Chapter 328 Even if it's His Majesty, I will still attend to his memorial.
The pale yellow dress paired with gold jewelry does indeed match.
that is……
Sheng Sheng felt that her outfit was very similar to Xie Yunqi's early style, which was all about being flashy and glittering.
However, today is her birthday, so the birthday girl should naturally be the most dazzling one in the room!
Inside the Golden Hall, the appointed time had not yet arrived, and none of the royal family members had come. The officials were sitting on their lower seats, making a ruckus and talking to their colleagues.
A minister sighed with a worried expression and said to the person beside him, "His Majesty dotes on this second princess so much. Looking back, only the thirteenth birthdays of a few princes have been celebrated with such a grand gathering of officials. The second princess is only six years old, and even her small sixth birthday is celebrated with such a festivities. When she comes of age, won't the whole country be celebrating?"
"The Second Princess was kidnapped by villains before she was five years old and was not found until more than half a year ago. It is understandable that Your Majesty is making this trip."
Several ministers beside him nodded in agreement.
"Yes, speaking of which, the Second Princess was kidnapped from the palace not long after her 100-day celebration. Today's sixth birthday is not only her first birthday after returning to the palace, but it may also be the first birthday the Second Princess has ever celebrated in her life."
"I think so. Although no one knows where the Second Princess was taken or how she was found, as far as I know, she was in a very bad state before returning to the palace. A physician from the Imperial Hospital once told me in secret that Physician Li treated the Second Princess for a month straight, and she has been taking medicine and nourishing supplements ever since."
"No wonder the Second Princess didn't have a good life among the common people. His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine must feel guilty." The minister guessed. "In my opinion, this is just the beginning. His Majesty severely punished the Prince of Yong's heir because of his favoritism towards the Second Princess. Given His Majesty's affection for the Second Princess, I estimate that when she gets married, he will take out half of the national treasury as her dowry!"
"Possibly."
"It's hard to say."
Several people echoed his sentiments, but an imperial censor, upon hearing this, shook his head in deep sorrow.
"The second princess is still young. How can you be so extravagant and wasteful for her sixth birthday? What kind of behavior is this!"
The censor who spoke was the same censor Tang who had previously questioned Xie Yuxiao's actions when the Duke of Jingguo was demoted and the entire Ye family was exiled, suggesting that Xie was acting on behalf of Sheng Sheng.
The censors had the duty to supervise all officials and impeach those who violated the law. They were the emperor's eyes and ears, observing the gains and losses of all officials. This was the power of the censors in the Censorate.
There weren't many people in the Censorate, just a few censors, but each one was a master at impeaching others.
Censor Tang was an upright and incorruptible man who boasted that he was an old man with no one to rely on and was not afraid of anything. He spent his entire life upholding his beliefs as a censor and was the most serious of the several censors.
A minister was impeached for embezzlement.
If someone's virtue is unworthy of their position, they should be even more involved.
Once, Imperial Censor Tang and Xie Yuxiao were admiring flowers and discussing matters by the Imperial Garden when they unfortunately ran into Xie Yunqi, who was climbing a tree to dig a bird's nest. To make matters worse, the tree where Xie Yunqi was digging the nest was the same big tree behind Imperial Censor Tang. When Xie Yunqi poked at the nest, he used too much force and overturned it. The bird's eggs landed right on Imperial Censor Tang's official hat.
Enraged, Imperial Censor Tang impeached Xie Yunqi three times the next day, angrily rebuking him for committing such an indecent act as a prince.
In short, Imperial Censor Tang was someone even Xie Yuxiao dared to directly tell him to reconsider.
Upon hearing this, the minister beside Imperial Censor Tang quickly advised him, "Oh, Lord Tang, be careful with your words and actions!"
"What's with all this talk of being careful with your words and actions? His Majesty appointed me to this position not so that I could be careful with my words and actions!" Imperial Censor Tang said solemnly. "His Majesty is not a person of extravagance. The Second Princess has suffered a lot, and it is only reasonable for His Majesty, as a father, to host a banquet for her birthday. But if His Majesty does anything else irrational for the sake of the Second Princess, I will even impeach His Majesty!"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
These are all seasoned veterans of officialdom. Could Imperial Censor Tang be referring to the recent rumors circulating in the capital?
This is not the place to discuss those rumors. Imperial Censor Tang may not care about his life, but they do.
So the group chuckled and said, "Hey, isn't that Lord Wang over there?"
"That's true. Let's go, let's go have a chat with Lord Wang."
"Okay, okay."
After the group left, Imperial Censor Tang snorted coldly, "Hmph."
They're just rumors. What's there to fear whether they're true or false? If they're false, no one will be on guard. If they're true, wouldn't it be a good opportunity to advise His Majesty?
Rumors circulate that His Majesty intends to replace the Crown Prince and allow the Second Prince to take over the Eastern Palace.
Taking all these factors into account, Imperial Censor Tang had considerable reason to suspect that His Majesty's excessive pampering of the Second Princess stemmed from his deep sense of guilt towards her.
First, the Duke of Jingguo's family was demoted, and even the heir of the Prince of Yong was punished and sent to Nanli County.
The Imperial Censor Tang surveyed the Golden Hall, where all the officials and their families had gathered, all for a birthday celebration.
Isn't His Majesty being a little too indulgent towards the Second Princess?
Or is it that the Zheng family's weakness is due to His Majesty's instruction to support the Rong family?
The mind of a ruler is unfathomable; Your Majesty's actions are driven by your own will.
It is true that the Rong family is full of loyal martyrs, and the Second Prince is also very outstanding. However, if His Majesty really wants to support the Rong family because of his affection for the Second Princess, and even give the position of Crown Prince to the Second Prince, then that would be too irrational!
Your Majesty can allow the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to compete for the position of Crown Prince. The position can be earned through competition, but it cannot be granted by Your Majesty out of favoritism.
If that's true, he dares to say it, even if others don't!
He dared to impeach even His Majesty!
“A bunch of cowards! We officials serve to assist the monarch. His Majesty is reasonable and understanding. I have impeached so many people in the past without ever showing any anger. Moreover, as an imperial censor, I not only have to supervise all officials, but also His Majesty. If His Majesty has done anything wrong, I will impeach him without hesitation!”
Imperial Censor Tang watched as the ministers left for another place, snorted coldly, and then sat down by himself.
Imperial Censor Tang sat alone in this corner, sipping his tea. He pondered that the rumors couldn't possibly be baseless, and he needed to carefully observe His Majesty's attitude towards the Crown Prince and the Second Prince tonight.
As he was thinking this, a shadow suddenly fell beside him, covering half of Imperial Censor Tang's body.
"Imperial Censor Tang is upright and incorruptible, and wholeheartedly devoted to the country. He even had the courage to impeach His Majesty for the sake of the country and its people. He is truly admirable."
Imperial Censor Tang paused, then turned to look at the newcomer.
The visitor wore a perfectly timed smile that was neither obsequious nor lacking in genuine appreciation.
Imperial Censor Tang narrowed his eyes slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Lord Nong?"
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