Today's Da Chu court conference was gloomy and gloomy. This made many mid-level officials, who temporarily did not have the qualifications to enter the hall, feel at a loss. In particular, the three members of the Song family, who were usually like the sun in the midday sky, did not appear. Not only that, it was rumored that the Minister of Personnel, the Assistant Minister of Rites, and more than a dozen other influential officials had all resigned due to illness. It was the Emperor who had ordered Qi Su, the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guards, who had suddenly taken sole power overnight, to lead soldiers to each of the manors to invite the various officials to participate in today's court conference. As a result, this group of important people from different camps and different mountains appeared late together, attracting attention. Regarding the turmoil in the capital yesterday, most of them had heard of it. However, that disturbance had occurred within the Imperial City, and the entire city had been placed under martial law very quickly. Many of the officials had only received bits and pieces of information. However, there was no doubt that the Northern Liang Vassal King had caused quite a bit of trouble. His arrogant declaration that had been heard throughout the city had shocked many people, left many people at a loss, and made many people angry. Not to mention others, just speaking of the young talents of Da Chu inside and outside the court conference hall, which one of them did not feel grief and indignation?
When everyone stepped into the hall, they realized that the head eunuch of the Ceremony Directorate had also changed his face. The Emperor, who was supposed to enter the hall later, was already sitting on the dragon throne. Her eyes were cold. For the first time, many officials felt the majesty of the Empress.
Important officials like the Minister of Personnel, Yuan Shanhong, and the Assistant Minister of Rites, Guo Xi, unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to face the young woman.
In the past, almost all of the civil and military officials who held office in the capital and could participate in the court conference had a tacit understanding. Regardless of wind and rain, regardless of whether it was hot summer or snowfall, without exception, they all viewed the daily court conference as a pleasing event and never saw it as a difficult journey. The reason was simple. Da Chu's Emperor was not only a young woman in her prime, but she was also one of the four beauties of the Rouge Review. Looking at the Emperor sitting high on the dragon chair and wearing a dragon robe, even if it was just a glimpse out of the corner of one's eye, one would feel relaxed and happy. Last year, when Da Chu's power was at its greatest, there was an elegant joke. There was a young general in Da Chu who had made a name for himself in the court. In defeating Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun, the two great generals of Li Yang, he had made illustrious military achievements. When he followed the main general, Xie Xibian, into the capital to meet the Emperor, he actually blushed during the symbolic monarch and official question and answer session in the court assembly. It was as if he was suffering from a mental illness. He couldn't say a single word, causing the entire hall to roar with laughter. If it weren't for the Head of the Secretariat, Sun Xiji, who was sitting on the chair, quickly shouting for them to stop, the laughter would probably have traveled far into the hall.
Today's court conference was no longer as harmonious as before. Most of the officials sitting toward the back of the hall secretly craned their necks and sized up the Head of the Secretariat, who was sitting on the chair with his eyes closed. They tried to see some clues from the face of this old man, who was known to be the most important person in the world. Unfortunately, other than the old man not leaning back slightly like before and doing his best to sit upright and still, there was no strange expression on his face. Compared to the numerous civil officials who were walking on thin ice, the military officials in the court were much calmer. He Taisheng, who had a smooth career in Da Chu's officialdom, had disappeared. It was not that his family had not inquired about the news. They had even gone to the Song family to visit, but the door to the Song manor was tightly shut. Last night, the other deputy commander who held military power also did not return home. However, at least some news had spread out from the Royal Palace. It was not to the extent that he would lose his position and be imprisoned. No matter what was said, there were only about 20 or so seats in the Jingdou and Jingji Army that could be used in public. All of a sudden, there were two fewer seats. This meant that many people could take advantage of the situation and move forward. This was a good thing.
Now that their positions were higher, even if there was a day when the person sitting on the dragon chair was changed, even if the official hat of West Chu was worthless, the possibility of it being exchanged for a protective talisman or a life-saving talisman was greater. Otherwise, who would take a minister counsellor of the Six Ministries seriously? If they really wanted to settle accounts in the future, if the official hat on their heads was not high enough and their status was not high enough, then they could be removed. Lu Shengxiang and Wu Zhongxuan did not even have to greet the Emperor of Great Peace City or the Ministry of Justice.
The head eunuch who was supposed to be the head of the Ceremony Directorate shouted, "I have something to report." However, this head eunuch who was supposed to be proud of his success kept a straight face and did not show any signs of opening his mouth.
The empress of Da Chu sat there. In the past, she always gave people a feeling of restlessness. At this moment, she seemed extremely high and mighty, like a monarch who had accumulated great prestige from ruling the world for many years.
She went straight to the point and said, "Ever since I ascended the throne, I have heard too much from all of you. Today, all of you just need to listen to me. There is no need for you to say anything."
Some people had already begun to shrink their necks and swallow their saliva.
It was to the extent that everyone forgot to kneel in the main hall.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Yuan Shanhong, happened to be standing behind the Minister of Personnel. Because he was looking down, he happened to see the minister's legs trembling. Was this still the Yuan Lianhua who was known as "the best talker in the world"? Was this still the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel who was always high-spirited in court and even dared to make trouble for the frontline commander, Xie Xibian?
The first female emperor in the history of the Central Plains, Jiang Si, looked down at the group of civil and military officials. The room was full of purple and yellow crowns. Outside the door, there were a few officials who realized that they should have stood up after kneeling. They looked into the main hall with blank faces and looked at her. Then, they quickly lowered their heads under her gaze.
She said in a low voice, "The deputy commander of the imperial guards, He Taisheng, has been sentenced to death. The former deputy commander, Gu Sui, has been transferred to the position of deputy general of the Southern Jingji Army."
He Taisheng was dead.
Although the high-ranking officials in the imperial court had already made some guesses based on the clues, when they actually heard the news, their faces were still full of shock and fear. It was inevitable that they felt some sympathy for the death of the rabbit. It was not that the life and death of the boorish man, He Taisheng, was important. Rather, it meant that the Song family, which dominated Da Chu's court, had really collapsed.
Since even the Song household, which had three ministers, had completely lost power, then who in the imperial court could "live to a hundred years old"? The scariest thing was that the head of the Hall of Secretaries, who had always been on good terms with the Song family, did not seem surprised at all. He still did not open his eyes. The Gu family, which was slightly inferior to the Song family, was still a behemoth with deep roots in Da Chu. The former deputy commander, Gu Sui, was the eldest grandson of the current Provincial Right Servant, Gu Yang. However, the Gu family was criticized by Gu Sui's elders. In the Gu family's second branch, there were three people who had been in Liyang for many years. It was just that their career in Gangnam-do was not smooth. Furthermore, when West Chu was reinstated this time, none of the three Gu family members, whose official positions were only the size of a sesame seed, were willing to return to their roots. They even quickly wrote a letter of severance to the family. Under Gu Yang's personal supervision, the three people's names were removed from the family tree. At that time, many officials treated the Gu family's dirty laundry as a joke. When the Liyang army came to encircle them from four fronts, everyone suddenly realized.
Hearing that the eldest grandson of the eldest son was only going to be a deputy general of the Southern Jingji Army, Gu Yang lowered his head and his expression could not be seen clearly.
However, the young Emperor's next words were no less shocking than thunder in his ears.
"The Provincial Right Servant, Song Wenfeng, was ordered to die."
Gu Yang, who had just been relieved of a heavy burden, was shocked. What if the word "left" was changed to "right"? While he was shocked, he could not help but ask himself. If he was really ordered to die, what would Gu Yang do? What would the entire family do?
After looking at each other, a third-rank civil official, who was well-known in the imperial court, immediately walked out of the ranks. He held a jade tablet in his hands and lowered his head, saying in a low voice, "I would like to ask Your Majesty, why did Your Majesty order Sir Song to die?! I would also like to ask, why was Sir Song sentenced to death? "
After two seemingly rude questions, this official, who was related to the Song household by marriage for several generations, simply raised his head and stared at His Majesty's face. He continued to ask, "I have one last question. The previous Emperor had once bestowed the Song family with the Red Ink Iron Certificate, publicly promising that the Song family could share the world with the Jiang family of Da Chu for generations to come!"
After this official publicly defied the Emperor's edict, almost all the officials in the imperial court began to nod their heads vigorously. Their indignation was evident in their words and expressions.
He took a step forward, not caring that he had just said "one last question" and that there would soon be a fourth question. He said righteously, "I would like to ask Your Majesty, could it be that Your Majesty was not born of the Jiang family of Da Chu? Otherwise, how could you dare to go against the previous Emperor?! If I remember correctly, with that Red Ink Iron Certificate, the descendants of the Song family could avoid death four times! "
At this time, no one was paying attention to whether the Secretary of State, Sun Xiji, had his eyes open or closed.
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