latelenovela Chapter 111 My power is not for you to touch!
Chapter 111 My power is not for you to touch!
If General Lin could step onto the stage the day after being beaten a hundred times to gain fame, he could also go to court after being beaten again to "debate with the scholars".
Lu Yuxi tried her best to persuade him to rest, but she couldn't change General Lin's ambition.
"What do you know! I could go to the arena back then, and now my internal strength is even more profound, so I'm not afraid of a mere court assembly!"
Lu Yuxi was helpless. Even bringing up Lin Shihe and Ji Tiao, the brother and sister-in-law, couldn't stop the young general's high morale. She could only watch with trepidation as he got up early in the morning and rode in a bumpy carriage into the Taiji Hall.
*
Chenshi.
Emperor Longyun sat down on the dragon throne as Li An's voice lingered.
He began to scan the kneeling courtiers as usual, and then, just as he was about to look away, his gaze met Lin Shiming's bright and alert eyes.
? !
What is this?!
Emperor Longyun's eyes widened in surprise.
Wasn't he beaten up? How come he's still showing up at the court assembly?!
Lin Shiming, who had given Emperor Longyun a huge "surprise," rolled his eyes proudly, snorted, and turned his head away in a huff. Lu Yuxi, on the other hand, kept her eyes on Lin Shiming the whole time, not even giving Emperor Longyun a glance.
The disliked Emperor Longyun turned his head blankly to look at Lin Shihe, casting an inquiring glance at him.
Lin Shihe rolled his eyes in the same way, then lowered his head and ignored Emperor Longyun.
Emperor Longyun: "... ..."
Your Lin family is truly ruthless.
"His Majesty--"
Just as Emperor Longyun was still reeling from the shock of the day, Zhu Tangshu, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stepped forward to present his memorial.
"I have a starting point."
"I have heard that yesterday, Her Highness the Crown Princess issued an edict to the Empress Dowager in her capacity as Crown Princess, unreasonably and without evidence abolishing the titles of Princess Consort of the Imperial Clan and Prince Heir Apparent, and demoting him to Prince Ding. The Crown Princess's actions are a blatant disregard for the imperial court and an act of willful arbitrariness. She should be severely punished for using her power to suppress the Imperial Clan."
As soon as Zhu Tangshu finished speaking, seven or eight court officials stepped forward one after another, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "We second that proposal."
Emperor Longyun, seated at the head of the table, gave a soft snort but did not rush to speak.
Everyone else's eyes were also focused on Lin Shiming.
The Changping court has long suffered under the shadow of Lin Shiming. Today, everyone is on high alert and well-prepared, hoping to see if someone can dispel the dark cloud that has been hanging over the Changping imperial family and officials for more than two months, the cloud named "Lin Shiming".
Of course, some people consider Lin Shiming a "dark cloud," while others see him as a shining example of military talent and a pillar of our dynasty.
Wei Gaocheng, the Minister of War, was one of them.
"Your Majesty! I have an objection!"
Emperor Longyun raised his hand and said, "Speak."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wei Gaocheng cupped his hands. "I believe that what the Crown Princess has done is not inappropriate. It is common knowledge that Prince Ding neglects his duties in the inner palace and that his wives, concubines, and children are fighting for their inheritance. As the Crown Princess and future wife of the imperial family, Your Majesty and the Empress have entrusted you with the power of the Empress. Therefore, it is only right that Your Majesty should manage the imperial clan and uphold the dignity of the royal family."
"Her Highness the Crown Princess's actions are reasonable and justified, and His Majesty should praise and reward her."
After Wei Gaocheng finished speaking, a large number of officials, led by the Ministry of War and military officers, stepped forward and said, "We second that proposal."
Emperor Longyun looked around and saw that almost all the officials from various ministries, except for the cabinet, had participated in the group that had knelt down. He nodded in satisfaction at this sight.
Compared to the situation when Crown Prince Hua Min was alive, where the Empress Dowager and the Third Prince's faction rivaled the Crown Prince, this is the kind of power that Emperor Longyun should have in mind when he envisioned a Crown Prince of a nation.
In Emperor Longyun's view, the Crown Prince was the heir apparent, and suppressing the Crown Prince was tantamount to suppressing imperial power. The court should be of one mind and work together for the well-being of the people.
A small number of dissenting voices are fine; competition is what keeps things dynamic. However, we can keep them around to motivate the majority in normal times, but when it comes to making a real decision, these people are the ones who will definitely be discarded.
"Your Majesty!" Zhu Tangshu looked up again. "Your Majesty cannot listen to their nonsense. Without concrete evidence, how can you convict someone based on mere rumors?"
"Rumors?" Xiao Feng, the Grand Prince Consort and Vice Minister of Revenue, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I can testify that the chaos in the Prince Ding's mansion is not just rumors. I and the Grand Princess have witnessed it with our own eyes on numerous occasions."
With the princess and her husband as witnesses, who can deny their testimony?
Zhu Tangshu was covered in sweat, his mind racing. "Your Majesty, even if this is true, the struggle between wives and concubines over offspring is a trivial matter in the inner quarters. It shouldn't implicate Prince Ding, leading to his demotion and removal from office. The Crown Princess's punishment is too severe. The edict should be revoked, and a lighter sentence should be given."
Zhu Tangshu thought to himself, "This is just like the power struggles within the imperial harems of past dynasties. Only the concubines are punished; the emperor is never implicated!"
"How should it be considered serious?" Fang Shihai, the Minister of Personnel, retorted. "The Prince of Ding's neglect of his duties within the inner palace is a breach of personal morality. His virtue is not commensurate with his position, so he should be ashamed and withdraw from public life."
“This is a minor matter concerning private morality, and the main culprits are all women from the inner quarters. Prince Ding’s crime is not so serious!”
"The infighting within the inner quarters harms the royal family and disgraces the royal family. How can it not be considered a crime? How can one sweep the world if one cannot even sweep one's own house!"
"The Prince of Keding has done nothing wrong in his dealings with the world!"
How can you guarantee that?
…
The Taiji Hall was instantly thrown into chaos, resembling a bustling marketplace.
Lin Shiming was filled with emotion. It turned out that this old scholar was no different from an old lady when he got into a fight.
"Enough!" Emperor Longyun, having looked on with satisfaction, slammed his hand on the table and called for a halt. "Look at the way you all behave! What do you take my Taiji Palace for?!"
Everyone stopped abruptly and knelt down simultaneously, saying, "We have been disgraced and beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
"Rise." Emperor Longyun lightly rested one hand on the imperial desk and pointed at Lin Shiming with the other. "Crown Princess, you are the one in charge. What do you have to say?"
Lin Shih-ming has always believed in using power as a tool, rather than being bound by it.
He also believes that dealing with people should be done with a "lower-dimensional attack." Use your power to take decisive action, rather than getting bogged down in details.
Just as you could directly use your power to punish a wicked lackey, but instead choose to reason with him, when you argue with him, you've already placed yourself on the same level as him. On the same level, there's no right to judge.
Have you ever seen two people arguing, and who can judge the other person's fault? Both sides have their own reasons, and in the end, only the "bystander sees the game best."
Only those at a higher level are qualified to make the final judgment and draw conclusions.
Therefore, when Lin Shiming was bitten by these "dogs" of the Prince of Ping, he would not "bite back," but would only use the "stick of power" to smash their "dog heads."
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Empress's memorial was a power granted to me by the Empress Dowager. I exercised my power in accordance with the rules and procedures, and there was nothing wrong with it. Moreover, it is my right to convict Prince Jing and his family; they have no right to interfere!"
"The Empress's memorial is an imperial edict, equivalent to a decree. Only the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and your son, the Emperor, can convict members of the imperial family. Your son is the ruler, and they are the subjects. These officials who argue against the conviction of the Prince are questioning the imperial edict and the Emperor's authority. They should be punished for the crime of overstepping their bounds!"
My power is not for you to touch!
Zhu Tangshu immediately kowtowed in fright, "Your Majesty, please understand! We had absolutely no intention of questioning the emperor's authority or committing treason. We only believe that Her Highness the Crown Princess's punishment of Prince Ding was too severe..."
"Lord Zhu!" Lin Shiming interrupted Zhu Tangshu loudly, "Issuing an imperial edict is my prerogative, and court officials have no right to interfere. Regardless of the reason, your discussion of whether the edict is reasonable in court has been an act of overstepping your bounds and committing atrocities from the moment you opened your mouth!"
"Has Lord Zhu ever seen anyone dare to question the Emperor's edict? The Empress's memorial is equivalent to the imperial edict. What you've done is also considered disobeying the imperial edict, a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan!"