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

Chapter 99 The Song of Righteousness Pierces Through the Nine Heavens

Inside the Taiji Hall, the atmosphere was already as somber as winter.

The civil and military officials stood on both sides, with the aristocratic officials, led by the Zheng family of Yingyang, all stepping forward, their voices earnest and their words piercing.

"Grandson Li Xiang of the Emperor has shown no respect for his father and the emperor, assaulting and insulting court officials outside the imperial city. His rebellious and arrogant behavior is unforgivable!"

"Li Xiang, as the son of the deposed crown prince, is even more wicked and rebellious than his father! He has even instigated a mob to cause chaos and assaulted high-ranking officials!"

"Li Xiang has repeatedly insulted the emperor and harbors resentment towards the court, thus becoming a scourge upon our Great Tang! We implore Your Majesty to severely punish this young man to prevent future troubles!"

The ministers offered their advice one after another, while Li Shimin sat high on his throne, his face ashen.

"Do you intend to force me to kill my grandson?"

Zheng Renze, dressed in court attire and holding a ceremonial tablet, slowly stepped forward. The swelling on his face had not subsided, and the indescribable outline was still faintly visible.

He adopted a righteous and awe-inspiring posture, then lifted his robes, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, it was not we who forced Your Majesty to make the decision."

"It is intolerable under the laws of the land, the imperial court, and the public opinion of the people!"

He raised his head and clasped his hands, his face full of righteousness: "The imperial grandson, relying on his status as a member of the imperial clan, has repeatedly committed outrageous acts. He has disregarded the law, assaulted court officials, incited scholars, and criticized the system. Each and every one of these acts is a grave crime that disrupts the order of the court."

"If Your Majesty condones and leniently pardons Li Xiang, today he can abuse his status as a member of the imperial family to beat court officials and defy the law; tomorrow he can indulge in lust and commit violence, bringing chaos to the world!"

"I know that these words are offensive to Your Majesty. I am willing to resign my post to take the blame." With that, he took off his official hat and put it aside.

Then, straightening his back, he declared with righteous indignation, "But we must never allow the dignity of the national law to be swept away, or the rules of the court to be broken! If that happens, the court and the people will be in chaos, and the people will be restless—this calamity will be worse than anything else!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

He knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, looking as loyal and honest as could be.

The other officials from prominent families echoed his sentiments, and many stepped forward to kneel alongside Zheng Renzhe, pleading, "Lord Zheng is absolutely right! We beg Your Majesty to uphold the law and severely punish the imperial grandson!"

"Do not let personal relationships override the law!"

Inside the Taiji Hall, most of the officials were kneeling. This vast, dark mass of kneeling officials weighed heavily on Li Shimin's heart, like a dark cloud.

His face was extremely grim: he had expected the powerful clans to be formidable, but he hadn't anticipated they would be this powerful!

This was the first time that these powerful clans had united to display their strength in the imperial court: it was a test for them, and also a demonstration of their power to the emperor.

Li Xiang, as a member of the imperial family, brazenly assaulted a powerful minister outside the capital. For the powerful families, this act was even more significant than their previous act of petitioning the emperor to seek justice for the common people.

Regardless of whether Li Xiang was rebellious or not, in the eyes of the people, this was a grandson of the emperor, backed by imperial power, wantonly suppressing the dignity of the aristocratic families! It was a grandson of the emperor making a firm statement, squeezing the aristocratic families' space in the court!

This matter had little to do with Li Xiang anymore; it had become a confrontation between powerful clans and imperial power. Even though they were directly facing Emperor Li Shimin, the aristocratic families had to firmly express their stance and demand that Li Shimin punish Li Xiang.

In their view, they had already yielded, and they were willing to pay the price of becoming an Assistant Minister of Personnel. But Li Xiang remained unyielding—if they continued to back down, the prestige of their aristocratic family would be lost!

"Your Majesty," Sun Fujia hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I believe that the Imperial Grandson is not yet twenty years old and is merely unruly. The Left Assistant Secretary is suspected of making alarmist remarks."

"It's just because the imperial grandson wants to petition His Majesty to reform the imperial examination system. The son of the Left Assistant Minister has passed the Mingjing examination in this year's examination, and the imperial grandson insists that the court re-examine the examination. Therefore, the Left Assistant Minister harbors personal resentment—"

"Minister Sun!" Zheng Renze suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Sun Fujia, "If I were acting out of personal interest, why are all the officials in the court kneeling and remonstrating with me?"

"What virtue or ability do I, Zheng Renzhe, possess to be able to create such a spectacle?"

"This is the will of the people!!"

Zheng Renze spoke sternly, and even Sun Fujia, who was usually upright, changed his expression slightly at this moment.

Even Li Shimin frowned slightly.

Public opinion—the reason why powerful families are so difficult to deal with is that they control public opinion.

As emperor, he certainly possessed supreme authority. However, if he didn't want the world to erupt in rebellion, he had to make some compromises with the powerful families.

Why? Because these powerful families had deep roots and influence, and because they were deeply embedded throughout the land. Imperial power could not reach the countryside, but powerful families were rooted in every region, and to a certain extent, they were equivalent to the will of the people!

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. One of the main reasons why Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty lost his country was that he excessively suppressed powerful families and alienated them.

The powerful clans of Guanzhong, Shandong, and Jiangnan, some harboring secret ambitions, others openly practicing regional separatism, left the court without support. Without their backing, imperial decrees could barely leave the capital, leaving the court with no choice but to await its demise.

No powerful families are usually not a threat, as they have their own interests, which a ruler can weigh.

But if they unite and use public opinion to pressure others, even the imperial power can be challenged!

"You brat—is this the problem you've created for me?" Recalling the look in Li Xiang's eyes as he left, Li Shimin took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

That brat—he's trying to stop me from continuing to compromise.

He is clearly using his life to force me to choose between him and the powerful families in the court!

Sun Fujia stood in the hall, his back soaked with cold sweat, his heart filled with anxiety.

The list handed over by the deposed crown prince was still quietly tucked in his bosom. It clearly recorded various incriminating evidence of the various aristocratic families forming cliques, harboring spies, and seizing land.

He has been diligently searching for concrete evidence of these aristocratic families' abuse of power and corruption, following the clues in the records.

But these aristocratic families were too fast! They connected too quickly!

It happened so fast it was almost suspicious! Before he could find enough evidence, these people launched a collective attack at the court meeting!

Li Shimin sat upright on the throne, his heart heavy and his brows furrowed deeply.

He had been in power for many years and knew that his position was illegitimate and that it would be difficult to win the hearts of the people.

Therefore, he always took Emperor Wen of Han as his role model, and throughout his life he was diligent in his duties, self-disciplined, and willing to accept advice. He never treated his ministers harshly because of their advice.

He did his utmost to maintain the image of a wise ruler. He absolutely did not want to suffer from the ills of favoritism, protecting relatives, and disregarding the law in his later years.

But that brat—for some reason, Li Shimin subconsciously didn't want to punish him severely, lest he further alienate the brat from his grandfather—

"Your Majesty!" Zheng Renze pleaded again, his voice almost choked with sobs.

The Zheng family of Xingyang suffered such a great humiliation. If they did not retaliate, they would surely be ridiculed by the literati and would be unable to gain a foothold in society. By voluntarily resigning from his official post, he was voluntarily relinquishing a large portion of the interests of the court in exchange for the emperor preserving the extraordinary reputation of the five noble families and seven prominent clans of the Zheng family of Xingyang.

The thought of the two punches and one kick Li Xiang had left on his face made him unable to tolerate it for even a moment longer, and he wished he could immediately grind that brat to dust.

But he couldn't understand why Li Shimin was so hesitant given the current situation. Was he truly afraid of the murder of his own brother?

How could that be! In fact, they often complained in private: This emperor is really cold-blooded and ruthless towards his own blood relatives. Not only did he kill his brothers, but he also caused the Crown Prince and Prince Wei to fight each other to the death.

Leaving aside Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, let's talk about Li Yuanchang, the Prince of Han, and Li You, the Prince of Qi, who were recently ordered to commit suicide. One was the emperor's younger brother, and the other was even the emperor's son!

Which of them wasn't closer to Li Xiang, this illegitimate grandson? Yet they were still killed without hesitation.

Moreover, that imperial grandson had once exposed the emperor's wounds to his face! Now that they have presented such a righteous and awe-inspiring pretext, shouldn't the emperor first weep bitterly, and then, in accordance with their wishes, order the imperial grandson to be executed and given a grand funeral?

Perhaps, the heat wasn't quite right? Zheng Renzhe thought to himself.

He let out a roar and knelt on the ground again, pleading, "Your Majesty, the hearts of the people are with you. If you are not punished according to the rules today, the imperial family will act recklessly, the gentry will be disheartened, the people will be in turmoil, and the foundation of the Tang Dynasty will surely be shaken!"

"We urge Your Majesty to emulate the ancient sage rulers, to act in accordance with Heaven's will and the people's wishes, and to severely punish Li Xiang!"

"Your Majesty, please heed the will of Heaven and follow the wishes of the people!"

All the ministers knelt down to remonstrate.

"You wait—"

Li Shimin's face was extremely ugly, his chest filled with endless resentment, and he was about to speak to answer.

But before he could finish speaking, his ears twitched slightly, and his expression suddenly froze.

His keen hearing, honed by years of military campaigns, detected a faint, distant, yet remarkably orderly sound.

The sound, separated by thousands of mountains and palaces, was indistinct and ethereal, seemingly there but not there, mixed with the sound of the wind. The words were completely indistinguishable, yet it was by no means the clamor of the marketplace or the noise of people and horses.

Li Shimin's brows furrowed suddenly, his expression solemn as he raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the palace gates to the direction of the Vermilion Bird Gate to the south. He spoke in a deep voice, "What was that sound?"

The sudden question startled the kneeling noble families and officials below.

"Your Majesty! The noise of the marketplace outside the palace walls is not worth your attention!"

"The safety of the court and the people, and the laws and regulations of the country, are the most important matters at present! How can Your Majesty disregard the will of the people and talk about other things instead!"

Zheng Renze spoke with indignation. Feeling that he bore the weight of the people's will, he boldly offered his advice.

Anyway, Zheng Renzhe was going to resign from his post. Before he did, he wanted to leave a lasting mark on the literary world and on history books.

Zheng Renzhe will become the second Wei Zheng today!

"Shut up!"

Li Shimin suddenly let out a cold shout, and his dragon might suddenly erupted!

Zheng Ren shuddered, his straight posture suddenly froze, and he reluctantly fell back to the ground.

The noise stopped abruptly, and the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Li Shimin slowly stepped down from the throne, listened intently, and carefully discerned the direction of the Vermilion Bird Gate.

The ethereal sound penetrated through layers of palace walls, growing clearer as it approached, the rhythmic and melodious recitation becoming increasingly distinct.

After a moment, Li Shimin's eyes flickered slightly: "This is—the Song of Righteousness?"