Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 383: Chapter 383 Opening (Part 2)



On the fifth day after the body of the Zhenbei King was transported back to the capital, at the time of Yin, the sky was pitch black.

Outside the Meridian Gate, in the stone lamps, the candles flickered with orange flames, reflecting the torches held by the two rows of imperial guards.

In the cool breeze, the ministers gathered at the Meridian Gate, silently waiting for the morning court. Occasionally, officials who knew each other lowered their heads to talk and whispered, but generally remained silent.

The officials seemed to be holding back a breath, expanding, but restrained, waiting for the opportunity to explode.

"Dong Dong Dong..."

When the sky was slightly bright, the drums sounded on the tower of the Meridian Gate.

The civil and military officials lined up in tacit understanding and entered the slowly opening palace gate one by one.

....

The Golden Palace!

Officials of the fourth rank and above stepped into the hall and waited silently for a quarter of an hour. Emperor Yuan Jing, wearing a Taoist robe, came late.

After not seeing him for many days, the emperor with gray hair looked haggard, with puffy eye bags and bloodshot eyes. He fully showed the image of a brother who lost his brother.

The civil officials were shocked. You know, His Majesty pays the most attention to health preservation and dragon body maintenance. Since he practiced Taoism, he has been in good health and rosy.

When has he ever looked so haggard?

Many people looked at each other silently, and their hearts trembled.

The old eunuch glanced at Emperor Yuan Jing and said in a loud voice: "If you have something to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court."

Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou, strode out of the line, walked to the front of the officials, bowed, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the general of Chuzhou, Huai Wang, colluded with the Wushen Sect and the head of the Dizong Sect, and for his own selfishness, he was promoted to the second rank and slaughtered 380,000 people in Yunzhou City. Since the founding of Dafeng, this atrocity is unprecedented and outrageous. Please demote Huai Wang to a commoner, hang his head on the city for three days, and commemorate the 380,000 wronged souls...Announce it to the world."

Emperor Yuan Jing looked at him deeply, expressionless.

Surprisingly, facing the emperor who was silent and angry, Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou, was not afraid and looked at him openly.

At this time, Prime Minister Wang stepped out and said respectfully:

"The actions of the Huai King have angered the heaven and the people, and the capital has been in an uproar for a long time. The people of Chuzhou are fierce. If we cannot give an explanation to the people of the world, there may be a civil uprising. Please demote the Huai King to a commoner and hang his head on the city for three days to commemorate the 380,000 innocent souls in Chuzhou City."

In the court, all the officials bowed their heads and shouted: "Please demote the Huai King to a commoner and hang his head on the city for three days to commemorate the 380,000 innocent souls in Chuzhou City."

Emperor Yuan Jing slowly stood up, looking down at the officials in the court with a cold face. The muscles on his face twitched slowly, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Suddenly... he suddenly overturned the large case in front of him.

Clang...

The large case rolled down the steps and fell heavily in front of the officials.

Then, the old emperor's heart-wrenching roar rang out in the palace:

"Prince Huai is my brother. What is your intention in wanting to demote him to a commoner? Do you want me to issue a self-criticism edict? Do you still have me in your eyes? I lost my brother, which is like losing an arm. You have no sympathy and have been gathering at the palace gate for several days. Do you want to force me to death?!!"

The old emperor's face was hideous and his eyes were red, like a grief-stricken and helpless old beast.

This... The officials were stunned.

Emperor Yuan Jing has been in power for 37 years. His image of deep scheming and superb political tactics is deeply rooted in the hearts of civil and military officials.

They never thought that one day, this deep emperor would be so sad.

And this attitude was revealed in front of the ministers, and the contrast with the inherent impression made people feel sad.

The high morale of the ministers stagnated.

Before the officials could react from the great shock, Emperor Yuan Jing sat down dejectedly, with an undisguised look of sorrow on his face:

"When I was still the crown prince, the late emperor was wary of me, my position was unstable, and I was trembling all day. It was Prince Huai who always supported me silently. It was because we were brothers from the same mother and had a deep brotherly love.

"Prince Huai held the sword of state defense, killed enemies for the empire, and defended the territory. If he had not been fearless in the Battle of Shanhaiguan, how could Dafeng be prosperous today? You should all be grateful to him.

"After the Battle of Shanhaiguan, Prince Huai was ordered to go north to guard the border for me. In the past ten years, he has returned to Beijing very few times. Prince Huai did make a big mistake, but after all, he has been executed. Don't you even let him go after his posthumous reputation?"

Being interrupted so "rudely" by Emperor Yuan Jing, the officials couldn't find the rhythm for a while, and no one spoke for a long time.

But it doesn't matter, there is always someone in the hall who is willing to be a vanguard and charge into battle.

Zheng, the governor, said loudly: "Your Majesty, merits and demerits are not equal. It is true that the Prince of Huai has made contributions over the years, but the court has rewarded him according to his merits, and the people love him. Now that he has committed an unforgivable crime, he should be severely punished. Otherwise, it is your Majesty who is partial to the law." Emperor Yuan Jing shouted: "Asshole, you have been jumping up and down in the capital these days, slandering the royal family and the prince. I think of your diligence over the years. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard, and I have tolerated you until now. "The case of the Prince of Huai has not been decided yet. As long as it is not decided, he is innocent. You slandered the prince, which is a capital crime!"

"Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhenwen suddenly spoke up, interrupting the rhythm of Emperor Yuan Jing, and said loudly: "Let's talk about the matter of the governor Zheng later, or discuss the matter of the Prince of Huai first. "

Emperor Yuan Jing looked at him deeply, his eyes swept over Wang Zhenwen, and paused at a

certain point.

As if responding to Emperor Yuan Jing, someone immediately stepped out and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I also have something to report."

The officials looked in the direction of the voice, and it was Yao Lin, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

As everyone knows, the chief secretary is a professional troll, a mad dog in the court, who bites whoever he catches. At the same time, they are also the initiators of court struggles.

Sure enough, this time it did not disappoint.

Yao Lin bowed, lowered his head slightly, and said loudly: "I want to impeach the chief minister Wang Zhenwen for instructing the former Minister of Rites to collude with the

demon clan and blow up Sangpo. ||

There was a slight commotion in the hall.

The officials looked at each other with strange faces. In the past few days, Wang Zhenwen led

the officials to block the palace gate, and his reputation became famous. He could be called

the vanguard of "forcing the emperor to death".

It seemed that it was reasonable for him to be impeached at this time. However, speaking of the matter, the former Minister of Rites was indeed a member of the Wang Party. It was hard to say whether he was instructed by Wang Shoufu.

The inside story of the Sangpo case was that the former Minister of Rites colluded with the demon clan to blow up Sangpo. The bargaining chip given by the demon clan was the corpse of Henghui and Princess Pingyang.

Through this pair of ill-fated lovers, the crimes of the Liang Party were exposed.

It was essentially a party struggle, and the demon clan acted as foreign aid.

Did Wang Shoufu really know nothing about this? In this regard, the officials were questioning or putting a period in their hearts. Only they themselves knew.

Then, Yao Lin announced several major crimes of Wang Zhenwen, such as condoning his subordinates to embezzle and accept bribes, and accepting bribes from his subordinates... Without mentioning the Sangpo case, the several charges listed later were indeed set in stone.

Can a man with clean hands be the Prime Minister?

Who is willing to follow you?

Your Majesty is going to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys... The gentlemen were shocked. Although Confucianism has the art of slaying dragons, there is still an insurmountable gap between the monarch and the ministers.

Emperor Yuan Jing was not a young emperor. On the contrary, he had been overlooking the court for half a century.

Prime Minister Wang raised his head and saw Emperor Yuan Jing looking at him coldly. He immediately stopped hesitating and said in a deep voice: "I, your servant, beg for my bones." A fierce look flashed in Emperor Yuan Jing's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, the censor Zhang Xingying stepped out and bowed:

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Wang is corrupt and has brought disaster to the country and

the people. You must not keep him."

Censor Zhang is Wei Yuan's man.

Emperor Yuan Jing was silent for a long time. He glanced at Wei Yuan, who was like an old

monk in meditation, and said lightly: "Prime Minister Wang is in a serious situation. Prime Minister has worked hard for the empire and made great contributions. I trust you." The balance created by Emperor Yuan Jing has now become his biggest shackle.

If it were anyone else, he would be dismissed, but Prime Minister Wang is not like that. He is the only person in the court who can check and balance Wei Yuan.

Without him, even if Emperor Yuan Jing supports other parties to take power, it will not be enough for Wei Yuan to fight with one hand.

In just a quarter of an hour, the three giants of the court, Emperor Yuan Jing, Wei Yuan, and

Prime Minister Wang, have completed a confrontation.

Emperor Yuan Jing made a small profit, suppressed the arrogance of the ministers, and

shocked the officials. Prime Minister Wang and Wei Yuan did not lose because the topic was

brought back to the case of the massacre of the King of Huai.

"Your Majesty, please severely punish the King of Zhenbei, convict him, and give an

explanation to the people of the world."

Finally, Wei Yuan stepped out.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The officials immediately agreed, but this time, Emperor Yuan Jing took a glance and found

that a small number of people did not move.

He hooked his lips without leaving a trace. After all, the court is based on interests, and

personal interests are above everything else. The killing of chickens to scare monkeys just now was a good deal if it could scare so few people.

"Your Majesty, I think that the Chuzhou case should be considered in the long run, and we

must not blindly convict the Prince of Huai."

The first voice of opposition appeared. The speaker was Yuan Xiong, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Emperor Yuan Jing frowned and asked knowingly: "Why did Yuan Aiqing say that?"

Yuan Xiong suddenly became excited and said loudly: "The Prince of Huai is your Majesty's

brother and the Prince of Dafeng. This matter concerns the face of the royal family and your

Majesty. How can you make a conclusion easily?"

Shameless!

The civil servants cursed in their hearts.

Last time, this guy used the imperial examination fraud case to implicate Wei Yuan, offending

Dongge University Scholar and others. After the imperial examination, Dongge University Scholar joined Wei Yuan to impeach Yuan Xiong.

In the end, your majesty saved this guy and fined him three months of salary.

Now, he has really become your majesty's knife, fighting back against the entire civil service

group for him.

"Your majesty, what Yuan Du Yushi said is reasonable..."

At this time, an old man, leaning on a cane, trembling out of the line.

The old man's hair is silver-white, not black, and he wears a crown and clothes with a bright

red base and embroidered with a golden five-clawed golden dragon.

King Li!

The younger brother of the previous emperor, the uncle of Emperor Yuan Jing and King Huai.

"Uncle, why are you here? Didn't I tell you that you don't need to attend court?" Emperor Yuan Jing seemed surprised and ordered, "Hurry up and show your uncle a seat."

"If I don't come, the six hundred years of reputation of the Dafeng royal family will be ruined

by you, an unworthy descendant." The old man snorted coldly.

Emperor Yuan Jing lowered his head and said nothing, with an attitude of admitting his

mistake.

The chair was brought in, and the old man turned the chair around and sat down facing the ministers, snorting again: "Dafeng is the Dafeng of the people of the world, and it is also the Dafeng of my royal family.

"Emperor Gaozu had a hard time starting his business, sweeping away the corruption of the previous dynasty and establishing a new dynasty. Emperor Wuzong killed the treacherous ministers and cleared the court, paying so much blood and sweat.

"Prince Huai has made a serious mistake and deserves death, but as long as I am still alive, I will not allow you to tarnish the reputation of my royal family." Zheng Xinghuai's face was flushed with blood, and he said in a deep voice: "Old Prince, Dafeng has been established for 600 years, and there are many kings who have issued edicts

of repentance..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Prince Li, who shouted: "The king is the

king, and the minister is the minister. You have read many books of sages, all from the Imperial Academy. Have you forgotten the teachings of Cheng Yasheng?" The gentlemen felt their scalps tingling.

If Emperor Yuan Jing said this, the gentlemen would be so happy that they would die for you

one by one. Stepping on the emperor to become famous is the most satisfying thing in the minds of scholars all over the world.

But it was Prince Li who said this. When he was young, Prince Li was talented and a well-

known talent in the capital. In front of him, the gentlemen can only be regarded as juniors.

With his status as a prince and a senior scholar, he relied on his seniority and no one could do anything about it.

The arrogance of the radicals was suppressed again.

"Alas, Prince Li, think twice."

Wei Yuan sighed.

Prince Li straightened his back, with a wrinkled old face, and squinted at Wei Yuan:

"Humph, this eunuch should have been a slave in the palace. If it weren't for your majesty's wisdom and giving you a chance, would you have the glory today?" Wei Yuan lowered his head, showing a gesture of weakness, and then said:

"If Prince Li was concerned about the reputation of the royal family, he should not have

covered up this matter for Prince Huai. Yesterday, three great scholars from Yunlu Academy wanted to come to the capital to denounce your majesty, but I stopped them. "The three great scholars said that the court can change the history books, but the history

books of Yunlu Academy are not controlled by the court. Today, the King of Zhenbei massacred 380,000 people in Chuzhou City. In the future, the scholars of Yunlu Academy will remember this matter firmly. It will be passed down to future generations. And your majesty,

you protected your brother and committed the same crime, and it will be recorded in history books. "

Emperor Yuan Jing's face changed drastically.

The radicals looked at each other.

This is really what the scholars of Yunlu Academy would do. Those scholars who follow the

Confucian system are arrogant and arrogant, but... It's so refreshing!

King Li said indifferently: "The children of later generations only recognize official history,

who cares about what the unofficial history of a college says?"

He said this to Emperor Yuan Jing, telling his nephew who wanted to cultivate Taoism and

also loved his reputation not to be threatened by Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan said quietly: "Prince Li has never done anything bad in his life, and he is also knowledgeable. He is a role model for the royal family and a model for scholars. Don't let Yunlu Academy record this incident, otherwise your integrity will be ruined in your later

years." Prince Li suddenly changed color, raised his finger, pointed at Wei Yuan tremblingly, and said sternly: "Wei Yuan, you dare to threaten me, do you want to rebel!"

Prime Minister Wang said calmly: "When did advice become a threat?'

"You, you guys..."

Prince Li was so angry that he was shaking all over, his chest heaving.

Prince Li had been studying since he was young. Although he was a prince, he always regarded

himself as a scholar. He cared more about "being recorded in history" than ordinary nobles and generals.

A common problem of scholars.

Wei Yuan's words really made Prince Li deeply afraid. The official history and unofficial

history just now were just to comfort Emperor Yuan Jing. Scholars know the authority of Yunlu Academy better.

The court fights back and forth, and each move is countered.

When Emperor Yuan Jing saw that Prince Li stopped talking, he knew that this move had been

resolved by the "enemy", but it didn't matter. The next move was the key to his victory. Thinking of this, he glanced at Duke Cao in the noble team.

Duke Cao understood, stepped out of the line, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have

something to say."

I'm sorry. Some readers have reported that the translations are not good. In the future, I will slow down the update speed so that I can have more time to proofread the translations.