The next day, the Golden Palace.
Inside the palace with carved beams and painted buildings, the atmosphere was as solemn as a cold winter.
Emperor Yongchang sat on the dragon throne with an expressionless face and deep eyes, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
However, all the civil and military officials standing before His Highness had their hearts tense, like a fully drawn bow.
Imperial Censor Gu Dingming was the first to step forward, holding an ivory tablet in his hand. His voice was loud but contained an undeniable accusation:
"Your Majesty! I, Gu Dingming, along with the Imperial Censors Song Liu, Wang Jian, Li Su, and Zhou Ming, jointly impeach Zhao Muyun, the Commandant of the Suppression of the Enemy and the Defense Commissioner of the Seven Prefectures of Yinshuo! He has three crimes!"
He took a deep breath and spoke each word with a hammer:
"First, he usurped power! Zhao Muyun, under the guise of 'acting at his own convenience,' arbitrarily appointed and dismissed imperial officials in Xiazhou, Yanzhou, and even Yinzhou and Weizhou. He installed his cronies and excluded dissidents, disregarding the Ministry of Personnel and the laws of the court! This is a grave crime that shakes the foundation of the nation!"
"Secondly, he's using his army for his own benefit! He's using the pretext of resettling refugees to expand his army. He's plundered almost all of Xia Lin's refugees to fill his private army! He's even colluding with the unscrupulous Bai family, using the huge profits from illegal salt sales to support his army. His intentions are sinister!"
"Third, he is plotting something treacherous! Although we have no hard evidence, his actions, including recruiting soldiers, befriending vassal kings, and monopolizing the financial resources at the border, are all signs of his rebellion!"
"For the sake of our country and our people, we implore Your Majesty to immediately issue an order to suspend all military power of Zhao Muyun and order him to come to the capital immediately for a joint trial by the Supreme Court, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice. This will set the record straight and bring peace to the world!"
Before Gu Dingming finished speaking, Lu Bingjun, the Minister of Personnel, immediately stepped forward to second the motion:
"Your Highness, Lu Bingjun, second the motion! The evidence is irrefutable that Zhao Muyun has overstepped his authority and privately granted official positions!"
"This trend must not be allowed to continue! Your Majesty, please summon him back to the capital immediately for trial and thoroughly investigate his crimes of nepotism and forming a clique for personal gain!"
Immediately afterwards, several officials came out one after another as if they had agreed to do so, their voices rising higher and higher:
"I second the motion! Zhao Muyun is acting too arrogantly at the border, and has become too powerful to be stopped!"
"Your Majesty! The land of Shuoyin has practically become the private property of the Zhao family! If this continues, the country will no longer exist!"
"Your Majesty, please understand! Summon Zhao Muyun back to the capital immediately!"
The court was instantly drowned out by a wave of voices demanding severe punishment for Zhao Muyun.
There were very few voices supporting Zhao Muyun, like a few small boats in the raging waves.
An old acquaintance of Fan Nan, the former assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was about to say something like, "Captain Zhao has made great contributions in defending the territory, but he may have had his reasons," but was immediately suppressed by even more intense condemnation:
"Achievements are achievements, and faults are faults! How can one use merits to cover up faults?"
"Defending the land is their duty! Now their actions have revealed their rebellious intentions. How can we tolerate them?"
What is even more chilling is that the two nobles, Duke of Lu and Duke of E, also stood up with gloomy faces.
In the last battle of Weizhou, their son disobeyed the order of Weizhou Commandant Tong Gu and forced his way out of the city. He was tragically strangled by the cavalry of King Zhelan and his entire army was wiped out.
They had already blamed Zhao Muyun for their son's death.
The last time, after uniting more than ten founding nobles, they met with Emperor Yongchang and demanded that Zhao Muyun be severely punished. However, it happened that Emperor Yongchang learned that his two sons, the King of Qin and the King of Han, who were in Xijing, had been in trouble.
Duke Lu and Duke E met with bad luck and left in fear, their hatred for Zhao Muyun growing even stronger.
Now seeing that all the civil and military officials in the court were attacking Zhao Muyun, they joined the army without hesitation.
New and old hatreds surged in his heart, and his words were filled with resentment:
"Your Majesty! Zhao Muyun is young and frivolous, and he looks down on everyone! The soldiers at the border have long complained about him! If such an arrogant and fierce general is not strictly disciplined, he will become a serious threat!"
"I implore Your Majesty to take back his military power and conduct a strict investigation! This will comfort the souls of our loyal and brave soldiers in Dayin!"
The entire Golden Palace seemed to have turned into a trial ground for Zhao Muyun.
The voices demanding the suspension of his military power and his escort to Beijing for trial gained an absolute upper hand.
The air was so heavy that water seemed to drip out.
......
Emperor Yongchang sat high on the dragon throne, his eyes slowly sweeping over the angry court officials, his face still showing no emotion.
He was silent for a moment, and that silence was like a huge rock pressing on everyone's heart.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the front of the civil service train, the old man with a gaunt face and as still as a rock - Cui Kaiji, the chief minister of the cabinet.
"Cui Qing!"
The emperor's voice was calm and even. "Regarding the impeachment of Zhao Muyun by the ministers, what are your thoughts?"
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Cui Kaiji.
This veteran of three dynasties is known for his prudence, maturity and impartiality.
He slowly stepped out of the line, his steps steady and he bowed to the emperor. His voice was old but clear:
"Your Majesty, I believe that employing people with confidence is the right path, and those you doubt should not be employed. This is an ancient precept, and it is also the way to govern a country."
"Since Captain Zhao Muyun was stationed in Shuozhou and other prefectures, he has quelled rebellions, recovered lost territory, and driven out the Tartar invaders. His achievements are outstanding and are obvious to all."
"If the imperial court were to show unwarranted suspicion towards him, it would probably chill the morale of the soldiers at the border."
His words made the faces of the impeaching officials change slightly.
But Cui Kaiji immediately changed the subject:
"However... today in the court, public sentiment is surging, and impeachment petitions are pouring down like snow."
"Although there is no solid evidence for what Doctor Gu, Minister Lu, and the others said, it is not groundless."
"Captain Zhao's actions at the border were indeed overstepping the bounds and giving others leverage."
"If the court turns a deaf ear to this, it will be difficult to quell public opinion and reassure officials."
He paused, as if weighing his words. "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should carefully consider this. You must protect the meritorious officials while also... calming the public anger. How to achieve both remains up to Your Majesty's discretion."
What an old fox, non-stick pan!
It's as good as saying nothing.
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