Chapter 24 Chapter 24 I was indeed 'attracted by beauty'. ...
"This minister, Gu Chengping, carries the coffin and submits a petition today, impeaching Ning Wujie, the commander of the Supervisory Department—"
"This beast has three crimes. First, he defiled the imperial palace, using his male chastity to harm the emperor and practicing his seductive tactics! Second, he bewitched the emperor's wisdom, causing him to neglect his duties and become lazy, abolishing the morning court! Third, he shook the foundation of the nation, writing on behalf of the emperor, controlling the government, and abusing public power to perpetrate lynchings!"
"The disaster of powerful ministers usurping the throne is beginning to be seen!"
Gu Chengping stood in the square outside the Meridian Gate, with a coffin behind him, and raised his arms and shouted in righteous indignation.
With him as the center, the guards formed a circle several feet wide, blocking the people from entering. There were so many onlookers that the huge square was completely packed.
Some of the people who were watching the fun began to whisper to each other: "This is so true, how come it's different from the records I heard? Didn't everyone say that the young general was forced into it?"
"It's hard to say. If I was forced, how could I possibly be so appreciated by His Majesty? It takes two to tango."
"You don't understand. This is called playing hard to get. It has to be like this to seduce people."
Gu Chengping shouted, "Although I am only a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel, as a censor, I must advise the Emperor and the ministers below! If the thief is not eliminated, I will crash my coffin and bleed here today to set the world right!"
Three officials in green robes stepped forward, lifted their hems, and knelt beside the coffin. One of them declared indignantly, "The Ning thief is now completely in control of the government, making it impossible for government to reach the emperor. Today, Lord Gu is carrying the coffin to make a deathbed appeal. We are willing to stand by him to the end. We will not rise from our knees until the Ning thief is eliminated!"
Among the crowd, a blue-robed student from the Imperial College, encouraged by several officials, also knelt beside the coffin and shouted hoarsely, "Since Lord Gu has the audacity to carry the coffin and die in protest, I am willing to kneel here with him! I only hope that you will clear my side and restore my rightful place to justice!"
As soon as he finished speaking, three or five more students stepped out and knelt, shouting, "We are going to purge the emperor's court today!"
"Clear the emperor's side! Clear the emperor's side!"
More voices continued to join in, becoming one.
There were also some people who were eager to watch the fun, not afraid of the guards blocking their way. They whistled and encouraged them, "Go ahead and crash into them!"
"I don't understand those flowery words. Today I just want to see blood spilled at the Meridian Gate!"
"Bump!"
"What are you arguing about? Even if there's a collision, it has to be a worthy death! Let Ning Zei come out!"
"Ning thief, come out!"
Various sounds intertwined, and the scene became increasingly noisy.
In the midst of the chaos, three sounds of whips were heard breaking the air, the Meridian Gate burst open, and the emperor's ceremonial procession appeared inside the gate in a mighty manner.
The nine-dragon umbrella blocked out the sun, and the armor of the imperial guards felt cold. They surrounded the sedan chair and rolled across the imperial road, stopping outside the Meridian Gate.
Beside the emperor's carriage, a young man wearing a robe with a flying fish pattern was riding a tall white horse. His back was as straight as a green pine tree, his tattered hair swept over his eyebrows, and his eyes swept from top to bottom, looking down at everyone in the field with disdain.
It seemed that no one expected the emperor to appear here, and the lively scene suddenly became quiet.
Gu Chengping was also stunned.
The emperor always avoided meeting with officials, and even the Grand Tutor's repeated death-defying remonstrations were unsuccessful.
Because of this, he had no intention of overthrowing the emperor this time. His only target was Ning Wujie.
Wen Xing's suddenness made him a little at a loss.
He took a moment to react before quickly kneeling and bowing, "Your Majesty, I, Gu Chengping, the Imperial Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, pay my respects to you!"
The people who were stopped outside the scene also knelt down and kept silent, not daring to look up at the emperor.
The young emperor, dressed in an indigo silk robe with a dark dragon pattern, sat high above, leisurely gazing at the bustling scene before him with his chin in his hand. He lazily said, "What a grand occasion today."
The voice was neither loud nor low, and it came from far away, but it made Gu Chengping's heart tighten.
"What did you just say?" The emperor's lazy voice suddenly turned colder. "Purge the emperor's side?"
"Just you?"
Gu Chengping's pupils trembled, and he suddenly spoke loudly, "I am a mere scholar, with a humble life! However, according to the teachings of our ancestors, if a censor hears rumors and reports something, he must not shy away, even at the cost of his life! Ning Wujie controls the government, completely covering up everything. Your Majesty has been deceived by treacherous officials, endangering the country. As a censor, it is my duty to advise the emperor, and no matter how insignificant my duty is, I dare not retreat in the slightest."
He straightened his back. "Today, I have carried the coffin here, determined to die with honor! If the traitor Ning refuses to surrender, I will pour my blood into your heart to wake you up!"
He spoke passionately and indignantly, but heard a chuckle from the sedan chair.
"Bump."
Gu Chengping was stunned.
?
The emperor's gaze swept over him condescendingly, "You want to die in front of me? Here I come."
"Go ahead."
Gu Chengping's pupils shrank sharply. He pointed at Ning Wujie, who was riding a tall horse beside him and shouted angrily, "Your Majesty! I will not be able to rest in peace until I see this traitor Ning executed!"
The emperor said coldly, "I heard you say that Ning Qing seduced His Majesty."
Wen Xing glanced at the young man on the white horse beside him as he spoke, then glanced at the man kneeling on the ground, "I am indeed 'aroused by beauty'."
The four words "being tempted by beauty" were emphasized, and Ning Wujie's forehead twitched when he heard it.
This tyrant deliberately picked out the words he had used to curse at him in person.
"But there's nothing I can do. Ning Qing is so beautiful. I just like this look."
Ning Wujie: ...
The fingers gripping the reins tightened, revealing the white joints.
It turns out that I only like his appearance.
Ning Wujie gritted his teeth and stared at the person kneeling on the ground with a gaze that became even colder.
It seemed that he had not expected that this tyrant would admit in public that he was lustful. Gu Chengping was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
But then the emperor continued, "I was tempted to force Ning Qing to stay in the court. I handed over all power to him because I was lazy and neglecting my duties. When you say he's defiling the palace and misleading the emperor, are you scolding him or me?"
Hearing this, Ning Wujie turned to look at the emperor with a complicated look.
Is this tyrant protecting him?
Although for this tyrant, admitting his lust in front of the world may not be worth mentioning at all.
But his calm heartbeat was still disordered for a moment.
When Wen Xing said this, he slowly leaned forward, his gaze sternly sweeping across Gu Chengping, and he said darkly, "Why don't you clear this tyrant emperor out as well? Then your last words of advice won't be in vain."
Gu Chengping:!
He was startled and flatly denied the accusation: "I would never dare to do that!"
Wen Xing: "Why don't you dare!"
"You distort the facts and confuse the public. You claim to be clearing the emperor's court, and you speak of loyalty and righteousness, yet you dare not even openly state the word 'the emperor is stupid'. You simply avoid the important issues and focus on the trivial. If you truly emulate the Grand Tutor and speak out with honesty and sincerity, I would actually respect you."
"Now it seems that you are nothing more than a mean person who seeks profit and avoids harm, seeking fame and reputation."
The emperor's words actually refuted Gu Chengping without any ability to refute. He could only say: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is just..."
He just thought about it for a long time but couldn't explain it clearly.
Fortunately, the students of the Imperial College who had just applauded and cheered for him and even knelt with him were now awakened by Wen Xing's words.
If there were no tyrant rulers in power, how could powerful ministers ruin the country?
This person only dares to scold powerful officials but not the tyrant. He is not really serving the country, but is just trying to gain fame.
They were also bewitched by this man's passionate speech and almost ruined their own careers!
Seeing that Gu Chengping couldn't answer, Wen Xing sneered.
I suddenly feel that it is a waste of time to waste time talking to such people.
He felt that he must be in a very good mood today, so he had nothing better to do than come here and argue with an unknown person.
Seeing that the other party had no fighting ability at all, Wen Xing suddenly felt bored.
He got up early today, and was energetic for a while, but then felt listless again.
"Leave the rest to Ning Qing." The foolish emperor yawned and prepared to go back to sleep.
But at this moment, the young man on the tall white horse rode forward, and the sword on his waist hit the silver belt. The clanging sound collided with the sound of horse hooves until it stopped in front of Gu Chengping.
Gu Chengping looked up and saw Ning Wujie's handsome face looking down at him, his icy eyes staring at him.
He stared back defiantly.
Ning Wujie said coldly, "Just now you said I was abusing public resources."
Wen Xing raised an eyebrow when he heard this. Gu Chengping had just cursed so many times, but this stubborn guy didn't care. So he cared about this abuse of public resources?
Don’t you want to defend the “fox charm technique”?
Thinking of this, Wen Xing couldn't help but curl his lips and smile.
If "fouling the imperial palace" could be said to be groundless, then "abusing public resources" was a real crime. Gu Chengping suddenly felt emboldened, stiffening his neck and glaring: "So what!"
"How many officials have you imprisoned without any discrimination? Right now, more than half of the six ministries are vacant, all because of your one-handed control and abuse of power!"
No emotion could be seen in Ning Wujie's restrained eyes.
He just said, "It just so happens that I found something interesting while investigating a case of abuse of public property. Would you like to hear it?"
Gu Chengping's expression froze when he heard this.
"Your grandfather, Gu Hanmiao, was the prefect of Jinzhou. In just five years, the land tax in Jinzhou increased from five liters and three hectares to more than two dou. That's a fourfold increase. Jinzhou was once a prosperous place, but now it's full of starving people."
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally quiet scene was filled with low whispers.
Then Ning Wujie continued, "Your grandfather, in order to cooperate with the officials at the Central Government to make up for the deficit in the national treasury, levied taxes privately and imposed exorbitant taxes. He has been apprehended by the Supervisory Department and sent to the Imperial Prison."
"You're putting on such a big show here today just to lure me here and vent your anger?"
As if what he said came true, Gu Chengping's face suddenly darkened, and he could no longer hide his guilty conscience.
The onlookers were all shocked. So today this person was acting so righteous and wanted to impeach the traitor, but in fact, his grandfather was the real traitor?
The emperor sneered and said sarcastically, "I thought there were so many honest and upright people, but it turns out they are all rats."
Gu Chengping glared at Ning Wujie fiercely and refuted him bluntly, "You're slandering me! My grandfather's case hasn't been concluded yet, but you are undoubtedly the greatest traitor of this dynasty, and everyone knows it!"
Ning Wujie glanced at the kneeling man with a scrutinizing look, "Indeed, there's no need to go to such great lengths just to scold me."
"But if someone promised you something..."
He paused, causing Gu Chengping's back to stiffen.
Wen Xing was sitting lazily on the sedan chair, cracking grapes. When he heard this, he glanced over.
Ning Wujie raised his eyes, looked at the place not far away and said, "I guess, because Wang Xuanxuan was arrested, some people are getting restless and want to break into the Imperial Prison. But they are afraid that I will be there and see through their plan to break into the prison, so they sent you to contain me, right?"
"What would you do if I didn't come today?"
As if shocked that Ning Wujie had seen through his plan in just a few words, Gu Chengping's eyes widened, unable to utter a decent rebuttal, "No... You're talking nonsense!"
Ning Wujie interrupted, "But I think even if it's not you today, there will be someone else. In short, you won't let me leave the palace today."
"Let me guess. The Imperial Prison is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Your best strategy is to make a feint to the east and attack in the west."
When he said this, his sharp eyes swept over the kneeling man and his voice was dark: "Was it arson, or poisoning the well?"
Perhaps Ning Wujie's overly accurate guess shocked Gu Chengping. He froze for a moment, as if he had lost the ability to think, and blurted out, "How could I know..."
Before he finished speaking, he realized that he had said the wrong thing and stopped talking immediately.
Wen Xing curled his lips into a sarcastic smile.
This statement was tantamount to confessing one's mistake, and everyone was shocked.
Robbing the imperial prison was tantamount to treason. The Imperial College students who had just been worried about their official careers were no longer worried about their careers, but about whether they would be considered accomplices of this man and charged with the crime of barbarism. They were all terrified and their faces turned pale.
Even though they suppressed their voices, the whispers of the onlookers continued to overflow—
"How dare you! Who would dare to do this?!"
"I was just saying, who would risk their life just to curse someone? They're all fake! Hypocritical!"
"Shh...keep your voice down! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Ning Wujie leaned over and said quietly, "It's a pity you made the wrong decision."
Gu Chengping was horrified.
"The prisoner you most want to rob is no longer in the Imperial Prison."
As if to confirm Ning Wujie's guess, an inspector came galloping from a distance, shouting loudly: "The Imperial Prison is on fire!"
When the man reached the Meridian Gate, he dismounted, knelt before the sedan chair, and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Prison has been attacked and caught fire."
"But fortunately, the Inspectorate was well prepared and the prisoners had been relocated, so the prison breakers failed. Only the dormitories were severely damaged."
Wen Xing: "Has the prison breaker been caught?"
The Inspector bowed his head and said, "A few have been caught and detained."
Wen Xing glanced at Gu Chengping, who already looked as if the situation was hopeless, and coldly ordered, "Take this man into custody."
Two Jinwu Guards stepped forward and were about to capture Gu Chengping.
But at this moment, Gu Chengping's expression suddenly changed, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled up to reveal a sinister smile.
Because the two Jinwu Guards were close enough, they suddenly heard a very slight crackling sound coming from Gu Chengping.
Before the two of them understood what they were hearing, they heard Gu Chengping say viciously, "Ning Wujie, let's die together!"
Ning Wujie's expression froze when he saw this. At the same time, the horse seemed to have sensed something, neighing and suddenly leaping up with its front hooves.
"boom--"
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed over the empty Meridian Gate Square and resounded through the sky.
The dazzling light instantly spread to an area of more than ten feet in radius with Gu Chengping as the center, engulfing Ning Wujie and the two Jinwu Guards.
Everyone was stunned. The explosion was too sudden and there was no time to react.
"Protect the emperor!" someone shouted.
The moment the explosion tore through his eardrums, Wen Xing saw Ning Wujie's white horse leaping up, its slender neck stretched into a silver arc, and the young man's flying black hair was gilded in the firelight.
The figure was obscured by the strong light.
Wen Xing's breathing stopped suddenly, and all that was left in his vision was billowing smoke.
"Ning Wu Jie!"
The sharp tinnitus drowned out his own voice, and his head was buzzing with the sound of thunder.
Is he dead?
The explosion was so huge and happened so quickly that there was no time to react.
What if Ning Wujie died?
Is the Xin Dynasty going to be gone just like this after three years?
Just as he felt a chill running through his bones, he suddenly heard a high-pitched neighing from a horse, and the smoke was split open like a sharp blade.
A figure on horseback burst out of the smoke like lightning, the tail of his horse trailing a trail of flames. The horse was covered in blood from the neck to the belly, and it galloped towards the emperor's sedan chair, treading a path of bright red.
After seeing the figure on the horse clearly, Wen Xing's knuckles that were unconsciously clenched on the seat suddenly loosened, and then he remembered to breathe.
Fortunately, I'm still alive.
He breathed a sigh of relief, only to then realize that he was experiencing waves of sharp, piercing pain, which had lasted for an unknown amount of time.
He put his palm to his heart, and his lips suddenly turned extremely pale.
His vision became increasingly blurred, and in the blurry shadows, he saw the horse neighing and falling in front of him, and the young man rushed onto the sedan chair in a flash.
"Bring the medicine!"
Amid the noisy and chaotic clamor, he only vaguely heard this angry shout, and then he collapsed and fell into a strong arm, and his eyes were completely plunged into darkness.
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The author has something to say: Stupid King: Yes, I was just attracted by your beauty~ (spreading hands) (playing badly) (shameless)
5j: ...He really only likes my face. (gritting teeth) (angry)
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