Chapter 130 Could it be... that he, who was so eager to help his son take the throne, really made a mistake?
When news of the great chaos in Hebei reached the capital, Cui Shiliang was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot.
He slumped into the armchair, trembling all over. "That was the Cui family's century-old foundation! How could this be? How could this be?"
He couldn't understand how the good news that came just half a month ago could have turned into such a tragedy in just over ten days, with the family being destroyed!
What worried him even more was the Second Prince and his own son, whose fates were unknown and who were trapped in Weizhou City.
That day, the Emperor urgently summoned his ministers to the Yan Ying Hall for a meeting.
On the dragon throne, the emperor's face was ashen. His headache, which had not flared up for a long time, suddenly recurred, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Cui Shiliang knelt on the ground, his former high spirits gone, his eyes bloodshot, and the hair at his temples turned mostly white overnight, making him look more than ten years older.
"Your Majesty, this is no ordinary peasant uprising; it is a premeditated rebellion! We implore Your Majesty to act without further hesitation and immediately send troops to suppress it, so as to save the Second Prince from this peril!"
Lin Xueyan, not one to let him off the hook, quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that this great chaos is a desperate act by the disaster victims who have been driven to the brink of despair. If we suppress it with force, wouldn't that be turning the sword against innocent civilians? If word gets out that the court is indiscriminately killing disaster victims, it could damage the foundation of the nation and shake the hearts of the people!"
"Innocent?" Cui Shiliang's eyes were bloodshot, filled with grief and indignation. "The Second Prince's fate is still unknown. If we don't send troops, how can we save him from this predicament? More than a hundred members of my Cui family, from septuagenarians to infants, have all been brutally murdered by thugs. How can we not avenge such a blood feud? What are Lord Lin's true intentions in obstructing the dispatch of troops at this moment!"
Lin Xueyan remained calm and replied, "Why doesn't Prime Minister Cui first examine himself? Why is it that among so many powerful families in Hebei Province, only the Cui family has incurred public wrath, leading to the massacre of the entire clan?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Shiliang was so angry that he almost vomited blood again.
What does Lin Xueyan mean? Does he mean that the entire Cui family deserved to die tragically?
Before he could refute, Lin Xueyan turned to the Emperor and continued, "Your Majesty, I have long heard that the slogan of this peasant uprising is 'Purge the court of corrupt officials, execute the tyrannical king, and slaughter the Cui family.' If the people had not long harbored resentment towards the Cui family's actions in Hebei Province, how could they hate them so deeply? This calamity was truly caused by the Cui family's mistreatment of the disaster victims and their profiteering from the disaster!"
"You...you're spouting nonsense!" Cui Shiliang trembled with rage, his hand shaking as he pointed at Lin Xueyan. "My Cui family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. How could you say we've incited public resentment? It's clearly a traitor deliberately stirring up trouble and framing my Cui family!"
"Whether it's a frame-up or not, the people of the world will have their own judgment." Lin Xueyan's tone was calm, but every word was piercing. "If Prime Minister Cui truly had a clear conscience, how could the slogan 'Slaughter the Cui Dog' have spread throughout Hebei Province? If the Cui family hadn't taken advantage of the drought to seize land, hoard goods, and mistreat disaster victims, why do the people hate the Cui family so much?"
Just as Cui Shiliang was rendered speechless, Su Jingzhi suddenly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, Minister Lin is absolutely right. The root cause of this great upheaval lies in the pent-up resentment of the people, and the Second Prince and the Cui family are largely to blame. During the disaster relief efforts, the Second Prince maintained close ties with local powerful figures and failed to restrain the Cui family's evil deeds, thus losing the hearts of the people. The Cui family's killing of innocent people exacerbated the conflict. I believe that Your Majesty's most urgent task is to issue an edict to punish the Second Prince to set an example, and to thoroughly investigate the Cui family's illegal activities in Hebei Province and punish those involved."
Cui Shiliang looked at Su Jingzhi in disbelief. "Lord Su! What do you mean by that? The Second Prince has devoted himself to disaster relief, and my Cui family has even taken the initiative to provide food. Now that our family is destroyed and the prince is in danger, instead of helping us with our plans, you want to kick him while he's down and ask His Majesty to punish us. What are you up to?"
In the past, Su Jingzhi and he were not allies, but they had never had any direct conflicts. Now, Su Jingzhi had openly kicked him while he was down on his luck! How could he not be angry?
Su Jingzhi, however, seemed not to hear him and continued to plead with the Emperor: "I am acting for the greater good. Only if Your Majesty demonstrates fairness and severely punishes those who have neglected their duties, showing sincerity to the people, can we appease their hearts, quell their anger, and stabilize the situation!"
"Nonsense!" Cui Shiliang trembled with rage. He looked up at the emperor on the dragon throne, his eyes filled with pleading and indignation.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent! The Cui family is innocent! Su Jingzhi and Lin Xueyan colluded to deliberately suppress me and the Second Prince! How can the injustice suffered by more than a hundred members of the Cui family, and the safety of the Second Prince, be treated so lightly by them? I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and send troops immediately, or it will be too late to regret!"
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, looking at the three arguing in the hall, feeling extremely irritated.
He suddenly realized that since Li Yuanzhao had been confined to his residence for a month, the court had been in complete chaos.
First, the Cui and Lin factions fought incessantly, causing turmoil in the court.
Furthermore, despite the fact that a peace treaty had already been signed at the border, the internal strife in Tibet, with frequent disturbances by refugees and rebel soldiers, forced him to postpone his plan to recall Shen Xu to the capital.
Now, Li Yuanyou, on whom he had placed high hopes, is in grave danger in Hebei Province. Not only is his fate unknown, but he has also stirred up immense public resentment, turning a well-intentioned disaster relief effort into a raging fire.
He couldn't help but recall how Li Yuanzhao had always handled disaster relief efforts perfectly, both stabilizing public sentiment and managing affairs in an orderly manner.
Why did sending Yuan You this time lead to such a serious crisis?
Could it be that... he, who was so eager to help his son take the throne, really made a mistake?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he forcibly suppressed it.
The most important thing right now is Yuan You's safety.
He desperately wanted to send troops to rescue them immediately, but Lin Xueyan and Su Jingzhi's words were not without reason.
If we simply send troops to suppress the rebellion and turn our swords against the desperate victims, it will only fuel public resentment and lead to further resistance. This will inevitably shake the foundations of the nation, with unimaginable consequences.
But if we really listened to Su Jingzhi's advice and publicly punished Li Yuanyou...
If a crown prince is punished before being established, he will lose all his prestige. Even if he ascends to the throne in the future, he will be criticized by the people for being "unworthy of his position" and will find it difficult to win the support of the masses.
On one hand, there was the safety of his son and the prestige of the crown prince; on the other hand, there was the will of the people and the foundation of the nation. He was caught in a dilemma.
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