lcionline Chapter 118 It turns out that they were the ones trying to control the Crown Princess before, which
Chapter 118 It turns out that they were the ones trying to control the Crown Princess before, which
Yue Linghan almost choked and collapsed.
But in order to survive, he pulled through.
"Yes...this subject apologizes...to Her Highness the Crown Prince's...and Princess Consort..."
He was speaking slowly and deliberately, as if he were really about to die.
"Fine!" Lin Shiming curled his lip in disgust, but seeing that he was almost speechless, he reluctantly accepted the apology.
"Let's leave it at that. But there's no second chance. Remember this: I'm letting this go today because of the Crown Prince, but next time I will not be so lenient!"
My ancestor! After what happened today, who would dare to mess with you again!
The ministers responded respectfully, "Your subjects obey."
We, your subjects, wish to live.
"Li An! Carry Lord Yue to the side hall and ask a royal physician to take a good look at him."
Having just recovered from the embarrassment and panic of almost choking on his own saliva, Emperor Longyun glanced at Lu Yuxi with displeasure, but said nothing.
Several imperial guards finally came and carried Yue Linghan and his arm away. With no one to cover them, the pool of blood on the ground was even more obvious.
Lu Yuxi glanced at him with disgust and pulled Lin Shiming back a few steps.
“Prince Ping, this matter was ultimately caused by you. After court, please clean the Taiji Hall yourself. Don’t keep causing trouble for the palace servants.”
King Ping's fingernails pricked his palm until it bled.
"Your subject will obey His Highness the Crown Prince's command."
Lin Shiming snorted coldly, then slowly handed the knife back to Mu Bolin in the corner.
"Thank you, here you go."
Mu Bolin took the knife, examined it over and over for a long time, but still didn't have the courage to put the blood-stained knife back into its sheath.
Forget it, I'll switch to another one later.
*
The farce has come to an end, and today's court assembly, filled with smoke and blood, has finally come to a close.
After telling Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi to remember to go to Xuanzheng Hall in the afternoon to discuss the matter of the minor imperial examination, Emperor Longyun flicked his sleeves and left Taiji Hall first.
The officials knelt on the ground for a long time, not daring to raise their heads.
Only when Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi's footsteps finally disappeared completely outside the door did everyone inside breathe a sigh of relief.
Many people exchanged glances, their eyes still filled with lingering fear.
This year's struggle for the throne can hardly be called a struggle for the throne; it's clearly a one-sided massacre!
*
After Lin Shiming killed someone, he happily left with his husband, while Emperor Longyun diligently cleaned up the mess for him in the Xuanzheng Hall.
"Copy the solution to the Crown Princess's question and post it out."
Li An responded. Emperor Longyun continued, "Also, don't let Yue Linghan die for now."
The Crown Prince wanted to cultivate a good reputation for his Crown Princess, and Emperor Longyun, as her father, naturally had to fully cooperate. Not to mention, he had just tricked Lin Shiming into getting a severe beating yesterday, and was feeling guilty.
However, a thing can have more than one purpose.
"Remember to polish today's events before spreading them."
Emperor Longyun's words may seem puzzling, but Li An, who has followed him for decades, naturally understands them.
Li An accepted the greeting, bowed deeply, and then withdrew from the Xuanzheng Hall.
Emperor Longyun stood by the window and looked out. The sky was still the same unchanging blue, but the people of the world had changed generation after generation.
Today's match was not merely a simple test between the two sides. For Emperor Longyun, it held a deeper meaning.
He wanted to use this incident to lay the foundation for future reforms.
Today's exam reforms have changed ancestral rules, and the future abolition of "ruling the country with filial piety" will break thousands of years of tradition.
If they lose today, future reforms will be even more difficult. If they can't even change the simple rules of the imperial examination system, how can they possibly alter long-standing policies for governing the country?
If you can't even walk steadily, how can you run?
Only by winning decisively today can we have a chance to achieve complete success in our grand plans for tomorrow.
Although Lin Shih-ming's actions today were a bit bloody, he did a really good job.
After his outburst, when Emperor Longyun proposes to abolish the "rule of the country by filial piety" in the future, no one will dare to easily threaten suicide or mourn their ancestors.
Because if you dare to cry to your ancestors, Lin Shih-ming will really dare to send you to meet your ancestors as well.
When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. If it were something that brought disaster to the country and its people, that would be one thing, but Emperor Longyun was certain that his reforms were reasonable, fairer, more just, and more advanced. Given this stark contrast, how many people would risk their lives for a flawed and outdated rule?
Therefore, with Lin Shih-ming's appearance today, anyone who wants to "die for remonstrance" in the future will have to think twice.
This is a matter of great importance, and every step requires preparation and accumulation.
Emperor Longyun lowered his head and pondered. With this matter as a foundation, he estimated that in another month or two, he could put his ultimate goal on the agenda.
He received a letter from Lin Yunyue yesterday, saying that he had met a traveling doctor whose medical skills were exceptionally high and who was currently on his way to the capital at Lin Yunyue's request.
Emperor Longyun did not tell anyone about this. He did not want to disappoint everyone or upset Bai Qiongzhu.
If this miracle doctor can really cure Bai Qiongzhu, or even if he can't cure her, it would be good if he could just let her live a few more comfortable days.
If she lives a few more days, and I quicken my pace, maybe I can let her hear and see, witness firsthand the head of her enemy fall to the ground.
At that time, it will be Emperor Longyun who will unleash a reign of terror.
*
The events of today's court meeting quickly spread throughout the capital thanks to the deliberate efforts of certain individuals.
A group of candidates gathered under the list to look at Lin Shiming's "explanation of the bonus questions," calculating as they read, and praising him repeatedly. Their naive and unsophisticated appearance was just like "Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden."
"I knew it! How could the Crown Princess, who came from the Tingyun Army, be such a rash person!"
"Brother Yang is right! This problem seems simple, but it is actually profound and mysterious. In the end, we are not clever enough to come up with such a magical method, so we can only calculate it one by one!"
"Have you finished calculating?"
"No! I only got two answers, and I forgot about the leap year!"
...Then what are you so proud of! You talk as if you've figured it all out yourself.
"That's not bad. I heard that many people didn't even get a single one right, but they've sweated enough for a year."
"Who isn't?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
"But then again, if so many of us haven't figured it out, how are we supposed to rank the participants in this palace examination?"
"I know about this!"
A student dressed in rather elegant clothes suddenly appeared in the crowd.
Everyone immediately turned to look at him. "Brother, don't keep us clueless people in suspense. Tell us quickly, what do you know?"
The man didn't refuse and started talking while fanning himself.
"I heard that during the morning court session this day, His Highness Prince Ping impeached His Highness the Crown Princess over this question. As a result, His Highness the Crown Princess said that this question was considered an additional question and should only be used as a reference. The main questions are still the first two."
"really?"
"Of course! My cousin is Xiao Feng, the Vice Minister of Revenue. He told me this himself at lunch today!"
"Your cousin is Xiao Feng?"
The crowd erupted into chaos, everyone jostling around the student, almost making him vomit.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you guys even listening? If you keep pushing, I'm not going to talk anymore!"
This student, Lou Yunsu, Xiao Feng's cousin, waved his arms forcefully to shoo away the people around him.
"Listen! Of course we're listening! Brother, please speak quickly, we're all ears!"
The area below the list gradually quieted down, and Lou Yunsu began to speak slowly.
"This question is indeed an extra question. It is said that if someone can solve it according to the method given by the Crown Princess, they can directly enter the Hanlin Academy and receive the same treatment as the top three in the first rank. If no one can solve it, then this question will be used to see if everyone can handle things and whether they can do things carefully and meticulously."
The group nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense."
"But this rule didn't exist before, did it?"
"Hey! You're right." Lou Yunsu snapped open his folding fan and held it up to his face, looking sly and gossipy. "This rule is new this year. And because of it, Elder Yue Linghan almost lost his life!"
"what?!"
"You almost lost your life?"
"Exactly."
Lou Yunsu looked around, and only when he saw that there were no soldiers around did he dare to speak up again.
"...So Grand Secretary Yue insisted on making a scene, saying he wanted to go to Emperor Taishi to complain. Then the Crown Princess simply granted his wish, and took a knife to help Grand Secretary Yue go see Emperor Taishi."
"But Grand Secretary Yue only wanted to use Emperor Taishi to pressure His Majesty and the Crown Princess. How could he really want to die? So after being slashed twice, he changed his tune and no longer dared to mention ancestral rules."
A student asked in surprise, "Is this Grand Secretary Yue so afraid of death?"
"That's right!" Lou Yunsu spoke as if he had experienced it firsthand. "You don't know, these old ministers like to bring up filial piety towards their ancestors. They're so pedantic. If His Majesty doesn't agree, they'll cry and threaten to die for him. They're just taking advantage of the fact that the emperor values his reputation to force His Majesty to compromise."
"But if they really run into any trouble, they'll be the first ones to turn tail and run!"
The students were buzzing with discussion. "It seems His Majesty has it tough, constantly being pressured by those old ministers. I suppose the Crown Princess was forced into a corner before she took action against those old ministers!"
"That's right! Now I understand. So they were trying to control the Crown Princess all along, which is why she fought back!"
“That makes sense! The Crown Princess is a military officer, so naturally she can’t stand being wronged by those people.”
"That's it! That's it!"
"But how did they force the Crown Princess?"
"Isn't it easy to guess? Just look at this year's questions. It seems that His Majesty wants to reform, but these people are conservative and refuse to change for their own benefit. That's why the Crown Princess, who can't stand being taken advantage of, has repeatedly taken action against them."
"What this gentleman said is absolutely right!"
"If we ever have the opportunity to enter the court in the future, we must draw a clear line between ourselves and those stubborn old ministers!"
"Of course! We should be of one mind and one heart with His Majesty."
The students below the list started making a ruckus again. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Lou Yunsu, who had started the conversation, quietly squeezed out of the crowd and went into a teahouse next door.
In a private room on the second floor, Xiao Feng observed the situation through the window.