Chapter 290: No Provocation

Liang Yao was secretly shocked when he heard this.

What these court officials said clearly crossed the emperor's bottom line, and I'm afraid the emperor will be furious again.

He pricked up his ears to listen.

But there was no sound of stern scolding, nor the sound of cups breaking to the ground.

This is a bit unexpected.

Liang Yao has been serving Xie Chen since he came to the Eastern Palace. Although the emperor's power is unfathomable, over the years, he has also learned a bit about the emperor's temperament.

It would be fine if this anger could be released immediately.

If one endures it silently, some people will suffer great misfortune.

After thinking it over again and again, for the sake of his own life, Liang Yao still did not open the door to persuade him. He just went out and sent someone to the imperial kitchen, instructing the palace servants in the imperial kitchen to prepare meals at all times and present them to the emperor as quickly as possible after the emperor finished his meeting.

*

In the imperial study.

Xie Chen came here directly after leaving the court. He was still wearing a black gold dragon robe with twelve patterns, a crown on his head, and strings of jade beads hanging down, slightly covering his eyebrows and eyes. The oppressive feeling on his body became more and more suffocating.

Not to mention that at this moment, his expression was not good at all, and his aura of oppression was extremely terrifying.

Several senior cabinet ministers knelt behind the desk, their bodies trembling slightly and sweat dripping from their temples, but they still persisted.

There was only one person standing in the entire imperial study, and that was King Xuan.

Xie Chen’s dark eyes were gloomy.

Recalling Yingying's sweet words, he slowly turned the black jade ring on his thumb, forcing himself to suppress the anger in his heart bit by bit.

The most important thing now is not to punish the court officials, but to clear Tingyue's bad reputation and restore his reputation before bringing him to justice.

Thinking of this, Xie Chen coldly opened his eyelids and looked at Prime Minister Yang, who was in the lead, and questioned, "The emperor's order cannot be changed. Are you asking me to retract it, Lord Yang?"

Prime Minister Yang took a deep breath and prostrated himself before the cold golden brick. "I know your Majesty is serious. The imperial decree has already been issued. Asking the Emperor to revoke this order would undermine the dignity of the royal family. I also know that the disaster in the northwest may have nothing to do with the Imperial Concubine, and the allegation that the Concubine seduced the Emperor is completely groundless. For the Imperial Concubine, this is truly an undeserved disaster. But now, the people of the northwest are in panic, and the students of the Imperial Academy in Kyoto are incited by the rumors. Seeing that the world is in turmoil again, for the sake of great matters, I risk my life to make a petition to the Emperor to revoke the order, depose the Imperial Concubine, and appoint a new Empress to reassure the people of the world."

Xie Chen stopped spinning his black jade ring and tapped his knuckles on the table twice. He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Prime Minister Yang, do you think that the country I single-handedly pacified will fall apart again because of these unfounded things?"

Prime Minister Yang was stunned, but he still insisted on his opinion. "The news of the disaster proclamation has spread throughout the capital. In a few days, the whole country will know about it. By then, the people will be in turmoil and in uproar. If we want to calm the situation, it will cost an immeasurable price. The method of making a remonstration is the most effective and quickest way to resolve this matter."

"I understand," Prince Xuan, standing nearby, suddenly said, clapping his hands. "Prime Minister Yang, isn't he just planning to sacrifice a woman to appease the wrath of the world? Interesting! There's a disturbance at court, and instead of trying to resolve it, the cabinet focuses on the Imperial Concubine. Knowing she's innocent, they still push her out to appease the wrath of the world. This is what the elders do. Today, I've finally opened my eyes."

The furrows in Yang Shoufu's brow deepened, "Your Highness, you can't say that..."

His original intention was to serve the greater good of the world.

King Xuan said this as if their cabinet had become despicable villains.

King Xuan interrupted him directly, his cold face tinged with mockery: "So what do you say? Since the cabinet dares to remonstrate, don't be afraid of others tearing off this fig leaf."

Prime Minister Yang was speechless.

King Xuan stopped looking at him and said to Xie Chen who was sitting at the table, "Your Majesty, I do not agree with the cabinet's decision."

Xie Chen gestured for him to speak.

King Xuan bowed and said, "The imperial decree has been issued to enthrone the Empress. Although the Imperial Concubine has not yet been formally enthroned, her name has been entered into the imperial jade records. To Daqi, she is already the Empress. As the Empress, she is the mother of the world and should not be sacrificed lightly. If we accept the cabinet's advice today and sacrifice the Imperial Concubine to pacify the world, then if a similar incident occurs again in the future, who will be sacrificed? Therefore, I believe that the cabinet must not act in this way. We should find another way to quell the rumors about the disaster."

Xie Chen pursed his lips, and his voice became less cold. "It seems that King Xuan has the same idea as me."

Yang Shoufu knelt down again and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice."

Xie Chen coldly rebuked, "The Emperor and Empress are one. I will not abandon my wife. If the cabinet dares to bring up this law again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

This is a complete statement of attitude.

Chief Minister Yang hesitated to speak.

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, he finally didn't dare to say anything.

The Imperial Study fell silent again. Xie Chen looked at the people at the desk with a stern expression. "As far as this matter is concerned, besides the cabinet's muddled approach, if you think about it carefully, there are a hundred ways to resolve this matter. Let's take the most direct approach. Since there's a drought in the northwest and praying for rain hasn't worked, I will personally offer sacrifices to the heavens, praying for rain. Because of the Imperial College student's manifesto, rumors are circulating in the capital about a bewitching concubine seducing the emperor. But you have to know that the Hanlin Academy is a place where students from all over the world flock to, and they are all my students. In terms of literary influence, what does the Imperial College hold? It's still unclear whether it was the manifesto or the article praising the virtuous empress that left the capital."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and King Xuan stepped forward first and responded first, "Our emperor is wise and enlightened."

The elders of the cabinet should think carefully about this.

Although there are still invariants in the middle, it is feasible.

Although this method is not as simple and effective as the previous one, the previous method was so resisted and hated by the emperor.

This is not a bad idea...

Several people looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, they all knelt and said in unison, "Our emperor is wise."

The strategy has been decided, but it also needs to be carefully planned.

Xie Chen had no time to catch his breath as he kept calling people to come and do things.

Not until everything was deployed did he suddenly realize that the sky outside the window was filled with clouds, which was a spectacular sight.

Xie Chen stared at it for a while, and when he regained consciousness, he stood up from behind the desk. Before he had taken two steps, he saw Pei Tingyue coming in aggressively.

"Why do you look like this?"

Pei Tingyue was so angry that her teeth itched: "After all, I still said it was too little. I just asked the emperor not to be angry, but who would have thought that the emperor was so energetic that he could go a whole day without a meal..."

Xie Chen held her slightly annoyed face and said gently, "Tingyue, the previous dynasty has been resolved."

As soon as these words came out, Pei Tingyue's heart trembled and felt sour. She lowered her slightly red eyes and explained in a low voice, "I am not angry, I just feel sorry for the emperor."

Xie Chen held her in his arms. He sniffed the familiar fragrance and relaxed completely. "I know. It's my fault. I was so busy that I forgot the time. But I can't stand anyone throwing dirty water on Tingyue for a moment."

Pei Tingyue hugged him back and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Ah Chen."

Hearing this address, Xie Chen's face showed a very faint smile, and his dark pupils stared at her seriously, "It's not hard. After this incident, I will severely punish the royal family. I will let everyone know that slandering my wife is a provocation to me."