Chongde Hall.
Inside the main hall, civil officials Chen Fan and Hu Guang, and military officials Dou Wu, stood on either side, all with solemn expressions and eyes fixed straight ahead, waiting for the emperor and empress dowager to hold court.
"Your Majesty is beginning court! All officials, please be silent!"
With a loud shout from Zhang Rang, Liu Hong, dressed in the emperor's robes and wearing a twelve-tassel white jade crown, respectfully followed Dou Miao into the main hall.
"Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, we pay our respects!"
"Gentlemen, you may rise and dispense with the formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager!"
After the greetings were completed, the court meeting officially began, and officials of all ranks, holding their official tablets, began to report on their work to Liu Hong and the Empress Dowager.
At this time, Liu Hong was still a minor, and all government affairs were decided by Dou Miao, who was in charge of the court. Liu Hong only occasionally offered some opinions, which were all adopted by Empress Dowager Dou.
This relieved Chen Fan and other ministers. It seemed that Empress Dowager Dou was not as autocratic as the empress dowagers of the past who ruled from behind the curtain, and that she still knew how to respect the emperor's opinion.
An hour later, an official stepped forward and bowed to Liu Hong and Dou Miao respectively.
"Your subject, Imperial Censor Chen Ping, has impeached the Commandant of the Capital Region for disregarding the law and for arresting upright and virtuous officials on a large scale, resulting in many people being unjustly imprisoned and suffering infamy. I beseech Your Majesty to punish him severely to uphold the law."
As Chen Ping finished speaking, the entire Chongde Hall fell silent. This was the first court assembly since the emperor ascended the throne. Before the assembly, Chen Fan, Hu Guang, and others had spoken with most of the officials, urging them to do their utmost to avoid infighting so as not to damage the emperor's dignity. But Chen Ping suddenly jumped out and impeached the Sili Xiaowei, who was personally appointed by the emperor. What was the meaning of this?
Chen Fan glanced at Dou Wu on the other side with displeasure, only to see that Dou Wu was resting with his eyes closed.
Liu Hong, however, looked at the composed Li Ying with a calm expression.
"Li Qing, shall we appeal?"
"All my actions have been in accordance with the law, and all those I have arrested have been those who deserved to be arrested. This is the list of crimes committed by those who have been punished, as well as the list of confiscated property. I request Your Majesty to review it."
Upon hearing this, Li Ying calmly explained the reason behind it, and then took out a memorial from his sleeve.
Zhang Rang then quickly went to Li Ying, took the memorial, and returned to Liu Hong's side.
"His Majesty!"
Zhang Rang bowed and presented the memorial to Liu Hong.
Liu Hong merely glanced at it indifferently, showing no intention of watching.
"read!!"
"promise."
Zhang Rang then unfolded the memorial and began to read it aloud.
"Li Zhuo, the Marquis of Heisei Gate, was greedy and licentious. During his tenure, he accepted bribes on a large scale and forcibly abducted women, resulting in the tragic death of an innocent woman. He was sentenced to beheading and his family property of 200,000 coins was confiscated."
"Ran Xun, the Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, during his tenure, allowed his family members to embezzle government land and forcibly purchase land from the people, resulting in the deaths of more than ten people. He was sentenced to beheading, and those who committed murder were cut in half at the waist. His family property of one million coins and 100,000 mu of fertile land were confiscated."
"Zhou Kuang, the magistrate of Taicang, allowed the government to embezzle large sums of money and grain from the granary, diverting public funds to private use, which emptied the treasury. He was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist. His family property of 800,000 coins and 80,000 mu of fertile land were confiscated."
"...."
"Enough!"
Liu Hong sternly stopped Zhang Rang from continuing to read, his face terribly grim.
Chen Fan was also extremely angry at this moment. He never expected that those people who usually prided themselves on being upright and loyal would be so greedy and despicable. How were their actions any different from those of the eunuchs? They were simply smearing their reputation.
"Very well... These are the officials of my Great Han Dynasty, these are the so-called loyal and virtuous ministers!" Liu Hong then turned to Dou Wu and asked in a deep voice, "I wonder what the General thinks?"
"this.....!"
Dou Wu, who was called upon by Liu Hong, was slightly taken aback. The names Zhang Rang had just read out included not only his people but also Chen Fan's and the group of eunuchs' people, which could be said to encompass all the forces in the court. Dou Wu was at a loss for words.
"General, His Majesty is asking you a question!" Zhang Rang reminded Dou Wu when he didn't speak for a long time.
“Your Majesty, I believe these people deserve to be executed. Lieutenant Li is fair and just in enforcing the law, and there is nothing wrong with it.”
Dou Wu appeared impartial and selfless, but there was nothing he could do; these people's crimes had truly provoked public outrage, and even Dou Wu couldn't say much.
Then Liu Hong looked at Dou Miao beside him and asked in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, Minister Li is a conscientious and responsible person who upholds the law impartially. I believe he should be promoted to Grand Commandant and given duties in the Ministry of Personnel. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Let's do as the emperor says."
Empress Dowager Dou agreed to Liu Hong's appointment, after all, Li Ying was a famous scholar in the country, and it was only natural for him to be promoted to Grand Commandant.
Subsequently, Liu Hong promoted Li Ying, who had only recently taken office, to the position of Grand Commandant, the highest of the Three Dukes.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!"
Liu Hong then looked at Li Ying and asked, "Does the Grand Commandant have a candidate to succeed the Commandant of the Capital Region?"
"I recommend Yang Qiu, a scholar who is well-versed in the law and upright and incorruptible. He is the best candidate for the position of Commandant of the Capital Region."
Where is Yilang Yangqiu?
"Your subject is here!"
As soon as Liu Hong finished speaking, a man in his thirties with a stern face stepped forward from behind the officials.
"Since you were recommended by the Grand Commandant, Yang Qing must be a rare talent. Effective immediately, you are promoted to Commandant of the Capital Region."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!"
After expressing his gratitude, Yang Qiu returned to his original position, and the hall immediately fell silent. Yang Qiu had been known for his ruthlessness and hatred of evil since the time of Emperor Huan, and was a typical supporter of Legalism. Now that this cruel official had been appointed as the Commandant of the Capital Region, it seemed that some people were going to be in trouble.
Just as the officials had guessed, as soon as Yang Qiu took office as the Commandant of the Capital Region, he immediately began to investigate corruption. His methods were even more severe than Li Ying's. Unlike Li Ying, who only punished the ringleaders, Yang Qiu arrested all those involved without any leniency. In just three to five days, he arrested no less than a hundred people, and the prison of the Court of Justice was packed to the brim.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
