Then, he stood up, clasped his fists and saluted towards Gu Jue, and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Ji's life is safe, he just had a minor head injury."
As he spoke, Pei Linye glanced at Ji Yushi who was lying on the ground, with a smile on his lips.
Not only was Ji Yushi not dead, he wasn't even fainted. He was just pretending to be unconscious.
As he finished speaking, most of the ministers present breathed a sigh of relief, as long as no one was killed.
Some people were relieved, some were glad, and some saw some clues from Pei Linye's actions, and there was a hint of sarcasm in their eyes when they looked at Ji Yushi.
"Beat yourself by hitting your head against a pillar?" Gu Jue said, tapping the armrest of the dragon chair with his fingers and chuckling, "Since you want to achieve this reputation, but you don't dare to really die, who are you trying to show off to?"
"The troupe always performs better!"
Speaking of the opera troupe, Gu Jue's eyes were deep as he recalled what Shen Qianchen had said to him last night. Yesterday, those ladies of noble titles sang one act after another in Shouning Palace in unison, just like a opera troupe.
Gu Jue slightly pulled the corner of his mouth, and his smile was barely visible.
He slowed down his speech, almost speaking word by word: "Ji Mingzhi pretended to be hypocritical and tried to threaten me with death. What crime should he be punished for?"
The others were all silent, with their brows lowered and their eyes submissive, and several glances were directed at the other imperial censors present.
One of the duties of the Censor was to supervise all officials and regulate court ceremonies, so the new emperor was naturally asking this question to all of them.
There was silence in the hall for a moment.
The Left Censor-in-Chief could only bite the bullet and step out of line, and replied solemnly: "Your Majesty, Censor Ji bumped his head against the pillar during the court session, offending Your Majesty. This is a breach of etiquette in front of the emperor, and he should be fined."
If today we can just deduct a little salary to settle the matter, it would be considered light.
"Wrong!" How could Gu Jue let Ji Yushi off so easily? He said in a neither light nor heavy voice, "Ji Yushi was selfish and stained the Golden Throne Hall with blood. This is not only a misconduct in front of the emperor, but also a serious act of disrespect."
Immediately afterwards, Gu Jue made a prompt decision and issued an edict: "Draft an edict for me. Ji Mingzhi committed a serious offense of disrespect. To serve as a warning to others, his crime cannot be forgiven. I dismiss him from his post today, and his descendants for three generations will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations."
"If anyone commits the same offense again, he will be punished for gross disrespect."
Gu Jue sat leisurely, looking calm and composed with a faint smile. His last words were addressed to the officials of Wei Jingze's faction.
Xu Hanlin, who was in charge of drafting the imperial edict, immediately bowed and accepted the order.
Ji Mingzhi, who was lying on the ground in a coma, twitched a finger. His bruised forehead was still bleeding. His whole head hurt, as if a hammer was hitting his forehead. But no matter how painful his head was, it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but he didn't dare. Since he was pretending to be unconscious, he had to remain unconscious until the end. Otherwise, the new emperor would charge him with deceiving the emperor, adding to his crime.
All the other civil and military officials gasped. No one had expected Gu Jue to be so cruel. This punishment would extend to all descendants.
This was clearly a show of power given to them by the new emperor!
"..." The Right Censor-in-Chief was already sweating profusely, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Ji Mingzhi was his direct subordinate, and in the eyes of outsiders, he went to this extent just to support him.
At this moment, if he turned a blind eye and turned a deaf ear, others might think he was cold and indifferent. He would no longer have any authority in the Censorate and would be completely suppressed by the Left Censor-in-Chief.
Therefore, the Right Censor-in-Chief could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, Ji Mingzhi did misbehave in front of the emperor, but it is too much to punish his descendants. I hope Your Majesty will give him a lighter sentence."
He hoped that the new emperor would at least take a step back and dismiss Ji Mingzhi from his post, but not punish the descendants of the Ji family.
However, Gu Jue remained unmoved and asked him, "Do you want to hit the pillar?"
Without waiting for the Right Censor-in-Chief to answer, Gu Jue's eyes turned to Ji Mingzhi below, and said with a smile: "If you hit your head against the pillar and die, I will give you a reward to complete the relationship between the monarch and his subjects."
"If you're not dead, you're guilty as much as Ji Mingzhi."
What he meant was that if someone died by hitting his head against the pillar, he would recognize him as a loyal and righteous minister; if he did not die, he would be guilty of a great disrespect and his descendants would be punished.
“…”
“…”
“…”
At this moment, even officials outside Wei Jingze's party felt depressed and powerless.
The new emperor is really cruel. He wants the Right Censor-in-Chief to exchange his life for the future of Ji family's descendants.
If you put yourself in their shoes, they would never make such sacrifices for other people. They are just colleagues, how could they have such a deep affection for each other! "..." The Right Censor-in-Chief was speechless.
If it was Ji Mingzhi before he hit the pillar, he would think that the new emperor would not dare to let him hit it, but Ji Mingzhi, who was lying on the ground and his "life or death unknown", was reminding him that since he had already hit one person, the new emperor would not be afraid of hitting a second one.
The Right Censor-in-Chief was exhausted and at a loss as to what to do. He could only look silently at the Minister of Personnel Wei Jingze who was standing behind Prime Minister Zhang.
Other officials were also looking at Wei Jingze, wanting to see how he would react.
Wei Jingze finally stepped out of the line, bowed and said in a strong voice: "Your Majesty, please be cautious. If you insist on doing it your own way, aren't you afraid of disappointing the ministers?"
Gu Jue asked back with a half-smile: "Who is disappointed?"
Wei Jingze: “…”
Gu Jue: "Then I'll just retire."
Wei Jingze: “…”
Before Wei Jingze could say anything, Yang Xuanshan, the Minister of Rites, had already eagerly echoed Gu Jue: "Your Majesty is right. If you don't die after hitting your head against the pillar, you should be rewarded. Then everyone will follow suit, and if someone hits their head against the pillar in the Golden Throne Hall from time to time, how will the morning court proceed!"
Other ministers also came forward and echoed one or two.
After a short while, half of the ministers in the Golden Palace expressed their opinions, expressing their loyalty to the new emperor.
Gu Jue raised his eyebrows, thinking that although Yang Xuanshan was a little dull, he was able to admit his mistakes and correct them, and he had some savvy, so he was still useful.
Wei Jingze almost lost his temper, but he had been in a high position for many years and had long learned not to show his emotions. He remained calm and continued righteously:
"Your Majesty, Lord Ji is so loyal and patriotic that he risked his life to advise Your Majesty. I think his method is wrong, but his feelings are sympathetic."
"Ji Mingzhi made a mistake today, but he also made contributions in the past. The emperor completely disregards Lord Ji's contributions over the years. Isn't he afraid of unrest among the people and instability of the country?!"
The first half of Wei Jingze's speech touched the hearts of many ministers. Ji Mingzhi did have selfish motives in making such a scene today, but his crime was not so severe. The new emperor's punishment of not allowing his three generations to take the imperial examinations was too much. The civil officials present could not help but worry that one day they would suffer the same fate as Ji Mingzhi.
After all, everyone has selfish desires, and power struggles are unavoidable when in the court. How many officials dare to swear to heaven and earth that they are wholeheartedly serving the emperor and the people?
Gu Jue smiled again, and this time, he laughed out loud.
His laughter was clear and cold, like the moonlight pouring down in the dark night.
“Pah.”
He high-fived twice.
The next moment, dozens of soldiers in black armor rushed towards the Golden Palace like a black tide, with great momentum.
They all stood outside the hall, blocking the exit like a high black wall, and the light inside the hall dimmed.
Everyone in the room was shocked.
Unlike the Yulin Guards who used to guard outside the Golden Palace, these soldiers of the Black Armor Army were all murderous. Their eyes were as sharp as those of wild beasts and like blades. Wherever their eyes passed by, everyone shuddered.
Some officials who had been somewhat moved by Wei Jingze's words just now suddenly felt a chill on their necks, as if a long knife was placed on their necks, and a chill rolled down their backs.
Their new emperor was too tough! In the Great Qi Dynasty, the imperial guards were directly under the emperor. All emperors had military power, but except for the founding emperor, other emperors had never personally led troops to the battlefield. However, Gu Jue was different. He went to the Northland at the age of fifteen, defeated the Red Di, and pacified the Northland. He lived and ate with the soldiers in the army for so many years. Not only the 200,000 Northland soldiers, but everyone in the army had a heartfelt respect for Gu Jue.
Gu Jue's prestige in the army was far greater than that of emperors of all dynasties. Therefore, he could firmly grasp the military power in his hands.
Everyone was silent, but Prime Minister Zhang remained calm.
Prime Minister Zhang glanced at Wei Jingze calmly, thinking that he was really stupid.
If the person in power today is still the late emperor Gu Lang, then the position of Prime Minister would definitely be in Wei Jingze's pocket. Prime Minister Zhang had also made plans before the palace coup and wanted to resign again this spring.
However, the political situation suddenly changed dramatically.
But Wei Jingze has not yet realized that the situation is different now. He clearly regards Gu Jue as one of those mediocre and incompetent kings, thinking that he can easily suppress Gu Jue like he did with the previous emperor Gu Lang.
He actually thought that he could get his way by asking the imperial envoy to cry, make a scene, and then hang himself like a woman! How ridiculous, how stupid!
Prime Minister Zhang's old but clear eyes sparkled with wisdom.
In front, Gu Jue was still sitting high on the golden throne, looking down at the ministers with pride, and asked again: "So, if I don't listen to you, it will endanger the country. How will it endanger the country?"
"Is this country protected by your words or by the sword in my hand?"
"Whether it is for the country and the people, or for personal gain, you know clearly in your hearts!"
Gu Jue spoke clearly, and every word fell distinctly into everyone's ears and struck everyone's heart, with an arrogant and domineering demeanor.
The whole room was in dead silence; you could hear a pin drop, and it seemed that even breathing had stopped.
At this moment, everyone was in awe of the young emperor in his early twenties.
"Don't use the same tricks on me as before, understand?!"
"Who is still dissatisfied?" He once again glanced at the crowded Jinluan Palace below, "If you are dissatisfied, then retire. I heard that there are many people waiting for vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel every year. Minister Wei, is that right or wrong?"
What he meant was that if anyone disobeyed, then he should not be an official. Anyway, there were many officials waiting for vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel, all queuing up for good positions. If it really didn't work out, the court could still hold a special examination.
Because this sentence was said to Wei Jingze, and it seemed like a question to Wei Jingze, whether he still wanted to be the Minister of Personnel!
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Everyone could understand what Gu Jue meant, and they gave Wei Jingze an indescribable look.
Scholar Ye also felt uncomfortable.
He was not a member of Wei Jingze's faction, but he and Wei Jingze shared the same opinion on the selection of concubines, so at this moment he felt that Gu Jue's words were also spoken to him and were also a threat to him.
Academician Ye moved his lips, wanting to say that if the emperor replaced too many officials at one time, there would definitely be some big or small problems in the court, but the words did not come out of his mouth.
Throughout the dynasties, the ascension of each emperor meant the transfer of power. Soon after the late Emperor Gu Lang ascended the throne, he also replaced a group of officials one after another. It was a matter of time.
Now that Gu Lang is dead and Gu Jue has taken over, even when the capital was in the most chaotic situation, the government had never been in turmoil. Now, the situation has gradually stabilized. What does it matter if Gu Jue replaces a few officials at this time!
Although Gu Jue's words were overbearing and inhumane, upon closer inspection, they were not wrong.
All those who can stand at the morning court are officials of the third rank and above, and are important ministers of the country. These positions are highly sought after, and there are countless eyes in each yamen, staring at them, hoping to climb to their positions.
No one is so irreplaceable. Even the emperor can be replaced, let alone others! For a moment, everyone felt like they were being chased by countless footsteps.
Everyone stood frozen on the spot, like wooden stakes, as if half of their souls had been sucked away.
After everyone stood there in silence for a moment, it was Prime Minister Zhang who took the first step. He lifted his robe and was the first to kneel down with a respectful and pious gesture.
This seemed to be a signal, and the others knelt down one after another.
In the blink of an eye, a crowd of people knelt down in the palace.
Before Wei Jingze could kneel, the Right Censor-in-Chief and others belonging to his faction had already knelt down.
The arm cannot twist the thigh, and he who knows the times is a hero. This is an eternal truth.
In the end, Wei Jingze, with a gloomy face, also knelt down. Even though he was unwilling and unconvinced in his heart, he still wanted to keep his position as the Minister of Personnel.
Gu Jue still had a lazy attitude. Even though he saw his ministers surrender with his own eyes and even though he won a great victory in this game between the monarch and his ministers, there was no smug look on his face.
He is still the same person, emitting a kind of elegance as bright as the moon and clear as the wind, untainted by the hustle and bustle of the world.
Prime Minister Zhang couldn't help but look up at Gu Jue again. Looking at his calm face, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Prime Minister Zhang is a veteran of four dynasties. He has assisted Gu Jue's grandfather, father, brother, and even the present Gu Jue.
It was not until today that Prime Minister Zhang deeply realized that Gu Jue was completely different from his father and grandfather, and the late Emperor Gu Lang.
Gu Jue's father, Emperor Renzong, was kind-hearted by nature, while Gu Lang was not only mediocre in talent, but also concerned about his reputation.
When Emperor Renzong and Gu Lang were in power, if the ministers were united and made a scene like Wei Jingze did today, they could often influence the decisions of the two monarchs.
But Gu Jue is completely different.
He is a fierce general who has fought his way through the battlefield, he is a king who has witnessed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and hell on earth. He usually looks like a free and unrestrained scholar of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but he is actually a lion with fangs, and he will not be swayed by anyone.
Once he makes up his mind, he will not be easily shaken. His heart is as solid as a rock. His heart is tough and strong enough to maintain his original intention.
When the ruler is strong, the ministers are weak.
With such a monarch, he could imagine that in the future, the civil and military officials in the court would no longer be able to get by by muddling through as they did before.
There will surely be drastic changes in the court!
Duke Mu also knelt down, with a smile that only he knew, and secretly sighed: Gu Jue is Gu Jue after all, and I still underestimated him. He was able to subdue the Northern Army at the tender age of fifteen, but now he is no longer the young and immature Ninth Prince, and time has made him invulnerable.
At this moment, Gu Jue did not speak, and the officials kneeling on the ground did not dare to move and could only maintain the kneeling posture.
After a while, they heard Gu Jue's neither happy nor arrogant voice coming from above: "I said, I will not take a concubine, who has any objection?!"
He was answered with silence.
No one dared to speak.
Finally, it was Duke Mu who spoke first: "I have no objection."
Although the others did not look up, they could still tell that it was Duke Mu's voice.
The corners of the mouths of Ye Daxueshi, Marquis Anding and others twitched, with a kind of sigh of "the villain is successful".
Then, those officials who originally did not intend to participate in the selection of concubines also responded: "I have no objection."
After all, whether the emperor takes concubines or not is none of their business.
Ye Daxueshi, Marquis Anding and the others all lowered their heads and said nothing. Although they did not respond, they did not dare to refute. They were still holding their breath in their hearts: It's just a concubine, why does the new emperor have to make such a fuss? !
They thought that they were taking a step back by not objecting, but they didn't know that all their thoughts were seen by Gu Jue above.
From his position, he could clearly see every subtle movement of the people below.
He could see clearly who was truly submissive and who had some hidden problems in their hearts.
People always say that military generals are rough men who only know how to wield swords and guns.
That refers to the soldiers, not the general.
If a commander does not understand people's hearts, how can he change the situation by turning his hands? How can he destroy the enemy's masts and oars in the midst of laughter and chat?
Pei Linye on the side curled his lips slightly and stood proudly.
He made a silent gesture, and two Jinyiwei carried the fallen Ji Mingzhi out. There was still a pool of bright red blood beside the pillar.
He did not order anyone to wipe off the bloodstain. Whether in the army or in the court, it was the same. Those troublemakers who refused to submit had to be given a good beating. Only then would they behave and know that military orders must not be violated.
Their master always keeps his word and his words are worth a thousand gold! When the soldiers of the Black Armor Army who were originally blocking the door of the Golden Palace returned to their positions, without this wall of people, the palace became brighter, as if the sun was shining in and dispelling the haze.
After another period of silence, Gu Jue's voice sounded above the crowd again: "That's good, this matter ends here."
Everyone agreed again and stood up.
When they stood still again, Gu Jue changed the subject: "It has been a year since I returned to the capital from the north last year. I have seen many young talents in the capital..."
When he started like this, all the ministers' eyes lit up, thinking to themselves: The new emperor would not mention "young talents" for no reason. Could it be that he intends to select capable people and use them? The ministers, who had originally had different thoughts, suddenly became united and waited with bated breath.
Gu Jue continued, "Officials above the third rank in the court, if they have sons under the age of 20, can send one of their sons to the palace. The best of them will be selected to serve as a tutor in literature or a guard in martial arts."
Hearing this, the officials' eyes lit up like lit candles, and their gazes were blazing.
They saw hope for the family's future again. Whether they were tutors or guards, they would all be able to show up in front of the king.
Moreover, the new emperor did not restrict whether the sons could be legitimate or illegitimate, and only chose the best one. This meant that Gu Jue would also support illegitimate sons, only looking at their character and talent.
Some of the royal family nobles had mixed feelings, expecting but also struggling, thinking of Yun Zhan and Chu Yun Yi. If the bastard they sent to the palace pleased the new emperor, would the new emperor simply let the bastard inherit the title? !
Prince Li frowned slightly as if thinking about something, thinking more than these people.
Gu Jue suddenly made this proposal, which was clearly a way of giving a sweet reward after a blow. Since he had poured cold water on his ministers regarding the selection of a concubine, he was now trying to rekindle their hope by selecting tutors and guards.
What's worse, Gu Jue only limits age, not whether he is a legitimate concubine or not. That means that the children of officials will definitely make a fuss for this quota. Once they make a fuss, who will care about whether to take a concubine or not? !
(End of this chapter)