Chapter 186: Chancellor Tian Humiliated

Chen Wenjin's followers, seeing this, also clamored in succession.

A sharp‑faced official shouted at the top of his voice: "Chancellor Tian, what's the use of saying all this? If you don't make things clear to us today, don't think you can get away easily!"

Another short, plump man chimed in: "Exactly, we are all officials recognized by Your Majesty; you can't bully us like this!"

Everyone talked over each other, filling the study with a noisy clamor.

Chen Wenjin folded his arms, his sneer growing more intense as he stepped closer to Tian Qianqiu, saying: "Chancellor Tian, you shouldn't stubbornly hold out. All you need to do now is write us a document admitting that your earlier impeachment of us was a mistake and promising not to trouble us again, and we'll let you off today. Otherwise, your chancellor's residence will know no peace from now on."

Li Xiangtian chimed in from the side: "That's right, Chancellor Tian, you're already in poor health; you wouldn't want this to worsen your condition, would you? Besides, we share honor and disgrace together—you'd better weigh your options."

Tian Qianqiu, listening to their utterly unreasonable demands, felt a surge of qi rush to his head, his chest suffocating severely.

He wanted to shout at this gang of arrogant fools, but his throat felt blocked by something, and he could only hoarse out a few angry roars.

His hands trembled violently, his face turning from dark blue to deathly pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"You… you bunch of rebels…"

Tian Qianqiu strained with all his strength to squeeze out those words, but he could no longer support himself; his legs gave way and he collapsed backward.

The attendants of the chancellor's residence had been waiting outside; hearing the commotion inside, they rushed in.

All they saw was Tian Qianqiu collapsed on the ground, eyes tightly shut, breath faint.

The attendants were shocked, gathering around and shouting: "Chancellor! Chancellor! What's happened to you?"

Chen Wenjin, Li Xiangtian, and their followers, seeing Tian Qianqiu suddenly collapse, had their arrogant expressions freeze for a moment.

But soon Chen Wenjin recovered his indifferent demeanor, letting out a cold snort:

"Hmph, just feigning illness. Let's go."

Having said that, he led the crowd away in high spirits.

Inside the chancellor's residence all was chaos; the attendants hurriedly lifted Tian Qianqiu onto the bed and quickly sent for a physician, while a gloom settled over the entire residence.

The next day.

In the Hall of Propagation within the Never-ending Palace, the atmosphere was solemn.

Wei Qing, Zhang Qian, Zhang Tang, Wei Xiang, Su Wu, Xu Wei and the other officials, hearing that Tian Qianqiu had fallen ill again and that this was due to the open coercion by Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian, were all filled with righteous indignation.

Wei Qing stepped forward first, glaring at Chen Wenjin and the others as he rebuked:

"Your Majesty! Chen Wenjin, Li Xiangtian and the others are simply outrageous! They not only form factions and practice favoritism in the imperial court, embezzling and obstructing the Grand Canal project; now they dare to break into the chancellor's residence, coerce the incumbent chancellor, worsening Tian Qianqiu's condition. If such wickedness is not severely punished, where is the law? Where is the dignity of the court?"

Having said that, he slammed the impeachment memorial heavily onto the ground, his eyes blazing with anger.

Even Liu Ju could not help but become stern‑faced.

Wei Qing, who is usually easygoing, rarely shows such an expression.

Today it seems he is truly angered.

Zhang Qian also spoke, full of indignation: "Your Majesty, we officials all think of the Great Han's rivers and mountains. Chancellor Tian has devoted his life to loyalty and service to the state, yet he suffers this humiliation. Meanwhile, Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian's ilk run rampant in the court, their actions having seriously disrupted court order and chilled the hearts of loyal officials nationwide. We implore Your Majesty to uphold justice for Chancellor Tian, investigate thoroughly, and punish the treacherous."

Zhang Tang also stood up, pointing directly at Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian: "You scoundrels, you and your followers have no regard for the law, arrogance to the extreme. Not only do you openly defy the imperial court, you even try to force the chancellor to submit—how is this any different from rebellion?"

He then turned to Liu Ju and said: "Your Majesty, immediate action must be taken to uphold the law and pacify the people's hearts."

Wei Xiang spoke solemnly: "Your Majesty, due to the misdeeds of these two, the imperial court has already fallen into chaos. If not rectified, it may provoke a greater crisis. Chancellor Tian's collapse is a dangerous signal. I beseech Your Majesty to make an early decision."

Su Wu and Xu Wei also stepped forward, voicing strong condemnation of Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian, and urging Liu Ju to severely punish these two treacherous officials.

Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian's side also stepped forward to make excuses.

Chen Wenjin kept his false smile and said: "Your Majesty, please don't wrong the innocent. We merely went to the chancellor's residence to discuss a few matters with Chancellor Tian, bearing no ill intent. When Chancellor Tian suddenly fell ill, we were also surprised—how could we blame this on ourselves?"

Li Xiangtian chimed in: "Yes, Your Majesty, we are loyal to you, devoted to the Great Han—how could we commit such a grave treason? Surely someone is framing us deliberately."

The two sides went back and forth, arguing without end, the court in an uproar.

Liu Ju sat on the Dragon Throne, silently watching all this, his face half‑smiling, his eyes hinting at amusement.

He expressed no support for either side, nor did he stop the debate, as if he were watching an entertaining show.

Occasionally he would raise an eyebrow slightly or nod a little, leaving people unable to fathom his thoughts.

After a long while, the two, perhaps worn out from arguing, stopped simultaneously and gazed at Liu Ju, who was almost asleep on the Dragon Throne.

Liu Ju yawned and lazily stretched his arms.

This fierce court debate left him feeling somewhat weary.

He slightly lifted his gaze, slowly sweeping over the officials staring at each other in the hall; his voice was low yet carried undeniable authority.

"All right, everyone, stop quarreling and stay calm."

Liu Ju paused, his expression turning somewhat solemn, and said: "Hearing that Chancellor Tian's condition has worsened, I feel deep concern. I hereby order the most skilled physicians of the Imperial Medical Institute to go at once to the chancellor's residence, to exert every effort in treatment without the slightest negligence. Tell Chancellor Tian to put his mind at ease and rest; for now he need not worry about court affairs—I will handle them properly."

Hearing Liu Ju's words, Wei Qing and the others felt somewhat relieved.

Wei Qing bowed and said: "Your Majesty's wisdom is evident; Chancellor Tian has always served the nation loyally, and his collapse is truly heartbreaking. With Your Majesty's care, he will surely recover soon."

Zhang Qian, Zhang Tang and the other officials likewise echoed their approval of Liu Ju's measure.

Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian's side, upon hearing that Liu Ju had sent someone to visit Tian Qianqiu, flickered with a barely perceptible worry.

Chen Wenjin stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty's concern for Chancellor Tian is indeed a blessing for us officials. We also sincerely hope he recovers quickly and continues to share your burdens."

Li Xiangtian and the others followed, nodding and bowing in agreement.

Liu Ju looked at them, gave a faint smile that hinted at deeper meaning, and said:

"I know your intentions. Nevertheless, in the imperial court we must value harmony and let each attend to his duties. Do not again cause a fuss over trivial matters, turning the court into chaos."

After saying that, Liu Ju's gaze lingered on Chen Wenjin and Li Xiangtian for a moment, and the two were somewhat puzzled.