Chapter 399: 399 Junshang
Chapter 399 Chapter 399 Your Majesty
In the glazed eyes of everyone, Pei Linye strode to the side of Ji Yushi who fell to the ground, then squatted down, put **** on his jugular and pressed lightly for a moment, then looked at his eyelids. Take a look.
Then, he straightened up, cupped his fists and saluted Gu Jue, and said, "Back to the emperor, Master Ji's life is not in danger, but his head was slightly injured."
As he said that, Pei Linye glanced at Ji Yushi who was lying on the ground, with a half-smile on his lips.
Not only was Ji Yushi not dead, he was not even fainted, he was just pretending to be unconscious.
As he said these words, most of the ministers present breathed a sigh of relief, as long as no one was killed.
Some people were relieved, some were thankful, and some saw some clues from Pei Linye's actions, looking at Ji Yushi with a bit of ridicule in his eyes.
"Strike yourself against the pillar?" Gu Jue said, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the dragon chair twice, and chuckled, "Since you want to achieve this virtuous reputation, but don't dare to die, what's the point? Who do you want to show it to?”
"The troupe performs better!"
Speaking of the theater troupe, Gu Jue's eyes were dark and he remembered what Shen Qianchen said to him last night. Yesterday, the ladies of Gaoming sang one after another in Shouning Palace, just like a theater troupe. .
Gu Jue twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, and the smile was almost invisible.
He slowed down his speech and said almost word for word: "Ji Mingzhi behaved hypocritically and tried to threaten me with death. What crime should he deserve?"
The others were silent, with lowered eyebrows and glances at the other censors present.
One of the responsibilities of the censor is to supervise all officials and clean up the court rituals. Therefore, the new emperor's words were naturally asked of them by the censor.
There was silence in the hall for a moment.
Yushi Zuodu had no choice but to bravely go out and replied seriously: "Back to the emperor, Yushi Ji hit the pillar and bumped into the emperor. This is a disgrace in front of the emperor and should be punished with a salary."
If a small salary penalty would solve the problem today, it would be considered light.
"Wrong!" How could Gu Jue easily let Ji Yushi off the hook? His voice was neither gentle nor serious, "Ji Yushi was selfish and stained the Jinluan Palace with blood. This is more than just a breach of etiquette before you. It is really a disrespectful act."
Immediately afterwards, Gu Jue decisively issued an edict: "In drafting the edict for me, Ji Mingzhi committed a gross disrespect. In order to serve as a warning to others, his crime is unavoidable. I am deposing him from his official position today, and his descendants for three generations will not be allowed to take the imperial examination."
"Any further offenders will be punished as disrespectful."
Gu Jue sat leisurely, looking well-rested, with a faint smile. His last words were addressed to officials from Wei Jingze's group.
Xu Hanlin, who was in charge of drafting the decree, immediately bowed and accepted the order.
Ji Mingzhi, who was lying on the ground in a coma, twitched his finger. His bruised forehead was still bleeding, and his whole head hurt, as if a hammer was hitting his forehead, but No matter how bad his head hurt, it couldn't compare to his heartache.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but he didn't dare. Since he was pretending to be unconscious, he had no choice but to remain unconscious until the end. Otherwise, the new emperor could punish him for the crime of deceiving the emperor again, adding to the crime.
All the other civil and military officials took a breath of air. No one expected that Gu Jue would be so cruel. This punishment would extend to his descendants.
This was clearly a threat given to them by the new emperor!
"..." The censor of Youdu was already sweating, weighing the pros and cons in his heart.
Ji Mingzhi is his direct subordinate. In the eyes of outsiders, he has reached this point just to support himself.
At this time, if I turn a blind eye and listen but not hear, I am afraid that others will feel that I am cold. In the future, he will no longer have any dignity in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and will be completely suppressed by Zuo Du Yushi.
Therefore, the censor of Youdu could only bite the bullet and said: "Your Majesty, Ji Mingzhi has indeed committed a breach of etiquette before the emperor. It would be too much to blame his descendants. I hope the emperor will use his discretion and give a lenient sentence."
He hoped that the new emperor would take a step back and remove Ji Mingzhi from his official position, but not to offend the descendants of the Ji family.
However, Gu Jue did not waver and asked him: "Are you going to hit the pillar?"
Without waiting for the reply from Youdu Yushi, Gu Jue's eyes moved to Ji Mingzhi below, and said with a smile: "If you hit the pillar and die, I will give you a reward to satisfy the relationship between monarch and minister."
"If you are not dead, you are guilty of the same crime as Ji Mingzhi."
What he meant was that if someone died after hitting a pillar, he would recognize him as a loyal minister; if someone did not die, he would have committed a major disrespectful offense and his descendants would be punished.
“…”
“…”
“…”
At this moment, even Wei Jingze and other officials outside the party felt the feeling of heartache and powerlessness.
The new emperor is so cruel. He wants the censor of Youdu to sacrifice his life for the future of the descendants of the Ji family.
Putting themselves in their shoes, it is impossible for them to make such sacrifices for other people's families. Originally, they were just colleagues, so how could they have such a big affection!
"..." The censor of Youdu was speechless.
If Ji Mingzhi had hit the pillar, he would have felt that the new emperor did not dare to let him hit him, but Ji Mingzhi, who was lying on the ground with his "life or death unknown", reminded him that he had already hit one person, and the new emperor was not afraid of hitting the second one. indivual.
The censor of Youdu was exhausted and at a loss what to do. He could only silently look at Wei Jingze, the official minister, who was standing behind Zhang Shoufu.
Other officials were also looking at Wei Jingze, wanting to see how he would react.
Wei Jingze finally came out. He also bowed and said in a powerful voice: "Your Majesty, please be careful. Aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of your ministers if you insist on going your own way?"
Gu Jue asked with a half-smile, "Who is chilled?"
Wei Jingze: "..."
Gu Jue: "Then you can become an official."
Wei Jingze: "..."
Before Wei Jingze could say anything, Yang Xuanshan, the Minister of Rites, had eagerly echoed Gu Jue: "Your Majesty is right. If you don't die after hitting the pillar, you will be rewarded. Then won't everyone follow suit in the future? From time to time, there will be people in the Jinluan Palace." How should this morning go on if you hit the battering post!”
Other ministers also came out one after another and echoed one or two.
After a while, half of the ministers in the Jinluan Palace expressed their loyalty to the new emperor.
Gu Jue raised his eyebrows, feeling that although Yang Xuanshan was a bit dull, he knew his mistakes and could correct them, and he still had a little wink, so he was still useful.
Wei Jing almost lost his face, but he had been in a high position for many years and had long since learned to keep his emotions and anger hidden. His face remained calm and he said righteously:
"Your Majesty, Mr. Ji is so loyal and patriotic that he did not hesitate to remonstrate with his life. I think that although his method is wrong, his feelings are pitiful."
"Ji Mingzhi has made mistakes today, but he also made achievements in the past. The emperor completely ignores Lord Ji's years of service. Isn't he afraid of the unrest in people's hearts and the instability of the country?!"
The first half of Wei Jingze's words also spoke to the hearts of many ministers. Ji Mingzhi did have selfish motives for making such a fuss today, but the crime did not end there. The new emperor punished three generations of his family by not being allowed to take the imperial examination. It was too much. The civil servants present could not help but worry that one day they would end up like Ji Mingzhi.
After all, everyone has selfish motives, and power struggles are unavoidable in the court, and there are a few officials who dare to point their fingers to the sky and swear that they serve the king and the people wholeheartedly.
Gu Jue smiled again, this time, he laughed out loud.
His laughter was clear and cold, like the moonlight pouring down in the dark night.
"Crack."
He gave a low high-five.
The next moment, dozens of soldiers wearing black armor surged toward the Jinluan Palace like a black tide, with a fierce momentum.
They all stood outside the hall, like a tall black wall blocking the exit, and the light in the hall became a little darker.
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
Unlike the Yulin Guards who used to guard outside the Jinluan Palace, these soldiers of the Xuanjia Army all have murderous intent. Their eyes are as sharp as wild beasts and like blades. Wherever their eyes pass, everyone shudders.
Some of the officials who had just been moved by Wei Jingze's words suddenly felt a chill on their necks, as if a long knife had been placed on their necks, and shivers ran through their vests.
Their new emperor was too aggressive!
In the Qi Dynasty, the imperial army belonged directly to the emperor. All emperors in the past dynasties had military power. However, except for the founding emperor, no other emperor personally led troops to the battlefield. However, Gu Jue was different. He was fifteen years old. So he went to the Northland, defeated Chidi, and pacified the Northland. He had eaten and lived with the soldiers for so many years in the army. Not only the 200,000 Northland soldiers, but also everyone in the army had a certain affection for Gu Jue. A heartfelt respect.
Gu Jue's prestige in the military was far greater than that of previous emperors, and therefore, he could firmly hold military power in his hands.
Everyone was silent, but Zhang Shoufu looked calm.
Zhang Shoufu glanced at Wei Jingze calmly, feeling that he was really stupid.
If the person in office today is still the late Emperor Gu Lang, then the position of Chief Assistant is indeed in Wei Jingze's pocket. Zhang Chief Assistant had also made plans before the palace change and wanted to resign again this spring.
However, the situation in the DPRK suddenly changed dramatically.
But Wei Jingze hadn't realized that today was different from the past. He clearly regarded Gu Jue as one of those mediocre and incompetent kings, thinking that he could easily suppress Gu Jue like he did with the late emperor Gu Lang.
He actually thought that it would be possible to make the imperial envoy cry, make trouble, and hang himself like a woman!
Ridiculous, really stupid.
Zhang Shoufu's old but not cloudy eyes shone with wisdom. Originally, he planned to retire and return home, but now he feels that he can stay in this position for a few more years to pave the way for his children and grandchildren.
In front, Gu Jue was still sitting high on the golden throne, looking down at the ministers proudly, and asked again: "So, if I don't listen to you, I will endanger the country. How can I endanger the country?"
"Is this country protected by your words, or by the sword in my hand?"
"Whether it is for the common people or for your own selfishness, you know in your heart!"
Gu Jue spoke clearly, and every word fell clearly on everyone's ears and struck everyone's heart. He looked arrogant and overbearing.
The whole hall was filled with dead silence, you could hear a pin drop, and even breathing seemed to have stopped.
At this moment, everyone was in awe of the young emperor in his early twenties.
"Don't use the same tricks on me, do you understand?!"
"Who is still dissatisfied?" He once again glanced at the crowded Jinluan Hall below, "If you are not convinced, then you can become an official. I heard that there are many candidates for vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel every year, Wei Shangshu, right?"
The implication of his words is that if anyone is disobedient, then don't be an official. Anyway, there are many officials waiting for vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel, all waiting in line for a good position. If it doesn't work, the court can still do it. Kaienko.
Because this sentence was addressed to Wei Jingze, and it seemed to be asking Wei Jingze whether he still wanted to be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
Everyone could understand what Gu Jue meant and cast an indescribable look at Wei Jingze.
Academician Ye also felt uncomfortable.
He was not from Wei Jingze's group, but he and Wei Jingze had the same opinion on the matter of choosing a concubine, so at this moment he felt that Gu Jue's words were also meant for him and to threaten him.
Academician Ye moved his lips and wanted to say that if the emperor replaced too many officials at once, there would definitely be some big or small problems in the court, but the words came to his lips, but he still did not say it.
Throughout the dynasties, every emperor's rise to power meant the overlapping of power. Shortly after the late emperor Gu Lang ascended the throne, a group of officials were replaced one after another, sooner or later.
Now that Gu Lang is dead and Gu Jue has taken over, when the situation in the capital was at its most chaotic, there was no great chaos in the government. But now, the situation has gradually stabilized. At this time, it doesn't matter if Gu Jue just replaces a few officials. Woolen cloth!
Although Gu Jue's words were overbearing and inhumane, upon closer inspection, he was right.
Those who can stand in the morning court are all officials of third rank or above, who are important ministers of the country. These positions are like carrots and pits. There are countless pairs of eyes in each yamen staring at them, trying to climb to their position.
No one is so irreplaceable, even the emperor can be replaced, let alone others!
For a moment, everyone felt like there was a light on their backs, and there seemed to be countless footsteps chasing behind them.
Everyone stood frozen on the spot, like wooden stakes, as if half of their three souls and seven souls had been taken away.
After everyone stood still for a moment, it was Zhang Shoufu who made the first move. He lifted his robe and was the first to kneel down, his movements respectful and pious.
This seemed to be a signal, and everyone else knelt down one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the palace was filled with darkness.
Before Wei Jing could kneel down, the Youdu Yushi and others who belonged to his faction had already knelt down first.
If the arm cannot twist the thigh, he who knows the current affairs will be a hero. This is the eternal truth.
Finally, Wei Jingze, who had a gloomy look on his face, also knelt down. No matter how unwilling or unconvinced he was, he still wanted to keep his position as Minister of Civil Affairs.
Gu Jue's posture was still lazy. Even though he watched the ministers surrender with his own eyes, even though he won a complete victory in this game between kings and ministers, there was no look of satisfaction on his face.
He is still the same person, exuding a kind of moon-white elegance, untainted by the hustle and bustle of the world.
Zhang Shoufu couldn't help but look up at Gu Jue again. Looking at his calm face, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Zhang Shoufu was a veteran of the four dynasties. He had assisted Gu Jue's grandfather, father, and elder brother, all the way to the current Gu Jue.
It wasn't until today that Zhang Shoufu deeply realized that Gu Jue was completely different from his father and ancestor, and from the late Emperor Gu Lang.
Gu Jue's father, Emperor Renzong, was generous by nature, but Gu Lang was not only mediocre in qualifications, but also good in face.
When Emperor Renzong and Gu Lang were on the throne, if the ministers were united and had a quarrel like Wei Jingze did today, they would often be able to influence the decisions of these two monarchs.
But Gu Jue was completely different.
He is a fierce general who fought through thorns and thorns on the battlefield. He is a king who has seen mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and **** on earth. He usually looks like a celebrity from the Wei and Jin Dynasties who is wandering around in the clouds and wild cranes. He is wild and unruly, but in fact he is a man with long hair. A lion with fangs, he will not be swayed by anyone.
Once he has an idea, he will not be easily shaken. His heart is as solid as a rock. His heart is tough and strong enough to maintain his original intention.
If the king is strong, the ministers will be weak.
With such a monarch, he could imagine that in the future, the civil and military officials in the court would no longer be able to live in confusion as they did in the past.
The court is bound to usher in a drastic change!
Duke Mu also knelt down, with a smile that only he knew, and secretly sighed: Gu Jue is Gu Jue after all, and he still underestimated him. Back then, he was able to conquer the Northern Army at the tender age of fifteen. Now he is no longer the young and inexperienced Ninth Prince. Time has forged him to be invulnerable.
At this moment, Gu Jue did not speak, and the officials who were kneeling did not dare to move and could only maintain their kneeling posture.
After a while, they heard Gu Jue's displeased voice coming from above: "I said, I don't accept concubines, who has any objections?!"
There was silence in response to him.
No one dared to speak.
Finally, it was Duke Mu who took the lead and said, "I have no objection."
Although the others did not raise their heads, they could still hear the voice of Duke Mu.
The corners of the mouths of Grand Scholar Ye, Marquis Anding and others twitched, and they felt quite like "the villain succeeds".
Immediately afterwards, those officials who had not planned to participate in the selection of the concubine also responded: "I have no objection."
In the final analysis, whether the emperor accepts a concubine or not is none of their business.
Grand Scholar Ye, Marquis Anding and others all lowered their heads and said nothing. Although they did not respond, they did not dare to refute. They were still holding their breath in their hearts: It was just a concubine, why did the new emperor make such a fuss? !
They thought they had taken a step back by not objecting, but they didn't know that all their thoughts were in the eyes of Gu Jue above.
From his position, all the subtle movements of the people below were clearly visible.
He could clearly see who was truly surrendering and who was hiding little knots in their hearts.
Everyone says that military generals are rough men who only know how to wield swords and guns.
That's talking about soldiers, not handsome men.
If "handsome" doesn't understand people's hearts, how can he turn his hands into clouds and turn his hands into rain? While talking and laughing, the boats and oars will be turned into ashes!
Pei Linye on the side slightly curled his lips and stood proudly.
He made a silent gesture, and two Jin Yiwei carried the fallen Ji Mingzhi out. There was still a pool of bright red blood next to the pillar.
He didn't ask anyone to wipe away the pool of blood. Whether it was in the army or in the court, it was the same. He always had to beat **** those who refused to submit, so that they would behave and know that military orders could not be violated.
This man of theirs has always meant what he says, and every word means gold!
When the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army who were originally blocking the door of Jinluan Hall returned to their respective positions, without this human wall, the hall became brighter again, and it felt as if the sun was shining in and dispersing the gloom.
After another period of silence, Gu Jue's voice sounded above the crowd again: "That's good, the matter ends here."
Everyone agreed again and stood up one after another.
When they stood together again, Gu Jue changed the topic: "It has been a year since I returned to Beijing from the north last year. I have seen many young talents in Beijing..."
When he started like this, all the ministers' eyes lit up, and they thought to themselves: The new emperor would never mention "young talents" for no reason. Could it be that he planned to select the capable ones and use them?
All the ministers who originally had different thoughts suddenly became united and waited with bated breath.
Gu Jue continued: "For officials of the third rank or above in the court, if there are children under twenty in the family, one son can be sent to the palace, and the best one will be selected. Wen will be the attendant and Wu will be the bodyguard."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of those officials lit up like lit candles, their gazes burning.
They saw the hope of the family's future again. Whether they were servants or guards, they could all show their faces in front of the king.
Moreover, the new emperor did not restrict whether he should be a legitimate son or a concubine, and only chose the best. This meant that Gu Jue would also support the concubine, only looking at character and talent.
The hearts of some nobles from the clan were a little complicated. They were both expecting and entangled, and they thought of Yun Zhan and Chu Yunyi. If the concubine they sent into the palace made the new emperor happy, would the new emperor simply let the concubine inherit the title? !
Prince Li frowned slightly thoughtfully, thinking more than these people.
Gu Jue suddenly made this proposal, which was obviously a stick and a sweet date, because he poured cold water on the ministers on the selection of concubines, and now he would use the selection of chamberlains and bodyguards to rekindle their hope.
What's more, Gu Jue is only limited by age, not by direct concubines, which means that the children of those officials' families are bound to quarrel over this quota. If there is a quarrel, who will care about whether to accept a concubine or not? !
(End of chapter)