Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

"when--"

The bell tolled loudly.

"Summon all officials to the palace—"

A sharp eunuch's voice rang out, and all the civil and military officials rushed into the hall, shouting in unison:

"May Your Majesty be well!"

"No gift."

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying, dressed in a dragon robe, rested his knees on his hands and looked straight ahead.

Jiang Zhao held the tablet in his hand, looked at the unobstructed view, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Twelve years!

It felt like walking on thin ice; we've finally reached this point.

“All officials, both internal and external, may submit their opinions,” Zhao Ceying said calmly.

The next moment, a man stepped out of the procession, his demeanor composed, dressed in a purple robe with a gold belt and a gold fish-shaped pouch: "Your Majesty, I have impeached several people."

Excuse!

All the civil and military officials were taken aback.

Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, impeaching someone?

This was a person of extremely high rank and influence.

All the civil and military officials turned their attention to the past.

There are only two possibilities for a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to impeach someone.

It could be either a fellow Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, or it could be the Emperor!

Since it was Grand Secretary Jiang who impeached others, the situation immediately became clear.

The feud between Grand Secretary Jiang and Grand Secretary Ouyang and Vice Minister Lü is well known to all.

Is it finally time for reckoning?

Those from Ouyang Xiu's and Pang Ji's lineages, however, had drastic changes in expression.

Will they ultimately be purged?

Almost simultaneously, Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu's expressions darkened.

When a major purge is involved, even a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet with the composure to maintain appearances will find it difficult to keep the peace.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying suddenly perked up.

The turmoil on the frontier caused Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu to bombard his former students and officials with memorials, which made him suffer a lot.

The new emperor's reign was already unstable, yet these two dared to submit a barrage of memorials, disrupting regular court affairs and using the guise of remonstrance to carry out coercive actions.

This is tolerable!

Finally, it's time for reckoning!

Zhao Ceying's heart burned with passion, so he simply stood up, his dragon eyes blazing as he gazed down.

I held on!

Grand Secretary Ouyang and Vice Minister Lü, it's your turn!

"I will present the specific impeachments one by one," Jiang Zhao said calmly, holding his scepter.

Zhao Ceying shouted, "Granted!"

Jiang Zhao bowed respectfully, then suddenly waved his hand and roared, "Ouyang Xiu, Lü Gongzhu! You two step forward immediately, I will impeach you both!"

A sudden, furious shout sent shockwaves through the crowd.

The sheer scale of the event and the weight of the words were truly startling.

Even Ouyang Xiu, a Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.

Lu Gongzhu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, looked even more displeased.

Given Jiang Zichuan's political maneuvering style, once you clash with him, it's truly a painful experience.

He was born with a lower aura!

"Come out!" Jiang Zhao roared.

Judging from his behavior, he seemed to be bossing people around.

Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu's faces flushed red.

Who would have thought that a high-ranking official in purple robes would one day be ordered around like this?

but

This arrogant attitude is, in a way, a flaw.

Ouyang Xiu stiffened his neck, raised his scepter, and was about to retort with "the crime of arrogance" to deflate Jiang Zhao's momentum.

Once Jiang Zhao's momentum is broken, things will be much easier.

However, on the imperial steps, Zhao Ceying spoke up: "Grand Academician Ouyang and Vice Minister Lü, why don't you listen to Minister Jiang's impeachment?"

One sentence instantly interrupted Ouyang Xiu's rhythm.

After hesitating for a few moments, the two stepped out of the train together, their faces solemn and quite grim.

Grand Secretary Ouyang, Vice Minister Lü, and Minister Jiang!

They don't even bother to feign their biased intentions.

Jiang Zhao glanced at the two men, pointed his scepter at them, and angrily rebuked them: "The Emperor ordered you two to step forward, and you hesitated for several breaths. Even with the Emperor's order, you are still so arrogant; it shows just how utterly disrespectful you are to the Emperor!"

With just two sentences, Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu's momentum immediately plummeted.

Their hearts sank, and their expressions changed repeatedly, their moods shifting unpredictably.

Jiang Zichuan's fighting style was already difficult to deal with, and then the emperor even took his side.

When the emperor and his minister work together, it's truly a situation that leaves one with unspeakable suffering.

Ouyang Xiu pondered for a moment, then bowed respectfully and said, "When Grand Secretary Jiang suddenly shouted angrily, I thought someone was disregarding the order of the court and I intended to reprimand them and punish them. Who would have thought it was Grand Secretary Jiang who spoke."

"Don't make things up."

Jiang Zhao slammed his tablet and said sternly, "I impeach you two for three crimes. Whether they are true or not, do not make up lies."

"Firstly, he framed a high-ranking official, thus delaying military operations."

Jiang Zhao looked at Lü Gongzhu and rebuked him: "Vice Minister Lü has fabricated ten charges against me, intending to sow discord, undermine morale, and bring disaster to the country and its people. Are these charges true?"

This refers to the "Ten Thoughts on Advising the Emperor to Guard Against Powerful Ministers".

This charge is solely against Lü Gongzhu.

"Inaccurate."

Lu Gongzhu quickly retorted, "Throughout history, there have been many instances where military leaders went to war without checks and balances, resulting in chaos and disorder. I, Lu, am concerned about the country and its people, and submitted a memorial to the throne to prevent such a situation from happening in the first place. What is wrong with that?"

"Still dare to argue!" Jiang Zhao rebuked, "If it weren't for the Emperor's wisdom in not listening to your slander, the morale of the troops on the frontier would be in turmoil. In that case, let alone expanding the territory, even pacifying the borders would be extremely difficult."

"Your words nearly destroyed three thousand miles of land; do you still dare to say they haven't brought disaster to the country and its people?"

"Grand Secretary Jiang, please don't make baseless accusations." Lü Gongzhu retorted loudly, "I am merely suggesting that Your Majesty send people to the border to exercise oversight and checks and balances. How could I possibly say that this would lead to the destruction of thousands of miles of land?"

"This is a matter of national importance; Grand Secretary Jiang, you must not speak lightly of it!"

In his response, he exchanged five or six sentences.

Lu Gongzhu gradually calmed down and believed that he had handled the situation quite well.

Who would have thought?

"Hahahaha!"

Jiang Zhao's face showed sarcasm as he cursed, "Lu Huishu, do you even deserve to talk to me about the country?"

"With the country in turmoil, civil and military officials tried every means to pacify and stabilize the border regions."

Jiang Zhao looked at the officials and said, "The expansion of territory by hundreds of thousands of soldiers is not only the achievement of me, Jiang Zhao, but also the result of the strong support of the court, local officials from the two capitals and fourteen circuits. Otherwise, where would the provisions and weapons have come from?"

"However!"

Jiang Zhao turned around abruptly, almost pointing at Lü Gongzhu's forehead: "With all the officials united, you have taken a drastic step!"

"When have you ever thought of your country? When have you ever thought of my Great Zhou Dynasty?!"

His words were passionate and stirring!

quiet!

The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Chapter 215 Jiang Ge Lao's "Benevolence and Righteousness", His Majesty's "Wisdom"!

quiet!

The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Many people exchanged glances, filled with trepidation.

Jiang Gelao's tactics are as fierce as ever!

Lü Gongzhu remained silent.

That phrase, "You dare to talk to me about serving the country?", was truly hurtful!

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying felt a secret sense of satisfaction, but he quickly restrained himself from showing it.

He had waited too long for this day!

As expected, it has to be Jiang Qing!

"The second crime is that he interfered in politics with his words and actions, and coerced the emperor and his father."

Jiang Zhao looked at Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu and rebuked them, saying, "You two are like henchmen, acting on orders to submit memorials for a hundred days straight. Dozens of memorials a day forced His Majesty to cancel court sessions. You called it remonstrance, but it was coercion. You used your position to coerce your ruler, disrupting the proper order between ruler and subject. Is this truly your crime?"

“That’s not true,” Ouyang Xiu quickly said.

The crime of disrespecting the monarch is most dangerous when it is taken too seriously.

When it comes to convictions, the maximum penalty is ridiculously high.

"Whether it is true or not, you cannot deny it."

Jiang Zhao snorted and rebuked, "Submitting dozens of almost identical memorials in a single day, forcing the emperor to suspend court. This fact is undeniable, no matter how much you argue. Regardless of the Emperor's final judgment, it will stand the test of history!"

"Those thousands of memorials are all stored in the Wenyuan Pavilion!"

Jiang Zhao shouted, "What, you dare to do it but not admit it?"

Ouyang Xiu's expression changed drastically.

Those thousands of memorials were all stored in the Wenyuan Pavilion!

That one sentence immediately made him lose the will to refute.

Facts are facts, and there's no way to deny them.

Surely they wouldn't set fire to the Wenyuan Pavilion, would they?

With a silent sigh, Ouyang Xiu simply refrained from offering any explanation.

Today, things are destined to end badly.

Offending Jiang Zhao also offended Han Zhang.

The memorial he submitted further offended the emperor.

These three people are in agreement; any one of them could be convicted.

Therefore, he was destined to be convicted!

The difference lies in whether it is a demotion, dismissal, or even exile.

Below, seventy or eighty officials looked drastically different, bowing their heads to minimize their presence.