The official was dragged out by Qin Chuan and made to stand in a conspicuous spot alongside Qin Chuan. Qin Chuan pointed at him and shouted, "Prestige? Did you earn prestige through battle? Prestige was earned by Emperor Taizu Gao, Emperor Taizong Wen, and Emperor Jing. Prestige was earned by General Zhang Chaozong defending the northern border. What were you doing when General Zhang Chaozong was single-handedly killing the Xiongnu? Weren't you just talking about war on paper?"
Qin Chuan then pointed to the many civil officials who had just cursed him and continued cursing:
"You bunch of parasites who hold positions without doing your jobs and eat lard-leaking gluttons are the cause of the nation's current state of affairs! Go outside the capital and take a look. Where aren't there refugees everywhere? You may be eating lard-leaking gluttons, but what about the common people? Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the roads, people freeze to death!"
When Qin Chuan uttered the poem, "Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road lie the frozen corpses of the poor," the Empress slumped onto her dragon throne, her eyes filled with sorrow, as if she had lost her soul: "Has the great nation fallen to such a precarious state...?"
Those officials who had just been criticizing Qin Chuan, including the left and right prime ministers, all fell silent.
Qin Chuan felt he hadn't finished cursing, hadn't had enough, and continued, "Look at all of you! Which one of you isn't gray-haired? Which one isn't in a high position? Which one isn't eating the government's rice? If you're all corrupt, His Majesty's heart will break. Our ancestors entrusted the empire to His Majesty, and this is how it turns out! His Majesty is heartbroken! You all stand here so dignified, each and every one of you… including you… the Left Prime Minister, the Right Prime Minister, are you all truly clean? I know some are even more corrupt than you!"
"Let me give you a piece of advice: turn your hearts and lungs out into the air, wash them clean, and sort them out! The biggest problem facing the entire operation isn't outside, it's right here in this hall!!"
After Qin Chuan finished cursing, the Golden Palace was completely silent. These high-ranking officials had never been insulted like this before. Even the Empress did not dare to curse them like this. They were all stunned for a moment.
The Empress, however, curled her lips into a smile, her gaze fixed intently on Qin Chuan, a mixture of amusement and amusement, as if she were watching a good show...
Only then did the officials realize what was happening, and they were immediately enraged. One by one, they threw their tablets at Qin Chuan, shouting, "You brat, how dare you be so insolent!!"
Some ministers exclaimed, "I told you long ago, we shouldn't have let him come to the capital!"
"What good is writing good poetry if you're just a madman!"
"How arrogant this brat is! If he becomes the Imperial Advisor, will we still have a good life?!"
"That's right, we'll resign now and retire to our hometown!"
When the Left Chancellor, Mou Xianke, saw the many ministers discussing their intention to resign, his eyes darted around, seeing this as an opportunity to prove himself. He quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has served as chancellor for over twenty years, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the task. This scoundrel, on his very first day in court, has already berated us all. If he were to be appointed as the Imperial Preceptor, I fear I would never have a peaceful day again! I implore Your Majesty to reconsider!"
Right Chancellor Li Zongmin also bowed and said, "This brat has dared to curse the court. He is a sinner against our great cause for all time. I beg Your Majesty to execute this boy and set the court in order!"
Qin Chuan stared wide-eyed at the two old scoundrels. It seemed his wife was right after all. These two old scoundrels were ostensibly fighting for power, but in reality, they were in cahoots, vying for the emperor's favor...
Emperors have their imperial strategies, and treacherous officials have their own schemes to deceive the emperor.
Since the emperor wanted to maintain a balance, he pretended to do so, while secretly reaping huge profits, enriching his own family and descendants. Wasn't that just colluding with each other?
When the Empress saw that the two prime ministers had stopped fighting each other and instead joined forces to deal with Qin Chuan, she realized one thing: the more these two tried to stop something, the more correct it was.
Then the Empress slowly spoke: "My words are imperial edicts. Once an imperial edict is issued, it is as good as gold. Since I have said that Qin Chuan will be appointed as the Imperial Preceptor, I cannot take it back!"
"His Majesty--!"
Mu Xianke squeezed out a few crocodile tears, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly, "This old minister has dedicated half his life to the Great Cause. Am I not as good as such a young upstart? Since Your Majesty insists on doing this, then this old minister has no choice but to resign and retire to my hometown!"
The Left Chancellor took the lead, and a group of ministers behind him knelt down, including Zhang Jiucheng, Xu Yuanjie, and Chen Liang...
Qin Chuan then realized that, apart from An Dingguo, Xiao Yun, and a very few civil officials, everyone else in the court was targeting him.
Because he wanted to become the Imperial Preceptor and rise to the top in one step, almost all of these civil officials who had passed the imperial examinations stood up to oppose him!
When the Left Chancellor, Mou Xianke, led a group of ministers to resign, it was actually a performance for the Empress. They had no real intention of resigning; they were simply reluctant to give up their official positions!
There were about thirty officials kneeling on the ground to resign. The purpose of such a large number of officials resigning was to put pressure on the Empress and force her to rescind her decree appointing Qin Chuan as the Grand Preceptor.
Qin Chuan remained completely calm. He only needed to know that the Empress wouldn't kill him. After all, the area around the main hall was guarded by Imperial Guards and Imperial Bodyguards. No matter how much these civil officials hated him, they couldn't possibly rush up and strangle him...
As for whether he can become the Grand Preceptor, that doesn't matter. If all else fails, he can return to Jiangzhou, have a wife and children, live a warm life, become a wealthy man, donate some money to the country, and rely on the system to have the means to protect his life. It seems like a good choice!
It saves me the trouble of scheming and fighting with those treacherous officials in the court...
Just then, to everyone's surprise, the Empress let out a soft, cold laugh, slowly nodded her head, and said, "I grant your permission."
What? !
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