Chapter 283: Debate in the Court
I thought it was a plea for peace, but Chu Ci started cursing directly. Zhang Yingjiu was stunned at first, his face flushed instantly, and he pointed at Chu Ci, trembling all over. After a long while, he managed to say, "You...you, you are a villain and a woman who is difficult to raise."
Chu Ci took a step forward, glaring at him, and shouted, "Master Zhang, you are the Minister of Rites, yet you actually say such biased words!"
"'Villains and women are difficult to raise'? You're comparing women and villains in the same breath. It's absolutely ridiculous! I think you're being blinded by prejudice and generalizing!"
"It's difficult to raise a villain because of his corrupt character. What's the woman's fault? In ancient times, women were as brave as men, and today, I, Chu Ci, speak out for justice! You don't judge the matter based on facts, but instead use such fallacies to pressure others. This is truly ungentlemanly!"
Now those who were waiting to watch the fun finally couldn't sit still anymore.
Especially the Minister of Rites, Zhang Yingjiu was his subordinate. He looked gloomy and stepped forward and said, "Why is Princess Yixin so aggressive?"
"Even though Minister Zhang's words were inappropriate, isn't it unbecoming of a noble person for the princess to rebuke him so harshly?"
Chu Ci didn't bother asking his name or official title this time. He crossed his arms, his eyes cold, and sneered, "What do you call a noble demeanor? Standing there waiting to die when attacked? Sorry, this princess would rather not have that demeanor."
The Minister of Rites was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, cursing in his heart that he had never seen such a unreasonable woman.
But Chu Ci hadn't finished yet. She raised her head slightly, her expression haughty, and continued, "Could this gentleman, facing unwarranted accusations, smile and endure in silence? If so, this princess has nothing to say."
"But this princess has always been upright and honest, and will not tolerate others slandering her at will! If you think this princess is wrong, please provide real evidence, and don't make empty accusations!"
"You...you..." The Minister of Rites was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Chu Ci with a trembling finger, wanting to refute, but Chu Ci's words really touched his heart. He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't find the right words to respond. He was furious and anxious.
Seeing this, Chu Ci rolled his eyes rudely, crossed his arms over his chest, raised the corners of his mouth, and said with disdain: "That's it?"
Her contemptuous eyes and sarcastic tone were like a sharp blade, stabbing straight at the Minister of Rites.
This is how murderous and heartbreaking it is.
The Minister of Rites felt his blood rushing up, his head felt dizzy, his vision went black, his body swayed a few times, and then he fell to the side trembling.
The officials nearby were suddenly in a panic. Some rushed forward to support him, while others looked terrified.
At this point, half of the court officials looked at Chu Ci's fierce and fearless appearance, and couldn't help but murmur in their hearts. They no longer had the undisguised contempt and disdain for Chu Ci as before.
There was a bit more solemnity and contemplation in their eyes as they began to re-examine this seemingly weak but aggressive woman.
But today Chu Ci was framed for no reason, and he is still furious!
In the court, no official dared to step forward and speak.
Seeing this, Chu Ci simply turned his spearhead directly on the emperor sitting at the head of the table and said loudly: "Since all the gentlemen are silent and dare not speak."
"Then let me ask you a question. All royal projects have always been undertaken by the Ministry of Works. So, which lord did you entrust with the supervision of the construction of this 'Royal Women's College'?"
How could the emperor remember such a trivial matter, so he turned his gaze to Zhang Rang standing beside him.
Zhang Rang was startled and quickly searched his mind. He finally managed to come up with a name and said, "Your Majesty, it's Wei Qi, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works."
The Minister of Works, who was sitting below him, was horrified upon hearing this, fearing that Chu Ci would target him. He quickly took a step forward and said anxiously, "Princess Yixin, as the Vice President of the academy, you naturally have a supervisory role!"
Chu Ci snorted coldly and said, "It turns out that the rumors of officials protecting each other are not false."
Chu Ci then rolled his eyes and said with disdain, "Your Excellency is mistaken! Construction has always been the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. I am merely assisting with teaching matters. How can I be held responsible for this construction?"
The Minister of Works naturally knew that what Chu Ci said made sense, but after all, they were not on the same side.
So, he said sarcastically, "Princess Yixin, how can the affairs of the royal family be so clearly divided? Since you are the vice-president of this academy, you should bear the corresponding responsibilities."
Chu Ci was too lazy to deal with these confused people. He bowed respectfully to the emperor and said righteously, "Your Majesty, is this the quality that an official of the Great Zhou should have?"
"When something goes wrong, instead of thinking about how to properly resolve it, you just randomly pick someone to take the blame? With such behavior, how can you convince the people, and how can you ensure the long-term stability of our Great Zhou?"
The impact of Chu Ci's words is indeed quite wide.
Now, not to mention the Minister of Works, even the three powerful prime ministers and even the emperor himself fell into a brief silence because of these words.
The more the emperor pondered, the more he felt Chu Ci's words made sense. His expression gradually grew serious. He turned his gaze to one of the prime ministers, Li Zhu, and asked, "Li Zhu, the Ministry of Works is under your jurisdiction. How do you think this matter should be handled most appropriately?"
Li Zhu was indeed an old fox who had been in the court for a lifetime. He rolled his eyes and said slowly, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Wei Qi neglected his duties, which led to many problems in this project. He should be demoted to a commoner to restore order."
"However, the key point is that the injured workers are now living on the streets, with no one to care for them. Moreover, the news has spread, and the people are already talking about it."
"Under such circumstances, how to take effective measures to maintain the royal family's reputation is the top priority right now!"
As soon as Li Zhu finished speaking, the officials in the court who still refused to give up jumped out impatiently.
He bowed and said in a fawning tone, "In my opinion, this incident has a significant impact. To appease the people, Princess Yixin should be removed from her position as Vice Dean. This will calm the public anger and reassure the people."
Chu Ci had a fiery temper! His rage instantly rose, and without saying anything, he kicked the man hard.
"How dare you!" The angry shout echoed throughout the court.
Now the court officials finally caught Chu Ci's handle, and their eyes were burning with anger, thinking of taking the opportunity to suppress him.
Chu Ci, however, showed no fear. He stood tall and proud, loudly demanding, "What do the people's hearts really mean in the minds of the lords? Aren't those workers injured on the construction site and then abandoned on the streets also citizens of our Great Zhou?"
"Since the incident, you have been blindly criticizing others. Has anyone ever truly considered how to take remedial measures?"
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