Li Yi felt that he had to improve his judgment of people in the future. He should not make friends with people who were not decent, especially those who were old and frivolous.
To discuss who was tougher in front of so many officials, it was clear that he had no sense of shame at all. He was so frivolous that he had no bottom line.
It was important not to get too close to such people.
Looking at Old General Xue's humiliated expression, Li Yi sighed and said, "I feel that cooperating with the Wang Clan in the military provisions business seems to be more suitable. The Wang Clan is a big family with a lot of money and foolish people …
"How about this? I'll give you the dividends that the two generals deserve this month. Even if the business doesn't work out, we'll still be able to keep in touch in the future …"
"Haha, I'm just joking …" The military provisions business was a source of income for the clan. Old General Xue's countenance changed, and he put his arm around Fang Xingjian's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Among the younger generation in the capital … No, there's also the older generation. Among them, I admire you the most. We can discuss this …"
"Old fogey Xue, you were scolding me in a roundabout way just now, and now you're sticking to me. Don't you know shame?!" Old General Ma threw a disdainful glance at Old General Xue, walked over, patted Li Yi's shoulder, and said, "Li lad, you shouldn't cooperate with an ungrateful person like Old Fogey Xue for this kind of business. Kick the Xue Clan out, and our Ma Clan is willing to pay another 10,000 taels …"
"Hmmm? Old fogey Ma, your clan is connected to this business because of me. Now, you want to get rid of me after I've outlived my usefulness? "
"I'm going to kill you, you shameless old fogey!"
"Li lad, don't stop me. Today, I'm going to let Old Fogey Ma know how many eyes Prince Ma has!"
"Don't worry, I won't stop you. Please go ahead …"
…
Li Yi quietly returned to his seat, watching the two of them fight.
He unintentionally turned his head and took a glance, noticing that there was a gaze on him.
When Prince Xin had escaped from the fire, he had broken his leg. However, it had been reattached by the imperial physicians. Other than some slight difficulty in walking, it was not a big problem.
His hair was burned, but when he tied it up and put on the crown, it didn't look much different. At this moment, he was standing among the princes, looking straight at her, not hiding the hatred in his eyes.
Li Yi was a little puzzled. Wasn't the one who had set fire to Prince Xin's manor … Wasn't it that fanatical believer of the Holy Religion? Why did Prince Xin hate him so much?
Had he ever offended him?
I don't think so?
He was clearly not the one who burned his house, yet he was still glaring at him like this. Li Yi glared back with a sharp gaze, and Prince Xin shivered. He could not help but take a few steps back and fall onto the ground.
"What happened to Brother Xin?"
Someone hurriedly went over to support him. At this moment, the palace gate suddenly opened slowly.
The officials immediately shut their mouths and returned to their original positions. The opening of the palace doors signified the official start of the Grand Court Conference.
A middle-aged eunuch walked out from inside and shouted loudly with a sharp and thin voice, "All officials request an audience …"
Li Yi's position was extremely close to the front among the officials. He walked through the palace gate and passed through a long passageway. Other than the sound of his footsteps, there were no other noises. When he walked into the hall and turned his head to look, the crowd was still so dense that he could not see the end of it.
The Grand Court Conference was the one with the highest number of officials participating. Other than the officials and nobles in the capital, the local officials from various places would also be present. This was the only chance for most of them to be present in a year. Rewards, punishments, promotions, demotions, and demotions would all be in this conference.
As usual, the old Emperor arrived late. Li Yi noticed that the Emperor's originally straight back was now completely bent. Rather than saying that he was sitting on the throne, it would be better to say that he was leaning against it.
With his current physical condition, it was no longer suitable for him to participate in such an extremely tiring event. However, for an Emperor, if he could not even participate in the annual Grand Court Conference, then there would be no meaning for him to be an Emperor.
Every year, the process of the Grand Court Conference was the same.
This year, Emperor Jing did not speak much. Naturally, there were eunuchs who followed the procedure step by step.
Other than a few ceremonial contents at the beginning, the one that lasted the longest and had the most people participating was the reports of the local officials and the various departments of the court.
The local officials needed to report on the tax revenue, population, economy, education, and other conditions under their jurisdiction. This was related to their promotions and examinations in the coming year. This year, the six ministries had vigorously implemented reforms. Naturally, they had to report on the results of this year's reforms.
Li Yi patiently listened for nearly four hours. The changes that the Jing Kingdom had achieved over the past few years could be described as earth-shattering. Regardless of whether it was politics, economy, or military, they had all made significant progress.
Of course, almost all of these matters had been decided upon after detailed discussions between him and MIngzhu. Achieving such results was within his expectations.
He casually glanced ahead and saw Li Xuan in the crowd.
Compared with the high-spirited Prince of Qi, Li Xuan seemed a little listless. At some point, he raised his head and looked at Li Yi. His eyes were slightly empty.
Li Yi looked away and no longer looked at him.
For Li Xuan, this was indeed a cruel thing. However, his identity and status had doomed him to bear this burden. In the world of adults, there was no such thing as easy. Either you change the world or you change yourself.
After many officials finished their reports, as usual, they had to announce some major events. This was also what everyone was most looking forward to.
All signs indicated that the position of the Eastern Palace would be settled in this Grand Court Conference.
After the last official retreated, the eunuch looked back. After receiving a signal, he slowly turned his head and said loudly, "Bring the sinners of the Cui family here!"
In the main hall, the hundreds of officials stepped aside to make a path. They watched as the palace guards escorted a few people up and made them kneel in the hall.
They were incomparably familiar with these people, because just a few months ago, these people were just like them, sitting in the same court. Perhaps they had even argued about certain matters, but now, these important figures of the Cui family, who were once extremely powerful, were kneeling in front of them just like that.
The eunuch cleared his throat and read, "The Cui family plotted to murder the Prince. Their evil intentions are punishable. They brought disaster to the court and caused chaos among the people. Their crimes are too numerous to be listed … If we don't kill such evil people, we won't be able to appease the anger of the people. If we don't kill them, we won't be able to comfort the people …"
"Cui Qingze, Cui Qingming, Cui Qingduo … and 13 others have committed the most heinous crimes. They will be beheaded as a warning to others. Cui Xian will be deprived of the title of Imperial Concubine. She will live in Yeting forever and will not be allowed to leave the palace. Cui Ming, Cui Xian … and 26 others will be exiled 1,500 miles … Cui Zheng, Cui Jian …"
The case of the Cui family, which was tantamount to treason, had already caused a sensation in the capital several months ago. Although it had been quiet these days, everyone could predict the final outcome of the Cui family.
But no one had expected that His Majesty would announce the results of the case at the Grand Court Conference.
Several important figures of the Cui family could not escape death. Most of the others were also exiled and would not be able to return to the capital in this life. Imperial Concubine Cui was in the Cold Palace and would not be able to come out for the rest of her life. Although there was no mention of how to deal with the King of Shu, his actions were already equivalent to defection. Once he appeared, he would definitely be surrounded and suppressed by the court …
It was really a pity that the once powerful Cui family had ended up like this …
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