"Okay, you guys go ahead. You did a great job today. I'll give you ten taels of silver. Let's go out for a drink tonight."
Unexpectedly, killing a person could bring such benefits. Several guards were overjoyed and knelt happily, "We thank the emperor for his grace. We will serve the emperor wholeheartedly in the future."
The sword-bearing guards in front of the emperor are all from noble families, or civilians with military merits. Zhou Beichen has always been very lenient towards the guards in front of the emperor. As an emperor, he needs confidants.
Zhou Beichen didn't say anything and pondered for a while. The ministers below became more and more nervous, and many of them had closed their eyes in fear.
Zhou Beichen pointed at the ministers who had just run to Prime Minister Li and asked.
"Do you admit your guilt?"
The ministers shuddered and knelt on the ground, apology without hesitation. "We know our crimes. We shouldn't be fence-sitters, swaying with the wind. Please punish us, Your Majesty."
Zhou Beichen could only see a bunch of trembling heads. He held his forehead, closed his eyes, and suppressed his anger.
"When people are in desperate situations, they always want to survive. This is human instinct. Today, I will spare you because you admit your guilt. However, this is only this time. If it happens again, I will directly exterminate your entire clan."
Zhou Beichen's tone was indifferent but contained a strong sense of intimidation. The ministers were delighted, as if they had been pardoned. They almost fell to the ground and shouted from the bottom of their hearts.
"Your Majesty, your grace is yours. Thank you for sparing my life. Long live the Emperor!"
Zhou Beichen nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, get up now. However, the death penalty is inevitable, and neither can you escape it. All of you, go back and write a report on your participation in Prime Minister Li's side today. Remember, I want your honest words. You must not lie to me, otherwise, you will be guilty of deceiving the emperor."
The ministers immediately broke out in a cold sweat, their hearts, which had just relaxed, tensed up again, but they had no choice but to obey. "We understand."
Zhou Beichen fixed his gaze on the official who had just been beside the King of Qi. He smiled and praised.
"Your Majesty, you have done a great job today. I have trusted you so much. Tell me what reward you would like. As long as it is not out of the ordinary, I will grant it to you."
The King of Qi felt a little embarrassed and stood up. "It is my duty to be loyal to my brother the Emperor. As for a reward, I do have one, but I'm afraid my brother the Emperor won't agree."
The King of Qi lowered his head in embarrassment. This was the first time he was asked for a reward during court. Zhou Beichen didn't care. Seeing his shy look, he laughed heartily. "Tell me, I want to hear it. Based on your achievements today, I have no choice but to agree to your reward."
The King of Qi was cheering in his heart. His royal brother was so easy to talk to today. Maybe he would really agree to his extraordinary request.
"That's what I said, but please don't be angry, my royal brother."
The King of Qi moved his head forward in a sly manner. Zhou Beichen was almost speechless and had lost some patience, so he urged him on.
"Go on, go on. I don't have as much free time as you do. When you're done, I have other things to do."
The King of Qi silently repeated what he was going to say in his mind, lifted his robe and knelt.
"Brother Your Majesty, all I ask today is to be a country bumpkin. Please do not assign me any more tasks in the future. I want to resign this position and abolish my throne. I want my sister and I to go among the people, cultivate the land, water the flowers, and become a pair of wild mandarin ducks."
Zhou Beichen: “…”
He smiled sarcastically, then looked for something at random, intending to throw it at the King of Qi. However, after searching around, he couldn't find anything suitable. He hadn't even read the memorial yet, and the cup would only cause someone to break his head and bleed.
Suddenly, Zhou Beichen slammed the table and stood up, shocking all the ministers. Zhou Beichen came down from the stone steps, furious. He resisted the urge to kick him over and tapped the King of Qi's forehead hard.
"You... you bastard, how could I have such a bastard brother like you? Who are you? You are the King of Qi, not a country bumpkin. In this world, not only princes and princesses are supported by the people, but also princes. If you want to be in a position, you must bear the responsibility. I tell you clearly that you want to take your wife and children and live together. It is impossible. I will not allow it. You stay in the court and work hard for me. Besides, you grew up in luxury and you still want to learn to farm. I don't think you can stay for a day and run back to me to cry."
King Qi: “…”
He suddenly looked up, his eyes full of disbelief. He was not afraid of his brother the emperor. He just thought that after he said it in public, his brother the emperor would at least think about it. Unexpectedly, the emperor actually refused and scolded him severely.
He felt a little aggrieved that the court officials laughed at him, but he didn't dare to say it.
He stared blankly at Zhou Beichen, who glanced at him unhappily and said, "What are you looking at? Admit your mistake."
The King of Qi had no choice but to purse his lips and kowtow under Zhou Beichen's coercion and pressure.
"I acknowledge my guilt, and I beg your Majesty to forgive me."
This is right. Looking at his body lying on the ground, Zhou Beichen felt inexplicably relieved. He only has this one brother. If he lets him go easily, who will do the work for him?
It’s a nice thought.
Zhou Beichen deliberately did not ask anyone to stand up, but walked back to the dragon throne slowly, looked down at his surroundings, and spoke in a gloomy tone.
"Alright, Prince Qi, get up and remember what I said today. You were born a prince.
Now, for the sake of the prince, you have no reason to be lazy. I will not allow it."
Getting up from the ground, the Prince of Qi looked at his brother who used to take care of him for all the big and small things on the throne. He felt a mixture of love and hate, and sometimes he was even very afraid of him. He mourned for himself in his heart, fearing that he would have to stay in officialdom for the rest of his life. After his brother died, there was still his brother's child. Although the boy was only ten years old, he looked like a tough guy.
After all, Zhou Beichen still had some conscience. He rewarded the King of Qi with some gold and silver, and also gave some rewards to ministers such as Chen Zishan and Du Taifu.
After dismissing the court, Zhou Beichen went to Xuanzheng Hall immediately. On the way, he kept thinking, since Prime Minister Li has confessed his crime and been punished, then who should be given the position of Prime Minister next?
The Shen family is very powerful now, and he subconsciously doesn't want to give up any more power. As for others, he is still reluctant to let go. The court requires the art of balance, and no one family can dominate. When two strong men fight, he, as the emperor, can sit on the mountain and watch the fight, so that he can be less worried and his position can be stable. Otherwise, he would really be a little worried.
Even if Chen Zishan and Ye Chouxiu were truly loyal to him, he couldn't delegate too much power to them. It would be better for him to support a few more people.
In short, no matter what, we must take the people of the world as our responsibility.
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