"thump!"
A dull thud, the sound of a knee striking gold bricks, echoed through the silent Golden Palace.
All the officials, whether they were royalists or the regent's faction, were frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at the figure kneeling in the center of the hall.
—Wen Zhong, the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, a veteran of three reigns, and the Imperial Preceptor!
This nearly eighty-year-old Grand Tutor was an almost legendary figure in the Liang Dynasty court. He was upright and incorruptible, erudite, and had students and former officials all over the country. More importantly, he was honest and incorruptible throughout his life, never forming factions, and always maintaining a detached and neutral stance to safeguard the country's etiquette and traditions.
Even the powerful regent Xiao Yuan would respectfully address him as "Grand Tutor Wen" when he met him.
Yet this highly respected elder, whom even the emperor treated with the utmost respect, was now... performing this profound act of kneeling in obeisance!
This is no longer just a matter of etiquette between ruler and subject; it is a posture of remonstrance with a strong appeal, almost to the point of death!
Regent Xiao Yuan's heart sank! Looking at Grand Tutor Wen's aged yet stubborn back, he felt a sense of foreboding a hundred times stronger than the Umbrella of Ten Thousand People outside the Vermilion Bird Gate!
Xiao Che, who was standing beside the dragon throne, was also completely stunned by this sudden scene. He quickly stepped forward, wanting to personally help his teacher up.
"Grand Tutor, what are you doing? Please rise!"
However, Grand Tutor Wen gently, yet with unwavering determination, pushed away the outstretched hand.
He knelt on the cold floor tiles and slowly raised his aged face, etched with the lines of time.
Tears streamed down his face.
The murky tears slid down the wrinkles on his face, dripping onto his purple court robe, a symbol of the head of the civil officials, soaking a patch of it.
He didn't look at anyone, but stared intently at the direction of the dragon throne, at the young emperor he had personally mentored and raised, and delivered a passionate speech in a hoarse voice filled with sorrow and fervor!
"This old minister... Wen Zhong, has a memorial... which I submit with tears in my eyes!"
At this moment, his voice seemed to possess the power to penetrate people's hearts, making the entire Golden Palace solemn!
"This old minister, today I act not for my own sake, nor for personal gain, but solely for the sake of the Great Liang state, for the sake of the laws and regulations of the world, and for the 370,000 grateful people outside the palace. I dare to speak to Your Majesty!"
He took a deep breath, his voice suddenly rising, and began to recount Empress Lin Wanwan's many breathtaking achievements since entering the palace!
"Back then, the Empress entered the palace under the pretext of bringing good fortune. At that time, His Majesty was unwell, and the court was in turmoil. The Empress was in a dangerous situation, but she remained calm and composed, and kept the harem stable. This is the virtue of the Empress!"
"During the autumn hunt, an assassination attempt occurred, and the startled horses trampled the camp! At this critical moment of life and death, Her Majesty disregarded her own safety and, with her frail body, protected His Majesty! If it were not for Her Majesty, the safety of His Majesty and the safety of the nation would have been unimaginable! This is a testament to her loyalty and courage!"
"His Majesty was assassinated and fell into a coma, with the Regent and the Empress Dowager ruling in his stead. However, there were treacherous officials within the court and petty villains outside. It was Your Majesty who, in this time of crisis, received a secret edict from His Majesty and, as Empress, took charge of the country and governed! She reviewed memorials, reassured the officials, stabilized the court, and saved our Great Liang from the danger of collapse! This is truly a talent for saving the country!"
"The great flood in Jiangnan threatened to destroy the nation! When the entire court was at a loss, it was the Empress who offered the divine strategies of 'work relief' and 'issuing bonds'! These strategies not only saved hundreds of thousands of people from disaster, but also set a precedent for our Great Liang for all time! This is truly a wisdom that transcends heaven and earth!"
Wen Taifu's voice grew louder and more impassioned with each note!
Everything he said was like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of the officials!
yes!
They were suddenly struck by the fact that this empress, who usually only showed a little intelligence in the harem, had unknowingly made such earth-shattering contributions to this turbulent empire!
Each of these achievements, taken individually, is enough to make any man feel ashamed!
And all of this was accomplished by a girl who was only seventeen years old, in less than a year!
Grand Tutor Wen, seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of his officials, once again shed tears. His fingers trembled as he pointed to the enormous umbrella of the people outside the hall, and he concluded in a hoarse voice:
"Please look, everyone! The umbrella of ten thousand people outside the hall is proof of this! Her Majesty the Empress not only possesses the virtue of a mother to the nation, but also the talent to bring peace and stability to the country! Her achievements are worthy of being recorded in history and will be remembered for eternity!"
At this point, his tone suddenly changed!
That originally impassioned voice instantly became filled with endless heartache and indignation!
He whirled around, his gaze sharp and fixed on the Regent Xiao Yuan at the head of the line, whose face was now deathly pale, and the officials behind him with their varied expressions. He demanded in a stern voice:
"Indeed! May this old minister ask you all!"
"Such a virtuous empress! Such a great and accomplished mother of the nation!"
"Why is it that the phoenix jade seal, which symbolizes her status and glory, and her dignity as the Empress, still needs to be 'held' by someone else?!"
"Why—is the Empress of our Great Liang merely a figurehead?!"
This question, like a red-hot iron hammer, struck hard into everyone's heart!
In particular, the Regent's faction tried to characterize the "Phoenix Seal" incident as a "family matter in the inner palace" and an excuse of "elders instructing younger generations." However, in the face of Grand Tutor Wen's grand questioning that rose to the level of "national system and etiquette," their attempt appeared so pale and powerless, so selfish and ridiculous!
Grand Tutor Wen did not give them any chance to explain.
He turned around again, facing the dragon throne, and his entire body collapsed as if a mountain had crumbled, and he knelt down heavily!
He slammed his head against the ground with a loud thud, a sound that sent chills down the spines of everyone present!
He kowtowed with tears streaming down his face, using the last bit of strength in his body to let out a roar that was enough to shake the entire court and change the course of history!
"Your humble servant, Wen Zhong, requests permission to speak!"
"For the sake of all the people under heaven! For the sake of the nation and its people! For the sake of the national system of my Great Liang! For the sake of the rites and laws of my court!"
"Your Majesty, please issue a decree!"
"The Phoenix Seal...returns to its rightful place in the Central Palace!!!"
When the words "Return to the Central Palace" were uttered with tears of blood from the mouth of this veteran of three reigns, the entire Golden Palace seemed to be completely ignited by an invisible force!
Those centrist officials who had chosen to remain silent and observe due to the power of the Regent and the Empress Dowager could no longer suppress their excitement!
The people's hearts are with us!
The greater good lies here!
Even the most respected and principled Grand Tutor Wen has pleaded his case with tears in his eyes. What reason do they have to remain silent?!
"Your Majesty, I, the Minister of Personnel, second this proposal! I request that the Phoenix Seal be returned to the Empress!"
The royalist official was the first to step forward and kneel down!
Then, the second, the third...
Those who had previously been "fence-sitters" finally made their choice after seeing Grand Tutor Wen's attitude and witnessing the overwhelming public support outside the palace! One by one, like dry tinder that had been ignited, they stepped out of the ranks and knelt on the ground!
"We, Your Majesty, second this proposal! We beseech Your Majesty to return the Phoenix Seal to the Empress!"
"We, Your Majesty, second this proposal! We beseech Your Majesty to return the Phoenix Seal to the Empress!"
At first, it was just a spark.
But in the blink of an eye, the flames spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire Golden Palace!
In the end, more than half of the court officials, regardless of faction or position, knelt down in the main hall!
They shouted out the same sentence, and their voices merged into an unstoppable, enormous wave of sound!
"We, your humble servants, second that it be! We implore Your Majesty, the Phoenix Seal shall be returned to the Empress!!!"
The sound waves were like a tidal wave, resounding throughout the world, as if they were going to completely overturn the dome of the Golden Palace!
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