Chapter 346 Controversy
Seeing this, Chu Ci secretly exclaimed in his heart, "Beautiful."
Chu Ci also said immediately: "Sir, please do not arbitrarily accuse others based on momentary assumptions."
"My grandfather devoted himself to the Great Zhou for many years. How can he be considered to be retreating if he is merely acting cautiously now? You are so eager to criticize him. Do you have ulterior motives?"
"You, you guys..." If I start to argue, what if someone takes advantage of the situation and steps on me to get to the top? But if I just give in, I will look guilty.
Therefore, the adult who originally wanted to perform well became hesitant at this time.
Even at this point, Chu Ci still refused to let him go. "Sir, why are you stuttering? Is it because you don't understand the reason?"
The emperor was somewhat disgusted to see his ministers being bullied by Chu Ci.
"Yixin, the duty of the Imperial Counselor is to monitor all officials and offer advice and criticism. Lord Yu, he is simply carrying out his duties."
Chu Ci, however, showed no fear. After bowing, he replied sharply, "Your Majesty, even though you are a counselor and have the responsibility to monitor and advise, you cannot ignore the facts and slander loyal and honest people."
"My grandfather dedicated his life to the Great Zhou, and everything he did was out of the public interest. Lord Yu, without understanding the truth, accuses me of this. How can this be considered fulfilling one's duty?"
"If such actions can be considered legitimate, then where is the rule of law in the court? Where is justice?"
No one present expected that even after the emperor personally showed up, Chu Ci would still be so unreasonable.
So, at the signal of the crowd, the prince had no choice but to stand up and gently persuaded: "Princess Yixin, please don't be so radical."
"Your Excellency, as a counselor, may be biased due to your duties, but it is not intentional."
"How about we take a long-term view, prioritize the overall situation, and make some concessions?"
"Why are we the ones who have to give in, and not..." Chu Ci was already very angry because of his bad luck.
Now everyone was chattering in her ears, and Chu Ci felt even more uncomfortable.
But before she could finish her words, Mr. Fan saw the right moment and spoke. "Granddaughter-in-law, please forgive me when you can."
"While what happened today was indeed inappropriate for you, my family shouldn't dwell on it. For Grandpa's sake, can we just let it go?"
Imperial Counselor Yu Zhen was almost angered to death by what Mr. Fan said.
How could this be considered helping him? It was clearly a complete humiliation for him!
He raged inwardly, anger and resentment mingling. "I was always upholding justice and fulfilling my duties, so how could I end up like this? Being accused like this, how can I possibly hold my own in the court?"
However, he is also aware of the times.
It was very clear in their minds that now, whether it was the emperor, the prince or everyone present, they all hoped that this matter would be over quickly.
He knew that continuing to pester her would not lead to any good results and might even bring him more trouble.
Yu Zhen couldn't breathe in or out, and felt a severe tightness in her chest.
In the end, I can only shut up and pretend to be dumb.
He secretly swore in his heart: When the storm has died down and the matter of corn has been settled, he will definitely get both the people and the place back to avenge today's humiliation.
Chu Ci had no idea that in just a short while, Yu Zhen had already figured out how to deal with their family in the future.
At this time, she was extremely "dissatisfied" with Mr. Fan's behavior of being disloyal.
"Grandpa, how could you do this? Isn't this just destroying your own family? I wholeheartedly defended you, but instead you're speaking for an outsider. You're making me feel so wronged!"
Mr. Fan is not like other patriarchs. He feels extremely embarrassed when he is contradicted by his juniors.
Instead, he forced a bright smile and hurriedly coaxed, "My dear granddaughter-in-law, Grandpa knows that you are devoted to your family."
"But we can't just focus on our own affairs, right? We should always leave room for maneuver when doing things, and not be too extreme in everything."
"In this case, I will punish you by having Grandpa personally hold your wedding and make everyone in the capital envious, okay?"
After saying this, Chu Ci pretended to be shy, her cheeks flushed, and she said softly, "Grandpa, don't tease me like this."
At this point, the dispute that was provoked by the emperor's words finally died down.
Everyone's tense nerves relaxed, the tense atmosphere in the court began to slowly ease, and the topic finally returned to the main topic.
Everyone's thoughts refocused on the distribution of corn seeds, which urgently needed discussion and decision-making.
"If we follow Princess Yixin's suggestion, these corn seeds should be distributed first to those areas affected by disasters or with infertile land."
The one who spoke was the Minister of Revenue, Shen Cong. He bowed slightly, his expression serious, and continued, "I think this proposal is well-considered."
"People in the affected areas are struggling to make a living, and harvests are meager in areas with barren land. Giving them corn seeds as a priority may alleviate their immediate needs, help them resume production, and safeguard their livelihoods."
However, as soon as Shen Cong's proposal came out, it was opposed. "I think we have to consider the fertility of the land and can't generalize."
The speaker was Lin Yue, the Minister of Works. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Minister Shen, disaster-stricken areas and those with barren land certainly need priority care."
"But if areas with fertile land can obtain sufficient corn seeds, their yields will inevitably be even greater. This will also play an important role in replenishing granaries and stabilizing food prices, and must not be ignored."
The court once again fell into a heated debate.
"What Minister Shen said makes perfect sense. The people in the disaster-stricken and impoverished areas are already suffering. If we don't give them priority assistance, how will they survive in the future? Corn seeds should be given to them first!"
"No, no, Minister Lin is right. Regions with fertile soil can produce more abundant food through seeds, thus enriching the national treasury. This is very beneficial to the long-term development of the country."
"Assisting disaster-stricken and impoverished areas is an urgent priority. If we don't address their immediate needs first, it will only breed chaos."
"But focusing only on the present and ignoring the long term is unacceptable. Fertile areas have enormous potential, and ensuring their seed supply should be a priority to increase food reserves."
…
Just when everyone was arguing at a stalemate, Prime Minister Fang Ling, who had remained silent throughout, stood up.
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter warrants comprehensive consideration."
"On the one hand, disaster-stricken and land-poor areas are in urgent need of corn seeds to resume production."
"But areas with fertile soil cannot be neglected either. Corn seeds can be distributed according to a certain ratio to ensure that disaster-stricken and barren areas have enough seeds for sowing, while allowing fertile areas to maximize their production advantages."
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