Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 466: Is it necessary to attend this class?

The funeral caused a huge uproar.

After things stabilized a little, Xia Lin's fourth rank was downgraded to the fifth rank, which meant that he had lost the qualification to attend court again.

This matter made many people confused about what the prince wanted to do, but this was unfair to the prince. Was this his idea? This was clearly Xia Lin's own request. Now, no joke, it would be no problem to give him the third rank, but he wanted the fifth rank, which was just on the boundary of not attending court.

As for how to demote him, Xia Lin calculated the expenses after Emperor Renzong was buried and worked out that the Zongzheng Temple had shortchanged 370 taels of silver. Then he took advantage of a dark and windy night to burn down the Zongzheng Temple's yamen and was caught on the spot.

This incident caused a sensation in the court. Xia Lin was brought up and jumped up to curse the Minister of Zongzheng Temple, saying, "I said, if you are short of one or two ounces of silver, I will burn down your yamen."

That look, that posture, that tone, all the civil and military officials in the court immediately looked at Old Guo, who was standing next to them with his head down and silent.

"Look, look at your great-grandmother. If you look any further, I'll dig out your eyeballs!"

This is how Lao Guo cursed at that time.

What can be done with two soldiers, one big and one small? However, Xia Lin's behavior was too bad, so the prince could only demote him temporarily, and then appease the Minister of Zongzheng Temple and allocate money to rebuild the yamen.

But problems also followed. When looking through the classics, it was found that the second prince's lineage had been burned out, and the second prince's branch had just been wiped out.

Since the genealogical records of the second royal family are gone, they have to be rebuilt. This reconstruction will take at least two to three years, because that thing is unique and there is no backup. So we even have to go to the imperial palace to look for the daily records of that year to see when the emperor visited, when she became pregnant, when the second prince was born, what he did at what age, all of which have to be done bit by bit.

But the problem is that the adjustment of the daily records requires the emperor's approval. Now the new emperor has not yet ascended the throne. The main thing is that the Zongzheng Temple is still discussing whether the prince should be included in the canon as the son of the Prince of Qin or the son of Renzong.

But now, after Xia Lin's intervention, Renzong's son should be Renzong's son. Otherwise, even if the government office is burned down, the work of the Zongzheng Temple cannot be stopped. If the performance is not completed by the end of the year, the inner court will be held accountable.

Therefore, they quickly finalized the registration ceremony for the Crown Prince, and once it was finalized, it meant that the Crown Prince was already the legitimate heir without any other suspense.

For this, the Ministry of Rites was glad that they didn't provoke Xia Lin, the scoundrel, and escaped a disaster. After all, he had threatened to tear down the roof of the Ministry of Rites...

Although this coronation was somewhat ridiculous and even hasty, it was arranged smoothly. Once the coronation was completed, the prince had survived the biggest catastrophe in his life.

In fact, some people would feel sorry for the prince, thinking it was not worth it for him to ascend the throne in such a simple and hasty manner. But if his status allowed it, the prince would want to kneel down and kowtow to Xia Lin. This thing is about cutting the Gordian knot. He wishes he could get it done today and get the stamp tomorrow so he can ascend the throne smoothly without any other troubles. The longer the night, the more trouble he will have.

"I support the prince, not because he is so great, but because his second son is even worse."

Xia Lin sat next to Lao Guo and ate hotpot with his godfather. After a few drinks, the father and son started to talk about killing all the clans.

"My fourth brother is pitiful, but he gave birth to a bunch of useless people. God is blind..." Lao Guo is also outspoken: "If only the eldest son or the second son of the Li family could give one to the fourth brother, the Wei Dynasty would be able to soar on the spot."

"Oh dad, you've had too much to drink."

"No! I'm not drunk." Lao Guo slapped his thigh and said, "When will his second son make a move?"

"There are still seven days before the coronation ceremony. During these seven days, he will definitely take action if he has the urge to do so."

Lao Guo nodded: "You mean to tell me not to move?"

"Yes, the Po Lu Army cannot move. If you move, your contribution will be too great, and the Po Lu Army will not be able to stop you." Xia Lin gestured to the two of them and said, "We should slowly retreat now, to let him know that we are his backers. What's the point of standing forward? Wouldn't that just be a stumbling block for him? Dad, if it were you, would you rather be a stumbling block or a backer?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Yes." Xia Lin nodded: "I will start making arrangements starting tomorrow."

"Can the second brother survive? The fourth brother's body is still warm, and his son is... I won't be able to see him anymore."

Xia Lin leaned back in his chair. "Whether there is wind or not, you are not free. Everyone has their own worries. Rivers of blood will definitely flow, but the life and death of the second brother does not depend on us, but on the eldest brother. Whoever interferes with this cause and effect will die."

Old Guo nodded and said, "Hey...son, if you were my biological son, I would give you all my property right now. Don't blame me for being partial. I really can't help it. I don't have the final say alone."

"What are you talking about, Father Guo? It's better to make your own decisions than to seek divination from gods. It's better to have the ability than to recite Buddhist scriptures. You have given me the Po Lu Army. Isn't it a bit too much for me to ask for something else?"

"Alas... my nephews and nieces are not very motivated, they are all half-baked. It's also my fault, I didn't teach them well when they were young."

Xia Lin waved his hand, stood up and said, "It's getting late, I should go back to the palace."

"Be careful."

"know."

Xia Lin walked out of Guo's house and got on the carriage prepared by the prince. He closed his eyes and said to the driver, "Let's go to the new army camp outside the city."

The carriage started to move slowly. When he arrived at the new army camp, the general inside was ready, and behind him were five hundred elite soldiers, but now they were all dressed in eunuchs' clothes. Xia Lin got off the carriage, stood there and scanned everyone, cleared his throat and said, "This time, we will be divided into ten groups, and enter the palace one after another. Don't make a sound, and enter the palace with the token."

"Order!"

Five hundred new troops quickly began to move towards the palace, while another part joined the team preparing supplies for the registration ceremony.

The coronation ceremony required a lot of things, and it required thousands of people to work hard. No one would notice that there were a few extra carts of things among these supplies. Even the second prince's spies would not be able to keep an eye on these things.

So in just one night, five hundred new soldiers sneaked into the palace with weapons and armor.

During the day, everything was normal, and the focus of everyone's discussion was on checking for omissions and filling in the gaps in the registration ceremony. However, there were actually many more mighty and majestic "eunuchs" in the palace.

"I saw the maids flirting with those 'eunuchs'."

When the prince was washing his feet at night, he said to Jinlian jokingly: "These stinky men are really..."

"It's human nature, Your Majesty." Jinlian said with a sweet smile, "Besides, we can't blame those men entirely. The ladies in the palace haven't seen such a strong man for some years. Who can resist looking at him more?"

"Hahaha, that's true." The prince stroked his chin and said, "Jinlian, how do you think we should reward them then?"

"Those who are married will be rewarded with money, and those who are not married will be rewarded with less money and a palace maid." Jinlian said slowly: "Firstly, after your majesty ascends the throne, you will also have to replace a group of palace maids. Secondly, it will also help them fulfill their love. The palace maids are all good men, and those men are all from good families. They are well matched, how wonderful."

Jinlian held the prince's feet in her arms and wiped them carefully: "If this gets out, people will praise your majesty's virtues."

"Well, that's a good idea. This is also good." The prince smiled and nodded, then suddenly asked: "By the way, Jinlian. After I ascend the throne, I will ask Daosheng to find a way to give you a good husband status. Then... well, when I choose a concubine, how about choosing you as a noble concubine?"

Jinlian's hand trembled, and she looked up at the prince in astonishment, pursed her lips and said, "As long as Jinlian can serve your majesty, empty reputation is meaningless."

"You are moved." The prince lifted Jinlian's chin and said, "Tell me, are you moved?"

"How can I not be tempted? There is no woman in the world who doesn't want a good reputation."

"Okay, okay, when the storm is over, I'll ask Daosheng to take care of it. You must thank him properly then."

"Well...but I would like to thank His Majesty first."

In fact, Jinlian couldn't help but feel a little amused at the moment. She was thinking about Xia Lin all the time. If Lord Xia rushed to her and told her that he wanted to take her away to travel around the world, she would follow Xia Lin without even looking back. She would definitely thank him, but she was afraid that he would not want to...

At this moment, the prince's personal eunuch knocked on the door and reported that Zhao Shiyuan wanted to see him. The prince nodded and said, "Jinlian, go back and rest first. I will talk to him and then go find you."

"Your Majesty, please don't work too hard. You have lost weight these days."

"You are tired from attending the funeral of our father..." The prince sighed and said, "Okay, go and have a rest."

When Jinlian went out, she happened to meet Zhao Shiyuan. Zhao Shiyuan nodded in greeting, and Jinlian also squatted slightly in return.

"Shiyuan, let me ask you a question."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

The prince was silent for a while and then said, "Let me ask you, if the second brother really takes action, how should I deal with him?"

"The state has its own laws, and the family has its own rules. Naturally, the case will be dealt with according to the law. Treason is an unforgivable crime. Your Majesty, please do not show any sympathy."

These words made the prince pause for a long time, but he did not respond.

"Your Majesty, what did Xia Daosheng say?"

Hearing this made the prince laugh out loud: "That guy is more slippery than a loach. He said that estrangement does not affect relatives. I dare not bring it up as an outsider. Let me make the decision myself."

"Then..." Zhao Shiyuan's ears suddenly buzzed, and he suddenly realized that he had talked too much just now. Now he wanted to slap himself in the face, but it was too late to take back the words...

"Then let your majesty decide for yourself. I don't know what to do."

"You guys... one by one, didn't you just say you would punish them according to the law?"

"I... that..." Zhao Shiyuan pursed his lips and revealed a smile that was uglier than crying: "I drank too much and said nonsense..."

(End of this chapter)