pappabearbooks Chapter 474: Disputes in the Court
Chapter 474: Disputes in the Court
next day
Bianjing City
The old emperor, who had not been in court for many days, was sitting in the main hall, and the officials in the audience were admonishing the old emperor impassionedly.
"Your Majesty, the blood of the royal family cannot be careless. I sincerely request your Majesty to acknowledge the blood of the Seventh Prince. In this way, the rumors outside will be self-defeating and the Seventh Prince will be able to prove his innocence."
The leader is the admonisher Zuo Xiu, who is a leading figure in the civil service, especially those from poor families who regard him as a god.
Students all praised him for being good at accepting advice and upright. He encouraged the king at the top and worried about the people at the bottom. He was a rare good official.
In addition, the emperor at that time also had great trust in him, so he allowed Zuo Xiu to have no scruples in the court. He dared to spit out anything from his mouth, and he often said impassioned words such as death as a lesson.
The reason why Zuo Ci can survive intact is not because of how broad-minded the old emperor is, but because of the things that the old emperor cannot express clearly. It can be said from Zuo Ci's mouth. Zuo Ci is not as upright as the world thinks, but is good at observing words and trends. The person who controls the helm is just a mad dog kept by the old prince, and he knows very well who his master is.
Therefore, Zuo Cineng's remonstrance in the court to this day had the tacit approval of the old emperor, otherwise even ten heads would not be enough to chop him off.
Recently, there has been an inexplicable rumor in the capital. I don’t know where this rumor originated. It seemed to have been spread throughout the streets and alleys of Bianjing overnight. People were talking about the seventh prince who was now taken back to the palace. He was a fake. At this time, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were discussing this matter.
The old emperor's sharp eyes swept across the civil and military officials in the hall.
"Everyone, what do you think?"
As soon as the old emperor finished speaking, several civil servants in the crowd came forward.
"Your Majesty, what Mr. Zuo said is not unreasonable. The rumors spreading now are not good for the reputation of the royal family, but also for the reputation of His Highness the Seventh. Next year His Highness the Seventh will be crowned king after the crowning ceremony. Before that, these rumors should be stopped in time. , so as not to leave hidden dangers in the future.”
All the ministers echoed in unison: "Your Majesty, please shed your blood to identify yourself and prove the identity of the seventh prince."
Su Ji, who was standing in the back row, glanced coldly at the officials who offered advice and received advice, and felt a sense of contempt in his heart. These admonishing officials were full of bad intentions, and the rumors in the capital were most likely spread by these old guys.
The old emperor looked at Jiang Qiuchi.
"Lao Qi, what do you mean?"
Jiang Qiuchi's hands hanging down by his side slowly tightened, trying to appear calm and calm.
"My sons and ministers must obey my father's arrangements."
Ye Lanxuan, who was standing next to Jiang Qiuchi, snorted in his heart. He originally wanted Lao Wu and Lao Liu to solve this problem, but his father became suspicious first and gave him a good opportunity to kill someone with a borrowed knife.
Ye Lanxuan raised his head and glanced at an eunuch standing in the corner. The other eunuch understood and quietly retreated.
Here, the old emperor coughed a few times and glanced at everyone in the hall.
"What you dear ladies are saying is not unreasonable. If you allow those rumors to continue to spread, it will not only damage the reputation of the royal family, but also make Lao Qi suffer unjust injustice. Today, I will fight Lao Qi with a drop of blood in front of all the civil and military officials." Acknowledging your relationship will also stop everyone from talking, Yang Zhong, go down and get ready."
"promise!"
Eunuch Yang bowed and exited the hall. At this time, the eunuch outside the hall shouted.
"The eldest princess has arrived!"
Everyone in the court turned around and looked outside the hall, and saw a woman in purple clothes walking into the hall. Her bun was full of pearls and jade, which made her look more graceful and luxurious.
"Ronghua has met the emperor brother."
A faint smile appeared on the old emperor's face: "Ronghua is here, but I haven't seen you for some time."
The eldest princess raised her head and looked at the old emperor.
"Ronghua came to the palace today because he has an important matter to report to the emperor. This matter is likely to be related to the foundation of the Sui Dynasty, so he took the liberty to come here in the hope that the emperor would atone for his sins."
The old emperor's brows were frowned, and his eyes were a bit gloomy. Although his sister was a woman, she was deeply loved by the late emperor. During his lifetime, the late emperor often lamented that if Ronghua had not been a woman, the matter of establishing the heir would not have been left to his other sons. This shows that the late emperor's love for Ronghua was deep in his bones, and he often even regretted that she was a woman.
He also had to admit that this sister was indeed a very capable woman. She had gradually retired over the years and was no longer involved in court affairs. Being able to make this trip in person today showed that what she was about to say was very important.
The old emperor pondered for a while, looking deeply at Ronghua.
"It must be very important to have Ronghua come to the palace in person. Please tell me."
The eldest princess looked towards the admonishers who just spoke righteously.
"Sir Zuo, have you heard about the leakage of water from many state capital granaries in the past six months?"
Zuo Xiu's face froze, and a guilty look flashed in his eyes.
"The subordinate did not know about this matter."
The eldest princess sneered: "As an admonisher, it is your duty to speak out and correct the king. It is your duty to detect the virtuous and pray for the people. I am really confused. The rumors about the seventh prince have only spread for three days. Today, you group of admonishers have come here because of the smell. Why can you turn a blind eye to the refugees from all over the Sui Dynasty who have fled to Bianjing for several months? I dare to ask Mr. Zuo, is it possible that you are holding the imperial salary just to control the situation? What’s wrong with the royal family?”
The eldest princess's powerful words struck every word on the faces of several admonishers. Their faces were as dark and ugly as pot stickers. Even the old emperor's face was not much better.
The blood test was originally planned by the old emperor, but it was only pushed to the court through the words of the admonishers.
But Ronghua's words made the old emperor notice something else.
"Ronghua, when did the leakage of water from the granaries of various states happen that you mentioned? Why have I never heard of it?"
At this moment, Ye Lanxuan, who was standing in front of the palace, had a look of panic in his eyes. What on earth was going on?
Didn't the Queen Mother arrange for people from Tianji Pavilion to kill Cao Yanhua? Even Liu Bin's Yulin Guards were blocked on the road. They have not reached the capital yet. Why would the eldest princess come to the palace to mention this matter?
He, the imperial aunt, had completely stayed away from the disputes in the court since the Feng family was eradicated. She had not interfered with the affairs of the previous court for many years. Why did she suddenly intervene in this matter today? What on earth did she want to do?
When Ye Lanxuan was full of doubts, the eldest princess looked at the old emperor and said: "Brother, the granaries of Nanwei Mansion, Xinyang Mansion, Anyang Mansion, and Qingzhou Mansion have experienced water leakage in three consecutive months. The total loss of the granaries is There are nearly eight million tons of grain. Nowadays, there is no grain harvest in various places. Grain dealers in many places are raising prices. A large number of refugees have fled to Bianjing City because they have no way to survive in their hometown. Logically, these refugees should be settled under the jurisdiction of the state capitals, and then by Local officials opened granaries to provide food relief, but now the granaries are empty and corpses are scattered all over the fields. The emperor's sister is worried that this situation will cause even greater chaos!"