boyutpedia Chapter 428: Shocking Changes in the Court
Chapter 428: Shocking Changes in the Court
A galloping horse, carrying a cloud of dust, was galloping towards the capital at lightning speed.
The messenger on horseback, carrying the extremely urgent military report from Jinghai Town and the letter of apology submitted by Shen Shaodong, rode non-stop all the way. Finally, when it was getting dark, he presented these two important documents concerning the country to the hands of Emperor Xuan Ye.
Xuan Ye was in the imperial study, reviewing a mountain of memorials with a frown on his face. When he heard the messenger asking for a meeting, he was startled and had a premonition that something was wrong. He hurriedly put down the red brush in his hand and took the memorial.
As soon as he opened it and took a look, his face instantly turned as dark as ink, and the aura around him suddenly became cold, just like a strong wind in the cold winter, which made people feel terrified.
Immediately afterwards, Xuan Ye slammed his hand hard on the armrest of the dragon throne. With a loud "bang", the golden dragon ornament on the dragon throne was almost shaken and fell off.
His eyes were red and wide open, and he roared angrily: "Evil creature! You are worse than a beast!" The voice was like thunder, echoing continuously in the empty imperial study, making people's eardrums hurt.
At this critical moment when the country's survival was at stake, this wicked son actually committed such a heinous act, taking advantage of his brother's bravery in fighting the enemy and ambushing him to chop off his arm. This is beyond the reach of Heaven and unforgivable!"
"Li Quan!" Xuan Ye's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty, and it echoed far away in the silent night.
"Your servant is here!" The personal eunuch Li Quan was so frightened that his face turned pale. He crawled into the imperial study and knelt on the ground with a plop, not daring to raise his head.
"Pass the order down. Second Prince Xuan Heng is at odds with his brother. He took advantage of First Prince Xuan Chen's brave fight and attacked him to chop off his arm. This heinous act is unforgivable! Immediately demote him to a commoner and imprison him in the Imperial Mausoleum for life. He must not leave the mausoleum until his death!"
Empress He Jingshu is to blame for her poor parenting. She will be stripped of her position as empress, demoted to a concubine, and immediately sent to the cold palace, where she cannot be released without being summoned! " Xuan Ye bit every word so hard that it seemed as if it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bombshell, instantly causing a huge storm in the court.
The next morning at court, when the ministers heard the imperial edict, they all opened their eyes wide in shock, looked at each other, and whispered to each other. The entire court was in chaos.
The old Prime Minister, He Changting, a senior official in the court who was usually as calm as a mountain and remained unfazed in the face of adversity, was struck by lightning. His body trembled slightly, and he fell to his knees with a plop. His voice was filled with disbelief and anxiety as he demanded, "Your Majesty, what...what is the reason for this? Heng'er has always been submissive. How could he do such a rebellious thing?"
Xuan Ye's eyes widened with anger. He snorted coldly and threw the report in front of He Changting. He said angrily, "He Changting, take a good look at it yourself! It's written clearly in black and white! The evidence is irrefutable and there is no room for you to quibble!"
After saying this, Xuan Ye glanced at the ministers in the court and shouted, "My dear ministers, please take a look together! Come on, come on, share your opinions! I want to hear how you think I should forgive them, mother and son."
The ministers looked at each other, and for a moment they were silent, not daring to speak easily.
After all, this is a shocking event involving the royal family. If you are not careful, you may get into trouble and your entire family may be executed.
After a long silence, Li Mingxuan, the Minister of Rites, stepped out first, bowed, and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince's actions are truly intolerable and violate human ethics. Your fair and strict handling of the matter is truly gratifying.
However, the eldest prince is seriously injured and his life is uncertain, and the fighting in Jinghai Town is tense. I hope Your Majesty will prioritize the overall situation and make a response plan as soon as possible to ensure the stability of our Beichen country."
Emperor Xuan Ye nodded slightly, his face still gloomy as water, and said in a deep voice: "What Li Aiqing said is absolutely right. The sea area of Jinghai Town is a key location for our Beichen. Now that it has suffered heavy losses from pirates, I will definitely not sit idly by.
"I hereby order the immediate dispatch of 100,000 elite troops, led by General Lin Zhennan of Zhenyuan, to rush to the aid of Jinghai Town. We must wipe out the pirates and reclaim the lost territory!"
At this moment, General Zhao Xiong, who had been standing silently by, stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to accompany General Lin to Jinghai Town to kill the enemy and serve our country, and avenge the eldest prince and the fallen soldiers!"
Xuan Ye looked at Zhao Xiong, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. He nodded and said, "Excellent! I am deeply pleased that General Zhao is so loyal. You will go with General Lin, and be sure to proceed with caution. I await good news upon your triumphant return."
However, at this moment, Prime Minister He Changting suddenly raised his head, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, I beg you to revoke your order! Although Heng'er has committed a serious crime, he is the Queen's own flesh and blood after all. I hope Your Majesty will consider our past friendship and give him a lighter sentence.
Furthermore, the Queen is virtuous and has presided over the harem for many years without any mistakes. This incident may just be Heng'er's momentary confusion, and has nothing to do with the Queen!"
After hearing what He Changting said, Xuan Ye's face turned even uglier, and he shouted angrily, "He Changting, don't plead for mercy for them! I have made up my mind, how can I change it?
As Prime Minister, you should set an example and assist me in governing the country, but now you are favoring a rebellious son. Are you trying to go against me?"
He Changting felt a pang of pain at Xuan Ye's determination. He kowtowed heavily and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not do that. But Heng'er has been intelligent since childhood and extremely filial to me. I simply cannot bear to see him end up like this. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"
The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense, and the air seemed to have frozen.
Seeing how persistent He Changting was, the other ministers began to worry for him.
Some ministers shook their heads secretly, thinking that He Changting's move was too reckless and that he was simply playing with his own life and property;
Some ministers showed sympathy. After all, He Changting was a man of deep love for his grandson and was willing to risk his life for him.
At this moment, Imperial Censor Zhao Qiming, who had been standing in the corner, stepped forward and said righteously, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is completely wrong! The Second Prince has committed such a serious crime. If he is not severely punished, how can we convince the people? How can we demonstrate the majesty of our dynasty's laws?"
As the Second Prince's biological mother, the Empress bears an unshirkable responsibility for his upbringing. Your Majesty has already shown mercy by demoting her to a beauty and sending her to the cold palace. If the Prime Minister continues to plead for mercy, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of all the subjects!"
Zhao Qiming's words were powerful and many ministers nodded in agreement.
Xuan Ye's expression softened slightly after hearing this. He said, "Lord Zhao is absolutely right. He Changting, did you hear clearly? My actions this time are all to protect the country and society of Beichen, and to give an explanation to the people of the world. If you continue to be stubborn and refuse to change your ways, I will not let you off lightly!"
Although He Changting was still unwilling in his heart, seeing that the emperor had made up his mind and most of the ministers in the court supported him, he had no choice but to lower his head and say no more.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Xuan Ye waved his hand and said, "This matter is settled and no further discussion is allowed. My dear ministers, the war in Jinghai Town is urgent now. If you have any good plans, please share them."
All the ministers fell into deep thought and began to express their opinions and make suggestions on how to deal with the war in Jinghai Town.
Xuan Ye sat on the dragon throne with a solemn expression, his eyes revealing firmness and determination.
He knew that this crisis was not only a test of Beichen's national strength, but also a huge challenge to his ability to rule. He must lead Beichen through this difficult time and restore the country's glory.