Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

He felt this was an opportunity to sound out the opinions of the ministers.

Xia Shouzhong accepted the order and left.

A short while later, an eunuch from outside the palace entered and reported:

"Your Majesty, Chen Tingjing, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Summon them!" Emperor Jingsheng straightened his appearance, sat back down at the table, and said in a deep voice.

Before long, an eunuch led Chen Tingjing into the hall.

Subsequently, several other Grand Secretaries, Niu Jizong, Duke Zhao, and others also arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

After exchanging greetings, Emperor Jingsheng did not rush to report the victory, but instead inquired about Li Guangdi, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall:

"Minister Li, how's the investigation I asked you to do the other day about the Duke of Cheng's eldest son letting his servants commit murders in the capital?"

It was not unusual for the sons of powerful and wealthy families to run rampant in the capital, and it didn't require Emperor Jingsheng's personal intervention.

However, by sheer coincidence, the eldest son of the Duke of Cheng allowed his servants to kill two students from the Imperial Academy who held official titles. This led to his impeachment by the censor of the court, causing a stir in the court and among the people.

When Emperor Jingsheng learned of this, he ordered Li Guangdi, a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, to thoroughly investigate and rectify the security situation in the capital.

"Your Majesty! This matter has been investigated and confirmed. Yang Rong, the eldest son of the Duke of Cheng, has committed many illegal acts in the capital city and has instructed his wicked servants to beat and kill people on multiple occasions."

"The victim's family repeatedly reported the case to the authorities, but no one dared to take action. The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Military Commands and other government offices did not handle the case, which led to the perpetrator acting with impunity and lawlessness."

"It wasn't until this incident, when His Majesty personally ordered his arrest, that he was brought to justice. He has now confessed to his crimes!"

Li Guangdi's words were full of indignation, clearly showing his deep disgust for the actions of Xun Gui's sons.

Li Guangdi's words caused the assembled officials to turn solemn, with Grand Secretary Chen Tingjing even kneeling down.

I apologize:

"As the Grand Secretary, I was unaware of the existence of such wicked individuals in the capital. I bear responsibility for this oversight and beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Seeing that Chen Tingjing had already apologized, the others immediately knelt down and said:

"We, your humble servants, have acted improperly, allowing such a heinous crime to occur in the capital, disturbing Your Majesty's understanding. We beg Your Majesty to punish us!"

Emperor Jingsheng sat upright behind the long table, watching his ministers plead guilty, his expression unchanged.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable. He didn't speak, but glanced at the kneeling Duke of Zhao, Xu Ding, before finally saying:

"This matter has caused such an uproar in the scholarly circles that I have only now had the 'honor' to hear of it. In the capital, the most virtuous place in the land, there are such lawless individuals!"

"The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Command are powerless to govern; the people have grievances but cannot seek redress, and their suffering has nowhere to go, all because the Duke of Cheng is so powerful!"

"The fact that the truth of this case was uncovered is thanks to the voice of the literati, which finally brought justice to scholars!"

"But how many powerful officials and gentry in the capital still abuse their power and commit illegal acts in the shadows, with the common people having no voice to appeal and no one to rely on, and I am unaware of it all? Looking across the land, how many such cases are there?"

Emperor Jingsheng's emotionless question echoed in the hall, causing a cold sweat to break out on the backs of the officials present.

"Some people say I'm too harsh on my subordinates! But shouldn't these corrupt officials, wicked bureaucrats, and lawless nobles be severely punished?"

"If we don't become stricter, will they still have a shred of respect in their hearts? If we don't reform the bureaucracy, will they still have any respect for the Han Dynasty?"

Emperor Jingsheng's tone was chilling. He then looked at Xu Ding, the Duke of Zhao, who was kneeling on the ground, and changed his tone, asking with an overwhelming sense of pressure:

"Duke Zhao, what do you say about Duke Cheng's matter?"

Duke Xu Ding of Zhao's expression hardened. After a moment's thought, he replied:

"Since Grand Secretary Li has investigated the case and confirmed that Yang Rong did commit a crime with conclusive evidence, he should naturally be convicted according to the laws of our Great Han Dynasty. As for the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Command protecting his crime and neglecting their duties, they should also be punished according to the law."

Seeing that Xu Ding was avoiding the main point, Emperor Jingsheng's expression darkened slightly, and he looked at Li Guangdi beside him and said:

"Li Qing, this case was handled by you! What do you suggest we do?"

Li Guangdi, clearly having anticipated this, calmly and slowly said:

"Your Majesty! According to the laws of our Great Han Dynasty, Yang Rong should be executed. The Duke of Cheng failed in his duty to discipline his son, and his family's conduct was improper; he is inextricably linked to this matter and should be immediately dismissed from his post pending investigation!"

"The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Garrison Command have neglected their duties and should immediately detain their principal officials in the Court of Judicial Review. The Censorate should thoroughly investigate past injustices, and once any wrongdoing is verified, there will be no leniency!"

Zhang Tingyu glanced at Li Guangdi, seemingly surprised that he dared to speak so frankly, without any fear of offending anyone.

It should be noted that the Duke of Cheng was a core figure in the Jingnan Rebellion's elite lineage, wielding real power and controlling the military command of the Ba Shang camp outside the capital. He was also a confidant of the retired emperor.

Just now, under Emperor Jingsheng's pressure, Duke Zhao did not offer any advice on dealing with Duke Cheng, but Li Guangdi directly said that Duke Cheng should be dismissed and impeached.

However, the Emperor Emeritus's actions over the years have indeed gone too far!

Although His Majesty is somewhat impatient, he is still a wise ruler.

"Hmm, this approach is indeed in accordance with the law!" Emperor Jingsheng pondered for a moment and said:

"What are the opinions of the others?"

Zhang Tingyu, Chen Tingjing, and Gong Dingzi all agreed.

Niu Jizong's heart stirred. He had been recalled to the capital by Emperor Jingsheng a year ago and appointed as the Left Commander of the Five Military Commissions, in charge of the capital garrison. He was considered one of Emperor Jingsheng's trusted military officials.

He glanced at Emperor Jingsheng's expression and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that Grand Secretary Li's words are reasonable. The Duke of Cheng has allowed his son to commit atrocities, and his household has been acting arrogantly and domineeringly in the capital for quite some time. He should have been suspended from his post long ago and is awaiting investigation!"

"Your Majesty, I recommend Prince Teng, the Inspector-General of Nine Provinces, to serve as the Military Governor of the Ba Shang Camp! Since inspecting the borders, Prince Teng has been strict and upright, knowledgeable in military affairs and skilled in their use, and has accomplished much. He is perfectly suited for this position!"

"Prince Teng?" Emperor Jingsheng smiled slightly, but did not speak immediately.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Prince Teng is a civil official by birth, has no battlefield experience, and has never led troops. His abilities are insufficient to shoulder such a great responsibility!"

Duke Xu Ding of Zhao was a meritorious official who had participated in the Jingnan Camp Incident, so he naturally could not stand by and watch the founding line seize military power in the Ba Shang camp.

It should be noted that outside the capital city, there are only the Jingying (capital garrison) and Bashang (bashang) camps, each with 100,000 men.

Once the founding lineage completely takes control, which is equivalent to being in the hands of Emperor Jingsheng, how can the ministers on the side of the retired emperor still seek restoration?

Gong Dingzi, a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, chimed in:

"Your Majesty! This is indeed inappropriate! It is right to dismiss the Duke of Cheng! However, the Ba Shang camp still needs to be properly appeased. Prince Teng has no military merits, and I'm afraid he won't be able to gain the approval of those soldiers and officers."

Gong Dingzi raised a practical question: even if the Duke of Chengguo is removed, it doesn't mean that simply replacing the military governor of Ba Shang Camp will allow them to fully control these 100,000 troops.

After all, most of the military officers in the main camp were from the Jingnan faction, and were unruly and rebellious.

As a civil official, Wang Ziteng was unlikely to gain the respect of the people. Forcing things might backfire and harm him instead.

Emperor Jingsheng paused for a moment, realizing he couldn't act too hastily!

It's already quite good that we were able to take away the military power of the Duke of Cheng's Ba Shang camp this time, but it's impossible to take control of the Ba Shang camp immediately.

Then, he said in a deep voice:

"Hmm! Then let's proceed as Li Qing wishes. Dismiss the Duke of Cheng from his post and await impeachment. His son, Yang Rong, is guilty of unforgivable crimes and should be executed immediately! The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Command have been despicable for their cover-up and inaction; their officials in charge should all be imprisoned and punished!"

"Let's leave this matter here for now and discuss another matter."

"Xia Shouzhong, summon Feng Ziying to an audience! Circulate the news of the victory to the Grand Secretaries."