The Jinwu Guards rushed into the palace like wolves and tigers.
With a clear goal, they went straight to the accounting office and warehouse and sealed off both places.
Qian Xiang was holding the emperor's letter, extremely arrogant.
He just wants everyone to be afraid of him.
He enjoys being feared.
He even enjoyed the pleasure of investigating and prosecuting royal relatives and high-ranking officials.
No matter how powerful you were in the past, you will have to wait for him once you join the Jinwu Guard.
Every action of the Jinwu Guards attracts attention from all sides.
This time they attacked both princes at the same time, what was going on?
"It's a very strange thing. I didn't hear anything about it beforehand."
"What on earth have the two princes done wrong?"
"I heard that His Majesty is not in good health. Could it be that he wants to clear the way for His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi in advance?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is currently training troops in the northwest and will be heading to the Western Regions next year. If Your Majesty was truly concerned about his health, why would he send His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi out at this time?"
"Your Highness the Prince of Qi is the Crown Prince, and that's all just conjecture. Perhaps His Majesty truly favors the Second or Third Prince, and is using this opportunity to send His Highness the Prince of Qi away from the capital."
"What nonsense!"
"Your Majesty is in the prime of life, so stop spreading rumors and misleading the people."
"When the Jinwu Guards are dispatched, we can only handle the case normally. It's definitely not what you think."
"Since this is a normal case, then tell me, what exactly did the two princes do wrong?"
"The Jinwu Guards are investigating the case, so it's not our turn to interfere."
"Since we don't know why the Jinwu Guards are targeting the two princes, anything is possible. Perhaps His Majesty's health is truly failing."
"I've heard that Your Majesty has many old injuries that will definitely shorten his lifespan."
"Don't forget, as long as the Queen is here, nothing serious will happen."
"That makes sense."
"Mr. Yang was promoted by the Empress. He will definitely help the Empress stabilize the government."
"Yes, yes, yes. As long as the Empress is here, there will be no chaos in the court."
"The imperial harem is openly interfering in state affairs, and not only do you not object, you're actually cheering for it. Have you all read the sages' books and turned them into dog stomachs?"
"Hold on to the flaws!"
"cliche!"
"So pedantic!"
He responded with a series of scoldings.
"Your Majesty, your interference in state affairs didn't just start today. As early as the reign of Emperor Chengzong Wende, you offered advice and suggestions many times. Now, you accuse us of not reading the books of the sages, but you are nothing more than that."
"I heard that the Audit Department already has a female accountant, and her calculation speed is just as fast as that of men."
"I've heard about this, too. It's said she graduated from a girls' school. Her wages aren't as high as those of male accountants, but she's just as quick and efficient at accounting. Many businesses are interested in hiring female accountants."
"The business still has some concerns. The people coming and going are all men, and having a female accountant sitting among them is really a bit inappropriate."
"That makes sense!"
"Don't you care what the two princes have done?"
"We'd like to show some interest, but we can't find any information. If anyone has connections within the Jinwu Guard or the palace, we could use them now. We can hold a grand court meeting tomorrow, where we can show off in front of our colleagues."
"Why show off? Do you still want to help the two princes overturn the verdict?"
Overturn the verdict?
Absolutely not!
Not to mention that I don’t have the ability to overturn the verdict, I don’t even have the courage to do so!
The Jinwu Guards suddenly attacked the two princes. It must be that the two princes did something taboo and ran into His Majesty, causing His Majesty to be furious!
A group of outsiders should not get involved in royal affairs.
…
A few days later, there will be a meeting.
Qian Xiang was present at the event and attracted many disgusted looks.
Qian Xiang sneered.
Don't get into trouble!
If you commit a crime, don't fall into the hands of the Jinwu Guards.
Otherwise, I will dig deep into the ground to make this case an ironclad case and I will never be able to turn over a new leaf in my life.
There was a timid official who, upon meeting Qian Xiang's gaze, was immediately frightened and trembled.
Today's grand court meeting mainly discussed the cases of the two princes.
The Dali Temple reprimanded the Shaofu.
The Shaofu questioned the Jinwu Guards.
Qian Xiang directly took out the information that he had prepared long ago, stood in the hall, and threw out the information one by one.
It’s hard to say what good things the two princes have done.
If you were to ask what bad things the two princes had done, it would take a whole day to finish.
All these charges add up to a considerable amount.
The court officials were silent.
Not only were the questions not answered, but new questions were raised.
What the Jinwu Guards discovered was very common among the royal family, and everyone had turned a blind eye to it in the past.
Take the charge of occupying fertile farmland, for example. This is common among the powerful and wealthy. Can it be considered a crime?
Your Majesty, are you making a big deal out of nothing?
What taboos did the two princes commit that caused His Majesty to use such petty tricks to deal with them?
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
In short, the two princes' misfortune was definitely not due to things like occupying fertile land.
After listening to Qian Xiang's statement, Liu Zhao felt a little dissatisfied in his heart.
They all abuse their power among the people, so why are they not charged with conspiracy in the court?
Qian Xiang looked depressed.
Your Majesty, you are asking too much.
Even if the two princes were given ten times the courage, they would not dare to mess around in the court. It's not like they are tired of living.
The reason why the two princes had the courage to join forces to plot against Prince Duan Liu Yi last time was because they were bewitched by Xiao Shuer and thought that His Majesty wanted to kill Prince Duan Liu Yi.
Your Majesty tried his best to protect Prince Duan, so the two princes naturally gave up their thoughts.
Although Liu Zhao felt that the evidence Qian Xiang had collected was not substantial enough, it was enough to deal with the fifth and sixth brothers.
He coughed lightly, his face stern, and he pretended to be furious. "I have repeatedly emphasized that whoever dares to take away the jobs of the common people will have his job taken away. Whoever dares not give me face, I will naturally not give him face. The tax rate is one-tenth, regardless of status, as long as you are a citizen of the Great Zhou, you must pay taxes. I have said it countless times, emphasized it countless times, and even today there are still so many people who pretend to obey me but secretly disobey me. What makes me even more disappointed is that they are my brothers."
After saying this, he showed a look of deep sorrow.
He sighed deeply, filled with anger and grief. "I have treated them well! They have so thoroughly abused my sincerity, disregarded our brotherly love, and openly defied my national policy. It will be difficult to appease the public anger without killing them."
The emperor actually wants to kill two princes?
Oh my god!
Something terrible is happening!
Could it be that His Majesty's health is really failing, and he wants to clear the way for his successor?
The ministers were all terrified and didn't know what to do.
Just when all the ministers were in a panic, someone finally stood up and shouted, waking everyone up from their confusion.
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
Like a thunderclap, all the ministers came back to their senses.
Looking closely, it turned out to be the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Yang Ji.
Yang Ji cried out, "Even though the two princes have made mistakes, their crimes do not deserve death. Your Majesty, please revoke your order and deal with the two princes differently."
"Your Majesty, please revoke your order." The ministers finally found their way back to their mouths.
"These two are worse than pigs and dogs. They repeatedly betray my kindness. It's a waste of food for them to stay in this world."
Liu Zhao shouted harshly, as if he would not appease his anger unless he killed someone.
As the head of all officials, Yang Ji had the responsibility to dissuade the emperor.
He talked about brotherhood and the late emperor.
From the laws of this dynasty to ancient legends.
He quoted from classics, but Liu Zhao insisted on continuing.
Yang Ji kept talking, from ancient sages to folk traditions, for almost an hour.
Liu Zhao was defeated and left in anger.
"Withdraw from the court!"
The court officials all breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sir Yang, you are so eloquent."
And the content is never repeated.
He can easily come up with various allusions, including many niche and unconventional ones. His memory is amazing.
It's just that the talk lasted a little too long, and everyone's legs were sore from standing.
Could you please talk less next time, Lord Yang?
Not only did the court officials complain about Yang Ji being too talkative, but Liu Zhao also complained about Yang Ji.
He complained to Gu Jiu, "What's wrong with Yang Ji? I just asked him to cooperate. Under his 'persuasion', I rescinded my order and didn't want to spare the lives of the fifth and sixth brothers. But he spoke so eloquently for an hour straight, quoting classics throughout and making me look like an illiterate. I can't help but suspect he's using me to boost his reputation."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiu burst into laughter, almost out of breath.
Liu Zhao snorted twice, very dissatisfied.
After Gu Jiu finished laughing, he said, "He's new to the position, so you have to forgive his eagerness to show off. The court officials, seeing his youth, inevitably look down on him. He needs to show some ability to calm the people. This is his chance. A minister who can 'persuade' the emperor is a qualified minister."
Liu Zhao snorted, "He's really using me to boost his reputation. For your sake, I won't bother with him. Next time, don't let him do that."
"Don't worry, Yang Ji is a man of measure. He knows that some things can only be done once and not twice. This time, it's enough for him to break the deadlock."
"You always speak up for him."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "He is a talent I discovered, so naturally I have to speak well of him. And from your tone, you don't seem that angry."
"I'm almost mad, how can you see that I'm not angry?"
Liu Zhao deliberately put on a fierce face, asking for comfort and a hug.
Gu Jiu laughed heartily, "Today I will cook a delicious soup. Your Majesty, would you like to try it?"
Liu Zhao smiled happily, like a large dog waiting to be fed.
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