Chapter 134 Scolding
There was a moment of silence in the hall. Soon, a civil servant stepped forward and said, "It is your subject."
Sun Wei looked over and saw that it was Fu Cheng's subordinate, named Cao Cong.
"Who summoned all the civil and military officials to the palace?"
Everyone's eyes converged, and soon three people came out: "It's your subjects."
Sun Wei glanced at them and said, "Is that all?"
A few more people walked out one after another under the gaze of everyone.
Sun Wei continued, "Who said that my people should be made the Chief Secretary?"
This time, no one claimed it.
Sun Wei looked at the people standing in the hall.
They were all familiar faces. Not because Sun Wei had any dealings with them, but because they all came from wealthy and powerful families in Jiangzhou, and were well-known. When Prince Yuzhang was in power, he considered them the backbone of Jiangzhou, treating them with great courtesy and entrusting them with important tasks.
I'm afraid Prince Yuzhang never thought that in times of crisis, the first people to rebel would be the very people he had tried so hard to win over.
"Come here," Sun Wei said, "take them all away."
When these words were spoken, many people showed expressions of shock and anger. Some even started shouting and cursing, pushing and shoving, and the whole place became a mess.
But no matter how much they clamored, they could not break through the massive wall of soldiers.
Yang Quan's men paid no attention to official rank or background, but if anyone dared to step forward, they would be beaten with sticks. After that, some people cursed even more fiercely, but no one dared to step forward.
Sun Wei sat calmly, and when the voices died down, he continued, "I will say only what needs to be said. Fu Changshi deceived the late king and the Crown Prince, was corrupt and perverted the law, and harbored evil intentions. To escape responsibility, his accomplices murdered him, and I already know who did it. Fu Changshi's so-called suicide note was a forgery. Among the ministers, if there are those who believed the rumors and spoke up for Fu Changshi, I do not blame them; and if there are those who suspect that I wrongfully killed old ministers and was coerced by the rebels, I do not blame them either. The truth of this matter will be determined by the Crown Prince when he returns."
As he spoke, Sun Wei's eyes swept over sternly.
"But besides this, some are colluding with foreign enemies, hoping to unleash unrest in Jiangzhou; some are unable to distinguish right from wrong and are wantonly stirring up trouble; and some are blindly following without thinking. Some are evil, while others are foolish. Regardless of which one it is, I will investigate it all."
"There's another evil, and none of you can escape responsibility. The mob is causing chaos outside, and the people are suffering, but you're deaf and blind! The imperial court established the government office to protect the country and the people. When chaos strikes, you should calm people's hearts and eliminate violence to protect the good. How can you aid and abet the evil and become accomplices of the tiger? I'm saying this today: anyone who participates in the chaos, who fails to perform their duties, no matter their background or who they are superior to, will never be able to become a chief secretary!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the situation, which had just calmed down, became turbulent again.
"How can the dignified Yuzhang State allow a woman to have her say?"
One person said loudly.
Sun Wei looked over and saw that it was Li Kang, the deputy governor.
This man was over fifty years old, a veteran official in Jiangzhou Prefecture, and someone highly valued by Prince Yuzhang during his lifetime. Seeing him emerge, many people's faces brightened.
Li Kang came forward, asked everyone to be quiet, and then looked at Sun Wei.
"The princess keeps saying the chief secretary is guilty," he said, "but I don't know where the evidence is."
"The evidence is all in the palace," Sun Wei said, "when the prince returns, we can..."
"The Crown Prince is in mourning and cannot govern the country!" Li Kang interrupted loudly, "When the previous king was alive, he strictly prohibited the harem from interfering in government affairs! Now the princess is commanding the troops and lecturing the officials from within the harem. Where are the previous king's rules? Who gave you such power to meddle in state affairs?"
Sun Wei was about to speak when he suddenly heard a voice coming from the front.
"It's me, what?"
Everyone turned their heads, all showing expressions of astonishment.
Someone shouted loudly: "The prince is back!"
When the figure appeared, everyone around him prostrated themselves on the ground.
Sun Wei looked at Sima Jun walking towards him with his head held high, and was stunned for a moment, unable to believe it.
My nose suddenly felt a little sore.
It was not until he came close and met his black eyes that Sun Wei remembered to salute.
Before she could stand up, Sima Jun turned to face the crowd.
"Princess, you are here by order of the Queen Mother. I will also entrust the affairs of state to you, and you will handle all matters on my behalf." Sima Jun looked around at everyone, "Who would object?"
The birds were silent.
Even Li Kang, who had been shouting the loudest just now, now prostrated himself on the ground and was silent.
Sima Jun ignored them and turned to Sun Wei again.
She looked at him, her lips tightly pursed, and there was a little redness around her stubborn eyes.
After a moment, she turned her head away.
"Madam is tired." Sima Jun instructed A Ru, "Send her back to the palace to rest."
——
It was not until he returned to the palace that Sun Wei realized that he was very cold.
I just broke out in a cold sweat and my underwear is soaked.
As Aru helped her change her clothes, she said with a smile, "Princess, you are just childish. You have troops at your disposal, so who are you afraid of? You insist on arguing with those people, and in the end, you will only get yourself pissed off. It's really not worth it."
"If they want to bully me, I'll let them bully me?" Sun Wei said.
"That's just a facade. In Jiangzhou, and indeed in the whole world, the surname is Sima." A'ru said, "How could someone as smart as your princess be so foolish? Your princess doesn't have the surname Sima, so why would she be so concerned about the Sima family? Many people with the surname Sima are less concerned than you!"
Aju wanted to make some light-hearted jokes and have some fun with her.
But she wasn't interested at all.
"Luckily, the prince is back." A'ru couldn't help but sigh again, "When the prince showed up, everyone felt at ease. No matter how big the problem was, they felt they could handle it."
But Sun Wei couldn't let go of her worries.
"Didn't they find a lot of stuff in Yao Rong's house?" she said. "Send it over so I can take a look."
Aju looked at her helplessly, shook her head, and turned away.
Yao Rong came and went without a trace, as if she had disappeared in an instant.
But even Aju knew that she might not be far away.
Even Huan Xiu said that she wanted to get rid of Sun Wei. Given her temperament, she would probably do what she said.
Soon, all the items found in Yao Rong's home were delivered. Sun Wei carefully examined them one by one and asked Aju to register them.
The sky gradually darkened.
When the palace maids came to light the lamps, Sun Wei felt the night breeze was chilly.
She was about to ask someone to close the door when she suddenly found Sima Jun leaning against the door and looking at her. She didn't know how long he had been looking at her.
"When did the prince come?" Sun Wei asked in surprise.
Sima Jun still looked at her and said, "Not long, just a moment."
Aju had put down her pen, stood up, and said she was going to get dinner.
Judging from his expression, he had obviously discovered Sima Jun a long time ago.
Sun Wei glanced at her and asked Sima Jun to sit down at the desk.
Sima Jun had changed his clothes and perhaps even washed up, no longer looking as dusty as before.
He's suddenly become more particular lately, Sun Wei thought.
She fetched a cup of tea and placed it in front of Sima Jun: "I'm sorry to have caused trouble for the prince."
Sima Jun was looking through Yao Rong's evidence when he looked up: "What's the trouble?"
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