Top Scholar

Chapter 651 Die-hard Remonstrance
"I object!"

This sound startled all the officials in the court.

Liu Jin's old face instantly darkened, his triangular eyes flashing with a fierce light. He looked fiercely in the direction of the voice, and when he saw that it was Wang Ao, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, who spoke, he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Who can blame them for having such a distinguished student? They're simply too powerful to mess with...

Jiao Fang was equally surprised; she hadn't expected Ah Zhen to be serious...

Zhu Houzhao, however, became interested. He was extremely tired of following the rules and routines, and only such unusual situations could rouse his spirits.

He then asked with a smile, "Oh, it's Master Wang? I'd like to hear what you're objecting to."

He keeps running to Su Lu's house every day, and his accent has been completely picked up by his aunt...

Wang Ao then held his tablet, head held high, and said, "Your Majesty, I swear to oppose the promulgation of the 'Regulations for the Implementation of the Laws' today, because Eunuch Liu has committed four unforgivable crimes and must not be implemented throughout the land!"

"Is it that serious?" Zhu Houzhao's smile gradually froze, and Liu Jin broke out in a cold sweat...

"Yes!" Wang Ao's voice resounded firmly in front of the Fengtian Hall.

"The first crime is that it undermines the century-old rules of our Great Ming Dynasty. In the past, the promulgation of laws and regulations always required the deliberation of the ministries and departments, the drafting of the cabinet, the approval of the emperor, and the rejection of the six ministries. None of the four steps could be omitted. This 'Existing Regulations' sets rules for the affairs of the world, but it bypasses the cabinet, coerces the nine ministers to sign it, and controls the six ministries. Anyone who opposes it will die!"

"What do you mean by 'opponents die'?!" Zhu Houzhao interrupted him, frowning.

"This is the second crime I want to mention—suppressing dissent, deceiving the Emperor, and persecuting loyal officials! After the Cabinet returned the document, Eunuch Liu, in order to forcefully push forward the 'Case Studies,' threatened the Six Ministries with demotion, confiscation of property, and flogging in court, so that they dared not refute it."

"Xu Tianxi, the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Engineering, refused to submit to dereliction of duty and thus offered his own death as a form of remonstrance, yet even his memorial has vanished without a trace!" He paused, his eyes red, his voice trembling slightly as he continued:

"Emperor Taizu established the Six Ministries precisely to prevent the channels of communication from being blocked! If the channels of communication are blocked, Your Majesty, residing in the highest palace, will find it difficult to know the true situation of the realm and the suffering of the people, and will inevitably be misled!"

"Your Majesty! Don't listen to his nonsense!" Liu Jin instantly exploded, disregarding court etiquette as he shouted, "I... this old servant doesn't even know who Xu Tianxi is! He's framing me! Whoever dies gets pinned on me? Do you think I'm the King of Hell?!"

As he spoke, he whirled around, glaring at the group of officials from the Six Ministries with a murderous look, and roared, "Speak clearly in front of the Emperor! When did I ever control you? Huh?!"

The officials looked at each other, their mouths agape, not daring to utter a single word.

As Wang Ao watched this scene, his heart sank to the bottom, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips:
"It seems that Section Chief Xu's blood alone is not enough to awaken you all."

"Your Majesty, look! It's all his conjecture!" Liu Jin turned back and kowtowed repeatedly to Zhu Houzhao. "Your Majesty, please be wise! He's framing this old servant!"

Zhu Houzhao frowned deeply, not expecting things to become so troublesome. He snorted and said, "Shut up and let him finish what he has to say."

Wang Ao completely disregarded the emperor's tone and continued loudly:
"The third crime is arbitrary and capricious actions, and the harsh laws that bring disaster to the people! The vast majority of the eighty-five articles in these 'Examples of Laws' were fabricated by Eunuch Liu and his gang. They were neither discussed in court nor tested in any way!"

"Over the years, relying on the Emperor's trust, Eunuch Liu has repeatedly changed ancestral systems, such as the salt law, tea law, border pay, and military farms, causing the border troops to become disorganized, refugees to rise up everywhere, people's livelihoods to decline, the treasury to be empty, and the country to be ravaged!"

"Facts speak louder than words. His approach is simply unworkable, yet Liu Jin clings to this delusional idea and forcibly pushes the reforms towards the brink of destruction!"

"His fourth crime is deceiving his superiors and subordinates, seizing power and abusing his authority, usurping the emperor's prestige for his own benefit! To the point that officials and common people throughout the land only know of Eunuch Liu, and not the emperor!" Finally, he raised his voice, declaring with a do-or-die resolve:
"The so-called 'benevolence and power' originate from the emperor. Under heaven, only the emperor can establish laws; this is the foundation of imperial power, and no one can overstep it! Although this 'Exemplary Regulations' is issued in the emperor's name, every single article was forged by Liu Jin. Once it is promulgated as law, his words will become the law! If this continues, His Majesty's power will surely be completely usurped by him. How will the emperor then conduct himself?!"

Having said this, Wang Ao bowed deeply and pleaded in a sorrowful voice, “Your Majesty, these four crimes are all well-documented and known to everyone in the court, but everyone is afraid of Liu Jin’s power and dares not speak out! I beg Your Majesty to immediately abolish this precedent, thoroughly investigate the case of Xu Tianxi’s death, and exonerate the loyal and virtuous! Furthermore, restore the ancestral laws and prevent eunuchs from interfering in politics. Return power and authority to the emperor, return administrative affairs to the relevant departments, and return the appointment, dismissal, punishment, and reward to public opinion! Only in this way can the country be stabilized and the people’s hearts be at peace. I would gladly die a hundred times for this!”

Having said this, he bowed deeply and remained prostrate. The entire court was silent, holding their breath, awaiting the emperor and Eunuch Liu's reaction.

On the golden platform, Zhu Houzhao's face was ashen. He looked at Wang Ao, who was kneeling on the ground, and then at Liu Jin, who was also kneeling on the ground, and asked, "Does Eunuch Liu have anything to say?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, yes!" Liu Jin hurriedly raised his head. Wang Ao's attack caught him off guard, but it also completely aroused his ferocity!
Liu Jin screamed, "Your Majesty, it's a rebellion! Wang Ao is plotting a rebellion! Every article in this 'Regulations for the Conduct of the People' is Your Majesty's decree. This old servant was merely a lackey who approved it on behalf of Your Majesty! How have I been accused of being a usurper of power?!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, filled with resentment, and said, "Your Majesty can take this old dog's life with a single word! I beg Your Majesty to issue an order to execute this old dog and clear my name!" "Stop with this useless talk!" Zhu Houzhao said impatiently, "Say something useful."

“Yes,” Liu Jin, though illiterate, reacted quickly and immediately retorted:
"Wang Ao is using veiled insults, beating a dog to bully its master. He's openly cursing the old servant, but in reality, he's criticizing His Majesty for not listening to the civil officials! How many years have they been governing the country, and what kind of mess have they made of it? If they don't reform the laws, the country is doomed! Now, they're pushing all the blame onto the old servant! The old servant inherited their mess! He's cleaning up their mess!"

"Alright, stop making a mountain out of a molehill." Zhu Houzhao, his head aching from the noise, waved his hand. "Master Wang is an honest and kind gentleman, not the kind of person you're describing."

“Your Majesty, Liu Jian and Xie Qian had a better reputation back then, but didn’t they also block your door every day with ancestral rules?” Liu Jin retorted, “He just wanted to overthrow this old servant and let power return to the cabinet!”

"He only said that I bypassed the cabinet, but he didn't mention that the cabinet had been holding onto this 'Regulations' for almost half a month, stubbornly refusing to pass it. This old servant had no other choice but to bypass the cabinet. How did that become me deliberately excluding them? Does it mean that if they don't cooperate, everything in the world will just stop?!"

Wang Ao was furious and raised his head to retort sharply: "The cabinet has the power to rescind imperial edicts. I was merely fulfilling my duty! As for the reason for rescinding them, I have already made it perfectly clear!"

"Your Majesty, listen to this! They are no different from Liu and Xie!" Liu Jin said sarcastically, reminding the emperor of his unpleasant experience of having the imperial edict returned by Liu Jian and Xie Qian.

Zhu Houzhao's face tightened, and anger was evident, but out of consideration for Wang Ao's past as his teacher, he suppressed his temper and impatiently waved his hand, saying, "Alright, stop arguing. Let's put this aside for now. I'll ask... uh, think about it some more later."

No matter how angry Liu Jin was, he dared not disobey Zhu Houzhao, and immediately replied in a huff, "Yes."

He then got up, preparing to announce the end of the court session.

But Wang Ao did not back down an inch. He looked directly at Zhu Houzhao and said with every word carrying immense weight, "Your Majesty, this matter concerns your authority and the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty. There is no room for ambiguity! Today, I only ask Your Majesty for a clear answer—can Liu Jin's words and the rules he set be considered your imperial edicts? Can they be regarded as the law of the court?"

This aggressive stance struck a nerve with Zhu Houzhao—back when Liu Jian and Xie Qian, along with the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, forced him to agree to depose Liu Jin, they treated him not as an emperor, but as an ignorant child.

In response, his inherent rebellious spirit surged up. Zhu Houzhao's tone turned completely cold: "Master Wang, that's enough. Eunuch Liu's actions were all permitted by me, so naturally he can represent me!"

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely forbidden!" Upon hearing this, Wang Ao was struck dumb, his voice trembling instantly, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes almost disappeared. "There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country! How can there be any reason to let a eunuch exercise the power of the emperor!"

"I know what I'm doing, I don't need you to teach me!" Zhu Houzhao was so embarrassed by him that he could hardly contain his anger and groaned, "Get out!"

"Your Majesty!" Wang Ao cried out in grief and indignation. No one had yet stepped forward to respond, and this cry chilled him to the bone. "You don't care even if the Ming Dynasty falls?!"

"Insolence!" Zhu Houzhao finally flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the dragon-head armrest of his throne and roaring, "Take him out of here!"

"What are you all standing there for? Quickly drag this mad old man who's been roaring at the emperor out of here!" Liu Jin got excited too, pointing his whisk at Wang Ao and shouting shrilly.

"Yes..." The Han general had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, preparing to drag Wang Ao away.

"You don't need to lift a finger!" Wang Ao shouted, staring intently at Zhu Houzhao, finding the face utterly unfamiliar. He then removed his official hat, solemnly placing it aside, and kowtowed three times deeply to the emperor, proclaiming loudly:
"Your Majesty, I cannot correct the ways of the late Emperor, and even more so, the people of the world. I am unworthy to be a Grand Secretary! The only way I can atone for the late Emperor is with my death!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and rammed his head into a white marble dragon pillar standing to the side.

"Grand Secretary Wang!" cried out in alarm from the officials. Zhu Houzhao also shouted in fright, "Quickly, grab him!"

The two burly generals hurriedly dropped their weapons and rushed over, but it was too late...

With a muffled thud, crimson blood splattered onto the snow-white pillar, instantly freezing everyone present in place, making them forget to breathe.

Li Dongyang was the first to react. He rushed forward and hugged Wang Ao, whose face was covered in blood, shouting in alarm, "Zhenze! Zhenze!"

Yang Tinghe and the others quickly surrounded them...

Zhu Houzhao sprang up from his throne, his displeasure vanishing, replaced by shock and anxiety. His voice cracked: "Quickly summon the imperial physician! Hurry!"

Liu Jin was completely dumbfounded. He knelt on the ground, looking at Wang Ao, whose face was covered in blood and who was motionless, and cold sweat poured down his forehead...

(End of this chapter)