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

In the Qianqing Palace, as soon as Xu Zhuo and Lu Shengnan finished speaking, Xie Jishi, in a panic, imitated Xu Zhuo's words and shouted:

"Jia Zijie, you are a military officer, yet you have raised such wicked ideas. Aren't you afraid of making enemies of all the civil officials in the land and facing unforeseen disasters in the future?"

Upon hearing this, several cabinet ministers looked at Xie Jishi with fear on their faces, secretly cursing him for being extremely foolish!

How can such a contest between civil and military officials be discussed openly!

Moreover, these words, which sound almost like threats of future misfortune, could they be an indirect reference to the old party's counterattack and retribution after Emperor Jingsheng's death?

For this one disrespectful remark alone, he deserves to die!

No wonder he was encouraged to be the first to stage a petition to force the emperor to resign; he is indeed a reckless and impulsive person.

Originally, Jia Jing, as a military officer, was accused of presumptuously discussing political affairs and even proposing such cruel words as instigating a major purge.

The cabinet ministers were somewhat pleased to see Xu Zhuo, Lu Shengnan, and others launch a joint attack.

Because, as Jia Jing was granted the title of Duke of Jing and appointed as the military governor of the Twelve Battalions, his military achievements were outstanding, his power grew daily, and he gained the emperor's favor.

This destined him to be attacked and antagonized by the civil service group; it was an inherent conflict of stances that could not be changed by his personal will.

This is also the attitude that civil officials must show in front of Emperor Jingsheng.

Otherwise, given Jia Jing's current position, if the cabinet ministers still collude with him, then they truly don't respect Emperor Jingsheng!

While you are attacking Jia Zijie, Xie Jishi, why did you include the emperor in your threats and curses? Aren't you just courting death?

Faced with their questions, Jia Jing remained calm and composed, ignoring the noise in the hall.

Perhaps in the past, during court assemblies, he would have debated with the scholars or defended himself.

But given his current status, it would be somewhat beneath him to criticize each of these civil officials!

It's no exaggeration to say that all he needs to do now is focus on Emperor Jingsheng's feelings; no one else, no matter who they are, is worthy of letting him say a word!

As for Xie Jishi's words about making enemies of all the civil officials in the world and the unforeseen disasters that might happen in the future, Jia Jing not only felt no fear, but also found it somewhat amusing!

While the writing brush of civil officials was very influential, it also had its limitations.

After all, political power has always come from the barrel of a gun, not from the pen!

No matter how capable a civil official is, can he defeat an army with mere words?

Therefore, as long as he firmly grasps military power, over time, it will only be the civil officials who become increasingly afraid of being his enemy, not the other way around.

The world has been at peace for too long, to the point that some people really can't recognize their own position and strength!

As the hall gradually quieted down, Jia Jing bowed to Emperor Jingsheng, whose face was ashen as he stared at Xie Jishi, and said:

"Your Majesty! My proposal to initiate a major purge stems from a purely altruistic heart!"

"Today, over two hundred people petitioned and demanded the abdication of the emperor, which is rebellious and disobedient. I do not believe that no one was behind the scenes coordinating and instigating this!"

"So many people are speaking with one voice, unanimously opposing the new policies and Grand Secretary Gong, even showing disrespect to His Majesty!"

"I know the inside story without even thinking about it; these people must have the backing of gentry from Jiangnan and high-ranking officials in the imperial court!"

"The situation in Jiangnan is still unclear. If we don't take drastic measures now to eliminate the evil influence in the capital city, we will be in trouble."

"I fear that the implementation of the new policy will still be fraught with difficulties, and may even lead to greater chaos. Only when the country is in disarray and the people suffer will it truly be too late for regrets!"

"As for their malicious remarks, they are utterly baseless and not worth refuting!"

"They only know the difference between civil and military officials, but not the distinction between public and private property; they only know the gentry and scholars of the world, but not the common people; they only know the honor and disgrace of scholars, but not the worries and toil of the emperor and father."

"They claim to serve the nation, yet harbor selfish interests; they possess the heart of a fox and the nature of a pig and a dog; they abandon public duty for private gain, and forget righteousness for profit. They form cliques for personal gain, and deceive the emperor!"

"He spouts the words of sages, but is full of wicked and immoral thoughts! He is nothing but a parasite that erodes the foundation of our Han Dynasty, a traitorous official who destroys our nation!"

It's rare for Jia Jing to use a term coined by Jia Baoyu!

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Xie Jishi and the other two, finally settling on Fang Congzhe's face, making Fang's face turn black and feel a surge of anger rising to the top of his head!

They claim to serve the nation, yet harbor selfish interests; they possess the heart of a fox and the nature of a dog; they neglect public duty for private gain, and forget righteousness for profit. They form cliques for personal gain, and deceive the emperor. They spout the words of sages, yet their hearts are filled with wickedness and debauchery?

Is this still Wu Xun? I almost forgot Jia Zijie's past achievements: he once made the Duke of Zhao vomit blood and denounced Grand Secretary Xu Qianxue as a treacherous villain!

In terms of eloquence, this man is in no way inferior to a civil official!

After seeing this, Emperor Jingsheng felt slightly encouraged. Zijie was still as sharp as ever, his scolding was as clear and sharp as a sword!

Emperor Jingsheng looked at the silent civil officials in the hall, remained silent for a moment, then made his decision and spoke in a cold, solemn voice:

"I have stated clearly in court that Zijie should not be accused of baseless crimes. Xie Jishi and the other two have repeatedly made unfounded accusations and used malicious arguments to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers. This is truly a heinous crime!"

"Come here! Strip them of their official robes! Send them to the Imperial Prison to investigate their associates and severely interrogate them for their crimes of conspiring, forming cliques, and deceiving the emperor!"

These words were like a hurricane sweeping through the Qianqing Palace. The cabinet ministers were struck as if by lightning, their minds shaken, and they all looked at Jia Jing and Emperor Jingsheng with complicated expressions.

Send him to the Imperial City Guard to investigate his associates!

These words already indicate that Emperor Jingsheng heeded Jia Jing's advice and decided to launch a major investigation into the power struggle case under the guise of a faction!

The capital city is bound to be in turmoil from now on, with little peace to be found!