Chapter 208 Ministers Beat Up Duke Rongrui
The opposing side not only outnumbered them, but each of them exuded a murderous aura.
Compared to these black-armored soldiers, the Imperial Guards, who used to be imposing in their golden bronze armor, looked like a flock of harmless lambs.
"Black armor...this..." the Imperial Guard exclaimed in alarm, "Could this be the Xuanjia Army that His Majesty brought back from Xitun Pass?!"
"I heard that the force that fought all the way from Huangsha Pass to the capital of Yu Kingdom, finally breaching the palace and destroying Yu Kingdom, consisted of only a little over ten thousand Xuanjia soldiers..."
"Yes, and it only took three thousand Xuanjia soldiers to wipe out the entire Shayue Kingdom!"
"It seems that His Majesty brought back several thousand to the capital this time."
"hiss……"
The more the Imperial Guards talked, the more frightened they became.
Besides, their commander-in-chief just died right in front of them, clearly killed by a single arrow from the Xuanjia Army!
Seeing the Xuanjia soldiers raising their long swords at them with cold faces, they dropped their weapons without hesitation.
Only a fool would dare to go head-to-head with these tough guys!
Seeing that these hundreds of imperial guards were quite sensible, the Xuanjia Army put away their long swords and told them to get out of the way.
After the Xuanjia soldiers arrived at the palace gate, the young general in charge stood at the threshold and bowed to Xiao Qidi from a distance. "Your Majesty, I have led one thousand Xuanjia soldiers to guard outside the palace, and the remaining four thousand Xuanjia soldiers have also arrived in the palace, ready to serve Your Majesty at any time!"
Xiao Qidi smiled.
"Good, I feel more at ease having you guard the palace. From now on, you four thousand men will be the palace guards, and you will also command the fifty thousand imperial guards of the royal city."
"If you take on the role of Commander-in-Chief, how about appointing your deputies as Deputy Commanders?"
Upon hearing this sudden appointment, the young general was completely taken aback.
He hurriedly said that he and his brothers, the deputy generals, were probably not up to the task.
Xiao Qidi laughed heartily, stepped down from the throne, strode over to him, and beckoned to the several lieutenants behind him, "You come in too."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Several lieutenants stepped across the threshold.
Looking at these young men who were a few years older than him, Xiao Qidi said with heartfelt emotion, "I still vividly remember the scene when we were trapped in the cave a few months ago. If it weren't for you fighting alongside me, I probably wouldn't have made it to the miracle."
Several people's eyes instantly reddened, and they recalled the past when they followed the king to resist the bandits and protect Linxian Village.
The general wiped his eyes and said, "Back then, Linxian Village suffered from drought and was also harassed by bandits. The people were desperate and helpless. It was Your Majesty's arrival that gave everyone hope."
Xiao Qidi patted his shoulder, “You were originally just a guard team that spontaneously organized in Linxian Village to protect the villagers, but you are all loyal, brave and resourceful. So after Jinli and I created the Xuanjia Army, we put you in there to train. I have seen your performance. If even you can’t be competent for the important position of protecting the capital of Daxuan, then I really can’t find anyone more suitable.”
The men exchanged glances, and the general, representing them, addressed Xiao Qidi:
"Your Majesty, the world is not yet unified. We still wish to continue fighting on the battlefield and contribute to the unification of the empire!"
Xiao Qidi smiled and said, "Going to the battlefield and guarding the country are both for this purpose. Sometimes, the stability of the capital is even more important. If there is internal turmoil, how can the Great Xuan unite its forces to fight the enemy? How can it unify the world?"
The group instantly understood Xiao Qidi's deeper meaning.
They no longer refused, accepted the appointment, and then knelt down to express their gratitude.
Before their knees could even touch the ground, Xiao Qidi quickly stopped them, "I've told you before, in Linxian City, apart from kneeling to heaven, earth, ancestors, and parents, no one else needs to perform the kneeling ceremony. This will be extended to all parts of the country in the future. This is not only my idea, but also Jinli's idea."
"Your Majesty, this is the main hall of the Kyoto Royal Palace."
"So what? You're all from Linxian City. You've worked so hard to change your habits. Are you going to change them again just because you're in a different place?"
Xiao Qidi leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Just consider this a starting point in the royal city. Besides, if Jinli sees you still kneeling and bowing to me, she'll scold me."
The corners of their mouths twitched slightly, and they quickly lowered their heads to suppress their laughter. "Yes, Your Majesty, we understand."
When the many ministers present came to their senses, they realized that Xiao Qidi had dismantled Rongrui Gong's greatest reliance in the capital with just a few words.
From then on, the Imperial Guard was no longer just an elite force that knew only how to protect princes and nobles.
"Have the Imperial Guards withdraw, and close the gate as well," Xiao Qidi said calmly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The newly appointed young commander of the Imperial Guards accepted the order.
The imperial guards who were originally protecting Rong Ruigong had no choice but to leave obediently.
"No...don't go..." Duke Rongrui stretched out his hand, watching them walk out of the main hall in despair, and then the door slowly closed.
Xiao Qidi returned to the throne, leaned back, rested his chin on his hand, and closed his eyes. "I am a little tired. I will take a nap first. Please make yourselves at home, my lords."
The gates are closed, and the king has shut his eyes.
It goes without saying what this means.
"Lord Wen, what are you waiting for?" Li Yao said calmly.
Led by Minister Wen, a dozen or so ministers reacted and, filled with rage, charged at Duke Rongrui once again.
This time, there was no one left to protect him.
"Help...help me!" Rong Ruigong turned and ran.
A dozen or so ministers were relentlessly pursuing them.
The other ministers silently retreated to a corner of the hall to make room for them.
"I am a member of the Xiao royal family! I am Duke Rongrui! You...you can't kill me!" Duke Rongrui frantically ran around the pillars in the main hall, shouting repeatedly.
But these words have lost all their deterrent power at this moment.
It turned out to be a joke.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! Spare me!" Duke Rongrui cried out to Xiao Qidi for help again, "I...I am your uncle!"
Xiao Qidi did not react.
Duke Rongrui was still unwilling to give up, and shouted again: "I know I was wrong, I...I confess my guilt! Your Majesty may strip me and all members of the royal family of my titles and demote me to commoners! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"
Xiao Qidi remained motionless, as if he were truly asleep.
Duke Rongrui was out of breath from running, and Minister Wen and his dozen or so ministers were also exhausted. They were unable to capture the man immediately.
Duan Wu couldn't stand it any longer, so he secretly took out a few copper coins from his pocket and, when the opportunity arose, threw them at Rong Ruigong's knee.
The copper coin hit the target precisely.
Duke Rongrui fell to the ground with a thud, his forehead hitting the steps below the throne.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, save me!" Duke Rongrui tried to climb the steps.
A dozen or so ministers finally caught up and grabbed his leg together.
Rong Ruigong had just climbed a few steps when he was dragged back down, his head hitting the steps several times, leaving his face covered in blood and him dizzy.
Then, punches and kicks rained down on him like a storm.
A dozen or so ministers, led by Minister Wen, vented their resentment on him.
The sounds of punches and kicks, mixed with Rong Ruigong's screams, filled the entire hall.
The piercing wails were enough to send chills down one's spine.
Many ministers couldn't bear to look, so they turned around, faced the wall, and covered their ears, pretending they hadn't seen or heard anything.
After a long while, Rong Ruigong's screams finally stopped.
The dozen or so ministers slowed down their beating of him, and then one by one they collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
In the end, only Lord Wen was left. Even though he was so tired that he was trembling all over and could barely stand, he still lay on Rongrui Gong's corpse and scratched it with his fingernails and bit it with his teeth.
Rong Ruigong was completely unrecognizable. His magnificent robe was stained with blood, and there was not a single patch of intact flesh on his body. Even his limbs were twisted into pretzel shapes, and in some places, even the bones were exposed.
Although those who took action were all elderly civil officials, driven by extreme anger, they beat Rong Rui Gong beyond recognition.
“Lord Wen… that’s enough.” Li Yao stepped forward and pulled Lord Wen away.
Lord Wen was still biting Rong Ruigong's face tightly.
Li Yao had no choice but to pull harder.
Lord Wen's eyes were bloodshot, and he bit off a large chunk of flesh from Rongrui's face before he was willing to stop.
The floor of the main hall was a mess, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
Rong Ruigong was not yet dead; his body was still twitching slightly, and he was making difficult sobs. You could vaguely hear him saying something like he didn't want to die and begging for a doctor to come and treat him.
"Pah!" Lord Wen spat the piece of meat he had bitten off onto him, panting as he cursed, "You...you...how dare you still beg for life! Even if I cut you into a thousand pieces, make you die a thousand times and write ten thousand words! You...you are not enough to atone for my son...and the 100,000 people of Luoxia County who could have avoided freezing and starving to death!"
The other dozen or so ministers were also covered in blood and grime, slumped on the ground, numbly staring at the dying Duke Rongrui.
Their anger subsided, but what followed was endless regret and pain.
"My lords," Li Yao began slowly, "His Majesty originally intended to tell you the truth about the disaster relief grain case from ten years ago after executing Rong Rui Gong. In that way, you would feel better and would not have to suffer another shock before learning the truth."
"But I didn't expect you to be so stubborn in protecting the royal family. His Majesty tried repeatedly to enlighten you, but you still refused to budge. His Majesty had no choice but to resort to this tactic..."
Upon hearing this, the ministers looked remorseful. Only then did they realize the emperor's good intentions.
"Your Majesty... Your humble servant... deserves to die a thousand deaths, a thousand deaths!" They cried and kowtowed heavily to Xiao Qidi.
Xiao Qidi slowly opened his eyes. "Stand up and speak."
They got up while wiping away their tears.
"Your Majesty..." Lord Wen said with tears in his eyes, "These princes and nobles, led by Duke Rongrui, are a great scourge to the world. Your humble servant begs Your Majesty to deal with them severely!"
"We implore Your Majesty to punish him severely without leniency!" The other dozen or so ministers also expressed their opinions.
Seeing that the ministers who had previously been the most supportive of the royal family had now completely changed their attitudes, Xiao Qidi asked the other ministers, "What do you think?"
At this point, none of the ministers would speak up for Rongrui Gong anymore; they all said in unison, "Your Majesty, please punish him severely!"
Xiao Qidi said quietly, "It's rare that you hundreds of pillars of the court can reach a consensus. It's not easy. I'm sure you all realize how serious the harm that princes and nobles have to the Great Xuan is. What do you all think we should do next?"
The ministers fell into deep thought.
Xiao Qidi casually tossed two South China Sea pearls into the water.
The South Sea pearl rolled into the bloodstains on the ground, its dazzling light intertwined with the bright red blood, creating a striking contrast.
The ministers looked at the two precious pearls and felt a chill run down their spines.
Natural disasters can be addressed by the whole country working together, but what about man-made disasters?
Those 100,000 lives, which had already escaped the natural disaster, were lost at the hands of royal nobles like Lady Ronghua.
This shocking tragedy occurred simply because she took a liking to these two beads.
Heaven knows how many more things these people, enjoying supreme rights and noble status, might do to harm the country.
“Your Majesty…” a minister gritted his teeth and said, “I believe that this case should be made public, all the princes and nobles involved should be severely punished, and relevant laws should be formulated to restrain the royal and noble groups.”
Xiao Qidi said, "What a fine constraint! Do you think it can actually be enforced?"
The ministers had already understood Xiao Qidi's intention to eradicate these groups completely.
However, they still have many concerns.
A minister advised, "Your Majesty, the royal family and nobles of Great Xuan are numerous. Although the most esteemed among them reside in the capital, some are scattered throughout Great Xuan. For instance, the son of Duke Rongrui is still commanding 200,000 Great Xuan troops in the Eastern Territory..."
“I know you are worried that if you take too harsh a move against the princes and nobles, it will cause chaos in the Great Xuan,” Xiao Qidi’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in them. “Therefore, you must come up with a foolproof plan.”
The ministers looked solemn, their minds racing.
It is clear from this that the ruler's intention is to make no other choice but to completely eliminate this group.
“I have a plan,” a minister stepped forward and said, “which can only be carried out by taking advantage of the death of Duke Rongrui.”
Lying in a pool of blood, Rong Rui Gong managed to utter a weak voice, "I...I'm not...already dead..."
Xiao Qidi asked, "Tell me your plan."
The minister glanced at Minister Wen and said, "First, announce to the public that Minister Wen and several other officials had a dispute with Duke Rongrui, resulting in Duke Rongrui being beaten to death. His Majesty is deeply saddened and will severely punish the murderers and give Duke Rongrui a grand funeral. Duke Rongrui was the head of the Xiao royal family, and all members of the royal family and nobles will surely gather in the capital for the funeral. At that time, they can all be arrested. Finally, announce to the world the crimes of the royal family and nobles and deal with them all at once!"
Xiao Qidi glanced at the dozen or so ministers, a troubled look on his face. "Wouldn't this put Lord Wen and the others in a dangerous situation?"
"Your Majesty!" Lord Wen said firmly, "Having avenged the loss of my son, I have no more attachments and fear neither life nor death! I was short-sighted and almost neglected the safety of the Great Xuan due to my corrupt and stubborn nature and blind veneration of the likes of Rong Rui! My sins are truly grave. I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance to atone for my crimes!"
The other ministers also expressed their desire to atone for their crimes through meritorious service.
“Alright, since you insist, I agree,” Xiao Qidi said with a slight smile. “Then let’s proceed as planned. I’ll have to trouble you to suffer in the prison for now.”
“Xiao…Xiao Qidi…” Duke Rongrui stretched out his bloodied hand with difficulty, widened his eyes, and cursed angrily, “You…you have forgotten your ancestors and murdered your relatives…future generations will surely call you a tyrant! I…I want to see how you will face our Xiao family ancestors after you die!”
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