blueteamnovel Chapter 8: Exterminate nine generations of your family. Can you take on this responsibility?
Chapter 8: Exterminate nine generations of your family. Can you take on this responsibility?
Xu Ming bowed deeply towards the direction of the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations."
This seemingly random statement left everyone in the Golden Palace stunned.
贺？
What's the congratulation?
Are He and his two companions about to lose their heads? Is the imperial court about to be stained with blood?
Xu Ming straightened up and looked around at the faces that were filled with fear, anger, or confusion.
His gaze swept over Wen Yanbo's gray beard, over the flushed faces of the officials, and over the thoughtful expressions on the faces of the military officers.
Finally, he looked away and sighed softly.
As the ancients said, a loyal minister is always lonely.
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone in the hall to hear clearly.
"Today, I, Xu Ming, have finally experienced it."
After saying that, he raised his hand and wiped the corner of his eye—it was unclear whether he really had tears in his eyes or was just putting on an act.
This posture made it seem as if he had suffered a great injustice, as if his harsh words about exterminating nine generations of his family did not come from his mouth, but were forced upon him and were honest words of advice that were hard to swallow, as if he was sharing the burden of the country.
This completely ignited the officials' anger.
"You flatterer and smooth-talker! You dare call yourself a loyal minister?"
One of the officials finally couldn't hold back any longer and jumped out of the queue.
This man's surname was Zhao, given name Shouzheng, and he held the official position of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel. He was known for his outspokenness.
His thin face flushed red as he pointed at Xu Ming, his voice sharp as iron scraping against a stone slab.
"You've misled the Emperor, turning the court upside down—is that loyalty?"
"You keep claiming to be acting for the sake of the Great Liang, yet you speak of exterminating nine generations of your family. How dare such a vicious person speak of loyalty?!"
When Zhao Shouzhen got excited, his spittle flew everywhere, and even the sleeves of his court robes fluttered loudly.
With someone taking the lead, the others immediately found their backbone.
"That's right! Xu Ming, what kind of loyal subject do you think you are!"
"You're nothing but a spoiled brat who uses your father's connections to bully others!"
"Does someone without any official position have the right to dictate the affairs of the state in the imperial court?"
"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly and do not be deceived by such treacherous and wicked men!"
The crowd was immediately outraged.
The civil officials' spittle nearly drowned him.
The military officers, on the other hand, remained quiet.
He Lanying stood with her arms crossed, watching coldly, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.
Marquis Liang Xing of Zhenxi had his eyes half-closed, as if he were dozing off.
Imperial Son-in-Law Gu Qingyuan lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
Crown Prince Zhao Chengqian remained unmoved.
The Second Prince Zhao Lie changed his posture, from crossing his legs to placing his hands on his knees.
His eyes shone like two flames as he stared intently at Xu Ming, as if he were looking at a rare treasure—a treasure that he could use.
The Third Prince, Zhao Qi, raised his head.
His gaze swept over Xu Ming, then quickly returned, like a snake retreating into the grass.
The Fourth Prince Zhao Xiao frowned, looked at Xu Ming, then at the excited civil officials, his lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent.
However, Xu Ming remained completely unfazed by the overwhelming outcry.
He even slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
Wen Yanbo's heart clenched, and an ominous premonition rose from the depths of his heart.
This young man made every step with perfect precision from beginning to end.
From his stunned silence upon entering the hall, to his impassioned speech, and now to his composure—it's as if he had already written the script, and all the officials, including the emperor, were merely characters in it.
How is that possible?
How could a 19-year-old playboy have such cunning?
Xu Ming bowed again before the dragon throne.
This time, his posture was even more submissive than before, his waist was bent even lower, and his voice was even more steady.
"Are my words heretical and misleading? Are my actions truly loyal?"
He paused, his voice echoing in the hall, each word resounding with conviction.
"We humbly beseech Your Majesty to make your decision!"
This move directly passed the buck to the emperor.
In an instant, all the sounds disappeared.
The civil officials, who had just been filled with righteous indignation, were frozen in place as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats.
Because Xu Ming is right—whether what he says is right or wrong, whether what he does is loyal or not, is not up to them to decide, or even up to the facts.
It was up to the emperor to decide.
In this grand hall, in this imperial court, the emperor's golden words are the only truth.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily converged on the figure with the beaded curtain hanging down.
Ultimately, the power of judgment returned to the emperor's hands.
On the dragon throne, Zhao Huan, who had been leaning back in his chair, slowly sat up straight.
This simple action made all the officials below hold their breath.
The twelve tassels of the crown swayed gently, making a soft clinking sound that was particularly clear in the deathly silent hall.
Wen Yanbo's back was completely soaked with cold sweat, his court robes clinging to his skin, wet and cold. He stared intently at the beaded curtain, his lips moving slightly as he silently muttered something.
prayer.
He was praying.
Let's pray that the worst outcome doesn't happen.
I pray that His Majesty is only temporarily misled by Xu Ming and that he will come to his senses.
pray……
Zhao Huan's gaze passed through the beaded curtain and slowly swept over everyone in the hall.
The civil officials knelt down, trembling with fear.
The military officers stood there, but dared not raise their heads.
The crown prince lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable.
The second prince was still smiling, but there was a hint of solemnity in his smile.
The third prince lowered his head again.
The fourth prince frowned, as if he had finally realized that things were much more serious than he had imagined.
Then, the emperor's gaze fell on Xu Ming.
Zhao Huan looked at him for three seconds.
Then, he spoke.
"Xu Ming".
"I think you are absolutely right."
boom--
Wen Yanbo felt as if something had exploded in his mind.
His body swayed, his knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground.
It’s over.
It's all over.
The emperor... actually sided with Xu Ming!
The moment those civil officials heard those words, they felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.
Some people were pale, some were trembling, and some kept kowtowing, their foreheads hitting the gold bricks with a "thump, thump" sound.
The hall was completely silent.
Zhao Huan ignored their reactions.
"Fang Mingchong, Huang Cheng, and Qi Quan, as high-ranking officials, misled the emperor and nearly caused a catastrophe. Their crimes are too numerous to mention."
His voice suddenly turned cold, like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's head in winter.
"If we don't punish them severely, what will the people think of me? What will they think of the laws of my Great Liang?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling civil officials.
"Does everyone think that as long as you've studied for a few days and gained some fame, you can act with impunity, even distort the truth and shake the very foundations of the nation?"
His voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"When everyone follows suit, the nation will cease to exist!"
Every word the emperor spoke was like a heavy hammer, striking the officials' hearts hard.
"His Majesty!"
Wen Yanbo knelt down with a thud, not just a normal kneel, but a full prostration, his forehead pressed firmly against the gold brick, tears streaming down his wrinkled face and dripping onto the cold brick surface.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Lord Fang and the others... they don't deserve to die! They were just confused for a moment. We beg Your Majesty to show them leniency and leave them some dignity!"
His voice was hoarse and tearful, like an old man on his deathbed pleading for his child.
"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"
Jiang Yuanli, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, also knelt down.
Although he was a fence-sitter, if he didn't kneel now, he wouldn't be able to get along in the civil service circle in the future.
"Your Majesty, we humbly beg you to reconsider!"
Several more civil officials followed suit and knelt down, forming a large group.
They kowtowed, cried out, and made their last struggle.
They hoped to use the power of the group and the phenomenon of "the will of the people being difficult to defy" to force the emperor to retract his order.
However, Zhao Huan, sitting on the dragon throne, simply looked at them indifferently.
Like looking at a group of ants.
Decent?
A cold, sharp smile curved the corners of his lips.
When they stood on the opposite side and demanded the reduction of the power of the princes, why didn't they think of leaving me any dignity?
Zhao Huan slowly raised his hand.
Right hand, fingers spread.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
All eyes were fixed on that hand.
The hand paused in mid-air for a second.
Then, slowly clench your fist.
"My mind is made up."
Four words.
Wen Yanbo's body went completely limp, and he plopped down on the cold gold bricks, his eyes glazed over, muttering to himself, "It's over...it's all over..."
His words resonated with all the civil officials present.
Shihlin is about to change.
The entire officialdom of the Great Liang Dynasty is about to face an unprecedented bloodbath.
And all of this started simply because of that spoiled brat standing there.
In an instant, countless gazes, some filled with resentment, some with fear, and some with complex emotions, fell upon Xu Ming.
Xu Ming seemed oblivious.
He just stood there quietly, as if none of this concerned him.
"Xu Ming".
The emperor's voice rang out again.
"This case will be entrusted to you for supervision."
Zhao Huan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, as if tapping on a chopping board.
"I want you to personally wipe out the entire clan of the two traitors, Huang Cheng and Qi Quan."
His gaze was like a knife, piercing straight at Xu Ming.
"Do you dare to take on this responsibility?"