The atmosphere in the court froze instantly. Although the specific contents of the letter were unknown, judging from Yang Shi's behavior, it was probably a treasonous act!
The emperor looked at Yang Shi with a cold smile and said, "I want you to read it aloud so that others can hear it."
"His Majesty……"
"read!"
The emperor's roar nearly stopped Yang Shi's heart.
He began to recite, trembling: "I have long admired Brother Zhongli's righteousness. Now, with Shi Xun bringing disaster to the country, the sacred way is tarnished, and Heaven's will is not swift. The state will surely collapse, the four corners of the earth will crumble, and the world will perish. We, the disciples of the sage, take it upon ourselves to save the people. We, the scholar-officials, should jointly petition the Emperor to execute Shi Xun and restore order to the nation! Minister Wen once said that the monarch should govern the world with the scholar-officials, not with the people. This is the sacred way. If the current Emperor acts against Heaven, we, for the sake of the world, should take corrective action and welcome His Majesty back to the throne..."
Upon reaching this point, he dared not read any further. What was this all about? This was rebellion!
Yang Shi prostrated himself on the ground, trembling all over: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This sinful subject was unaware of the truth! This sinful subject was unaware of the truth!"
Zhao Huan looked at the other ministers with a gloomy expression, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent.
"It's not over yet. I still have many letters here: Wang Boyan, Tang Ke, Xu Churen, He?, Zhou Chao, Li Gang, Zhang Shuye..."
The emperor read out the names one by one, and each name that came out shook people's hearts. Even the two prime ministers were among them.
"Do you think I follow the principle of 'the law does not punish the masses'?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We were unaware of this!"
The names of the two prime ministers and the six ministers were all on the list, kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear. They had been labeled as treasoners, a crime punishable by the extermination of their entire clan for arguing. They had no mind to speak up for the Kong family. They all hated Kong Duancao to the bone and wished that the emperor would immediately wipe out the Kong family!
Damn it! I spoke up for the Confucius family in front of the emperor, and you, Kong Duancao, a brain-dead idiot, stabbed me in the back. It wasn't enough that you wanted to kill me; you wanted to drag my whole family down with you. If I don't kill you today, you'll really think you have holy blood flowing through your veins, won't you?
Having finally seized such an opportunity to cause trouble, how could Zhao Huan possibly let it pass?
Zhao Huan said coldly, "What's the matter?"
This made the ministers even more annoyed. The emperor was asking a question he already knew the answer to, and he was trying to force the ministers to express their opinions in court.
The ministers all prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to speak. The emperor then began to call on them by name: "Come, Wang Boyan, tell me, what is the truth?"
"Your Majesty, I was unaware that the Kong family had sent any letters, nor have I ever corresponded with them."
"Anything else?"
Wang Boyan forced himself to say, "I had no idea that the Confucius family would commit such a treasonous act?"
The emperor pressed further, asking, "How could it be considered treason?"
The emperor wanted the ministers to confess the crimes of the Confucius family themselves. The ministers were all inwardly groaning, but they had already made up their minds to destroy the Confucius family today!
Wang Boyan said, "They are slandering the emperor and plotting a rebellion!"
Upon hearing these words, Wang Boyan felt utterly empty inside. He had never imagined that someone like him, who had studied the classics, would one day publicly accuse a sage of plotting a rebellion in the imperial court.
The other ministers were also feeling uneasy, but since it was Wang Boyan who said it, it had nothing to do with them.
The Emperor then said, "And the rest of you? Come, tell me how the Kong family has committed such a heinous crime. If anyone refuses to speak today, it will be considered an admission of conspiracy with Kong Duancao, and I will deal with them according to the law!"
Damn it! The other ministers were just secretly relieved that Wang Boyan had become the scapegoat and it had nothing to do with them, but now the emperor has directly blocked their escape route as well.
He Ye stepped forward and said, "Slandering the emperor and plotting rebellion are crimes punishable by death!"
Other ministers also began to say: "The Confucius family has shown no respect for the law, has disrespected the emperor, and is plotting a rebellion. They deserve to be executed!"
Everyone began to express their opinions, and the situation in the court took a sharp turn for the better.
Zhao Huan sat back on the throne and looked at his ministers. The air in the court seemed to freeze, and the ministers were sweating profusely with tension.
"Get up, everyone."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The ministers then struggled to their feet, each one drenched in cold sweat.
Zhao Huan adopted a wise and benevolent demeanor, even softening his tone: "It seems you have all been wronged. So, what should the Kong family do next?"
The ministers had just breathed a sigh of relief when they were caught off guard by another question thrown at them by the emperor. The emperor was forcing them to destroy the Confucius family, and in the future, the people of the world would point the finger at the ministers as the instigators of this matter.
But there's nothing we can do. It's either the Kong family or them who will die. Who told Kong Duancao to be so clever and write so many letters, only to have them all caught by the Imperial City Guard?
What an idiot! How could such an idiot be a descendant of a saint?
He Ye immediately jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Confucius family has acted against Heaven and poisoned the nation. According to their crimes, they should all be executed!"
Wang Boyan immediately said, "No! The Confucius family are descendants of a sage, and Emperor Renzong personally bestowed upon them the title of Duke Yansheng. If the court were to execute the entire Confucius family, it would surely cause turmoil throughout the land."
Liu Yanzong said, "Those who plot treason and commit insubordination should not be executed along with their entire families. How can this uphold the emperor's authority? How can it demonstrate judicial fairness?"
Xu Churen stepped forward and said, "What Minister Wang said is absolutely right. I think Your Majesty can strip the Duke of Yansheng of his title, confiscate the Kong family's land, and imprison Kong Duancao in the imperial prison!"
Tang Ke said, "I also agree with what Minister Wang and Minister Xu said."
At this moment, Shi Xun stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Confucius created the Confucian classics for China and is a sage of China. I believe that Confucius should be enshrined in the Hall of Heroes and Spirits for all generations to admire, so as to proclaim to the world that Your Majesty governs the country with benevolence and virtue. However, what does the merit of our ancestors have to do with future generations? The Confucius Mansion is not worthy of its position and should be abolished!"
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