Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 88: Clearing the Game

After the Dragon Boat Festival came the imperial examinations.

Since the court had clearly informed scholars across all commanderies when issuing the decree that this imperial examination was intended to select officials for the Western Regions Protectorate, quite a few scholars from humble backgrounds, despite wanting to serve the court, were unwilling to be dispatched thousands of miles away to the Western Regions and chose not to participate in this exam.

By the end of the Dragon Boat Festival, fewer than a thousand scholars from various commanderies had arrived to take the exams. This outcome was well within Yin Shuhuai’s expectations.

As early as when the court issued the decree to all commanderies across the realm and posted public notices announcing the imperial examinations, Yin Shuhuai had already dispatched an imperial edict to the Administrator of Liangzhou, ordering him to cooperate with the imperial commissioner in holding local imperial examinations within Liangzhou. The goal of the examination was to screen out ambitious scholars living locally in Liangzhou who were familiar with the local customs, traditions, and political situation of the Western Regions, appointing them as county magistrates and other local officials to help the court govern the region.

Upon receiving the Emperor’s decree, the Administrator of Liangzhou did not dare to delay for even a moment, and under the guidance of the imperial commissioner, immediately held an imperial examination geared toward scholars from Liangzhou. The exam questions were personally written by the Emperor and, on the day of the examination, were transmitted directly into the hands of the commissioner and the Liangzhou Administrator via a flying-flower message, eliminating any possibility of a question leak.

Leaving aside how utterly terrified the Liangzhou Administrator and the commissioner were by the flying-flower message that suddenly materialized in their hands, the imperial examinations successfully selected a total of five hundred scholars (three hundred chosen in the capital and two hundred in Liangzhou) to enter government service. After a one-month crash course on starting work, they were all appointed as local officials in various commanderies across the Western Regions based on their exam and training rankings.

Hundreds of scholars from humble backgrounds were transformed overnight into grassroots officials dispatched by the court to the Western Regions Protectorate. With mountains and rivers stretching endlessly ahead of them on this journey, it remained unknown whether they would establish career achievements and build their merit, or end up burying their bones in a foreign land.

On the day of their departure, the Emperor of Yin personally hosted a banquet to bid farewell to these young and passionate officials. He knew that after taking up their posts, the complex situation of the Western Regions and the local customs vastly different from the Central Plains would await them. Upon arrival, these officials might suffer from homesickness and acclimation issues, strive hard to govern with integrity, or perhaps quickly be co-opted by local powerful clans… But regardless of what happened, at this very moment they still constituted the group of people in whom Yin Shuhuai placed his highest hopes.

“Your journey to the Western Regions is to safeguard the long-term peace and stability of our Great Yin Dynasty. You are not fighting alone, and the court stands firmly behind you…” Yin Shuhuai spoke earnestly and persuasively, guiding them step by step. “You need not worry that the court’s reach will fall short once you venture deep into the Western Regions. The official highway leading from Jixian County to the Western Regions has already been extended to Liangzhou, and it will soon stretch all the way into the Western Regions. The court has stationed twenty thousand cavalry troops in Liangzhou, and maritime routes have also been opened up. This means that should any unrest occur in the Western Regions, the imperial army can penetrate deep into the Western Regions from Liangzhou overnight, and reinforcements and logistics from Jixian County can reach the Western Regions directly via maritime routes within a month.”

Ever since Yin Shuhuai handed the formula for concrete over to the Directorate of Palace Armament, the court began large-scale renovations of the official highways connecting the capital to every commandery across the realm. The overland Silk Road was thoroughly opened up by Shen Tu Yang leading the Yan-Yun iron cavalry, and the maritime Silk Road also resumed operations. Transportation hubs across all regions were linked by a web of accessible official highways, and their maximum utility had already been unleashed.

As transportation and travel between various regions became increasingly convenient, commercial trade grew more frequent under the banner of protecting merchant caravans. Yin Shuhuai had the Northern and Southern Armies as well as the Yan State army establish merchant escort teams respectively to safeguard traveling merchants. On one hand, this allowed the military to earn extra military expenditure by escorting caravans, while on the other hand, it utilized frequent troop movements to clear out bandit infestations along the way and keep a close eye on local feudal lords and powerful clans.

As the network of official highways connecting the capital to various commanderies grew as intricate as a spiderweb, the ties between the central court and local commanderies grew increasingly tight, which also meant the deterrence and radiating influence of imperial power were expanding continuously. Local feudal lords and powerful clans who had previously harbored restless ambitions saw the situation clearly and had grown considerably more well-behaved over recent times.

By dispatching imperial examination officials to govern the localities in the Western Regions, Yin Shuhuai used the oath-taking ceremony to boost the morale of the officials, which was also a brilliant move to startle the snake by hitting the grass and further achieve centralized imperial rule.

The young officials listened with boiling blood. They all hailed from humble backgrounds, and heading to the Western Regions now was precisely for the purpose of establishing personal merit and career achievements. Yet they had also worried about standing alone and isolated, making it difficult to carry out their work after taking up office. Now, hearing these words from the Emperor, everyone felt a sudden surge of spirit, and their backs straightened instantly.

Indeed! They were officials dispatched to the Western Regions Protectorate by the court, with the Emperor and millions of troops of the Great Yin Dynasty backing them up, so why should they fear local powerful clans? They were not walking deep into enemy territory now, but rather standing on the soil of the Great Yin Dynasty, governing the commanderies of Great Yin!

The Emperor hoped that upon going to the Western Regions, they could govern the region well, civilize the people of the Western Regions, widely open up commercial routes, and turn the Western Regions into a supply hub for goods flowing from the Central Plains and Jiangnan commanderies… None of these grand goals could be accomplished overnight, but they had already prepared themselves to dedicate their entire lives to the cause.

Yin Shuhuai truly wanted to open up the commercial routes of the Western Regions, but remembering the lessons of the Tang Dynasty, he only permitted the Western Regions to study the Han classics, historical records, and Confucian culture of the Central Plains, while strictly prohibiting the outflow of iron implements and advanced technologies from the Great Yin Dynasty to the Western Regions. He knew that merchants valued profit above all else, and he understood the inherent nature of capital. Once profits exceeded fifty percent, they would dare to take desperate risks; if profits exceeded three hundred percent, they would dare to commit every crime imaginable even at the risk of losing their heads.

To warn the world, Yin Shuhuai specifically ordered the officials to formulate laws regarding smuggling should any noble clans or wealthy merchants dare to secretly smuggle iron implements and advanced technologies from Great Yin into the Western Regions, the court would pursue the matter to the very end, with severe offenders facing the confiscation of their property and execution of their entire clan.

Once the decree was issued, the noble clans and wealthy merchants who had previously harbored restless intentions instantly quieted down. Fortunately, aside from contraband iron implements and advanced technologies, merchants across the various commanderies of the Western Regions were naturally far more interested in luxury goods from the Central Plains such as silk, porcelain, and tea. They did not need to risk the extermination of their nine familial clans just to secretly sell off Great Yin’s iron implements and advanced technologies.

Yin Shuhuai even implemented the Law of Confiscating Hidden Wealth and the Bronze Box System within the Western Regions Protectorate. He encouraged local commoners to expose wealthy merchants and powerful clans who lacked humaneness, traded privately, and hoarded weapons. Once the court verified the crimes of the accused, the whistleblower could receive half of the defendant’s property as a reward (here referring to both parties in the transaction). Bronze boxes were also set up across various parts of the Western Regions, calling upon commoners to anonymously report officials who colluded with local powerful clans. Once an official’s crime was verified, the anonymous whistleblower would likewise receive a generous reward, and talented scholars who passed the examinations could even step in to replace the disgraced officials.

This was a suggestion originally proposed in policy essays by Gongsun Yan and others when Yin Shuhuai first held the imperial examinations in Luoyang. By now, Gongsun Yan and his peers had long since attained the ranks of the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers, though those overly radical proposals had failed to be implemented in the Central Plains—yet trying them out on a trial basis while governing the Western Regions was entirely feasible.

As soon as these two systems were introduced, the political atmosphere throughout the entire Western Regions Protectorate as well as Liangzhou’s officialdom was thoroughly cleansed. Civilian merchants also walked on eggshells, terrified of stepping on the Emperor’s toes.

Fortunately, apart from the strict control over iron implements and certain advanced technologies, the Sovereign treated the people of the Western Regions with equal benevolence. He encouraged education, establishing village and community schools across all commanderies of the Western Regions to teach local children aged eight to fifteen free of charge in the culture of Great Yin. He also promoted the imperial examination system within the Western Regions Protectorate, allowing local scholars well-read in the classics and histories to participate in the imperial exams. Once they passed the county, prefectural, academy, provincial, and metropolitan examinations, they could even travel to the capital to take part in the palace examinations… Passing the palace examinations allowed them to enter official government service.

In short, this provided the local populace with a very clear channel for upward mobility.

Beyond that, Yin Shuhuai also ordered local officials to teach the people how to grow grain and various cash crops such as cotton and pepper, establishing local workshops to provide the populace with arable land and jobs. He prohibited powerful clans and wealthy households from bullying the common people, and likewise forbade them from keeping slaves.

Yin Shuhuai’s original intention was naturally to maintain local stability and peace. Only a peaceful and stable commercial environment could create greater profits and elevate the living standards of the local people.

Yet what Yin Shuhuai did not expect, or perhaps did not expect to happen so quickly, was that after these policies benefiting the people were implemented, the local populace’s sense of identity and belonging toward the court rose rapidly. By the time of the autumn harvest the following year, the various tribes of the Western Regions, to express their respect and admiration for the Emperor, actually submitted a memorial to the court earnestly petitioning the Emperor of Yin to allow them to enter the capital for an audience.

Not only the tribes of the Western Regions, but also the Baiyue tribes, the Three Hans of Liaodong, and even the Buyeo tribes of the Northeast all submitted memorials pleading to enter the capital for a formal audience.

When Yin Shuhuai read the memorials, he was completely shocked. “This is literally what the history books describe as all surrounding barbarians submitting in allegiance and ten thousand nations coming to court!” He truly never expected that his reign would reach this day either.

Indeed, sitting right inside the palace while unexpected joy dropped straight from the heavens.

Yin Shuhuai, who had served as Emperor for several years, excitedly summoned a court assembly, instructing the civil and military officials to make full preparations for receiving the various tribes arriving in the capital.

The civil and military officials shared a profound sense of honor and glory as well. Within the Chongde Hall, the ministers gazed upward at the Emperor of Yin seated high above. Looking back to the past, the Emperor was merely a puppet ruler hoisted onto the throne by powerful eunuchs. Having weathered three generations of powerful ministers, he had imperceptibly grown to such heights. The once naive and panicked teenage emperor had matured into a wise and powerful monarch firmly grasping supreme authority. Today, he had actually forged a glorious golden age where all surrounding barbarians submitted in allegiance and ten thousand nations came to court.

They, as ministers, had walked this entire journey alongside the Emperor. At this very moment and in this very setting, feelings of deep emotional reflection were unavoidable.

Following the emotional reflection came an uncontrollable wave of excitement.

Ever since Emperor Li passed away and traveled to his final rest, more than twenty years had passed. To this day, veteran ministers from the era of Emperor Li were few in number. The few who survived still remembered the imperial glory of Great Yin’s golden age, when the domain reached wherever rivers flowed, the sun and moon shone, and every inch of land belonged to Yin. They had once assumed they would never witness that splendor again. Never did they expect that before being buried in the earth, they would actually be granted the opportunity to witness with their own eyes this golden age of ten thousand nations coming to court and all lands submitting in allegiance.

Let it be hosted! This year’s court audience must be celebrated grandly!

Not only were the tribes of the Western Regions, Baiyue, Buyeo, and the Three Hans coming to the capital to pay homage to the Emperor, but local vassal kings and feudal lords were also arriving in the capital for an audience!

They wanted to let all the people together witness this golden era where the hearts of the realm united and all directions submitted in obedience.

At the Emperor of Yin’s command, the entire imperial court transformed into a high-speed political machine, with the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers working in concerted harmony, throwing themselves passionately into the preparations for the grand palace banquet. The Ministry of Ceremonies and the Bureau of Astronomy worked through the night, flipping through bamboo slips buried at the bottom of boxes to look up the ritual regulations and protocols used by Great Yin when receiving ten thousand nations in the past. Palace musicians and dancers rehearsed new songs and dances overnight, while Shen Tu Yang and Huo Quan whetted their blades, preparing to invite the envoys of ten thousand nations to admire the formidable strength and magnificent array of Great Yin’s soldiers during the imperial audience.

Busying themselves all the way until the end of the year, everything was fully prepared.

Vassal kings, feudal lords, regional administrators from various regions, as well as chieftains from the Western Regions, Baiyue, Fusang, and the Three Hans successively arrived in the capital.

During the New Year’s Day court audience, the vassal kings, feudal lords, frontier officials, and tribal chieftains ascended the hall in order of their peerage ranks. Led by the Ministry of Ceremonies, they passed through the chariot and cavalry formations of Great Yin, walking up the long stone steps before Chongde Hall.

The palace towers rose so high they seemed to pierce the clouds. Flanking both sides of the endless stone steps stood the soldiers guarding the imperial palace. With steel helmets, complete armor, and sharp long halberds, they reflected a chilling metallic sheen under the sunlight, while crimson tassels fluttered in the wind, exuding an aura of solemn intimidation.

The vassal kings, regional officials, and tribal chieftains who had long been unaccustomed to coming to the capital for court audiences climbed the stone steps in trembling anxiety, only to be stopped outside Chongde Hall by the imperial guards. The young eunuchs waiting nearby stepped forward in silence to remove their shoes and unbuckle their swords before entering Chongde Hall.

By this time, the civil and military officials had already taken their respective places in line. The vassal kings, regional officials, and tribal chieftains quietly entered, walking to their designated spots.

A short while later, the Emperor of Yin arrived at Chongde Hall riding in an imperial carriage and seated himself with dignified composure. Shen Tu Yang, who originally wanted to stand below, was insistently kept by Yin Shuhuai right by his side. The civil and military officials silently looked up at the monarch and subject seated high above, bowed solemnly in unison, and prostrated themselves together, shouting, “Long live, long live, long long live our Emperor!”

The sound shook the skies. Yin Shuhuai, sitting in the dragon chair, experienced a momentary trance of surrealism. He silently recalled all his past experiences since transmigrating into this dynasty. From a puppet emperor arbitrarily deposed and enthroned, to a wise and powerful monarch holding supreme authority, along this journey he had experienced factional struggles, bloody slaughters, the falling out of ruler and subject, rebellions and suppression, as well as the feigned civilities and mutual accomplishments with powerful ministers… Yet he had never forgotten what an Emperor ought to do most: providing relief for disaster victims, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, civilizing the populace, expanding borders and territories, and keeping imperial power firmly grasped within his own hands.

Yin Shuhuai asked himself, as a lone wandering soul from another world who had usurped the imperial throne, from self-preservation to self-reliance, every decision he made lived up to this piece of land and lived up to the common people of the realm.

Now that the four seas had submitted and ten thousand nations had come to court, this was the common people’s reward to him.

This game, he had cleared it.

The corners of Yin Shuhuai’s mouth hidden behind the twelve strands of crown pearls curved upward slightly as he looked down condescendingly upon the teeming masses at his feet. A moment later, he raised his voice and declared, “My esteemed ministers, rise.”

[End of Main Text]