Prime Minister.

Chapter 15, 015 [Shocking]

Today is the monthly grand court assembly, which is quite different from the regular court assembly.

The Grand Court Assembly was more of a ceremonial event, mainly giving officials below the fifth rank an opportunity to meet the emperor. Therefore, very few people would seriously discuss political affairs. It was usually just a formality, at most announcing some policy decisions that had been made, or announcing the appointment, removal and transfer of some important officials in public.

The emperor and high-ranking officials in purple robes discussed state affairs; this was the most basic function of the regular court sessions.

According to Xue Huai's understanding, this is similar to holding small meetings for important matters and large meetings for minor matters.

As he had expected, the emperor sat silently on the dragon throne, while the chief eunuch beside him read out several important state decisions.

It's pedantic and convoluted, making it easy to fall asleep.

Xue Huai was burning with anger, so he naturally felt no fatigue, but other officials might not be able to keep up.

For example, the thirty-year-old official standing in front of Xue Huaizuo appeared to be listening very attentively, but in reality, he was lost in thought. If nothing unexpected happened, he might have remained in a daze until the end of the court session.

He reminded Xue Huai of his classmates from his childhood who could sleep standing up.

Meanwhile, the other official to the right of this extraordinary man was listening intently to the grand eunuch's rhythmic recitation, his demeanor so devout as to be the complete opposite of the extraordinary man's.

Xue Huai's gaze continued to the right, finally settling on the face of Chen Quan, the lecturer.

The other person happened to be looking at him too.

Their eyes met, and Chen Quan subconsciously forced a smile, hoping to receive a friendly response from Xue Huai. However, he only saw a pair of cold eyes, even with a hint of murderous intent.

At this moment, Chen Quan couldn't help but feel dazed, and a sudden illusion arose in his mind—that Xue Huai, who had survived a great calamity and therefore changed his temperament, was just an illusion, and that this hothead had never actually changed.

The reason for this is that Chen Quan had seen Xue Huai's eyes like that too many times over the past year.

He looked down on Xue Huai for only trying to gain a good reputation, while Xue Huai directly mocked him for being opportunistic and scheming, saying that he was a disgrace to the prestigious Hanlin Academy.

In a daze, Chen Quan felt relieved. Dealing with Xue Huai like this would be a piece of cake; he could easily fall into any trap he dug.

Xue Huai roughly guessed Chen Quan's thoughts, and secretly sneered, hoping that this lecturer would still think the same way later.

The grand assembly proceeded smoothly and took more than half an hour to conclude.

According to past practice, this was meant to give officials a brief respite, and if officials had urgent matters to report, they could also use this time to do so.

The hall was completely silent.

Until a clear voice rang out.

"Your humble servant, Xue Huai, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, has a memorial to present!"

The extraordinary man who had been lost in thought suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Xue Huai with curiosity. The devout official standing to his right moved slightly to the right, as if he wanted to move further away from the source of the sound.

Chen Quan frowned and looked at Xue Huai with a puzzled expression.

Liu Huaide, standing to the left, turned around and looked on with a worried expression.

A mere seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy would certainly not attract much attention from the court officials. However, when this person is Xue Huai, the youngest third-rank scholar in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, the headstrong young man who has been running rampant in the court for the past two years, and the only surviving bloodline of the protagonist of the recent turmoil, it is enough to attract the interest of many people.

The atmosphere inside the hall subtly changed.

The middle-aged emperor, seated on the dragon throne, narrowed his eyes slightly. The chief eunuch immediately understood and stepped forward, loudly proclaiming, "Granted!"

Xue Huai, with a solemn expression, followed the rules by stepping forward with his left foot first, holding his tablet upright, and proceeding steadily.

Stop about seven steps away from the Imperial Staircase.

Standing in this position is equivalent to being at the core of the power of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Before him stood the Supreme Emperor of the Great Yan, who had ruled for eighteen years; to his left were civil officials led by Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi; and to his right were military leaders led by Duke Xie Jing of Wei.

Xue Huai kept his eyes fixed on the ground three feet in front of him.

"Since you have a memorial to present, why do you not speak of it?"

A deep, resonant voice came from above.

At the same time, most of the high-ranking officials in purple robes standing at the front looked at Xue Huai.

Minister of Works Xue Minglun maintained a calm expression, but secretly felt a sense of anticipation.

Xue Minglun was naturally disappointed that Xue Huai hadn't gone to see Shen Wang these past few days. In his opinion, without Shen Wang's help, it would have been unlikely that Xue Huai alone could have caused such a stir. Who knew that this distant nephew would give him such a big surprise, daring to jump out directly at the Grand Court Assembly.

As for what Xue Huai wanted to report, Xue Minglun could easily guess.

Two rows behind him, Hanlin Academician Lin Miao silently clenched his hands in his sleeves. Indeed, old habits die hard. Xue Huai had only been well-behaved for a few days, yet he had already revealed his true nature so quickly. He could only hope that Xue Huai would restrain himself today and not cause any uncontrollable trouble.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xue Huai composed himself and spoke in a slow but resonant tone that echoed throughout the hall.

"Your humble servant, Xue Huai, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, writes a tearful petition: The loyal souls are not yet cold, but the bones are already chilled; upright officials and virtuous ministers have been slandered!"

This opening remark caused Lin Miao's expression to change instantly, and his heart to clench.

"Now, Gu Heng, the Director of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, has smeared my father's reputation with a single piece of falsehood. I request that the thunderbolts of the Ninth Heaven be used to sweep away this evil influence. The sun and moon can bear witness, and metal and stone can testify to it!"

Xue Huai spoke each word with resounding force.

Upon hearing this, Gu Heng, who was standing in the middle to rear section of the civil officials' area, immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Works maintained a calm demeanor, but inwardly he was in turmoil, filled with deep confusion: Wasn't it said that Xue Huai's personality had drastically changed and that he had learned to protect himself? Why did he still dare to use such vehement words? Did he have the confidence to clear his deceased father's name?
Xue Huai bowed slightly, as if out of remorse for his deceased father, but his tone remained unwavering, without the slightest hesitation: "My father was in charge of flood control in Yangzhou, his blood and sweat soaking the dikes. Later, he was promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, but his case was cleared and he was buried alive. Even in the cold of the underworld, he still cherished the ambition that 'I would rather have no name recorded in history than let the people lose a single tile.' Now, Gu Heng's impeachment accuses a virtuous minister of seeking personal gain, judging a great man with the eyes of a rat, and defiling the heavens with a fly's dart!"

Gu Heng felt a tremor in his heart, and his legs suddenly felt weak.

Xue Minglun's expression finally turned solemn. He didn't look at Xue Huai, but instead carefully savored the beginning of the memorial.

Among the civil officials, the Grand Secretary remained calm, seemingly unaffected by Xue Huai's indignant remarks.

At this moment, Xue Huai was fully engaged, his grief genuine, and he continued loudly: "Gu Heng's memorial is full of 'embezzlement and fraud,' yet the Ministry of Works' archives are magnificent, and the imperial seal shines brightly! In the eighth year of Taihe, the funds for the Yangzhou river works were used to build the iron-clad long dike, and the Ministry of Works' annual assessment showed 'the river works were the best'! Gu Heng dares to call the imperial seal a forgery and slander the emperor's judgment as false, not only disgracing my father's good name but also overstepping his bounds and defaming the emperor!"

Liu Huaide looked slightly excited and silently gave a thumbs-up.

Gu Heng's face turned pale.

Xue Huai finally straightened his back and said resolutely, "The Great Proclamation still has the inscription 'Those who falsely accuse the good will have their tongues gouged out,' and Your Majesty once bestowed upon my father a plaque inscribed 'Worrying about the country and forgetting oneself'—now I request that this plaque be taken from the palace and hung at the Meridian Gate! I am willing to debate with Gu Heng in the palace. If it is proven that my father embezzled, I am willing to take the axe in his place; if it is proven to be false, I request Your Majesty to execute Gu Heng under the plaque, so that the truth may distinguish between the wicked and the loyal!"

A debate taking place in the imperial court!

Upon hearing this, many officials couldn't help but recall the impeachments written by Xue Huai in the past. Although most of them never came to fruition, no one could deny his literary talent, so his debating skills must have been extraordinary as well.

However, this approach is too drastic, leaving almost no room for maneuver.

If Xue Huai cannot produce sufficiently strong evidence to clear his deceased father's name in public, he will undoubtedly face public condemnation.

But as long as he can refute Gu Heng's accusations one by one, he will no longer have to worry day and night.

Most importantly, the bigwigs who wanted to profit from this matter were disrupted by Xue Huai's sudden attack. Regardless of whether Xue Huai succeeds or fails, they will hardly have the time to manipulate this young pawn and make him struggle in the game according to their expectations.

Others might not have had such courage, but the young man in front of them was Xue Huai, who was already well-known to everyone.

He certainly had the courage to forge ahead and burn his bridges.

Among the civil officials, a lean-looking official in his forties turned to look at Xue Huai, his eyes showing both a sense of duty and a hint of unspoken displeasure.

He was Shen Wang, Xue Huai's tutor in the imperial examinations and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

A few days ago, he learned about what had happened in the Hanlin Academy from Liu Huaide, and he had been waiting for Xue Huai to come and ask for his advice.

He knew that although this young disciple had a stubborn temper, his respect for him was always heartfelt. The past arguments were just because the two of them had different opinions, and did not mean that Xue Huai would ignore his existence.

He was confident that he could lead Xue Huai onto the right path.

Unexpectedly, Xue Huai seemed to have forgotten about his mentor. In the past few days, he had not only failed to visit him, but had not even sent a letter of explanation.

Shen Wang was not blaming Xue Huai for this incident; he simply hadn't expected Xue Huai to make such a reckless decision.

As for the reason... the one on the dragon throne certainly doesn't like the current situation.

The main hall was completely silent.

Xue Huai bowed and clasped his hands, stubbornly and firmly awaiting the emperor's response.

After a long silence, the voice above said calmly, "Gu Heng."

"Chen is here!"

Gu Heng hurriedly stepped forward from his class, his steps quick and unsteady.

"You accused Xue Mingzhang of corruption and malpractice; today, Xue Huai requests a hearing in court for a rebuttal—"

The middle-aged emperor's gaze swept over the two of them, his tone revealing no trace of joy or anger: "I grant your permission."

(End of this chapter)