103. Elopement

Rong Se suddenly launched an attack in the morning, pointing his spearhead directly at Xi Yan, and many officials felt the same way.

Ever since the Prince Regent and the Xi family had a quarrel over the eldest princess, they had been guessing that the Prince Regent wanted to target the Xi family. Now that they saw it, they were not surprised.

However, as the Minister of Chancellery, Xi Yan had a deep foundation and many followers. Even the Cao family wanted to win him over. Therefore, he quickly calmed down and turned to look at Yu Qingzhou among the ministers. His face turned green and he scolded: "Yu Qingzhou! You are simply fabricating evidence to harm me. It is not easy for you to pass the imperial examinations and get to where you are today. Why are you so confused! Do you know what kind of crime it is to conspire with others to frame an official of the court!"

It was Yu Qingzhou who impeached Xi Yan for using examinations to eliminate dissidents and suppress his colleagues.

Yu Qingzhou immediately stepped out of the line, knelt straight, and said frankly and loudly: "Here are the handwritten letters of the several gentlemen who were demoted and exiled. I dare not deceive your majesty and your majesty. The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the examination of all officials, but the officials who are demoted and promoted every year all have dealings with the Xi family, and the officials who are exiled to remote areas are mostly from poor families. Lord Shi from Lantian County, Jingzhou, Lord Tian from Quande Town, Yuzhou, and Lord Li from Jingzhao Prefecture, who investigated the matter after the family of the Xi family's long-term worker reported it to the authorities, are all among them. With the handwritten letters of the gentlemen as evidence, I earnestly request your majesty to investigate the Xi family thoroughly!"

After all, a head hit the ground upright.

Seeing this, the regent king's party members came out one after another and said in unison: "We implore your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case!"

Rong Jing almost couldn't hold back his anger while sitting on the dragon throne. He was the legitimate emperor, but how could he be so arrogant in Xuanzheng Hall? !

"Then the case will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial." Rong Se's eyes fell on Lu Shangqian, who remained calm throughout, and then glanced at Xi Yan, who was trying to remain calm. "Order the commander-in-chief of the imperial army, Yun Zhi, to lead people to conduct a thorough investigation of Xi's residence. Lord Xi, please bear with the injustice and stay in the prison for the time being. If you are really wronged, I will clear your name."

Rong Se said a few polite words without any real feelings, then looked at Cao Lun and pulled the corners of his lips with a fake smile: "Lord Cao, is this my fair treatment?"

The handwritten letters from several officials naturally cannot prove anything, but if the case is really investigated, it will inevitably involve many things.

Cao Lun knew the difficulty of this, but the difficulty was that he could not influence Rong Se's decision.

After a while, Cao Lun said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, Lord Xi is an old minister. Even if someone impeached him, should we listen to one family's words? Is it...inappropriate to imprison Lord Xi like this?"

"If I had listened to one family, Lord Xi would not have been in prison, but would have lost his head." Rong Se's expression turned slightly colder, and his tone was slow, permeated with displeasure. "Eliminating dissidents, forming a clique for personal gain, and manipulating the promotion, demotion and dismissal of court officials are serious matters. Or does Lord Cao think that this matter does not need to be investigated further, and I can immediately punish him for this crime?"

Cao Lun lowered his head and said, "I have no such intention."

"That means I have no opinion."

Rong Se nodded with satisfaction and said calmly: "Then do as I say. This is related to the court officials and the national destiny, so we must investigate it thoroughly."

He emphasized the last four words deliberately, causing many officials present to shudder. For a moment, everyone felt insecure.

Rong Se knew it very well.

He did not wrongly accuse Xi Yan. These were all things Xi Yan did himself. It was imperative to deal with him, both for his own purposes and for the long-term benefit of the country.

However, this move will inevitably affect countless court officials.

Rong Se sat on a high seat, looking down at the ministers who bowed their heads, as if he was looking at a deep pool. It seemed calm, but in fact, it had already been brewing violent waves.

There was an undercurrent of chaos below, and the flashes of swords and shadows of sabers were everywhere without any trace of war.

But he had already been deeply trapped in the situation and couldn't get out of it.

Until my eyes met a pair of gazes.

The general in a round-collared red robe stood at the head of the generals. The beast pattern on his chest was majestic and his figure was as steady as a mountain. He just stood there silently, like a sharp blade that calmed the court for Rong Se.

He leaned forward and was the first to speak: "Your Majesty is wise."

So all the officials agreed.

The cold sweat on Rong Se's palms as he held the Qilin-head armrest gradually subsided, and his heart calmed down.

After the court session, Rongse discussed matters with the ministers in Linghui Pavilion as usual. In such a big country, there are always big and small things to deal with. After they finished discussing everything, it was the turn of the Xi family's affairs at the morning court.

Yun Zhi had already taken people to Xi's house to search. Rong Se did not say much, but simply told Lu Shangqian: "Handle it impartially."

He spoke too frankly and righteously.

Moreover, Lu Shangqian had heard about what Xi Yan did behind his back, but he was in the court and had no control over many things. Now that he had the opportunity, he nodded and said, "I obey your order, but..."

He hesitated for a moment and asked, "May I ask if this matter is of great importance? If it is true as Lord Yu said, then there must be quite a few officials involved in this matter."

"Do everything according to the rules." Rong Se waved his hands, "They are all good-for-nothings who just sit there doing nothing. The court should have been disciplined long ago."

Liang Shenyu also said gently and politely: "Your Highness is right. Although there is no fish in clear water, it is too late. It is better to stop now. If it continues like this, the court will be ruled by the Xi family alone. By then, the imperial edict of the royal family will be less effective than the order of Lord Xi."

The Minister of War snorted coldly: "That's what you say, but I'm afraid that Dingbei Hou's Jinbei Cavalry only obeys military orders and not the imperial edict."

"My Lord, please be careful with your words." Liang Shenyu's tone was still polite, but a little cold. "The Northern Cavalry of Jin is loyal to the Great Jin, so I will naturally be loyal to the Great Jin as well. The imperial edict is the military order, there is no difference."

The Minister of War wanted to say something, but Rong Se interrupted him calmly: "The Jinbei Cavalry stationed in Qiangzhou repelled the Xiongnu cavalry several times, and countless of them were buried in the mountains. The Minister's words are chilling."

The Regent glanced over with a cold and warning look in his eyes, giving him a threatening look that said "you'd better be careful with what you say."

Thinking of the Shangshu Ling who was still in prison, the Minister of War was angry but did not dare to say anything more. He just snorted coldly in dissatisfaction.

After the meeting, Rong Se and Liang Shenyu walked out of the door side by side. After walking a few steps, they heard someone calling from behind: "Prince, Marquis, please stay."

Rong Se paused, exchanged glances with Liang Shenyu, then turned back to look at Lu Shangqian who had caught up with him, and said softly, "Lord Lu, slow down, what's the matter?"

Lu Shangqian came hurriedly, took two deep breaths, and his beard trembled, and then he said: "Your Highness, this time... Xi Yan's case is different from the previous ones. Just now there were so many people and it was difficult to talk. Now I want to ask you a question. If Xi Yan is convicted, it will be a serious crime of exterminating all nine clans, and the officials involved will also be punished. It will definitely cause unrest. Your Highness, are you doing this for the public or for yourself?"

Rong Se discovered that the white-haired old minister looked at him with extremely complicated eyes, as if he wanted to confirm something.

"Lord Lu." Rong Se thought for a moment and said frankly, "I say it's not for personal reasons, but I don't think you will believe it. But whether it's for the public or for the private, the outcome is the same. The Xi family occupies the court, and most of the officials in the six ministries are his confidants. He suppresses dissidents and has factions everywhere. What I did is reasonable. Why bother about it so much? I will never do anything that endangers the country. Dajin and Rong family will prosper together and suffer together. If the nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. I understand this."

Lu Shangqian was silent for a while, and said nothing more. He just said "I understand" and left.

Rong Se was confused and asked Liang Shenyu: "Did he really understand? Why am I a little confused? He came after me just to ask me if I was partial to him and wanted to mess with the Xi family?"

Liang Shenyu sighed softly and said helplessly: "He wants to see if the prince is suitable."

Rong Se was at a loss: "What is appropriate?"

Liang Shenyu lowered his voice: "That location."

Rong Se was a little confused at first, but after Liang Shenyu said this, he suddenly understood.

Lu Shangqian has always been impartial and is considered an incorruptible official in the three provinces and six ministries. On that day, he even advised Rong Se not to make things difficult for the new emperor, but this time he came to test whether he was suitable to be the emperor.

Rong Se was silent for a moment, then said, "He finally realized that Rong Jingde is no longer worthy of his position?"

Liang Shenyu chuckled, "It's a pity that Lord Lu will be disappointed. Our prince wants to be idle and wild, but I'm afraid it won't be as he wishes. But... Prince, have you ever thought about who should be sitting in that position if it's not him?"

The two walked on the palace road, with no one around.

Rong Se had naturally thought about this matter. He understood that if Rong Se was pulled down from that position, he would be the only one left who could inherit the throne.

"Things will work out when the time comes." Rong Se smiled lightly, "Although it's too early to say these things, we still have the bloodline of Prince Ning. If nothing else, we can just adopt a child..."

At last, Rong Se sighed: "Sanlang, I want to go to Qiangzhou with you to see the scenery you have seen, the northwest desert, the sunset over the long river. But I am not afraid of being confined to a corner, I just... I can't do it well. I can't govern this entire country well."

It is valuable for a person to know himself.

Rong Se has always been very smart. As an emperor, he has to take care of the people's livelihood and be able to control the situation in the court. With the power of the emperor in his hands, all officials will bow down to him. But once he does not have this ability, he will inevitably be retaliated by the officials. Today's Rong Jing is a living example.

But Rong Se knew his own limitations. Without the plot hints from the original novel, he could not defeat those cunning old foxes.

Liang Shenyu watched the prince, who was full of energy just now, become wilted, like an eggplant hit by frost. He couldn't help but laugh. He gently patted his head and whispered, "I know."

Rong Se's eyes were filled with worry, and he was powerless: "Know what?"

"I know that the prince wants to run away with me..." Liang Shenyu deliberately leaned close to his ear and paused for each word: "Escape?"

Rong Se: “…”

"Stay away from me!"

Rong Se pushed him away coldly.

Liang Shenyu laughed out loud, "Well, if the direct line is gone, there are still collateral lines. There will always be someone to take over. Your Highness does not need to worry. However, Qiangzhou is desolate and there are no beautiful sights. Your Highness, are you not afraid of eating sand?"

Rong Se heard his teasing, rolled her eyes and walked forward quickly, but her ears turned red.

...Elopement or something like that is not bad either.