It's time.
The ministers entered the Liangyi Hall one after another. Before they could stand still, Li Shimin had already walked up from the back hall.
"See Your Majesty!"
"See Your Majesty..."
The ministers were all shocked and bowed their heads one after another.
"The court meeting hasn't started yet, please feel free to be as casual as you like."
Li Shimin waved his hands and said with a smile.
He was searching for something in the crowd, and suddenly found the target. His eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.
"Listen, have you brought what I want?"
Li Er approached Xu Fenglei and asked in a low voice.
Xu Fenglei: "..."
"It's just a little tobacco leaf. Your Majesty, you don't need to be like this, right?"
He said with a speechless face,
"It seems like we are trading some illegal dangerous goods..."
"Here."
Although he was complaining, his hands were not hesitant and he had already opened the cloth bag in his arms.
A familiar smell penetrated Li Shimin's nose.
"Ha...it smells so good."
Li Shimin grabbed the cloth bag and smiled happily.
"If I don't smell for a day, I feel uncomfortable all over my body... My baby, how can I live without you."
Xu Fenglei: “@#￥%……&*#”
"Your Majesty, this is the Liangyi Palace, please pay attention to your image."
He pointed at the many ministers behind him and reminded,
"Everyone is watching!"
When Li Shimin heard this, he sneered and dismissed it.
"Just look at it, I think my smoking posture is very handsome and chic! It doesn't hurt to let them appreciate it more!"
I saw him taking out the cigarette butt in a familiar manner, taking a quick puff, and then slowly spit it out.
The whole movement was smooth and smooth, with the style of an old smoker... I have to say, he is quite handsome!
"Hoo--beautiful! So beautiful!"
Li Shimin narrowed his eyes with enjoyment.
When he wasn't paying attention, a dark shadow came up and took a bite of the cigarette holder.
Li Er: "!!!"
"Hey! Where did the dog head come from!"
He was startled, and when he saw the familiar big round head, he was so angry that he kicked it!
"Jingde, you want to die!"
The person who came was none other than Wei Chigong, a tall and handsome man with seven feet!
However, at this moment, Yuchi Gong didn't have the domineering look of a macho man at all. Instead, he was a bit cunning.
"Your Majesty, please give me one mouthful, just one mouthful..."
"It's been too long since I've smoked. I'm really hungry!"
Yu Chigong was kicked violently by Li Shimin, but he looked playful and smiling. The puff of smoke entered his mouth, and he felt so happy that he felt like he was about to ascend to heaven!
Taking a sip again after such a long break is like "a little goodbye is better than a newlywed"!
"You good-for-nothing!"
Li Shimin cursed angrily. As if the kick just now was not enough to relieve his anger, another big flying kick came up!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."
Yuchi Gong hurriedly blocked his attack and quickly begged for mercy,
"I was wrong, I was wrong..."
"The servants are coming in one after another, you must maintain your dignity..."
Li Shimin frowned.
All the familiar ministers were already in place at this moment, and those who came in later were all ministers of the fourth and fifth ranks of the court...
In front of these ministers who are not too familiar and have a certain distance, he still has to maintain the emperor's demeanor.
"Let's see how I whip you later!"
Li Er gave Yu Chigong a vicious look and spat.
When he looked at the wet cigarette again, his eyes were filled with disgust.
"...I don't want it if it's stained with your saliva!"
"Remember! Next time you dare to grab something from my mouth, I will cut off your tongue!"
With a look of displeasure, he threw the cigarette in his hand to Yu Chigong, turned around and left.
"Yes! Yes...Thank you, Your Majesty, hehe, hehehe..."
When Yuchi Gong got the cigarette, he was immediately happy. He held it in his hand as if he had found a treasure. He was even happier than getting a cart of gold!
"Old Hei, what on earth is this that makes you so obsessed with it?"
Cheng Yaojin's head came up and he reached out to grab it, but Yu Chigong hit him with his elbow!
"Go away, you idiot! If you come close to me again, I'll get in trouble with you!"
At this moment, Yuchi Gong was just like an old hen protecting her chickens. Cheng Yaojin was speechless——
This old black guy...as for that?
While speechless, his curiosity was completely aroused.
…
In the Liangyi Hall, a faint smoke filled the air. Several ministers couldn't get used to the smell and couldn't help but cough lightly.
Li Shimin finished his second cigarette, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stamped it out with his toes, and then took a breath——
Thump, thump, thump.
Climb the golden steps and ascend the dragon throne.
"Long live my emperor!"
The ministers bowed and shouted long live the mountain.
"My dear friends, please forgive me and live in peace."
Li Shimin raised his hand slightly, looked down, and said calmly,
"Today at the great court meeting, if all the ministers have something to say, you can speak freely."
Fang Xuanling raised her legs and stepped out of the queue.
"Your Majesty, your right servant shoots Du Ruhui and presents a memorial of thanks to Your Majesty for the marriage."
He said loudly,
"You Pu She also wants to bring the son into the palace in person, to thank the Holy Grace, and ask your Majesty for permission."
When the ministers heard this, they were more or less envious.
What an honor it is to be married to the emperor as a son and daughter?
Especially since Du He is only the second son of Du Ruhui, not the eldest son, this honor is even greater!
Think about the future development of the Du family - the eldest son who has been carefully cultivated will pursue an official career, and the second son who is tolerant will marry a princess and become a relative of the emperor...
How can one not envy this?
"no no."
Li Shimin waved his hand and said with a smile,
"It's important for Du Aiqing to take good care of her health. Don't move around too much! It's okay for you to come to the palace to thank me, but just ask Du He to come and say thank you. He doesn't need to come."
"In addition, I will give Du Aiqing five old ginseng roots and ten Ganoderma lucidum flowers, and tell him to take good nourishing food. Ask me for them after eating! How I hope he can recover soon and return to the court... Without Du Aiqing, this The whole court has become disgraceful!"
After saying that, he sighed sadly.
"In compliance with the order, I will take the place of my right servant to thank Your Majesty for your kindness." Fang Xuanling bowed for a long time and returned to the queue.
"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
Fat Tang Jian squeezed up from behind and reported,
"Since the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Turks, all the barbarian tribes have surrendered and respected His Majesty as the Khan of Heaven! Since then, almost every month, scattered small foreign countries have submitted letters of credence, pleading to become tributaries of the Tang Dynasty. These tribes have expressed :"
"If they could be ruled by Tian Khan, they would burst into tears of gratitude and pay tribute every year!"
"The attitude of the small countries outside the country is sincere, but I dare not make any independent opinions. Please ask His Majesty for your sanction."
These words caused whispers to resound in the court hall.
"Barbarians from outside the country actually voluntarily surrendered? This is the first time this has ever happened!"
"Hey, what's so surprising about this? Your Majesty is now the co-ruler of the world, the Khan! Not only our Majesty, but also the leader of all barbarians! The world has come to its own! Isn't it normal for small countries to come to join us?"
"So, the territory of our Tang Dynasty is already extremely vast?"
"That's natural! Didn't you hear that there is a saying in Chang'an - from now on it's nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine miles west to Anxi!"
"..."
The courtiers' comments fell into Li Shimin's ears, which made him feel a little proud!
"In the past, Cao Cao had a poem that said: The Duke of Zhou spits out food, and the world returns to its heart. I wonder how I compare with the Duke of Zhou?"
Li Er asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty's virtue surpasses that of the three emperors, and his achievements are greater than those of the five emperors! It is beyond the reach of Duke Zhou!"
All the ministers congratulated.
"Hahahaha... You have given me too much praise, you have given me too much praise!"
Li Shimin laughed heartily and said,
"I don't dare to compare with the ancient holy emperors. I am satisfied to be able to match the Duke of Zhou."
"Tang Qing!"
"I'm here." Tang Jian held his hand again.
"Reply to those small countries outside the country. Anyone who wants to become a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty will be accepted by me. I will not refuse anyone who comes!"
Li Shimin said casually,
"From now on, they are all my subjects!"
One person can rule the world!
Even the barbarians thousands of miles away must face the east, bow respectfully to the people who live in Chang'an City, and say long live!
How heroic is this?
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Tang Jian responded and returned to the queue, and then the ministers took turns to enter the battle;
"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
"Your Majesty, I also have a request..."
"His Majesty……"
Li Shimin was in a good mood today and gave all the verdicts.
After more than half an hour, all the ministers were satisfied and no one came out.
"ha--"
Li Er yawned and winked at the eunuch beside him.
It was quite tiring to hold a big court meeting, but the good thing was that after the meeting, he could have half a day of leisure, where he could spend time with his wife and children, stroll around the Imperial Garden and so on.
At this moment, he had already thought about retreating to play.
"If you have anything to do, please report it. If nothing happens, please leave the court."
The eunuch shouted.
The courtiers also began to adjust their sleeves and prepare to leave.
But at this moment, a figure appeared.
"Your Majesty, sir, I have the original memorial!"
Swish.
Several eyes turned around, all looking at one person!
Li Shimin was also a little surprised.
"Xu Aiqing? It's rare to see you requesting me..."
He changed his position on the dragon chair and said with interest,
"What's the matter with you?"
Xu Fenglei looked calm and took out a book from his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, to be precise, I am not petitioning, but I want to impeach someone!"
He said in a deep voice,
"A person who stirs up trouble in the government and corrupts the rule of law!"
Everyone: "?!"
Li Shimin: "?!"
"Oh? You want to impeach?"
Li Er immediately sat up straight, frowned and said,
"Who to impeach?"
Xu Fenglei's move really caught him off guard.
This kid... didn't show it at all before!
"There is a man who is greedy for profit and covets thousands of taels of military pay, so that the officers and soldiers in the army do not get the rewards and commendations they deserve!"
"There was a man who was so bold that he extended his black hands to military equipment. In just two years, he stole and sold national public property, enriched his own pocket, and embezzled tens of thousands of taels of money!"
"There is a man who is so crazy! He even dared to get involved in key national projects. He cut corners, cut materials, withheld wages, ignored the education plan, and robbed nearly ten thousand taels from the project funds!"
"Dare to ask Your Majesty, how to deal with such a person!"
Li Shimin: "!!!"
Ministers: "!!!"
As soon as this statement came out, it was shocking, and the entire Liangyi Palace was in an uproar!
"Who is this? You must be too brave!"
"Is there really such a moth in the court? No way..."
"Since Grand Master dares to speak out in front of the court, he must have someone to rely on. This person must exist among us... Who could it be?"
"Damn it, this man deserves it! There is so much corruption!"
"..."
Suddenly, there was a lot of discussion! Li Shimin's face also turned ugly to the naked eye.
He looked gloomily and asked in a low voice:
"This person you are talking about...who is he?"
"Tell me!"
The three words flew out of his mouth and turned into a loud shout, which shocked the hearts of the ministers!
Li Shimin's eyes wandered around the hall, examining everyone present——
Anyone who can commit corruption to this level must not be a small fish or shrimp. He must be among these courtiers!
Suddenly, his eyes caught a person——
The man's face turned a little pale.
"Return to your majesty!"
Xu Fenglei turned around, pointed his finger at a person in the generals' queue, and said loudly,
"I won't beat around the bush, this person is General Youwei, Duke and Lord of Lu State!"
His eyes were like blades, sweeping towards Hou Junji.
"Hou Junji, please plead guilty!"
Swish, swish, swish!
All the eyes of the audience were focused on Hou Junji at this moment!
Everyone's expressions are different, some are shocked, some are confused, some are angry, and some are contemptuous!
Being stared at by so many people, including the emperor, Hou Junji felt like a thorn in his back, and his heart was numb! There were already beads of sweat on his forehead!
But as a military general who had experienced hundreds of battles, he quickly calmed down.
"Master!"
Hou Junji suddenly looked up at Xu Fenglei and said sternly,
"I have no enmity or enmity with you, why are you spewing blood!"
"I, Hou Junji, have never embezzled a single fortune from the imperial court!"
Xu Fenglei sneered.
"How dare you kill a duck with such a tough mouth!"
He opened the letter in his hand, waved it in front of Hou Junji's eyes, and said coldly,
"Remember Zhao Yi? Your former groom."
"Here is his confession. After my reexamination, he has confessed everything!"
"The black hand behind it is you!"
Wow!
Xu Fenglei turned around, held up his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty, please take a look!"
Li Shimin's expression was gloomy and uncertain. He stared at Hou Junji for a long time and then said in a deep voice:
"Bring it up."
The eunuch quickly stepped forward and handed over the sealed confession.
Li Shimin sat on the dragon chair and read word by word. The more he read, the uglier his face became.
"Zhao Yi withheld food and wages, but only a little more than a thousand taels of silver. What he really embezzled was iron materials, more than nine thousand taels, nearly ten thousand taels!"
Xu Fenglei said loudly,
"Gentlemen, ten thousand taels! Do you know how he operates?"
"He used to be the head of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War. In recent years, under the instruction of Hou Junji, he privately embezzled a large number of old weapons and armors, melted them into iron blocks, and then sold them on the black market to make profits!"
"And when the Chang'an Academy project started, he kept an eye on the project funds and used the convenience of his position to purchase iron blocks at high prices! And what he purchased was exactly what he had embezzled from the Hyogo Division and had not yet sold!"
"Stealing things from the Ministry of War and selling them to the Ministry of Industry at a high price! I was a profiteer at both ends and easily earned money that ordinary people can't earn in a lifetime. Tsk tsk... What a good trick! What a good trick!"
"Hou Junji, tell me, is this a good method?"
The ministers were all dumbfounded by these words.
Darling, is there such an operation?
I really learned a lot today!
(End of chapter)
