lcionline Chapter 356 It’s True
Chapter 356 It’s True
Chapter 356
The Third Prince hadn't expected Ye Yunzhou to be so ruthless in the court. His brow furrowed, his gaze icy as he stared at him. After a long pause, a playful smile crossed his face. "I've always known that Lord Ye is a formidable warrior, having slain countless enemies. But today is the first time I've witnessed that Lord Ye is not only a formidable martial artist, but also a very eloquent speaker."
This seems to be a compliment, but the tone is full of sarcasm.
"Your Highness, thank you for your compliment. I am ashamed." Ye Yunzhou seemed not to hear the sarcasm in his words. He bowed and replied, thinking that the other party was sincerely praising him.
The Third Prince was choked and speechless. He stared at Ye Yunzhou, unable to recover for a long time. He finally understood that Ye Yunzhou was not only eloquent but also very shameless. He had underestimated him.
The Third Prince's face darkened. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Emperor Yuanzhen, who had been sitting silently on the dragon throne, speak up: "Enough! What's the point of making such a commotion in the court?"
"We acknowledge our mistakes." As soon as Emperor Yuanzhen spoke, though his emotions were unremarkable, the ministers quickly abandoned their eagerness to watch the show. The tense atmosphere that had been building up from the courtroom dispute quickly dissipated, and they all respectfully apologized. Even though the Third Prince was filled with resentment, he could only stand there, head bowed, and dared not speak, due to his father's authority.
Emperor Yuanzhen's eyes were stern as he slowly scanned the court. His voice was as cold as ice: "What you have done has deeply saddened me! In this court, you should be concerned about the people, but now you are arguing endlessly for your own selfish interests, completely disregarding the people's livelihood. How can this be disgraceful!"
Upon hearing this, everyone lowered their heads in silence. When Emperor Yuanzhen was in a good mood, he would address everyone as "Ai Qing." However, once he simply addressed them as "Qing," he was furious. The important officials at court, long by the emperor's side, were well-versed in these nuances. They knew immediately that the emperor was furious, though they didn't know whether the anger was genuine or directed at whom. But when the emperor was angry, they had no choice but to fear. The officials all lowered their heads and held their breath.
General Zuo Wei, who was originally furious, had to suppress his emotions, calm his mind, lower his head and remain silent, for fear of being called out by Emperor Yuanzhen.
Unfortunately, the situation did not calm down as everyone had hoped. Seeing the ministers' obedience, Emperor Yuanzhen seemed to soften his tone slightly, but his words were still filled with displeasure. "While today's incident was merely a court debate, where is the dignity of the court if no punishment is imposed? This matter was instigated by Liu Qing, and he deserves a severe punishment. Come, strip General Dingyuan Liu of his official title and demote him to the rank of seventh-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy. Execute immediately!"
Lord Liu, mentioned by Emperor Yuanzhen, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at the emperor, seated high in the court, with disbelief. Standing far away, he couldn't see the emperor's face, but he was powerless to resist, and he collapsed to the ground as if his strength had been drained. Immediately, the imperial guards stepped forward, grabbed his arms, and mercilessly dragged him out of the Golden Throne Hall.
All the ministers in the court were silent for a moment. No one had expected that such a seemingly insignificant matter today would cause the emperor to be so angry.
The fifth-rank General Dingyuan, compared to the mere seventh-rank Hanlin Academy Editor, was a full four ranks lower. Many students would struggle to reach such a high position in their entire lives. Even more dramatic, Lord Liu was a military officer, likely unable to even read a single word. How could he possibly be qualified for the position of Hanlin Academy Editor? From now on, he would only hold a nominal title, with no chance of ever returning to his former position.
The ministers sighed inwardly, but none dared to plead for mercy. This was a blow to General Zuo Wei, as the punished Lord Liu was a member of his faction and had acted at his behest. General Zuo Wei couldn't help but panic: Could it be that His Majesty believed Lord Ye's words and was going to punish them one by one?
Emperor Yuanzhen watched Master Liu being dragged away with cold eyes before speaking again: "Ye Qing spoke harshly in the court and showed no intention of backing down. Starting tomorrow, he will be confined to his residence for a month and is not allowed to attend court."
Everyone was waiting to hear other instructions from Emperor Yuanzhen, but unexpectedly, Emperor Yuancheng stopped after saying only these two sentences. The ministers could not help but feel a little stunned. Is this the end?
At first glance, Emperor Yuanzhen's words implied a month-long confinement for Lord Ye, but the subsequent phrase "not allowed to attend court" made it clear that this was merely a month-long ban. However, Lord Ye rarely attended court; if important matters arose, he would simply enter the palace and meet His Majesty in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. So, could attending court, or not, truly be considered a punishment?
General Zuo Wei and the Third Prince's faction heard this and gritted their teeth in resentment, but they dared not offend the emperor and could only make a mental note. This is His Majesty's favorite minister, and he must not be offended lightly.
"Yes, I accept the punishment." Ye Yunzhou showed no surprise on his face and bowed to accept the order.
Then, Emperor Yuanzhen turned his gaze to General Zuo Wei.
General Zuowei was nervous, his hands unconsciously clenching in his sleeves, but he forced himself to remain calm. Emperor Yuanzhen said, "Lin Qing, you are a high-ranking official, yet you are blindly following rumors and making groundless accusations. This is a grave offense for an official. Today, I will punish you by handing over the tiger talisman to Grand Protector Zhou and confining you to your residence for a month. Do you accept this?"
Across the court, a collective gasp echoed. The Tiger Tally was so important, yet today, for such a trivial matter, His Majesty was actually depriving General Zuo Wei of it. It was truly unbelievable.
Even the Third Prince found this punishment unbelievable. It was far too severe. But what did the Emperor mean by this? Had he discovered something? The Third Prince was momentarily terrified, but then he thought, that shouldn't be the case. If the Emperor had discovered something, why didn't he take this opportunity to take the Tiger Talisman back and instead hand it over to the Grand Protector? You know, the Grand Protector was promoted by General Zuo Wei, and after all, he was from the same faction. Why would the Emperor go to such lengths to punish them? He probably blamed them for their disrespect for the court and wanted to punish them lightly.
General Zuo Wei's heart was beating wildly. When he heard that General Dingyuan was punished, he knew that His Majesty would not let him off easily this time. He did not expect that His Majesty would actually punish him to hand over the tiger talisman.
He pinched his thigh hard, trying to calm down, and comforted himself: Fortunately, the Grand Protector was his deputy general and a confidant of his faction. Thinking of this, he felt a little relieved. Although he was extremely reluctant, he did not have the courage to challenge the wrath of Emperor Yuanzhen at this juncture.
General Zuo Wei raised his head slightly and looked at the Third Prince, who was a step away from him. The Third Prince did not turn back, but as if sensing something, he gestured to him with his hand hanging by his side.
General Zuo Wei gritted his teeth and bowed his head to receive the order: "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Yes." Emperor Yuanzhen nodded slightly, his expression softening considerably, and he resumed addressing them as usual. "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to report?"
After this incident, no one dared to step forward. Even though His Majesty had clearly punished everyone except the Third Prince, the ministers were not fools. After all, they were father and son. They really wanted to make the prince's crime the same as the common people. Only those who really cared about it were fools. For a moment, the hall was filled with shouts of "Nothing to report!" Then, the eunuchs' calls sounded again, exactly the same as when they came. Emperor Yuanzhen, surrounded by eunuchs, left the rear hall.
Only after Emperor Yuanzhen disappeared did the ministers dare to raise their heads and look at each other in bewilderment.
The Third Prince had a stern expression on his face. He first glanced at General Zuo Wei, then glanced coldly at Ye Yunzhou. Then he turned around, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
…………
Outside the palace gate, Marquis Zhongyong had a stern face and sat in the carriage with his eyes closed to rest.
Ye Yunzhou was standing by the carriage not far away, but the Right Prime Minister was standing in his way. He looked at Ye Yunzhou with a complicated expression, then glanced around. Seeing that no one else was nearby, he lowered his voice and asked, "Is what Lord Liu reported to the court today true?"