Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 239 Two Short Stories to Bring Down Three Powerful Ministers! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

As soon as Chen Tang brought up the charge of illegally stealing soil, Kuang Heng panicked, fearing that the guy would produce some detailed evidence. But to his surprise, Chen Tang only asked him to swear an oath.

For Confucian scholars, making oaths is something anyone can do; it's something they can do effortlessly.

He was about to strike while the iron was hot and quickly swear to let the matter drop, but unexpectedly, Liu Shi became curious about it.

Liu Shi was the only emperor of the Han Dynasty who was completely misled by Confucianism. The reason he appointed Kuang Heng as prime minister was because he thought Kuang Heng was a perfect person.

He had interpreted many scriptures, advocated kindness to others, and was always ready to sacrifice his life for the Han Dynasty, shouting slogans that shook the heavens... Only such a perfect person could be worthy of the position of prime minister.

Now that Kuang Heng has been in office for less than a year, he has been exposed for embezzling land, which Liu Shi can hardly believe.

Chen Tang cupped his hands and said:

"After the Prime Minister was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Le'an, his fief was located in Le'an Township of Linhuai Commandery. The southern boundary of this place was Minbai. However, the map of Linhuai Commandery in the first year of Chuyuan mistakenly recorded Minbai as Pinglingbai, resulting in his fief being four hundred hectares larger... The Prime Minister knew this but did not report it. Instead, he secretly kept it to himself. Such behavior of coveting petty gains is truly a disgrace to the East Sea!"

A prime minister, actually coveting a mere four hundred acres of land, and even going so far as to alter the imperial edict to keep it for himself... If Song Dynasty officials heard this, wouldn't they laugh their heads off?
After listening to Chen Tang's explanation, many court officials showed expressions of disappointment, as if their idol had been devastated.

Is this the perfect person everyone praises really?

Liu Shi coughed several times in anger, and after catching his breath for a while, he calmed down and looked at Kuang Heng, asking:

"Is this serious?"

Kuang Heng naturally denied it:
"Your Majesty, Commandant Chen is spouting nonsense. I swear that if Your Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to retire and return to my hometown!"

The tactic of pedantic scholars is to threaten resignation, much like those young women who readily use "divorce" or "breakup" as their trump cards.

Liu Shi couldn't stand this the most, and immediately said:

"I believe you, but to set the record straight, you must swear that this matter will be forgiven and that no one will ever mention it again."

Upon hearing this, Kuang Heng breathed a sigh of relief, as did his allies, including Shi Xian, the Grand Secretary, and Fan Yanshou, the Imperial Censor.

This was exactly the effect Chen Tang wanted, and he even kindly reminded him:
"Prime Minister, when you swear your oath, remember to deny that you are not Zhizhi Chanyu's adopted son, otherwise I will bring Zhizhi Chanyu's head to your house to claim kinship after court."

These words nearly made Kuang Heng vomit blood, and he quickly raised his hand to swear:
"I, Kuang Heng, swear today that I have no relation whatsoever with Zhizhi Chanyu, and the claim of having him as my adoptive father is utter nonsense. The accusation of usurping land is also a mere rumor. If I have uttered even the slightest falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!"

Just then, a muffled clap of thunder sounded from the sky, followed by a bolt of lightning that struck Kuang Heng precisely through the roof, instantly turning the prime minister into a charred corpse.

The thunderbolt struck so suddenly that Liu Shi was so frightened that he almost fell over.

The courtiers were terrified, and several of them even fled the hall in an instant... Everyone often made oaths, but they never thought that their oaths would be fulfilled so quickly.

Only Chen Tang, holding Zhizhi Chanyu's head, sighed:

"Your adopted son has gone to the underworld to be with you; you can rest in peace now."

While Kuang Heng is still fresh in everyone's minds after his death, let's quickly confirm this matter to prevent anyone from overturning the case later.

After the court session ends, I will arrange for people to go out into the streets and spread the word about this matter. I will also find a few officials from Donghai County in Xuzhou to express their feelings of shame at being associated with this.

Within a month, Kuang Heng's infamy will spread like a plague, rapidly reaching all directions.

Chen Tang always remembered the teachings he heard when he first encountered the Book of Changes:

They must be more cunning than treacherous officials and more ruthless than corrupt ones.

Now, faced with the accusation of treason that Kuang Heng was preparing, Tom Cruise simply dumped a bucket of excrement on Kuang Heng's head.

Old Chen is a man of principle. If you treat me with respect, I will repay you tenfold; if you bully me, I will repay you tenfold.

After a long while, Liu Shi finally sat up again. Looking at the pile of charred remains on the ground, he didn't know whether to marvel at the swift response of Heaven or to criticize the head of the officials he had painstakingly chosen.

Liu Shi looked at Chen Tang and asked:

"Young Master, is this the power of the gods?"

Chen Tang did not hide anything, and holding up the token in his hand, he said:
"The day after I killed Zhizhi Chanyu, I had the honor of visiting the immortal's cave. I can go there every five days. The items I presented to Your Majesty before were all gifts from the immortals."

When the mention of immortals came to mind, Weiwei Wang Feng recalled his younger brother's tragic state. When he was brought home, he was like a half-burnt piece of charcoal, the kind that would crumble at the slightest touch.

Now that he saw that Kuang Heng had also turned into charred remains, he felt that Wang Mang's strategy was correct... At this point, the question was no longer whether to unite with the court officials to overthrow Chen Tang, but how to get Chen Tang to spare the Wang family.

Chen Tang briefly introduced the Hunyuan Palace, and then expressed his intention to build the Yiyuan Pavilion as soon as possible to enshrine the immortal. Then, he abruptly changed the subject:
"The immortal knew five thousand years into the past and five thousand years into the future. He told me many things, including the prime minister's monopolistic practices of stealing land. He also told me some things that the Grand Secretary would do in the future."

Hearing his name called, Shi Xian broke out in a cold sweat, but Liu Shi asked with interest, "What is it?"

Liu Shi had always regarded Shi Xian as a trusted advisor. Even though Shi Xian easily killed his teacher Xiao Wangzhi, Liu Shi still felt that Shi Xian must have had his reasons and forgave him.

Having witnessed Kuang Heng being struck by lightning, Liu Shi thought it was time to say something good to ease the tension, so he ordered Chen Tang to speak quickly.

However, some of the more astute courtiers were already mentally prepared to witness another lightning strike.

Sure enough, Chen Tang said something that was sure to shock:
"After His Majesty passed away, the Grand Chancellor, as a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, ordered that His Highness the Crown Prince, who would later become the Emperor, must kneel before him every day. His Majesty could not touch his chopsticks until the Grand Chancellor finished eating; only then could His Majesty eat some leftovers to fill his stomach..."

He described it vividly, but Shi Xian couldn't listen anymore. His head was buzzing, and only two words echoed in his mind:

【Finished】

Taking advantage of the moment when Kuang Heng was still warm from being struck by lightning, Chen Tang did whatever he said.

Before Shi Xian could even defend himself, General Wang Shang kicked him to the ground, grabbed a bamboo slip from beside him, and began slapping the eunuch across the mouth.

General Wang Shang, Liu Shi's maternal uncle, was a man of fiery temper. Upon hearing that his grandson had been treated this way, he was enraged and proceeded to punch and kick Shi Xian.

Before Chen Tang's story was even finished, upon seeing that Imperial Censor Fan Yanshou was plotting a rebellion, he immediately changed the subject:
"Every time the Grand Secretary defecated or urinated, the Imperial Censor would personally taste it, and he recognized the Grand Secretary as his ancestor. He even led his entire family to change their surname to Shi, becoming the Grand Secretary and the Prime Minister's sharpest henchman. He killed many court officials, and even Empress Wang was repeatedly taken out of the palace and humiliated by him. This is known in history as the Shi Kuang Rebellion..."

Wang Feng, who was watching the drama unfold, didn't expect that his sister would be dragged into it. He rolled up his sleeves and started beating up the Imperial Censor Fan Yanshou without saying a word. Wang Tan and Wang Chong, who had come to court with him, also started punching and kicking. The entire court was more chaotic than in northwestern Shanxi.

Seeing that he had sufficiently incited the crowd, Chen Tang slowly said:
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can have these two swear an oath, so that people will not think that I am making things up or settling personal scores."

Liu Shi felt there was no need for this. After hearing that his son had knelt down and the empress had been humiliated, he could no longer contain his anger and ordered Wang Shang to take the two of them to prison and torture them severely!
In middle age, one's reputation is paramount. Faced with the humiliation of his wife and children, even though Liu Shi had always favored these people, he was filled with rage.

Before the court session ended, Wang Shang ordered his men to escort Shi Xian and Fan Yanshou away from the court and take them to the prison for severe torture.

After calming himself down, Liu Shi wanted to ask Chen Tang some other questions, but he was worried that he might not be able to handle the shock and would close his eyes. So he had to put the matter aside for the time being. After tidying his appearance, he ordered the Wusun prince Cilimi and the Kangju prince to come to the palace for an audience.

These two princes, one a hostage sent by the King of Wusun and the other forcibly abducted by Chen Tang, are now dressed in magnificent silk official robes and are taking the initiative to kneel and pay their respects.

Their fate was sealed; now all they had to do was find a way to survive.

Liu Shi praised the two men for their handsome appearance and other talents, and bestowed upon one the title of Marquis of Wusun and the other the title of Marquis of Kangju, granting each a five-courtyard house to settle in Chang'an.

Yes, we have the official status, and we also have the moral high ground in our hands.

When we are ready to send troops to the Western Regions, we can help these two princes "uphold justice".

After the two princes left, Liu Shi looked at Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang and sighed:

"These two generals have earned the great reputation of the Han Dynasty. What do you think, my lords, should be done in rewarding them?"

Wang Feng had just finished fighting and was now much calmer. He stood up and said:
"Commander Gan is like a pillar of strength in the Western Regions, causing the kingdoms there to live in constant fear; Commander Chen launched a thousand-mile attack, seized the opportunity and charged forward, killing Zhizhi Chanyu, avenging the centuries-old grudge of our Great Han in one day... I believe that Commander Gan should be enfeoffed as Marquis Zhenyuan and Commander Chen as Marquis Weiyuan. I urge Your Majesty to consider this carefully."

The court officials echoed this sentiment, saying that setting aside the contributions made in the Western Regions, the mere fact that Shi Xian had been brought down was worthy of praise.

Seeing that the ministers had no objections, Liu Shi enfeoffed Gan Yanshou as the Marquis of Zhenyuan, with a fief of a thousand households, and appointed him to the long-vacant position of General of the Guards.

Chen Tang was appointed Marquis of Weiyuan, with a fief of a thousand households. He served as General of the Left of the Han Dynasty and concurrently as Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, responsible for teaching Crown Prince Liu Ao martial arts and the ways of being a ruler.

From the expedition to the Western Regions until now, Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang have shared joys and sorrows for so long, and now they are finally reaping the rewards.

One guards the central government, while the other leads troops against external threats; they are about to usher in a new chapter in the world of Emperor Yuan.

After the imperial edict was read aloud, the officials were about to congratulate the two men when Chen Tang pulled another stunt:
"Your Majesty, I have a request, and I beg your permission!"

Some people were curious: this guy had already been ennobled and appointed as a Left General, so why was he still making demands?
Is this person planning to abuse their power and act arrogantly because of their connection with the gods?
On the other side, in front of the Dragon King Temple, Zhou Yi completed the beam-raising ceremony, took a bag of beam-raising candy and put it in the car, preparing to go eat communal stew with Wu Meiniang.

Just then, Ding Zhenhua called:

"Master Zhou, my relative was just about to go to Hunyuan Palace to find you when he suddenly started foaming at the mouth, babbling incoherently, and staring blankly at everyone..."

Upon hearing this symptom, Zhou Yi blurted out:

"He's possessed by a ghost! Send me his location, I'll drive over right away. Whatever you do, stay away from him to avoid getting hurt!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi said to Her Majesty the Empress, who was waiting to eat the communal stew:
"Let's go, let's not eat anymore! There's a ghost possessing someone in Lushan County, let's hurry up and earn some merit!"

(End of this chapter)