Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 480 Song Yan Really Wants to Rebel (10,000 words)
In the solemn hall, Lu Yuanzheng knelt and kowtowed, begging for Song Yan's execution.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Xue had already silently memorized his name and appearance, her eyes gleaming with icy killing intent. After so much time and hardship, she had finally found news of her brother; how could she allow him to be killed?
Before, she was too young to protect her younger brother.

But now, it's different.

She will make anyone who tries to harm her brother pay the cruelest price.

In fact, upon first arriving at Dongling, Qi Chengxuan, the tea seller in front of the Jingguan, already knew that there was a group of people in the Ningguo court who desperately wanted Song Yan dead. Although Song Yan was quite prestigious among the common people, he was universally condemned in the court. The intelligence he gathered afterward also indicated that Song Yan's situation in Ningguo was extremely dire.

The imperial court was in an uproar over how to deal with Song Yan.

The reason she dared to request to sit in on the court assembly today was to see who these fools were targeting her younger brother. Now it seems the description of the situation is accurate; even with officials present in the hall, these people are still eager to execute Song Yan.

it is good.

well.

Lu Yuanzheng, right?

Grandma will remember you.

When your great-aunt leads her troops to conquer Ningguo, that will be the day your entire clan is wiped out.

Although he was a general, Lin Xue had never done anything like killing surrendered soldiers or prisoners of war, but for his younger brother, Lin Xue did not mind making an exception.

As for Chu Yue, who was standing next to Lin Xue, a slight smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

This is absolutely fantastic news!

Impeach them.

The stronger the hostility, the better.

The stronger the murderous intent, the better.

The worse Song Yan's situation became in Ningguo, the higher the chance of him successfully persuading Song Yan to abandon Ningguo and join Chu.

At the same time, he increasingly despised the officials in the Ningguo court. They were a bunch of cowards who only knew how to bully their own kind. When the Jurchens invaded, why didn't these people go out to defend against them? When the Xiongnu invaded the border, why didn't these people lead their troops to fight? Now that the Jurchens are scared, the Xiongnu have been driven away, and the Japanese pirates have been wiped out, Song Yan is no longer of any use. Fearing that the power of military generals would surpass that of civil officials, he would spare no effort to remove Song Yan from power.

Chu Yue wasn't from Ningguo either, but just hearing it made him feel chilled to the bone.

Regardless of what Song Yan actually did, his achievement of killing over 100,000 Xiongnu soldiers is undeniable. Such a feat would earn him a title of nobility in the Chu Kingdom. If he were to return to the capital, the emperor would come out of the city to greet him, with the crown prince leading the horse and the princes driving the carriage.

If any fool in the court dares to impeach someone at this time, the Emperor of Chu will dare to chop off his head.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Ninghe's face was extremely gloomy, with a chilling glint in his eyes. These days, the execution of Song Yan had been the main event at almost every court assembly, which had long annoyed Emperor Ninghe. The reason he allowed Lin Xue, Chu Yue and others to stay was that with foreign guests present, these civil officials would be more discreet for the sake of Ningguo's reputation.

But who would have thought that these people didn't care about anything, and seemed determined not to give up until they killed Song Yan.

Emperor Ninghe's body trembled almost imperceptibly. Although he did not utter a word, the atmosphere in the court suddenly became extremely oppressive.

Yes, he is dying, and his energy has been declining day by day lately.

But have these people forgotten that a dying emperor is the most terrifying emperor?

Just then, another person stepped forward, just like Lu Yuanzheng, and knelt down to kowtow: "Your subject, Cao Bian, Left Censor-in-Chief, humbly requests the execution of Song Yan."

Lu Yuanzheng, Minister of Rites.

Cao Bian, Left Censor-in-Chief.

They were all powerful figures in the Ningguo court.

He was a figure whose every move could shake the Ningguo court; his status was second only to the Grand Secretary, the Minister of Works, and the two Grand Secretaries.

With these two people leading the way, more and more people stepped out of the queue.

"Your subject, Xiao Jie, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, humbly requests the execution of Song Yan."

"Your subject, Guo Feng, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, humbly requests that Song Yan be executed."

"Your subject, Liao Yongzhong, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, respectfully requests the execution of Song Yan."

"Your subject, Li Zhengyi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, humbly requests the execution of Song Yan."

Shouts echoed throughout the temple.

In a short time, a huge crowd of people had knelt down in front of the dragon throne.

Lin Xue did nothing but silently memorize everyone's name, appearance, and position. She had a photographic memory and would never make a mistake. A cold smile crept across her pretty face, as if she could already see the scene of rivers of blood flowing on the day Dongling City fell.

They won't be allowed to live.

Absolutely not.

Even Chu Menglan, who had always had a bad impression of Song Yan, couldn't help but feel a pang of pity when she saw so many people targeting Song Yan.

Just then, another person stepped forward, but this person was not facing Emperor Ninghe, but rather the kneeling officials in the court. His face was filled with barely contained anger: "The officials are kowtowing, only to kill the Marquis of Champion. What are you doing? Are you trying to force the emperor to abdicate? I would like to ask, what crime has the Marquis of Champion committed that warrants such a coup?"

Although his voice wasn't loud, it was clear and upright.

The sound echoed throughout the hall, buzzing in everyone's ears.

If Song Yan were here, he might recognize this person as Li Weicheng, the Left Censor-in-Chief who did not send gifts when the Marquis of Champion's residence was moved.

Unexpectedly, when the officials were pressuring Song Yan to his death, the first person to stand up for Song Yan was this very person whom Song Yan had written down in his little notebook.

Minister of Rites Lu Yuanzheng raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping over Li Weicheng. Clearing his throat, he said in a deep voice, "Song Yan has committed ten major crimes."

"His first crime was that last year, Songzhou suffered a disaster and a large number of refugees gathered in Ningping. At that time, Song Yan had no official position, but he killed more than a thousand refugees without authorization. He should be cut in half at the waist and his body displayed in the market."

"His second crime is that the laws of this dynasty prohibit officials from engaging in commerce. However, Song Yan, as the prefect of Pingyang, has engaged in the business of merchants. He should be dismissed from his post."

"His third crime is that Ningguo governs the country with filial piety, but when Yang Miaoqing, the stepmother of the Duke of Song's family, died, Song Yan did not attend the funeral or keep vigil. This is unfilial. How can an unfilial son be an official?"

"His fourth crime was that when Song Yan was stationed in Pingyang, he killed the eldest son of the Kong family in Jin and extorted five million taels of silver from the Kong family. He also killed the entire Huang family and confiscated all their property. He also slaughtered hundreds of students at Xilin Academy. He was lawless, incompetent, and immoral. He should be executed by dismemberment."

"His fifth crime is that, as the governor of Pingyang, he led troops out of Pingyang without authorization to enter the Jurchen territory, massacred Jurchen tribes, and wantonly destroyed the diplomatic relations between the Jurchen and Ningguo. This is disloyalty and he should be beheaded and his head displayed to the public."

"His sixth crime is that he is fond of killing, and has repeatedly drowned or burned hundreds of thousands of living beings. This is inhumane and he deserves to be torn to pieces."

"His seventh crime is that, as the son-in-law of a princess, he took a concubine without permission and kept a mistress, which is unfaithful. This is a crime of disrespecting the imperial majesty and should be punished by being cut in half at the waist."

"His crime is eightfold. As the governor of Pingyang, he led troops to garrison Anzhou. According to the laws of Ningguo, a governor who leads troops out of the territory without authorization is considered to be committing treason and should have his entire family exterminated."

"His crime is ninefold: after the Xiongnu withdrew, Song Yan took over Anzhou without authorization, arbitrarily dismissed Anzhou officials, and appointed his cronies. This is an abuse of power and contempt for the court, and his entire family should be exterminated."

"His crimes are tenfold. According to the laws of Da Ning, the number of soldiers in a prefecture should not exceed 15,000. However, Pingyang has more than 30,000 soldiers. Song Yan also colluded with Li Er, the leader of the Liutang rebels, and recruited the Liutang rebels, intending to rebel. He should be executed along with his entire family."

"How can such a disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, unjust, lawless, incompetent, and immoral person not be killed?"

Lu Yuanzheng listed ten of Song Yan's crimes in one breath, almost all of which were life-threatening offenses.

Even though he had stopped speaking, his voice still echoed in the hall.

These are all verifiable crimes, not fabrications.

He could have said more, such as killing officials in the capital and killing Qian Yaozu in Pingyang, but these things had already been settled in Ninghe and the capital, so even Lu Yuanzheng couldn't bring them up.

As soon as Lu Yuanzheng finished speaking, the other kneeling officials almost unanimously shouted, "We beg Your Majesty to execute Song Yan!"

"I humbly request Your Majesty to execute Song Yan."

"I humbly request Your Majesty to execute Song Yan."

Three loud shouts, as if rehearsed in advance, almost broke through the roof, echoing throughout the vast palace, making the whole palace seem to shake.

In the imperial court, many officials' expressions changed.

Even some officials who didn't think Song Yan should be executed secretly felt that he was indeed guilty. Emperor Ninghe's face flushed strangely, and his headache seemed to be getting worse. He was like an angry lion, his fingers clenching unconsciously, and he even had the urge to order the imperial guards to drag all these people out and behead them.

However, he cannot do that.

Even setting aside the fact that all these people were beheaded, the operation of the imperial court almost immediately came to a standstill, and the whole country was in turmoil.

Among these imperial guards, there are probably quite a few who have been bribed by the Yang family and Bailu Academy.

Li Weicheng's eyes were bloodshot: "Shut up."

"Where were you when the Xiongnu army invaded Ningguo? If it weren't for the Marquis of Champion leading his army to intercept them, how much of Ningguo's land would be occupied by the Xiongnu now? How many people would have been slaughtered by the Xiongnu?"

"How dare you desecrate the achievements of the Marquis of Champion?"

"How dare a bunch of people with no merit bark and howl here?"

Lu Yuanzheng, however, maintained a dignified and upright demeanor, saying, "Resisting the Xiongnu is certainly a meritorious act, but this is not a reason for Song Yan to lead his troops out of the border without authorization. If Song Yan wants to send troops, he can request an imperial decree. Since ancient times, there has been no order without rules. If the governors of various prefectures in Ningguo could lead their troops out of their cities at will, what would that be like? If this is not curbed and punished, the country will cease to exist in the long run."

"Moreover, there are many ways to resist the Jurchens. Why set fire to the Jurchen camp, causing tens of thousands of Jurchens to be burned to ashes?"

"Song Yan could have led his army out of the city to fight the Xiongnu, so why did he set fire to the city? Why did he breach the dikes and cause a massive flood?"

"Why didn't Song Yan capture the Xiongnu and Jurchen people alive and educate them with poetry, books, and etiquette?"

"To educate all people is a supreme virtue. Song Yan clearly had a better choice, but he chose the most brutal and morally reprehensible method."

“If such behavior is not punished, it may incur the wrath of Heaven and bring down divine punishment upon Da Ning.”

These words were spoken with such righteous indignation and solemnity, as if the speaker was acting in the best interests of the people and standing on the moral high ground.

Do people say it?
Li Weicheng was clearly not one for empty talk. Although he knew that Lu Yuanzheng's words were all fallacies and heresies, he couldn't think of a way to refute them for a moment. He couldn't bear the shamelessness of Lu Yuanzheng and the other officials, nor could he bear to see the heroes of Ningguo slandered and vilified in this way. Lu Yuanzheng was truly too vicious. One could imagine that from now on, whenever Ningguo suffered from floods, droughts, earthquakes, or hail, the blame would be placed on Song Yan. It was because Song Yan had committed too many killings that he had incurred the wrath of Heaven... Just thinking about such a scene made Li Weicheng feel dizzy and his chest tight. He trembled with fear and couldn't control himself. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and his body slumped down.

Emperor Ninghe suppressed the raging anger in his chest and hurriedly summoned the imperial physician.

The Grand Secretary Yang Hetong, the Chamberlain of the Imperial Secretariat Chu Licheng, and Gao Hong exchanged glances, each able to see the sternness in the other's eyes.

This is indeed a good opportunity to crush Song Yan.

Song Yan is a huge threat.

He already had merit in suppressing the Japanese pirates, later in defending against the Jurchens, and now in resisting the Xiongnu, his army is growing larger and larger. It was thought that sending Song Yan to a godforsaken place like Pingyang would limit his development, but his growth rate is just too fast.

If this is not stopped now, it may not be long before Song Yan grows into a behemoth that even they have to look up to.

Song Yan must die.

With a single glance, the former adversaries reached an agreement.

Gao Hong stepped forward first, but unlike the other officials who knelt down, he simply performed a kowtow: "Your Majesty, there have indeed been many rumors about the Marquis of Champion recently, but the truth of the matter is still unknown. This old minister suggests that we issue an edict to temporarily transfer Song Yan back to the capital."

"After investigation, if Song Yan has not violated any rules or laws, then his innocence can be cleared."

Fang De suddenly lifted his wrinkled eyelids and glanced at Gao Hong.

That old fellow, he certainly knows how to manipulate the abacus beads.

The reason why the court is making such a fuss about dealing with Song Yan, but can't really do anything to him, is because Song Yan is in Pingyang.

That was Song Yan's old lair, his foundation.

There were tens of thousands of Song soldiers who had fought countless battles.

The imperial court was powerless to do anything about Song Yan.

However, once Song Yan is transferred back to Dongling, without soldiers by his side, wouldn't he be at the mercy of others?

Fang De let out a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that his time had come. Li Weicheng and his ilk, though well-intentioned, were ultimately too inexperienced.

“What Attendant Gao said is correct.” Fang De’s leisurely voice rang out in the hall, a stark contrast to the previous tense and confrontational atmosphere.

Even Emperor Ninghe's eyelids twitched involuntarily. He couldn't understand what Fang De was doing. These past few days, he had been able to withstand the pressure only because Fang De had firmly stood by Song Yan's side. If Fang De were to turn against him now, things would be very bad.

Even Yang Hetong, Chu Licheng, and Gao Hong couldn't help but exchange a glance, unsure of Fang De's attitude.

"However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a prefecture cannot function without a governor."

"It's fine to bring Song Yan back, but who will replace him?"

With that one sentence, the court fell into complete silence.

Just kidding, Pingyang is all Song Yan's direct subordinates, okay?
In this situation, only a fool would go; whoever goes will die.

"Although I did speak up for Song Yan before, the ten deadly sins summarized by Minister Lu this time have been a wake-up call for me. I think Song Yan does indeed have rebellious intentions, and has even been preparing for rebellion all along. I'm afraid it won't be long before Song Yan raises an army to rebel."

"Should such a person be killed?"

"Deserves to be killed."

"But who should deliver this imperial edict and escort Song Yan back to the capital?"

"Minister Lu, since you started this matter, why don't you deliver His Majesty's decree?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuanzheng's expression immediately froze.

"However, Minister Lu, please be careful. Song Yan is a capricious and violent man who loves to chop off people's heads for fun. Minister Lu, please be careful when you deliver the decree."

"While we can remove Song Yan from his post and take over his military power, we must also make sure that Song Yan discovers the court's intention to deal with him."

"After all, if Song Yan discovers the court's intentions, he might just cut your head off."

“Cutting off your head is a small matter, but if it provokes Song Yan into a rage and he sends his army south, then you will be a sinner to the entire Ning Kingdom.”

Swish.

A layer of cold sweat appeared on Lu Yuanzheng's forehead.

Damn.

He was just leading the impeachment of Song Yan; he never imagined that this matter would fall on his own shoulders.

Just kidding, to remove Song Yan from his post, take over his military power, and yet not let Song Yan discover the court's intentions—only a ghost could do that.

Yang Hetong and Chu Licheng's expressions froze. In their hearts, they cursed Fang De, that old fox. This old bastard was clearly saying that whoever went to deliver the imperial decree would die.

In that case, who would dare to step forward and be the first to speak out?
"No way, Minister Lu has the guts to impeach Song Yan, how come he doesn't even have the courage to deliver the imperial edict?" Fang De's voice continued: "Could it be that Minister Lu lacks courage? In that case, the officials who impeached Song Yan today should just go to Song Yan and deliver the edict. There are dozens of them, which should give Minister Lu some courage."

As soon as he finished speaking, almost all the officials who were kneeling on the ground impeaching Fang De cursed him in their hearts as shameless.

What, are we going together to deliver the imperial decree?

This was clearly a scheme to send all these officials who were dissatisfied with Song Yan to Song Yan's side, so that Song Yan could chop off their heads and build a mound of skulls.

Bah, that old geezer is wicked.

shameless.

"Report..."

Just then, a loud shout with a drawn-out tone came from outside the hall.

Before long, a palace guard hurriedly entered the court, knelt on one knee, and held two rolls of cloth in his hands:

"Your Majesty..."

"The Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Suochuoluo, and the Great Khan of the Jurchen, Wanyan Guangzhi, have sent envoys to visit and request an audience outside the palace gates!"

(End of this chapter)