The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Six: On Rulers and Ministers, and the Value of Wise Kings

"I never imagined that this Ming King would have such a bizarre background!" After listening to Lin Huayao's story, the three from Shangqing Mountain exchanged glances, all of them surprised.

But then, Daoist Chongxuan's heart skipped a beat, and his face twitched violently twice. He thought to himself, "This is getting even more troublesome!"

He glanced at the people in the court, and it was obvious that they all knew all along. How could Chongxuan not know? These words were actually meant for the people of Shangqing Mountain.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: this Prince Ming wasn't an ordinary prince; he was extraordinary in Emperor Dingwu's heart. How could he not feel heartache for a prince who had been lost among the common people for over a decade and finally found? Yet, before he could even enjoy his happiness, he was almost raped to death by you on Qingshan Mountain on his wedding night. What heart-wrenching anger that must have been...

Sure enough, before he could ponder how to resolve the situation amicably, Emperor Dingwu suddenly dropped his gloomy expression that had been present since they entered the hall, revealing a hint of pity. He lamented, "My son is blessed with a glorious destiny and should have grown up under my care, but because of me, he has been forced to wander among the common people for over a decade, suffering endless hardships. As his father, I... am deeply ashamed."

Daoist Chongxuan's eyelids twitched wildly a few times, and his headache worsened. To be honest, he had actually believed His Majesty's words.

Because there aren't many princes who can be made kings at the age of sixteen, it seems that it wasn't just for the purpose of marrying the daughter of the Lin family, but also because of this emotional factor. A father loves his son, who can say that he doesn't believe it?

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The Ming King is a blessed man to have returned to Your Majesty's side, and he will surely be blessed by Heaven..." If he hadn't been on the side of Shangqing Mountain, Daoist Chongxuan might have sympathized with Emperor Dingwu, but at this moment he still had to speak up quickly to try to appease him.

Ke Chongxuan had just opened his mouth, before he could finish speaking, when a voice suddenly interrupted him, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty!"

Chongxuan involuntarily stopped speaking, but frowned and looked at the person who had spoken with great displeasure.

Sure enough, it was the extremely annoying Zhang Bangli.

At that moment, he suddenly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed deeply to Emperor Dingwu. When he raised his head again, his eyes were already brimming with tears, showing immense sorrow. Seeing him like this, Chongxuan felt a surge of anger but could not vent it.

Zhang Bangli said in a mournful voice, "Your Majesty must not feel ashamed. Everyone knows that Your Majesty governs the country with benevolence and kindness, and is lenient towards ordinary people. How could Your Majesty not love your legitimate son? Although the affairs of state are heavy, Your Majesty has always kept the Sixth Prince in mind, and has never given up on welcoming him back to the court for fourteen years. Such deep kindness and love is enough to move heaven and earth!"

At this point, Zhang Bangli became even more emotional, bowed deeply again, and tremblingly uttered a phrase he hadn't used in many years: "Long live the Emperor!"

It has to be said that this line hasn't been used for many years, and even Luo Fengchun and Lin Huayao were a little taken aback at first.

However, being seasoned comrades, seeing Zhang Bangli bow deeply and refuse to rise, the two had no choice but to bow simultaneously without discussion, chanting, "Long live the Emperor!"

The main hall fell silent, utterly silent!

This scene unfolded so suddenly that Chongxuan's noodles started twitching wildly. He stood there, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Between rulers and their subjects, the scene of a ruler being humiliated and a subject dying was so tragic that they couldn't just pretend they didn't see it.

Chongxuan glanced helplessly at Master Mei and gave him a meaningful look.

At this point, there's no need for reminders; it's obvious that we have to make a gesture, at least.

Although Master Mei was nearly forty, her figure and appearance were still remarkably beautiful. Her eyes flickered slightly as if she was somewhat unwilling, but in the end she still stood up and performed a Taoist bow with Chong Xuan, without making a sound.

However, Chong Xuan said, "Your Majesty is benevolent; Heaven will surely bless you!"

Emperor Dingwu's grief lessened slightly, and he raised his hand slightly to address the assembled crowd bowing below, saying, "Rise, all of you!"

Seeing that Emperor Wu's anger seemed to have subsided, Chong Xuan thought to himself that he must not let this atmosphere continue, otherwise the price of compensation would be hard to accept.

He quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty!" However, before he could finish speaking, Zhang Bangli interrupted him again!

"..." Even though Chong Xuan was a cultivator, he felt a lump in his throat, his gaze fixed on Zhang Bangli, a flicker of fire rising and falling in his eyes.

However, they were ultimately limited by their pride and did not force a conversation with Zhang Bangli. After all, Shangqingshan had always considered themselves superior and could not compete for favor with a subordinate.

But Zhang Bangli seemed to ignore it, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.

Like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, the sorrow on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a composed and imposing demeanor: "Your Majesty, although the Sixth Prince grew up among the common people, he is, after all, of imperial lineage. He is naturally benevolent and filial, and possesses both virtue and talent. All the civil and military officials praise him highly. He has just turned sixteen and has already been personally bestowed the title of Prince Ming by Your Majesty. After his wedding, he will be able to serve the country loyally and seek the well-being of the people..."

At this point, Daoist Chongxuan's eyes widened suddenly. If he had said earlier that the Prince was different to His Majesty, he would still have believed it.

But you, Zhang Bangli, actually want to say that the Ming King is virtuous and talented, and exceptionally benevolent and filial?

"You idiot, what a joke! Everyone in the entire capital city knows about Ming Wang's character. He's good for nothing, good for nothing, and morally corrupt. He spends his days chasing chickens and dogs, doing all sorts of evil. He's a complete and utterly useless piece of trash..." Master Chongxuan's powerful true energy began to boil uncontrollably, and his beard stood on end without any wind. He was filled with resentment.

Chongxuan was finding it hard to bear. In fact, there was someone even more furious than him at that moment, whose face was flushed red.

For Lin Huayao to be a high-ranking official, maintaining a composed demeanor was practically a basic requirement, but at this moment, he was truly furious and unable to suppress it.

When asked to explain Wang's past, he didn't actually finish his sentence.

After the Ming king was brought back, the imperial court discovered that he had already been deposed among the common people. Not only did he lack both literary and martial talents, but more importantly, once he became rich and powerful, he became extremely absurd and outrageous.

In just two years, he made a name for himself as a playboy in the capital city of Pingjing.

In reality, this guy is just a brainless fool, indulging in absurd frivolity. For a high-ranking official like him, it's really not worth paying attention to or worrying about the future of the Ming King.

But just ten days ago, this guy, out of some unknown audacity, did something beastly at a banquet, harassing the proud daughter of the Lin family who was attending the banquet. It was precisely because of this incident that tonight's wedding took place, thus ruining his grand plan.

How could Lin Huayao not be furious? If it were truly a prince with even a modicum of ability, he wouldn't be so enraged. But it was this useless sixth prince. Even disregarding everything else, just considering his daughter's future, Lin Huayao wanted to grind his teeth to dust...

At this moment, he lowered his head and listened to Zhang Bangli praising that damned thing, but out of the corner of his eye he glanced at Emperor Fang Dingwu. He was not stupid. It was no accident that the Ming King would suddenly do such a beastly thing to his daughter!

Meanwhile, Luo Fengchun remained silent, his eyes fixed on his nose and his mind elsewhere.

Only Master Mei frowned slightly. Although she didn't know the Ming King, she had recently heard how outrageous this kid was. Was she mistaken? But in the blink of an eye, the doubt in her eyes disappeared: "What does it matter? No matter how outstanding he is, if he touches someone from Shangqing Mountain, he deserves to die!"

The young man behind her, however, flashed a hint of disdain in his eyes. Ming King? What is that?

Inside the hall, no matter what people thought, no one would say that Zhang Bangli was talking nonsense. In front of the emperor, would you go and call his son a ridiculous good-for-nothing?

By this point, everyone already knew what was going on; the royal family had already revealed their bottom line.

Not only is Prince Ming Your Majesty's most beloved son, but as a father, I also feel indebted to him!

In addition, King Ming is also a rare talent for governing the country, and it seems that he even has the potential to be the crown prince. How noble is that?

Chongxuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. He already knew in his heart that Emperor Dingwu still did not want to completely fall out with Shangqing Mountain.

He remained silent, not venting his anger openly. Moreover, the scene they were putting on was actually a way of presenting conditions and indicating their willingness to negotiate.

However, since the imperial dynasty is the supreme authority, it is impossible for it to openly demand compensation. Instead, it is necessary for the Shangqing Emperor to come to the emperor's door to apologize. The imperial dynasty will then take into consideration his past merits and his sincere attitude at this moment and show leniency.

Chong Xuan's brows furrowed. At this point, it would be tactless to waste words. However, he had to be careful about how to compensate for the injury to the Ming King, as Shang Qingshan would definitely not be willing to do more.

But less is not acceptable either, as that would be a repeated humiliation of Emperor Dingwu. Emperor Dingwu was able to suppress this enormous anger and was willing to negotiate. Although it was not obvious on the surface, he had secretly swallowed his anger.

If you dare to continue to humiliate us, you are provoking the nation to rise up in anger...

Master Chongxuan sighed inwardly, quickly weighing the cost. Finally, his eyes hardened with helplessness, and he stepped forward, ready to offer his price for the life of the Ming King!