Chapter 1643: The Entire Court Shaken

Only when Emperor Liu's unhesitating figure had vanished from sight did the princes, dukes, and ministers in Chongyuan Hall fully react, exchanging glances, looking at each other in silence.

Crown Prince Liu Yang also rose at this moment, drawing the eyes of the assembled ministers. He looked toward Zhao Pu, his gaze somewhat complex, as if he wanted to speak but held back. Finally, he swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice: "Ministers, each of you return to your duties. Do not delay public affairs!"

"Yes!" The crowd bowed again.

Liu Yang had no heart to linger either, following in Emperor Liu's footsteps. Afterward, Zhao Pu said nothing more, his face full of silence as he slowly walked away. Seeing this, the rest also dispersed.

Outside Chongyuan Hall, the dignitaries who had attended the great court assembly walked together in twos and threes. Without Emperor Liu's intimidation, without the hall's restraint, the outdoor air was filled with a free and relaxed atmosphere, and the many words they had been bursting to say could finally be spoken aloud.

Lu Duoxun being impeached was no great matter. Among the court ministers, who had never been impeached? Even Zhao Pu, the Chief Chancellor, could not avoid it, let alone Lu Duoxun, whose popularity was hardly good. For powerful chancellors like them, a bit of slander meant nothing—impeachment was even necessary.

What mattered most was how the Emperor would react. And this time, because of Wang Yucheng's impeachment memorial, with those seemingly truthful descriptions, he had without a second word thrown Lu Duoxun directly into prison.

"Truly terrifying, and truly sensational!" Zhou Fang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, made a look of lingering fear and sighed.

"Is Vice Minister Zhou sighing over Chancellor Lu's crimes?" someone asked.

Glancing at him, Zhou Fang thought for a moment and said: "Both, I suppose!"

"Chancellor Lu—no, Lu Duoxun—is finished just like that?" Another official had a feeling that this world was unreal, but between his brows carried a trace of excitement.

"Indeed! A dignified chancellor, holding great power, thrown into prison at a word! Think of Lu Duoxun—all these years he controlled the Censorate, how high-spirited he was at court, his power reaching the heavens..." Clearly, no matter how many people thought little of Lu Duoxun, they all yearned for his position and power.

"The second seat of the Hall of State Affairs, fallen just like that—isn't it too easy?" someone raised a question.

"His Majesty speaks with the authority of Heaven. Before the Son of Heaven's power, what is a mere Lu Duoxun?"

"Speaking of which, I cannot help but recall His Majesty's expression just now—truly fearsome, enough to make one's hair stand on end. I don't know how you all felt, but I could hardly breathe!"

"Since the founding of the dynasty, has any chancellor fallen into such misfortune? At a great court assembly, a civil and military official dragged off to prison before everyone—truly not a shred of dignity left!"

These words spoke the minds of the vast majority of court officials. In the past, when a chancellor was dismissed, even if demoted to the provinces, basic dignity was preserved. It could not even be called a dismissal—it was entirely like a normal transfer of office.

But Lu Duoxun had been thrown directly into prison, as if about to be charged with crimes. The Emperor's eight words—"solid evidence, strict investigation, severe punishment"—had almost sealed his fate. This was what shocked these ministers, and even somewhat what they found hard to accept.

"It's not without precedent!" Zhou Fang's eyes showed a look of recollection as he stroked his old beard and sighed: "If this old man remembers correctly, in the early years of Qianyou, the powerful chancellors Su Fengji and Yang Bin were successively thrown into prison. His Majesty issued an edict for strict investigation and severe punishment, and in the end both were exiled to the northwest, blowing wind and sand in Jingyuan for twenty years before they were permitted to return to their native places."

The ministers in court today were mostly later arrivals, unfamiliar with the power struggles and political upheavals of the founding years. Some did not even know who Su Fengji and Yang Bin were.

"Vice Minister Zhou is truly knowledgeable!" someone sighed. "However, that was over thirty years ago—far too distant. What happened in the hall today truly occurred before our very eyes!"

"Indeed! Gentlemen, Lu Duoxun has been imprisoned, the court is shaken. What should we do next? Does anyone have advice?"

"I originally thought Lu Duoxun was merely overbearing and arrogant, but I never imagined he had committed so many grave offenses behind the scenes. I intend to submit a memorial of impeachment!"

These words were like a guiding lamp; several nearby officials' eyes lit up, with a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

"As for that Wang Yucheng, you all should be careful in the future. He is a reckless, fearless fellow. If he bites you, losing a piece of flesh is a small matter—ending up like Lu Duoxun is the real disaster!"

"Heh heh!" Hearing this, Zhou Fang could not help but sneer twice: "Wang Yucheng? Speaking of him so highly overestimates the man. As I see it, he is merely a scholar, hot-blooded and impulsive. He might dare to impeach Lu Duoxun, but to topple him—he hasn't the ability! Setting that aside, the crimes listed in his memorial even include details of Lu Duoxun's secret talks with his confidants in Hexi over a decade ago. How would he know such things?"

These words awakened the crowd: "Well said! Looking at the situation in Chongyuan Hall, the more one thinks, the more unusual it seems. Behind this, there is likely something else at play. But what exactly it is, is as elusive as flowers in a fog—hard to grasp. Please enlighten us, Lord Zhou!"

Facing those gazes, Zhou Fang shook his head: "This old man has said enough today! As for the details, I think if you all ponder it more deeply, you will find the answer!"

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back, walked on his old legs, shaking his head and sighing as he slowly departed.

"Could it be Chancellor Zhao?" Some could not help but associate it with Zhao Pu.

On the other side, Zhao Pu returned to the Hall of State Affairs in silence. Such momentous news could not possibly be concealed—it spread like it had grown wings. The Hall of State Affairs was no exception; the subordinate officials and clerks had long been discussing it.

When Zhao Pu arrived, everything fell quiet. But beneath the calm, the undercurrents surged fiercely, and the atmosphere in the Hall of State Affairs became extraordinarily strange.

Zhao Pu paid no attention to this, or rather, he had no mind to spare for it. At this moment, his mood was not light, and his expression remained grave throughout.

He knew that many people were probably guessing, connecting this matter to him. But to be fair, he truly had not pushed things along. That fellow Wang Yucheng—how could he be someone Zhao Pu could command?

Of course, if even Vice Minister Zhou could see through some of the twists, then with Zhao Pu's deep scheming, how could he not detect the anomaly? It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Pu felt all the more worried.

Under normal circumstances, being able to bring down Lu Duoxun should have delighted Zhao Pu. Yet at this moment, he could not be happy at all. As an old rival who had repeatedly clashed with him at court and coveted his position as chancellor, Zhao Pu truly wished for his downfall. But now that the day had actually come, Zhao Pu was suddenly seized with anxiety.

Or perhaps it was that everything had come too suddenly, too swiftly. Lu Duoxun, after all, was a dignified chancellor, a faction leader holding heavy power, the banner of the Hexi clique—and he fell just like that?

If Lu Duoxun could end up like this, then what about Zhao Pu himself? Though he had been chancellor for many years, with deep foundations, deeply rooted and intricately connected, when Emperor Liu raised his great axe, it would not be surprising if this towering tree of his were uprooted entirely.

One could tell from the reactions of the ministers in Chongyuan Hall just now—there was shock, there was fear, but no one stepped forward to say a single word for Lu Duoxun, including his own confidants and partisans.

Why? Only because Emperor Liu was watching from the throne. No one dared to speak more, no one dared to move rashly.

"Chancellor!" Hu Zan, a Secretariat Drafter, entered holding a cup of cold tea, bowed respectfully to Zhao Pu, and presented it.

This was Zhao Pu's trusted subordinate. Zhao Pu nodded to him but did not drink the tea, continuing to ponder. Seeing this, Hu Zan spoke with some caution, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone: "Chancellor, the matter of Lu Duoxun is quite exhilarating! That treacherous villain has finally gotten his just deserts!"

Clearly, Hu Zan had not noticed Zhao Pu's deep worry. Hearing these words, Zhao Pu's old brows furrowed as he stared at him: "What do you mean by that?"

Hu Zan was stunned, puzzled: "Lu Duoxun has fallen—is that not cause for joy?"

"Setting aside whether he is guilty or not, even if he is, should the court rejoice over producing such a treacherous minister? If the court has produced such a great evil, and I, the head of the Hall of State Affairs, failed to notice it, failed to distinguish loyalty from treachery, good from evil—is that not dereliction of duty? If His Majesty holds me accountable for this, how do I answer?" Zhao Pu said coldly.

"This..." Since he was a confidant, how could he not understand the grievances between Zhao and Lu? Hearing Zhao Pu sing such high-minded tunes, Hu Zan was at a loss for how to respond.

After pondering for a moment, he finally clasped his hands and said: "The Chancellor's instruction is correct. This subordinate was rash!"

"Lu Duoxun has been imprisoned, and you are all so excited?" Examining Hu Zan, Zhao Pu asked softly.

If he still could not detect Zhao Pu's abnormality, he would be unworthy of being called a confidant. Hu Zan lowered his eyes submissively and changed his tune: "It's just that it's hard not to be shocked!"

Zhao Pu fell into thought.

Seeing him silent, Hu Zan cautiously requested: "Chancellor, with Lu Duoxun imprisoned, the court will surely be in turmoil. What should we do next? Please give your orders!"

Hearing this, Zhao Pu said flatly: "What do you plan to do?"

"This subordinate and the others believe we should seize the moment to submit remonstrances, lest Lu Duoxun make a comeback!" Hu Zan suggested.

"Hmph!" A trace of anger finally appeared on Zhao Pu's face as he rebuked: "Did you not just hear that among the fifteen charges Wang Yucheng brought, there was one called 'forming cliques to attack rivals'? What, do you want this old man to follow in Lu Duoxun's footsteps?"

Hearing this, Hu Zan's face changed drastically, and he said in a flustered tone: "Where does that come from? How could this subordinate have such intentions?"

Zhao Pu's patience had never been so lacking as at this moment. He did not want to discuss it further. With a cold face, he took a deep breath and instructed: "Listen. The case of Lu Duoxun—regardless of right or wrong, loyalty or treachery—will be investigated by the Three Judicial Offices and adjudicated by His Majesty. It is not for you to gossip about. Stay in your posts, do your duties properly, and do not stir up trouble. Otherwise, when Heaven's wrath descends, even this old man cannot protect you!"

"Yes! This subordinate will keep the Chancellor's instruction firmly in mind!" Hu Zan hurriedly acknowledged.

Clearly, Zhao Pu was still shrewd, with an exceptionally keen nose. Many gloated over Lu Duoxun's fall, but those without self-awareness who stirred up waves at court would end up no better than Lu Duoxun. The lessons of the past were still vivid in memory.

Of course, forgetting lessons also seemed to be an instinct of these powerful figures.