minions live

Chapter 760 Demotion
However, the King of Pingliang never returned.

At noon,

Ta-ta-ta-ta.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves echoed throughout the alley.

The servants of the neighboring mansions couldn't help but lean out and crane their necks to look around curiously.

They quickly recognized the visitor.

Patrol Battalion!
Moreover, they all had serious expressions.

Has someone's house been burgled?

Gee tut.

I wonder which petty thief was so audacious as to dare to attack the mansions of the powerful families residing in the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise clans.

This is like the God of Longevity hanging himself—he must be tired of living.

The disciples were deeply moved and were about to turn their gaze away.

They were stunned again.

The leader was not wearing the uniform of the patrol battalion.

Moreover, the chest is painted with a sea dragon, and the flaps and sleeves are embroidered with fierce golden dragon patterns, making it look gorgeous and dazzling.

This is a prince's uniform!
Soon someone else recognized the prince.

Prince An was not old, only in his early forties.

For some unknown reason, a few months ago he suddenly emerged and replaced Prince Liang as a member of the Imperial Clan Court.

With a clear objective, Prince An headed straight for the Pingliang Prince's Mansion and quickly sealed off all the exits.

Upon receiving the news, the Pingliang Prince's Mansion was instantly in an uproar. Everyone was filled with fear and unease, and even the Princess Consort was at a loss for what to do in the face of this commotion.

The old butler had no choice but to step forward.

"This old servant greets Prince An."

Seeing that it wasn't the Jinlin Guard who came, he remained calm despite his anxiety.

"As the year draws to a close, the capital is freezing cold. I was unaware of Your Highness's presence and have failed to greet you properly."

As he spoke, the old steward secretly slipped him a heavy bag of silver.

"My lord is not at home at the moment, and my princess is in poor health... May I ask what brings my lord here?"

Prince An did not take it, but expressionlessly took out a piece of yellow silk and unfolded it with a swish.

"The Imperial Clan Court has confirmed that the Prince of Pingliang openly disregarded the rules of the imperial family and brazenly became involved in the Central Army case. The evidence is conclusive."

"I have been ordered to temporarily take charge of the Pingliang Prince's Mansion. Until further information is received, all personnel in the mansion are only allowed to enter and not leave."

Anyone who violates this rule will bear the consequences!

The butler was prepared, but he still couldn't help feeling dizzy and almost collapsed to the ground.

It took him a long while to come to his senses. Trembling, he accepted the order from Prince An and struggled to return to the palace to report to the Princess.

Prince An watched all this silently, secretly pleased.

The Imperial Clan Court was established along with the founding of Yun Chui, and thus has a long history.

But most of the time it's just for show, it's only lively during holidays like Chinese New Year.

For example, some old princes who relied on their seniority liked to gather some young clansmen in the Imperial Clan Court from time to time, and then talk at length about the history of the Chen imperial family and say some inspiring words for the future.

To sum it up in one sentence, they were just being silly and having nothing better to do.

As for the members of the royal family who were summoned, even if they arrived, they would only go through the motions of responding, and in reality, they didn't take what the old princes said to heart at all.

However, after Ren Ning took office, the Imperial Clan Court changed its ways and even became more murderous, finally resembling its original appearance.

That is, to govern a group of collateral relatives of the royal family.

As the saying goes, power is the most intoxicating thing, and even royalty, who are second only to the emperor, are no exception.

As a result, the positions of clan elders in the Imperial Clan Court suddenly became highly sought after, attracting the envy of collateral descendants of the emperor from all over the country, who all sought ways to enter the court.

Hey.

Prince An was overjoyed.

Under normal circumstances, given his age and qualifications, it would be a pipe dream for him to enter the Imperial Clan Court.

Fortunately, there were fools like the King of Liang, the King of Qi, and the King of Pingliang who didn't know their own limitations, which allowed him to get away with it.

We still need to do things properly according to His Majesty's wishes.

Prince An silently reminded himself.

Not only to be imposing in front of other members of the royal family, but also to consider the future of the Prince An's mansion.

He certainly didn't want his princely mansion to become a duke's mansion in a few years...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Imperial Clan Court sent people to seal off the Pingliang Prince's Mansion.
This sudden news shattered the peaceful winter in Star City.

what happened?

The noble families were still in surprise,
But soon they discovered that the Pingliang Prince's Mansion was not the only one sealed off by the Imperial Clan Court; there were also dozens of other renowned prince and princess mansions.

At the same time, all sorts of rumors started to spread like wildfire.

The Central Army Corps, it's the Central Army Corps again.

These sealed-off princely and princess residences were all involved in the Central Army Corps case.

For a moment, many people felt uneasy.

I originally thought that the last time Fang Yinbao returned to the capital, the Jinlin Guard seized hundreds of generals' mansions, and that was the end of it, but it turns out that it is still going on.

Moreover, the raised sword was actually pointed at the royal family itself.

When will this ever end?
Many wealthy families are secretly lamenting.

The end of the year is usually a time for visiting relatives, but many people quickly canceled their recent trips and kept their family members in a stern voice, urging them to keep a low profile and not to do anything reckless.

Otherwise, even if you are a member of the royal family, you will still suffer misfortune.

The person mentioned above doesn't even spare his own people, let alone them. ——————

The Marquis of Annan's residence.

Wow.

With the help of several servants, the high threshold of the main gate was removed.

"Welcome back safely, Your Highness."

Lin Hanmo stared intently at the plaque hanging high above the door, his expression complex.

After a long while, he finally looked away and nodded to Dai Pucun and the others who were following behind him.

"Let's go back to the manor first, and we can talk about the rest later."

After saying that, he took the lead and stepped through the gate.

After passing through the gate, a huge screen wall greets everyone.

A large "安" (An) character is surrounded by ornate tiger stripes.

The characters are bright red, like spread blood or burning flames, fiery and brilliant under the slanting rays of the setting sun.

Lin Hanmo stared silently at the word.

Their An'nan Marquisate was born in blood, and it also grew and thrived in blood.

However, in the recent battle of Huayang County, almost all the men of the Lin family were killed or wounded, and they were unable to continue to maintain the glory of their family.

Ugh.

Lin Hanmo sighed deeply, then clenched his fist tightly.

The lintel can be raised again if it is lowered; as long as the man is still alive, the Marquis's mansion cannot be considered extinct, and the Lin family still has hope.

Just like the Marquis of Zhongyong's family back then, even though it has fallen temporarily, as long as the children and grandchildren work hard, there is still a chance.

Come on.

Lin Hanmo silently reminded himself.

After passing the screen wall and entering the front yard, he was greeted by a large group of people.

Apart from the Marquis of Annam, almost all the others were women, all dressed in plain white.

"Thank God, thank God."

Lady Hou was so excited that she could barely stand.

She stared at her son who had just stepped through the door, and seeing that he was safe and sound, she couldn't help but shed tears.

"Why are you crying?" Marquis Annan coughed. "It's good that you're back. Come over here and step over the fire basin to burn away all the bad luck from the past."

Lady Hou seemed to wake from a dream, "Yes, yes, step over the fire basin first. We'll talk about the rest later."

Lin Hanmo and Dai Pucun responded and quickly took a few steps, stepping over the blazing brazier one by one, before greeting everyone.

Upon entering the main hall, before the family could exchange more than a few words, there was a knock on the door.

The tense voices of the gatekeepers could be heard from outside.

"Lord Marquis, Prince, the Ministers of War and Personnel have come to visit, but the two lords are outside the gate and refuse to come in."

Lin Hanmo's heart sank, and he couldn't help but exchange a glance with his father.

With the year-end approaching, the Ministry of Personnel must have already tallied up the performance and merits of each department and prefecture throughout the year, and it is time to make a decision.

The father and son were unwilling, but they could only walk quickly toward the gate.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis, and Prince."

Despite being high-ranking officials in the six ministries of the imperial court, Guan Yi and his companion still had to bow and greet the Lin family before their noble titles.

Marquis Annan forced a smile, "I was unaware of the presence of the two ministers, please come in."

"Someone, prepare tea and snacks for the two gentlemen to keep them warm."

Guan Yi and the other man looked up at the plaque above them simultaneously.

"I will not enter the mansion for now."

"We're all acquaintances, and I'm sure you know why we're here. Let's get down to business first."

At this crucial juncture, everyone in both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War is extremely busy, so there's no time for tea.

The Marquis of Annan's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

He glanced at the audience who were gradually gathering around him, then closed his eyes in anguish.

"Enough, enough. My Lin family deserves its punishment. Please, gentlemen, make yourselves at home."

The Minister of Personnel nodded, then pulled out a long scroll of silk and began to read it aloud.

It took him quite a while to finish reading.

"Lord Marquis and his heir, do you two have any objections to the records of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel?"

Father and son dared not be careless. They took the record, braved the wind and snow to read it carefully, and only after a long while did they slowly shake their heads.

"Thank you, Your Excellencies. The records from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel are detailed and accurate, and the punishment is appropriate. There are no objections from the Marquis's residence."

The Minister of Personnel nodded and turned to look at his subordinates behind him.

"From the sixteenth year of Changxing to the thirty-second year of Changxing, the Lin family was negligent in managing their household, lax in controlling the army, and ineffective in protecting the country. According to the law, their rank was reduced by five grades and they were fined 30,000."

"Guards, remove the plaque from the Marquis's residence."

The subordinates, who had already brought ladders and hooks, rushed forward upon hearing this.

In full view of everyone, they ripped down the plaque that had been hanging in the Lin family's house for decades.

"Change the plaque," the Minister of Personnel said again.

Soon, a plaque that read "Annan Earl's Residence" was brought out and quickly hung above the main gate.

伯。

Lin Hanmo quietly looked at the title on the plaque.

In the blink of an eye, they were demoted from a second-rank military marquis to a third-rank military earl, a dramatic drop of five ranks.

If the title falls again, it will be like the Marquis of Zhongyong's family a few years ago, losing its title.