have a look at it, Liu Yao was more than magnanimous, gesturing for Cao Mingbao to carry it over on a tray for their convenient perusal.

The letter was indeed written on crumpled parchment, yellowed around the edges from age. Liu Yao had done his best to protect it over the years, both keeping it secret and safe in Tianlu Pavilion. He’d spent many an afternoon meeting high-ranking officials there for discussions about court matters, the ornamental box concealing it not far off from the seat he often offered to Right Prime Minister Ren.

He’d enjoyed knowing it was there, lying in wait for the right moment to steal Right Prime Minister Ran’s victory from under his nose.

"No doubt, all of us present here are more than familiar with Prime Minister Yan’s calligraphy." In addition to being a dedicated court official, Prime Minister Yan was renowned for his contributions to the literary sphere, with a compilation of poetic works elegantly crafted in a stunning running hand script (2).

No one denied it. It would have been pointless. Unlike Ah Yun’s writing, which was arguably a lot harder to fabricate given its limited samples, Yan Guozhong’s works were a whole other story. From the highest ranked officials in the cabinet all the way down to the aspiring scholar dreaming of the day he passed true imperial examination, it would be rare to find an individual who could not recognise the ex-prime minister’s writing.

Minister of Justice Ren hesitated before speaking. "Your Majesty is benevolent.

However, this subject is afraid that given the severity of the crime Prime Minister Yan committed, a mere letter, whose origin remains questionable, is insufficient to overturn a ruling." His voice turned steely with conviction. "This subject fears that if we open the floodgates now, then in the future, will all sorts of excuses start serving as the basis for pardoning heinous transgressions?"

Liu Yao agreed and he said as much. "That’s right, letters prove little, that was in fact the point I made earlier today. But would all my beloved subjects please recall, letters are the reason there are only six old noble clans left in Great Ye."

A couple of them, along with a few ’accounts’ from close friends of Yan Guozhong, such as Wu Shengqi, were all it took to incriminate an honest man. If this was what the current justice system promoted, then it was in grievous need of an overhaul.

"Those that testified against ex-Prime Minister Yan were near and dear to him," Minister of Justice Ren said. "Your Majesty, please forgive this subject for being direct but this matter was already discussed five years ago when the case was still ongoing. Minister of Rites Wu had no motive to betray his closest friend. If it weren’t for his loyalty to the kingdom and his fear of it falling to ruin at the hands of foreign invaders, he would not have spoken up on his discovery of the ex-prime ministers treachery."

This incited a round of agreeing murmurs as some of the older officials nodded. "Minister of Rites Wu was quite beset by grief after, as this subject recalls," one of them mentioned.

Liu Yao’s smile turned wry. "Yes, because everyone who cries at a funeral is beset by grief." He himself had been a stellar example of hypocrisy. He’d forced himself to appear for the previous emperor’s funeral rites with red eyes but that was the extent to which he could put on a show for a man he detested.

This argument could extend indefinitely but Liu Yao was done wasting time waiting for them to formulate new excuses. They were the ones to mention testimonies. Liu Yao had come prepared for that too.

"You say Wu Shengqi had no reason to frame his good friend for treason?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at Minister of Justice Ren and noticing how the certainty in his expression wavered just a little. That saying ’ginger is spicier when aged’ had a modicum of truth to it. Minister of Justice Ren was a sly fox, no doubt, but his act was a lot less polished than that of the right prime minister.

"Cao Mingbao," Liu Yao interrupted just as Right Prime Minister Ren, probably sensing an unfavourable progression of the discussion, stepped out once again to speak.

Cao Mingbao bowed. "Your Majesty, Matron Wang awaits outside. Shall this old servant send for her?"