Chapter 468 Who Punishes Whom?

Li Xuan and Yu'er were waiting outside the palace.

Yu'er stretched her neck anxiously to look inside, but she could not see anything going on inside.

Li Xuan calmly closed his eyes and rested his mind, secretly maximizing his perception, and he had a clear view of the situation in Taiji Palace.

At this time, seeing a group of jumping clowns clamoring to punish Princess Ankang, he couldn't help but smile disdainfully.

"Just you rotten tomatoes and stinky bird eggs?"

In Taiji Palace, Princess Ankang silently looked at these censors and counselors, and didn't expect that the court would be like this.

Originally, she still had some aspirations for the court.

After all, this should be a serious place where the most important talents of Daxing gathered together and performed their duties for the development of a country.

But now the chaotic scene in front of her reminded Princess Ankang of the West Market she had just visited.

It can even be said that the West Market is much more regulated than here.

Seeing that Princess Ankang remained silent, the censors who shouted the most fiercely became even more angry, thinking that Princess Ankang was guilty and was speechless.

Their words became more aggressive, and the sound waves were higher and higher. In the huge hall, only these people's words that sounded righteous and awe-inspiring kept echoing.

These censors were originally doing this kind of work. Their job was to find faults with others. Even if it was the emperor, they dared to talk back. If there was a point of reason, they would hold on tightly and never let go.

They even hit the pillars in the hall at every turn and died to advise.

If they really worked for the country and the people, it would be admirable.

But how many of them were like this?

"Snap——"

The sound of whips rang out again, and the hall returned to silence.

For this kind of scene, the civil and military officials were no longer surprised, and Emperor Yongyuan had long been accustomed to it.

Emperor Yongyuan asked Princess Ankang:

"Ankang, what is your explanation for this matter?"

At this time, Princess Ankang slowly retracted her gaze from scanning the court, and replied calmly:

"Father, I agree with what these people said."

"If the law is not enforced, the upper class will be responsible."

"If the prince breaks the law, the common people will be guilty as well."

As soon as these words came out, several bigwigs in the court frowned.

Zhang Zhixian, who was originally staring at the tip of his shoes, couldn't help but look at Princess Ankang, frowning.

Several dukes on the side of the nobles also looked at Princess Ankang with strange expressions.

Only Emperor Yongyuan did not change his expression, but his heart was also not calm.

Last time, Princess Ankang's performance at the Chongyang Banquet was seen by everyone, and she did not look like a fool.

But her current performance was too abnormal, which made these bigwigs feel strange.

As Princess Ankang's status was elevated, Jingyang Palace was renovated and no longer a cold palace.

Originally, these bigwigs thought that Princess Ankang was entrusted with some special expectations by Emperor Yongyuan.

But now Princess Ankang's performance is a little uncertain.

The censors and counselors who had been clamoring endlessly before, seeing Princess Ankang confess so easily, all jumped out and said:

"Your Majesty, since the Thirteenth Princess has confessed her guilt, please punish her severely according to the law to correct the atmosphere."

"If not, once this precedent is set, other members of the royal family will surely follow suit. Who will care about these unfair things at that time?"

"When the public resentment boils, I'm afraid it won't be solved by punishing a princess."

"Please make a decision early, Your Majesty."

As a minister, these remarks are extremely excessive.

To say that they are exaggerating is an understatement.

These censors and counselors are waiting for such an opportunity.

If they can force Emperor Yongyuan to severely punish Princess Ankang, the people who came out to make suggestions today will become famous, which will have immeasurable benefits for their future.

If you think about it in a bigger way, maybe they can even leave their names in history, wouldn't that be wonderful.

Princess Ankang attended court for the first time today, but she also saw the faces of these people clearly.

If they met a strong emperor, do you think these people dare to jump around like this?

Princess Ankang didn't expect that Emperor Yongyuan would have to endure such a humiliation when he attended court.

At this moment, Shangshu Ling Zhang Zhixian, who had been silent, stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, Princess Ankang has been in the Forbidden Palace for many years, so it is normal for her to feel unfamiliar and curious about the outside world."

"In addition, Princess Ankang is young and ignorant, so it is inevitable that she will act impulsively."

"The impact of this matter is not great. Considering that Princess Ankang is a first-time offender, it is better to give him a lighter sentence and let him reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors."

As soon as Zhang Zhixian spoke, the noisy censors and counselors all shut their mouths, which was more effective than the sound of whipping.

Although they looked puzzled and unwilling, no one dared to question Zhang Zhixian's decision.

After all, these people had been talking dryly for a long time, not to punish Princess Ankang so lightly.

Emperor Yongyuan looked at Zhang Zhixian who came out, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything.

If someone didn't know the situation, they would think that Zhang Zhixian was really speaking for Princess Ankang.

But at this moment, Princess Ankang said shockingly:

"This lord is wrong."

Princess Ankang didn't know who Zhang Zhixian was, but she could see that he had some important power in the court.

Although Zhang Zhixian seemed to be pleading for Princess Ankang at first, he also confirmed her fault.

Regardless of whether the other party was well-intentioned or had other thoughts, Princess Ankang had to speak out.

"My son's words were interrupted by these lords before I finished speaking."

"The prince broke the law, and the common people are guilty as well."

"The county magistrate broke the law and must be severely punished!"

Princess Ankang raised her voice and pointed her sword at Zhang Jian, the magistrate of Chang'an County.

Zhang Jian was frightened by Princess Ankang's momentum and took a step back.

When Emperor Yongyuan heard this, his eyes lit up, but he said sternly:

"Ankang, are you saying that the magistrate of Chang'an County broke the law?"

"He is an official appointed by the court. Even if you are a princess of a country, you cannot arbitrarily frame him."

"Do you understand the risks of doing this?"

Princess Ankang immediately bowed to Emperor Yongyuan on the dragon throne and answered decisively:

"I guarantee it with my life!"

The whole court was silent for a moment.

Who would have thought that a princess of a country would gamble her life to sue the magistrate of Chang'an County.

Chang'an County Magistrate Zhang Jian hurriedly looked at Shangshu Ling Zhang Zhixian.

But our Zhang family master didn't even look at Zhang Jian, but his expression was so gloomy that it almost dripped water.

"You have to go to such a extent?"

The Zhang family master looked up at Emperor Yongyuan, only to see that Emperor Yongyuan showed a half-smile expression.

"Then tell me, what crime did the magistrate of Chang'an commit? If you can't tell me everything, I won't forgive you."

"Sir, don't joke!"

Emperor Yongyuan seemed to be very harsh on Princess Ankang, but he pushed the situation to an irreversible point.

This was also Emperor Yongyuan's trust in Princess Ankang.

He knew that Princess Ankang would not do anything stupid, because Li Xuan would never let it go.

"Father, I heard yesterday from the people that the magistrate of Chang'an County colluded with the Money Gang and oppressed the people of the capital."

"I went to the Chang'an County Office yesterday and was about to confront Lord Zhang, but Lord Zhang pretended to be crazy and tried to use his official position to force me to retreat."

"I am not afraid, and I even used the method of shit and urine flowing and closing my eyes to pretend to be dead."

"Seeing that Lord Zhang is so shameless, I can only leave temporarily and check the evidence from the people."

"It would be better if I didn't check it. Once I checked it, it really shocked me!"

After that, Princess Ankang reported the news she got from Xiao Cui this morning in detail, and her voice was full of emotion, as if she had seen it with her own eyes.

This was thanks to Xiao Cui's detailed report. She herself had a good understanding of the situation of the victims' families.

Princess Ankang first picked up the detailed examples in the report and reported them. Although she only mentioned the vague examples, her previous preparation, the appropriate regretful expression and trembling voice really made people sad and tearful.

"... There are many examples like this!"

"This is just the case I have found recently. If I continue to investigate, I am afraid..."

"Sadness hurts my heart, and tears stain my red tassel."

When these words came out, many people in the court were stunned.

Even Emperor Yongyuan changed his expression.

They were not moved by the examples Princess Ankang told, but they were a little surprised by this short poem.

Especially the civil officials, the reaction was even greater.

Many officials who were not very interested in this matter cast strange eyes on Princess Ankang, and the meaning was hard to describe.

Li Xuan couldn't help grinning when he heard it outside.

The poems he remembered in his mind were all hits and misses.

On the way here, he just remembered this sentence, so he asked Princess Ankang to use it later.

Princess Ankang needs to leave a deep impression on these officials, so that they will know that Zhang Jian is definitely not the last unlucky one.

"Princess Manjusri, start with punishing evil!"

At this time, Emperor Yongyuan already understood what the situation was.

He did not look at Zhang Jian, who was already pale with fear, but looked at Zhang Zhixian instead.

Seeing Zhang Zhixian's gloomy expression, Emperor Yongyuan was in a good mood.

But Emperor Yongyuan could not show his good mood, and still asked Princess Ankang with a stern face:

"Ankang, is what you said true?"

"I dare not lie." Princess Ankang replied calmly, and then said: "In addition, I have another matter, suing Zhang Jian, the magistrate of Chang'an County."

"Oh? In addition to colluding with the money gang to oppress the people, are there other crimes?" Emperor Yongyuan asked curiously.

What Princess Ankang had said before was enough for Emperor Yongyuan to remove Zhang Jian from his official position.

In the past, these things would not be mentioned in the court.

Although Emperor Yongyuan had the Ministry of Internal Affairs as his eyes and ears to the outside world, he could easily find out what Princess Ankang said, but he had no way to solve it.

The supervision of officials was in the charge of special supervisory censors. If there was a problem with an official, this supervision system would be used.

But even if Emperor Yongyuan launched an investigation into an official, it would eventually come to nothing.

Officials protect each other, do you understand?

Especially the civil service system was tied up in an iron barrel before, even if the three courts tried, they could protect their own people.

Emperor Yongyuan had spent a lot of effort to get a position of Zhongshu Ling from their mouths.

But the Zhongshu Ling he supported is still just an empty shell, and he can't command those guys who pretend to obey but disobey at all.

Although Emperor Yongyuan held the great righteousness of the emperor, the power was scattered among the powerful ministers and King Zheng below, and it was difficult to take it back.

Therefore, even though Emperor Yongyuan was the nominal emperor of Daxing, he always had to look at other people's faces in the court and could not act arbitrarily.

But today, this situation is going to be broken.

With Princess Ankang's participation, Emperor Yongyuan has enough reasons to invest in the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Before, Emperor Yongyuan also wanted to extend the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the court, but these ministers always jumped out and said something righteously, "Eunuchs are ruining the country, and it is not allowed to do so", "The lessons of the past are the teachers of the future", and quoted the old almanac to stop Emperor Yongyuan's intention.

In the history of Daxing, there have indeed been several incidents in which the eunuch party disturbed the country and almost caused turmoil, which made Emperor Yongyuan's idea of ​​reusing the Ministry of Internal Affairs very difficult.

Originally, Emperor Yongyuan just wanted to do something else. Since the eunuchs did not allow it, he sent Princess Ankang to come forward and use the name of the royal clan to extend the power under his control outside the palace.

Now it seems that although the departure was somewhat unexpected, Princess Ankang has achieved the purpose of the mission.

And the effect of this first time seems to be quite good.

If Zhang Zhixian wants to keep the Chang'an County Magistrate, he must pay a price that will satisfy Emperor Yongyuan.

In this way, Emperor Yongyuan can continue to strengthen his control over the court.

But then, Princess Ankang's words interrupted Emperor Yongyuan's happy thoughts, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

"I sue Zhang Jian, the magistrate of Chang'an County, for deceiving the emperor and deceiving his superiors. He deserves to be executed!"

Princess Ankang glared at Zhang Jian, which made him shudder.

Emperor Yongyuan's expression suddenly became strange, and he thought to himself: "Isn't this a bit too much?"

"After all, Ankang has no experience."

Emperor Yongyuan sighed in his heart.

This kind of thing should be stopped at the right time. If it is too much, it will leave opportunities for the other party.

But at this moment, Princess Ankang continued:

"Yesterday, Lord Zhang pretended to be dead and used rogue means to force me away."

"I ordered the accompanying guards to check whether Lord Zhang really fainted, and broke a finger on his right hand and reattached it."

"Lord Zhang is very scheming. He endured the severe pain and deceived me."

"But today in this Taiji Hall, he dared to repeat the same trick and tried to deceive my father. He deserves death!"

Princess Ankang imitated the previous censors and counselors, speaking righteously, and was even better than her predecessors, with unparalleled demeanor.

She really looked like a loyal and upright minister in history, with a burst of justice.

She actually saw the censors and counselors who had been shouting at Princess Ankang nodding their heads.

"Your Highness Ankang, you are so elegant."

And Zhang Zhixian was sweating on his forehead, and his heart sank when he met Zhang Jian's panicked eyes.

With just one look, Zhang Zhixian knew what this idiot had done.

But upon hearing this, Emperor Yongyuan leaned forward and shouted before anyone else:

"Check the wound immediately!"

"Ankang, who was the escort yesterday? Call him immediately!"

Princess Ankang replied calmly:

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs, Xu Lang."

At this moment, Emperor Yongyuan saw the smile in Princess Ankang's eyes.

Looking at Princess Ankang's pair of light blue eyes, Emperor Yongyuan couldn't help but be distracted for a moment.

"Qingyun..."