activa-t Chapter 16 Bloodshed in the Imperial Court - New
Chapter 16 Bloodshed in the Imperial Court - New
On the 18th day of the tenth month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, at the hour of Chen (7
The Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The morning light slanted in through the tall palace gates, casting bright beams of light onto the polished gold-brick floor.
Within the beam of light, fine dust particles floated slowly, like countless suspended, golden hailstones.
All the officials had stood in their assigned positions.
Civil officials were in the east, and military officials were in the west. They wore scarlet robes and blue robes, with different rank badges, and lined up from inside the palace all the way to the steps outside the palace.
No one spoke; even coughs were deliberately kept low. An eerie silence hung in the air, like the oppressive stillness before a storm.
Li Ce sat on the throne, wearing a twelve-chapter imperial robe, a winged crown, and the Emperor's sword at his waist.
His face was calm, but his eyes were deeper than usual, like two bottomless, icy pools.
His gaze slowly swept across the hall.
From left to right, from front to back, every face, every gaze, every subtle movement.
Some people gripped their tablets nervously, some had beads of sweat on their foreheads, some looked away, and some pretended to be calm.
Finally, his gaze fell on the middle section of the civil official queue.
There, a person in a wheelchair stood out.
Wu Zhaoyi.
He wore a faded blue robe with a seventh-rank official badge inscribed with a mandarin duck. His left leg was wrapped in thick bandages, and his face showed signs of illness, but his back was ramrod straight, and his hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly, his knuckles white.
Eyes facing each other.
For a fleeting moment, a hint of panic flashed in Wu Zhaoyi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an almost frantic determination.
Li Ce looked away, as if he had only glanced at an insignificant person unintentionally.
"Today is the grand court session," he began, his voice steady. "Those with matters to report, may leave the court."
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Then, an imperial censor stepped forward.
"Your subject, Censor Zhou Chang, has a memorial to present!"
He was a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a thin face and sharp eyes, a typical air of a remonstrating official. He held a tablet and spoke in a loud voice:
"I impeach Li Ruolian, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, for abusing his power, abusing his authority, using cruel torture, framing ministers, and disrupting the court!"
Since he took charge of the Northern Garrison Command, the imperial prisons have been overflowing with people, and all the court officials are living in fear. This is not the way to govern a country; it is a sign of the country's demise!
Your Majesty, please dismiss Li Ruolian and disband the Embroidered Uniform Guard to appease the people!
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone knows this is the opening gong.
The real show is about to begin.
Li Ce didn't speak, he just looked at the censor.
Another person stepped forward.
"Your Majesty's new policies, intended to save the day, are being implemented too hastily and with cruel methods!" This was a young official in his thirties, speaking with great enthusiasm.
The crackdown on corruption has left corrupt officials across the land trembling with fear, and the land survey has sent shockwaves through the gentry of Jiangnan! If this continues, it may lead to a major upheaval! I implore Your Majesty to postpone the new policies, broaden the channels for public opinion, and govern the empire together with the scholar-officials!
The third.
the fourth.
the fifth.
Within a short span of half an hour, twelve officials stepped forward one after another, their words ranging from vehement to earnest, but their core demands were remarkably consistent—to remove Li Ruolian, halt the new policies, and return power to the scholar-officials.
The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly oppressive.
Like a bowstring that is constantly being stretched taut, it could snap at any moment.
Li Ce remained silent.
He simply watched and listened, his expression as calm as a stone statue.
Finally, when the thirteenth official—an elderly scholar in his sixties—stood out of line, ready to speak, Li Ce raised his hand.
The old scholar's words caught in his throat.
"Have you finished talking?" Li Ce asked.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a piece of ice being smashed into boiling oil, sending chills down everyone's spine.
Inside the hall, there was complete silence.
"Now that you have all finished speaking," Li Ce slowly stood up, "then I shall also say a few words."
He descended the imperial steps and walked to the center of the hall.
The hem of the imperial robe brushed against the gold bricks, making a soft rustling sound. In the silent hall, the sound was amplified and became exceptionally clear, like some kind of ominous countdown.
"You say that Li Ruolian is tyrannical and abuses his power, resorting to cruel torture." Li Ce stopped in front of the first censor to step forward, looking at him. "Zhou Chang, do you know what Shen Maocai confessed to in the imperial prison?"
Zhou Chang's face turned pale, his lips trembled, and he didn't dare to reply.
"He said—" Li Ce answered for him, "Zhao Qichang gave him 30,000 taels of silver to bribe pirates to rob and kill grain ships. After the deed is done, he will receive an additional 20,000 taels."
He turned and looked at the censor of the Ministry of Revenue:
"Wang Ting, do you know what Zhu Chunchen confessed to in prison?"
Wang Ting's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.
"He said—" Li Ce continued, "You gentry from Jiangnan jointly submitted a petition, threatening to cut off the grain transport and stop the grain tax, forcing me to release the people."
He also said, "At least six of you have taken money from him to deliver messages for him."
With each sentence he spoke, an official turned pale.
"You say the new policies are too hasty and the methods too cruel." Li Ce walked back to the imperial steps, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall. "Then I ask you—if corruption is not eradicated, where will the national treasury's money come from? If grain is not transported, what will the people of the capital eat? If the army is not strengthened, who will hold off the Tartars on the nine borders?"
His voice suddenly rose:
"By your mouths? By your pens? Or by... the silver notes hidden in your sleeves?!"
The last sentence, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the hall.
Several officials were so frightened that they dropped their official tablets, which clattered to the ground with a jarring sound.
"Your Majesty!" Finally, a voice rang out.
It's Wu Zhaoyi.
He pushed his wheelchair forward, slowly stepping out of the line and arriving at the center of the hall. His face was flushed with a sickly pallor, but his eyes shone with an alarming intensity.
"Your Majesty, I, Wu Zhaoyi, former Chief Clerk of the Department of Military Affairs, have a memorial to the throne." His voice was somewhat hoarse, but his enunciation was clear. "Your Majesty's words are all reasonable. Combating corruption, transporting grain, and reorganizing the army are all sound policies for saving the country. However—"
He paused, then raised his head and looked directly at Li Ce:
"The method is wrong."
Inside the hall, everyone held their breath.
"Governing a country is like cooking a small fish; it cannot be rushed." Wu Zhaoyi said slowly and deliberately, "Your Majesty's use of the secret police is like using a raging fire. It may seem to produce immediate results, but in reality, it damages the foundation."
"If the power of the secret police and imperial guards becomes too great, the court officials will lose heart; if the court officials lose heart, the government's orders will not be effectively implemented; if the government's orders are not effectively implemented, the people will become disaffected."
He took a deep breath and pulled a roll of yellow silk from his sleeve—the official version of the manifesto.
"We do not wish to obstruct the new policies, but rather to correct Your Majesty's mistakes! We implore Your Majesty to dismiss Li Ruolian, disband the Embroidered Uniform Guard, suspend the new policies, broaden channels for public opinion, and return power to the scholar-officials! In this way, Jiangnan can be at peace, the nine border regions can be stable, and the empire can be governed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised the yellow silk high above his head with both hands.
Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.
Then, one after another, more than twenty officials stepped forward, knelt down, and said in unison:
"Your Majesty, we beseech you to return power to the scholar-officials!"
The sound echoed and buzzed in the empty hall.
Li Ce looked at them for a long time.
Then he smiled.
His laughter was cold and mocking.
"Return power to the scholar-officials." He repeated these six words. "Very well. Then let me ask you—Zhao Qichang sent Zhao Yong north to deliver a map of the capital's defenses and a list of garrison changes for the nine border regions to Huang Taiji, and also to sign a secret treaty of 'allying with the barbarians to quell the rebellion.' Which of you scholar-officials... knew about this?"
boom--!
It exploded inside the hall like a bomb.
All the officials, whether kneeling or standing, were stunned.
Colluding with the enemy?
Zhao Qichang?
Sending defense maps to the Jurchens?!
"Your Majesty..." an old minister began in a trembling voice, "Is there any evidence for this?"
"Evidence?" Li Ce looked outside the hall. "Li Ruolian."
"Your subject is here."
Li Ruolian emerged from the side of the hall, carrying a wooden box. He walked to the center of the hall, opened the box, and took out its contents—
A detailed map of the defenses of the capital region drawn on silk.
A schedule for the rotation of troops in the nine border towns.
There was also a secret letter addressed to Huang Taiji, bearing Zhao Qichang's private seal.
He unfolded these three items one by one and showed them to the officials.
"Zhao Yong was captured at the Chaohechuan Pass last night at midnight." Li Ruolian's voice was calm, but every word was firm. "He was caught red-handed. The garrison commander, Sun Yingyuan, accepted a bribe of ten thousand taels of silver to release Zhao Yong, and he has now been escorted to the capital."
Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.
There was only the sound of heavy breathing, and... the sound of someone's teeth chattering.
Wu Zhaoyi's face turned deathly pale instantly.
He stared intently at the secret letter, at Zhao Qichang's personal seal, and at the familiar handwriting.
It’s over.
It's all over.
Zhao Yong was arrested, Sun Yingyuan was arrested, and the evidence fell into the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard...
"No...it can't be..." he muttered to himself, "Zhao Yong...he clearly..."
"We were supposed to cross the pass on October 20th, right?" Li Ruolian looked at him. "Unfortunately, we went three days earlier."
Wu Zhaoyi was startled and looked up abruptly: "You...how did you know...?"
"Shen Maocai has confessed," Li Ruolian said calmly. "Is your leg injury really from the fall from the horse?"
Wu Zhaoyi was struck dumb, and collapsed in his wheelchair, motionless.
"Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a roar came from outside the palace.
It was Liu Liangzuo.
He led three hundred personal guards, who had somehow already rushed to the plaza outside the palace. Their armor was gleaming, their swords and spears were drawn, and they exuded a murderous aura.
"Your Majesty!" Liu Liangzuo knelt on one knee, his voice booming, "I have heard that a treacherous official is coercing Your Majesty, so I led my personal guards to protect you! Please give the order, Your Majesty, and I will immediately execute the traitor!"
The three hundred personal guards behind him all knelt on one knee in unison, their armor plates clanging and rattling.
The momentum was astonishing.
The officials inside the hall were all terrified.
The soldiers...the soldiers have mutinied?!
Li Ce turned his head and looked at Liu Liangzuo outside the hall for three breaths.
Then he asked:
"Liu Liangzuo, have you come to protect me, or to... force me?"
Liu Liangzuo was taken aback, then shouted, "Your Majesty, I will naturally protect you!"
"Alright." Li Ce nodded. "Then tell me—doesn't it feel uncomfortable carrying those five thousand taels of silver notes that Wu Zhaoyi gave you in your pocket?"
Liu Liangzuo's expression changed drastically.
His hand instinctively reached into his clothes.
This action betrayed everything.
"Looks like it's uncomfortable." Li Ce smiled, but there was no warmth in his smile. "Li Ruolian."
"Your subject is here."
"Take it down."
"yes!"
Li Ruolian waved her hand.
Suddenly, a series of rapid mechanical clicks came from the roof of the palace.
Three hundred crossbow bolts emerged from behind the eaves, brackets, beams, and pillars of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The cold arrowheads gleamed in the morning light, all aimed at Liu Liangzuo and his three hundred personal guards in the square.
At the same time, the guards of the Beijing garrison around the square turned around in unison, raised their halberds, and nocked their crossbows, surrounding Liu Liangzuo's men.
The number of people is at least ten times that of them.
Liu Liangzuo suddenly stood up, drew his sword, and roared, "Brothers! Follow me..."
Before he could finish speaking...
Whoosh-!
A crossbow bolt pierced his right shoulder with pinpoint accuracy.
It wasn't a vital spot, but it was enough to make him lose the strength to hold the knife.
The knife clattered to the ground.
Liu Liangzuo staggered backward, clutching his shoulder, blood gushing from between his fingers, instantly staining half of his armor red.
He looked up at the top of the palace.
There, Zhou Yuji appeared on the eaves, holding a crossbow in his hand, his eyes cold.
"General Liu," Zhou Yuji's voice came from above, "lay down your weapons and you will be spared death."
Liu Liangzuo's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.
The three hundred guards behind him panicked. Some wanted to draw their swords, some wanted to retreat, and some stood frozen in place, at a loss.
"I will say it again," Li Ce's voice came from inside the hall, calm yet carrying an undeniable authority, "Those who lay down their weapons will be spared death. Those who remain obstinate will have their entire clan exterminated."
The last two words, like two icicles, pierced into everyone's heart.
Clang.
The first knife was thrown on the ground.
Then came the second game, the third game...
In less than ten breaths, all three hundred personal guards abandoned their weapons and knelt on the ground.
Seeing this scene, Liu Liangzuo gave a bitter laugh and slowly knelt down.
It’s over.
It's completely over.
Inside the hall, Wu Zhaoyi looked at everything outside with an empty gaze.
He knew he was finished too.
"Wu Zhaoyi." Li Ce walked back to the throne, sat down, and looked at him. "What did Zhao Qichang promise you? A vice minister? Or a minister?"
Wu Zhaoyi remained silent.
"If you won't speak, I'll speak for you," Li Ce said. "He promised you the position of Right Vice Minister of War, his son the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and three generations of wealth and honor for the Wu family. Isn't that right?"
Wu Zhaoyi raised her head, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes went out.
"How...how did you know...?"
"Because Zhao Qichang wrote in his letter to Huang Taiji," Li Ce took out the secret letter from the wooden box, unfolded one of the pages, "'After the matter is accomplished, Wu Zhaoyi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, can act as an inside agent to open Juyong Pass and welcome the royal army into the capital.'"
He threw the page in front of Wu Zhaoyi.
Wu Zhaoyi looked down at the line of words for a long time.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
He laughed maniacally, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
"An inside man...open Juyong Pass...welcome the royal army into the capital..." He laughed and coughed, coughing up blood. "Zhao Qichang, Zhao Qichang...you even...sold me out..."
He looked up at Li Ce, his eyes filled with despair:
"Your Majesty... Your subject... Your subject confesses his guilt."
"But I only have one question—" he hissed, "Is there any hope left for the Ming Dynasty?"
Li Ce looked at him and remained silent for a moment.
Then say:
"Whether or not there is hope is not up to you traitors to decide."
He waved his hand:
"Drag it down."
Two Imperial Guards stepped forward, lifted the limp Wu Zhaoyi, and dragged him out of the hall.
As Wu Zhaoyi passed by Liu Liangzuo, he glanced at him and gave a bitter laugh:
"General Liu...we...will meet again on the road to the Yellow Springs."
Liu Liangzuo lowered his head and remained silent.
Inside the hall, silence returned.
But this silence was completely different from the silence just now.
The silence just now was the calm before the storm.
The silence now is the deathly stillness after the massacre.
All the officials lowered their heads, not daring to look at the emperor on the throne, nor at each other. Cold sweat soaked through their official robes, clinging to their bodies, icy cold.
Li Ce's gaze slowly swept across the hall.
The light swept over the officials who had just stepped forward to demand the abdication, over the silent officials, and over every face.
Then he spoke:
"Thirty-seven people stepped forward just now."
"I'm giving you a chance—"
"Step forward and go to the Northern Garrison Command. Tell me everything you know, have participated in, or have heard about. If you tell me clearly, I can decide what to do with you. If you don't..."
He paused:
"The fate of Wu Zhaoyi and Liu Liangzuo is the fate of you."
As soon as the words were spoken, a whole group of people knelt down with a thud.
The thirty-seven officials all collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! I'll confess! I'll confess everything!"
"I was misled! I had no idea Zhao Qichang was colluding with the enemy!"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer up all my possessions, but I beg you to spare my life!"
Cries and pleas for mercy filled the air.
Li Ce didn't speak, but just looked at Li Ruolian.
Li Ruolian bowed: "Your subject understands."
With a wave of his hand, the Imperial Guards, who had been waiting outside the hall, filed in and dragged the thirty-seven officials out of the hall one by one.
The movements were clean and efficient, without any unnecessary noise.
Soon, the hall returned to silence.
However, the number of officials has decreased by one-third.
The empty spaces, like ugly scars, are etched on the gold-brick floor, glaringly obvious.
Li Ce stood up.
"I know that some of you still think I am cruel and that I kill indiscriminately."
His voice echoed throughout the hall:
"But my sword will only strike those who deserve it."
"Your pens can record today. Record how Zhao Qichang colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, record how Wu Zhaoyi colluded with border generals, and record how Liu Liangzuo led troops to force the emperor to abdicate."
"After writing it down—"
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"Those who need to handle affairs should handle affairs, those who need to provide disaster relief should provide disaster relief, and those who need to guard the border should guard the border."
"Whoever dares to devote their time to forming cliques, engaging in treason, or seeking personal gain—"
He raised his hand and pointed outside the hall:
"Wu Zhaoyi and Liu Liangzuo are role models."
After saying that, he turned around and walked down the steps.
"Dismiss the court."
"kneel--!"
All the officials knelt down in unison.
Li Ce's figure disappeared behind the palace.
Inside the hall, for a long time, no one dared to move.
Until the eunuch's shrill voice rang out again:
"rise--!"
The officials then rose shakily, exchanged glances, and saw in each other's eyes the fear of surviving a calamity, and... a deep sense of awe.
They knew that from this day forward, the Ming Dynasty's court had completely changed.
The emperor was no longer the young man who could be manipulated at will by the civil service.
Rather, it is a truly awakened, blood-stained lion.
On the same day, at the beginning of noon, the Northern Garrison Prison was opened.
In the deepest torture chamber, Wu Zhaoyi was tied to a wooden frame and had already undergone one round of torture.
His body was covered in welts and blood, and the bandage on his left leg was soaked through. But he was still conscious, his eyes fixed on Li Ruolian in front of him.
"Who else did Zhao Qichang have in Nanjing?" Li Ruolian asked.
Wu Zhaoyi grinned, revealing his bloodied teeth:
"Lord Li...do you think...I would say that?"
"You will tell," Li Ruolian said calmly, "because if you don't, your son, your wife, and your elderly mother will all die. And they will die a terrible death."
Wu Zhaoyi's eyes flickered violently.
"Don't let the misfortune befall your family..."
"Treason and betrayal of the country are punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family." Li Ruolian interrupted him, "This is the Great Ming Code. Your choice now is to let them die a quick death, or... die a slow death."
Wu Zhaoyi closed her eyes, tears mixed with blood flowing down her face.
After a long while, he hissed:
I said…
At 1:00 PM, in the Qianqing Palace.
Li Ce looked at the statement presented by Li Ruolian.
The thick stack contained a list of twenty-seven people provided by Wu Zhaoyi, along with their respective roles in the plan to "support the Prince of Fu and unite with the barbarians to quell the rebellion."
"What about the Jiangnan region?" Li Ce asked.
"Han Zanzhou, the eunuch, has arrested people according to the list," Li Ruolian said. "As of this morning, a total of 43 gentry and officials involved in the case have been arrested in Nanjing, Suzhou, Songjiang, and Yangzhou."
The initial estimate of the confiscated property exceeds three million taels of silver. The Prince Fu's residence is now under surveillance, and the Prince himself... has fallen ill from fright and is bedridden.
Li Ce nodded.
"Where is Zhao Qichang?"
"He's on the run." Li Ruolian lowered her head. "Last night at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Zhao Qichang disappeared from his residence in Nanjing. Eunuch Han's men were too late; they only managed to capture his steward and some servants. A city-wide manhunt is currently underway."
"We can't escape," Li Ce said calmly. "Jiangnan is our territory now."
He put down his confession:
"How's the interrogation of those thirty-seven officials going?"
"They've all confessed," Li Ruolian said. "Most of them were misled by Zhao Qichang or had received money from Zhu Chunchen and Shen Maocai. Fewer than ten people were truly involved in the core conspiracy."
"Punish them according to the law," Li Ce said. "Those who deserve to be killed should be killed, those who deserve to be exiled should be exiled, and those who deserve to be dismissed should be dismissed. But remember—publicize their crimes, let the world know why they died."
"Yes."
"Where is Liu Liangzuo?"
"In the imperial prison, his wounds have been bandaged, and his life is not in immediate danger. He confessed that three nobles in the capital had secretly funded his actions."
"Give the list to Zhang Weixian and let him handle it." Li Ce paused. "As for Liu Liangzuo himself... execute him immediately. Display his head throughout the nine border regions as a warning to others."
"Yes."
After Li Ruolian withdrew, Li Ce stood alone in the hall.
Outside the window, the autumn sun shines brightly.
The bloodstains in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony had been washed away. The gold-brick floor was spotless, as if nothing had happened.
But Li Ce knew that some things had changed forever.
The imperial court has been cleansed.
The Jiangnan region was suppressed.
The line of communication with the enemy has been severed.
what's next?
Liaodong.
Wu Sangui.
Huang Taiji.
And then there's the biggest crisis hanging over the Ming Dynasty.
He knew that the real war had only just begun.
But at least today, he won.
They won the battle of wits with blood.
He won people's hearts with a knife.
"Wang Chengen".
"This servant is here."
"Issue the decree." Li Ce turned around, "From this day forward, the gold bricks in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony must be washed with clean water three times a year on this day."
Wang Chengen was taken aback: "Your Majesty, this is...?"
"Let future generations remember," Li Ce said calmly, looking out of the hall, "that the Ming Dynasty's court was cleansed with blood."
Wang Chengen bowed his head: "...This servant obeys the decree."
Li Ce stopped talking, walked back to his desk, sat down, and picked up a vermilion brush.
The brush tip dipped in ink fell onto the memorial.
Continue reviewing.
Continue governing the country.
Continue...the battle.
Outside the window, the autumn wind blew across the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, making a soft, mournful sound.
It looks like it's crying.
It's like being... reborn.
October 18th, night.
The deepest part of the Northern Garrison Prison.
Wu Zhaoyi leaned against the cold stone wall, looking at the small window above her head that let in moonlight.
The moonlight was faint, like a thin layer of frost, falling on his face.
He could no longer feel the pain.
It's just cold.
Bone-chilling cold.
Footsteps sounded.
Li Ruolian walked into the prison cell, holding a bowl of wine in her hand.
"A final toast." He placed the wine bowl in front of Wu Zhaoyi. "His Majesty has shown mercy, sparing your body."
Wu Zhaoyi didn't move, he just stared at the bowl of wine.
The wine was clear, reflecting the moonlight, and swayed gently.
"Lord Li," he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, "tell me... am I wrong?"
Li Ruolian did not answer.
"I just...don't want to see the Ming Dynasty perish," Wu Zhaoyi murmured. "The emperor is stubborn, bandits are rampant, and the Jurchens are eyeing us covetously...if we don't seek change, we will surely die. Zhao Qichang said that allying with the Jurchens to quell the bandits is the only way to survive..."
"So you've colluded with the enemy?" Li Ruolian asked.
Wu Zhaoyi remained silent.
After a long while, he gave a bitter laugh:
"Yes... colluding with the enemy... betraying one's country... eternal infamy..."
He picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
The liquor was very strong, burning my throat with a painful ache.
"Lord Li," he put down his bowl and looked at Li Ruolian, "tell me... how long can the Ming Dynasty hold out?"
Li Ruolian looked at him and slowly said:
"How long it can last is not a question for you or me to ask."
"What we should do is make it last one more day."
Even if it's just... one more hour.
Wu Zhaoyi paused for a moment, then smiled.
He laughed with relief.
"Yes... an extra hour... is good too..."
He slowly fell down and closed his eyes.
The moonlight shone on his face, making him look pale and quiet.
It looks like it's asleep.
Li Ruolian stood in the cell and looked at him for a long time.
Then, he turned around and left.
The prison door slowly closed.
That patch of moonlight was completely shut out.