Chapter 71

The early morning court sessions of the Song Dynasty were held every five days, a system established during Wang Anshi's reforms and continued thereafter.

Before dawn, Chen Qing set out. He had not stayed outside the city the previous night but in the dormitory of the Imperial College. An official from the Palace Supervisors had found him yesterday, explained the general court etiquette, and left him a set of military official attire.

Actually, the court attire of civil officials did not differ much, mainly in the hats and accessories. Civil officials wore the jinxian hat, while military officials wore the longguan hat. Civil officials wore seals and sashes at their waists, while military officials wore water-blue jade.

The court session began at the third watch of the hour of the hare, which is 6:30 AM, lasting one and a half hours until 8:00 AM. However, if important military or political matters arose, the session could continue until noon.

Chen Qing still rode his horse to the palace, where there was a designated place to stable horses. Soon, he arrived at the Lizheng Gate.

The officials for the court session arrived one after another. Generally, it was the duty officials who attended, regardless of their rank, so most of the officials were relatively young. This was a characteristic of the Song Dynasty, where high-ranking officials were often nominal, and real power was held by mid- and lower-level officials.

Most of the officials were from the Shangshu Province, the Secretariat, and the Three Departments, each holding significant power in administration, military, and finance.

On the square of the Daqing Hall, the early-arriving officials gathered in small groups, chatting idly about various topics, avoiding serious matters. This was the sentiment expressed in Xin Qiji's poem: "Now I know the taste of sorrow, but I refrain from speaking, refrain from speaking, and only say the autumn is cool."

Although the Song Dynasty did not execute civil officials, the officials were not without worries. On the other hand, power struggles, factional conflicts, and ideological battles were intense.

For example, the struggle between the conservative and reformist factions during the Northern Song, the conflict between the surrender and anti-Jin factions in the early Southern Song, and various other factional and power struggles.

Civil officials often undermined each other, and a single wrong word could be seized upon. Therefore, dismissals and demotions were common, and officials were cautious, only speaking a fraction of their thoughts or discussing trivial matters.

However, once in a struggle, they would show no mercy, saying whatever they wanted, regardless of the other party's feelings.

Because they did not fear for their lives, the court sessions were often filled with tension, with personal attacks sometimes exceeding those on the battlefield. Even the emperor sometimes could not bear it and would flee, leaving the factions to fight it out.

"Minister Fan has arrived!"

Someone shouted, and a soft sedan chair was set down.

Chen Qing saw a tall, plump, and fair official step out of the sedan, looking very young, probably in his early thirties. This must be Fan Zongyi, known as the youngest prime minister of the Song Dynasty.

Chen Qing heard someone nearby chuckle, "His hat is not straight, I guess he will only look in the mirror twice today!"

Chen Qing had heard this story from Hu Yan Tong the previous day. Fan Zongyi was extremely vain, admiring his own beauty so much that he would look in the mirror three times every morning before leaving. He was jokingly called the "Three-Look Minister."

However, someone who is extremely vain is also often extremely proud and arrogant, with a tendency to be extreme. Historically, this young prime minister died young at the age of 37.

Chen Qing stood at a distance, coldly observing the Three-Look Minister's every move. As expected, the tall, plump, and handsome young minister was extremely proud, ignoring the greetings of other officials as he walked with his head held high, quickly heading to the prime minister's rest area.

"Minister Qin has arrived!"

Someone shouted, drawing Chen Qing's attention. Qin Hui, the infamous minister in history, was finally about to appear.

A middle-aged official with pale skin and triangular eyes stepped out of a green sedan, smiling and greeting the officials. Compared to the arrogant Fan Zongyi, Qin Hui was more amiable and approachable.

At this moment, Qin Hui noticed Chen Qing and walked over with a smile.

"Are you General Chen?"

Chen Qing was slightly taken aback, "Does Minister Qin know me?"

Qin Hui chuckled, "I heard that General Chen is testifying today. You are the only military official I don't know, so I guessed it must be you."

Chen Qing bowed, "I am Chen Qing."

Qin Hui then asked with a smile, "Is General Chen familiar with Minister Lu?"

It seemed like a casual question, but it was full of implications. Today's testimony by Chen Qing was arranged by Lu Yihao at the last minute. Qin Hui realized the unusual nature of this arrangement. Was it due to Chen Qing's relationship with Lu Yihao, or did Zhang Jun ask Lu Yihao for help, or was it Lu Yihao's own arrangement? Regardless of the reason, the matter was being made public.

From this, one could see Lu Yihao's stance: seemingly neutral, but secretly undermining Fan Zongyi.

Chen Qing smiled but did not answer, leaving Qin Hui's question unanswered.

Qin Hui laughed dryly and turned to leave.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The cloud gong of the Daqing Hall sounded, and the officials began to enter the court.

An official from the Palace Supervisors quickly approached and bowed to Chen Qing, "General Chen, please follow me!"

Chen Qing followed the official to the Daqing Hall. Although it was still dim outside, the hall was brightly lit. Inside, hundreds of officials stood according to their ranks. Chen Qing, a seventh-rank military official, had a designated area, but interestingly, he was the only one in that area. The surrounding officials were whispering, seemingly discussing today's agenda.

At this moment, the sound of drums and music filled the air as Emperor Gaozong, accompanied by dozens of palace ladies, entered from the right side of the hall.

The on-duty Palace Supervisor loudly announced, "The court is in session, pay your respects!"

All the officials bowed, "Long live the Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years!"

Emperor Gaozong waved his hand, "Rise, my ministers."

Emperor Gaozong sat down, and the Deputy Palace Supervisor, Li Xun, read out the agenda for the day. The first item was a report on the suppression of the rebel Zhang Kui, to be presented by Li Hui, the head of the Secretariat.

"Rebel leader Zhang Kui was surrounded and killed outside Suian County. Three hundred of his soldiers were also eliminated. The Secretariat has verified Zhang Kui's identity, confirming it is him. The rebellion led by Zhang Kui is now over..."

After Li Hui finished reading the report, the hall fell silent. Emperor Gaozong asked in a cold voice, "Do any of my ministers have objections to the Secretariat's report?"

If there were no objections, Chen Qing would not need to testify. However, if there were objections, Chen Qing would need to come forward.

"I have something to say," Zhang Jun's eyes narrowed, and as expected, Fan Zongyi stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I do not object to the Secretariat's report, but I have some questions about the details of the suppression. This involves an impeachment report from the Censorate. Since Commander Chen is here, I believe it would be best to clarify these matters now. Please allow me, Your Majesty."

"Permission granted."

Fan Zongyi looked at Chen Qing from a distance and gestured, "Commander Chen, please step forward."

Chen Qing slowly stepped forward, and the hall buzzed with low whispers. No one expected Chen Qing to be so young, and Emperor Gaozong, seeing Chen Qing for the first time, was impressed by the young general's tall and handsome appearance.

Chen Qing approached and knelt on one knee, saluting the emperor, "Your Majesty, I am Chen Qing of the Western Army, paying my respects."

"General Chen, you may rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Qing stood up and calmly asked Fan Zongyi, "Minister Fan, what questions do you have for me?"

"I read an impeachment report accusing you of brutally massacring surrendered soldiers a month ago. Is this true?"

"Surrendered soldiers?"

Chen Qing laughed coldly, "I don't know what the definition of surrendered soldiers is. If you mean soldiers who surrendered, I did not kill them. But if you mean bandits, isn't the term 'surrendered soldiers' too lenient? Or are you emphasizing that I killed prisoners?"

"Even if they were bandits! The report states that after the battle, there were hundreds of injured bandits. You did not treat them but ordered them all to be executed. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is true."

"Why did you not treat them but kill them?" Fan Zongyi looked at Chen Qing sharply.

"Minister Fan, first, I must say that the war was not over. It was night, and the ground was covered with the bodies of bandits, many of whom were still alive and holding weapons. They could have killed my soldiers at any moment. We did not know if Zhang Kui had retreated or if there were more enemies hiding outside the city.

Minister Fan, let me repeat, the war was not over. There were no prisoners, only a continuation of the battle, from a city defense to a battlefield. It was a matter of life and death. If you think the battlefield is too cruel, I have nothing to say."

Fan Zongyi was speechless for a moment and then said, "You not only killed them but also beheaded over a thousand people and displayed their heads. Isn't that too cruel?"

Chen Qing laughed, then his smile faded, and he stared at Fan Zongyi coldly, "There are also several heads hanging outside Yuhang Gate. Minister Fan, is that too cruel?"