A eunuch hurried down the steps, took the box from Lin Yuyin’s hand, and quickly walked back to Ji Hong’s side, presenting the box with both hands.
The eunuch bowed, his hands as steady as a desk. Ji Hong did not take the box. Instead, he opened it directly, taking out a stack of papers filled with writing and a booklet resembling an account book. The ministers held their breath, craning their necks to look. Although they couldn't see the content of the papers from afar, they couldn't help but widen their eyes, desperately wanting to know what incriminating evidence the Emperor held.
Unable to see, the civil officials retracted their outstretched necks and glanced at the military officials with schadenfreude. The sheer thickness of the papers in the Emperor's hand was enough to predict the tragic fate of these military officers who were loyal to Ji Jinmo.
"Dong~" Ji Hong overturned the box in the eunuch's hands. The loud sound startled everyone.
"Good, exceptionally good!"
An extremely cold voice seeped from between Ji Hong's teeth. Everyone looked up and saw Ji Hong's eyes, so furious they were almost bloodshot, and trembled violently.
An emperor's wrath could cause a thousand miles of floating corpses.
How many more would die today!
But after all, they were only the military officials around Ji Jinmo. Thinking this, the civil officials' fear lessened considerably.
After all, they weren't the unlucky ones!
Liu Wanjun lowered his head, catching sight of the people around him secretly breathing a sigh of relief. The strange feeling in his heart surged again. If this play continued today, who knew who would be unlucky. It was too early to relax!
As he was thinking, a furious roar suddenly came from above. Liu Wanjun looked up and saw Ji Hong staring at all the civil and military officials with a murderous gaze.
It was all the civil and military officials.
And not just the military officials!
"Guards, seize the Minister of Personnel Langzhong Hu Quan, the Minister of Rites Secretary Cai Ming, Li Sinan, Fan Yue, the Minister of War Yuanwailang Zhu Qing, Zhang Qiquan..." At this point, Ji Hong gasped, trying his best to suppress the killing intent in his heart. He gritted his teeth as he said the last few words: "... Counselor of the Zhongshu Sheng Tang Mingyi, seize them for me!"
Upon hearing these names, everyone's first reaction was: Did they hear wrong?
Even the few from the Ministry of War were civil officials who managed internal affairs. Not a single military officer was among those named by His Majesty!
Could these few have been bribed by Ji Jinmo?
"Yes!"
The Imperial Guards received the order, drawing their swords and moving towards the officials whose positions and names had been called.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this subject is wronged! My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as the heavens. Your Majesty must not be blinded by villains!"
"Your Majesty, this old subject has served three dynasties. I dare not say I have exhausted my efforts, but I have been true to the former Emperor, true to Your Majesty, and true to the black official hat above my head. While questioning Your Majesty is a grave offense of insubordination, this old subject still wishes to ask, what crime have I committed?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what is the reason for this!"
The court immediately became noisy. The ministers apprehended by the Imperial Guards struggled fiercely, all with their necks stiffened, demanding an explanation!
"Your Majesty, this... please Your Majesty to clarify. Lord Tang and others are all pillars of the court. If there is no conclusive evidence, how can Your Majesty... how can Your Majesty treat such important court officials like this?" The Censorate stepped forward, displeased with how His Majesty treated meritorious officials.
Previously, His Majesty had sealed the Zhongshu Sheng without any warning, and now he ordered the arrest of Tang Mingyi and others without uttering a word.
What did His Majesty intend to do?
Without the support of these civil officials over the years, how could His Majesty have secured the throne against Ji Jinmo's coercion? Now, with the conflict between His Majesty and Ji Jinmo escalating daily, His Majesty was actually cutting off his own arm, as if intending to hand over the throne?
"Clarify?"
Ji Hong sneered. He looked at the people from the Censorate and slowly calmed his anger. However, the suppressed rage did not dissipate. Instead, it condensed into naked killing intent. Wherever his gaze fell, everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
Ji Hong tossed the papers in his hand into the air. The papers scattered, like a snowfall from the heavens. The darkness revealed in the center, under the magnificent and resplendent interior of the Golden Luan Hall, appeared like a layer of dark blood red.
This scene felt familiar.
Not long ago, Regent Ji Jinmo had also thrown his 'evidence' into the air, just like His Majesty.
Fortunately, the touch of the paper was different, allowing one to distinguish which were thrown by the Prince and which by His Majesty.
Liu Wanjun bent over and picked up a piece of paper.
It was no longer just a simple sentence or a charge, but a detailed list of crimes, even marked with dates and times. Compared to what the Regent had scattered earlier, it was more detailed and real.
It was true!
Liu Wanjun's heart trembled. With so many scattered papers, the names involved could not be limited to the few His Majesty had mentioned. He couldn't help but ponder. He subconsciously lowered his head, wanting to find the evidence related to those few people. But as soon as he bent down, he caught the gaze of Wang Langji, who was constantly watching him, out of the corner of his eye. He slowly straightened his back and lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
Wang Langji retracted the hand that had already touched the papers on the ground. Although he didn't understand why Elder Liu suddenly stopped, it didn't prevent him from imitating and learning. The more he interacted with Elder Liu, the more he felt he was unfathomable, always feeling that his decades of ups and downs in the officialdom had been in vain.
The mortal world was a deep sea to navigate, while he was merely floating on the surface.
They were not on the same level at all!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, do not be deceived by scoundrels!"
"Your Majesty, this subject is wronged!"
The content of the papers was shocking. By this time, it was no longer just the few being apprehended by the Imperial Guards who were desperately pleading for mercy. Civil and military officials, every single one who could stand upright, were less than fifty percent.
This meant that more than half of the esteemed officials in the court had unclean records and were caught by their weaknesses.
It was just that the severity of their transgressions varied!
Hearing the pleas of injustice from those who dared to shout at this point, Ji Hong became enraged and directly ordered the execution of Tang Mingyi, a third-rank official, who was most deeply involved, right there and then!
The blade fell, and blood spurted high into the air. Tang Mingyi's head rolled to the ground.
As Tang Mingyi's head landed, the cries of injustice in the court abruptly ceased. Everyone seemed to have suddenly lost their voices. The entire hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. But that kind of oppression, that feeling like bombs were buried all around, made everyone afraid to even breathe, trembling like duckweed in the wind.