6kv Chapter 7 Debate with a Group of Confucian Scholars
Chapter 7 Debate with a Group of Confucian Scholars
"So they really wanted to use me as a weapon!"
Xu Ming lowered his head, but his eyes were bright.
This knife must be ruthless, decisive, and utterly baseless. After use, it can be discarded at any time, or even used to strike someone in the name of "pacifying public anger."
The emperor was a shrewd strategist.
Xu Ming understood perfectly well, but his face wore a blank, harmless expression.
He slowly walked out of the queue.
His steps were hesitant, as if he was unsure whether he should move.
His walking posture was also not quite right; his left foot tripped over his right foot, and he almost stumbled.
A few low laughs came from behind.
The generals exchanged glances—he really was a good-for-nothing, unable to even walk steadily.
Xu Ming walked to the center of the main hall, looked around blankly, and turned his neck halfway around. He looked like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves, exuding a clear stupidity that was out of place with the environment.
On the left are civil officials, each with a solemn expression and unfriendly eyes.
On the right is a military general, a burly man with a face full of menacing features.
He seemed startled by the two rows of people, swallowed hard, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
On either side of the dragon throne, Crown Prince Zhao Chengqian looked at him. His honest face revealed neither joy nor anger, but his hands under his wide court robes unconsciously twitched at his sleeves—a small gesture he made when nervous.
The Second Prince Zhao Lie raised an eyebrow without any attempt to hide it, a playful smile curving his lips, looking like he was ready to watch a good show.
He crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and even crossed his legs.
The Third Prince, Zhao Qi, stood behind the Second Prince, his head bowed, his expression obscured. However, the slight upturn of his lips suggested that he was also anticipating something.
The Fourth Prince Zhao Xiao was not so cunning. He looked at Xu Ming with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Xu Ming stopped.
He awkwardly cupped his hands in the direction of the dragon throne, making a large gesture, as if afraid that others would not see him bowing.
"Your Majesty, I...this humble subject..."
He struggled with his words, stammered, and his face turned bright red, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world suddenly being dragged in front of the emperor.
"I hold no official position and do not know what to call myself..."
As he spoke, he reached up and scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
A few more low laughs came from the hall.
Sun Qian, the Vice Minister of Works, stood in the queue, his mouth almost stretched to his ears in a wide grin.
That's it?
Why would His Majesty summon a good-for-nothing who can't even address himself to court?
Zhao Huan remained silent, watching him quietly, like a giant python observing its prey.
"This humble subject...this humble subject believes," Xu Ming finally found his voice and stammered, "that what Minister Wen of the Ministry of Rites and General He said...both make sense, but neither hit the nail on the head."
These words caused an uproar in the room.
"What?"
"What is this little brat saying?"
"You can't just try to smooth things over like that!"
Wen Yanbo was so angry that he blew on his beard, his white beard twitching up and down.
He suddenly turned his head and glared at Xu Ming, as if he wanted to glare a hole through this arrogant young man.
He Lanying stared wide-eyed, the scar on her left cheek twisting and turning with the twitching of her facial muscles, like a living centipede.
All the arguments have their merits, but none of them get to the point.
Is not this nonsensical?
Xu Ming seemed oblivious to everyone's reactions and continued speaking to himself.
His voice gradually became fluent after his stutter: "The crimes of Huang Cheng, Qi Quan, and Fang Mingchong are not limited to instigating the late emperor to reduce the power of the vassal states."
He held up one finger.
"His crime lies in bewitching the emperor, shaking the foundations of the nation, causing internal strife in our Great Liang, fratricide, and bloodshed on the borders, while war raged in the rear! This is the first crime, a heinous act of treason!"
He raised his second finger.
"Their crime lies in the fact that these three, as important officials of the Jianwu Dynasty, received the emperor's salary but lacked the ability to support the country. Instead, they offered slanderous advice, almost causing the collapse of the Great Liang Dynasty! This is the second crime: holding a position without performing their duties!"
He raised his third finger.
"Their crime lies in the fact that because of the mistakes of these three people, His Majesty was forced to launch the Jingnan Campaign to restore order! In this campaign, more than 100,000 loyal souls of our Great Liang died unjustly. My father, Duke Zhenguo Xu Dingbian, also sacrificed his life for the country during this period! This is the third crime, bringing disaster to the country and its people!"
With each charge he made, his voice grew louder and his emotions became more agitated.
His eyes even reddened when he said the last sentence.
It's not because of sadness.
It's because of anger.
At least, the anger he acted out was enough to convince everyone present that the only son of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion hated the old officials of the Jianwu Dynasty to the bone.
Zhao Huan, sitting on the dragon throne, leaned forward slightly.
Only one point.
But Xu Ming caught it out of the corner of his eye.
The emperor was listening attentively.
Xu Ming took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, his chest heaving violently a few times.
His face turned bright red, and the veins on his neck bulged.
"Such a heinous criminal, yet Minister Wen actually pleaded for him, saying things like 'Emperor Wenzong was a role model, his crime doesn't deserve death'?"
He suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Wen Yanbo, his eyes bloodshot, like an enraged beast.
"May I ask, Minister Wen, are the lives of tens of thousands of loyal souls less valuable than the reputation of a pedantic scholar?"
Wen Yanbo was so taken aback by his sudden question that he took a step back, his old face turning pale and then red.
Xu Ming didn't give him a chance to refute, and turned to He Lanying: "General He said he wanted to be executed by slow slicing, which is certainly satisfying—"
He paused.
"That's too easy on them!"
The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.
Too cheap?
Lingchi—a thousand cuts—and you still think it's too cheap?
So what does he want?
Xu Ming took a deep breath, suddenly raised his head, and looked straight at the emperor on the dragon throne.
There was fervor, loyalty, and an almost obsessive madness in his eyes.
"In my humble opinion, these three should be punished for treason!"
His voice boomed through the hall like a thunderclap.
"Execute their entire clan! As a warning to others! To comfort their loyal souls!"
boom!
The main hall looked as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Everyone was stunned.
Quiet.
A deathly silence.
Then, like a powder keg being ignited, the entire Golden Palace erupted in chaos.
"He's gone mad! He's gone mad!"
"Exterminate...exterminate nine generations of one's family?! Since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, apart from genuine treason cases, has there ever been such cruel torture!"
"The cruelty of this child is unprecedented!"
"The Duke of Zhenguo's entire family is known for its loyalty and valor; how could such a heartless wretch have been born into this family!"
The civil servants were in an uproar.
The military officers were also in an uproar.
Some shook their heads, some frowned, and some showed expressions of admiration.
The military generals were not afraid of killing.
However, they felt it was best to be cautious about matters like executing nine generations of a family.
Wen Yanbo pointed at Xu Ming, his fingers trembling, his beard trembling, and even his voice trembling.
"You...you...you scoundrel! How dare you be so vicious!"
His old face turned a deep purplish-red, and his chest heaved more and more violently, as if he might faint at any moment.
"You ignorant brat! What do you know about politics! What right do you have to bark and howl like this! Execute nine generations of your family? Do you know how many innocent people will die unjustly if those three words are uttered! Those three men are certainly guilty, but what have their wives, children, relatives, and neighbors done? This is tyranny! This is cruelty! This is against the will of Heaven!"
As soon as Wen Yanbo finished speaking, a group of civil officials immediately echoed his words.
"Your Majesty! Xu Ming holds no official position and is a commoner, yet he dares to speak recklessly about state affairs in the court, using harsh words that violate the teachings of the sages. We beg Your Majesty to punish him!"
"This child's ruthlessness is unprecedented! Keeping him alive will only bring disaster!"
"Your Majesty, I impeach Xu Ming for spreading heretical rumors and disrupting the order of the court!"
Accusations and curses surged toward Xu Ming like a tidal wave.
Xu Ming stood alone in the center of the hall, facing the verbal and written attacks of half of the court officials.
He had his head down and his shoulders slightly hunched, looking as if he were terrified.
Like a lamb surrounded by wolves.
The smile on the face of the Second Prince Zhao Lie deepened.
Crown Prince Zhao Chengqian frowned.
He never expected that Xu Ming's knife would be so sharp and so reckless.
By proposing the extermination of nine generations of a family, Xu Ming had completely offended the entire group of former officials of the Jianwu era.
There is no escape route.
There is no room for easing tensions.
From then on, this person could only depend on the emperor.
The Third Prince Zhao Qi lowered his head, but the smile on his lips was a little wider than before.
Fourth Prince Zhao Xiao frowned, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but after glancing at the reactions of those around him, he closed his mouth again.
Facing the condemnation of thousands, Xu Ming slowly raised his head.
He smiled.
The smile was faint, even gentle.
He glanced around at the indignant officials, his gaze sweeping across their angry faces as if he were looking at a group of clowns.
Then, he slowly posed a question.
"Gentlemen, are you criticizing me?"
He paused, and before anyone could answer, he raised his voice.
"That doesn't seem right?"
He tilted his head, his face innocent and naive.
"Just now, His Majesty asked me a question, so I spoke."
His voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"You're not letting me speak because you think His Majesty shouldn't have asked me?"
"Do you still believe that you have more authority than His Majesty to decide who can speak in the Golden Palace?"
A huge hat was simply placed down on it so lightly.
heavy.
It was so oppressive that everyone could hardly breathe.
The officials, who had just been speaking passionately, suddenly fell silent.
It felt like someone was choking me.
Questioning the emperor?
Who dares?
Wen Yanbo's face turned pale, and he hurriedly bowed, his forehead almost touching the gold bricks: "Your Majesty, we dare not! We merely feel that Xu Ming's remarks were excessive..."
"Too extreme?"
Xu Ming interrupted him with a cold laugh.
"Which of my statements is not true? That Huang Cheng and the other two bewitched the emperor, isn't that true? That they undermined the foundation of the state, isn't that true? That they caused internal strife in the Great Liang, isn't that true?"
He took a step forward, staring intently at Wen Yanbo.
"Or is it that, in Minister Wen's eyes, these criminals are all deserving of 'leniency beyond the law'?"
"you……"
Wen Yanbo was choked and speechless, his lips trembling like a fish out of water.
Xu Ming gave him no chance to catch his breath.
His gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over the group of officials, looking at them one by one.
Those he saw unconsciously lowered their heads.
Or perhaps—
Xu Ming's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling undertone.
"You gentlemen are so protective of those three sinners because of you..."
He paused deliberately.
The air in the main hall almost froze.
"...Also a remnant of Emperor Jianwu?"
"boom!"
The remnants of Emperor Jianwu!
These six words are the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all the former officials of Jianwu!
All the officials who pleaded for Fang Mingchong and the others turned pale instantly.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through his court robes.
"You...you're spouting nonsense!"
An imperial censor jumped out of the queue, his finger trembling as he pointed at Xu Ming, his voice shrill and cracking.
"Making false accusations?"
Xu Ming stepped forward, his demeanor aggressive and intimidating.
"Then why are you pleading for three sinners who almost destroyed the Liang Dynasty?"
His voice grew louder and more piercing.
"You keep saying they are literary masters, role models—what? Do you want all the scholars in the world to follow their example, bewitching the emperor and distorting the truth?"
He looked around, and wherever his gaze fell, the civil officials all avoided his eyes.
"You're all hypocrites, putting on airs. I think you're not upholding any dignity for the scholarly community at all!"
He spoke slowly and deliberately.
"You're just afraid!"
"I'm afraid that if we purge them, you people who once stood against His Majesty will be next!"
He raised his voice, which echoed throughout the Golden Palace.
"I think you're all in cahoots, a den of snakes and rats!"
Every word is piercing to the heart!
Xu Ming single-handedly debated with a group of scholars!
Those officials who were usually eloquent were now speechless, unable to utter a single complete sentence, as he presented them with a series of charges.
Because every word Xu Ming said was from Emperor Zhao Huan's perspective.
Because he said what Zhao Huan wanted to say but couldn't.
Their rebuttal of Xu Ming is their rebuttal of the Emperor!
Who dares?
Wen Yanbo looked at Xu Ming, his lips trembling, and pointed at him with a trembling finger.
"Demon...spreading heresy and misleading the public..."
His voice was hoarse, as if something was blocking his throat.