"This shit is not punishable by death!"
On a hot summer day, on Xinggang Hill, Emperor Zhao's anger could be clearly felt even through a distance of several old apricot trees. This inevitably made the guards of the Chixin Team, who were on duty for the first time, sweat profusely and feel nervous.
If the guards were like this, one can imagine what the situation was like for the four prime ministers, a chief censor, and several important officials of the inner court who were facing Emperor Zhao beside the thatched pavilion.
"Is this a matter of official position? Is this a matter of the behavior of a villain?"
"Yes, it is a mean act! But is it just a mean act? He has been the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works for half a month, so he should know what the Ministry of Works is busy with right now, right? But knowing that the Ministry of Works is in charge of the preparations for the Northern Expedition, he dared to do such a thing for a mere chance of promotion... and he is not sure that he can be promoted easily, at most he can only serve as an acting official, and it is very likely that he will not even serve as an acting official...!"
"What does the country mean to him? What do the people of the two rivers mean to him? What do the people of the court who have worked so hard and used every possible means to build up their wealth mean to him? What do the blood and sweat of the people of the Central Plains and Jiangnan mean to him? Are they all just things he can use?"
"That day he even said to me openly that every time he saw the people of Jiangnan working hard, he was worried that the Central Government was wasting the blood and sweat of the people of Jiangnan... It was simply ridiculous!"
"You have no idea what I am angry about... Do you know how Wang Shuwang's reform failed? Wasn't it because of this kind of villain in the New Party? This kind of cause is like sailing against the current. Once villains get involved, they will not only ruin the reputation, but will really cause the whole situation to collapse!"
"If he really was a Jurchen spy, and it was a long-planned move by the South, I wouldn't be so angry! It's because he is a villain, a villain who pretends to be harmless and is beneficial to the overall situation, that I am so panicked!"
"Do I need to talk about the harm of villains? Now there is only one Gou Long Ruyuan who suddenly appeared under my nose. How many are behind him? Are there any southerners among you? Have you seen cockroaches in the south? If you open the pottery jar and see a cockroach underneath, there are already hundreds of cockroaches making their home in your room!"
"Why did I want to protect Hu Mingzhong? First, I trust Hu Mingzhong and know that he has extenuating circumstances and is a talented person. Second, I want to tell the world that for anyone and anything related to the Northern Expedition, I dare not say that I can give them a golden ticket to avoid death, but I will definitely do my best to prevent them from being disturbed by these messy matters... If you help me defeat the Jurchens, I will give them fame and fortune!"
"Why are you, the gentlemen, scholars, generals, and great commanders, so stable? Isn't it just common sense? If this premise is gone, what's the point of keeping you?! Do you really think you are invincible?!"
"This matter is bad because it was impulsive and has no legal basis! This person deserves death because he is just a villain who was blinded by lust for power. He deserves death because his crime does not deserve death!"
"You say his crime is not punishable by death, that it will cause unrest in the court, and that people all over the world will not understand... Then think of a way to make him commit a crime punishable by death! Think of a way that will not cause unrest in the court and that people all over the world will understand!"
"Anyway, I'm going to kill him! If he has a reason, I'll chop him up, and if he has no reason, I'll chop him up too!"
Emperor Zhao's roar lasted for nearly half an hour. The ministers and close officials tried to persuade him in vain and all of them gave in.
There was no way. Things had come to this point. On the one hand, Emperor Zhao's anger was uncontrollable, and on the other hand, the ministers themselves could not maintain a unified stance... Apart from others, Prime Minister Zhang Jun had always followed the emperor's lead. This time, he was even more uneasy because he had recommended Gou Longruyuan. Instead, he hoped that Gou Longruyuan could be severely punished in order to defend himself.
At the same time, the close ministers also split from the beginning - Yang Yi Zhong and Liu Yan should not have intervened in the matter, but because Emperor Zhao's anger was too scary, they both tried to dissuade the emperor at the first time. As a result, Hanlin scholar Lu Benzhong, however, acted contrary to his usual behavior during the subsequent assembly and interrogation, and firmly expressed his agreement with severe punishment.
Of course, Zhang Jun and Lu Benzhong's severe punishment did not mean to kill Gou Longruyuan, but the problem was that if the ministers could not speak in unison and think in unison from the beginning, how could they fight against an angry emperor?
Just like that, as the noise in the thatched pavilion gradually died down, Yang Yi Zhong came down personally and strictly requested the attendants not to spread any words without permission. However, the gentlemen had no choice but to disperse under the pressure of Emperor Zhao.
However, even though he had submitted to Emperor Zhao, how could he easily think of a 'legal' way to kill a villain like Gou Longruyuan?
Therefore, when they returned that day, the four men who were under the greatest pressure were at a loss as to what to do, but they did not want to discuss the matter with others. After finally getting off duty, they returned home and got together in pairs, and at the same time hurriedly invited some key figures to discuss the matter together.
Among them, the Prime Minister of the Capital Province, Zhao Xianggong, and his deputy Liu Xianggong went to the Minister of Personnel Chen Gongfu, the Minister of Rites Zhai Ruwen, the prefect of Kaifeng Yan Xiaozhong, and the Minister of Processing, the person involved in this case, Hu Yin himself. On the other side, the Privy Envoy Zhang Xianggong and his deputy Chen Xianggong went to the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo, the Minister of War Liu Ziyu, and his "brain trust" Personnel Assistant Minister Lü Zhi, plus a cavalry commander Qu Duan... The heads of the two prefectures did not dare to expand, nor did they dare to go to Li Guang and Ma Shen, who were straightforward.
Now that the invitation had been sent out, not to mention that gatherings at Zhang's house had become a routine, on the other hand, as the prime minister, Zhao Ding had always insisted on being a gentleman and not forming factions, and it was rare for him to do so at this time. Chen, Zhai, Yan, Hu and others all knew that something was wrong, but they did not dare to delay and arrived one after another.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
