Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 452 Roaring Crown Court
Outside the imperial city, dozens of soldiers from the Northern Army rode their horses to the gate of the Censorate, then dispersed in front of the gate, sealing it off.

The leader of these knights was Wang Maozhong. At this moment, Wang Maozhong was also riding a fine horse, his hair and beard bristling, his face full of anger. He pointed at the gate of the Censorate and shouted angrily, "Pei Guangting, get out here! Since you dared to plot against my son, why don't you dare to come and see me? Zhang Dai, you little thief, you have repeatedly harmed my children, I will kill you!"

The censors of the Censorate, who were used to acting with impunity in the capital, were suddenly silenced by the violent and aggressive soldiers at the North Gate. They remained in the Censorate courtyard, not daring to show their faces, and whispered among themselves, "What's going on? Why are Wang Huo and the other North Gate officers here to provoke and insult us?"

"It must be related to yesterday's impeachment. I heard that the officials of the Crown Prince's Palace were derelict in their duties, and thirteen people were sentenced to death, including Lord Huo's son..."

A censor who had just returned from outside whispered, and the others who heard this gasped in shock, exclaiming in unison, "Is it really that serious?"

Previously, everyone had seen that Xue Tao, the main target of the impeachment, was only dismissed from his post and sent home, and thought that the matter might be easily resolved. However, they didn't expect that even more shocking punishments were to follow. There was an even more serious situation in the Eastern Palace—a total of thirteen people were to be beheaded!

Hearing the discussions among the officials inside the station, Zhang Dai and Pei Guangting quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise and wariness in each other's eyes.

If Wang Maozhong's son, Wang Shouqing, was also sentenced to death, then his rage would be understandable. However, is the target of his anger wrong?

Although this matter was triggered by Zhang Dai's impeachment, Zhang Dai's impeachment target was only Xue Tao. In his impeachment document, even the Crown Prince's Palace was described as a victim of Xue Tao's harassment, and the issue of whether the Crown Prince's Palace officials had fulfilled their duties was not mentioned.

During the trial, Pei Guangting primarily interrogated Xue Tao and a group of officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The interrogations of the officials from the Eastern Palace were all handled by eunuchs such as Gao Lishi. The Censorate did not interfere at all in the judgments rendered against these officials from the Eastern Palace.

In other words, the fact that Wang Maozhong's son was sentenced to death was most likely an act of retaliation by eunuchs like Gao Lishi, and had little to do with the Censorate. Wang Maozhong's erratic behavior at the Censorate was utterly absurd!
"The officers and soldiers at the North Gate are arrogant and have greatly disrupted the work of the Censorate, further damaging the dignity of the Censorate. I request that you inform the Imperial Guard and request the Southern Army to drive away these unruly soldiers!"

Pei Kuan strode towards Pei Guangting and asked for instructions with a serious expression.

After thinking for a moment, Pei Guangting waved his hand and said, "No need for now. I'll go out and ask Lord Huo what business he has had with me, and why I have been insulted like this!"

After saying this, he glanced at Zhang Dai again, and then said in a deep voice, "You stay in the office and do not go out! Lord Huo is powerful and ambitious, and this is not the time to argue right and wrong."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to stand up for everything, especially since Wang Maozhong's current frenzied and provocative behavior already revealed a sense of madness and irrationality. Pei Guangting's status as the current prime minister could still make him hesitate to act rashly, but as for Zhang Dai, it would be safer for him to stay obediently in the Censorate.

After giving his instructions, Pei Guangting strode towards the north gate, followed closely by Pei Kuan, Wang Han, and several others. While the selection of censors might not be entirely fair, those chosen were generally quite assertive and adept at challenging authority.

Wang Maozhong's arrival was indeed startling, but everyone gradually came to their senses. Their fear gradually faded, replaced by anger. No matter how powerful the officials of the North Gate were, how dare they provoke the Censorate?

Wang Maozhong was still shouting and cursing outside when Pei Guangting walked out with his head held high, looked down at Wang Maozhong, and loudly asked, "May I ask what business Lord Huo has come to ask?"

"How dare you ask what happened? How could my son have hated you so much that you instigated traitors to frame him and cause his death!"

Upon seeing Pei Guangting emerge, Wang Maozhong became even more agitated. He dismounted and went straight to Pei Guangting, glancing behind him before roaring, "Where is Zhang Dai? Tell that villain to come out right now! If my son cannot be saved this time, I will make this scoundrel pay with his life!"

"Life and death are of utmost importance, and human life is of the most precious! Although Lord Huo is powerful and influential, he has no authority over the law and justice. Zhang Dai is not a soldier of the North Gate Army. Even if he is guilty, he should deal with the authorities. Lord Huo has no right to decide his life or death!"

Pei Guangting stared directly at Wang Maozhong and said loudly, "As for why your son was punished, Lord Huo should inquire with the relevant officials. If there is any grievance in the case, there is a stone box outside the court where the Censorate can also submit a petition for litigation. Lord Huo has led his men here, roaring wildly outside. Is it to seek justice or to show off his power?"
"I, Pei, am but a lowly official, serving as the Chief Justice and leader of all officials. If I am guilty, I should appeal to the Emperor. Who is Lord Huo, daring to insult me ​​out of personal grudge? What are the laws and regulations of the state and the court to you? The Northern Army's myriad blades are invincible; without the Emperor's decree, would you dare to kill the Prime Minister?"

As Pei Guangting spoke, he strode straight up to Wang Maozhong, his expression full of indignation, his eyes wide open. He shouted at Wang Maozhong, "I respect your important role as a guard and the safety of the imperial residence, but if you still do not understand the importance of the Censorate and do not respect the authority of the government, I swear I will never let the two of you get along!"

"How dare you..." Wang Maozhong did not expect Pei Guangting to be so fierce and fearless in the face of him. His expression changed suddenly and he shouted angrily again.

But before he could finish his shout, Pei Guangting interrupted him with another loud shout: "Bestow courage upon me, Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Pei Kuan and several others stepped forward and shouted at the soldiers of the North Gate who were gathering on horseback, "North Gate guards, behave with propriety. If you dare to overstep your bounds again, we censors, though we have no armor or sword, wield our pens like knives, and will surely impeach you severely and not let this go!"

Wang Maozhong's eyes were practically spitting fire. His gaze first fixed on Pei Guangting, then swept across the faces of the people behind him, sneering a few times before turning back to the group and waving his hand, shouting, "Let's go!"

These soldiers from the North Gate came quickly and left quickly, soon disappearing like a whirlwind, and the area in front of the Censorate was once again open and unobstructed.

"Doctor Pei, the officials at the North Gate are so arrogant and defiant; it is truly intolerable. We, the officials of the Censorate, should also join you in going to court to impeach these scoundrels!"

Although Wang Maozhong led his men away, the censors of the Censorate were still furious. Pei Guangting's tough stance earned the admiration of the censors, who then stepped forward and spoke out loudly.

Pei Guangting, however, remained frowning, his eyes filled with a thoughtful expression. Hearing the clamor of the censors, he simply said in a deep voice, "The violation at the North Gate should be investigated. However, I am now newly in charge of the Censorate, and many matters have not yet been coordinated and sorted out. Therefore, the impeachment will be postponed for the time being. Without my permission, no one in the Three Courts is allowed to submit a memorial on this matter! Anyone who disobeys will be severely investigated!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly puzzled. If Pei Guangting hadn't reprimanded Wang Maozhong so forcefully, they would have thought that Pei Guangting was afraid of Wang Maozhong's power and chose to swallow his anger.

Zhang Dai also came out of the government office at this moment. He could understand why Pei Guangting did this.

On the one hand, this matter was clearly caused by Gao Lishi's side, but Wang Maozhong came to the Censorate to cause trouble. We cannot rashly intervene in the situation between the North Gate and the Inner Court without clarifying the details.

Once the Censorate gets involved in such disputes among the emperor's servants, the situation becomes extremely troublesome. Pei Guangting has just taken control of the Censorate, and he hopes to exercise its supervisory power within the outer court, avoiding involvement in other messy personnel matters.

On the other hand, it's quite simple: to use this incident to test the obedience of these censors. The Censorate, as a crucial institution for upholding justice, has always been highly regarded.

Yuwen Rong rose through the ranks of the Censorate and still wields considerable influence there. Xiao Song, meanwhile, sought to control the Censorate, appointing Pei Kuan as Vice Censor-in-Chief. Even old fogies like Zhang Shuo, long retired, were desperately trying to squeeze people into the system.

Pei Guangting wanted to gain complete control of the Censorate, so naturally he needed to test its internal obedience. If, after issuing such instructions, there were still censors who still submitted memorials based on them, then such dishonest and uncontrollable individuals would naturally be eliminated first.

As for Wang Maozhong's provocation, the solution is not to let it go unpunished, but rather to be more strategic. After all, Wang Maozhong holds a crucial position as a palace guard, and his status and authority are far too sensitive. Without the Sage's permission and authorization, rashly launching an attack against him would be tantamount to endangering the Sage's personal safety!
Pei Guangting then instructed everyone to return to their respective courtyards, and then summoned Zhang Dai to his side and said in a deep voice, "Although it was not caused by you or me that Young Master Huo died, the matter was ultimately caused by you and me."

The gang at the North Gate has no sense of righteousness, only a penchant for chivalrous heroes, and is fond of provoking trouble, taking risks, and indulging in chaos and mischief. If Wang Maozhong lets it go easily, he may not be able to control the crowd. This disturbance at the magistrate's office is likely related to this. You should be extra careful when you go out these days, and try not to stay overnight in the yamen.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. With the collapse of the Fubing system, the Southern Guards were practically useless. Although the Imperial Guards were responsible for city defense, the security of the imperial palace had basically fallen into the hands of the Northern Guards, and the Imperial Guards were gradually being taken over by the Northern Guards.

"Alright then, you don't need to stay in the office any longer. Go to the Duke of Bohai's residence first and ask him what his true intentions are! The inner court and the outer court are ultimately different; confusing them will only bring trouble, not fortune!"

Pei Guangting guessed that Gao Lishi might be planning to use this opportunity to tie him to the war chariot against the Northern Army. Although he had also benefited from Gao Lishi in order to become prime minister, he did not want to become Gao Lishi's vassal and use the personnel power of the outer court to interfere in the various disputes in the inner court.

(End of this chapter)