Chapter 5367 Impeaching Liu Ji

Chapter 5367 Impeaching Liu Ji
As the first snow of winter arrived, snowflakes fluttered and enveloped the vast city of Chang'an. A thick layer of snow covered the palaces and roofs, and from a high vantage point, all one could see was a silvery white expanse. The solemnity and heaviness of the city were concealed by the snowflakes, adding a touch of gentleness, tranquility, and poetic beauty.

As the first snowflake fell last night, the "Disaster Emergency Management Office" went into full operation. With the cooperation of the Jingzhao Prefecture, many officials went to various districts and villages in and outside the city to prepare relief supplies. No matter where a disaster occurs, the relief will be provided as soon as possible.

Fortunately, since Fang Jun established the "Emergency Response Office" years ago, he has persevered and never stopped providing assistance to people in need throughout Guanzhong. Dilapidated and dangerous houses have been repaired or even rebuilt, rivers have been dredged, and dikes have been reinforced. Almost no one has been seen to have perished due to snow disasters or floods.

The "happiness index" of the people of Guanzhong is undoubtedly the highest in the world in this era.

Early in the morning, officials from the county governments of Chang'an and Wannian organized people to clear snow from the streets, unclog blocked drains, and visit the registered widows, orphans, and widowers in the city, delivering rice, flour, cooking oil, and other necessities.

Once the imperial city was opened, officials from various government offices filed into the city and headed to their respective offices to begin a busy day of official business.

Measuring fields, reforming commercial taxes, reorganizing the army... a series of new policies urgently need to be implemented and promoted. In addition, several princes are about to go overseas to establish their own fiefdoms. The establishment of their government offices, the dispatch of officials, the organization of immigration... almost all the central institutions are operating at full capacity.

Furthermore, there were rumors that an "performance evaluation system" would soon be implemented to assess and supervise the duties of all officials. Many officials who had experienced the easy days of the Wude and Zhenguan eras complained bitterly, yet dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest.

……

The official residence of the Secretariat.

Liu Ji arrived at the yamen early in the morning, washed his face with warm water, brewed a pot of hot tea, and began to handle official business. However, amidst the mountain of paperwork, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't drunk his tea. When he looked up to get the teacup, he discovered that the tea had already gone cold...

"Ugh!"

Liu Ji let out a long sigh, tossed the brush aside, rubbed his swollen brow, and summoned the clerk to brew another pot of tea.

Since Ren Yaxiang, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, joined the mission to the Abbasid Caliphate to negotiate, he has been without an assistant who usually summarizes and categorizes all official duties, so almost all official work has fallen on his shoulders.

Exhaustion of both mind and body inevitably leads to a lack of energy.

However, they cannot complain. After all, it is natural for officials to strive for advancement. They cannot prevent Ren Yaxiang from participating in negotiations and accumulating political achievements just because of his heavy official duties.

Liu Ji took a sip of tea. He had put in a bit too much tea leaves, so the tea tasted slightly bitter, but it was refreshing and he felt pretty good about it.

He picked up the brush, flipped through the documents, and continued to bury himself in his work.

Outside the door, an Imperial Censor knocked and entered, respectfully placing a document from the Censorate on the desk. After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, he took two steps forward and approached the desk, whispering, "The Censor-in-Chief has sent me to inform you that a memorial from Chu Suiliang's two sons, Chu Yanfu and Chu Yanchong, has been sent from Qiantang to the capital, impeaching the Grand Secretary."

Liu Ji was slightly taken aback: "Why are these two the ones impeaching me, and not Chu Suiliang?"

"Along with the impeachment memorial, Chu Suiliang's posthumous memorial was also sent to the capital..."

Liu Ji was slightly surprised: "Chu Suiliang is dead?"

The will stated that he died of illness.

Liu Ji frowned: "Why did the Chu brothers impeach me?"

The Imperial Censor shook his head: "I have not seen the memorial and do not know the details. The Imperial Censor only instructed me to inform the Grand Secretary that the charge of the impeachment is 'disrespect for the emperor and indifference to the life and death of the monarch.' He has already presented the memorial to the Emperor, and I imagine His Majesty will summon the Grand Secretary to defend himself. I urge the Grand Secretary to prepare in advance."

"I am aware of this matter. Thank you for informing me, Imperial Censor."

"Then I shall take my leave."

"No delivery."

……

Liu Ji tossed his pen aside again, stood up, and looked out the window at the snow scene in the courtyard, feeling both puzzled and anxious.

Chu Suiliang had already died of illness, yet his son impeached him. What was the reason for this?
The charge of impeachment, "disrespecting the emperor and disregarding the life and death of the monarch," is utterly absurd... Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I remembered something.

When he accompanied Emperor Taizong on his eastern expedition against Goguryeo, Emperor Taizong fell ill on the return journey and his condition became quite serious. Could it be that he did or said something at that time that led him to "disregard the life and death of the emperor"?

Considering that Chu Suiliang served as the Imperial Diarist at that time, he may have recorded some of his words, but for some reason, they were not included in the "Daily Records" and were only preserved as drafts, which are now in the possession of his two sons...

But what did I do back then?
Or what was said?
Liu Ji pondered deeply but came up with nothing.

However, Liu Xiangdao only sent someone to secretly inform him, without even letting him see the contents of the memorial, which shows how serious the situation was.

Just as he was feeling agitated and confused, a palace attendant entered the room, bowed, and said, "His Majesty has issued an edict summoning the Grand Secretary to the Imperial Study for an audience."

"Your humble servant respectfully accepts the imperial edict."

……

The snow stopped falling in the early morning, but the dark clouds had not yet dispersed, making the light in the imperial study somewhat dim, so candles were lit.

Li Chengqian sat behind his desk, his brows furrowed and his expression grave as he read the memorial again. He then set it aside, picked up another stack of papers, and examined them carefully, remaining silent for a long time.

Liu Xiangdao stood with his hands clasped to one side of the imperial desk, his head slightly lowered, looking at his toes.

A moment later, Liu Ji entered.

After bowing, Li Chengqian gestured to Liu Xiangdao to hand the impeachment memorial on the table to Liu Ji: "Grand Chancellor, take a look for yourself. After you have read it, I will allow you to defend yourself."

"Here."

Liu Ji took the memorial from Liu Xiangdao, unfolded it, and gasped in shock. The more he read, the more horrified he became...

After reading it, return it to Liu Xiangdao.

He then knelt down and said in a deep voice, "I was appointed by Emperor Taizong as the Imperial Censor and was ordered to accompany him on the eastern expedition. Such kindness and favor cannot be repaid even if I were to die for it. I respect and love him even more. How could I utter such rebellious words?"

The impeachment memorial submitted by the Chu brothers stated that when they were compiling Chu Suiliang's manuscripts after his death, they discovered a draft in which a passage concerned Liu Ji.

When Emperor Taizong was returning from his eastern expedition against Goguryeo, he fell seriously ill. Liu Ji once said privately, "There is no need to worry about important matters of the court. As long as we follow the examples of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, assist the young crown prince, and execute ministers with disloyal intentions, that will be enough..."

However, for some reason, this passage was not included in the "Daily Records of the Emperor's Activities" but remained in the draft.

The Chu brothers believed that Liu Ji's words were utterly treasonous, implying that the life or death of Emperor Taizong was of no importance to the country, his ministers, or even the common people, and that even if the emperor died, the ministers only needed to continue to assist the crown prince in ascending the throne to stabilize the country.

Even worse, the Chu brothers believed that Liu Ji wanted to emulate the past deeds of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, thereby undermining imperial power and acting as a powerful minister...

Li Chengqian then tossed the stack of manuscripts to him: "Take a look at this."

Liu Ji took the manuscript with both hands and read it quickly, skimming through it...

Li Chengqian asked, "Can the Grand Secretary question the authenticity of this document?"

Liu Ji was speechless.

Chu Suiliang, along with Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, and Fang Jun, is known as one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty." His calligraphy is based on rigor and dignity, combining a precipitous and steep momentum with a graceful and beautiful style. He has formed a unique style in terms of brushwork, structure, and spirit. His calligraphy is well-balanced in terms of density and spacing, and his characters are either broad and grand or slender and upright. They are different in posture but harmonious and unified, and have unique characteristics.

It's easy for outsiders to copy, but difficult to pass off a fake as the real thing.

He had served in the same court as Chu Suiliang and was extremely familiar with his handwriting, so he could not lie and say that it was someone else imitating him.

If it is an authentic work by Chu Suiliang, when did I ever say such a thing?
He thought for a while and said, "At that time, I did express my opinion on Emperor Taizong's illness, but I only said that 'His Majesty is suffering from carbuncles, which is worrying'... By the way, Ma Zhou was present when I said this."

Li Chengqian nodded: "Summon Ma Zhou!"

"Here!"

The eunuch outside the door received the order and hurried away.

Not long after, Ma Zhou, who was working in the Ministry of Personnel, was summoned...

Ma Zhou entered to pay his respects, and then, after being questioned, he thought carefully and nodded, saying, "The Grand Secretary only said that 'His Majesty suffers from carbuncles, which is worrying,' and nothing else was mentioned."

Liu Xiangdao, who had been mostly silent, suddenly asked, "Can the Attendant-in-Ordinary testify that the Grand Secretary did not actually say the sentence in the impeachment memorial?"

Liu Ji gave Liu Xiangdao a deep look.

He initially thought this person had secretly sent someone to inform him that they were on his side, but this question, like a venomous snake, pierced through all his defenses...

Sure enough, Ma Zhou shook his head: "I can only say that I do not know, how can I know whether the Grand Secretary mentioned it elsewhere?"

He paused, wanting to say a few words in Liu Ji's defense, but found that there was no way to defend himself.

Would Liu Ji really say something like that?
Logically speaking, it's impossible.

However, Chu Suiliang had no reason to falsely accuse Liu Ji, otherwise why would he only keep the draft and not include it in Emperor Taizong's "Daily Records"?
Moreover, Liu Ji was indeed "outspoken" and "unrestrained in his speech" back then. For example, when Emperor Taizong asked Chu Suiliang for the "Daily Records of the Emperor's Activities," he wanted to see how these historians wrote about him and the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Chu Suiliang refused, explaining, "The 'Daily Records' document the words and deeds of the monarch, intended to prevent him from committing illegal acts. I have never heard of a monarch being allowed to read it himself!"

—According to the rules, you cannot view this.

Emperor Taizong then asked, "If I do something wrong, should it also be recorded?"

Chu Suiliang said, "It is my duty to remember this."

—I am simply performing my duties and handling official business. Please do not make things difficult for me.

Emperor Taizong was dissatisfied, but that was all.

But Liu Ji happened to be standing nearby at that moment, and what did he say?

"Even if Chu Suiliang doesn't remember, the people of the world will."

The meaning of this sentence is very simple and direct: You don't need to look, we already know about that...

Given Liu Ji's background, it's not surprising that he would utter the words he used in the impeachment memorial submitted by the Chu brothers.