Chapter 33 Is the Blade Fast Enough?
Even someone as thick-skinned as Ren Heng was defeated by this statement, and said admiringly, "I really couldn't have said something like that."
But he felt he should study every word carefully, lest he be constantly choked by those civil officials.
Ren Duan expressed doubt about this, feeling that his father could really say such a thing.
The Qianqing Palace also fell silent for a moment.
Emperor Hong'an: "..."
Zhou She: "..."
Although everyone knows it's nonsense, the impact of this statement is still too strong.
After a long silence, Zhou She said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, Tianmu loves to talk nonsense, as he always has."
Everyone was stunned. Emperor Zhongzong then said, "Since you all remain silent, I will take your silence as tacit agreement. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, we will collect money!"
Zhuang Yuanchu had already prepared a large wooden box, which several soldiers immediately carried to the center and placed there. He stepped back and said, "The money is here."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, someone finally moved, but was stopped by the people next to them.
Bai Jisong stood up and angrily rebuked, "Sir, you are being far too unreasonable! Just six months ago, you robbed half of the gold and silver from the Bai family's shop. How long has it been? Why are you doing this again?!"
"Oh?" Emperor Zhongzong finally gave him a half-glance. "I've already been so unreasonable, why are you still trying to reason with me?"
Duan Mingyuan said quietly, "My lord, the court still exists, and His Majesty still lives! Isn't it inappropriate for you to be so arrogant? Heaven is watching what people do..."
"Thank you for the reminder." Emperor Zhongzong sincerely thanked him, then spread his hands and said, "Pay up."
"The master is still seriously injured. If Fang Jing were to strike back, he probably wouldn't fare well either." Someone else chimed in from the sidelines, sneering, "The internal affairs haven't been settled yet, and you're already in such a hurry to come and collect debts from us?"
Emperor Zhongzong raised an eyebrow and casually said, "What do you mean by 'unclean'? Imprison them today and execute them tomorrow, and they'll be clean in no time."
Almost simultaneously, his gaze shifted slightly as he looked at the man, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Even though he tried to hide it, the slight elation in the other person's eyes couldn't escape his notice. Once the wooden box was full, he stood up and said listlessly, "Actually, there's one more thing."
Everyone looked up at his sickly face, their hearts filled with the joy of sending away the plague god.
"Let's get started."
In the blink of an eye, a large number of figures appeared outside the hall, instantly surrounding the entire room. Zhuang Yuan Chu moved swiftly, nimbly lunging at the person in the corner, his blade sweeping across, warm blood instantly splattering all over the man's face.
"ah--!!"
Bai Jisong let out a scream, his legs went weak, and he knelt on his seat, looking at Emperor Zhongzong not far away with his eyes full of terror.
Blood splattered everywhere, even the wooden box that had just been filled with gold was covered in blood, not to mention everyone present.
The once bustling inner hall fell silent. Zhuang Shi, gripping his knife, coldly retreated to stand before Emperor Zhongzong. Between Emperor Zhongzong and the several clan leaders, it seemed as if an insurmountable chasm separated them, with guards holding sharp blades standing silently in the middle, facing off.
Someone broke the silence, their voice trembling, "Do you know who you killed? He was a veteran of two reigns, the father of the Crown Prince's concubine! Aren't you afraid of His Majesty... His Majesty..."
Emperor Zhongzong stood silently, his face stained with blood. He waited for the other to finish speaking before calmly saying, "Treason and collusion—this is the consequence. Old Master Duan, if you have the guts, you can try and see if my blade is sharp enough."
"You're killing people way too fast," Emperor Hong'an frowned. "No trial at all, just like that? What if you kill the wrong person..."
Zhou She seemed not to understand the emperor's meaning, his eyes filled with doubt: "Your Majesty, those are powerful clans."
His future self lured these people here, probably never intending for them to leave alive. He didn't kill them before to avoid unrest, but once bloodshed was involved, could he still care whether the killings were right or wrong?
Killing one person today is just a small test, a warning to others.
He even felt that if he killed them all, perhaps not a single innocent family would remain. If he weren't too weak, he thought he could truly wipe them all out in the future.
Yongzhou.
Bai Jisong touched his neck and, upon confirming that most of his head was still intact, breathed a sigh of relief.
The content projected on the screen was so immersive, it felt like being right there in the scene. The instant blood splattered, he felt a chill run down his neck.
This person is incredibly audacious!
Upon investigating privately, he immediately turned hostile, confirming that, as Tianmu had said, he was indeed addicted to killing!
He wasn't the only one who was unlucky, but it was enough to fill him with shock and anger: He truly deserved to die! Did this guy even know the strength of these aristocratic families?
He's already so arrogant and domineering as a general; what will he be like when he actually ascends the throne?
This guy absolutely cannot be allowed to ascend the throne!
Almost simultaneously, Zhou She said to the emperor, "Since they are all criminals, it is not unreasonable to kill them all. Your Majesty, it won't be long before new powerful clans rise up."
Emperor Hong'an deeply agreed, but there was also a faint, inexplicable sigh.
Zhou She wielded the knife with remarkable speed. Even now, his appearance already hinted at the ruthlessness he would later display.
At this moment, the emperor truly understood: No wonder the historians called him a tyrant. With such a swift knife, who in the court would not be afraid?
There are gains and losses; that's just how it is.
Enough is enough. These idiots will take a tiger for a fool if it doesn't show its power.
Emperor Zhongzong killed one person this time, and since he had already taken action, he might as well go all the way. Overnight, an entire family was wiped out; he slaughtered so many that rivers of blood flowed, and the people of the city didn't want to see blood for half a year.
As expected, impeachment memorials immediately flooded the internet. Fortunately, Emperor Hong'an was still in good spirits and blocked most of them for him. In the end, he only verbally refuted the memorials, saying that he should follow the proper procedures and should not act so arbitrarily. He also said that it was wrong to kill someone without evidence, and he went on and on about other things.
King Jungjong was always good at making polite remarks. Half a month later, he submitted a memorial to his maternal grandfather, first lamenting how difficult his life was: "The treasury is empty, the money and grain are exhausted, and the population is small."
Then he said that some people were secretly trying to harm him: "Although I have the heart to serve the country, I am helpless because the government orders are difficult to implement and I am unable to be in two places at once"—as for why the government orders are difficult to implement, I will not say, and you should not guess.
Finally, he said, "Although I am very upset, I understand Your Majesty's predicament: 'Today I am caught in a dilemma, and I am not capable enough. I am truly terrified. If Your Majesty would have mercy on me, I would be moved to tears and vow to repay Your Majesty's grace.'"
Of course, this is still a culturally embellished version created by a ghostwriter.
As the sound of the celestial curtain rang out, images appeared one after another.
Upon closer inspection, although the writing was somewhat worn, the content was still legible.
Scholars who could read it aloud unconsciously. A group of people gathered in the teahouse, and the storyteller began to explain the contents of the characters with great enthusiasm.
"These characters are well written..." After saying this, the storyteller continued, "Although the wording isn't particularly refined, every sentence is sincere. It seems that His Majesty Zhongzong is not lawless, but rather has no other choice but to do so. It's truly a difficult situation!"
"Indeed, this is a moving piece. Please take a look. The sentences are simple, and although there are no particularly poignant descriptions, it can still bring tears to one's eyes."
The storyteller above spoke with great enthusiasm, while the audience below nodded repeatedly, almost shedding tears, deeply moved by King Jungjong's tragic past.
Inside the palace, the emperor asked quietly, "Zhou She, what did you learn from your father?"
Why do these contents always seem so familiar to him?
I think I saw it in a confession not long ago.
Zhou She was truly innocent. After much thought, he finally came to the answer: "Perhaps it was due to being influenced by what he saw and heard..."
Confined to his home, Zhou Xuyan was caught off guard and unwittingly found himself saddled with a huge stigma. Looking at the sky, he suddenly became interested: "Not bad, Xingyuan… Ruochuan's memorial already shows three-tenths of my skill."
Emperor Hong'an knew all too well that he was very familiar with his grandson. Every time he spoke to him in such an innocent, honest, and aggrieved tone, a new impeachment would surely appear on his desk within three days. And to be honest, when it comes to killing, everyone is an emperor, so who is more inexperienced than whom?
As long as no unrest was caused, Emperor Hong'an wasn't too concerned. He was quite satisfied that Emperor Zhongzong hadn't killed them all.
So, after publicly reprimanding him, Emperor Hong'an privately wrote a letter, reminding him again: Before you've fully consolidated your power, don't cause trouble everywhere. Although they were in the wrong this time, wise people protect themselves; why don't you investigate the case properly?
Yes, why is that?
Zhou She knew the answer, of course: "Because the formal procedures are useless."
They're all powerful and influential people; why would they follow your procedures?
Emperor Hong'an thought it was correct, but said: "Do you only want to use force? The right way is to use both persuasion and force. Otherwise, if the people's hearts turn against you, no matter how capable you are, you will not be able to control the heroes of the world."
"Your Majesty's teachings are etched in my mind," Zhou She said first, before adding in his own defense, "But as Tianmu said, I have indeed recruited quite a few talented individuals to serve me."
The rate of rebellion among trusted confidants cultivated by oneself is far lower than that of those cultivated by others.
Emperor Hong'an gave him a deep look. His grandson really liked to take action; in comparison, although the late emperor was enthusiastic about war, he didn't kill so quickly when it came to internal affairs.
As for whether it's right or wrong, everyone has their own methods and style, so we can't make a hasty conclusion.
Emperor Zhongzong verbally assured him that he would be honest. In reality, if it weren't for the disobedience of several powerful families that had thoroughly angered him, he might still be fighting the Northern Di right now.
This surprise attack brought down one of the families, but it also angered the others. In order to avoid unleashing chaos in the northern frontier, Emperor Zhongzong sounded the retreat, appearing to be an honest man again—although no one believed him.
In his mind, reorganizing domestic affairs was a more important matter. Of course, King Jungjong would soon discover that new challenges had arisen, and how could he afford to remain stagnant…
Alright, that's all for today's video. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode. A like, comment, and share will speed up the video production process! Click to watch "The Road to King Jungjong's Rebellion"!
This time, the sky disappeared even faster than before, almost in an instant. The screen that was still hanging in the sky turned gray and white, the patterns disappeared, and a densely packed dialogue area was displayed.
[Up, I hate you! Why did you end things so skillfully??]
[Actually, I really think King Jungjong was unlucky. So what if he killed people?! It's just killing a few traitors, right? Maybe his knife wasn't sharp enough!]
[Don't get agitated, upstairs. Even if someone was killed, they didn't do anything to him...]
So, was that memorial written by Fang Jingruo? I know it definitely wasn't Emperor Zhongzong's handwriting; his handwriting isn't that good.
[Wow, the handwriting on the bag is so beautiful...]
[Upstairs, you're punished by having to go back and study again. That was written by Empress Renzhao. Fang Jingruo doesn't have time for it; he's busy working like a workhorse.]
[Is the uploader a CP fan? It's enough to see you constantly trying to ship couples. Nobody cares about your Hui-Hui CP, okay? Let me reiterate, it's just a political marriage; where's the sincerity in that?]
[The Empress truly wanted her father-in-law dead; I'm speechless at how love-struck she is.]
But the problem is, the Empress didn't say anything... It's as if she didn't want her daughter to ascend the throne.
[To her, there's no difference at all; they're all her children. Emperor Zhongzong only had these two; where else could he choose? He wouldn't have chosen someone else if he wasn't insane.]
[It's the same for Emperor Jungjong. Why did he go through all that trouble, killing so many people, and then insist on having his daughter ascend the throne? You can't exactly say it's because he raised the eldest son, can you?]
The key point is that he brought his second child along too, so emotionally speaking, there's no difference.
[Bullshit, he's fighting wars outside every day, where would he find the time to take care of the kids...]
Don't be ridiculous. Zhong Huang is clearly incompetent; he's incredibly weak. Does he look like he has the makings of an emperor?
[Alright, stop arguing. Actually, if you do the math, the emperor died in the thirty-sixth year of the Hong'an era. It's still quite sad to think about.]
What is there to be sad about? Is it that Emperor Zhongzong fought his way back from the northern frontier to rebel?
[Where did this troll come from, arguing over every single sentence?!]
[This episode's question: What's the difference between Fang Jingruo and us? Why is Emperor Zhongzong so determined to harass one person? It's heartbreaking.]
[Who's like you? He retired and became the honorary president of Kyoto University. Can you do that? He spends his days writing stories at home, earning some publishing fees. He's perfectly happy with that life, isn't he?]
[Fun fact: "One Penny Can Cure All Diseases" is the official title, but King Jungjong's original title was actually "How a Divine Physician is Made," which was suppressed by several ministers.]
I've also seen the "Simple Prescriptions for Saving the World" that the uploader mentioned. The Kyoto Museum has an original inscription by Emperor Junjong. Actually, I don't think the handwriting is that bad. Liang Xiao didn't even mind it... Fang Jingruo is really arrogant because of favor.
[You're making me so jealous!!]
After reading through the comments one by one, they eventually turned into a monotonous string of "Fang Jingruo is arrogant because she is favored" and "jealousy".
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