GBP Chapter 108 Turbidity
Chapter 108 Turbidity
Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, Li Yaozu sat on the dragon throne and looked at the entire court: "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to say?"
Hu Mingyang stepped out and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"What's the matter?"
Hu Mingyang respectfully presented the memorial with both hands.
The eunuch Wang Youfu took the memorial and passed it to Li Yaozu.
After reading it, Li Yaozu slammed the memorial down on the table, shocking everyone in the hall. "Come, bring the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, Zhou Mi!"
Zhou Mi knelt in the middle of the hall. His legs were shaking violently, and his back was wet and stuck to his spine.
Li Yaozu glared at him, "Zhou Mi, I see you're becoming increasingly audacious! I handed the case over to you, and this is how you handle it? Where does this put the law of the land?"
After he finished speaking, his breathing became unstable, he gasped for air, and his cough was muffled in his throat.
Zhou Mi knew he had no way to defend himself, so he could only kneel down and beg for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Wu Wencang's voice could be heard from behind the beaded curtain: "Saint, please don't get angry. It's not worth damaging your dragon body over such a scoundrel."
Wu Wencang peered through the pearl curtain at the two trembling figures in the center of the hall and spoke sternly, "The late Emperor created the Guangzong era of prosperity, and Your Majesty wishes to continue that legacy and create even greater glory. Yet, you have openly disobeyed His Majesty's will, becoming a stain on the peaceful and prosperous reign of our Great Wu."
The way you judge cases represents the entire Dali Temple. Not only does it tarnish the name of the Dali Temple, but it also makes the people of the world feel disheartened. How can you make people dare to believe in the fairness of our dynasty's judicial system?
Since ancient times, the people are like water and the king is like a boat. Your actions this time have lost the people's support. It is tantamount to stirring up waves in calm waters, which will capsize the boat!
Upon hearing this, Li Yaozu became furious and started coughing in rage.
For a moment, the entire Xuanzheng Hall was filled with only his heart-wrenching cough.
The court officials listened to the hoarse coughs and exchanged glances with each other, their worries unconcealed.
This disease has probably penetrated deep into the bone marrow and is difficult to eradicate easily.
Li Yaozu's cough became more severe and he kept bending over.
The palace maid beside her had already handed the prepared medicine to Wu Wencang. Wu Wencang took the medicine bowl, walked out of the bead curtain, and stood beside Li Yaozu.
She scooped up a spoonful of medicine, put it to her lips and blew gently before feeding it to Li Yaozu.
But Li Yaozu waved his hand and knocked over the medicine bowl, and the dark brown soup splashed all over Wu Wencang's clothes.
The medicine bowl and spoon all fell to the ground with a clanging sound.
The palace maid wanted to go forward and wipe it, but Wu Wencang raised his hand to stop her.
Li Yaozu leaned against the imperial desk and calmed down for a long time before the coughing finally stopped.
He sighed deeply and said angrily, "This criminal, Zhou Mi, has disregarded the laws of propriety and disrupted the order of the court. Come, drag him out and behead him!"
Zhou Mi's breathing hitched, and he kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was confused for a moment and had absolutely no intention of capsizing the boat. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"Wait a minute." Wu Wencang's voice came, and the Qianniu Guard who was in a meticulous posture stopped his movements. He was frightened and his eyes moved back and forth between the Queen Mother and the Emperor. It was not right to move, nor was it right to stay still.
"Queen, what do you mean?" Li Yaozu looked at her coldly.
"Your Majesty, calm down," Wu Wencang said gently, and then whispered in Zhu Dachang's ear, "Zhou Mi is Zhu Dachang's confidant."
Li Yaozu naturally knew about this. Zhou Mi had repeatedly abused his position as the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple to bend the law for personal gain and help Zhu Dachang eliminate dissidents. That was why he wanted to use this as an excuse to completely get rid of Zhou Mi today.
Li Yaozu coughed twice more intermittently: "Why? Can't I deal with his people?"
Zhu Dachang knew that the "he" the emperor was referring to was himself. He glared at Zhou Mi on the ground, but said nothing.
Li Yaozu might not understand the emperor's art of checks and balances and how to control his subordinates, but Wu Wencang could not fail to understand.
Wu Wencang picked up the pen and wrote the three words "Long Batian" on the paper. Li Yaozu pursed his lips, glanced at Zhou Mi who was crying, and said nothing.
Long Batian and Zhu Dachang each occupy one side. If you really count, Long Batian's power is three points stronger than Zhu Dachang's.
He had finally managed to defeat Wu Yong. If he also damaged Zhu Dachang's wings, how could Zhu Dachang compete with Long Batian?
If he took too big a step and aroused the dissatisfaction of the two old ministers, they would then join forces and he would be in a desperate situation.
Be careful with this person and don't act rashly.
Wu Wencang knew that Li Yaozu understood his meaning, so he raised his voice and said, "Your Majesty is said to be a good ruler, loyal, honest, and upright. Your Majesty's words are based on momentary joy and anger, but the country's laws are trusted by the world! If Your Majesty were to follow the law, you would be able to endure minor anger and maintain great trust!"
Li Yaozu was silent for a moment, then his anger turned to joy. "Just now, my law was wrong. If the Queen Mother can correct it in time, I have nothing to worry about! Then I will listen to the Queen Mother. Spare his life and deal with him according to our Wu Zhou laws."
Zhou Mi was overjoyed: "Thank you, Emperor! Thank you, Empress!"
"Dismiss the court." Li Yaozu said.
Before leaving the court, Zhu Dachang looked at Wu Wencang subtly, and for the first time he felt a little uneasy about this woman.
It was snowing today, but the sky was grayish yellow. The strong wind blew up the snow on the ground, and the entire imperial city looked very dirty.
On the way back, Li Yaozu's cough worsened, as if he was going to cough out his heart and lungs.
Wu Wencang held Li Yaozu's arm, a worried look on his face: "Your Majesty, it would be better to ride the dragon chariot back to the palace and rest."
The dragon chariot carried behind him was empty, and the palace maids and eunuchs all looked worried.
Wang Youfu, holding a whisk, also advised, "Your Majesty, please listen to the Queen Mother and take care of your health."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem..." Li Yaozu shook his head and refused, stopping in the snow and letting the heavy flakes blow against his face. "Why is this winter so harsh? Ah Wu, why does the snow never stop falling?"
Wu Wencang looked up at the sky and said, "Not only is the water in Chang'an muddy, but even the sky has become muddy. Your Majesty must be extremely careful when you are in this situation."
Li Yaozu suddenly sighed, his voice tinged with phlegm, "Sitting on this throne is truly terrifying. Every move I make is beyond my control."
Wu Wencang supported Li Yaozu as they trudged through the snow, continuing their journey towards the Purple Palace. "No matter how fierce the wind and snow, they can't withstand the spring sun. If Your Majesty can stand firm amidst the fierce wind and snow, and not be swept away by them, then no matter how cold the weather is, it will be of no use."
Li Yaozu placed his hand on the back of Wu Wencang's hand and asked, "Tell me, why are there so many accidents happening to officials in our court in such a short period of time?"
"When water is too clear, there are no fish. Now that the water is muddy, all kinds of shrimps and crabs are coming out."
The snow fell even heavier, and the sky became even more turbid.
Li Yaozu thought of the three characters "Long Batian" that Wu Wencang had just written: "As a founding father and a veteran of two dynasties, his momentum is naturally extremely strong. Now I can't touch Long Batian, and I can't touch Zhu Dachang either. I, the emperor, am really just a figurehead."
Wu Wencang said, "Those ministers were entrusted by the late emperor after all, and they always treat Your Majesty as a child who will never grow up."
"They are more than just children. I think they are completely arrogant and don't take me, the emperor, seriously at all!" Li Yaozu coughed again, his voice hoarse. "I really can't stand it anymore!"
"Your Majesty, do you know why you are always controlled by others?"