The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 93 They get 80%, you get 20%, and you still want to thank them?

The Vermilion Bird Gate was in complete chaos.

The two groups pushed and shoved each other, their shouts and curses exploding out loud, instantly drowning out all other sounds. The aristocratic officials, furious, pointed at Li Xiang and fiercely denounced him, their words filled with venom and resentment.

The group of scholars from humble backgrounds stood tightly in front of Li Xiang, their faces flushed, arguing vehemently and refusing to back down an inch.

It was the time when the court session was ending, and many servants and advisors were already standing on the street waiting for their master to finish the session.

When will we ever see such a grand spectacle of aristocratic officials fighting against princes and commoners? These people all gathered around, craning their necks to watch, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

With officials and their staff coming and going after court, the Zhuque Gate became as chaotic as the West Market.

And the situation is escalating.

"How dare you gather and cause trouble at the Vermilion Bird Gate!" The clanging of armor rang out as a burly general of the Imperial Guard, clad in gleaming armor, led his soldiers out of the Vermilion Bird Gate.

"What are you looking at? Get out of here! Everyone, get out of here!"

"By His Majesty's decree, all those who caused trouble are to be brought to the palace for an audience with the Emperor!"

"Come on, surround them!"

With a series of strikes and blows, the servants and idlers who had gathered to watch the spectacle scattered in an instant.

The entire group was captured and taken into the imperial city by the ravenous soldiers.

"His Majesty!"

Below the steps of the Taiji Palace, Zheng Renze collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.

He spoke with a hoarse voice, each word dripping with tears, pointing to Li Xiang standing beside him, neither humble nor arrogant, as he wept uncontrollably: "Your subject has strictly followed the court rules, returning home with all my colleagues after court, and has not overstepped any bounds!"

"Who would have thought that the Emperor's grandson, Li Xiang, was narrow-minded? Because the conclusion of the court meeting did not meet his expectations, he actually attacked the officials in public outside the main gate of the Vermilion Bird Palace, punching and kicking them, wantonly humiliating the court officials!"

"A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated! Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me justice!"

He pouted, his face now even rounder and more swollen, and the indescribable thing on his face even clearer, and cried out loudly in a split voice.

"Your Highness, the imperial grandson Li Xiang has acted recklessly and threatened us at the palace gate. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice!" Wang Shidan, his face also grim, lifted his robe and knelt before Li Shimin.

"Your subject, Wei Wanshi, agrees with the opinions of Duke Zheng and Duke Wang!" Wei Wanshi also bowed and said.

"We second that proposal!"

All the powerful ministers and noble families bowed down, creating an astonishing scene.

Five surnames and seven prominent clans, all bound by common kinship. For these aristocratic families, reputation was paramount; even if it seemed like a coup, they couldn't care less.

Moreover, Li Xiang is a grandson of the emperor. Since it was the imperial Li family that had been disrespectful first, they naturally had no fear of Li Shimin!

"Your Majesty—this!"

"Ugh!"

Sun Fujia was in a panic. After the court session, he had come to this palace to see the emperor, hoping to do his last bit of effort to see if he could persuade the emperor to rescind his order.

Unexpectedly, the grandson of the emperor has caused such a huge incident!

The old temple minister wanted to defend Li Xiang, but having upheld the rules of propriety his entire life, he ultimately couldn't come up with anything to exonerate Li Xiang.

All he could do was sigh and stamp his feet in frustration.

The emperor lowered his head, and Chu Suiliang, the court attendant, gave Li Xiang a strange look.

His Majesty did not allow the imperial grandson to attend the court assembly, and thought that the assembly would just pass by in an ordinary way.

Who would have thought that the most explosive thing would happen after the court assembly?

To intercept and beat a minister outside the Vermilion Bird Gate—this is the first time in history.

Chu Suiliang wrote with lightning speed, almost wearing out the brush completely. He planned to leave the palace after his shift and ask a few eyewitnesses for detailed information.

Such important events must be recorded in detail, without missing a single word.

However—this situation doesn't seem easy to overcome.

He looked at the ministers kneeling in front of the Taiji Palace. Even Chu Suiliang, who was not involved, felt secretly alarmed by the scene.

Moreover, His Majesty?

Li Shimin kept his eyes tightly closed, his expression as unreadable as a volcano about to erupt.

After Zheng Renzhe and the others finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Li Xiang, stay. The rest of you may leave."

"I will definitely give you justice."

"His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Song Shenzhi and the other scholars from humble backgrounds who had been captured and brought to the palace, disregarded their initial shock at seeing the emperor for the first time and hurriedly tried to speak.

"Step back!"

The imperial guard general stepped forward, exuding a menacing aura. Sun Fujia quickly spoke up, "Step back!"

"Are you trying to defy the imperial decree?!"

Watching Song Shenzhi and the others being pushed and shoved away by the imperial guards in a disheveled manner, Zheng Renzhe and the others had a gleam of pleasure in their eyes.

They all bid farewell to Li Shimin and left. Sun Fujia walked to Li Xiang's side and subtly gave him a wink.

Faced with Li Shimin, he could only retreat with a heavy heart.

"You scoundrel! How could I possibly have such a rebellious grandson!"

Once everyone had left, Li Shimin opened his eyes, revealing an extremely suppressed anger.

Chu Suiliang tried his best to minimize his presence, gripping his brush and writing furiously.

"Just moments ago, I thought you were capable and was planning to reward you."

"I had been thinking that although Chengqian and the others were rebellious, they had given me a fine grandson!"

He put his hands behind his back, clenching them into fists.

"But look at what you've done!"

"A promising situation, ruined in an instant!"

At first, Li Shimin was puzzled when he heard that Li Xiang was unwilling to close the case after dealing with the Imperial Academy and was still relentless in pursuing it.

In his view, having a pretext to abolish the corrupt practices of the Imperial Academy was already a great achievement. However, because he had changed his opinion of Li Xiangwei and thought that he might be capable of handling the matter, he continued to observe the situation.

What Li Xiang did afterward, however, surprised him quite a bit.

Although the method of provoking a powerful family by going to their door is somewhat underhanded, it is already quite commendable to come up with a solution when facing such a behemoth as a family.

Moreover, Li Xiang's open strategy was indeed remarkably effective. For the sake of their reputations, powerful clans had no choice but to voluntarily relinquish the important position of Assistant Minister of Personnel Evaluation, which greatly pleased Li Shimin.

He was the emperor, and emperors only judge things by results. The results Li Xiang presented were good, which naturally pleased him.

But this admiration only lasted for a short period of time—just after the court session, this brat beat up a minister outside the palace gates, completely severing ties with the aristocratic families!

The powerful clans were deeply entrenched and intricately connected. At least 80% of the officials in the Tang Dynasty were either from powerful clans or were former associates of them!

Li Shimin didn't lack the desire to reform the imperial examination system; he simply couldn't!

Are there talented people from poor families? Yes, but in very small numbers! And even fewer are truly capable of being employed!

After all, books and knowledge are mostly in the hands of aristocratic families! How many books can children from poor families access if they want to study? And how many of them can actually succeed?

Even if they succeeded, how could scholars from humble backgrounds become officials? Imperial power was immense, but it rarely reached the countryside. The territories of powerful and wealthy families were largely inhabited by local gentry!

Imperial power does not extend to the countryside! The emperor needs officials to govern the people, but when officials arrive in the localities, they need the assistance of local powerful families to implement policies and enforce laws!

For an official from a humble background with no family connections, gaining the support of local powerful figures is extremely difficult!

Could we really delegate military power to local officials and let them suppress powerful clans?

The Tang Dynasty was about to descend into the chaos of the late Han Dynasty!

Only a gradual approach, a step-by-step process, can be implemented! The court has already revoked the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination; therefore, reforming the imperial examination system can also be done slowly.

He was just about to summon this brat to the palace to comfort and discuss the matter when this brat presented him with such a great gift!

Now things are really messed up. He doesn't follow the rules, and all the powerful families are furious. They're demanding that he, as their grandfather, give them justice, no matter what.

The royal family is in the wrong in this matter. For the sake of this brat, who knows how much they will have to give to those noble families in order to prevent the Tang Dynasty from falling into turmoil!

Li Xiang looked at Li Shimin's angry face, but remained calm.

This old man, having traveled through time for so long, has finally seen through him.

They were simply thinking about how to appease the powerful families and how to make a political exchange.

You can tell what a corrupt and decadent feudal emperor is about to say just by looking at him.

"Does Your Majesty still intend to rule the world together with the aristocratic families?"

"How ridiculous! They take 80% of the world, Your Majesty takes 20%, and Your Majesty still thinks of thanking them?"

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