Chapter 213

Weng Wanjian's brow was instantly beaded with fine sweat.

"Your Majesty, the, the Ancestral Instructions are right before Your Majesty's desk; the late sovereigns of every generation, every ancestor, are watching from above!"

Chen Hong, standing beside Jiajing, stared at Weng Wanjian in utter shock.

The words nearly burst from his lips—

"How dare you! Is this how you address your lord and father?"

Weng Wanjian stuck out his neck and said through gritted teeth,

"When the sovereign is shamed, the minister must die. As a minister of the Son of Heaven, how could I sit idly by while Your Majesty commits such a foolish act!"

"I will remonstrate to the death!"

Thud—

Weng Wanjian dropped to his knees before Jiajing.

Then Zhan Rong and Chen Jiude knelt one after another beneath the Fengtian Sect.

Chen Hong's face gradually turned ashen, his features written over with disbelief.

Because Chen Hong could not understand.

These very officials, who in ordinary days did not dare talk back even when he cursed them out—

How was it that today, each and every one of them had suddenly grown a backbone, directly clashing with Jiajing?

"You, you…"

Before Chen Hong could erupt,

Jiajing, seated on the dragon throne, said in a low voice,

"Enough, Chen Hong."

Hearing Jiajing's voice, Chen Hong dropped to his knees with a thud and said indignantly,

"Master, please grant Your servant one decree. Your servant dares to swear these three are in secret collusion with that Wang Zhi. Within three days, Your servant…"

Before Chen Hong could finish,

Weng Wanjian pointed at Chen Hong and growled in a low voice,

"Chen Hong! Are you not trying to emulate the late-dynasty Liu Jin's tale?!"

"Do you wish to make yourself a Standing Emperor?!"

The moment Weng Wanjian's words fell,

cold sweat instantly beaded on Chen Hong's brow.

For no other reason.

Just this one label alone—

Jiajing could have Chen Hong executed on the spot.

No one in court or country could say a word against it!

"Master, Your servant, Your servant has never harbored such a thought!"

Jiajing paid no heed at all to Chen Hong kneeling on the ground. Instead, gazing at the Fujian officials who had remonstrated to the death before him, he slowly picked up a booklet from his imperial desk.

"Is this what you ministers speak of?"

Weng Wanjian and the others raised their heads and at once saw the four characters "Ancestral Instructions of the Imperial Ming" in Jiajing's hand.

"Precisely!"

Under the watchful eyes of every civil and military official in the court,

Jiajing slowly tossed this "Ancestral Instructions of the Imperial Ming" into the brazier beside his hand.

The paper, already easy to burn—

in an instant became a raging blaze.

The firelight shone before the assembled officials,

utterly reducing to ashes the so-called "ancestral institution" upon which the great clans of the southeast relied to perpetuate themselves!

Chen Jiude, kneeling beneath the Fengtian Sect, stared at the firelight before him.

His throat bobbed slightly.

Then he burst out wailing with an "Aoo—"

"Your Majesty, this is an artifact of the Great Ancestor—how can it be burned!"

So saying, Chen Jiude lunged on his own toward the brazier in the distance.

Before Chen Jiude could reach the brazier,

Chen Hong darted forward in a single stride to block Chen Jiude and growled lowly,

"How dare you!"

"Traitors! You treacherous scoundrels, bewitching His Majesty's ears and colluding with that Hearing Hai Rui—do you not fear the endless verdicts of posterity?!"

Before Chen Hong could speak,

he heard Jiajing behind him murmur softly,

"I am not afraid. Are you?"

Weng Wanjian froze on the spot.

He never in his life would have imagined—

how was it that the reputation behind him, which had never failed to work,

could no longer frighten Jiajing today?

Jiajing slowly rose from the dragon throne, gazed at the assembled officials before him, and asked,

"I am not afraid. Are you?"

"Grand Secretary Yan?"

Hearing Jiajing's words.

The once-attentive little padded jacket Yan Song, at this moment, could not help but fall silent.

In the past, although everyone on the court certainly attacked one another.

But in between, a great many unspoken rules of the court were followed.

Jiajing today publicly burning the "Ancestral Instructions of the Imperial Ming" was undoubtedly meant to break all those unspoken rules of the court.

This clearly exceeded the limits of Yan Song's psychological endurance.

Unlike what many later-era film and television works have dramatized.

In Jiajing's later years, after the great fire at Yongxi Palace, Jiajing had indeed once wanted to repair Wanshou Palace.

But the one who truly blocked Jiajing.

Was not those pure-stream officials like Xu Jie.

But rather Yan Song, who truly controlled the Great Ming court.

This also became the final straw that broke the ruler and minister apart.

After Yan Song blocked Jiajing from repairing Wanshou Palace, Jiajing approved Yan Song's retirement, Xu Jie was promoted to Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Xu Jie's son Xu Pan was transferred to serve as a Secretary in the Ministry of Works, and Wanshou Palace was ultimately completed.

Loyal, yet not loyal.

Treacherous, yet not treacherous.

Yan Song, nearly eighty years old, hearing Jiajing's words.

Slowly looked back at the officials behind him.

This time, Yan Song did not, as usual, simply go along with Jiajing.

Because Yan Song knew.

Just how formidable the enemies Jiajing now faced truly were.

Yan Song looked at the Jiajing before him.

Then looked at Xu Jie nearby.

In the end, he could only slowly place his court tablet on the ground and kneel before Jiajing.

Yan Song.

Uttered not a word.

Jiajing's gaze immediately fell upon Xu Jie.

"Grand Secretary Xu?"

Xu Jie looked over the kneeling Yan Song beside him.

As if injected with a shot of stimulant.