Chapter 94: No One Can Stop The Emperor From Acting Rogue
On Xie Xun’s carriage, Gao Guangning cautiously asked: “Your Grace, why did Your Majesty suddenly summon us to the Summer Palace?”
“Your Majesty has already returned.” Xie Xun said expressionlessly: “I just heard that Your Majesty was blocked by those disaster victims from yesterday outside the Xuanhui Gate, where they lodged complaints.”
“Ah!” Gao Guangning’s face immediately turned pale as he said: “How could it be such a coincidence?!”
“This is not something you should be concerned about.” Xie Xun said coldly: “You’d better think carefully about how to get through this current situation.”
“Your Grace, you must save me!” Gao Guangning pleaded with a face full of desperation: “This official was taking the fall for someone else!”
“Why are you panicking?” Xie Xun looked at Gao Guangning displeased: “Nothing has even happened yet, and you’re already losing your composure!”
“With Your Grace’s protection, this official can have some confidence!” Gao Guangning caught the meaning in Xie Xun’s words and said with great relief: “Your Grace, rest assured, this official will definitely not implicate Xie Tian.”
“Hmph!” Xie Xun snorted coldly and ignored him. If not for his own grandson being deeply involved, Xie Xun would not care about Gao Guangning’s mess at all.
However, Xie Xun also knew that even if he did not help, Gao Guangning would not fall, because he was the Xiahou Clan’s loyal dog, and Xiahou Ba would not let anyone touch his own dog, not even if the Emperor wanted to!
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After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Chancellery group arrived outside the city.
Seeing the dense crowd of disaster victims kneeling before the imperial carriage, Minister of Personnel Cui Yan frowned tightly; he felt something was off. But it was too late to say anything now, so they could only hurry off the carriage. Together with Xie Xun, they brought Gao Guangning and Huang Yun, and under the guards’ protection, headed toward the Initial Emperor’s imperial carriage.
Among the disaster victims, someone suddenly shouted: “That’s Gao Guangning!”
Immediately, curses erupted from all sides, and some people threw shoe soles and dirt clods at them. Although the guards blocked them, there was no worry of being hit. But for Gao Guangning, a dignified second-rank Minister, to be cursed at so viciously to his face—that feeling was indescribably excruciating.
Only when they reached the Initial Emperor did the cursing gradually die down. Cui Yan and Xie Xun respectfully saluted the Initial Emperor, while Gao Guangning and Huang Yun knelt before the Emperor.
“Duke of Rongguo,” the Initial Emperor looked at Cui Yan expressionlessly and asked in a deep voice: “These disaster victims say that yesterday they went to the Ministry of Personnel to lodge complaints, but you drove them out indiscriminately and then had them expelled from the capital. Is this true?”
“Your Majesty, this old official went to inspect the river embankment a few days ago and only returned to the capital this morning.” Cui Yan shook his head and said slowly: “I am unaware of these matters. Please give this old official some time to investigate clearly.”
“Then who was on duty at the ministry yesterday?” the Initial Emperor asked coldly.
“It was this old official.” Xie Xun responded with a difficult expression. Among the three top officials of the Ministry of Personnel, besides Cui Yan and himself, there was also Right Minister Xiahou Bushang. However, a few days ago, Xiahou Bushang had been ordered by his father to step down for self-reflection. Cui Yan was not there yesterday, so he had to take the blame alone.
“Then please explain, Duke of Fuguo.” The Initial Emperor glanced at Xie Xun.
“Your Majesty, complaints should first go to the Censorate. There is no grievance drum in front of the Ministry of Personnel, nor is it the place to hear grievances.” Xie Xun said in a deep voice: “Even so, this old official still allowed them to submit their petitions for forwarding on their behalf. But they had no petitions in hand and could not produce any evidence at the time. They just kept surrounding the Ministry of Personnel, making noise and cursing, greatly disrupting all the ministries and preventing normal operations.”
“This old official had no choice but to ask them to go back first, write up proper petitions, and submit them to the Censorate—even if they came back to this old official, it would be fine.” Xie Xun continued with a helpless expression: “But they insisted that the Ministry of Personnel was officials protecting officials and refused to listen to the officials’ explanations. Later, they even tried to storm the core of state affairs. This old official had no choice but to ask Jingzhao Prefecture to send people to protect the Ministry of Personnel from the impact. Later, the scene grew more and more chaotic, and Jingzhao Prefecture had to forcibly disperse the crowd to avoid casualties.”
Xie Xun’s words were logical and resounding, even causing those few old men to lower their heads, clearly showing that Xie Xun was not lying.
In the view of these kind-hearted elders, yesterday someone was indeed too irrational, constantly inciting the disaster victims to oppose the government, even assaulting officials—it was truly unacceptable. Little did they know that those stirring up trouble and lighting ghost fires, hoping for chaos under heaven, were all chess pieces arranged by Zuo Yanqing!
Yet they forgot that no matter how reasonable Xie Xun sounded, the truth was still on their side!
“The Duke of Fuguo makes a good point. As for who was right or wrong yesterday, we set that aside for now.” But the Initial Emperor would not be fooled by Xie Xun and said indifferently: “Duke of Rongguo, for this matter, should the Ministry of Personnel intervene or not?”
“Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works is subordinate to the Ministry of Personnel, so the Ministry of Personnel should certainly intervene.” Cui Yan answered softly.
“Very well then, Duke of Fuguo, have you investigated this matter today?” The Initial Emperor seized the key point and asked coldly.
“This…” Xie Xun’s expression faltered, and he said lowly: “This old official has asked Minister Gao about this matter today.”
“Asked…” The Initial Emperor sneered and pressed: “What did he say?”
“He is right here; Your Majesty can ask him directly.” Xie Xun hurriedly kicked the ball to Gao Guangning.
“Your Majesty,” Gao Guangning said with fear and trepidation: “There may be defects in the river embankment design, but there was absolutely no shoddy workmanship, nor any private design modification. These are all on file in the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Revenue. Please investigate clearly, Your Majesty!”
“You push the blame cleanly!” The Initial Emperor laughed coldly repeatedly: “Yes, the flood has already washed the river embankment clean. As long as your accounts are clean, there will naturally be no evidence.”
“If Your Majesty says so, this minister can only die to prove his innocence!” Gao Guangning straightened his neck and said boldly.
“Hahaha! Minister Gao is indeed shameless!” The Initial Emperor burst into laughter, then suddenly his smile vanished. He snorted coldly and said: “You are so fearless precisely because you think there is no evidence, aren’t you?” Pointing at the countless disaster victims, he said: “There are countless pairs of eyes there who witnessed your shoddy workmanship and private modification of the river course. You would have to kill them all to silence them!”
“Your Majesty, the disaster victims were incited by others and just parroting what they heard—their words cannot be taken as truth!” Huang Yun behind Gao Guangning shouted loudly.
Seeing a mere Director of the Water Management Bureau daring to roar in his presence, the Initial Emperor’s anger surged. He slammed the armrest of his seat heavily and shouted sternly: “Does that mean I, the ruler, do not trust my millions of subjects but trust a dog like you?!” Pointing at Huang Yun, he said in a deep voice: “Strip off his official robes and give him eighty strokes first!”
The Imperial Guards responded loudly, stepped forward to hold Huang Yun down, and in a few moments stripped him bare. Then they pressed him to the ground and raised the staff to strike!
After just a few strokes, Huang Yun was a mess of blood and flesh, his screams utterly piercing!
That ferocious court bastinado, the splattering blood, the piercing screams—all proclaimed the supreme and inviolable imperial power!
Gao Guangning watched Huang Yun’s punishment with a pale face, hoping the two dukes would say something. But Cui Yan had his eyes slightly closed, as if unable to bear watching the scene. Xie Xun’s face was ashen, but he clenched his teeth and said nothing.
Once the punishment was finished, Huang Yun had already fainted. The Initial Emperor ordered him taken into custody, then turned his gaze to Gao Guangning: “Since your superior is unwilling to investigate you, I will have to overstep and do it myself!” He shouted decisively: “Take him down too!”
Several Imperial Guards moved to seize Gao Guangning.
“Your Majesty, calm your anger,” Xie Xun suddenly stepped in front of him, cupped his fists toward the Initial Emperor, and said: “Gao Guangning is a second-rank Minister. According to Great Xuan Laws, he must be impeached by the Censorate and tried by the Court of Judicial Review before Your Majesty can issue an arrest decree!”
The several Imperial Guards were momentarily at a loss, understanding the Emperor’s determination but facing the Xie Clan’s Clan Leader opposite them!
“Heh…” The Initial Emperor looked at Xie Xun mockingly: “Did I say I was arresting him?”
“This…” Xie Xun was somewhat dumbfounded: “Your Majesty said to take him down.”
“I want someone to take him to the palace to stay for a couple of days.” The Initial Emperor said leisurely: “Great Xuan Laws do not prohibit a second-rank Minister from accompanying the Emperor, do they?”
“This…” Xie Xun was immediately dumbfounded, never expecting the Emperor to play word games with him. For a moment, he could find no words to stop it.
“What are you standing there for!” The Initial Emperor swept an displeased glance at the guards. They hurriedly went around Xie Xun, came before Gao Guangning, and said politely: “Lord Gao, please!”
Gao Guangning had no choice but to follow the guards dejectedly.
