"His Majesty has issued a decree. If there is anything, submit a memorial. If there is nothing, the court will be dismissed."
High up in the hall, Gao Lishi's voice resounded through the entire hall.
"Your Majesty! This subject has a memorial! "
With the appearance of a civil official, the daily court session began once more.
Wang Chong's eyes were half-closed as he silently listened, saying very little. The Tang Dynasty was rich in resources, its mountains and rivers beautiful. In terms of handling government affairs, it was brimming with talents. There was no need for Wang Chong to interfere.
Time slowly passed, and government affairs were resolved with astonishing speed. At some point, more than half of them had been handled.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial."
At this moment, a voice resounded through the hall. Assistant Minister of Revenue Chen Yuanbao, ceremonial tablet in hand, suddenly stepped forward.
"Just a few days ago, this lowly subject discovered that someone had forged records and deceived the sovereign, infiltrated the Imperial Court, and even seized a high position. This subject requests that Your Majesty thoroughly investigate this matter and investigate it to the end!"
The atmosphere in the hall was calm, but Chen Yuanbao's voice was like a heavy boulder that set off massive waves. The other civil and military officials had yet to react, but the young and newly promoted officials in the ranks instantly paled.
The Grand Preceptor, who had remained motionless for half the morning court session, was now trembling as if he had been struck by lightning. His face was ghastly pale, devoid of blood.
"Absurd! Chen Yuanbao, you're quite bold! Do you mean that all the officials of the Imperial Court are blind? "
With a thunderous roar, the Grand Preceptor was the first to stand up. He glared at Chen Yuanbao, his entire body bristling with shock.
"Correct! Chen Yuanbao, slandering a colleague is a major crime. If this matter is not investigated, will you be able to bear the responsibility? "
At this moment, King Qi also stepped forward, viciously glaring at Chen Yuanbao like he wanted to eat him alive.
Even Chen Yuanbao couldn't help but grimace at the rebuke of two leading figures of the Imperial Court, and he felt an enormous pressure.
The other courtiers also joined in the condemnation of Chen Yuanbao. In an instant, Chen Yuanbao became the center of everyone's attacks, and his face turned pale.
"Those who are innocent will naturally be innocent, and those who are corrupted will naturally be corrupted. Since you can enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony to participate in politics, don't tell me you don't even have the ability to withstand an investigation?"
At this moment, a cold voice rang out in the court. Wang Chong, who was standing at the end of the line, suddenly spoke. In an instant, it was as if a cold wind had passed through, and the condemnation of Chen Yuanbao in the court immediately lessened. As for the Grand Preceptor and King Qi, they grimaced several times, fear appearing in their eyes.
Wang Chong was only eighteen years old. In other words, he was still wet behind the ears. In normal circumstances, the Grand Preceptor and King Qi naturally wouldn't care about him, but after seeing Wang Chong's methods yesterday, both the Grand Preceptor and King Qi, and even Great Prime Minister Li Linfu, who had been watching from the sidelines, were filled with apprehension. They no longer dared to view him as a brat.
"All those seated here are the backbone of the Tang Dynasty, all of you having served in the Imperial Court for ten-some years. Are all of you so impatient? At the very least, have Lord Chen say who he is impeaching! "
Wang Chong indifferently said, his eyes brimming with derision.
Wang Chong's words caused all the officials to turn green and white. Truly, they had been so focused on impeaching Chen Yuanbao that they hadn't even heard who he was impeaching. As important officials of the Tang Dynasty, they truly were a little too impatient.
"Your Majesty, this subject agrees! Since this involves an important official of the Imperial Court, this subject believes that this matter should be investigated, regardless of whether it's true or false. This way, even if Lord Chen is wrong, this subject will be able to prove that lord's innocence. A straight body does not fear a crooked shadow. This subject believes that there is nothing wrong with this matter. "
Whoosh! With a wave of his sleeve, the silent The King of Song walked out from his ranks.
Buzz!
The moment The King of Song spoke, the entire Imperial Court fell deathly still. The Grand Preceptor and King Qi both paled. On the other side, the young and unfamiliar civil officials also became extremely unnatural. Even a fool knew that Chen Yuanbao's impeachment was aimed at them, and the instigators behind it were none other than Wang Chong and The King of Song.
"Lord Chen, please finish what you have to say! Which official do you wish to impeach? "
Wang Chong said.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
With Wang Chong's encouragement, Chen Yuanbao immediately calmed down. He turned around and deeply bowed to the seat of the Holy Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach Assistant Minister of Personnel, Zhang Chaoshu!"
Chen Yuanbao pointed with his right hand and suddenly pointed at a young civil official near the front of a coiling dragon pillar. This person was precisely the young civil official who had proposed dissolving the prefectural armies.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was the center of the Tang Dynasty, and those who could enter this place were all extremely old. Other than Wang Chong, the majority of them were approaching forty, and those who could reach the high position of Assistant Minister of Personnel were even older.
But that official called Zhang Chaoshu was at most thirty-four or thirty-five years old! It was simply unbelievable for him to be so young, but no one had ever heard of this person's name.
"Buzz!"
Hearing Chen Yuanbao's words directed at him, the Assistant Minister called Zhang Chaoshu tried his best to remain calm. But Wang Chong clearly saw his Adam's apple move as he swallowed.
"Lord Chen, this lowly one used to govern the region, and all of my achievements are traceable. In addition, this lowly one has just entered the court and knows that my knowledge is shallow, so I have always been conscientious and never dared to slack off. May I know why Lord Chen is targeting this lowly one? It seems that Lord Chen is too prejudiced against this lowly one, and the country is more important. If Lord Chen feels that this lowly one is too young to be competent, then this lowly one is willing to resign and withdraw to maintain the harmony of the court! "
Zhang Chaoshu took a deep breath and quickly stepped out of the ranks. He respectfully bowed towards the imperial court.
"Preposterous! Zhang Chaoshu, stand there. I want to see who dares to frame you. In the imperial court, participating in politics and discussions is all about ability. Don't tell me it's all about age? "
As soon as Zhang Chaoshu finished speaking, a white-haired old official couldn't help but step forward and rebuke him.
"That's right! The affairs of the state must come first. King of Foreign Lands, even if you are a new Prince appointed by the Holy Emperor, we will not fear you! "
Another civil official also stepped forward and harshly rebuked Wang Chong.
Wang Chong coldly sneered as he watched. He recognized all of these people. They had been the Grand Preceptor's classmates and colleagues, and they had been extremely close to him. These two had clearly received the Grand Preceptor's orders. If one only saw their stern and righteous appearances, Wang Chong would truly believe that he had been wrongly accused.
The Grand Preceptor is truly brilliant!
This thought flitted through Wang Chong's mind.
He had not spent two days in the morning court for nothing. During these two days, he had been carefully observing from the end of the line, and he had gradually begun to notice a few things. By replacing The King of Song's civil officials with unfamiliar faces, the Grand Preceptor's secret move had to be described as brilliant. What was even more amazing was that there was a group of civil officials who knew the ins and outs of this matter, but there was another group of civil officials who didn't know anything at all. They were all kept in the dark.
Their trust in the Grand Preceptor seemed to surpass everything else.
And those ignorant civil officials became the best way for the Grand Preceptor and the civil officials to attack Wang Chong. Some of the generals might even be fooled into believing that they had been wrongly accused.
"… Alas, this trick is useless against me!"
Wang Chong sneered.
If he had not made sufficient preparations, he would have never launched this counterattack. The Grand Preceptor and the civil officials' reactions were completely within Wang Chong's expectations.
"Since you want proof, I'll give it to you!"
With a flick of his robe, Wang Chong suddenly walked out of the ranks. He extended his hands, and two thick files appeared in his hands. These were the files that he had sent The Eagle to collect and hand over yesterday.
"Lord Zhang is truly formidable. Two sets of files. One is from the administration of Chun County from ten-some years ago, and the other is from the administration of Buckwheat County from two years ago. Both sets are actually new. The strangest thing is that Chun County is remote and the county government has been in disrepair for many years. Many files have gone missing or decayed, but only Lord Zhang's is still here. As for Buckwheat County, I've investigated it … Lord Zhang truly did hold office there, but only for a little more than a month! Lord Zhang, your achievements are truly outstanding! Not even this king is capable of transferring a county in one month! "
With these last words, Wang Chong turned to Zhang Chaoshu, his eyes sharp.
"Buzz!"
The sight of the two sets of files in Wang Chong's hands instantly caused the blood to drain from Zhang Chaoshu's face. He became ghastly pale, and even his lips began to tremble. He had never imagined that Wang Chong would take out his files. On the other side, the Grand Preceptor instantly lost his composure.
"How could this be!"
The Grand Preceptor clenched his fists, his expression nervous.
Facts spoke louder than words. Only now did he realize that Wang Chong had come prepared, far more prepared than he had imagined. In the face of these two sets of files, Zhang Chaoshu's rebuttals immediately dimmed. More importantly, the files in Wang Chong's hands were undoubtedly real.
No matter how meticulous a plan was, there was bound to be a flaw!
At this moment, half the Imperial Court was deathly still. Even King Qi's lips were tightly shut, unable to utter a single word. Half the court was silent. Even those two old officials who had been so agitated and fiercely criticizing Wang Chong had closed their eyes.
Wang Chong's impeachment was one thing, but he had even obtained Zhang Chaoshu's file! The evidence was conclusive!
This was no slander against an official, but that he had come prepared. To speak at a time like this was simply asking for trouble!
"Does the Grand Preceptor have anything else to say?"
Wang Chong sneered, raising the two files in his hands as he stared at the Grand Preceptor.
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