The blazing summer heat seemed to set the earth itself smoking, but within the great hall of the imperial palace, the court officials attending the morning court felt as if they were trapped in an ice cellar.
This was not because the hall was filled with blocks of ice, but rather due to the emperor's livid expression and the several memorials thrown on the ground.
"I entrusted the empire to you, I had such trust in you, you asked for people and I gave them, you asked for money and I provided, I gave you everything you asked for. And this is how you repay me!"
The usually amiable emperor was now swearing up a storm.
"Every day you tell me, 'the state prospers and the people are at peace, the state prospers and the people are at peace.' But what's the reality? South suffers from flood, people lose wealth and grains heavily, Northern Jurchen people advance boldly, even taking away Hejian Prefecture. Is this what you call 'the state prospers and the people are at peace'? This is desolation, this is people living in misery! Do you think I am dead or blind?"
He slapped the desk, causing the memorials and the incense burner to fall once again, creating a chaotic noise.
And with the scolding, the emperor's tears also began to flow.
"Is this a punishment from Old Heavenly Father? Am I not fit to be an emperor?"
When these words were shouted, all the officials present felt a shiver in their hearts.
Whether one is fit to be an emperor is probably the biggest hidden worry and taboo in an emperor's heart.
The fact that he cried out such words in front of everyone showed just how extreme his anger was.
All the officials in the hall knelt down, crying and begging for forgiveness, pleading for the emperor to calm his anger.
Huang Cheng, standing at the front, was crying most miserably. He removed his crown, his gray hair disheveled and flying about as he banged his head on the ground.
"Your Majesty, it's all our fault, it is all my sin," he cried out of breath, screaming hoarsely.
The court turned chaotic, with officials either truly or falsely crying, all bowing their heads, not daring to stand out, even the censors forgot the court etiquette and knelt to join in the weeping.
There was only one person still standing.
Lu Yunqi, dressed in a vermilion robe, remained expressionless, as if he saw none of what was before him, nor would he be moved to rage or grief by the suffering of the people.
The kneeling court officials didn't think Lu Yunqi was committing a grave offense. Instead, they expressed their grief more sincerely, lest they draw Lu Yunqi's attention and he later fabricates accusations against them.
The emperor had scolded, cried, and smashed things, and gradually calmed down amidst the crying and persuasion of his subjects.
"My heart aches," he said, wiping away tears.
The courtiers also sighed in relief and stopped crying to confess their sins once more, but Huang Cheng continued to cry, sounding particularly harsh in the silent great hall.
Who knew whether he was crying for the people of the northern lands or remembering his own son again.
Many officials had this thought, but of course, none would voice it out loud.
The emperor looked at this old official, tears streaming again, and let the eunuch help him give the order for Huang Cheng to be seated.
"What should be done now?" asked the emperor.
An official hesitated for a moment.
"In fact, only a single Prefecture has been breached..." he said.
These words suddenly agitated the emperor, who had just calmed down.
"So a dog bite doesn't count unless it's large enough? Shall I stretch out my leg for it to be bitten off before crying in pain?" he bellowed, "These are my subjects, not to mention a single Prefecture, even one commoner is a cause for heartache."
The minister had already knelt down, repeatedly kowtowing and confessing his guilt.
The emperor, still not appeased, ordered the official to be dismissed from his post and dragged away to be questioned.
Upon witnessing this scene, the expressions of officials like Ning Yan and several others darkened slightly, while a cold sneer flickered in Huang Cheng's eyes as the eunuch supported him to sit down.
"Your Majesty," Ning Yan stepped forward to speak, "Please, your Majesty, calm your anger, this is an urgent report we just received."
As he spoke, he bowed and brought out an envelope.
"Duke of Chengguo has already recaptured Hejian Prefecture."
Upon hearing this news, the atmosphere in the great hall somewhat relaxed, but the emperor showed no surprise, suggesting he already knew of this.
"It's like closing the pen after the sheep have been lost! Can the dead people be brought back to life?" the emperor rebuked, pounding the desk.
"Your Majesty," Huang Cheng spoke with a trembling voice, "Jurchen Cavalry have not left the border and are still stationed there, clearly showing their thieving desires have not faded."
"Your Majesty, Duke of Chengguo has already led his troops to confront them, poised to repel the Jin thieves," Ning Yan immediately added, with a measure of solemnity, "Your Majesty, with Duke's many years of military campaign experience, please rest assured."
His words could have been comforting, but instead, they rekindled the emperor's anger.
"Duke of Chengguo has been campaigning for years, I trusted him and entrusted the northern lands to him. Yet now such an incident has occurred. Is this what he meant by guarding the gates sleeplessly for me, to let me sleep securely?" He said, striking the desk, "Where is Zhu Zan? Drag Zhu Zan out of the dungeon, I need to ask him if he and his son have been sleeping soundly every day in the northern lands!"
As these words were spoken, a gleam of joy flashed through the eyes of Ning Yan, who was being scolded.
"Yes." Ning Yan lowered his head to hide his joy, speaking with a heavy voice.
Eunuchs and Imperial Guards were promptly dispatched on the Emperor's command, and there was a low murmur of discussion in the court.
"There must be an inquiry and punishment!"
"How could such an oversight happen."
"Just last winter we lost Zhending, and now, in no time at all, Hejian is gone too."
"Are the northern lands really the impenetrable fortress Duke of Chengguo claims, or are they riddled with mistakes?"
The hall was filled with questioning voices, but Huang Cheng, sitting on the chair, had a very ugly look on his face.
............
Lu Yunqi stood outside the hall, watching Zhu Zan stagger along with the Imperial Guard Eunuch.
Zhu Zan was still in his prison uniform, his beard unkempt as he tried to present a pitiful appearance, but it was at odds with the bright and spirited look in his eyes.
"It seems the Ministry of Justice's prison is serving good meals," Lu Yunqi observed, "Lord Heir seems to have gained some weight."
Zhu Zan looked at him and suddenly raised his hand to strike his face.
The eunuchs and Imperial Guards were startled; no one expected that Zhu Zan, still in his prison uniform outside the Qingzheng Hall, would lash out so abruptly.
Lu Yunqi raised his hand to block, preventing Zhu Zan's hand from reaching his face.
Zhu Zan gave him a grin, revealing his white teeth.
"See, haven't I gained even more strength?" he said.
It seemed like his action was merely a response to Lu Yunqi's comment about him gaining weight.
Lu Yunqi looked at the approaching man with an expressionless, undisturbed demeanor.
"You're really lucky, Lord Heir," he said, "Even Old Heavenly Father is helping you."
Zhu Zan spat out in disgust, covering Lu Yunqi's face with saliva.
This action was too sudden for eunuchs, Imperial Guards, and even Lu Yunqi to prevent.
Who would have thought he would spit like a child, really...
"So it's only a beast that, upon hearing of the suffering of the border people, thinks only of others' luck," Zhu Zan said coldly, looking at Lu Yunqi.
The eunuchs and Imperial Guards watched them nervously.
"Lord Heir, His Majesty may..." the eunuch said in a high-pitched voice.
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Zan had already shrugged off Lu Yunqi and strode towards the hall.
"Your Majesty."
The man had not yet entered the hall but had already started calling out loudly.
"I've been wronged!"
"Your Majesty, if you do not grant me an audience soon, I will die in this dungeon."
This plea seemed almost tearful, deeply miserable.
But unfortunately, the voice was so full of strength it nearly shook the Qingzheng Hall, hardly that of a man about to die.
The originally somber atmosphere inside the hall became lively as Zhu Zan entered.
Lu Yunqi was still standing outside the hall, slowly pulling out a brocade handkerchief from his sleeve, to wipe off the spit on his face.
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Thanks to Jade Kangkang and the Ice from the South for rewarding the He's Bi O(∩_∩)O
Thank you everyone, it's Thursday.