jdhmnovel Chapter 179 Confrontation in the Court
Chapter 179 Confrontation in the Court
General Chu pressed on relentlessly, leaving Imperial Censor Liu and his men with no way to retreat. They could only shout, "I am an official of the Great Li. How could I accept benefits from an enemy country for my own selfish reasons?"
"So you knew it was an enemy country too." General Chu said, his eyes turning cold. "Do you think our blood feud with the Northern Barbarians will be forgotten just because they sent a few insignificant envoys?"
"Anyone who didn't know better would think we were the defeated side! The other side only released news of a marriage alliance, and someone couldn't wait to send Prince Jing there," General Chu sneered. "You know, last time Prince Jing captured two cities from the Northern Di!"
"If the Northern Barbarians invade again, and King Jing is unable to lead the army due to the marriage alliance, who among you can replace him?" General Chu looked around and coldly stared at Imperial Censor Liu. "Is it you, Imperial Censor Liu?"
"Or is it you?" he asked the same question to each person he stared at.
These were all civil officials, and none of them dared to answer him.
Even General Chu himself couldn't guarantee that he could completely replace Xie Jinghan's role on the battlefield.
If even General Chu was so stern, no one present dared to respond.
Having watched the spectacle to his heart's content, the emperor coughed lightly a few times: "Minister Chu, don't frighten them."
General Chu immediately took a step back and said in a serious tone, "A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole."
"What I fear most is that our Great Li will be undermined from within," he said, his gaze fixed on Imperial Censor Liu. "Within our Great Li court, there are quite a few who harm the interests of the nation for their own selfish gain."
General Chu was clearly referring to Imperial Censor Liu, who was so angry that his face turned red: "My loyalty to Dali is as clear as day! But you, General Chu! Are you helping King Jing like this for your own granddaughter?"
"You make it sound nice that you're doing this for the sake of Dali, but ultimately, you still have your own selfish motives!" Imperial Censor Liu sneered. "You're just worried about your granddaughter becoming a divorced woman!"
Before Imperial Censor Liu could finish speaking, General Chu threw an ivory tablet at him.
The ivory tablet was incredibly hard. When it struck, Imperial Censor Liu felt dizzy and fell to the ground, staring at the sky with stars in his eyes.
A sharp pain shot through his nose, and he instinctively touched it, only to find his palms were wet. Looking down, he was horrified to discover bloodstains on his hands.
Upon seeing this, Imperial Censor Liu's vision went black, and then he raised his head in disbelief, looking at General Chu in shock: "You committed murder in front of His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!" Seeing his clansmen being brutally beaten by General Chu, Minister Liu could no longer contain his anger and shouted, "General Chu's actions are utterly disrespectful! How dare he beat a colleague in front of you and all the civil and military officials!"
"Your Majesty, we beg you to punish him severely!"
After Liu Shangshu finished speaking, he knelt on the ground. His face was serious, and he did not forget to give General Chu a sharp look.
It was common for civil and military officials to fight each other, but Minister Liu wanted to take this opportunity to severely dampen the spirit of General Chu—or rather, King Jing.
In the Spring Examination Case, the members of the three great families are still trapped in the examination hall, and the young talents of the families are also trapped there, their fate unknown.
All of this was because of King Jing.
It was clearly a win-win situation, but Prince Jing insisted on making it a lose-lose situation!
These three powerful families have stood firm in the court for many years, and their foundation is not something that Prince Jing alone can shake.
Thinking of this, Minister Liu's eyes grew even colder.
Although General Chu held a high position among military officers, he was not someone that the three great families could not afford to offend.
The Chu family and King Jing are related by marriage, so they can use the Chu family as a starting point.
Although Prince Jing's status was noble, once he lost the hearts of the people, even if the emperor wanted to protect him, he would be powerless.
Minister Liu deliberately emphasized his words, intending to escalate the matter.
Sure enough, the emperor frowned.
The emperor's expression turned slightly cold: "Stop!"
His stern shout stopped General Chu and the other military officers who were about to continue their attack.
The military officers wore sour faces. While they gave the emperor face, they felt frustrated because they couldn't vent their anger.
"Your Majesty, it was Imperial Censor Liu who spoke rudely!" General Lu said gruffly. "He was being unfair! How can matters of the court involve family members?"
"In my opinion, Imperial Censor Liu must be a spy planted in our Great Li court by the Northern Barbarians!" Commander Leng added from behind General Lu.
The court became increasingly lively, with the military officers speaking loudly and one after another, making quite a commotion.
The emperor listened to the people below talking one after another, and felt a splitting headache.
"Alright, alright." He waved his hand. "Censor Liu was wrong, and General Chu was wrong too."
"In that case, each of them shall be fined three months' salary." The emperor made the final decision. "This matter is hereby closed, and no one shall mention it again."
Minister Liu's eyes darkened. On the surface, the emperor was punishing both sides equally and not taking sides, but Imperial Censor Liu had only said a casual remark and was already being severely beaten by General Chu.
The blood on Imperial Censor Liu's nose hadn't been wiped off yet!
The emperor really knew how to win people's hearts.
Many thoughts raced through Minister Liu's mind. Finally, under the emperor's gaze, he forced a smile and said, "Since Your Majesty has spoken, I will naturally obey."
Liu Yushi, who originally wanted to continue arguing about the matter, stopped talking after glancing at his cousin's expression.
The emperor narrowed his eyes, taking in the changes in everyone's expressions.
Although Minister Liu was good at maintaining his composure, the emperor could tell what he was thinking with just a glance.
But the emperor is also human, and humans have their own preferences. He would never allow Xie Jinghan to be attacked by Liu Shangshu and other powerful families right under his nose.
The emperor's gaze was cold and stern, and no one below dared to utter a sound.
After a moment, he said calmly, "As for the marriage alliance with the Northern Di... the Northern Di princess is beautiful. If any noble family has a son who is willing to marry the Northern Di princess, I will confer upon him the title of Duke of Qing."
Upon hearing this, everyone present's eyes lit up.
Who could resist such a temptation?
He only needed to marry one woman to become the Duke of Qing.
Nowadays, which aristocratic family didn't inherit its title generation after generation?
Even if it's a child with a bright future, they are willing to let him take this shortcut.
Even Minister Liu, who had just been scheming about how to bring down Xie Jinghan, began to consider the feasibility of this move.
The emperor glanced around and realized that seven or eight out of ten ministers in the court were already tempted, including the military officers.
Such titles are much easier to obtain than those they fought tooth and nail for.
Sacrifice just one child... and you'll gain another duke...
This is a great deal!