HLnovel Chapter 35: Rampage!
Chapter 35: Rampage!
The entire Taiji Hall fell silent for a moment.
Those who were about to speak to Mu Xiaoguang and Prince An silently stopped in their tracks. This was terrifying! This man not only wanted to behead the Minister, but he had even beaten a prince!
The civil officials trembled with fear, and even Prince Ping looked at Lin Shiming with considerable caution and apprehension. However, it was rare for any of the military officers to do something so straightforward; they were practically ready to applaud.
Lu Yuxi sighed. He finally understood; this person had come with the intention of causing trouble. His father had sent a message yesterday, insisting that he bring Lin Shiming to court. He wondered if the emperor regretted it now.
Lin Shihe quietly looked up and met Emperor Longyun's gaze. Emperor Longyun gave a light hum and tapped the imperial desk with a rare lightness.
Mu Bolin came in from outside.
"Your Highness, the twenty strokes of the cane have been completed. This Prince An..."
Lin Shiming shrugged. "It's up to him."
"..."
They kill the person but don't bury them.
Lu Yuxi looked up at her father, who seemed indifferent to the matter, shook her head, and walked out to help Lin Shiming finish up.
"Send Prince An back to his residence."
Mu Bolin hurriedly bowed and left.
Lu Yuxi's somewhat helpless gaze turned to Lin Shiming's face. He was careful not to damage Lin Shiming's prestige and face, so he didn't stop Lin Shiming from beginning to end and just let him make a fuss.
Lin Shiming touched his nose guiltily, not daring to look at Lu Yuxi again, and turned his back.
Emperor Longyun, seated at the head of the table, couldn't help but chuckle quietly again, then met Lin Shihe's calm gaze once more. *Ahem*, he thought, "I've gotten a little carried away. I shouldn't have."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty,"
Mu Xiaoguang's son, Mu Baihu, a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice, still came out to plead for leniency, trembling with fear. There was no other way; one was his father, and the other was his son-in-law.
"I believe that my father made a mistake on a momentary lapse of judgment, and did not intend to delay, much less disobey the imperial edict!"
These words seemed to give Mu Xiaoguang an idea. He immediately looked up and said, "Your Majesty! This old minister is guilty, Your Majesty. This old minister suddenly felt unwell yesterday, which is why I did not conduct the interrogation!"
Lin Shiming chuckled and looked over.
Mu Xiaoguang quickly added, "However, this old minister rested overnight and is now fully recovered!"
These two sentences seemed to snap the officials of Prince An's faction back to their senses, and they finally came to their senses and began to search for ways to exonerate themselves.
"Your Majesty, I believe Minister Mu is right. Minister Mu did not intentionally disobey Your Majesty's will; he was simply unwell. I hope Your Majesty can be understanding and forgiving."
"If your health is failing, retire early. Don't occupy a position all day and delay your chance."
"Your Highness the Crown Princess's words are far-fetched. Everyone has times when they don't have a headache or fever..."
"It's not like I'm making him interrogate in person. Can't he even do it with an order? What's wrong with him? He can't even speak? Should I call the imperial physician to examine him?"
"This may indeed be a coincidence. Minister Mu himself was unwilling to delay, and he did not intend to disobey the imperial edict!"
"Are you a worm in his stomach?"
Mu Xiaoguang interjected, "Your Majesty, I certainly had no intention of disobeying your decree!"
"How can you prove it? Who knows if you made it up on the spot to get yourself acquitted?"
"...His Majesty's edict only wrote 'immediately' and did not specify the exact time. The Court of Judicial Review must have been a bit too diligent, but Minister Mu cannot be said to be wrong."
"If you don't understand what I'm saying, don't come here and delay the affairs of state and the people. What else could 'immediately' mean? Doesn't it just mean you have to go right away? Besides, the imperial edict was issued by Father Emperor. If you don't believe me, ask Father Emperor. Didn't he order them to investigate the case immediately?"
All eyes turned to Emperor Longyun, who was watching with great interest.
Emperor Longyun coughed somewhat awkwardly, "The Crown Princess is right! That is exactly what I meant."
Lin Shiming beamed with joy.
Indiscriminate killing!
The officials below now understood that Lin Shiming's unrestrained and crazy behavior today was most likely at His Majesty's behest.
After killing the entire group and sending them back, Lin Shiming clapped his hands triumphantly and went out to clean up the battlefield.
"Is everyone speechless now? Your Majesty, Minister of Justice Mu Xiaoguang disobeyed the imperial edict. As Minister of Justice, he neglected his duties and caused the death of a key criminal, delaying the interrogation and seriously affecting the investigation of the case. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to punish him for all his crimes and to execute him immediately."
"No!"
The hall was instantly thrown into chaos. They had never seen a minister be executed with just a few words. They were all terrified and at a loss for what to do.
They wanted to ask Emperor Longyun for help, but they also understood that this might be the emperor's tacit approval.
But some of the smarter ones had already rushed to Lin Shihe's side and grabbed his arm.
"Your Highness, Your Highness Lin, please persuade the Crown Princess! You can't kill like this!"
There were even those who dared to approach Lu Yuxi.
"Your Highness, please do something about the Crown Princess!"
King Ping was in a complicated mood, unsure whether to be happy that one enemy had suffered a blow or to be wary of another enemy with formidable fighting power. So he simply gestured to the officials under his faction not to get involved, and then stood aside with his arms crossed, completely uninvolved.
After a period of chaos, Lin Shihe, who had been pestered by the crowd for half a day, finally opened his mouth.
"Although the Crown Princess is my younger brother, he is now the ruler and I am his subject. I can only support him and be his backer. How can I control him?"
Disappointed, everyone turned their expectant gaze to Lu Yuxi.
Lu Yuxi: "... ..."
Suddenly I really want to disappear.
"His Majesty!"
Mu Xiaoguang, who had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, cried out in anguish.
"I know I cannot refute this. I beg Your Majesty to spare me this time, considering my many years of service and the fact that I had no intention of offending you!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive Minister Mu this once."
"His Majesty..."
More than a dozen court officials knelt down to plead for the emperor's life, including six or seven powerful ministers.
Emperor Longyun narrowed his eyes, silently memorizing the names of those kneeling on the ground, before shifting his stiff posture and leisurely taking a sip of tea.
"I've listened for a while now. Minister Mu said he wasn't feeling well and it wasn't intentional. I'm certainly not the kind of person who doesn't understand his subjects. Crown Princess, please give your father some face in this matter. You, please bear with it."
Mu Xiaoguang below became somewhat excited.
"Minister of Justice Mu Xiaoguang is dismissed from his post and will never be reinstated."
"..."
No, you call this feeling wronged?
He effortlessly found a nitpicking charge from some obscure corner and dismissed a high-ranking official, the Minister of Justice, from his position. He even assaulted a prince. He felt wronged.
It's hard to say.
"What, does anyone have a problem with that?"
"Your Majesty, we dare not presume. We will obey Your Majesty's decree."
Mu Xiaoguang closed his eyes and kowtowed deeply, "This humble subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."
Seeing that the matter was settled, Lin Shiming stopped pressing the issue and returned to his seat with satisfaction.
The others then breathed a sigh of relief.
That madman finally went back!
Mu Xiaoguang removed his official hat, slowly stood up with his numb legs, and left the Taiji Hall where he had been for decades.
The matter was over, but the hall remained quiet.
"My esteemed ministers, is there anything else you wish to report?"
Huo Shangfeng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who had been hiding in the corner for a long time, came out again with unease.
"Your Majesty, what about this case of selling fake exam questions?"
"No rush, I will investigate slowly."
"The minister obeys the order."
"Since there is nothing more to discuss, let the court adjourn!"
Li An stepped forward, "Dismiss the court—"
"Your Majesty, I respectfully bid you farewell."
*
The grand court assembly lasted for two hours, and it was noon when they came out, but the intensity of the entire assembly meant that none of the ministers, who had left home at dawn, felt the slightest bit hungry.
As soon as Lin Shiming finished court, Lu Yuxi pulled him out of the Taiji Hall and made him the first to board the imperial carriage.
The rest of the group walked out one after another, not daring to exchange a single glance.
"Young Master Lin!"
Lin Shihe turned around, and Li An was waving and running over.
"Eunuch Li, is His Majesty summoning me?"
Li An, panting heavily, said, "Indeed, His Majesty has invited you to lunch! Young Master, come with me to the Xuanzheng Hall."
Lin Shihe nodded and got into the sedan chair that Li An had brought.
*
"His Majesty."
"coming."
Emperor Longyun was fishing by the small pond behind the Imperial Palace. When he saw Lin Shihe approaching, he freed one hand to pat the spot beside him.
"Sit down and come fishing with me for a while."
The two sat there in the warm midday sun for a long time.
A gentle breeze blew by, causing ripples to spread across the water.
"Your Majesty, after seeing how my younger brother caused trouble so recklessly today, do you regret marrying him off to the Crown Prince and bringing him to the court?"
"Regret? Hmph, I'm quite pleased!"