Jiuxi

Chapter 388 Chapter 386 [Never step back]

"I want your life!"

Li Duan's words were murderous, and there was silence in Duancheng Hall.

All the officials were shocked.

Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has given people the impression of being gentle and tolerant. Faced with the complicated power structure in the court, he is both patient and know how to be roundabout. No matter what decision he makes, he will take the interests of all parties into consideration.

Even though the process was a bit bumpy, he finally had enough patience to extend his tentacles in all directions and gradually regained the power he had given away.

The Jiangnan clan is not unaware of this, but Li Duan adopts a step-by-step approach without overly harming the interests of the people below. In this case, they cannot form a joint force at all. In addition, there are struggles between the clans themselves. Therefore, Li Duan's gentle methods have not encountered many obstacles in the past fourteen years.

At this moment, seeing the emperor being so tough in protecting Lu Chen, many people couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.

Lu Chen understood in his heart that the reason why the emperor changed from his normal state was because he knew that there was something wrong with his body, and he had to solve the problems in the court while he could still persist, otherwise the situation of his successors would be even more difficult.

Therefore, toughness is his only option.

Even though he knew all the details well, Lu Chen looked at the Emperor's majestic body and listened to his powerful words. At this moment, he couldn't help but think of Yang Guangyuan who was framed and then died unjustly in prison.

If it was just ridicule, that would be fine. Ding Hui has been in the officialdom for so many years and has the ability to do what he wants. He is only worried that the Ding family in Ningtan will be jointly suppressed by other clans because of this incident.

Ding Hui, the Minister of the Ministry of War, is in an extremely embarrassing situation at the moment. He is the only high-ranking official among these people, and he seems to be the leader of everyone.

If he had known that the emperor's attitude was so tough, Ding Hui would definitely not have come forward.

To put it bluntly, even if it was out of consideration for the morale of the border troops, the emperor still wanted to maintain Lu Chen's position in the court, so his reaction was inevitable.

Same situation, different results.

"Your Majesty, I have a script!"

He came from a farming and studying family, but the Han family was a little far away from those top families, so Li Duangang was a little surprised by his impeachment at first.

Now that the flames have been ignited, the opposition between the emperor and the Jiangnan family has completely formed. If Ding Hui retreats at this time, he will inevitably become the laughing stock of others.

Just when Ding Hui was hesitant, a voice full of sadness suddenly sounded not far away.

The words "You treat me as a nobleman, I will repay you as a nobleman" came to Lu Chen's mind. He couldn't help but take a breath, and his expression became more solemn.

He has an upright personality, slightly similar to Xue Nanting, which is why he was recommended by Xue Nanting in the first place.

Lu Chen has been working hard in the frontier army in the past few years. Thanks to the strong financial resources of the Lu family and the care of Xiao Wangzhi, he neither needs to take shortcuts to seek promotion nor rely on the blood of soldiers to make money. He also stands firm on personal ethics. It is stable, and it can be said that there is no flaw in the whole body.

The Censor Zhongcheng is under the Censor Dafu and is the second-in-command of the Censor's Office. There are usually two people, and this is also the case in Daqi.

Li Duan looked around and saw Han Chang, the censor Zhongcheng who had just criticized him for the second time.

The root cause of this embarrassing situation is that they really don't have anything to do with Lu Chen.

The more than twenty courtiers who impeached Lu Chen are either advancing or retreating.

However, humans cannot completely escape the influence of emotions.

Looking at the red-faced Censor Zhongcheng, Li Duan said indifferently: "Tell me."

Han Changnai was a second-class Jinshi in the sixth year of Yuankang, the late emperor's reign. When Heluo City fell, he served as the magistrate of Huoning County, Zhangping Prefecture, Huzhou. Later, he was called to the capital as an official on the recommendation of Xue Nanting, and served successively as Yuanwailang, the Examination Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Yuanwailang, the Imperial Academy. Zhibaoshi and Yushi Zhongcheng.

These courtiers were just relying on the emperor's consistent kindness and wanted to change the emperor's mind by attacking in groups. How could they have imagined that the emperor was so strong today and even had the courage to become enemies in order to protect Lu Chen.

Han Chang took a deep breath, raised his head to meet the emperor's gaze, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I did not impeach Shanyang Marquis out of thin air. When he first entered the capital two years ago, he committed the following crimes, which is called arrogance and domineering. Previously he led The soldiers conquered Heluo. Of course I admire his military exploits, but I also want to ask, did Shanyang Marquis make a lot of money in Heluo City? If so, did the Ministry of Revenue and the Privy Council receive a tael of silver?"

Li Duan narrowed his eyes. Of course, Lu Chen would not miss the opportunity to search for wealth in Heluo City. He also knew where the money went.

Han Chang seemed to know that the emperor would not answer this question, and continued: "Since Shanyang Hou entered the capital, the court has never been stable! He relied on the support of hundreds of thousands of border troops behind him to trick His Majesty into shaking the foundation of the court. In name, they are loyal to the country, but in fact they are provoking conflicts between the center and the border!"

Li Duan sneered in his heart and asked in a cold voice: "Are you finished?"

Han Chang showed no fear on his face and said loudly: "I speak lightly, and no matter what I say, your Majesty will not believe it. As your Majesty said before, I am really not worthy of being the censor. In this case, I would like to ask your Majesty to remove me from my official position and allow me to dispose of myself." Homecoming!”

Although Yushi Zhongcheng is only a fourth-rank official and has not really entered the ranks of the most important ministers, but relying on the special status of Yushidai in the court, this official position is actually not inferior to that of ministers of various ministries.

Li Duan looked at Han Chang steadily, and did not directly reply to his resignation. He just raised his eyes and looked around the hall, and said slowly: "Is there anyone else who wants to resign and leave the court like him?"

There was silence.

"Your Majesty, I am old and frail. Recently I have become increasingly weak in energy. I am afraid I will not be able to carry out my duties. I would like to ask your Majesty's permission for me to beg for my body and return home."

This person is Wu Heng, the Imperial Academy’s sacrificial wine.

Li Duan remained silent.

When Wu Heng took the lead, twelve officials resigned in an instant.

What is forced uterus?

This is the real forced labor.

Lu Chen frowned slightly, feeling slightly worried. After all, the imperial court needs officials to govern, and not everyone is qualified to hold the positions of various yamen. If large-scale turmoil occurs in a short period of time, it will be harmful to Daqi but not beneficial.

Perhaps they saw this clearly and used this method of retreat to advance to force the emperor.

Right Minister Xue Nanting had a stern look on his face. He was about to step out of the office when he saw the emperor looking at him and shaking his head slightly at him.

Xue Nanting immediately understood that the emperor did not want him to come forward at this time and did not want him to become the enemy of the officials, because he also had to bear the heavy responsibility of governing the government and needed the cooperation of the officials below.

There are no words to describe Xue Nanting's mood at this moment. He almost tried his best to keep calm.

Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan noticed the movement around him, and the old man suddenly sighed in his heart.

Li Duan stood on the imperial steps, looking coldly at the fourteen officials headed by Wu Heng and Han Chang standing in the hall. At the same time, he also noticed that Ding Hui, the Minister of War, quietly retreated to his position at some point.

He had no time to mock Ding Hui's wise self-preservation, because at this moment, the severe pain in his organs struck again, the bone-scratching pain gnawing at his body and mind like thousands of insects.

Li Duan clenched his right hand into a fist and dug his nails into his flesh to keep himself awake.

He looked at the resigning courtiers and said slowly: "I have been on the throne for fourteen years. I am fortunate to have the assistance of all the ministers, so that the turbulent Qi Dynasty can regain its footing. I know that some of you are out of state. It was out of public concern or because he was disappointed with me that he asked to resign immediately."

"I don't dare."

Everyone heard the emperor's words softened, and quickly bowed to apologize.

The next moment, Li Duan said: "The court of Da Qi welcomes all capable ministers and officials, but it will not force you to continue serving the court. Since you want to resign, I will do so."

The tone was calm.

However, the atmosphere in Duancheng Hall was so stagnant that it was hard to breathe.

Fourteen officials resigning at the same time is a rare scene in history books. What's more important is that the emperor approved it and did not retain them at all!
After the dead silence, there was endless commotion.

Li Duan took a deep breath and said loudly: "The Imperial College offers wine to Wu Heng."

Wu Heng's heart tightened and he quickly responded: "I'm here."

Li Duandao said: "My beloved has worked hard for the country for decades, and now he has retired and returned to his hometown. How can I not reward him? I will grant you the title of Minister of Rites, give you a copy of the Book of Filial Piety and a hundred gold coins, and you will be allowed to return to your hometown with honor."

Wu Heng still couldn't believe that the emperor would directly agree to their resignation.

You must know that these fourteen officials are not cats and dogs, they are all actual officials of the capital who can participate in court meetings!

But the emperor's golden words were witnessed by all the ministers in the court. How could he be allowed to renege on his words?

Wu Heng saluted with bitterness: "Old minister, I would like to thank your majesty for your kindness!"

After understanding Li Duan's attitude, some of the other officials who resigned inevitably felt regretful. You must know that it was not easy for them to climb to their current position after studying hard for ten or twenty years, but now they were reduced to nothing in a day. Who can accept this gap?

Li Duan did not give them a chance to regret it. Except for Wu Heng, all the others were rewarded. In short, these people were not embarrassed too much.

The atmosphere in Duancheng Hall became increasingly tense and solemn.

The fourteen officials bowed and resigned with different expressions. Since they had submitted their resignation and the emperor had approved it, they naturally could not stay in the palace any longer.

Watching these people retreat and then turn away, Li Duan did not wait for other important ministers to raise objections to the matter, and said in a serious tone: "The Imperial Academy Supervisor, Shen Wanzhang."

"Chen is here!"

A civil servant who was nearly forty years old came out immediately.

"Shi Yushi, Wang Ding."

"Chen is here!"

"Dianke Cheng of Honglu Temple, Kong Qingwen."

"Chen is here!"

……

In a moment, Li Duan read out fourteen names in succession, five of whom were Beijing officials in the palace, and the remaining nine were all middle- and lower-level officials from various states in the south of the Yangtze River.

The ministers didn't know why, and only a few important ministers understood the profound meaning of the emperor's move in an instant.

Li Duan raised his eyes and looked outside the hall. He could vaguely see the figures of the officials who had resigned, as well as the extremely bright sunshine outside the hall.

He said calmly: "Fourteen courtiers have just resigned. Naturally, they need successors after they leave, otherwise there will be problems in the operation of the court. I have decided that these fourteen people will take over the vacant official positions. Zhongshu and Libu will be on the third Tian Nei Nei will inform the government and the public about their resumes and lives. I want the people of the world to know that Da Qi is not without talents, but many times they lack channels for advancement."

The ministers had mixed feelings in their hearts.

How could they not understand at this time that the emperor knew all the officials in the court and the officials in the lower states, so even if those people openly forced the palace, he would not hesitate to drive them out of the court!

At this point, no one dared to propose resignation, and the hall echoed with the uniform shouts of all officials.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

(End of this chapter)