As soon as the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud finished speaking, the vast Chongzheng Hall fell into complete silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Even Liu Hong, who was on the throne, stood up abruptly and looked at the Grand Master of the Palace with a shocked expression.
Before Liu Hong could ask any questions, Chen Fan was the first to come to his senses and looked angrily at the kneeling Grand Master of the Imperial Stud.
"How dare you speak so recklessly here?"
Seeing Chen Fan's anger, the Grand Master of the Palace stammered, "Grand...Grand Tutor, this...this humble servant hasn't even..."
"Hmph, what a load of nonsense!"
Just as the Grand Master of the Palace was about to explain, Cao Song snorted coldly, stepped forward, and glared angrily at the Grand Master of the Palace.
Cao Song bowed to Liu Hong and said, "Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, diligent in governing and loving the people. You are a wise ruler unlike any other in history. Now our Han Dynasty is peaceful on the borders and the people are healthy. How can there be talk of families being destroyed and the country perishing...?"
"Your Majesty, this Grand Master of the Palace has spoken recklessly about matters of state; his intentions are despicable!"
After saying this, Cao Song bowed to Liu Hong and turned his head to glare angrily at the Grand Master of the Palace.
"The Grand Minister of Agriculture is right. The Grand Master of the Imperial Stud is causing chaos and disorder among the people and should be severely punished!"
"Yes, they must be severely punished!"
"Such blasphemous and misleading words deserve to be punished with death!!"
As Cao Song finished speaking, all the officials in the hall stood up and demanded that the Grand Master of the Palace be severely punished.
Some people even angrily cursed him.
Suddenly, the Taipu Ling, who had previously been relatively unknown, became the target of everyone's condemnation and venting.
The unfortunate Grand Master of the Palace seemed to instantly become a fuse, igniting the anger of everyone in the hall.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Faced with the accusations from the officials, the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud was so frightened that his face turned ashen and he collapsed to the ground. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but his words were drowned out by the clamor of the officials.
Hearing the commotion inside the hall, Liu Hong's face darkened.
"quiet!!"
Upon hearing the emperor's angry rebuke, the officials looked over and saw the emperor standing there with an angry expression. Everyone immediately shut their mouths, and the once noisy hall fell silent.
Cao Song shrank back and was the first to return to his position, followed closely by the others.
"Whew!"
After taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down, Liu Hong looked at the Grand Master of the Palace who was lying on the ground with a kind expression.
"You have spoken the truth, what crime have you committed? Get up now!"
"Your Majesty, I...respectfully thank you for your divine grace..."
Liu Hong's words were like heavenly music to the ears of the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud, filling him with joy. He hurriedly kowtowed to Liu Hong to express his gratitude, and a tear slid down his cheek.
However, the Grand Steward struggled twice but was unable to stand up. This was clearly due to excessive fright and exhaustion from surviving the ordeal.
"Yuan Hao, help the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud to his feet!"
"promise!!"
Upon receiving Liu Hong's order, Tian Feng stepped forward, helped the Grand Master of the Palace to his feet, and stood him aside.
Liu Hong, standing before the emperor's throne, wore a gloomy expression, his sharp gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present.
The officials, feeling the emperor's gaze, felt a chill and lowered their heads.
"Hmph~, you gentlemen, what arrogance you have! Do you think I can just kill whoever you say I want to kill....?"
Liu Hong snorted twice, looked at the officials, and his eyes were cold.
"We dare not!!"
Upon hearing this, the officials were startled and hurriedly said they dared not.
"Heh~, you don't dare?"
Looking at the officials with their heads bowed, Liu Hong sneered.
"The Grand Master of the Imperial Stud is in charge of interpreting dreams and making divinations. What to say and what not to say are all within his responsibilities."
Just because of one sentence, you want to severely punish the Grand Master of the Palace and even have me execute him.
What? Which law in our great Han Dynasty stipulates that telling the truth will cost you your head?
"Do you gentlemen intend for me to become like King Li of Zhou?"
In the end, Liu Hong almost roared, then looked at the officials with a frosty expression.
"We deserve to die ten thousand times over!!"
Hearing the emperor speak such stern words, the officials were all taken aback.
Seeing the usually gentle and kind emperor suddenly lose his temper, the officials felt an invisible pressure coming from him.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be angered by the emperor.
Cao Song reacted most quickly, stepping forward and bowing: "Your Majesty, I spoke recklessly just now, please punish me..."
"Your Majesty, please punish me!"
The officials followed suit, bowing their heads and admitting their mistakes.
Seeing this, Liu Hong's expression softened slightly, and he said in a deep voice:
All the people are guilty, but the guilt lies with me!
I have always asked you all to be diligent and practical, and I will accept all your advice!
But now, because of a single unpleasant remark from the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud, you all react like this. What is the reason for this?
"this......"
The officials froze, some stammering, unsure how to answer.
"If you won't speak, then I will!"
Having said that, Liu Hong glanced at the assembled officials and said in a deep voice:
"It's because everything is going too smoothly, because you think the Han Dynasty is peaceful and the people are safe, and you've become complacent!"
Therefore, you all only listen to good things and cannot tolerate anything else!
Every word Liu Hong spoke struck the hearts of the officials like a heavy hammer blow.
Hearing the emperor's reprimand, the officials stood there with their heads down, like little chicks.
At this moment, Liu Hong displayed the full power and prestige of an emperor.
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