novelaction Chapter 126: Become the Minister of Justice (7)
Chapter 126: Become the Minister of Justice (7)
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Imperial Censor Lin Xun suddenly looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, since the founding of our dynasty, there has never been a precedent of anyone being convicted for speaking out. Moreover, Zhang San was only concerned with maintaining the dignity of the royal family. Seeing the prince being insulted was naturally infuriating, and it was normal for him to say something inappropriate in a hurry."
"Your Majesty, please spare his life for his loyalty. Moreover, the method of lingchi is too cruel. It will not be used lightly unless the person is extremely evil."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Zhang San was devoted to the country, but ended up like this. It is really disheartening to the people of the world..."
As soon as the Imperial Censor spoke, all the ministers followed suit. However, the puppet emperor did not want to listen to them at all. Shen Han said, "Your Majesty, do not joke. He dared to use this punishment on my most trusted minister. I will naturally let him experience it himself."
Seeing that the emperor was not willing to give in, the ministers sighed in their hearts, and then one of them changed the subject: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Justice Wang Xiang has done nothing wrong, why did Your Majesty put her in jail and let Xu Yingqing take over the position of Minister of Justice? Even if Your Majesty is satisfied with her, you can't give her such a high position all at once, it's not in accordance with etiquette at all."
"Besides, it is absurd for Your Majesty to allow them not to perform the ceremony. Since ancient times, the ruler is the ruler and the minister is the minister, the superior and the inferior are clearly distinguished, and the difference between the noble and the humble is clear..."
Hearing the chattering below, the puppet emperor slammed the table in front of him, making a loud "bang" sound, making the atmosphere solemn.
"How dare you!" The puppet emperor stood up suddenly. "What do you mean by unrighteousness? I am the emperor, and my words are 'propriety'. If you dare to speak nonsense again, do you think my sword is not sharp?"
"Your Majesty..." Lin Xun shouted, looked at Xie Lang who was calm and composed, and then said to the emperor: "Your Majesty is so convinced by slander and kills court officials for her. Is this still the behavior of a wise ruler? I heard that Xu Yingqing tortured Wang Xiang in the prison for more than an hour yesterday. Was this also ordered by Your Majesty? Such a foolish act is no different from Jie and Zhou of Xia and Shang."
All the ministers were stunned when they heard this. Lin Xun was comparing the emperor to a tyrant who brought ruin to the country.
However, they could also understand that this emperor imprisoned Wang Xiang for no apparent reason and tortured to death a loyal minister who fought to maintain the dignity of the royal family. This made him a king who would destroy his country.
So everyone agreed with Lin Xun's words. Their words meant only one thing: if Wang Xiang was not released and Xie Lang was not put in prison, then Your Majesty would be a tyrant for all ages and would not be far from the destruction of the country. Song Chengze also agreed with him.
"Since you think I am a tyrant, then I will be one!" The puppet emperor did not hesitate to face the persuasion of these people. He said to the people below: "Come here, Lin Xun is old and unworthy of being used. Take off his official hat and go home to enjoy his old age. If the rest of you feel that this job is too tiring, you can also resign. I will approve your resignation today."
Wha...what?
The officials present were all in disbelief. Does His Majesty really want to be a tyrant?
At this time, a guard came to take off Lin Xun's official hat. Seeing this result, Lin Xun couldn't help but feel a little dazed. Without waiting for the guard to come, he took off his official hat on his own initiative, and then held up the hat and knelt down again and again towards the puppet emperor: "I have been an official for more than 30 years, and I have been conscientious and dare not be negligent. Since Your Majesty doesn't like me, I will not pollute your Majesty's eyes. I just hope that Your Majesty can see her true face as soon as possible, and not be blinded by the treacherous flatterer!"
As Lin Xun spoke, he placed his official hat on the hall, stood up, glanced at the puppet emperor, and finally stared at Xie Lang for a few seconds, then turned around and left tremblingly.
Everyone looked at his back and felt that he suddenly looked a little older.
Xie Lang was indifferent to this. Lin Xun was not her target. In her previous life, Lin Xun died of illness in front of his bed a few months later, so it was not impossible to let him go.
After Lin Xun left, the emperor continued to speak to the crowd: "Xu Yingqing is my loyal minister, you must respect her. If I hear you slandering her behind her back, don't blame me for being merciless."
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. They didn't expect that Xie Lang would be valued so much by the emperor.
Some ministers were also wondering in their hearts why the emperor protected Xie Lang so much after what she said to him yesterday. Even the prince was shocked when he saw the emperor like this!
Could she be His Majesty's illegitimate child among the common people?
That’s right, that’s the only way, otherwise the emperor’s behavior cannot be explained at all.
Of course, only a small number of people have such speculation. More officials have already regarded Xie Lang as a demon who has brought disaster to the country.
There are also some people who think that they should start currying favor with Xie Lang in the future.
"Okay, the troublemakers have left, so let's continue the meeting." The puppet emperor said indifferently, and then pointed to a pool of blood on the ground. It was Zhang San's blood. As for his arm, it was taken away when he was pulled out before: "Clean up the blood on the ground."
Just like that, a group of eunuchs came to clean the hall, and the rest of the people continued to attend court, and the two sides did not interfere with each other.
"Yesterday, Minister Xu presented Wang Xiang's crimes to me. He confessed to corruption, bribery, forming a clique for personal gain, excluding dissidents, and creating many wrongful convictions. Minister Xu, what crime do you think he should be charged with?"
"Of course, all nine generations of the clan will be killed." Xie Lang said without hesitation. No one who had humiliated Xu Yingqing in the previous life would be able to escape, and even their families would not be able to survive.
"In that case, this matter will be left to you to handle."
An hour later.
Morning ends.