Chapter 264: with translation of chapter title

Just as the officials were each lost in thought, Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong's face lit up with excitement, and he was the first to step forward and declare:

I congratulate Your Majesty! Another victory report has come from the northwest; wherever our Han Army goes, we are invincible!

This is certainly due to the bravery and loyalty of Prince Jing Guo, but also because Your Majesty is wise and martial, giving strong support and placing even greater trust.

Is this not the crucial reason for the smooth victory in this northwest campaign?

After this battle, our Han Empire will display its military might across the world; the barbarians will be terrified, and the frontiers will know no threat of war for years, even decades to come!

All this is due to Your Majesty and Prince Jing Guo being a wise ruler and loyal subject, of one heart and virtue! I congratulate Your Majesty! I congratulate our Han Empire!

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying, who were standing in the hall, trembled.

The Prince Bei Jing's words of congratulation were practically roasting them over a fire!

To say that Emperor Jing Sheng trusts Jia Jing, and that the two are a wise ruler and loyal subject, of one heart and virtue, is why they could win.

Isn't this just saying that our previous advice to check and balance, to recall Jia Jing, and to use civil officials to patrol the borders is actually slander aimed at driving a wedge between loyal subjects?

This single statement practically brands them as treacherous villains like Qin Mi, harboring ill intentions!

This...

And as Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong took the lead in offering congratulations, the other officials in the hall also reacted; there is never a shortage of people eager to add flourish.

Loyalty Marquis Shi Ding stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said:

Your Majesty, you strive diligently to govern, train the army and practice martial arts, never yielding to foreign powers, which gives us martial officials a place to employ our arms!

Prince Jing Guo is a fine general of the state, and Your Majesty is an enlightened ruler!

This battle has turned the tide; from now on, our Han Empire will have strong troops and sturdy horses, with none daring to invade, and the momentum of revival is unstoppable!

I congratulate our Han Empire! I congratulate Your Majesty!

Shi Ding is a close nephew of Jia Mu, related by marriage to the Jia Family, and also has close ties to Prince Bei Jing; naturally he steps forward to help out.

Once the words of congratulations from Prince Bei Jing and Loyalty Marquis were spoken, others quickly followed suit.

For a moment, the hall filled with praises for Emperor Jing Sheng and Jia Jing.

Emperor Jing Sheng watched this scene, feeling somewhat comforted in his heart, yet his expression remained very calm.

He directed his icy gaze at Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying, and spoke in a solemn voice:

'Censor Xu, Director Kong, you two just said that I should check and balance Jia Zi Jie, have him return to the capital, and appoint another civil official to oversee the army in the northwest!'

'Now Zi Jie has already won, and will soon return to the capital with his troops, showing no desire to cling to military power in the northwest—what do you have to say?'

Emperor Jing Sheng's voice was not loud, but each of his words felt like a heavy hammer,

striking Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying in the chest, making their faces turn pale and their legs tremble.

What else is there to say?

Besides being neither human nor ghost, what else can they say?

Nowadays, both civil and military officials in the court are praising the Son of Heaven and Jia Zi Jie, celebrating the victory for the court—what dare they say?

No matter how many lofty justifications they utter, in the face of this victory they appear utterly hollow and powerless.

If they continue to wrangle, what difference is there between them and a clown jumping on a beam?

The victor becomes king, the loser becomes bandit—defining the outcome is that simple!

Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying stood in the hall, facing the slightly mocking gazes of the civil and military officials, feeling utterly ashamed and with nowhere to hide.

In the end, they could only blush, cover their faces with their sleeves, lower their heads, and remain silent.

But Emperor Jing Sheng did not easily let them off; he had grown weary of civil officials attacking Jia Jing.

This was the perfect opportunity to give the civil and military officials a proper lesson.

Emperor Jing Sheng's expression was solemn, his imperial aura even carrying a hint of oppression.

His voice was also a notch higher than before, like a cold, sharp blade slicing across porcelain:

"Since I enfeoffed Zi Jie as a First‑Rank Prince Jing Guo, there have been incessant rumors and baseless criticisms both at court and among the people."

"I know that it's not just Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying; many civil official cliques present also worry about military leaders growing too powerful."

"They certainly do not lack the intention to suppress Jia Zi Jie."

"But I want to tell you, I am not the suspicious Emperor Gaozong of Song who doubts his meritorious officials."

"My trust in Jia Zi Jie is not merely my personal preference or private interest."

"But because he, in the moment of peril to the state, stepped forward, upheld the collapsing state, reversed the raging tide, and achieved an unprecedented service to the court and the people!"

"He has shed blood and fought desperately for the Han Empire; as the Son of Heaven, I must clearly reward and punish, giving him the position and honor he deserves!"

"This is heavenly principle, and also the rule of the court!"

"I will say this one last time; thereafter, if anyone in the court attacks Jia Zi Jie with false charges,"

"whoever speaks of ministers checking and balancing, of unforeseen dangers, and the like, I will regard as sowing discord between ruler and minister, harboring nefarious intentions—a treacherous villain."

"Regardless of who they are or what office they hold, they shall be immediately stripped of office and title, thrown into prison, and punished according to law!"

"I urge you to devote yourselves to doing genuine good deeds for the court and the people, and to focus your thoughts on the proper path of the New Policies."

"Do not spend each day only thinking of forming factions to attack others! Do not be those useless people who spout empty lies, do no real work, ignore the bigger picture, only spew reckless talk about disrupting politics and forming cliques for private gain!"

Emperor Jing Sheng's words rang out with great weight; they were truly heavy!

Not only did he point out the selfish motives of the civil official cliques in suppressing dissent,

but he also directly declared that anyone who dares to attack Jia Jing will be thrown straight into prison and punished!

Such a stance is extremely rare in a court that values decorum and advocates struggle without breaking.

This also let the civil and military officials see how highly he values and trusts Jia Jing!

And the anxious Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying were even more frightened by the emperor's words such as 'Emperor Gaozong of Song,' 'baseless accusations,' 'forming cliques for private gain,' and 'spewing reckless talk about disrupting politics'!

This was spoken in front of the civil and military officials, and is to be recorded in the histories as the emperor's own definitive judgment.

It is no exaggeration to say,

Jing Sheng Di's few words are not only extremely detrimental to their future official careers, but will also have a huge negative impact on their lifelong reputation.

Such harsh and direct criticism is something they never anticipated and cannot comprehend!

Aren't they just a few ordinary pieces of counsel?

In the end, it was for the sake of the court's overall interests; how did it provoke the emperor's such fierce and unrelenting retaliation and criticism?

Xu Zhuo's face turned ashen, and his legs grew weak.

His knees, hidden beneath his court robes, bent once, steadied, then bent again.

The fan slipped from his hand, hit the floor with a loud "whoosh", sounding especially jarring in the silent hall.

Then everything went black before his eyes, as if his bones were pulled out, and he collapsed.

It wasn't kneeling; it was collapsing.

His butt hit the ground, his legs limp as noodles, his court robes scattered, his hat tipped aside, revealing graying hair.

Losing composure before the hall is a grave offense.

But no one laughed at him; no one dared to.

The hall fell deathly silent, and countless people were stunned by Jing Sheng Di's sudden surge of imperial aura!

As Jia Jing won battle after battle at the Border Pass, Jing Sheng Di's throne grew ever more secure,

His prestige increased day by day, and among the people some already call him the Restorer Monarch!

At this moment, faced with Jing Sheng Di's outburst, the civil and military officials in the hall were all uneasy, daring not to confront his thunderous sovereign authority!