Chapter 731 Between the palace steps, beasts feast on sustenance?
The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly upon seeing her.
Of those who could attend the Emperor's banquet today, there were only two women: one was the Princess Consort of Qin, who had already been formally conferred a title, and the other was Yu Mingyue, who had accompanied the Prince of Han—now the Crown Prince—on his expedition as a scribe of the Jixian Hall.
Even without spying, everyone already knew His Majesty's intentions.
So when they saw her arrive, many ministers, though not wanting to be overly obsequious, still put on smiles, some even disregarding decorum and rushing forward to fawn over her. However, when they heard what she said as she entered, especially those two sentences, everyone's expression changed.
Shen Wuzheng's face darkened even more.
Yu Mingyue's entry greatly lent Yuwen Cheng a helping hand, and seeing everyone speechless after she spoke to them, she couldn't help but feel a little smug. But just then, Shen Wuzheng stepped forward and asked with a stern face, "What did you just say?"
Yu Mingyue didn't expect that he would be the first to speak.
Yu Mingyue knew she couldn't hide the fact that she had tried to kill him before. However, Shen Wuzheng was a gentleman and would maintain everyone's dignity. Even if he was on the verge of death, he wouldn't really break ties with her at this time. But he took the initiative to come up and talk to her, and his face was frighteningly gloomy.
Yu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to her senses. She was probably just confused because the "toxic chicken soup" she had mentioned was something they couldn't understand.
At this moment, a strong sense of superiority, which she had grown accustomed to these days, rose in her heart. She thought that even such a famous and learned person was as ignorant as a child in front of her.
So he smiled faintly and said, "Poisonous chicken soup?"
"..."
"Those are the kinds of things that seem to comfort people on the surface, but are actually useless and only fool themselves."
The crowd looked at each other.
Some people looked enlightened, while others still had furrowed brows and even a hint of worry on their faces. Still others looked at her with undisguised anger and disdain.
Shen Wuzheng remained expressionless, and said in a darker tone, "That's not what I'm asking about."
"Um?"
"I'm asking about the first two sentences."
"Murderers and arsonists live in luxury, while those who repair bridges and roads are left without a trace," Yu Mingyue repeated, then sneered, "What, is there a problem?"
"..."
"This world is inherently upside down, with good people suffering and evil people enjoying themselves. Are you going to deceive yourself and turn a blind eye to this?"
"..."
"I just said it out loud, what, you can't accept it?"
"..."
Shen Wuzheng remained silent, his expression growing increasingly grim.
Although Shang Ruyi was also angry, at this moment she was more worried about Shen Wuzheng, because she had never seen Shen Wuzheng so angry before. His expression was even distorted because of his clenched teeth. Moreover, his hands hanging at his sides were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his knuckles started to crack.
Just then, Yuwen Ye coldly said, "You'd better swallow back these words that distort the truth!"
His voice was different from Shen Wuzheng's and Shang Ruyi's. It was not only cold and hard, but also had an invisible pressure that belonged to a martial artist and a person in a superior position. Yu Mingyue was originally arrogant, but when she heard his voice, she couldn't help but feel a little breathless.
She frowned as she looked at Yuwen Ye.
Yuwen Ye stepped forward, blocking Shen Wuzheng's path, and said in a deep voice, "I ask you, in this world, right and wrong are reversed, and the wicked enjoy themselves. So, are you here, adorned in gold and silver, surrounded by followers, suffering or happy, black or white?"
"...!"
Yu Mingyue was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when Yuwen Ye continued, "If you suffer, then what has the court done to you? What has His Majesty the Emperor done to you by hosting this banquet?"
"..."
"If it's about enjoying pleasure, are you good or evil?"
"..."
"Are all the people here evil? Doesn't that mean that in the imperial court, rotten wood holds official positions, and beasts feast on the throne?!"
His voice was already deep and resonant, like a warning bell. When he spoke these words, they were even more powerful and resounding. The officials around him, who were originally angry but didn't dare to speak out for the sake of face, also said coldly, "Yes, we all wear gold and jade belts. Aren't we the kind of people who kill and set fires?"
"We are all beasts."
“Old Zheng, I heard that you recently spent several dozen taels of silver to repair the bridge in the west of the city. Now that’s all right.”
"Heh, yeah, serves us right that we have no remains."
Seeing this, Yu Mingyue panicked.
She then realized that the belts worn by the people around her were inlaid with gold and jade, and even her own belt was inlaid with gold foil and jade pendants. She had been so focused on refuting Shen Wuzheng that she had forgotten that her words would come back to haunt her in this era.
She hurriedly said, "I, I'm not—"
Before she could finish speaking, another voice interrupted her. Although this voice carried a natural gentleness compared to Yuwen Ye's deep and resonant tone, it also carried a more serious tone at this moment: "What Lord Yu just said was just a slip of the tongue. Second brother, please don't take it to heart."
As everyone turned around, they saw a tall, handsome, and elegant figure slowly walking into the main hall.
It is none other than the new crown prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the focus of everyone's attention tonight!
Upon seeing him, everyone hurriedly kowtowed and bowed. Even Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, who had been cold-faced, and Shen Wuzheng, who had been gritting his teeth as if he had a pent-up anger in his chest, bowed to him.
"There's no need for such formalities, everyone."
Yuwen Qian gently raised his hand in greeting. At that moment, he happened to walk to Yu Mingyue's side, looking down at her pale face. Perhaps because she had just come out of the night, his eyes also carried a hint of the night's gloom. After a moment of silence, he said, "But Lord Yu, it would be best if you did not make such a slip of the tongue again in the future."
"I--"
Yu Mingyue panicked and tried to explain, but when she met his gaze, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
Yuwen Cheng, standing to the side, said, "What she said is true—"
This time, he didn't finish his sentence either.
Just as everyone quieted down and watched what seemed like a farce within the royal family, Eunuch Yu's loud greeting rang out, instantly making everyone's hearts sink.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Upon hearing that the emperor had arrived, everyone was startled and could no longer express any emotion. They all straightened their clothes and bowed to the imposing and majestic figure who slowly walked into the hall, shouting "Long live the emperor!"
Yuwen Yuan slowly walked into the main hall.
His face showed no emotion, but only the eunuch Yu, who was closest to him, could barely discern a hint of displeasure in his still imposing eyes. This slight displeasure was enough to make everyone hold their breath with the oppressive aura emanating from him. Eunuch Yu then turned to look at Yu Mingyue kneeling beside him and coldly shook his head.
Yuwen Yuan then said, "Rise."
Everyone thanked him and stood up. Seeing that Yuwen Yuan remained silent and slowly walked towards the throne in the main hall, no one dared to say anything more. They all went to find their seats and sat down silently.
For a moment, only the sounds of footsteps and rubbing clothes could be heard in the entire Hundred Blessings Hall.
Everyone knew that the emperor was unhappy.
Yuwen Yuan, who came from a military background, was naturally fierce. After sitting on the throne, in order to get closer to his ministers, he often smiled and even deliberately chatted with some old friends to get closer to them. At a banquet like tonight, if it were any other time, he would definitely have pulled everyone aside to chat and ease the atmosphere after entering.
But he didn't say a word, clearly his emotions were different from usual.
As Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye walked forward, they exchanged a glance as they looked for their seats—both of them understood that Crown Prince Yuwen Qian must have come with the Emperor; otherwise, with only two or three steps between them, it was impossible for him to dare to walk ahead of his father.
The reason he came in first was obviously because they had all heard what Yu Mingyue said.
Such words can be spoken by ordinary people complaining on the streets, or by wicked people comforting themselves when they commit evil deeds. But those who are well-read, capable of governing the country and managing their families, and who hold high office in the imperial court, must never say them, even if it means death!
This is not just an attitude, but a belief.
By saying such things in this place, in front of these people, isn't Yu Mingyue essentially forcing everyone to compromise with the evil side of humanity? Then, when these people face life choices in the future, or even choices that concern the future of the nation and the fate of its people, which side will they lean towards? And what consequences will this cause?
Saying such things is utterly despicable!
Yuwen Yuan's attitude at this moment clearly shows that he is very angry, but he is also concerned about the face of the Yu family and Yu Mingyue's expedition to Taiyuan with Yuwen Qian. Tonight is the victory celebration banquet for Taiyuan. If the meritorious officials are punished before the banquet even starts, then tonight's banquet will be completely wasted.
That's why he let Yuwen Qian come in first to stop Yu Mingyue's nonsense, and then he came in himself—
But they didn't give them a friendly look either.
After the emperor walked to the front and sat down, the crown prince, the Prince of Qin, and the Princess of Qin also took their seats. Everyone then expressed their gratitude and took their seats. After sitting down, Yuwen Ye gave a cold glance to the person opposite him, because Yu Mingyue's official position was currently only a minor official in the Jixian Hall, and she could only be seated several tables away from Yuwen Qian.
At this moment, the arrogance on her face was gone, and when she sat down, her legs felt weak and she even staggered.
She seems to be starting to worry too.
She dressed up so elaborately tonight to welcome Yuwen Qian's grand investiture ceremony during the day, and perhaps even tonight's decision on her future. But after what had just happened, Yu Mingyue suddenly felt uneasy.
At this moment, she also felt a little regretful.
Why bother trying to gain an advantage through words?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com