Ink Burns

Chapter 141: Court Debate
[I changed the previous paragraph because some friends said they don’t like Xue Xiao’s swearing. I thought about it and agree: Xue Xiao can be wild, arrogant, crazy and powerful, but he must have tone.]

Now that Xue Xiao had started talking, he had no intention of stopping there, and continued to skillfully frame up people with groundless accusations.

He turned around and bowed to the emperor on the dragon throne: "Yuan Ci Fu repeatedly cursed my father to die a bad death, which is really abominable! This involves my father's respect for the way of heaven, which is intolerable. Although I have a lot of disagreements with my father, I am still willing to beat the drum three times and cross the rolling knife five times to seek justice for my father! I only ask the saint to punish Yuan Ci Fu for the crime of insult and provocation, so as to restore the reputation of our Great Wei that values Confucianism and respects heaven!"

People who come from the Censorate are best at making a big deal out of small things and creating something out of nothing.

Xue Yushi's outline was put online without any need for a draft.

Yuan Wenying thought of a hundred ways to pry Xue Xiao into a verbal battle, but she didn't expect Xue Xiao to use this trick - bullshit! How can you have such a good relationship with your father! You even beat the drum to report to the emperor and complained to the emperor! It's good enough that you don't add insult to injury to your father!

Yuan Wenying's face flushed red. "You are slandering me! I have never had any grudges or hatred against Xue Taibao. Why would I curse him to death?!"

Xue Xiao immediately replied: "Since there is no hatred, why does Yuan Cifu force me to mourn? "

Yuan Wenying seemed to be choked by a pile of shit: Shouldn't you be in mourning? Even if your father is not dead, your stepmother is dead!
Yuan Wenying has been in a high position for a long time. Although he is the second assistant, he has been enlightened by the current sage. In addition, he has no one above him, so he has always enjoyed the highest honor in the cabinet. In the cabinet, all the people who come and go are well-known and clean civil servants. Even if they hate to spit in each other's faces, they are still respectful and peaceful on the surface - every time he fights with Xue Xiao, the dead dog, he will lose half his life!
It's like fighting a tough battle with no chance of winning, you can't predict how Xue Xiao will fight back.

When you talk about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, he goes crazy; when you are forced to go crazy and lose your composure, he starts to talk about "The way of a gentleman is to manifest his bright virtue, and when the time comes, all the principles will return to Xue Xiao's hands!"
This battle is difficult to fight.

But "Qing Feng" chose him to go first!
"You and Xue Xiao have had a feud before, so it's most appropriate for you to step forward and bite him. If someone else steps forward, it will easily arouse the emperor's suspicion." Princess Jing'an said lightly, and determined his role as a test case.

God have mercy on him, he is already fifty-three years old after the new year!
Yuan Wenying swallowed thousands of curses and silently told herself that she must stand firm and not be easily dragged into the trap set by Xue Xiao.

After calming down, Yuan Wenying stepped out of the crowd and stood in front of all the ministers with his back hunched: "Sage, since the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has been a rule to wear mourning clothes for close relatives. Confucius said that a child is born three years before he is free from his parents' arms; three years of mourning is a common mourning in the world. It means that after parents give birth to a child and take care of him for three years, the child can fall to the ground and walk. So three years in turn, mourning for parents for three years after their death should also be a rule that people in the world follow."

On the dragon throne, the Tongtian crown on the emperor's forehead moved slightly, and the golden Boshan on the crown seemed to dazzle people's eyes.

The late emperor was fond of calligraphy and painting, and was well-versed in elegance. He never mentioned the rise of Emperor Ma Fu of Wei, and instead advocated the soft Wu dialect and flowing water under small bridges. His subordinates would follow closely whatever their superiors liked. Therefore, whenever he went to court, his ministers would first quote from classics and show off their bookish knowledge, only then would the late emperor feel that what you said was meaningful and reasonable.

Nowadays, saints don’t like these. If the prefixes are too long, they will be scolded.

Yuan Wenying immediately cut off the topic and got to the point: "So, our dynasty has always used Confucianism to govern the country and the family. When Mrs. Zhu, the wife of Xue Taibao, passed away, Xue Yushi should have worn mourning clothes, otherwise it would be disloyal and unfilial. Xue Yushi is a third-rank official, and he is in charge of the rewards and punishments of hundreds of officials in the court in the Censorate. He should set an example and lead by example!"

At least I got the point back.

No matter how Xue Xiao joked, he insisted on one thing: your father's wife is your mother. When your mother dies, you should observe mourning!

Yuan Wenying glanced to the side, and the four or five civil officials behind him, including Cabinet Chief Clerk Sheng Changsheng, Ministry of Revenue Left Vice Minister Yuexiu, and Dali Temple Left Junior Secretary He Qingshu, who had close ties with the Yuan family, all stepped forward in agreement.

In the Ninth Heaven, the Emperor did not move.

Xue Xiao smiled: "Yuan Cifu has been in the cabinet for a long time. His music is too high and few people can understand it. He naturally doesn't understand other people's ugliness and takes everything for granted-"

That's it again!

That's it again!

Whenever Xue Xiao opens his mouth, no matter what he says, he always starts with a personal attack!
Yuan Wenying calmed down: I must not be fooled! "How did Zhu die? How did Xue Taibao go to prison? Yuan Ci Fu, you pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth, and you force me to expose my shortcomings in this hall, what are you thinking!?"

Xue Xiao raised his well-defined chin and loudly disclosed the absurdities of the Xue family: "The Zhu family tried to curry favor with the rich and powerful, and replaced the eldest daughter who died young with a prostitute. They even married her into the Xue family and gave birth to a son. This lie was kept for twenty years. Xue Taibao could not bear the deception and got angry and killed Zhu with a knife."

——We must gather our strength today!
Not only did he curse people, he also happily talked about Xue Changfeng's scandal in public.

It was such a pity!

Xue Xiao hid his smile with a sneer: "The Xue family has not yet figured out how to deal with this matter - should we hold Zhu responsible? Should we include Zhu in the family tree? You, Yuan Ci Fu, want to be the head of the Xue family!? Which law are you following!? Which order are you obeying?! Whose power are you relying on?! I ask you to think it through and explain it clearly!"

Xue Xiao raised his voice: "After I leave the court, I will immediately report to the Xue family. Today, you, Yuan Cifu, are so powerful that you have issued an order to me, requiring the Xue family to immediately bury Zhu in the ancestral tomb, enter the family tree, and restore her reputation. The Xue family can just quietly swallow the deception and loss they have suffered!"

Yuan Wenying knelt on his knees with a trembling sound: "Old minister, Your Majesty, I have no such intention!"

Issue an order. He is not the emperor!

Even the emperor has no precedent of interfering in other clans!

In the Confucian-Taoist system of governing a country, clans are above the law, and those who betray their clans and tribes will never be integrated into the secular world.

Yuan Wenying could not find any way to refute: Xue Xiao was a taciturn, cruel and crazy person. There was nothing he dared not do in the Censorate. Moreover, he was tall and slender, and he wielded a red tasseled spear and a curved sword and bow with great skill. It was easy to forget that he was a second-class Jinshi, and his eight-legged essay style was sharp and to the point, much like the Xue family's grandfather's style of admonition!
"Master Yuan, please stand up." The emperor finally spoke.

The man in the Ninth Heaven raised his eyes, revealing a deep and peaceful look and an expression that could not tell whether he was happy or angry. "The Confucian way should be followed. Master Yuan is eager to protect the way, so occasional omissions can be forgiven. In the book, you are too sharp and your words are too sharp. I will fine you two months' salary to correct the government."

Yuan Wenying's old face instantly turned red.

The emperor's words, ostensibly punished Xue Xiao, but in fact he regarded his words and actions as an "omission"!
[The content modified in the previous chapter, in case some friends can't see it]

Along with the sound of "ding-dong" from the emperor's crown on the dragon throne.

"Yuan Cifu——"

Xue Xiao finally spoke in a low voice.

Although the tone was low, it was full of energy, and contained a hint of sarcasm.

"Aren't you meddling too much?"

Xue Xiao raised his official robe, his clear profile raised high, the arrogance in his eyes was exactly the same as the mountain moon in the window: "Zhu's coffin is still in the Xue family's mourning hall. It has not been buried or entered into the ancestral temple. The funeral is not over yet, how can I talk about mourning?"

Xue Xiao snorted coldly and suddenly attacked: "Or is it that Yuan Ci Fu is cursing my father Xue Taibao to die early? "

I heard that Xue Changfeng had a stroke in the Imperial Censorate, and his father's symptoms were exactly the same before his death. He was barely alive, but he was not dead yet.
As for Zhu, she is dead but has not been buried yet, which does mean that the funeral is not yet complete. However, incumbent officials will generally resign and wear mourning clothes immediately after the death of a relative - after all, who would be willing to go to court in mourning clothes and arouse the taboos of the superiors and the emperor!

How could Xue Xiao be so unreasonable!