Chapter 35 Impeachment Justice will never be dispelled by darkness.
It was just at dawn, and the inky night had just begun to fade away. A few faint rays of morning light struggled to penetrate the thick clouds, casting a layer of light golden veil over the towering imperial palace.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the depressing atmosphere of deathly silence was like an invisible net that tightly enveloped everyone, making it hard to breathe.
The crown prince, who is usually majestic and high-spirited, now exudes a terrifying anger.
Wei Zilin's face turned purple and veins bulged on his forehead, as if there were angry and twisting little snakes, moving wildly under his skin.
"Bang!"
He suddenly stood up and slammed the table angrily, causing the ink in the inkstone on the table to splash everywhere, leaving ink stains on the white rice paper and the rustic table.
"Old bastard!"
He shouted, "How dare you slander the crown prince by spitting blood at him? What crime should you be punished for?"
He stared at Lord Zhou intently, the anger in his eyes seemed able to burn him to ashes in an instant.
When the officials of the prince's party saw this, they were like a hornet whose hive was poked, and they immediately exploded.
Lu Yuzhi's father, General Lu, was furious. His face was twisted with anger. He took a big step forward, pointed his finger at Lord Zhou, and said sternly, "Lord Zhou, you must have evidence when you speak! Aren't you deliberately disrupting the order of the court by making such groundless accusations?"
His voice was sharp and rapid, echoing in the towering hall.
The Minister of Revenue also hurriedly echoed the voice. He had a round belly and looked like a puffed-up frog, with a face full of doubt.
"That's right! Your Highness the Crown Prince has always been diligent and worked hard for state affairs day and night. How could he do such a thing? Lord Zhou must have been deceived by a traitor!"
As he spoke, he quietly wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, his eyes rolled slightly, revealing a bit of guilt.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense and almost ready to explode. Shen Xingwan's father, Prime Minister Shen, stepped forward and took a big step forward.
He is as tall and straight as a pine tree. Although he is over fifty years old, his vigor and spirit are still as strong as before.
His expression was stern, his eyes were like torches, and he looked firmly at the prince's party. His voice was steady and resounding: "Don't rush to refute! What Lord Zhou said is true, and the evidence is solid, there is absolutely no falsehood!"
As soon as Prime Minister Shen finished speaking, Lord Zhou’s allies also stood up.
The Minister of War raised his head slightly and said with a serious face: "Since we dare to impeach in the court, we must be fully confident! The crimes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Imperial Concubine must not be denied!"
The Minister of Personnel also nodded solemnly, frowning, and said worriedly: "For the long-term stability of the country, this matter must be thoroughly investigated!"
His tone was so heavy that the officials present felt the seriousness of the matter.
Wei Zilin looked at those who stood up to accuse him, and felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, and even the scene in front of him became blurred.
His chest heaved violently, his hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turned white from excessive force, as if he would rush forward and fight with everyone in the next moment.
"You...you are a bunch of traitors!"
He gritted his teeth and roared, with only one thought left in his mind: he must make those who dared to betray him pay a heavy price at all costs.
General Zhang, who was originally recuperating in his mansion due to illness, heard the commotion in the court. He strode over with great strode, emitting rising anger from his whole body.
He was wearing heavy armor, and every piece of armor was flashing cold light in the morning light. On his waist was a long sword bestowed by the late emperor. He carried a tremendous force, and every step he took made the ground clatter.
As soon as he entered the court, he drew out his long sword with a swish, and pointed the blade directly at Lord Zhou and the others. His voice was like a loud bell, which made everyone's eardrums hurt. "You are a bunch of bold lunatics. How dare you slander the crown prince? It's obvious that you are plotting a rebellion! Today I will take you all down!"
His voice was as deep and powerful as the roar of a tiger or a dragon, and it was so intimidating that it seemed to shake down the entire court and make people shudder.
Yan Jinghuan raised his eyes, his gaze swept towards General Zhang like a sharp blade, and said coldly: "General Zhang, how can you be allowed to act recklessly in the court?"
His voice was low, and every word he spoke seemed to carry the cold wind from the winter night, revealing unquestionable majesty.
"All the gentlemen present are officials appointed by the imperial court. If you dare to act rashly, you will be disrespecting the law!"
The sound was so powerful that it made General Zhang pause.
"Grandfather!" Wei Zilin walked over and stood beside General Zhang.
General Zhang gritted his teeth, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and made a sword flower. A cold light flashed, reflecting his ferocious face.
"This is the Imperial Sword bestowed upon me by the late Emperor, which allows me to slay the treacherous and corrupt officials and clear the court of corrupt officials!"
"Today, I will personally kill these traitors!"
After saying that, he raised his sword high, the sword blade shone with a cold light, and drew a cold sword shadow in the dim light of the hall, and slashed towards Lord Zhou fiercely.
The momentum was so strong that it seemed as if it could split Lord Zhou in half on the spot, and the sword energy it brought out frightened the surrounding officials to the point of their hearts trembling.
Yan Jinghuan's expression suddenly turned stern, and a hint of coldness flashed across his deep eyes.
Without hesitation, he turned around and drew the sword from the waist of the imperial guard beside him with lightning speed.
With one smooth movement, he flashed and rushed towards General Zhang.
The scimitar drew a sharp arc in the air and accurately hit the sword in General Zhang's hand.
There was only a loud "clang" sound, and as the metal collided, the sword in General Zhang's hand was shaken out of his hand by Yan Jinghuan's thrust, and fell to the ground with a clang.
Yan Jinghuan stood firmly, his body straight, like a standing pine tree. He raised his chin slightly and looked directly at General Zhang, his eyes revealing his innate dignity.
"Each dynasty has its own ministers. How can you use the sword of the previous dynasty to kill the ministers of this dynasty?"
When the two sides were in a stalemate, the Imperial Concubine and the Queen Mother hurried over surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
The Imperial Concubine was wearing a phoenix robe, embroidered with golden threads, and her face was filled with anger.
She raised her eyebrows and shouted sternly, "How dare you slander me and the Crown Prince in the court? What is your intention?!"
The Queen Mother was leaning on a dragon-headed cane, her expression so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it, and her eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one.
That look was like a cold winter wind, chilling to the bone.
Finally, her eyes stopped at Lord Zhou, and she snorted coldly: "Lord Zhou, you are usually cautious, but today you are so reckless. Are you sure you can impeach the crown prince?"
The Queen Mother's voice was cold, questioning and threatening.
The atmosphere in the entire court became increasingly tense and depressing.
Seeing an opportunity, the other princes could no longer contain their eagerness to act.
The fifth prince took the lead and stepped forward, with a meaningful smile on his lips. He cupped his hands and said, "Royal Consort, Queen Mother, I have heard some rumors about the Crown Prince recently. I did not dare to believe them at first, but now it seems that they are true."
"The Crown Prince has been arrogant and abused his power on a daily basis. The people have long been complaining about this. I hope Your Majesty and the Queen Mother will take a closer look."
Although his voice was gentle, it immediately caused a stir and attracted everyone's attention.
When the prince's party heard this, they glared at each other. The empress dowager and the imperial concubine also looked very unhappy. The imperial concubine clenched her sleeves tightly, and her long crimson nails were embedded in her palms.
The Seventh Prince was not to be outdone, and quickly echoed, "Yes, I have also heard that the Crown Prince and some ministers in the court have formed a clique for personal gain and excluded dissidents. If this continues, the court will be in chaos."
As he spoke, he secretly observed the expressions of the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Consort.
Several other princes present also made some exaggerated remarks with their own ulterior motives.
These words, like bombshells, once again plunged the court into chaos.
The ministers were talking about it, some were whispering to each other, their voices were small but full of nervousness and excitement; some were shocked and stood there, as if they still hadn't recovered from this sudden change.
Everyone's eyes moved back and forth between the various parties, filled with shock and confusion, and the entire court was in complete chaos.
The Crown Prince and the Imperial Consort originally wanted to suppress the impeachment by force, relying on the power of General Zhang.
But now the situation took a sudden turn for the worse, as he was exposed and accused in public one after another. For a moment, he was so shocked that he stood there in silence, his face drained of all color and turned pale.
The Imperial Concubine's lips trembled slightly, her eyes full of disbelief.
She could never have imagined that those people who had been flattering her and praising her to the utmost last night would now take advantage of her misfortune.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it.
She unconsciously clutched her sleeves with both hands, and her fingertips turned white.
"You... How dare you..." She muttered, her voice trembling.
The Queen Mother's face became increasingly gloomy, her eyes widened with anger, and she slammed the table with a bang, shocking everyone in the court.
"You, you keep saying that you are impeaching the Crown Prince and the Imperial Concubine, do you have any evidence?"
The Queen Mother spoke in a stern tone, revealing the unquestionable majesty of a superior. "If there is no solid evidence, it is slandering the royal family and attempting to overthrow the country. I will investigate it to the end and punish severely!"
Her eyes were like knives, cutting across everyone's face.
As soon as these words were spoken, the court suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, and no one dared to speak for a moment.
The entire hall seemed to freeze in an instant, and only faint breathing sounds and nervous heartbeats could be heard.
"Here is the evidence!"
In this suffocating silence, the door of the hall suddenly swayed slowly, and a ray of light came in from the gap in the door.
Shen Xingwan, wearing a red and golden phoenix robe, walked slowly into the hall. The phoenix pattern woven with gold threads all over her body shone with a soft glow in the morning light.
She had a stern look and firm eyes, as if all the evil in the world could not shake her faith.
She held the account book in both hands and took every step firmly and powerfully, as if declaring to the world that justice would never be driven away by darkness.
Princess Guang'an followed closely behind, holding the letters in her hands. She raised her chin slightly, with a proud look on her face, and glanced at everyone in the court without fear.
The two men walked to the center of the hall, stopped at the same time, raised the account books and letters in their hands high, and shouted in unison: "Here is the evidence!"
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