It wasn't until Emperor Liu's unrepentant figure disappeared from sight that the princes and ministers in Chongyuan Hall fully reacted and looked at each other in silence.
Prince Liu Yang also stood up at this time, attracting the attention of all the ministers, and looked at Zhao Pu. His eyes were a little complicated, and he hesitated to speak. Finally, he glanced at the ministers and said in a deep voice: "Everyone should return to his duties, don't delay. It’s official business!”
"Yes!" Everyone bowed again.
Liu Yang had no intention of staying any longer and followed Emperor Liu's footsteps. After that, Zhao Pu didn't say much, and walked away slowly with a silent expression on his face. Seeing this, the others also dispersed.
Outside the Chongyuan Hall, the dignitaries who participated in the imperial dynasty walked together in twos and threes. Without the intimidation of Emperor Liu and the suppression of the hall, the air outside was filled with an atmosphere of freedom and relaxation. Many unpleasant words finally dared to be spoken out. .
The impeachment of Lu Duoxun was not a big deal. Among the officials in the court, there was no one who had not been impeached. Even Zhao Pu, the prime minister, could not avoid it, not to mention Lu Duoxun was not very popular. For powerful ministers like them, a little slander is nothing, and even impeachment is necessary.
The most important thing is how the emperor reacted. And this time, because of Wang Yucheng's impeachment seal and those seemingly true descriptions, Lu Duoxun was imprisoned without saying a word.
"It's really terrible and shocking!" Zhou Fang, the Minister of Rites, said with a concerned expression.
"Is Minister Zhou lamenting over Xiang Lu's crime?" one person asked.
Glancing at him, Zhou Fang thought for a while and said, "It's both!"
"Xiang Lu, no, is this the end of Lu Duosun?" Another official felt that the world was unreal, but there was a hint of excitement between his eyebrows.
"That's right! The prime minister has great power. If he says he will go to jail, he will go to jail! Think of Lu Duoxun, who has been in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate these years. He is so high-spirited and powerful in the court..." Obviously, even if he is in jail again, Many people think a lot of Lu Duosun, but they are full of yearning for his status and power.
"Is it too easy for the second-ranked political leader to fall like this?" one person asked.
"Your Majesty speaks of the Constitution of Heaven. In the face of the authority of the Emperor, what does a Ludosun mean?"
"When I mention this, I can't help but think of His Majesty's expression just now. It's really terrifying and creepy. I don't know how you feel. I can hardly breathe!"
"Since the founding of the country, has any prime minister been in such trouble? At the great court meeting, all civil and military officials were detained and imprisoned. They really lost all dignity!"
These words express the psychology of most courtiers. In the past, when prime ministers were dismissed from office, even if they were deposed, they still had basic decency. It could not even be described as dismissal. It could be regarded as a normal job transfer. .
But Lu Duoxun was directly imprisoned, looking like he was going to be questioned. The emperor's eight words of "substantiate evidence, strict investigation and strict punishment" almost defined it. This is what shocked these ministers, and even found it difficult to accept it. The place.
"It's not like there is no precedent!" Zhou Fang had a look of reminiscence in his eyes, stroking his beard and sighed: "If I remember correctly, in the early years of Qianyou, the powerful prime ministers Su Fengji and Yang Bin were imprisoned one after another. Your Majesty issued an edict to severely investigate and deal with them, and finally both of them were exiled to the northwest, where they lived in the wind and sand for twenty years in Jingyuan before they were able to return to their place of origin."
These ministers in the imperial court today are basically latecomers. They are really unfamiliar with the power struggles and political changes in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Some of them even don't know who Su Fengji and Yang Bin are.
"Shilang Zhou is really knowledgeable!" One person sighed: "However, that was more than thirty years ago, and it was too long ago. What happened in the palace today really happened before our eyes! "
"Yes! Everyone, Lu Duosun was imprisoned and the court was shocked. Can you give me some advice on how we should act next?"
"I originally thought that Lu Dosun was just a little arrogant and arrogant, but I never thought that he had committed so many taboo crimes behind his back. I intend to impeach him!"
These words were like a guiding light, and the eyes of several officials nearby shone with a sense of enlightenment.
"Then Wang Yucheng, everyone should be careful in the future. This is a bold and unscrupulous man. If he bites him, losing a piece of flesh is a trivial matter. It is a big deal to end up like Lu Duoxun!"
"Haha!" After listening to his words, Zhou Fang couldn't help but sneered twice: "Wang Yucheng? To speak like this is to think too highly of this person. From my perspective, this person is just a scholar, with a strong blood. Impeachment of Lu Duoxun , he may be brave enough to do something, but when it comes to bringing him down, he doesn’t have the ability! Regardless of other things, the details of the crimes listed in his impeachment chapter include Lu Duoxun’s secret talks with his confidants in Hexi more than ten years ago. Everyone knows, how did he know?”
These words awakened everyone: "This makes sense! Looking at the situation in Chongyuan Hall, the more I think about it, the more unusual I feel. There may be something fishy behind it. But what is the fishy thing, it's like seeing flowers in the mist , elusive, please ask Duke Zhou for advice!"
After hearing the question and meeting those eyes, Zhou Fang shook his head: "I have said enough today! As for the details, I think if you think more about it, you will have an answer!"
After saying that, he put his hands behind his back, stepped on his old legs, shook his head and sighed, and left slowly.
"Could it be Prime Minister Zhao?" Others couldn't help but think of Zhao Pu.
On the other side, Zhao Pu returned to the Political Affairs Hall silently. Such important news could not be concealed at all. It spread quickly like it had wings. The Political Affairs Hall was no exception. Some of the subordinate officials The officials have already discussed it.
"The First Cause of All Realms"
When Zhao Pu arrived, everything calmed down, but the undercurrent beneath the calm surged violently, and the atmosphere in the political hall became particularly strange.
Zhao Pu didn't pay attention to these, or he didn't have the intention to take them into consideration. At this time, he was not in a relaxed mood and his expression was always solemn.
He knew that many people were probably speculating and blaming this incident on himself, but to be fair, he really didn't push it. How could Wang Yucheng be driven by Zhao Pu?
Of course, Zhou Shilang could see through some of the twists and turns, and with Zhao Pu's sophistication, how could he not detect the strangeness in it. It is precisely because of this that Zhao Pu feels worried.
If under normal circumstances, he could defeat Lu Duoxun, then Zhao Pu should be happy. However, at this time, he was not happy at all. As an old rival who had repeatedly confronted him in the court and coveted his position, Zhao Pu really wished that he would be unlucky. However, when this day came, Zhao Pu suddenly became worried.
Or did all this happen too suddenly and too quickly? No matter what, Lu Duoxun was still a high-ranking minister and a powerful leader. The banner of the Hexi Party fell like this?
Lu Dosun is like this, but what about Zhao Pu? Although they have been ministers for many years and have a deep, deep-rooted and intricate foundation, it is not surprising that when Emperor Liu wielded his axe, his towering tree was uprooted.
Just look at the reactions of the officials in the Chongyuan Palace. Some were shocked and some were frightened, but no one stood up to say a word for Lu Duoxun, including his close friends.
The reason is, just because Emperor Liu is watching from the throne, no one dares to say more, no one dares to move.
"Mr. Sir!" Hu Zan, a member of Zhongshushe, came in holding a cup of herbal tea and bowed respectfully to Zhao Pu.
This was Zhao Pu's confidant. He nodded to him and continued to meditate without drinking tea. Seeing this, Hu Zan acted cautiously and said with a bit of schadenfreude in his tone: "My lord, what happened to Lu Duoxun is quite exciting! This traitor finally deserves what he deserves!"
Obviously, Hu Zan did not notice Zhao Pu's worry. Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu frowned and stared at him: "What do you mean by this?"
Hu Zan was stunned and wondered: "Lu Duoxun fell, isn't it enough to be happy?"
"Regardless of whether he is guilty or not, even if he is, is it worth being happy that such a treacherous official has appeared in the imperial court? Such a great evil has occurred in the imperial court. As the head of the political affairs hall, I have no awareness and cannot distinguish between good and evil. Is there any malfeasance in my duty? Your Majesty is responsible for this, how can I explain it?" Zhao Pu said coldly.
"This..." Since he was a confidant, how could he not understand the entanglement between Zhao and Lu? Hearing Zhao Pu sing a high note, Hu Zan didn't know how to deal with it.
After thinking about it for a while, he handed over his hand and said, "My husband taught me a lesson, it's my subordinate Meng Lang!"
"Lu Duoxun was imprisoned, are you so excited?" Zhao Pu asked softly, examining Hu Zan.
If you still can't notice Zhao Pu's strangeness, then you are in vain as a confidant. Hu Zan lowered his eyebrows and changed his words: "It's just that it's inevitable to be shocked!"
Zhao Pu pondered.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Hu Zan carefully asked for instructions: "My lord, if Lu Duoxun is imprisoned, the court will definitely be shaken. Please give us instructions on what to do next!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pu said calmly: "What do you plan to do?"
"The subordinates thought that they should take advantage of the situation to issue remonstrances to prevent Lu Duoxun from resurrecting!" Hu Zan suggested.
"Hmph!" Zhao Pu finally showed a look of anger on his face and reprimanded: "Didn't you just hear that among the fifteen articles of impeachment by Wang Yucheng, one of them is that party members work together and oppose dissenters? Why, you want me to follow Lu Duosun's rule? Follow in the footsteps?”
When Hu Zan heard this, his expression changed drastically, and he said in a panic: "Where do you start talking about this? How could the lower officials have such intention?"
Zhao Pu's patience had never been so lacking as at this moment, and he didn't want to talk to him anymore. With a cold face, he took a deep breath and ordered: "Listen, Lu Doson's case, no matter the right or wrong, loyalty, Good and evil will be investigated by the Three Justices and punished by His Majesty. It is not for you to talk too much. Just stay in your post and do your duty, and don’t cause trouble. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you even if the power of God comes down!"
"Yes! Your Majesty, please take your advice to heart!" Hu Zan hurriedly agreed.
Obviously, Zhao Pu is still shrewd and has a particularly keen sense of smell. Lu Duosun fell, and many people were gloating about his misfortune. However, if one did not have self-awareness and stirred up trouble in the government, the result would not be much better than Lu Duosun. There were so many lessons learned in the past, but they are still vivid in our minds.
Of course, forgetting lessons seems to be the instinct of these powerful people.
