Xing Chengyu, the Minister of Revenue, had never felt that the golden bricks of the Conference Hall were so hard. In fact, he rarely knelt except during the Grand Court Conference, let alone for such a long time.
He secretly wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and felt that his spine was on the verge of breaking. In order to find some kind of psychological comfort, he sneaked a glance to the side and saw the dejected faces of the military officials. Sure enough, he felt a lot more comforted. Two emotions — luck and fear — rose in his heart.
The Logistics Office wanted the land on Lin 47th Street. It seemed to be the main cause of this conflict, but it was just a small prelude. Although I knew about it, I never intervened. However, the Military Ministry was deeply involved this time. I heard that more than 20 elites of the Yulin Royal Guards were killed on that rainy night, and a Psyche Master in the Seethrough State lost his life. How could His Majesty let you off so easily under such circumstances?
The mocking and angry words of the middle-aged man on the throne continued to ring out, and finally turned into a sigh of exasperation. "I created such a gang back then and acted as the eyes and ears of the people for the Empire. It took me a lot of effort to hide it for more than ten years, but in the end, I was forced into the open by you guys just because of some petty benefits. From then on, I can no longer play the role I want. Is there anything wrong with me calling you idiots?"
His Majesty sighed, and the officials sighed. At this time, they all knew that the so-called Fish-dragon Gang was a product of His Majesty's whim when he was still the Crown Prince. They all silently thought that it was just his plaything. How could there be so much to say?
At this moment, His Majesty's voice became low and cold, and all the mockery disappeared. He stared at the officials and asked sharply, "The question is, are you really just doing it for those petty interests? I know what you want to do, but how can my wife and daughter be chosen by you idiots who are courting death? You stir up trouble in Chang 'an in the name of the Empress and the Princess, but you certainly don't know that my Empress has always been very clear about the relationship between the small gang and the palace, and Yu' er was even carried to the Spring Breeze Pavilion by me to play when she was young! "
At this point in the lecture, the officials in the hall could no longer bear the wave after wave of absurd and cold blows. The legs of the Huaihua General and the Huangmen Assistant Minister turned soft at the same time. They went from kneeling to sitting up in fear.
The Emperor looked at the two of them coldly and said, "The duty of the Tang Empire's soldiers is to protect the land and open up new frontiers, not to help gangs fight for territory! What I despise the most is that you didn't even win! In that case, you go to Chang Ning City and train the soldiers for me. Train them for three to five years. When you are sure that your soldiers can defeat the gangs in Chang 'an City, then come back. "
Chang Ning City was located in the southwest of the empire. It was hot in summer and cold in winter. There were many forests and poisonous creatures in the mountains. It had always been regarded as a dangerous place by the Tang Empire's officials. As for defeating the gangs in Chang 'an City for three to five years … Everything was said by His Majesty. If he said that you didn't win, then you didn't win. Then how would you come back?
With a few words, a big shot of the Military Ministry was assigned to a miserable place, and it was very likely that he would never be able to return to the central command. It was a harsh punishment. The officials in the hall became more and more frightened. But when the Protector heard that his head was still on his neck, he did not hesitate to heavily kowtow twice and repeatedly thanked the Emperor.
His Majesty was a little tired after scolding them dozens of times today. Looking at these officials who did not dare to talk back, he also felt a little tired. He took a cup of tea from Li Yu and drank two sips, then waved his hand to signal.
Eunuch Lin flashed out from the side of the imperial couch and slowly opened the bright yellow imperial edict with his skinny hands. He read expressionlessly, "In the thirteenth year of the Tianqi era, Xing Chengyu, the Minister of Revenue, was ordered to return home to meditate and reflect for three months. I will wait for your confession."
The so-called defense memorial was just an excuse. His Majesty was giving face to the ministers in the imperial court by letting him take the initiative to resign and return to his hometown. Xing Chengyu kowtowed in response. Thinking that his official career had been cut short because of such a trivial matter because of a gang in Chang 'an, his hands that were supporting his body could not help but tremble.
As Eunuch Lin read the imperial edict expressionlessly, an assistant minister was imprisoned, and the warehouse of the Logistics Department of the Ministry of Revenue was cleaned from top to bottom. Several officials of the Chang 'an Local Government were dismissed on the spot, the Capital Governor was exiled to Tianshuiwei with a gloomy expression, and the assistant minister of the eunuch was handed over to the Department of Justice for trial. The Military Ministry suffered the heaviest blow. General Xiahou angrily wrote a letter asking the Military Ministry to explain to him why his capable subordinate Zhuo Er was murdered by the Military Ministry. So His Majesty beheaded seven people in the Military Ministry to explain to the important general far away at the border, or rather, to Chao Xiaoshu.
In the process of reading the imperial edict and demoting the officials involved, His Majesty remained silent and did not say a word, no matter whether the officials kowtowed and bled, cried out for their innocence, or shed tears of gratitude. But when the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel asked for opinions on the replacement of the Capital Governor, he frowned and thought of a name.
"Chang 'an Local Government Judicial Military Advisor … Who is that Shangguan?"
"Shangguan Yuyang." The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel said. He glanced at His Majesty's expression and guessed what he was thinking. He coughed twice and continued, "This official has a good evaluation and was a proper imperial examination student. But because of his unsightly appearance, he …"
"I want an official who can govern the people, not a beauty." The Emperor impatiently waved his hand and said, "Then it is this person."
The officials in the Palace of Counsel were either exiled or retreated. Gradually, only the most important figures were left. The prince, who had been sitting quietly in the chair like a statue, could no longer sit still. He stood up from the chair and walked to the bed. He lifted the front lapel of his royal robe and knelt down with a thud.
The royal family of the Tang Empire, or rather, the current emperor, had always attached great importance to family ties. Infighting and strife were rarely seen in the royal palace. The emperor trusted the prince, his only brother, and would never make him lose face in front of the officials. However, the prince knew that the so-called face had to be fought for. If he still wanted to keep his face today, then his brother would lose face.
As expected, His Majesty did not ask him to stand up today. Instead, he looked down at his brother's face coldly and observed whether the pain between his brother's eyebrows was real or not. After a long time, under the persuasion of the Empress, His Majesty calmed down a little and said in a cold voice, "Raise your head and look at me."
The prince slowly raised his head and looked directly at the soul-stirring eyes on the bed.
"Is Wang Jinglue your Minister of Offerings?"
"Yes."
"Do you think it's a pity that I let him serve in the army?"
"I dare not."
"I let him train with Xu Shi. He must have his own benefits."
Xu Shi was the most famous general in the Tang Empire. Wang Jinglue was known as a genius in cultivation. Under the command of the iron-blooded general, Wang Jinglue's temperament would definitely improve. The prince was slightly startled and quickly thanked the Emperor.
"There is no need to thank me. At least, you cannot thank me on his behalf."
The Emperor looked at his brother and said in a cold voice, "It is not easy for the Tang Empire to produce a talent, so I want to protect him. But the talents of the Tang Empire can only serve the Tang Empire. They cannot become your private property. Do you understand?"
The words hit his heart. The prince suddenly felt his heart tighten. Sweat seeped out of his back and instantly soaked his royal robe. He did not know how to respond. He could only lower his head again and beg for forgiveness in a humble manner.
"These years, I have rewarded you with many good things. Recently, the palace treasury has been a little tight. You should make some contributions. I will remember your kindness."
"I dare not."
"Is there anything in this world that you dare not do?"
The Emperor smiled and said, "As a prince, you actually allowed your steward to open a brothel. If it were not for the fact that Mistress Jian and the Empress were close friends in the early years, I don't know how many more years I would have been kept in the dark by you."
It was not a sneer. There was no hidden meaning in the words, but the prince felt the invisible pressure suddenly increased. The speed of sweat on his back became faster and faster. He nervously waited for the Emperor's next edict, but after waiting for a long time, he did not hear it. He could not help but feel suspicious.
The smile on the Emperor's face gradually disappeared. He looked at him calmly and said, "This time, I am not willing to punish you heavily. It is not because of anything else, but because the person who watched over the House of Red Sleeves for your steward said something for you that he is absolutely loyal to me."
The prince suddenly realized that after Chao Xiaoshu went to the House of Red Sleeves that day, the steward had told him about Cui Delu's report. Although he believed that he was loyal to the man on the dragon throne, he did not want his subordinates to say too much. He always felt that it was a little embarrassing. Thinking about it today, it was all thanks to the words of the steward.
…
…
Since the first year of Tianqi era, the weather in the Tang Empire had been smooth. The court and the people were in harmony. There were only two relatively big cases. One was the Imperial Astronomer Incident, and the other was the recent case, which was called the Spring Breeze Pavilion Case.
In the Spring Breeze Pavilion Case, on the surface, more than a dozen officials were demoted and seven people in the Military Ministry were beheaded. But secretly, some key people in key positions were purged in advance. However, because those positions were related to the safety of the Imperial Palace and had a bad influence, the news was tightly blocked.
On that rainy spring night, Deputy General Cao Ning of the Yulin Royal Guards welcomed Eunuch Lin in the palace and also welcomed his own death. Chang III, Chang Siwei, Fei VI and Fei Jingwei, who were previously prisoners, directly beheaded them in the rain with the imperial edict written by the Emperor. Then they reported that they died suddenly of illness.
Also on that rainy spring night, Liu Si, the Fifth Liu of the Fish-dragon Gang, rode his horse and spear and killed Chu Ren, the Deputy Commander of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion, on the playground of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion. He took revenge for being set up ten years ago and also completed the mission given by the Emperor.
It was also after this rainy spring night that many people in the upper class of the Tang Empire knew the name of Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao. Or it could be said that they began to pay attention to this name. Those people also wanted to know who the masked teenager of the Yuelun Kingdom beside him was, but they had no way to ask.
Chao Xiaoshu stood by the lake in the Imperial Garden, quietly looking at the big lake called Leaving Sea. His green robe swayed slightly in the lake wind.
When eunuchs and palace maids passed by him, they would humbly step aside to avoid him. Now that people already knew who he was and what kind of future he would have, they did not hide the envy, curiosity and even admiration in their eyes.
Chao Xiaoshu seemed to feel nothing. There was no coldness on his face when he killed the people last night, nor the nervousness that a person from Jianghu should have after entering the Imperial Palace. He looked relaxed and calm.
A golden carp jumped up from the Leaving Sea, jumped over the dragon gate that the palace maids weaved with garlands, and then happily fell back into the water.
In many people's eyes, Chao Xiaoshu was like a fish jumping into the sea today in Chang 'an City. He would be famous and would rise rapidly.
But he did not think so.
…
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