There was silence in the palace for a moment. Led by King Min, King Zhou, and King Xiang, a bunch of clan princes stabbed into the body of Cheng'an Marquis Guo Sheng.
King Lao Min spoke first, sneered and scolded.
"When did the Fifth Army Governor's Office get involved in the affairs of the clan? Is it possible that Lord Guo wants to teach some of my incompetent sons a lesson? For those who don't know, you might think that Lord Guo is also named Zhu!"
Even though these princes were quite submissive when facing the emperor, in fact, they were more domineering than ordinary people imagined.
Among the various yamen of the imperial court, only the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Husbandry and the Zongren Mansion could make them slightly fearful.
The Ministry of Etiquette is in charge of the clan orders and wedding ceremonies of various feudal states, which directly affects the necks of these clans. Needless to say, the Ministry of Husbandry is in charge of the issuance of clan money and food.
As for the Zongren Mansion, it is because it is the administrative office of the clan. The clan family must go through the Zongren Mansion to submit memorials, record crimes, and enter genealogies.
In addition, the other yamen of the imperial court were not even as influential as the local governor's yamen for the princes of the clans in various places.
Therefore, Guo Sheng, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief, was nothing in their eyes.
Being glared at by so many princes, Lord Guo felt bitter in his heart.
This was originally well planned, but when there was a commotion outside, a bunch of princes inside must have been thinking of watching a show, and wanted to call in King Guangtong to explain things clearly, without him needing to come forward at all.
But who would have thought that the emperor would suddenly cause a sectarian incident.
Guo Sheng knew more than most of the princes present, and he knew better what the cause of this farce was.
But the matter has come to this point, and there is no way out. The British government, King Guangtong, King Yangzong and others are all ready, but they cannot let him slip.
Facing the pressure from a group of clans, Guo Sheng had a trace of cold sweat on his forehead, breathed a sigh of relief and said.
"Prince Min has spoken seriously. How dare I interfere in the affairs of the clan, but..."
Halfway through his words, he was interrupted.
This time it was King Zhou who spoke. He flicked his sleeves and scolded with a hint of severity in his tone.
"Since you don't dare, why don't you back down!"
The pride of the royal family prince can be seen in just this sentence.
You must know that among the kings, the King of Zhou was considered a respectful, polite, self-disciplined and humble clan, but even he was not polite at all when facing the ministers of the court.
However, the strong attitude of King Min and King Zhou could not help but make the ministers present frown.
Although the civil and military affairs of the imperial court were divided, they often clashed.
However, how could the elders fail to see that the contempt the kings had for their ministers was not directed at Guo Sheng alone.
Even if the person who spoke was not Guo Sheng, but the big boss of Wenchen, their attitude would not be tempered at all.
At that moment, the seven ministers at the front looked at each other and made their own decisions.
The first person to appear was Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu for a long time.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate inspects hundreds of officials, soldiers and civilians, and impeaches everything, including the princes of the clan. In fact, most of the illegal things in the clan are reported to the court by the censors who patrol the local areas.
Mr. Chen stood up and stepped forward, bowed and said.
"Your Majesty, as the censor of Zuodu, I am in charge of correcting hundreds of officials and defending those who are wronged. There is a big banquet in the palace today. All the officials of the clan are here. The four kings of Guangtong, Yangzong, Zhennan and Jiangchuan are in full view. They beat each other, disrupted the banquet, were rude and disrespectful, and had no regard for the king."
"I ask your majesty to take these four people to the palace and interrogate them in detail. If they cause trouble without any reason, please your majesty to severely punish the four people to discipline the clan!"
The clan members did not take the ministers of the imperial court seriously. In fact, the elders did not take the clan members seriously either.
Just like most yamen in the imperial court have no right to interfere in clan affairs, the influence of clan clans on government affairs is infinitely close to zero.
In fact, if the emperor had not just ascended the throne this time and summoned the clan to the capital, the elders might not have seen so many Tianhuang nobles in their lifetime.
Therefore, facing the pride of the clan, the elders will not lose their momentum at all.
After Chen Yi finished speaking, another high-ranking official in a scarlet robe walked out. It was none other than Hu Hui, the Minister of Rites.
Mr. Hu stepped forward expressionlessly, cupped his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, I think what Mr. Zong Xian said is true. Your Majesty established a clan. King Zhou, King Xiang, King Zheng, and King Yi are all dissatisfied. They have many excuses and do not want to come to the capital. They say that the clans are obedient and observant, and they can protect them. Fan Ping.”
"Now that the words are still ringing in my ears, four county princes actually fought at His Majesty's grand banquet. How can these clans guard the vassal screen and protect the fiefdom?"
"Therefore, I would like to ask your majesty to send King Guangtong and others to the palace to see their reasons and judge their character. If they are really unworthy, they should be dealt with seriously!"
These words were quite bold, as they immediately revealed the fig leaf of the kings, and at the same time, they directly connected the affairs of these people with the sect.
Therefore, Mr. Hu has been able to stand in the imperial court for many years not only by being well-rounded and wise in protecting himself. When it is time to express his attitude, he is not only decisive, but also resolute.
As soon as he said this, the faces of all the kings suddenly became ugly. Hu Hui's words hit their pain point.
Their own family members know their own affairs, and they know best the virtues of their clan members.
Originally, at least there were two role models, King Zhou and King Xiang, who could be used to prove that the clan members were all law-abiding people and there was no need to join any religious school.
As a result, when he turned around, a group of county princes outside caused such a thing.
If there really was a reason, forget it. If the fight started over some trivial matter, wouldn't their previous confrontation with the emperor have been in vain?
They wanted to follow Zhou Wang and say a few words, but looking at Hu Hu's old face, many princes sat back obediently.
The Ministry of Rites is responsible for the canonization of kings, the approval of crown marriages, and the succession of the throne, all of which must be handled by the Ministry of Rites.
Therefore, for the clan, all the ministers in the court could be offended, but the Minister of Rites was the only one they could not afford to offend.
However, it was not over yet. Two ministers on the civilian side stood up one after another, and the military minister was not to be left behind.
Guo Sheng was scolded for having no temper, and then someone came out to speak for him. This person was Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, who had been silent in the court for a long time.
The old Marquis was still in high spirits and walking like a dragon and a tiger. When he came to the palace, he glared and cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty, I have been blessed by the Holy Spirit and am also in charge of the affairs of the clan. The clan's mistakes and crimes are all within the jurisdiction of the clan. Now King Guangtong and others are having a banquet. I dare not not ask. Please give me your permission. King Guangtong and others went to the palace to find out the reason and to police the clan!"
Since Taizong, the Zongren Mansion has always been managed by Xunqi, and now the person in charge of the Zongren Mansion is Ningyang Marquis.
Therefore, he can be said to have the most say in this matter.
Civil servants and military ministers each had important figures come forward, and they confronted the clan with completely opposite attitudes. The smell of gunpowder in the palace suddenly became stronger...
