In the future, Earth becomes a relic of the mythical era.

Chapter 204 Erecting the Lung Stone! Striking the Drum of Appeal!

"Your Highness, if those river workers show up and cause a big fuss, it will become known throughout the court and the public, and I'm afraid the Northern Army will..."

Cui Chenglin paused, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Why doesn't Your Highness proceed gradually?"

What he really meant was that while the title "Your Highness Prince Jing" sounded impressive, he was actually inferior to him, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate.

How do you fight with people?
Instead of hiding properly, why do you dare to show your face?
Is it because you don’t want to die quickly enough?

Xie Lingxin's lips curled up: "Make a big fuss? I'm going to make a big fuss..."

Ok?
"Ding~"

As he was talking, he suddenly sensed a strange movement in his mind.

A thought came to mind.

It turns out that Bestone has connected!

Has the repairman at Best Talk finally woken up?

"Your Highness? Your Highness?"

Seeing that his expression was strange, Cui Chenglin called out to him a few times.

Xie Lingxin came to her senses and temporarily put aside the matter of Baishitong Network.

“Magistrate Cui, this matter is not up to me; I have no choice.”

Cui Chenglin remained silent.

He was a smart man; this one sentence was enough for him to understand Xie Lingxin's feelings.

Not bad.

His Highness Prince Jing is currently in a situation where he truly has no other choice.

Now that things have already happened, if King Jing wants to survive, he probably only has one option: to escalate the situation further.

He seemed to have nothing. Although he was a prince, he had no power or influence, and he only had a lowly maidservant under his command.

Now that even his royal title has been stripped, his situation must be worse than that of ordinary people.

But in fact, he was not completely destitute.

He is Prince Jing!

Even the title of Prince Jing, which has already been stripped of its honor, can still be used as a pretext for making a fuss.

The title of Prince Jing was bestowed by the emperor himself, and he also had the bloodline of the Li and Wu imperial families.

Whether from the perspective of etiquette, laws, or the public sentiment, he is the most orthodox of all!
Only tools and names should not be given to others.

The essence of governance lies in these two words: instruments and names.

A name is derived from trust, trust is used to safeguard authority, authority is used to preserve propriety—these are the great principles of governance!
The instrument is power, and the name is the legitimacy of rule.

King Jing lacked the "capabilities" but possessed the "reputation"!
Although Wang Shoucheng was the head of the Northern Army, his power was immense.

However, there were still those in the imperial court who could be controlled.

The reason why Prince Jing was able to be stripped of his title was because the previous Prince Jing did not have the qualifications to be taken seriously.

Therefore, no one would risk offending Wang Shoucheng by caring about an insignificant, idle, and useless prince.

Even the civil officials wished there were fewer of these things, so as to avoid wasting food and the court's salary.

But it's different now.

King Jing no longer hid it.

If the massacre at Mengjin Pass were to become public, it would be a sharp blade aimed at the eunuch faction!

Furthermore, with Prince Jing involved, it was even more justifiable to hand a "weapon" to the officials in the court.

At that time, even if His Highness Prince Jing wanted to die, it would be difficult!

Cui Chenglin was now more interested in knowing when His Highness Prince Jing had started thinking about these things.
Was it planned before this?

Or was it a spur-of-the-moment decision?

If it is the latter, it shows that this prince is kind-hearted and virtuous, and also quite quick-witted.

If it's the former...

Cui Chenglin shivered.

"Your Highness is brilliant!"

Regardless of which one it is, this prince is completely different from the legend, that much is undeniable.

He said it with complete conviction!

Xie Lingxin waved her hand: "There's no need for these platitudes, I don't like hearing them."

He truly embodied the identity of Prince Jing without any awkwardness; on the contrary, he was perfectly at ease with it.

Everyone, including Choi Seung-rim, couldn't help but feel awe in his presence.

If someone were to ask them what it means to be a member of the imperial family or to have the demeanor of a king, they would say it is someone like Prince Jing before them.

Xie Lingxin himself was somewhat aware that when he appeared as "Prince Jing", he entered the role very naturally.

He didn't know if it was because he was born with a knack for wielding power, or because of his identity as "Li Rui".

Before, Li Rui was a good-for-nothing and had no airs of a prince.

No, none of those are true...

Xie Lingxin thought of the Divine Emperor Diagram...

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he said, "Magistrate Cui, you are from a distinguished family, a esteemed member of the Cui clan. Do you have any advice for me?"

Cui Chenglin bowed and said, "This humble official is merely a county magistrate, lacking in knowledge and ability. How dare I presume to instruct Your Highness?"

Xie Lingxin glanced at him, and Cui Chenglin lowered his eyelids, avoiding his gaze.

Xie Lingxin smiled slightly: "Does Magistrate Cui think I am incapable of achieving anything and therefore unwilling to help me?"

"Your Highness is too kind, I dare not!"

Xie Lingxin said slowly, "Magistrate Cui, although the Cui family is the number one aristocratic family in the world, these days even aristocratic families are not having an easy time, are they?"

Cui Chenglin's eyelids twitched: "What makes you say that, Your Highness?"

Xie Lingxin smiled and said, "I was just saying it casually; actually, I've always had doubts."

"Logically speaking, with a prestigious family like the Cui family and countless renowned scholars and virtuous people in the world, how could they not have the heart to govern the world and help the people?"

"Why can we allow this eunuch to seize power, wreak havoc on the world, and disrupt peace?"

"Magistrate Cui, could you please enlighten me?"

Cui Chenglin's expression changed, then he gave a wry smile: "Your Highness Prince Jing, you have truly accomplished something great."

Xie Lingxin asked in a puzzled tone, "Why would the magistrate say such a thing? I am a well-known good-for-nothing."

Cui Chenglin sighed, "Even while imprisoned, I can see the affairs of the world."

"The whole world has been fooled by His Highness."

Xie Lingxin thought to herself: I don't have that ability. The previous "Li Rui" was really stupid.

However, he just smiled without saying anything, which clearly told others: Yes, you have a good eye, I am that awesome.

Seeing this, Cui Chenglin became even more certain of his thoughts. He then began to hesitate and struggle: "Since Your Highness has said this, you must have seen through the hidden meaning. How dare you go against the Emperor's will?"

No one knows what the meaning of "sage" truly is.

But one thing is certain: the sages intended to weaken the influence of aristocratic families.

These eunuchs were the vicious dogs that the sage unleashed to tear apart.

Otherwise, even if a sage were to go into seclusion, with his extraordinary abilities, these eunuchs would not be able to overturn the heavens, nor would they dare to.

It was precisely because they understood the sage's intentions that these eunuchs dared to act so recklessly.

The officials in the court also chose to turn a blind eye.

Even though the most prestigious families in the land knew this, they dared not react too violently.

They were afraid of angering the saint and causing her to take action personally.

They can only retract their tentacles and lie dormant, waiting for the right time.

These things are considered an unspoken understanding among the higher-ups.

But this Prince Jing, who had nothing, was still able to see through it.

This shows his shrewdness and insight.

Xie Lingxin avoided answering Cui Chenglin's gaze.

You're a really bad guy, trying to trick me into doing something wrong?

“Sages reside high in the heavens, holding the universe in their hands. What they see and think is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and what they do is for the benefit of future generations. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable for them to give important positions to people from humble backgrounds.”

Regardless of anything else, let's start with a round of praise.

"But we mortals don't have the vision and methods of saints,"

"I have always believed that people should make the best use of their talents and resources."

"Supporting poor families to rise up would require more time, energy, and resources than would take several generations,"

"If the noble families are united in their efforts for the country and its people, why bother with all this?"

"Magistrate Cui, don't you agree?"

Cui Chenglin breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Highness is wise!"

The two spoke in tacit agreement, leaving Su Zhen, who was standing nearby, completely bewildered.

It's actually quite simple.

Xie Lingxin knew that Cui Chenglin was testing her attitude towards the aristocratic families.

And what he said was true.

In the long run, powerful families are bound to be a scourge.

Throughout history, there has been no shortage of people who wanted to suppress them.

But in reality, when can we ever be without these kinds of things?

The civilization he lived in, and even the current federation, both existed.

At most, it's just a change of name.

Aristocratic families, prestigious clans, powerful families...

Each dynasty has its own powerful families.

Even if you remove it at this point, a new one will grow.

It's just a matter of the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind, and the West Wind prevailing over the East Wind.

Xie Lingxin doesn't care whether someone comes from a noble family or a humble background; as long as they can be of use to her, they are a good person!
"Your Highness's intentions are clear to me. Your Highness's thinking is truly brilliant. However, please forgive my boldness, there are still some oversights."

At this moment, Cui Chenglin seemed to have made up his mind: "In the capital, I'm afraid no one will dare to take on this case. In the end, it will probably be suppressed and won't cause any trouble."

"Therefore, I believe Your Highness might consider sending Qiao Da and the others to the outside of the Ziwei Palace..."

"Erect a stone pillar! Strik the drum to appeal!"

Xie Lingxin's lips curled up slightly.

This guy finally opened his mouth.

He knew that now, Cui Chenglin was truly willing to work for him.

Lung stone, petition drum...

In Li Rui's memory, there were indeed these two things.

That was set up by Empress Wu Zetian in front of the Purple Palace, saying: Those who have grievances should beat the drum in the court to appeal; those who have grievances but cannot get justice should stand on the Lung Stone.

The drum for petitioning and the stone for petitioning placed in the imperial court do not need to be guarded. If anyone beats the drum or erects the stone, the censor shall receive the report and submit it to the emperor.

You cannot refuse!

In short, if you have a grievance that cannot be voiced, stand on the lung stone and loudly recount your grievances to passersby, and no one shall stop you.

Once the drum is sounded, the censor must accept the complaint, and no one in the court who wants to interfere may obstruct or refuse it!
The policy is a good one, but in any era, disturbing the "heaven" is no simple matter, and the consequences are usually not good.

But it's different for him.

He was going to make a big scene anyway, what could be bigger than this?

When the drum of petition sounds, the entire city of God will tremble!

As expected of someone from a prestigious family, his thoughts are thorough and to the point!
Talent!

Overjoyed, he grasped Cui Chenglin's arms and exclaimed, "Having Magistrate Cui with me is like a fish finding water!"

Cui Chenglin: "..."

My eyelids twitched.

I was just making a suggestion, what's with you acting like I've actually sided with you?!
And what, are you not even going to act anymore?!

A bitter feeling welled up inside me.

But he knew that from the moment he joined the side at Mengjinkou, he was already on a pirate ship with no way off.

Even though they knew that King Jing's ship was a wreck and there was no hope at all.

He only has one path left to follow...

Ugh……

……

three days later.

The drums of petition sounded, and the capital city trembled!
A large crowd surged out of the Ziwei City.

Regardless of whether they were merchants, commoners, scholars, or wandering knights-errant...

They all crowded around the Ziwei City, in front of that large red lung stone.

Listen to Qiao Da and other workers from the Mengjin River who are standing on top, accusing the Shence Army of crimes.

The fact that someone dared to directly accuse Shence of wrongdoing was already shocking.

Surprisingly, the story even mentions the deposed Prince Jing!
His actions left everyone who heard them speechless and incredulous!
(End of this chapter)