The eighteenth year of the Jingtai reign of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Every three days, the grand court assembly is held, with officials slowly entering the palace as the sun rises.
After everyone knelt down, a moment later the sound of whips rang out, and the emperor arrived, sitting facing south.
The court assembly officially began, and officials raised the matters requiring discussion one by one.
At the height of the Jin Dynasty, officials were not lacking in vigor, and even low-ranking officials often dared to confront the prime minister and argue their case.
With the collective wisdom and efforts of everyone, the various policies proposed were either quickly implemented, or, after discussion, the proposers were unable to convince everyone and the proposals were temporarily shelved. There were also some outlandish ideas that were criticized to the point of being ashamed.
As the sun gradually rose higher in the sky, the tea in the hands of the court officials had gone cold. The court session was coming to an end, and both the emperor and his ministers relaxed.
At this moment, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial rose and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Li Yue was a little curious, since usually by this time all the important matters had already been reported.
They drink tea, the emperor inquires about the health of his subjects and the marriages of their children and elders, and they maintain good relations with their ruler. Then they can all go home. What's going on here?
"Grand Master Yu Xiao"
Mentioning this person gave Li Yue a toothache, while other officials who were not involved suddenly perked up, exclaiming, "Wow, so it's related to this person!"
"She's done something big again."
Li Yue was surprised that his heart was completely calm; he couldn't be suspicious of anything that this crazy woman, Ling Xin, did.
Last time, the governor of Qingzhou colluded with local powerful families to traffic people and coerce the people into taking out high-interest loans. No one in the court knew about it, but they used the Goddess Temple as a cover.
Ling Xin noticed something was wrong and, brandishing her sword, incited the crowd to physically punish the governor of Qingzhou.
He couldn't say anything yet, because the authorities had done a good job of managing the people. After they finished their business, the people went home. By the time the court took over, a series of witnesses and physical evidence were laid out before them.
The time before last, the Miao village was destroyed because the Miao chieftain mocked the goddess for being inferior to their god, and the Miao people submitted to him.
"Speak, what has the Grand Master done this time, and how did it come to your attention?"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was in charge of interactions with foreign guests, reception activities, tributes from the vassal states of Pan, and matters related to the inheritance of mourning and funeral rites. He had absolutely nothing to do with the Grand Master Yu Xiao.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, his face ashen, said stiffly:
"The King of Goryeo sent a letter to the court, tearfully accusing the Grand Master Yuxiao of being unreasonable and domineering, not only inciting border people to flee to our dynasty, but also occupying a piece of their land and refusing to return it..."
Someone burst out laughing.
The emperor turned around and saw that it was Gao Ming, the newly appointed top scholar, a member of the prestigious Gao family.
The exceptionally handsome top scholar neither dodged nor avoided the bow, but instead smiled and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, I have acted inappropriately and beg your forgiveness."
"I pardon you, but why are you laughing?" Li Yue feigned anger, his face stern. "Is it laughable that Grand Master Yu Xiao is so harsh on vassal states?"
The top scholar did not flinch, but smiled and explained:
"I am somewhat aware of this matter, so when I heard that the King of Goryeo was distorting the truth and using clever words to deceive our country with a letter from his state, I found it amusing."
Li Yue raised an eyebrow and said, "Explain in detail."
"As Your Majesty commands, my family has some dealings with Goryeo, so I know that the people of that court are by nature ungrateful and heartless, valuing profit over righteousness, lacking in education, and arrogant."
Gao Ming first launched into a tirade, then changed the subject:
"Goryeo was a small country, and its nobles were extremely extravagant. The common people were burdened with heavy taxes and levies, making their lives miserable. The Grand Master learned of this by chance and, in his compassion, led them to worship the Goddess of Mount Tai in order to seek a better afterlife."
The ministers looked at each other, wondering what the Grand Master had done wrong.
In their minds, the noble Grand Master of the superior nation has condescended to help them govern their people, and they pray for a better afterlife, which means they are just obediently accepting exploitation in this life.
How could they be so ungrateful!
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was taken aback, then retorted, "But what about the fact that Grand Master Yu Xiao went even further, instigating the people of Goryeo to flee south?"
"Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, be careful what you say! What do you mean by instigating?" Gao Ming glared at him angrily and continued:
"It was clearly those ordinary people who admired the culture of the Celestial Empire and spontaneously submitted to it."
Having said that, he bowed to the emperor, who was watching the spectacle from his seat, and said, "It is precisely because Your Majesty is wise and virtuous that even those from beyond the borders are willing to risk their lives to bask in the glory of the Great Jin."
Li Yue didn't know how he got involved, but he enjoyed the flattery.
"And what about occupying vassal lands, Your Majesty? Goryeo has always been subservient to our dynasty. Even if there are one or two minor mistakes, the court should order them to be corrected. When did it become the Grand Master's place to make decisions on his own?"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was heartbroken, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap flies. "If we don't give Goryeo an explanation, I'm afraid the other vassal states will be filled with fear and will no longer submit to the Great Jin!"
Li Yue raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Let's see who dares."
The other officials laughed as well, and one of the military generals roared, "Which country dares to bark like that? I will be the first to beat them to a pulp!"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies blushed red, his lips moving but he couldn't utter a word.
Li Yue glanced at him with disappointment, disliking him greatly. He was pedantic and incapable of shouldering great responsibilities, yet he cared about a mere Goryeo Kingdom.
Gao Ming spoke up at the opportune moment, explaining to the emperor and his colleagues that "the king of Goryeo sent troops to stop the Grand Master from spreading his teachings, destroyed the temple of the goddess, and insulted the goddess."
The high priest had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure, seizing a piece of land to build a temple and shelter his followers.
It sounds like Grand Master Yu Xiao is as innocent as a lotus emerging from water, kind and benevolent.
Li Yue nodded, but thought to himself, "Ling Xin is so arrogant, how could she be just passively retaliating as he said?"
The King of Goryeo must have been bullied terribly; the size of that territory must also be a bit suspicious.
After the court session ended, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies went to Prime Minister Wang's side and complained that he had only done his duty and was not appreciated by anyone.
"Goryeo is our friendly nation. How can His Majesty tolerate such a woman like the Grand Mage who lacks a sense of the bigger picture?"
As he spoke, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies shook his head and said sarcastically, "Who told me that my old face can't compare to the Grand Master's jade-like beauty?"
"Idiot," Wang Yi uttered two words expressionlessly.
"What, Prime Minister Wang, you..." The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was stunned and could not believe it.
"I called you an idiot, and you think I'm just as stupid as you?" Wang Yi said angrily. This kind of incredibly stupid person was dragging him along to complain, wasn't that just treating him as an idiot as well?
Grand Chancellor Wang was furious. He turned and left, making a firm decision before he left: His Majesty must also be dissatisfied with this fool, and he must speak ill of him!
Gao Ming, who was walking unhurriedly among the officials, turned around and saw this scene, and laughed.
People are truly hopeless when they are stupid. The emperor is governing the country with great success, and it is an unprecedented golden age. He cannot stand any discouraging words.
This idiot is thinking about friendly nations—utterly stupid.
The Ministry of War has been waging war for years, and now that all the thorns around them have been removed, these soldiers are eager to find the next place to fight.
There's no way around it; the imperial court is rich these days, and being a soldier is highly desirable.
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