The second day.
The nobles who knelt in front of the palace gate yesterday seemed still unwilling to give up their last efforts. Today it seemed that they arrived earlier than yesterday.
They knelt here for most of the day yesterday, but because the sun was too strong at noon, these people went home one after another after persisting for a while. The nobles all grew up well-fed and pampered. When did they ever suffer such torture? It is not easy to hold on until noon. But after yesterday's commotion, they became even more determined - they all earned their titles with their ancestors' lives after their meritorious deeds! Now we are kneeling in front of the palace gate for most of the day and the Holy Father is indifferent. This... this is so sad! When have we ever experienced such 'humiliation'? As the saying goes, 'a scholar can be killed but not humiliated'! Last night everyone discussed and made a surprising decision - a hunger strike!
Since the Holy One does not want to look at us, then we will go on a hunger strike to show our determination!
...
In front of the palace gate, everyone gathered around Lin and Zhao to discuss today's plan.
"Dong Guo Liang, is this...is this hunger strike really useful?"
A fat noble asked with some confusion, seeming to be very worried about the proposal of 'hunger strike'. Yes, with a body like this, it would be hard not to eat even one meal, let alone kneeling in the sun?
"What? Are you scared?" Zhao Xingwen looked at the fat man and said mockingly.
"No...no...I'll just ask...just ask..." Fatty seemed to be naturally more cowardly. Faced with Zhao Xingwen's questioning, he instinctively chose to shrink back.
"Hmph! Let me tell you, this is what everyone agreed upon yesterday. Even if you don't stop, we have to stop it! If you don't have this determination, what else can you do!?" Zhao Xingwen said firmly to everyone.
"Yes! Let's listen to Duke Liang!"
"That's right! I just don't want to eat!"
"The worst we can do is starve to death here! When we get to heaven, we can talk to our ancestors about how the Holy Spirit has treated us after our meritorious deeds!"
Everyone expressed their determination one after another.
Seeing everyone expressing their opinions, Zhao Xingwen nodded and felt very satisfied. This time they came together to ask for orders not on a whim. According to Wang Yanqing's suggestion, they organized a little bit. They even learned from the martyrs of the previous dynasty to write their memorials in blood and put their fingerprints on them. If they didn't put their fingerprints, they couldn't express themselves. Determination, this means that you are not qualified to come here and kneel. When had these princes and nobles ever experienced such a generous oath? Everyone rushed to put their fingerprints on it, as if they were doing something epic and touching. Without people like them who sacrificed their lives for righteousness, their descendants would no longer be able to enjoy happiness.
If you want to do it, do it hard! If you don't push yourself, what if you can achieve great things?
Under the leadership of Lin and Zhao, everyone once again gathered in front of the Zhuque Gate and started their "hunger strike" vigorously.
...
At the same time, Yingping was pacing back and forth in front of the dragon chair with his hands behind his back. It looked like he was angry and about to get angry at any moment.
Yingping lost his temper like this, not because he was really angry, but more of just pretending to bluff the officials. Because today the Jingzhao Mansion concluded the assassination case of Wen Junchen. It was a nobleman who bribed the assassin of Yunyue Pavilion. Now the nobleman has committed suicide out of fear of crime, and his whole family has been ransacked and imprisoned.
In fact, Ying Ping knew in his heart that this assassination could not be accomplished by such a small nobleman. The four assassins were extraordinary in skill and cultivation. They paid a lot of money to buy the assassins, not to mention that there was no leakage in this operation. A little bit of news, it was obviously a well-planned assassination. The most important thing is that four sergeants from the Shence Battalion were killed without anyone noticing and their bodies were abandoned outside the military camp. If no one had tipped off, who would believe it?
But since the Jingzhao Mansion mobilized a large number of people to find a 'scapegoat', at least Yingying could live with it. After all, after Long Yan was furious, the people under him finally gave him an explanation, so that he would have an answer to the whole world. An explanation can also be regarded as a warning to others. However, it can be seen from the information submitted by Jingzhao Mansion that the assassination was indeed from Yunyue Pavilion through the hands of this nobleman, so Jingzhao Mansion did not arrest the wrong person.
Ying Ping scolded him severely in the morning and punished the noble family, and the matter was over. Seeing that all the ministers below did not dare to speak out, Yingping finally calmed down his anger.
"Do you have anything else to report?"
There was a moment of silence, and all the officials remained silent.
"I will report to you, Your Majesty, if I have any matters, please report to me."
Everyone turned around and saw Cui Ren coming out of the queue. He was responsible for the assassination of Wen Junchen, which was regarded as atonement.
"Master Cui, please speak——"
"Yes," Cui Ren said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "The nobles who knelt in front of the palace gate yesterday are still gathered at the palace gate today. These people seem to be unwilling to give up. These people are all Because of his high status, the government officials patrolling the city did not dare to come forward to stop him, so I am here to start a memorial to the Holy One."
"Oh? Are these people still there? Have they done anything drastic?"
"Not yet, but I have heard that these people..."
"explain--"
"Yes! I heard that these people plan to go on a hunger strike today to show their ambition. If the Holy One does not summon them, they will not eat!"
"What? Hunger strike?" Yingping felt funny after hearing this. He didn't expect these gangsters to do such a thing, "Let them go on a hunger strike! Not only did I allow them to go on a hunger strike, but I also sent people to watch how they went on a hunger strike! Someone is here. ——”
Two imperial guards came in from outside the hall and knelt down at the foot of the hall.
"Place the royal meal in front of the palace gate and give it to these nobles!"
"yes--"
The guard took the order and ran out at a trot.
The officials stood below the hall and looked at each other. They knew that the Holy Lord had a strong temper, but they didn't know that he would be so tough when facing these nobles. Isn't this...isn't this a naked humiliation? Even if you don't want to pay attention to these people, it won't be like this.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate..." Cui Ren continued. He received Wang Yanqing's instructions yesterday, and his mission today is to dissuade His Majesty. At first, he didn't understand why he did this, but now he slowly understands - Mr. Wang has understood the temper of the Holy Lord. The more you persuade him, the more enthusiastic he will be to fight you!
"What's wrong!? Since I gave the order, just follow it, hum! Hunger strike? You can starve to death there!"
Seeing Yingping's determination, all the officials did not dare to persuade him.
Yingping nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Retreat from the court -"
...
...
It's past noon, and the autumn wind is high.
A variety of delicacies were placed in front of the palace gate.
Unexpectedly, the hunger strike could be so difficult, these nobles kneeling in front of the palace gate thought in unison. Those loyal and righteous people in ancient books showed their ambitions by going on a hunger strike, and even the honest ones would rather starve to death than accept the food they grumbled for - it turns out that being hungry is so uncomfortable.
Going on a hunger strike is inherently uncomfortable, but what makes it even more uncomfortable is having tempting food placed in front of you!
The fat man's stomach had already begun to growl, and he almost collapsed on the ground, with only the dishes in front of him in his eyes. His eyes were full of longing, and looking at his companions who were also weak from hunger, the fat man walked up to Zhao Xingwen and Lin Feng, swallowed his saliva, and said: "Two princes, we won't eat this gift from the emperor... Does this count as resistance?"
Zhao and Lin were already upset. Faced with Yingping's humiliation, the ferocity in their hearts became even stronger. At this time, the people in their own team actually wavered. Zhao Xingwen couldn't help but become angry. He looked at the fat man fiercely, Said: "Eat? Do you still have the nerve to eat? If we eat this, we will not be able to 'eat' in the rest of our lives!"
The fat man shrank his neck and looked a little scared when he saw Zhao Xingwen's red eyes.
"Then...then I can go and eat some first..."
Zhao Xingwen almost fainted from anger. He wanted to kick the fat man on the butt, but he didn't have any extra strength at this time.
"Go away -" Zhao Xingwen squeezed out one word from between his teeth.
The fat man had never seen such a terrifying side of Zhao Xingwen, and he was so frightened that he rolled back.
Although the late autumn sun is not too harsh, it does make people feel hot after being exposed to it for a long time. Everyone's chests and backs were gradually penetrated by sweat, and the autumn wind blew, making people feel particularly uncomfortable.
The physical torture and the cold eyes of the palace guards made everyone suffer. Zhao Xingwen and Lin Feng had been pampered since childhood. Due to their noble status and wealth, they had always had a high status among these dandies and had heard a lot of flattery. However, at this time, they were ignored like wild dogs. Someone throws a 'bone' to himself but cannot eat it. This feeling caused their minds to be destroyed and worn away little by little. The despair in their hearts gradually turned into resentment, and the resentment gradually turned into hostility. They hate it! He wanted to overturn all the royal banquets on the table, push the guards away, and beat up all the people watching the excitement.
The eyes of the two became more and more gloomy. Whether it was due to hunger or resentment, their bodies began to tremble unconsciously and their vision gradually blurred. With the high palace walls and strict guards, in their eyes, the man on the dragon throne became increasingly out of reach, and even meeting him was a luxury. This group of people seems to be the victims of the new law, the outcasts of this era, and even trash in the eyes of the Holy One. Even if they starve to death, the Holy One will not feel sorry for them.
Their hearts became increasingly twisted, and their fists were clenched weakly.
But at this moment, a figure suddenly jumped out from behind, shaking its fat and huge butt and running towards the palace gate. Zhao Xingwen and Lin Feng were in a trance for a while, thinking that they were dizzy from hunger and hallucinating. When they rubbed their eyes, they discovered that it was the fat man who couldn't bear the hunger and rushed forward desperately to enjoy the already cold imperial banquet.
When Zhao Xingwen reacted, there was a burst of restlessness behind him. As if being infected by the fat man's devouring food, someone behind him actually wanted to step forward.
"Stop——!" Zhao Xingwen yelled loudly.
Everyone stopped moving forward and stood there with some fear.
Zhao and Lin looked at each other and nodded at the same time, as if they had reached some kind of consensus.
"Go and catch that fat man!" Lin Feng shouted viciously.
Everyone was startled and had a bad feeling in their hearts, but due to Lin Feng's identity, they had no choice but to step forward.
"Bring over some of the dishes on the table!" Zhao Xingwen added.
Four or five nobles stepped forward and dragged the fat man back. But the fat man didn't seem to care at all about everyone's tugging, and he didn't forget to stuff his elbow into his mouth before leaving.
The fat man was dragged in front of Lin and Zhao. At this time, his cheeks were still bulging and his mouth was covered with oil. At this time, he was no longer as hungry as before, and his mind gradually returned to his mind as the food entered his belly. He looked at the two princes with sinister smiles on their faces and started laughing.
Zhao Xingwen looked at the fat man's silly smile and suddenly felt like laughing.
"Is it delicious?" Zhao Xingwen asked with a smile.
"It doesn't taste good, it doesn't taste good...it's cold...it doesn't taste good..." Fatty said with a smile.
"Are you full?"
"Uh... I'm full! Now I have the strength to go on a hunger strike! I'll go back and kneel!"
The fat man was crawling to escape from Lin and Zhao's scrutiny. At this time, he had regained some strength, and everyone almost couldn't hold him back.
"I am full?"
The fat man shook his head, then seemed to wake up and nodded immediately.
Lin Feng looked at the fat man, then licked his lips and said, "I think you're not full yet?"
The fat man saw a flash of color in Lin Feng's eyes and felt something bad in his heart. He was about to plead for mercy when he heard Lin Feng shout: "Since you are not full, keep eating! Come here! Bring all the food on the table!" Pour it into him! Let him eat! Just eat enough——"
"yes!"
Everyone's eyes were filled with excitement. They had been suppressed for two days and were aggrieved today. At this time, they were in need of an outlet. Now that the fat man has become the leader, he will naturally become the target of public criticism.
These princes and nobles were not good birds to begin with, and some were even mentally ill. With Lin Feng's order, the potential of his originally weak and weak body seemed to be stimulated. Four people were seen tightly controlling the fat man's limbs, while the other two opened the fat man's mouth, and then they each grabbed the dishes and pastries they brought and stuffed them into the fat man's mouth. After a while, the food that had just been served was gone, and everyone hurriedly ran to get all the food on the table.
Food continued to enter the fat man's stomach from the esophagus, and there was no room for chewing these things. The fat man felt that his stomach was going to explode, and his face gradually became ugly.
"stop--"
Zhao Xingwen saw that the fat man was about to die and quickly said something to stop him.
When everyone heard Zhao Xingwen shouting to stop, they let go of the fat man with some lingering thoughts.
The fat man gasped for breath and immediately vomited crazily. The disgusting sound of vomiting could be heard endlessly, and filth was everywhere.
After half a cup of tea, the harsh sound gradually stopped. The fat man couldn't care less. He lay limply on the ground and kept panting. He felt like he almost vomited from his stomach.
The fat man finally stopped vomiting. At this time, his clothes were covered with vomit and dust, and he was in a miserable state, but he had no time to care about it. He hurriedly struggled to get up and looked at Lin and Zhao almost pleadingly.
Zhao Xingwen looked down at the fat man condescendingly, spat hard, and said in a venomous tone: "Hit me!"
When everyone heard this, their excitement rekindled, and they all kicked the fat man hard.
The fat man hugged his head and curled up on the ground. His body was already numb. Fortunately, he was thick. It was also thanks to the hard work these people had just done that he had no strength. Otherwise, these mentally twisted nobles would not be too careful. Maybe it will be explained here.
After another cup of tea, maybe because they hadn't eaten for half a day, maybe because they were tired from kicking, everyone gradually stopped kicking the fat man.
Zhao Xingwen looked at the fat man who was like a dead pig at this time, and the hostility in his heart felt a little dissipated.
"Let's go-"
Zhao and Lin led everyone away, leaving the fat man lying alone in the filth.
The fat man stuck his butt high in the air and glanced around nervously through his fingers to make sure everyone had left. At this time, like a child who was bullied by his peers, he sat up with difficulty, sat on the ground and cried bitterly - his clothes were torn, his hair was messy, his face was swollen, and his knocked-off shoes were still there just before those people left. The kick was far away, and the pain in his body and the humiliation in his heart all merged into grievance. At this moment, he just wanted to go home and throw himself into his mother's arms to cry.
