"Audacious! To address His Majesty by his given name, defying heavenly might! Guards, slap his face twenty times!"
As if possessed by Yan Tinghao, Hua Jinrong sternly reprimanded, then shifted back to his usual smiling demeanor, as if the previous speaker had not been him at all.
"Oh, and, Minister Hu, I forgot to mention. This folding fan in my hand was also purchased at the charity auction you spoke of~
It cost me a full twenty thousand taels of silver. Do you think I was a fool, being duped by Minister Lin and whoever wrote that calligraphy?"
"No, no!
Your Highness, your money was well spent, truly well spent!"
Confused as to why the meticulously prepared evidence had suddenly transformed into the new Emperor's authentic calligraphy, Minister Wu first shook his head, then nodded, utterly bewildered.
It wasn't until the executioner's palm struck his face that Minister Wu appeared to awaken from a stupor.
However, recalling his own words, he dared not utter a sound and endured the blows, even losing two of his front teeth.
The civil and military officials, who had also come to understand, all turned their gaze to the new Emperor.
Placing a hand to his mouth and clearing his throat, the new Emperor said righteously:
"Elder Grand Secretary Su is my esteemed teacher. He currently resides in his hometown of Changzhou County, living in peace and enjoying his twilight years.
My teacher is kind-hearted and wished to contribute to the free schools in Changzhou County.
As I care for my teacher and do not wish for him to overexert himself, I helped him by writing a few pieces of calligraphy. I never imagined it would lead to trouble despite good intentions.
Thinking about it, my teacher has held a brush for longer than I have been alive. How could my calligraphy ever be compared to my teacher's?"
"Your Majesty, your words are misplaced."
Xu Changling, a favored disciple of Elder Grand Secretary Su and the new Emperor's senior, stood up and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty's respect for teachers and care for the common people, this sentiment alone is worth a thousand gold pieces!"
Sharing the same surname, Xu Changling busied himself as a peacemaker, while General Xu Qing, on the other hand, refused to let go of someone's perceived misstep.
"Your Majesty, even if the charges listed by the two ministers earlier are not established.
The fact that Minister Lin, a woman disguised as a man, has infiltrated the court and toyed with Your Majesty and all the assembled officials, is a crime punishable by death.
Your humble servant believes she should be severely punished as a warning to others!"
"Your subject seconds this."
"Your subject seconds this."
...
As General Xu finished speaking, more officials stepped forward and knelt.
But to Lin Qingge's surprise, among these individuals, aside from a few loyal supporters of Prince Wu, the majority were partisans of the Fourth Prince?!
This group even included Wang Shixing, the head of the Wang family and the Vice Minister of Revenue.
"Second this nonsense!
You ignore the fact that those two harboring malicious intent were slandering their superior, yet you collude to question the superior's identity. Where is the honor of you appointed officials of the court?"
Yan Tinghao grumbled, and feeling it wasn't enough, he still wanted to rush forward and beat them. After all, his mother had said that as long as he didn't offend the Empress Dowager aunt or Duke Bai, he could beat any other irrelevant people.
Although he didn't understand why, the Empress Dowager was an elder, and Duke Bai was the coroner Mu Rong. He would definitely not be disrespectful to these two.
While lost in his thoughts, the agitated Yan Tinghao was once again held back by his superior.
"It's not like that, Sir. They all want your head, and you're still holding me back?
It's like the Emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is!"
Yan Tinghao, who was becoming as anxious as a eunuch in court, gave a 'calm down' glance. Lin Qingge, feeling somewhat overindulged, took a bite of a hawthorn flatbread, letting the sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth before saying unhurriedly:
"As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
These self-important mantises see this official as the cicada, unaware that they have long been targeted by the oriole."
"Mantis? Cicada? Oriole?"
Yan Tinghao habitually scratched his head, his face a picture of confusion.
In response, Lin Qingge, unwilling to say more, simply stated with an air of composure:
"Investigator Yan, you can rest assured. This play requires no appearance from this official; those two have already arranged everything."
???
Feeling that his superior was speaking in riddles, Yan Tinghao looked around for a long time but could not discern anything. He finally had to return to his seat.
At the same time.
The new Emperor, seated high above, his gaze slightly serious, spoke in a tone of unadorned authority:
"You all are truly the backbone of Great Xia!
Not only do you diligently carry out your duties, but you also constantly monitor the actions of other officials.
However, I am somewhat curious. Minister Lin is merely a Shun Tian Prefecture Governor of the fourth rank. Having only recently taken office and having suffered an undeserved calamity, she has spent very little time in the capital.
How can you all so confidently assert that she is a woman disguised as a man?
Did she reveal herself before you esteemed ministers, or perhaps strip in public?
I presume neither has occurred, so from what confidence do you esteemed ministers speak with such certainty?"
Facing the new Emperor's questioning, no one replied.
Even though anyone with a brain could see that the new Emperor was deliberately favoring Minister Lin, General Xu still stubbornly declared loudly:
"Your Majesty, even if Minister Lin is not a woman disguised as a man, the fact that she is on intimate terms with the Empress is an undeniable reality.
Great Xia's ancestral teachings stipulate that the inner palace shall not interfere in politics.
Yet, the Empress has repeatedly used her status as Empress to create opportunities for Minister Lin, and they even left the capital together for an excursion. Many people, including your humble servant, have personally witnessed this matter!"
"Since you have personally witnessed it, then excavate it."
A voice, overly cold and carrying a chilling intent, suddenly rang out, causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.
"The Empress is joking. Such vulgar matters are for me to handle."
Civil and military officials: !!!
Feeling that this court was no longer worth their time, the current Minister He had no choice but to step forward and smooth things over, saying:
"The Empress meant to say that since General Xu and others have personally witnessed it, the Empress will no longer rack her brains for excuses."
Having said that, he gave a meaningful look to the Right Prime Minister opposite him. The latter stood up and performed a deep bow to the new Emperor, saying:
"Your Majesty, at this point, that secret can no longer be kept.
For the Empress's reputation, for the continuation of the royal bloodline, and even more so for the stability of the Great Xia dynasty, you must reveal that secret~"
The new Emperor, who had not received the script beforehand: ???
However, being a product of studying imperial arts since childhood, the new Emperor, despite cursing the two wicked individuals in his heart, showed nothing on his face.
After casting a covert glance at the two, the newly composed Emperor then said sternly:
"Originally, I intended to announce this matter on a more significant occasion. But as the saying goes, better to act now than wait for a better day. Since all my esteemed ministers are curious about the relationship between Minister Lin and the Empress.
I can only seize this opportunity to proclaim it to the world."