Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 811 Turning the Tide
The court suddenly became quiet, which made Liu He feel quite uneasy.

He asked in a somewhat unhappy tone: "Why? Do all of you agree with what Guanglu Dafu said?"

"Your Majesty, I second the motion."

"I also second my opinion."

"So do old ministers..."

In a blink of an eye, most of the court officials stood up to express their agreement. Although Lu Zhi and others did not agree, they all stood where they were and had nothing to refute.

Cai Yong had an anxious look on his face. He looked around, hoping that some minister would come forward to save the situation and become his savior. However, he never saw such a figure, and he became more and more disappointed.

Cui Jun's face was also very anxious, and there was a hint of blame in his eyes when he looked at his father Cui Lie.

At the same time, Liu He also cast an unfriendly look at Cui Lie, which made Cui Lie shudder all over and then he hurriedly stood up.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Liu He could not wait to reply: "Sikong is very knowledgeable and must have profound insights."

Cui Lie felt the gazes from all directions, all focused on him, especially since most of them were full of malice, which made him feel very uneasy. However, since His Majesty had already named him, he had no choice but to do it, and he had to go up despite himself.

"Your Majesty, I think...I think..."

He secretly glanced at the ministers around him, and seeing that no one was about to interrupt him, he continued speaking.

"I think what my colleagues said is reasonable. Although we have different opinions, we are all thinking about the country and the country..."

After hearing these few words, Liu He was greatly disappointed and became a little impatient. Cui Jun also frowned secretly.

Liu He swung his sleeves and said, "Okay, there is no need to say more about these moderate words. Sikong, please tell me how you think the matter of General Wang Han should be handled. What do you think of the other ministers' high opinions?"

Cui Lie only felt a powerful aura rushing towards him, pressing him so hard that he was sweating profusely and having difficulty breathing.

"I think..."

He lowered his head, observing the ministers and Liu He's expressions, and began to think in his mind.

"Looking at your majesty's attitude, it is obvious that you are determined to protect this stupid general. Feng Luan's death was somewhat his own fault. I think many ministers are helping him out of kindness. They should not make things difficult for my Cui family for a mere Xiling Feng family. And if I don't speak for your majesty today, with your majesty's thunderous means, I'm afraid that even Zhou Ping will not be saved by me..."

Thinking of this, he bit his lip and made a decision in his heart.

"Your Majesty, I think that although Guanglu Dafu's words are reasonable, he has other reasons for punishing General Wang Han."

After he said this, Feng Fang, Zhao Rong and others immediately became angry.

"Cui Sikong, why are you..."

"Shut up!" Liu He shouted at them to leave: "I am asking Minister Cui, not you."

Several people looked terrified and quickly confessed: "We were in a hurry and offended the majesty of heaven. I hope Your Majesty will punish us..." Liu He snorted coldly: "I am concerned about the mood of the Minister of Agriculture and will not pursue the matter. This will not happen again."

"This old minister is extremely terrified. Extremely terrified..." Feng Fang pulled Zhao Rong and hurriedly retreated.

Cui Lie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I remember that your majesty has been fighting all over the country over the years, starting from Bingzhou and conquering the world, destroying the Yellow Turbans, punishing the Hu people, killing Yuan Shao, and suppressing Han Sui. Whenever you return victorious from a major battle, there is always a custom of celebrating for three days. For small events, there will be a banquet in the palace, and for large events, there will be buffets in various places in the city. In the month of the celebration day, all criminals, no matter how serious their crimes are, will be executed by beheading, quartering, lingchi, exile, etc. until the next month."

"How can the Prime Minister speak so freely? When has His Majesty ever issued such an edict?" Feng Fang came forward to question with some anger.

Cui Lie replied, "Your Majesty has indeed not issued such an edict, but think carefully, my ministers. Not long after defeating Yuan Shao, Your Majesty ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty. In the end, Liang Province won two great victories against Han Sui and Liu Yan, and the punishment of the criminals was postponed to the next month. Your Majesty once said that he was blessed by heaven and his ancestors to win the victory by chance, and he dared not take all the credit for himself, so he should show more grace to the people to show the justice of heaven and the benevolence of the Han Dynasty."

Then he turned to Zhong Yao and said, "Tingwei, you are in charge of the court's laws. You know this matter best. I wonder if what I said is true?"

Zhong Yao looked a little embarrassed, but after hesitating for a while, he said, "Reply to Sikong, it is indeed true."

Cui Lie nodded and said, "That's it. I wonder if your Majesty's actions are in line with the will of heaven and the will of man, and whether they violate the teachings of the saints in the slightest?"

He looked around at all the ministers, and they all looked at each other. No one could come out to refute. After all, if anyone dared to refute such a thing, it would be tantamount to directly scolding Liu He for being a tyrant and going against the will of heaven. Isn't that tantamount to seeking death?
Hearing this, Liu He was very satisfied, even a little surprised.

"Cui Lie is usually a bit cautious, and I thought I couldn't rely on him, but I didn't expect him to be so good at debate today. It seems that Zhou Ping gave his father a lot of instructions after returning to Cui's house last night."

Liu He's heart was half relieved at this time.

Cui Lie wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, "Since you all agree with your majesty's move, then this great victory in Chenliu, killing and capturing 160,000 to 170,000 soldiers and horses of the traitor Cao army, can be said to be the greatest victory the court has achieved since the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The court will follow this practice and postpone the punishment of all criminals until next month. I think you all have no objection?"

The faces of all the ministers changed. Today was the last day of September. Even if the Chief Justice could determine the crime tomorrow and postpone it to next month, the execution would not be carried out until November. Who knows what unexpected events might happen during this period.

The ministers who stood on Feng Fang's side all showed anxiety on their faces. Cui Lie couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that they had not come forward to refute him again.

Liu He smiled at Cui Jun, and Cui Jun felt relieved. Although it was his father Cui Lie who was speaking just now, he, as a son, was more nervous than his father. Now it seems that all his talk last night was worth it.

"Okay, Lord Feng, I've said that as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, I will always consider the country and the people, and will never bend the law for personal gain. Now that the matter has been decided and all the nobles have no objection, it will be handed over to the Luoyang magistrate and the court judge for trial today. Once all the guilt is confirmed, submit the memorial to me, and I will deal with it impartially."

Feng Fang looked unwilling but helpless. After hesitating for a long time, she decided to stand up and express her gratitude.

At this moment, a man suddenly appeared, which surprised Liu He.

"Your Majesty, wait a minute. I have something to say."

Liu He looked at this person and frowned, "Wang Situ, this matter has been discussed. I think there is no need to discuss it further, right?"

Although Wang Yun is often on the same front with him, the atmosphere in the court today is a bit weird. Wang Yun chose to show up at this time, which makes Liu He feel a little ominous.

"Your Majesty just said that all the ministers are welcome to speak out their opinions. Now that I have a memorial to make, why doesn't Your Majesty allow me to speak? The emperor's words are binding, how can you go back on them?"

He acted in an aggressive manner right from the start, which made Liu He's heart skip a beat.

(End of this chapter)