nownovels Chapter 11 Anyway, I have a clear conscience.
Chapter 11 Anyway, I have a clear conscience.
"Court adjourned—"
The eunuchs' high-pitched shouts echoed through the Golden Palace.
All the officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
The figure in black on the dragon throne slowly rose, the beaded curtain of the crown swaying gently, making a soft rustling sound.
Zhao Huan didn't look at anyone, turned around and disappeared behind the beaded curtain behind the dragon throne.
Xu Ming got up from the ground and patted off non-existent dust from his knees.
He subconsciously reached up and touched his chest—where he kept close to his body a gold medal recently bestowed by the emperor.
The gold medal is not large, about the size of an adult's palm, but it is heavy. The front is engraved with the character "敕" (chì), and the back has four seal characters: "如朕亲临" (rú zhèn qīn lín).
The bronze edges still retained the warmth of the dragon's body.
This is a knife.
It is also a shield.
With it, he could command the Three Judicial Offices and obey the orders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
With it, he would no longer be that spoiled brat who could be slaughtered by others.
Xu Ming took a deep breath, stuffed the gold medal into his clothes, and strode out of the hall.
"Xu Ming! Stop right there!"
A furious shout came from behind, like a thunderclap.
Xu Ming paused, and the expression on his face switched back to his harmless look the instant he turned around.
coming.
He knew that the end of the court session did not mean the end of the event.
The play isn't over yet.
Led by Wen Yanbo, Minister of Rites, and Han Zhang, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a dozen or so civil officials with frosty expressions walked quickly over.
Their official boots clattered on the gold bricks, making a dense and rapid "clattering" sound, like a downpour hitting roof tiles.
The hem of the court robe fluttered with each step, stirring up a gust of wind.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people surrounded Xu Ming.
They stood in a semicircle, blocking Xu Ming in the passageway between the main hall and the palace gate.
Wen Yanbo stood at the front, his white beard trembling slightly, his old face flushed red, and his lips quivering, as if he had a bellyful of words to say but didn't know where to begin.
Han Zhang stood beside him, his face solemn, his gray eyebrows tightly furrowed, and his eyes like two scalpels, cutting and examining Xu Ming piece by piece.
The remaining dozen or so civil officials included censors from the Censorate, scholars from the Hanlin Academy, and secretaries and assistant secretaries from the Six Ministries.
Their faces were a mixture of anger and contempt.
Their anger stemmed from Xu Ming's remarks in court about "exterminating nine generations of a family," which crossed their bottom line.
They despised him because Xu Ming's shameless behavior of demanding official positions and female relatives in public had crossed the line of their sense of shame as scholar-officials.
Wen Yanbo took a deep breath, his hand trembling as he pointed at Xu Ming's nose.
"You...you traitorous scoundrel!"
His voice was hoarse, as if he had used up all his strength.
"What do you take the imperial court for? What do you take human life for? How can you face the loyal spirits of the Duke of Zhenguo's family in heaven?!"
After saying that, Wen Yanbo's chest heaved violently, like a bellows.
Xu Ming tilted his head, said nothing, and just looked at Wen Yanbo with his clear, innocent eyes.
Han Zhang stepped forward, blocking Wen Yanbo's side, and said to Xu Ming in a deep voice.
"Xu Ming, turn back before it's too late!"
"You have made a grave mistake today. If you continue to be obstinate and act with cruelty, you will surely be punished by heaven! Do not tarnish the reputation of your entire Xu family!"
Han Zhang paused, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Your father, Xu Dingbian, fought valiantly on the frontier to protect his country and its people. If he knew this from beyond the grave, and saw his son currying favor in court by 'exterminating nine generations of his family' and 'demanding women'—what do you think he would think?"
These words were like a knife, stabbing straight into Xu Ming's heart.
He knew that Han Zhang was trying to win him over psychologically.
They are using his father, his family, and his guilt to pressure him.
But Xu Ming's expression remained unchanged.
He still wore that same expression—a blank, innocent, and even slightly aggrieved look.
"Yes! If your father knew you'd become like this, he'd probably jump out of his coffin in anger!"
A young imperial censor leaned out from the crowd and shouted in a shrill voice.
"Beast! Utterly inhuman!"
"You've completely disgraced the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"
"Your grandfather's illustrious reputation has been ruined in an instant!"
……
Curses rose and fell, surging in like a tide.
If it were anyone else, being verbally abused by so many high-ranking officials would probably have been terrified, either kneeling down to beg for mercy or fleeing in panic.
But Xu Ming was no stranger.
He was an imperial envoy appointed by the emperor.
He was not afraid of them.
He slowly raised his hand and picked at his ear with his little finger.
Then, he brought the thing he had taken out to his mouth and blew on it.
"My lords, what are you saying? I can't understand a word you're saying!"
His voice was soft, carrying a nonchalant laziness.
Those eyes swept across the faces of the dozen or so civil officials, and wherever their gaze fell, the curses of those people unconsciously subsided.
This stubborn, unyielding demeanor only added fuel to the fire.
Wen Yanbo couldn't catch his breath, his chest heaved violently a few times, his face turned a deep purplish-red, his fingers drew circles in the air, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.
His colleagues quickly grabbed his arm, afraid that he would fall down on the spot.
Xu Ming looked at them and spread his hands out with a sincere expression.
"I'm just trying to ease His Majesty's burdens."
His voice was filled with grievance.
"His Majesty said those people were criminals, and I felt they deserved to die. His Majesty assigned me to handle the case, so I must handle it perfectly to please His Majesty."
"My lords... are you all so agitated because you think... His Majesty's decision is wrong?"
In a word.
It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head.
It extinguished all the anger.
The dozen or so civil officials fell silent instantly, as if someone had grabbed their throats.
Wen Yanbo opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Han Zhang frowned, his lips moved, but he ultimately made no sound.
Questioning the emperor?
No one can bear this crime.
Xu Ming's words were like a lock, sealing everyone's mouths.
You can curse Xu Ming, you can call him a beast, a shameless person, or a madman.
But you can't say he did anything wrong—because he was "sharing His Majesty's burdens."
You can't say the emperor's decision was wrong.
The civil officials turned pale, their eyes darting away, unable to meet Xu Ming's gaze.
Some of the more mentally resilient individuals already had beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
They bowed their heads, looking at the gold bricks at their feet, as if they were inscribed with the writings of sages, worthy of their careful study.
Seeing their frustrated expressions of anger but unable to speak out, Xu Ming sneered inwardly.
A group of hypocrites who appear virtuous but are actually morally upright.
You're talking to me about loyalty and integrity?
While my father, my uncles, and my brothers were shedding blood on the border, you were enjoying peace in the capital.
Now I'm just the emperor's sword, and you can't stand it?
So they just jumped out and tried to intimidate me with my "loyal and upright reputation"?
ridiculous.
Xu Ming took a deep breath, his face showing even more grievance.
He sighed deeply, his voice carrying a sense of melancholy, as if saying, "The world is corrupt, but I alone am pure."
"well--"
The sigh was long and drawn out, like that of a talented but unappreciated poet lamenting the injustice of fate in the autumn wind.
"I understand now, being loyal to the emperor and loving one's country is just too difficult."
He shook his head, looking like he was having a really tough time.
"I'm always thinking about how to please His Majesty and how to share the burdens of the court, and what's the result? I'm called a beast and a traitor by you all."
His eyes were slightly red.
"Fine, go ahead and curse. Anyway... I have a clear conscience."
After saying that, he pushed through the crowd and swaggered out of the palace.
Behind him was a deathly silence and dozens of pairs of eyes that could kill.
Xu Ming did not turn around.
He knew those eyes would be fixed on him until his figure disappeared outside the palace gates.
But so what?
All they could do was watch.