bestfiction Chapter 318 A Golden Age of Reform
Chapter 318 A Golden Age of Reform
The ceremonial music from the enthronement ceremony still echoed in his ears, but Xiao Chengjun had no time to revel in the glory. He sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at the assembled officials with their varied expressions. The grandeur and solemnity of the Golden Palace only amplified the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. Although the incident involving the Vice Minister of Rites had subsided, his dying words, "I do not wish to see you destroy the ancestral system," remained a thorn in his side, constantly reminding him that the undercurrents of the court had never truly subsided.
Upon ascending the throne, Xiao Chengjun's first decree was the establishment of the "New Policies Oversight Council," directly under the emperor's jurisdiction, aimed at supervising the implementation of the new policies and thoroughly investigating official corruption. The news immediately caused an uproar in the court. The conservative faction, led by the veteran minister Zhang, promptly submitted a joint memorial, accusing this of "violating ancestral rules and acting arbitrarily."
"Your Majesty, throughout history, the country has been governed by the Six Ministries. There has never been an institution that is above the Six Ministries!" Grand Secretary Zhang tremblingly raised the memorial. "This move may discourage the officials. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
Xiao Chengjun remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials: "The establishment of the Supervisory Council is not for seizing power, but rather to cleanse the bureaucracy and ensure the new policies benefit the people. If the Six Ministries act impartially, why fear the Supervisory Council?" He ordered his men to present evidence of official corruption recently collected, each piece shockingly obvious. "Gentlemen," he said, "these officials have abused their positions to enrich themselves, plunging the people into misery. If this continues, Nanzhao will be in grave danger!"
The discussions in the imperial court gradually subsided. Xiao Chengjun seized the opportunity and immediately appointed three upright, honest, and impartial officials as the heads of the Inspectorate, granting them the power to "execute first and report later."
However, the Censorate's actions were not without their setbacks. During the investigation of the Jiangnan salt tax case, the supervising official suddenly died, his body bleeding from all seven orifices, clearly indicating poisoning. Emperor Xiao Chengjun was furious and personally intervened in the case. He discovered that the case involved the Qian family, the largest salt merchant family in Jiangnan, and that the Qian family had close ties with many high-ranking officials in the court.
"Your Majesty, the Qian family has been in the salt business for generations and has deep roots in the court. Taking action rashly could lead to unforeseen circumstances," A Lie advised with concern.
Xiao Chengjun's gaze was firm: "The more this is the case, the more we must act decisively. Issue my decree to seal off all of the Qian family's saltworks and thoroughly investigate their accounts!"
The Qian family, of course, would not sit idly by. They first incited the people to riot under the pretext of "cutting off the people's livelihood," and then secretly bribed court officials to put pressure on Xiao Chengjun in court. In a short time, memorials flew to the palace like snowflakes, all impeaching the Censorate for "abusing its power and destroying people's livelihood."
Xiao Chengjun did not back down. On one hand, he dispatched troops to maintain order in Jiangnan and appease the people; on the other hand, he ordered the evidence of the Qian family's corruption to be compiled and made public in the court. The evidence was irrefutable, and those ministers who spoke up for the Qian family were immediately silenced. In the end, the Qian family's property was confiscated, all the officials involved were dismissed and investigated, the salt tax in Jiangnan was also brought under state control, and the court's revenue increased significantly.
With internal troubles somewhat quelled, external threats arose. Jiang Mingyuan, the newly enthroned ruler of Xijing Kingdom, harbored great ambitions and frequently provoked incidents on the border, intending to gradually encroach upon the territory of Nanzhao. Xiao Chengjun knew that continued appeasement would only embolden the other side, so he decided to take the initiative.
He appointed the young general Shen Yunzhou as the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, leading an army of 200,000 to the border. Before their departure, Xiao Chengjun personally saw the soldiers off and made a solemn promise: "If you return victorious, you will all be richly rewarded! Not an inch of Nanzhao's land will be allowed to be invaded by foreign enemies!"
As expected, Shen Yunzhou lured the Xijing Kingdom's army into an ambush, annihilating their elite forces in one fell swoop. Seeing the situation was dire, Jiang Mingyuan hastily sent envoys to sue for peace. Xiao Chengjun, however, did not pursue the matter to the bitter end, but instead proposed extremely harsh peace terms: Xijing Kingdom must cede three border cities and pay a huge military indemnity.
When the news reached the country, the people rejoiced, and Xiao Chengjun's prestige reached its zenith. However, he did not become arrogant or complacent; instead, he became even more vigilant. He knew that the higher one climbs, the colder it gets, and the more glorious one's success, the more cautious one must be.
After dealing with border affairs, Xiao Chengjun turned his attention to the people's livelihood at home. He implemented the "Equal Land Distribution Order," which redistributed land and restricted powerful families from annexing land; he established "Benefit-the-People Medical Clinics" to provide free medical treatment for the people; and he vigorously developed education, establishing academies in various places and recruiting students from poor families.
While these measures benefited the common people, they once again threatened the interests of powerful clans. They dared not openly oppose them, but secretly engaged in sabotage. Some deliberately hoarded grain, causing prices to skyrocket; others spread rumors and slandered the new policies.
Xiao Chengjun was well-prepared. He ordered the granaries to be opened to release grain and stabilize prices; he also instructed the Censorate to thoroughly investigate the source of the rumors and severely punish those behind them. At the same time, he personally visited the people to listen to their voices and incorporate their needs into his policies.
One day, Xiao Chengjun, disguised, arrived at a teahouse in the capital. He sat in a corner, listening to the conversation of the other patrons. An old man said, "The new emperor's policies are indeed good, but some powerful families are always causing trouble. If no one interfered, our lives would definitely be better!"
Another young man chimed in, "What's there to be afraid of! With the Emperor around, those bad guys won't be able to cause trouble for long! I heard that the Emperor was very clever when he was young and even saved many people!"
Hearing these words, Xiao Chengjun felt a surge of warmth in his heart. The people's trust was the greatest affirmation for him.
As the first frost of autumn descended, the maple leaves of Nanzhao Kingdom turned the capital city red, but Xiao Chengjun had no heart to appreciate the scenery. In the imperial study, he frowned deeply at the mountain of secret reports piled up on his desk—since the implementation of the new policies, news of tax resistance from powerful families had been constantly coming from all over the country, and some had even privately formed armed guards to openly confront the government.
"Your Majesty, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau has defied orders again." A-Lie held an urgent document, his expression grave. "They refuse to pay the new taxes and have incited the weavers to strike, claiming the new policies have cut off their livelihoods." Xiao Chengjun slammed his teacup down, spilling tea that left dark stains on the memorial. These aristocratic families, ostensibly using "people's livelihood" as an excuse, were in reality unwilling to relinquish the privileges they had accumulated over centuries.
Meanwhile, a sudden epidemic quietly spread across the southwestern border region. Local officials reported that patients were exhibiting symptoms such as high fever and coughing up blood, and that the disease was highly contagious. Xiao Chengjun immediately ordered the allocation of medicinal herbs and dispatched imperial physicians to the epidemic area, but soon discovered that the situation was far more complex than imagined—the medicinal herbs were intercepted halfway there, and the imperial physicians sent to treat the patients mysteriously disappeared.
"Your Majesty, the weapons used by the bandits who stole the medicinal herbs are the same type as those confiscated when the Qian family was raided." The report from the commander of the secret guards caused Xiao Chengjun's pupils to shrink sharply. He gripped the armrest of the dragon throne, realizing that this was a meticulously planned conspiracy: to create panic by using the epidemic to hinder the implementation of the new policies, and possibly even trigger a popular uprising.
In the imperial court, the conservatives launched another attack. Grand Secretary Zhang, leaning on his cane, stepped forward shakily: "Your Majesty, since the implementation of the new policies, chaos has frequently arisen. Now, epidemics are rampant, and the people are suffering unspeakably. Could this be a warning from Heaven to the need for change?" Upon hearing this, many ministers echoed his sentiments, demanding that the new policies be suspended.
Xiao Chengjun coldly surveyed the assembled officials, then suddenly rose: "Summon the Minister of Justice!" A moment later, the Minister of Justice presented a scroll of case files—irrefutable evidence of recent discoveries of powerful families colluding with foreign enemies. "Gentlemen," he declared, "some, for their own selfish gain, have colluded with foreign forces, attempting to overthrow the court!" He slammed the scroll onto the imperial desk. "Behind the plague, these are the very people at work!"
Just as the court was in shock, even worse news arrived: taking advantage of the internal strife in Nanzhao, the Western Jing Kingdom once again amassed troops on the border and spread rumors that Nanzhao's fate was sealed. Xiao Chengjun summoned military commanders overnight to devise a strategy to defend against the enemy. He knew that without eliminating internal troubles, external threats would be difficult to resolve, and a two-pronged approach was necessary.
While dealing with the border crisis, Xiao Chengjun personally went to the epidemic area. Dressed in plain clothes, he went among the patients to comfort the people. To solve the shortage of medicines, he ordered the royal pharmacy to be opened and called on civilian doctors to fight the epidemic together. At the same time, the Censorate intensified its efforts and finally uncovered the mastermind behind the epidemic—several hereditary dukes, in collusion with foreign forces, attempted to use the epidemic to overthrow the court.
As these nobles were led to the execution ground, the people of the capital spontaneously gathered, chanting "Your Majesty is wise!" However, Xiao Chengjun did not relax his guard. He knew that as long as the privileged class existed, similar conspiracies would spring up again like weeds in the spring breeze.
In the border war, Shen Yunzhou once again demonstrated his exceptional military talent. He employed a strategy of exhaustion, luring the Xijing Kingdom's army deep into enemy territory before cutting off their supplies and retreat. Ultimately, the Xijing Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat, and Jiang Mingyuan was forced to send envoys to sue for peace again. Xiao Chengjun, however, did not easily let this opportunity slip by. He demanded that the Xijing Kingdom open more ports for trade and allow the Nanzhao Kingdom to establish trading posts on its border.
Having resolved both internal and external troubles, Xiao Chengjun began to reform the official system. He introduced the "Imperial Examination Reform Decree," expanding the avenues for scholars from humble backgrounds to enter officialdom; and established the "Integrity Assessment System," linking officials' performance with their promotions. To prevent a backlash from powerful families, he also formed the "Imperial Guard," a force directly under the emperor's command, as a solid support for maintaining the new policies.
However, just as everything was going smoothly, devastating news suddenly arrived from the palace. Princess Chang Le's carriage had gone out of control and plunged off a cliff during an outing. Upon hearing the news, Xiao Chengjun vomited blood and fainted on the spot. After waking up, he forced himself to investigate the incident despite his illness and discovered that the carriage axle had been deliberately sabotaged. The clues pointed to a concubine with close ties to the conservative faction.
"Your imperial sister is so innocent and kind, how could you do such a thing!" Xiao Chengjun was furious and ordered all those involved to be severely punished. The death of Princess Chang Le was an eternal pain in his heart, and it also strengthened his determination to implement new policies—only by completely breaking the old order could the tragedy be prevented from repeating itself.
To commemorate his sister, Xiao Chengjun ordered the construction of the "Changle Academy" in the capital, specifically to enroll orphaned girls. He personally inscribed the plaque, encouraging the students to "change their destiny through knowledge." Afterwards, women's education gradually flourished in the Nanzhao Kingdom, and more and more women left their secluded homes to participate in social affairs.
As time passed, Xiao Chengjun's reforms finally began to show results. The Nanzhao Kingdom's national strength increased day by day, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. Some of the aristocratic families that had once opposed the new policies actively integrated into the reforms, while others gradually declined. And Xiao Chengjun, from the crown prince who was appointed to the throne in a time of crisis, grew into a truly wise ruler.
One snowy night, Xiao Chengjun climbed the palace tower, gazing at the brightly lit capital. The cold wind howled, but it could not dispel the determination in his eyes.