The next day, Xuanyuan Zhan went to court before dawn as usual.
The Eastern Chu court.
Xuanyuan Peng indeed took out the memorials that Xuanyuan Zhan had reviewed for him earlier: "These are the memorials that the Holy King reviewed for me these past two days. Send them all down for a look."
Xuanyuan Peng gave Zong Jiu a wink, and Zong Jiu immediately understood, taking the memorials down the jade steps and distributing them to the civil and military officials below.
The officials took the memorials and began to read them. At first, they didn't think much of it, but when they saw the annotations, they were all somewhat surprised.
"Were these all annotated by His Highness the Holy King?"
"These annotations are truly brilliant! They've really solved the problem!"
"Yes, some of these memorials have been submitted for a long time, and the Emperor has never come up with a solution. Now, after reading these annotations, everything has become clear."
"I never imagined His Highness the Holy King possessed such talent; it's truly astonishing!"
Almost all the officials who read the memorial praised Xuanyuan Zhan.
Even Xuanyuan Yu, Xuanyuan Zhi, and Xuanyuan Duo couldn't help but marvel at the annotations on the memorial.
They had seen these memorials more or less, because their father had used them to test them. However, if their father couldn't approve the memorials and the officials couldn't solve the problems, what could they do? Most of their suggestions were trivial and didn't earn their father's appreciation.
Unexpectedly, their father had given all these memorials to Xuanyuan Zhan for review. What surprised them even more was that Xuanyuan Zhan had come up with so many ingenious solutions. Some of these solutions were so effective that even they had to admit they could solve the problems. Some of them even had the effect of killing two birds with one stone and achieving multiple benefits at once!
It must be said that Xuanyuan Zhan is indeed very capable in handling state affairs, which explains why his father has been sending him to the Imperial Study to review memorials every day these days!
But how could they tolerate Xuanyuan Zhan shining so brightly!
Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi exchanged a glance, and instantly understood each other's meaning. They immediately went to give signals to the officials of their respective parties.
Liu Zhenghe, the Minister of Revenue and father-in-law of Xuanyuan Zhi, was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty, memorials are matters of state. Although His Highness the Holy Prince is a prince, he is not qualified to review memorials!"
Liu Zhenghe's words instantly darkened Xuan Yuanpeng's face.
As soon as Liu Zhenghe came out, Wei Zhong, the Vice Minister of War and father-in-law of Xuanyuan Duo, also stepped forward: "Your Majesty, it is unreasonable for the Holy King to review memorials!"
The two men represented Xuan Yuanzhi's faction and Xuan Yuanyu's faction, respectively. As soon as they appeared, a large number of officials followed suit and stood up.
"His Majesty has many sons. Even if His Majesty needs someone to help handle state affairs, it is not His Highness the Holy King who should die."
“The three princes are all exceptionally intelligent. If Your Majesty needs someone to help with state affairs, you may choose from among the three princes!”
"Memorials are matters of state, concerning the very foundation of the nation. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider the selection of personnel to handle state affairs. We must not be careless!"
"emperor……"
"Smack!"
Seeing that they were getting more and more worked up, Xuanyuan Peng finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed his fist on the dragon throne, roaring, "If you were all useful, would these memorials have been left unreviewed until now? If even one person in the entire court were of any use, would I need to ask the Holy King to help review these memorials? You're all utterly useless!!!"
Xuanyuan Peng was truly enraged, and his insults were truly awful.
The officials were so ashamed by the scolding that they knelt down in fear, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
All the officials, one after another, knelt down, including Xuan Yuanzhi and Xuan Yuanyu.
Soon, only Xuanyuan Zhan remained kneeling in the court.
He heard every word those officials said.
However, since he had chosen to accept Xuanyuan Peng's invitation to help him handle state affairs, he had long expected this day to come.
During his few days of attending court, he had come to understand that 40% of the civil and military officials in the court were Xuan Yuan Yu's people, 30% were Xuan Yuan Zhi's people, and the remaining 30% were royalists, that is, Xuan Yuan Peng's people.
He himself was not in Kyoto for many years and had no influence in the court.
Therefore, when he helped handle state affairs this time, all the civil and military officials in the court were dissatisfied with him, but they could not make a scene because Xuanyuan Peng did not bring it up openly.
This time, when Xuanyuan Peng brought the memorials he had reviewed to court, these people could no longer hold back.
He heard all the harsh words, and it would be a lie to say he didn't care. However, since he had the ambition to compete for the throne, these were things he had to go through. Besides, at least Xuanyuan Peng was on his side now, so he wasn't completely isolated.
It has to be said that at this moment, Xuan Yuanzhan truly understood Xuan Yuanpeng's favoritism towards him, and his awkward feelings for Xuan Yuanpeng seemed to have been elevated to a higher level.
Seeing the officials kneeling on the ground, Xuanyuan Peng was still furious, shouting, "I showed you these memorials to show you what it means to be pillars of the nation and the chosen ones of heaven. But instead of reflecting on your own actions, you dare to lecture me! A court full of useless trash, who gave you the right to point fingers at me!"
"Your subject dares not!"
The assembled officials immediately lowered their heads in shame and fear.
Chancellor Zhao Ji, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Holy King's identity is indeed..."
"What is his identity?" Before Zhao Ji could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanpeng said sternly, "He is a member of the Xuan Yuan royal family, a prince of the Eastern Chu. How can he not be qualified to handle state affairs for me! How dare you question his identity!"
Xuan Yuanpeng's rapid-fire rebuke silenced Zhao Ji completely.
Xuanyuan Peng gave a mocking sneer: "I know what you're thinking. Whether it's Xuanyuan Yu or Xuanyuan Zhi, I've given them opportunities. To be honest, I've reviewed all these memorials for them. They are my own sons, and I don't want to say much about them. They are your masters, and you know better than I do what the outcome was!"
Xuan Yuanpeng's words immediately made Xuan Yuanzhi and Xuan Yuanyu feel ashamed.
They had indeed reviewed all these memorials, and in terms of their ability to handle state affairs, they were certainly no match for Xuanyuan Zhan.
Even so, Xuanyuan Zhan, this bastard of unknown origin, is not qualified to compete with them for the throne!
Officials from both Xuanyuan Zhi's and Xuanyuan Yu's factions were also made ashamed by Xuanyuan Peng's words.
How could he not know what kind of person his master was?
Compared to the Holy King, neither the Second Prince nor the Third Prince are as capable as the Holy King in terms of talent, governance, or military leadership.
However, there's one crucial point: the two princes are at least absolutely certain in terms of their status, while the Holy King…
Xuanyuan Peng could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions, and he scoffed again: "Don't say that the Holy King is also a member of the Xuanyuan royal family with pure blood. Even if he were nothing, the way of recognizing the virtuous has existed since ancient times!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
