latelenovela Chapter 548 Dismissed from Office and Returned to Civil Service
Chapter 548 Dismissed from Office and Returned to Civil Service
Chapter 548 Dismissed from Office and Returned to Civil Service
After Zheng Sanjun finished speaking, he went to the palace to meet the emperor.
Of the remaining two judges, Chen Qianfu was originally Wang Wenzhou's man, while Zhang Yandeng was just there for show. After Zheng Sanjun left, there was no one to hear Wang Wenzhou's case.
Wang Wenzhou embraced Liu Rushi, drinking alone in sorrow, while Wang Qiang stood not far away, watching coldly.
Wang Wenzhou took a sip of wine from Liu Rushi's mouth, tilted his head and glared at Wang Qiang, saying meaningfully, "Rushi, some people are just heartless. I just slept with a girl, she's not his wife, why is he making such a fuss about me? He even wanted to kill me! Shameless! I've always treated him like a younger brother!"
"Sigh..." Liu Rushi sighed. Her nemesis had drunk too much again.
"Hmph!" Wang Qiang snorted coldly and retorted sarcastically, "Some people are really shameless; they just like to sleep with other people's wives."
"I was asleep, so what?!" Wang Wenzhou said fiercely.
Wang Qiang cursed and said, "Wang Wenzhou, you mad dog, I won't stoop to your level. To tell you the truth, if it weren't for my sisters-in-law and nephews, I would have made you bleed to death here today!"
Liu Rushi looked at Wang Wenzhou and whispered a reprimand: "Shut up!"
"Ruru! I'm so wronged!" Wang Wenzhou said sadly, "I'm so unlucky. My baby died because of me, and my brother, instead of comforting me, wanted to kill me!"
"Sigh..." Liu Ru sighed, quickly took a sip of wine, and kissed him to silence her nemesis. She was afraid that if he continued to talk nonsense like this, he would start a fight with Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang glared fiercely at Wang Wenzhou, utterly bewildered. Why was it that Wang Wenzhou, such a scoundrel, was so adored by his wives? It didn't make sense! Was it really as that bastard Wang Wenzhou said—that women only love bad men? Women were so cheap!
A short while later, Zheng Sanjun returned, accompanied by Wang Chengen, who was holding the imperial edict.
Wang Chengen unfolded the imperial edict and said, "Wang Wenzhou, receive this edict. By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Wang Wenzhou, for his own selfish gain, colluded with the Tartars to smuggle grain, betraying the country for personal glory—truly despicable! He also incited the people to petition on his behalf—truly shameful! Considering his past loyalty to the country, I spare his life. Effective immediately, Wang Wenzhou is dismissed from his post and reduced to commoner status, never to be employed again. This is the imperial decree!"
What?! Wang Wenzhou knelt on the ground, utterly unable to believe his ears. He had clearly discussed with Zhu Youjian that this interrogation was just a formality, but Zhu Youjian had gone back on his word and made it real!
Seeing that Wang Wenzhou was stunned for a moment, Wang Chengen hurriedly urged, "Lord Wang, please accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude!"
"Hmph!" Wang Wenzhou stood up and said coldly, "I will not accept the imperial decree. Go back and tell Zhu Youjian not to try to make me take the blame!"
"Buzz..." The onlookers were stunned. Wang Wenzhou was too arrogant. Not only did he refuse to accept the imperial decree, but he also dared to call the emperor by his name. It was simply outrageous!
Liu Rushi knew about the deal between Wang Wenzhou and Zhu Youjian; she had been by Wang Wenzhou's side that day. She knew that Wang Wenzhou was so angry because Zhu Youjian had gone back on his word. But alas, this was the Dali Temple courtroom, in front of so many people. Even if you were dissatisfied, you couldn't act like this!
Wang Wenzhou frowned, pondering Zhu Youjian's intentions. Wang Wenzhou understood Zhu Youjian; he was a decent person, not two-faced. Zhu Youjian's unexpected move this time must have a deeper meaning.
Liu Rushi quickly took Wang Wenzhou's arm and whispered, "Don't be angry. Quickly accept the imperial decree. Even if you know you've suffered a loss in silence, you can't express your dissatisfaction in public. Don't you care about your reputation among the people?"
Liu Rushi knew that Yuanjia was a man with a good reputation. Although Yuanjia had a bad reputation in official circles, he was well-regarded among the common people and was recognized as a righteous official.
Yes! Zhu Youjian wanted to damage my reputation! Wang Wenzhou finally understood Zhu Youjian's intentions. Zhu Youjian, what a clever tactic!
This time, Wang Wenzhou's incitement of the people to petition has truly frightened Zhu Youjian! Tens of thousands of people from all over the country have come to the capital. Even though these unarmed people are petitioning peacefully, such a massive force would frighten any emperor. There's a risk that someone might try to profit from the chaos and escalate the situation, causing even more serious consequences.
In Zhu Youjian's mind, the person who would risk everything was none other than Wang Wenzhou. Therefore, while Zhu Youjian deceived Wang Wenzhou, he had already planned to solidify Wang Wenzhou's charges and thus damage his reputation among the people.
When a righteous official, once revered by the common people, becomes a notorious traitor like Qin Hui, it's unlikely that any people will believe Wang Wenzhou's lies if he tries to cause trouble again.
Wang Chengen feared that Wang Wenzhou would break off relations on the spot and confront Zhu Youjian to the death. Before he came, Zhu Youjian had repeatedly instructed him to explain clearly to Wang Wenzhou that he had been forced to issue the decree to dismiss Wang Wenzhou from his post.
Wang Chengen quickly went to Wang Wenzhou's side and whispered, "Lord Wang, please don't be angry. Please accept the decree. The Emperor didn't want this either. The Donglin Party is pressuring us so hard that the Emperor has no choice but to spare your life first."
"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou laughed loudly, "Old Wang, stop talking nonsense! I'm a professional swindler, do you think I'd believe that? Go back and tell Zhu Youjian to stop trying to fool me all the time. I won't betray you if you don't betray me. I'm not one to suffer losses!"
After Wang Wenzhou finished speaking, he took Liu Rushi's hand and left.
Zheng Sanjun said coldly, "You audacious scoundrel, how dare you defy the imperial decree!"
Wang Wenzhou turned around and glanced at Zheng Sanjun, cursing, "I'm a troublemaker, go ahead and kill me if you dare!"
Wang Chengen quickly winked at Zheng Sanjun, "Lord Zheng, please don't cause trouble! That mad dog Wang Wenzhou is capable of anything. For the sake of the stability and unity of the Ming Dynasty, please don't stoop to his level."
The Donglin Party's original intention was to take the opportunity to kill Wang Wenzhou to eliminate future troubles. However, Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu) worried that if Wang Wenzhou died, his followers would rebel. Therefore, he summoned the Donglin Party and earnestly persuaded them. He offered to let Wang Wenzhou go for the sake of the people of the Ming Dynasty by relinquishing his official post and never being employed again. After weighing the pros and cons, the Donglin Party had no choice but to agree to this condition.
"Hmph!" Zheng Sanjun sneered. "Wang Wenzhou, you mad dog! Let's see how arrogant you become. From today onwards, you will be a notorious traitor hated by everyone. I'll let you off the hook for now and let you continue to be arrogant. If you weren't arrogant, I wouldn't be happy."
Everyone has their own moral compass, and Wang Wenzhou's arrogance and disobedience to the imperial decree immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the onlookers.
"Wang Wenzhou, don't be arrogant because of the Emperor's favor. You've made a mistake! The Emperor spared your life out of consideration for our past relationship, but instead of being grateful, you addressed the Emperor by his name. You are utterly disrespectful and shameless!"
"The notorious traitor Wang Wenzhou!"
"Pah!" Wang Wenzhou pointed at the common people and cursed, "Traitor my ass! I'm a commoner now, not an official of the court!"
The common people all cursed Wang Wenzhou in their hearts, calling him a mad dog. They dared not curse him to his face; although he was now a commoner, his status was still considerable. The Emperor had not stripped his son of his title of Duke of Zhongyi, and his father's title of Earl of Xinjian would be passed on to him sooner or later.
Lin Qing, hidden among the crowd, was overjoyed to learn that Wang Wenzhou was now an ordinary citizen. "Wang Wenzhou, you're a toothless tiger now. Let's see how long you can be so arrogant! I'll pay for the blood debt of my Lin family sooner or later! I'll show you what it feels like to lose all your loved ones!"