Chapter 282 Facing Off in the Imperial Court

Ye Yunshu's words made everyone kneel down.

"Your Majesty, I am terrified! Please calm your anger!" The ministers were beginning to worry.

They suddenly remembered that this was not the retired emperor. They knew the retired emperor's pulse very well, but they knew nothing about this one's pulse.

This emperor is not the retired emperor. The retired emperor would occasionally indulge them a little, but this emperor will not indulge them at all...

This master likes to punish you at the drop of a hat, the kind of punishment that involves confiscating your property. He doesn't hold back when punishing anyone.

At this point, they should quickly kneel down and admit their mistake.

Let's not argue today, lest we hurt ourselves.

They backed down, but Ye Yunshu was unwilling to accept it.

Weren't you just arguing quite happily? She and her nephew were enjoying listening to it!

She had even planned to have her nephew write an article after the court assembly, summarizing what he had learned that day and what he needed to pay attention to in the future.

"Continue," Ye Yunshu said slowly. "Isn't the purpose of court meetings to allow everyone to speak freely? Why are you all silent? I find your points quite reasonable. Please continue."

The court officials dared not utter a single word.

Ye Yunshu immediately felt bored, and Xiao Jingjue also felt it was pointless.

These people... are so cowardly. They stopped talking before they had even said anything.

Over time, won't I become a tyrant in their eyes? Who knows what they're thinking about me!

Ye Yunshu suddenly looked forward to the day when someone would call her a tyrant...

The court officials remained silent, and Ye Yunshu finally sat up straight.

"I have seen what everyone has been saying these days. The reason you are arguing like this today is simply because my sister smashed up a merchant's shop in Yangzhou and injured a merchant."

You believe that the princess's actions have violated the law.

"And she also felt that I was protecting my younger sister and indulging her arrogance and capriciousness," Ye Yunshu said calmly.

The court officials quickly knelt down again.

"We dare not!"

"Alright, whether you dare or not, you know the answer yourselves."

I have received many memorials these days, and I have read them all. I know what you want to say.

But after hearing what you've said, I must hear what my sister has to say!

I don’t believe that my sister, who was doing well in the capital and focused on doing a good job at the charity, suddenly changed her personality after arriving in Yangzhou.

Today is a good opportunity, so let my younger sister tell me what really happened!

Why did they have to vandalize a business in Yangzhou out of the blue?

"And it even injured a merchant in Yangzhou!" Ye Yunshu said, waving her hand.

Song Zhimian hurriedly summoned Princess Shoukang to the palace.

...

Princess Shou Kang, dressed in court attire, led the young master Lang into the palace...

The court officials were immediately troubled.

How dare a royal princess openly bring male concubines into the palace? What kind of decorum is this...?

Princess Shou Kang ignored the court officials and generously rolled her eyes at each of them who passed by.

That arrogant attitude was as if to say, "What can you do to me, the princess? A bunch of idiots..."

Princess Shou Kang's attitude nearly infuriated the court officials.

Before they could jump out and criticize Princess Shou Kang, she had already performed a grand ceremony of worship, and the court officials quickly shut up.

The young master Lang, who was already trembling, had never seen such a large scene before and didn't know which leg to step with.

He knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to utter a single word.

He just wanted to avenge his brother, but why did he have to see the emperor to complain? He... wasn't ready!

Princess Shou Kang rolled her eyes at the good-for-nothing Young Master Lang, and then gave him a light kick.

"Speak! Haven't you always wanted to file a complaint? You even said you couldn't win in any of the local government offices."

"Now the person in Dayu who can stand up for you is right in front of you. Tell me your grievances quickly!" Princess Shou Kang said softly.

Young Master Lang took a deep breath before slowly raising his head.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject has come to lodge a complaint!"

...

The court officials listened patiently to how Lang Qiuzhu filed her complaint and learned why she did so.

After hearing this, no one knew what to say.

Legally speaking, neither the Xia family nor the former Jiangnan Provincial Education Commissioner seem to have done anything wrong...

Well, that's assuming that Lang Qiuzhu's older brother wasn't killed by Xia Yuanheng.

But what a coincidence that the tea plantation ended up in Xia Yuanheng's hands, and what a coincidence that Lang Xiabo fell into the river and drowned on the boat...

"If there is a grievance, then investigate it thoroughly!"

If the Yangzhou prefect can't find out something, then let the Ministry of Justice investigate it.

There will always be clues to the things you've done.

"Let's investigate Lang Xiabo's death thoroughly!" Ye Yunshu said calmly.

Lang Qiuzhu quickly expressed her gratitude.

Minister Ye of the Ministry of Justice also stepped forward and said that he would definitely send his most capable officials to Yangzhou to thoroughly investigate the matter.

The courtiers exchanged glances, each seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

They impeached Princess Shou Kang for so long, and now not only are they unharmed, but they've also ordered the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the Lang Xiabo family's affairs on the spot...

So effortlessly, their actions over the past few days seem like a joke.

Everyone remained silent, simply standing there.

Princess Shou Kang left triumphantly with Lang Qiuzhu, and before leaving the main hall, she gave each of the assembled ministers a big eye roll...

This really infuriated the court officials...

"Alright, since there's a reason for this, then this matter has nothing to do with Princess Shou Kang. Princess Shou Kang was just speaking out for the people."

It was just a temporary mishap.

However... a mistake is a mistake! Punishment is still necessary!

"In that case, Princess Shou Kang will be confined to Ronghua Palace for three months and handed over to Consort Wu for proper discipline. She will also be fined a year's salary so that she will learn her lesson." Ye Yunshu still gave Princess Shou Kang a symbolic punishment.

The courtiers...

This is the result of their month of ginseng donation...

Immediately, someone will stand up and say that the punishment is too lenient...

"There is one more matter! I believe this is of great importance. My ministers, please discuss it carefully. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

After Ye Yunshu finished speaking, she waved her hand again.

Song Zhimian immediately signaled the eunuchs who had been prepared to deliver the memorials to each court official.

The officials, unaware of the contents of the memorial, hurriedly opened it to take a look...

Upon seeing this, many officials were astonished.

Seeing the surprised looks on the court officials' faces, Song Zhimian sneered inwardly.

How many of these people didn't operate this way? Which family paid the full amount of land tax...?

What they're thinking about now isn't how to pay the land taxes, but rather how to extricate themselves from this controversy unscathed and make their actions seem reasonable...