Chapter 719: The opening (Part 2) _1
Translator: 549690339
On the fifth day after the corpse of North vanquishing Prince was transported back to the capital, it was dark.
Outside the meridian Gate, the candles in the stone lamps flickered with an orange flame, reflecting the light of the torches held by the two rows of Imperial Army soldiers.
The ministers gathered at the meridian Gate in the cool wind, silently waiting for the morning court. Occasionally, some familiar officials lowered their heads and whispered to each other. Overall, they maintained silence.
The officials seemed to be holding a breath, which was expanding but also contained, waiting for the opportunity to explode.
“Dong Dong Dong …”
When the sky was slightly bright, the drums sounded on the City Tower of the meridian Gate-
All the officials lined up and entered the palace one by one.
The throne room!
The officials of the fourth rank and above stepped into the hall and waited silently for a quarter of an hour. Emperor Yuan jing, who was wearing a Taoist robe, arrived late.
After not seeing him for so many days, the Emperor, whose hair had turned black, looked Haggard. His eye bags were puffy and his eyes were bloodshot. He fully displayed the image of an elder brother who had lost his younger brother.
The Civil officials were shocked. It should be known that the Emperor paid the most attention to health and maintenance of the Dragon’s body. Ever since he began cultivating, he had been healthy and ruddy.
When had he ever looked so Haggard?
Many people looked at each other in silence, and their hearts trembled.
The old eunuch glanced at Emperor Yuan jing and said in a clear voice, “”lf there’s something to report, leave the court if there’s nothing.”
Chu Zhou’s chief administrator, Zheng xinghuai, strode out of the ranks and walked in front of the officials. He bowed and said in a deep voice,
“Your Majesty, King Huai, the general of Chuzhou City, colluded with the witchcraft sect and the earth sect’s Dao chief. For his own benefit, he advanced to rank two and slaughtered 380000 people in Chuzhou City. Since the founding of daofeng, such atrocities had never been seen before, angering both heaven and man. Your Majesty, please demote King Huai to a commoner, hang his head in the city for three days, and offer sacrifices to 380000 innocent souls … Tell the world.”
Emperor Yuan jing looked at him deeply, his face expressionless.
What was surprising was that in the face of the emperor’s silence that contained anger, Chu Zhou’s chief administrator, Zheng xinghuai, was not afraid at all and brazenly looked at him.
At this moment, chief advisor Wang stepped out and said respectfully, ‘
“King Huai’s actions have angered the heavens and the people, and the capital has long been in an uproar. The people of Chuzhou are tough. If we can’t give an explanation to the people, I’m afraid there will be a rebellion. Your Majesty, please demote King Huai to a commoner and hang his head in the city for three days to pay tribute to the 380000 souls of the people in Chuzhou.”
In the Imperial court, everyone bowed and their voices rolled, “”Your Majesty, please demote King Huai to a commoner and hang his head in the city for three days to pay tribute to the 380000 wronged souls of Chuzhou City.” Emperor Yuan jing stood up slowly and looked down at the court with a cold face.
The muscles on his face twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Suddenly … He flipped over the large table in front of him.
Clang .
The large table rolled down the steps and landed heavily in front of the Lords. Then, the old Emperor’s heart-wrenching roar rang out in the hall, ‘
“King Huai is Zhen’s blood brother. You want to demote him to a commoner, what is your intention? Do you still want me to issue an apology? do you still have me in your eyes? I’ve lost a brother like an arm, but you don’t know how to empathize with me. You’ve gathered at the palace gate for several days, are you trying to force me to my death?”
The old Emperor’s face was ferocious, and his eyes were red. He looked like a sad and helpless old beast.
This … Everyone was stunned.
Emperor yuanjing had been in power for thirty-seven years. The image of him being a scheming and powerful man was deeply rooted in the hearts of all the civil and military officials.
They had never thought that this profound Emperor would one day have such a
mournful moment.
And when this attitude was revealed in front of the ministers, it was a contrast to the fixed impression, and it made people feel bitter.
The high morale of the ministers stagnated.
Before everyone could recover from their shock, Emperor Yuan jing sat down dejectedly with an undisguised look of sorrow on his face.
“When I was still the Crown Prince, the previous emperor was wary of me. My position was unstable and I was always in fear. It was King Huai who silently supported me. It’s only because we’re from the same mother and have a deep brotherly love.
“King Huai used to hold the nation-guarding sword and killed enemies for the
Empire to protect the territory. If he didn’t fight fearlessly in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, how could Da Feng be so prosperous today? All of you should be grateful to him.
“After the Battle of Shanhai Pass, King Huai was ordered to go north to guard the border for the garrison. In the past ten years, he rarely returned to the capital. King Huai has indeed made a big mistake, but he has already been executed. Are you all not even going to let go of his name?”
Being interrupted by Emperor Yuan jing’s “rough” words, the ministers were at a loss for words and no one spoke for a long time.
But it didn’t matter. There would always be one person in the hall who was willing to be a pawn and charge into the enemy lines.
“Your Majesty, merits and faults can not offset each other,” Zheng bu said loudly. It was a fact that King Huai had made great contributions over the years, but the Imperial court had already rewarded him based on his contributions, and the people loved him very much. Now that he had committed an unpardonable crime, he naturally had to be severely punished. Otherwise, it will be His Majesty’s favoritism.”
you b * stard! Emperor yuanjing shouted. you’ve been jumping up and down in the capital for the past few days, slandering the imperial family and the Prince. I’ve been tolerating you because you’ve been diligent all these years. You’ve worked hard even if you didn’t make any contributions.
“King Huai’s case has not been settled yet. As long as it is not settled, he is not guilty. You slandered the Prince, which is a capital crime!”
“Your Majesty!”
Wang zhenwen suddenly spoke, interrupting Emperor Yuan jing’s rhythm. He said loudly, “Let’s talk about Zheng bu’s envoy later. Let’s discuss King Huai’s matter first,”
Emperor yuanjing looked at him deeply. His gaze swept past Wang zhenwen and stopped at a certain spot.
As if in response to Emperor Yuan jing, someone immediately stepped out and said loudly, “”Your Majesty, I also have something to report,”
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel