Chapter 203 In the midst of a fierce battle, who is the hypocrite?
The next day, morning.
Because of the incident involving Grand Secretary Tao, more than twenty of his associates were identified.
The emperor's expression remained unchanged as he spoke: "Tao Changhai embezzled disaster relief funds, squandered the people's wealth, deceived his superiors and subordinates, and acted recklessly. If such a treacherous minister is not removed, the discipline of the court will not be maintained. Without eliminating this chief villain, there will be no way to clean up the government and rectify the officialdom."
The entire hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
He continued in a detached voice, "Now that the evidence is conclusive, execute him immediately, punish his entire family, and if the remaining associates are verified, eliminate them all."
The terrified cries of the disgraced officials were drowned out by the shouts of "Your Majesty is wise!" from the assembled officials as they kowtowed.
In addition, the trial of Gibran was concluded swiftly yesterday, and officials from the Court of Judicial Review were dispatched overnight to personally escort the Governor-General of Liangjiang back to the capital for trial.
The atmosphere in the imperial court was very tense today.
Seeing their former colleagues being dragged away by the guards in a panic, the courtiers felt a pang of sadness.
When Emperor Wusu calmly announced the end of the court session, everyone looked at each other and realized that they were all covered in sweat.
I thought today's events were exciting enough.
Unexpectedly, no sooner had the emperor left than chaos erupted in the court.
Two factions of court officials engaged in a brawl at the entrance of the Golden Palace.
Once Emperor Wusu's figure disappeared from everyone's sight, Prince Yong was the first to walk out of the hall and lay in ambush at the door, waiting to see Wei Ting's shadow.
He shouted, "You think you can marry my fifth cousin? Keep dreaming!"
Prince Yong pounced on him swiftly and kicked him twice with great force.
No one expected that someone would dare to make a move in the area where the morning court was being held. Wei Ting was caught off guard and received two solid kicks to his chest and abdomen, staggering back a few steps.
He cursed under his breath from the pain.
Subsequently, Wei Ting swiftly and decisively took down Prince Yong.
Prince Yong had made arrangements long ago, knowing that he couldn't out-strength Wei Ting, and had already informed the officials of his faction.
As soon as Wei Ting steadied himself, a group of court officials in crimson robes mixed with a few indigo robes, both civil and military, rushed forward.
Upon seeing their general being attacked, General Zhenbei's men rushed forward without hesitation.
But they were far fewer than the group led by Prince Yong, who had been mingling in Lin'an for a long time.
Even though the two groups were vastly different in strength, they still ended up fighting each other.
Lu Juan, the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong, who was passing by, first frowned and kept his distance, afraid of being accidentally hurt. But when he saw who the two people in the center of the beating were...
Lu Juan glanced around and quietly took a few steps closer to the group of people who were fighting together.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he kicked out and also gave a general who was too busy to be in two places a kick to the shin.
Then, without looking to the side, he headed towards the Hall of Diligent Governance.
When Lu Juan arrived, Xiao Dongzi was timidly talking to Li Yuzong at the door.
Chief Steward Li was so frightened that the skin on his face peeled off. How could he have gotten into such a mess in just a short time?
Upon seeing Lu Juan, Li Yuzong composed himself and hurriedly said, "Lord Lu, His Majesty is waiting for you in the palace."
Lu Juan spoke up: "Eunuch Li, I will tell the Emperor about what happened in the previous dynasty."
Li Yuzong hurriedly said, "Thank you, Lord Lu. This old servant will send someone to check ahead immediately."
Lu Juan raised his hand to stop him, implying, "Eunuch Li, it's not too late for you to send someone over after I've informed His Majesty."
Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, the scent of sandalwood floated in the air, further highlighting the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the emperor's quarters.
Lu Juan bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
No need for formalities.
Emperor Wusu closed the memorial and tossed it aside. He glanced up and noticed that Lu Juan's expression was off.
"What happened?"
Lu Juan respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, there is a fight taking place at the entrance of the Golden Palace."
Emperor Wusu paused in his writing, his brow furrowed slightly, and he looked down at the person in the hall.
Lu Juan, under the heavy gaze, continued, "The people fighting were Prince Yong and General Zhenbei."
Emperor Wusu put down his imperial brush and said coldly, "These two have no grudge against each other, so why did they fight?"
"I hear it. It seems that Prince Yong was unhappy with Wei Ting's proposal to marry the fifth daughter of the Ji family. He rushed forward in a fit of anger and they are fighting fiercely right now."
The emperor looked slightly surprised and raised an eyebrow: "Are they still fighting?"
With Prince Yong's mediocre skills, how could he possibly restrain Wei Ting?
Lu Juan said, "Your Majesty, the Yong Prince's faction has also rushed up, so the situation is evenly matched, and it is still unknown which side will win."
Emperor Wusu rebuked him, saying, "Nonsense!"
However, he did not issue any imperial edict or say what to do; instead, he cheerfully resumed reviewing memorials.
It wasn't until both sides were exhausted from fighting that Li Yuzong finally arrived with his belated guards to break up the brawl.
*
Ji Qingwu went to the clinic on the street in the morning.
When I visited again a few days later, the layout inside had changed significantly. The furnishings were more refined, and there were now basins for washing hands and bronze mirrors, among other things.
Mi Zhenchuan said, "Miss Mo personally purchased and oversaw the packing of all these items."
Mo Lingling smiled modestly, "Uncle Mi, you're too kind. I just went along once; everything was arranged by you."
It seems that Mo Lingling has quickly integrated into this place and adapted very well.
Ji Qingwu walked to the window and saw several people dressed in black walking back and forth nearby. They were obviously from the Imperial City Guard.
She asked, "Has Lord Duan come by recently?"
Mo Lingling was wiping the glass box containing the medicinal herbs when she heard the noise and almost dropped it.
“I haven’t seen him privately since.”
Seeing her flustered expression, Ji Qingwu chuckled and asked, "What I mean is, has he come looking for me?"
Mi Zhenchuan said, "Lord Duan has not come here, but I have often seen him at the street corner these past few nights."
Mo Lingling repeatedly wiped the table with the rag in her hand.
Ji Qingwu walked up to the bags of medicinal herbs that had just been delivered and instructed, "Next time you see Lord Duan, tell him that I need to see him."
Mi Zhenchuan nodded in agreement, while Mo Lingling lowered her head and fell silent.
Seeing the somber atmosphere in the room, the waiter took the initiative to talk about recent events in Lin'an.
"Just now, a large group of soldiers went to the Tao residence. They heard that the Emperor had ordered the confiscation of the property, and Lord Tao was about to be executed."
Mi Zhenchuan said, "That Grand Secretary Tao seems to be a man of integrity. Who would have thought that he would collude with local petty officials to embezzle disaster relief funds and grain? It's true that you can't see into someone's heart. It's just a pity for all those beautiful articles he wrote."
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Ji Qingwu opened a bag of medicinal herbs, took out a little bit, smelled it, and asked, "Have you all met this Lord Tao?"
Mi Zhenchuan said, "That old gentleman likes to wear white clothes. He has a refined and cultured air about him, and his speech is also gentle and elegant."
Suddenly, Mo Lingling slammed the rag she was holding onto the counter, startling everyone.
She said, "He's just a shameless, pedantic official who flaunts his knowledge! A hypocrite who's all talk and no action! He'd be better off dead!"
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