strictlysupreme Chapter 383 Going to court
Chapter 383 Going to court
The next day, in Yunsu Hall of Taichu Palace.
After Li Cunxi came in, he found a seat and sat down, calmly closing his eyes to recuperate.
After Huan Bin left last night, he went to Prince Wei's Mansion and paid a visit to Wu Chengsi.
Under the earnest guidance of his mentor, Li Cunxi set specific goals and ideas for today's meeting.
Many officials have come to the Yunsu Palace. Because of their different factions, these people still choose to stick together for warmth.
In just an incense stick of time, Wu Yanhao and Lu Dayou appeared beside Li Cunxi.
The three of them sat together, all with their eyes closed, not communicating with the people around them.
The director of the Imperial Observatory, Xu Xi, gathered with a group of his companions to discuss whether or not to challenge Wu Sansi in the court today.
Yes, that's right. There was one more person, Wu Sansi, in Yunsu Palace today. The King of Liang, who had not attended court for more than half a year, came today despite the severe cold and huddled together with his companions. No one knew what they were talking about.
Wu Chengsi and Wu Yizong huddled together, their voices so soft that it was impossible to hear what they were talking about.
Li's old ministers and the prince's party gathered together, chatting, and occasionally paying attention to Li Cunxi's direction.
The grand court meeting was about to begin and all the officials were already in place. The eunuch came in early and wrote down the names of the people one by one.
This was a newly promoted eunuch. He was timid and cowardly. He looked around and dared not say a single harsh word.
Finally it was Li Cunxi's turn. He picked up the pen and wrote his name, sighing:
"I really miss Huangmenguan Zhuliren."
"I still remember the first time I went to court, that guy asked his eunuch to ask me for 3,200 taels of silver. My salary was so little back then, how could I afford to pay him an audience?"
"It is still the case that the eunuchs at present are kind-hearted and do not ask me for money."
Li Cunxi was filled with emotion. After writing his name, he put the pen on the inkstone.
The eunuch was sweating profusely, and he felt as if someone was poking his spine with the tip of a sword.
Less than five meters away, Liang Wang Wu Sansi stared at the eunuch and the calm Li Cunxi with extremely resentful eyes.
The eunuch gritted his teeth and came to Wu Yanhao and asked Wu Yanhao to write his name.
Wu Yanhao dipped some ink and said lightly:
"Cunxi, no one in the court has asked you to pay an audience, which is great. After all, you just blinded the right eye of the Huangmen official Zhu Liren more than half a year ago."
"Nowadays, is there any eunuch who dares to be so blind and asks you for an audience? Wouldn't that be like the Julian people?"
"Dayou, you are lucky to have come at the right time. If it were more than half a year ago, you would not have been able to see His Majesty without 3,200 taels of silver when you first went to court."
All the officials present, except the newly promoted ones, knew exactly who Wu Yanhao was mocking.
In the past ten years or so, there have been only two people who dared to openly detain and kill the eunuchs in the court.
One was Wu Chengsi, the King of Wei, and the other was Li Cunxi, the Shao Yin of Henan Prefecture.
These two people didn't give the eunuch any face at all.
In the past ten years or so, there have been only two people in the court who dared to openly ask officials for an audience.
One was the eunuch who was beaten to death by Wu Chengsi with a court hu tablet, and the other was Zhu Liren, whose right eye was blinded by Li Cunxi with a court hu tablet more than half a year ago.
History is repeating itself.
Wu Chengsi, who was not used to the bad habits of the eunuchs, passed on his integrity to Li Cunxi.
This kind of secretly satisfying thing would make any official feel extremely happy.
Except Wu Sansi.
Wu Sansi's face now looked extremely ugly, as if he had eaten something dirty.
Lu Dayou, who was named by Wu Yanhao, looked honest and thanked him:
"Although I am now a Qianniu attendant, I am following Li Shaoyin in accordance with the emperor's will. In terms of salary, it can be said that it is enough for food and clothing."
"If you want to pay 3,200 taels of silver, you might as well just kill me."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was laughter in the Yunsu Palace.
Wu Sansi, who was collectively ostracized, clenched his fists, and his hatred for Li Cunxi increased sharply.
At this moment, he had to admit that more than a year ago, Li Cunxi could have been crushed to death by him with ease.
It no longer exists.
The one who replaced him now is an important official of the dynasty and a strong contender for the throne.
Wu Sansi took a deep breath and recalled what Wu Zetian had said to him in the past.
He is Wu Zetian's favorite successor, and only he is worthy of being Wu Zetian's successor, yes, only him.
The eunuch had already written down the names of all the ministers in Yunsu Palace, and left the Yunsu Palace with great humility, circling around Linde Palace.
But a few minutes later, a eunuch came and led many ministers to the palace.
In freezing weather, Wu Zetian ordered people to set up stoves everywhere in the Linde Hall. After all the ministers entered the hall, she ordered the Qianniu Guards to close the door.
Li Cunxi found his seat, greeted the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Household and the Junior Craftsman of the Imperial Works on both sides, as well as the Director of the Imperial College next to him, then sat cross-legged on the soft cushion, feeling his body warming up and a smile appearing on his face.
In this damn weather, I really can’t live without a stove.
The procedures for a grand court meeting always follow the same few rules. This kind of grand court meeting attended by hundreds of officials is not set up specifically for a certain person. Naturally, national affairs must be dealt with first.
The matter of Li Cunxi avenging his father and clearing his sins had already been brought up in a grand court meeting during the time when the Jiangzhou case was solved, so there was naturally no need to mention it again.
Li Cunxi's purpose in attending the court this time was just to... intimidate the ministers?
He opened his eyes and glanced at the officials on both sides.
If he remembered correctly, the people around him were all on the prince's side.
During the time when he was away from the court, the prince lived in the East Palace and did not ask about the affairs outside, but the prince's party and Li's old ministers did not stop.
Especially after Wu Sansi was dismissed from office, Li Huaiyuan and Zhang Jianzhi seemed to see an opportunity, so they tried their best to pull their people up, fearing that the prince's party would not be able to climb up.
Wu Yanhao was sitting with Lu Dayou at this moment. Both of them were dozing off with their upper eyelids drooping.
Several third-rank ministers were still making a lot of noise. Li Huaiyuan, who was temporarily acting as the Right Prime Minister of Wenchang, spoke loudly and gave advice on state affairs. Zhang Jianzhi, the Minister of State, echoed them one after another. It seemed that he was in control of the court.
Di Renjie and Wu Chengsi had not said a word since they attended court, and they sat there as if in a trance.
Li Cunxi held his chin and watched Li Huaiyuan, Zhang Jianzhi, Yao Chong and others harshly criticizing some of Wu Sansi's disciples, saying they would not stop until they had trampled them into the ground.
Wu Sansi, who was so majestic more than half a year ago, gritted his teeth, his face turned blue with anger, but he couldn't say anything.
Sitting on the dragon bed, Wu Zetian calmly watched everything below, not taking the farce of Li's old ministers seriously at all.
After a long while, Li Huaiyuan and Zhang Jianzhi stopped their high-sounding conversation, turned to Wu Zetian, clasped their fists and said:
"Your Majesty, many of the disciples of King Liang are evil and stingy. You cannot let them go."
Wu Zetian narrowed her eyes and smiled:
"I don't want to discuss this issue now, let's wait a while."
"Where is the Shao Yin of Henan Prefecture?"