The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Marquis Wu Ping and the others acted very quickly, and the rumors about the emperor's mean hero disappeared completely overnight. No one talked about this matter anymore, as if it had never happened.

Early the next morning, many ministers were very surprised to see Wu Pinghou and others at the palace gate. I thought that Marquis Wu Ping and the others had only been ill for a few days and would come back to court. It seemed that they were frightened by the rumors.

Wu Pinghou and others originally planned to stay "sick" for a few more days, but they did not expect rumors that the emperor was treating them harshly, which scared them away from being "sick" anymore. If they continue to be "sick", they will not only lose their official positions, but also lose their lives.

When King Chu and King Wei saw Wu Pinghou and others appearing at the palace gate, a flash of ridicule flashed in their eyes.

Marquis Wu Ping and the others felt that the other ministers were laughing at them. They seemed to be the butt of the joke, and felt very embarrassed.

In fact, other ministers did not laugh at them. The other ministers were not surprised that they came back and went to court obediently. From beginning to end, other ministers did not think that their resistance would be useful.

Just kidding, if the emperor is so easy to threaten, is he still their emperor?

Only the emperor threatens them, how can any minister threaten the emperor.

However, this time, the resistance of the aristocratic families and dignitaries was indifferent and did not let other ministers see a wonderful show, which made them feel it was a pity.

I think back when the emperor proposed the imperial examination to select officials, some people wanted to fight against it. Although they didn't fight in the end, they thought so at least. But this time, the aristocratic families and dignitaries had no intention of threatening the emperor with death. It was really boring.

When the officials saw Wu Pinghou and others coming back to court, they sneered in their hearts. When it comes to court, they must participate in their performance. By the way, they dare to spread rumors and slander the emperor, which is an unforgivable crime.

He Xiang, Taishi Liu, as well as the Minister of Hubu and the Minister of Libu did not react at all to Wu Pinghou and others coming back to court. A few people gathered together and discussed in a low voice how the work of dividing the land into acres and returning the fire to the public, and the officials and gentry paying the grain together were going well.

At four o'clock in the morning, the palace door opened and the ministers walked into the palace one by one.

King Jing came later, but his pace was faster and he soon caught up with King Chu.

"Fourth brother, I heard that you proposed to my father to let third brother come back from Jiaozhou."

King Chu was not surprised that King Jing knew about this. He just glanced at King Jing and didn't say anything.

King Jing also knew that King Chu cherished words as gold, so he was not angry when he saw that he was silent. Minding his own business, he continued: "Fourth brother, what is this? You actually speak for third brother? Or are you telling fourth brother that you want to sell it to Mr. Anyang?"

When King Dai who was walking in front heard King Jing's words, he couldn't help but stop, then turned his head and looked at King Chu coldly.

King Jing's voice was not quiet, and many ministers heard it. Of course Anyang Gong also heard it, and he was very shocked that King Chu would actually take the initiative to speak for King Zheng.

King Chu glanced at King Jing and said expressionlessly: "What does it have to do with you?"

"Fourth brother, what you said is wrong. Third brother is your imperial brother and also my imperial brother. How come it has nothing to do with me?" King Jing said with a half-smile, "Fourth brother, when did you meet Third Brother?" You are so close, and you actually put in a good word for him? I remember that fourth brother, you have a better relationship with the tenth brother, why don't you say a good word for the tenth brother and let the tenth brother come back from Lingnan? Compared to Jiaozhou, Lingnan is probably worse."

Dai Wang suddenly said in a sinister tone: "Lao Si, when did you and Lao San become so close?" What did Lao Si have in mind when he asked his father to call Lao San back?

King Chu said with a straight face: "Brother Three Emperors is just like Brother Two Emperors, there is nothing special about them."

King Dai felt that King Chu was scolding him with these words. He lowered his face slightly and said, "There's nothing special about him, why are you saying nice things to him?"

"Fourth brother, you won't go behind our backs and follow the third brother quietly." The Anyang Duke's mansion now has a lot of weight. If the third brother comes back, it will be a big threat to him.

King Chu turned his head and looked at King Jing with sharp eyes.

"Seventh brother, be careful what you say." King Chu was so disgusted by King Jing's words that he almost couldn't control the expression on his face, showing a look of disgust.

Seeing that King Chu was angry did not seem to be a lie, which made King Jing a little confused. King Chu said good things to King Zheng, didn’t he want to join forces with King Zheng?

King Chu was too lazy to talk to King Dai and King Jing anymore and left quickly.

King Dai and King Jing stared at King Chu's leaving figure with unkind eyes: What kind of medicine was being sold in King Chu's gourd?

King Wei walked slowly behind them, keeping some distance from them. However, he heard everything they just said.

The fourth child asked the third child to come back. He knew very well what his plan was. If the fourth child didn't mention this matter, he would also find a way to help Anyang Gong and let the third child return to the capital.

It is not a good thing to keep the third child in Jiaozhou. Anyang Gongfu should not be underestimated. It would be better to eradicate Laosan and Anyang Gongfu as soon as possible to avoid long nights and dreams. Besides, that beast, Lao San, kept him in Jiaozhou, so there was no way he could attack him. Only when he returns to the capital can they clear him out in an "open and aboveboard" manner.

The conversation between King Jing and King Chu caused quite a stir among the ministers.

The gate of Zichen Palace has not yet opened, so the ministers went to the side hall to drink tea and rest.

Because of what happened just now, the side hall was quiet. The ministers all lowered their heads and drank tea without saying a word, but their ears perked up and their eyes kept peeking.

King Chu had a cold face as always and drank tea elegantly.

The king of Dai sat next to the king of Chu. After taking a sip of tea, he began to ridicule the king of Chu. King Jing on the side added fuel to the fire.

"Mr. Anyang, maybe in two days my father will issue an order to let the third brother come back from Jiaozhou. You have to thank the fourth brother." King Jing said meaningfully, "The fourth brother went out of his way to plead with the father for the sake of the third brother. . My father has always loved and valued my fourth brother, and it is very likely that he will follow him."

Although Anyang Gong was surprised and suspicious of King Chu's purpose of speaking good words for King Zheng, he knew in his heart that King Chu was definitely not well-intentioned.

"His Royal Highness Prince Jing, His Royal Highness Prince Zheng will decide whether to return to the capital or not." Anyang Gong would not fall for Prince Jing's deception.

"Mr. Anyang, you alone can't make my father ask the third brother to return to the capital. Only the fourth brother has this ability can the father agree to the third brother's return to the capital." King Jing said jokingly, "When the third brother comes back, you guys Can’t you thank Fourth Brother properly?”

The King of Dai snorted coldly and said: "Father values ​​the fourth child, and the father will more or less listen to what the fourth child says. Maybe the father will really let the third child come back."

King Chu pretended not to hear what King Jing and King Dai said and continued to sip tea slowly.

Speaking of tea, he couldn't help but think of his tenth brother in Lingnan. Before, the tenth brother wrote a letter saying that there are many good teas in Lingnan, and he will make good Lingnan tea and give it to him when the time comes.

The King of Chu looked forward to the new tea that Zhao Yao made every year.

Duke Anyang did not speak again, as if whether Prince Zheng returned to the capital or not had nothing to do with him.

King Wei sat aside, drinking tea and watching the show.

Other ministers were also watching the show quietly.

Unfortunately, King Chu did not cooperate and allowed King Dai and King Jing to talk non-stop.

After a while, Sun Doudou walked into the side hall and respectfully invited the ministers to go to the main hall to attend court. When he saw Wu Pinghou and the others, he was a little surprised in his heart. Master really guessed it, and Marquis Wu Ping and the others resumed going to court today.

The ministers stood in order and waited quietly for the emperor.

After a while, the emperor came in, and the ministers knelt down and saluted: "I see the emperor, long live the emperor. Long live the emperor."

The emperor sat down on the dragon chair and raised his hands to the ministers kneeling on the ground: "Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The emperor saw Wu Pinghou and others returning to court at a glance, but he pretended not to notice.

The ministers first reported business matters to the emperor, but they were not major matters.

During this period, in addition to the three new policies in the imperial court, there was another important thing, which was the start of the imperial examination in the new year.

This year's imperial examinations will include provincial examinations, general examinations and palace examinations.

Last month, the county examinations in various counties in the capital began. Some time ago, the results of the county examination were announced. During this period, the government examination has begun.

The Ministry of Rites reported to the emperor some results in county examinations across the country.

"Your Majesty, in this year's county examination, no one from Lingnan has participated." In previous years, more or less people from Lingnan participated in the imperial examination, but this year, no one from Lingnan participated in the county examination.

"The King of Han wrote a letter to apologize to me for this matter. No one from Lingnan took the imperial examination this year. This is not because he is dissatisfied with the court, nor with him, the King of Han, but because there is really no one in Lingnan who can take the imperial examination." The emperor said indifferently. He said, "Don't worry about Lingnan."

After hearing this, the Minister of Rites said nothing more and returned to his seat obediently.

Seeing that the ministers were silent for the time being, the censors knew that after they finished speaking, it would be their turn next.

One after another, censors came out to play for Marquis Wu Ping and others. First, as important ministers of the imperial court, they openly opposed the three new policies that benefited the country and the people, saying that they were selfish and had no regard for the lives of the people. They also joined Wu Pinghou and others to spread rumors, confuse people's hearts, and frame the emperor.

The censors all spoke righteously and sharply, without giving any face to Wu Pinghou and others.

The aristocratic families and dignitaries headed by Wu Pinghou were told by the censors that their faces turned blue, red and white, which was very exciting.

The censors of the Zhou Dynasty were basically upright and dedicated people. They never engage in partisanship. They treat ministers indiscriminately, including those who should participate and those who should not.

Regardless of whether it was in the previous dynasty or the previous dynasty, it was impossible for the censors to be loyal to the court. Some of them will be bribed by the prince, and some will be won over by other princes, and then they will be used as sharp knives to stab their master's enemies. However, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the censors did not dare to become the sword in the hands of any prince.

In fact, the censors also wanted to advance the team, but with the emperor's presence, they really didn't dare. When the late emperor was in power, he said that the imperial censor is the eyes and ears of the court and must not form cliques for personal gain, let alone become a knife in someone's hand. After the emperor ascended the throne, there were censors who supported the prince or acting king, but then they disappeared.

The emperor once purged the censorship station, and the remaining censors were all loyal to the court.

The censors are not afraid of any minister in the court, not even the prince, but they are really afraid of the emperor. The main reason was that the emperor was too ruthless and would kill them without any mercy. As long as the censors dare to have selfish motives, they will lose their official positions if they are lucky, and their lives will be lost if they are not lucky.

For the sake of their lives, the censors did not dare to get close to any prince. In order to express their position, they would play with the princes from time to time, and they would play very hard. Of course, the censors also talked about the emperor. Sometimes the emperor listened, and sometimes he didn't.

There was really nothing the censors could do about the fact that the emperor didn't care about his reputation at all. Since ancient times, no matter which emperor he is, he will care about his reputation. In order to protect his reputation, many emperors have pretended to be famous. However, the emperor didn't even bother to pretend.

The emperor thought to himself that I am tired enough as an emperor. If I still care about my reputation, I will die from exhaustion. Besides, even if he wants to maintain a good reputation, after his death, someone will still change history and smear his reputation. He became the emperor for the sake of the people of the world and the great Zhou Dynasty and the country. He did what he should do and had a clear conscience. As for whether his reputation was good or not, he didn't care at all. He has a good reputation, but he can't get more meat from him. He has a bad reputation and can't let him lose any meat.

After hearing the censors' participation, Wu Pinghou and others hurriedly defended themselves. Only then did the emperor find out that Marquis Wu Ping and others had returned to court.

The emperor first asked them with concern, are they okay? Have you recovered?

He also said very thoughtfully that they had made great contributions to Da Zhou and suffered a lot of injuries for Da Zhou, so they should not force themselves or rush back to court. He also asked them to continue to recuperate at home. If they lack any medicinal materials or supplements, they can tell him.

When Marquis Wu Ping and others heard this, they mistakenly thought that the emperor wanted them to "resign their old age and return to their hometowns", which frightened them. They quickly said that after their health was restored, they could serve Dazhou again and be loyal to the emperor.

The emperor looked at Marquis Wu Ping and the others with interest and asked, "Now that my dear friends have taken good care of themselves, do you want to continue to sit in meditation against me?"

Marquis Wu Ping and Marquis Chi Yang said hurriedly: "I don't dare. I am guilty. Please punish me."

Seeing that Marquis Chi Yang and the others compromised so quickly, the other ministers were shocked.

"Weren't you opposed to the three new policies I proposed before? Why aren't you opposed now?"

Wu Pinghou pleaded guilty and said: "I am ignorant and do not understand the emperor's painstaking efforts. I beg the emperor to punish me."

"I beg the emperor to punish me."

"Do you think the three new policies I proposed are good?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

After hearing this, the emperor smiled and said: "I thought you were very dissatisfied with me and thought I was mean and unkind to you."

At this moment, Wu Pinghou and others were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and their foreheads and backs were covered with cold sweat.

"I don't dare, and I have absolutely no intention of doing so. I ask for your Majesty's clear guidance."

When the other ministers saw that the emperor's expression was not right, they were so frightened that they knelt on the ground.

"Really?" The emperor's tone did not reveal any emotion or anger, but it made the ministers' hair stand on end. "You really don't think I'm treating you harshly?"

The emperor indeed heard the rumors!

"I don't dare!"

Sun Kui saw the ministers below trembling with fear, and his heart was filled with pity for them.

Alas, the emperor did something bad again and frightened the ministers.

"If you feel that I have treated you harshly, you can speak out." The emperor's tone became gentle, "You are all heroes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I cannot treat you badly."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is as generous as a mountain to me, and I have no dissatisfaction with you."

Emperor: "Are you really not dissatisfied?"

Ministers: "No."

"Okay, tell me when you have it." The emperor asked with concern, "Wu Pinghou, do you really not need to rest for a while?"

Wu Pinghou said bravely: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I have fully recovered and do not need to recuperate."

The emperor nodded and said nothing more. He glanced at Sun Kui. Sun Kui understood and announced loudly: "Retreat from the court."

The ministers sent the emperor off respectfully.

After the emperor left, many ministers collapsed on the ground, especially Marquis Wu Ping and others. Their faces were still pale, and their eyes were filled with fear. They looked like they were surviving the disaster, as if they had just escaped from the gate of hell.

Emperor: When you're bored, it's fun to scare the ministers.

Sun Kui: The ministers are so pitiful.

Ministers: (_)