Chapter 386

At Jing Sheng Di's order, several Imperial City Guard officers surged forward at the Qian Qing Gong's ceremonial gate, grabbing Xu Zhuo, Lu Shengnan, and Xie Jishi by the shoulders.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Are you really going to kill loyal ministers?"

Xu Zhuo was both startled and frightened, never expecting to be dragged to the Zhao Yu; he struggled, craning his neck and shouting loudly.

"Death is death, I beg no mercy..." Xie Jishi kicked his legs, yet with a look of facing death as homecoming, he shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, you cannot act arbitrarily; treating loyal ministers this way! Founding Emperor, Chengzu Emperor, open your eyes and discern loyalty from treachery!"

Lu Shengnan's eyes showed terror, his face changed drastically, and he repeatedly cried out, invoking the Han dynasty's ancestors.

Before the three could speak further, their black gauze hats were knocked off, and their court robes were torn off.

Their hair bun disheveled, clothing askew, a strand of hair hanging over their face, looking disheveled and frightened, they were dragged out by the arms toward the door.

Zhang Tingyu watched the scene with a complex expression, glancing at Jia Jing standing opposite, tall and composed, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a calm countenance.

The Son of Heaven showed no courtesy to Xie Jishi and the others; it is unclear how much of this is due to the person standing before him.

Fang Congzhe's eyes narrowed slightly, a heavy gloom settling over his heart.

The Son of Heaven trusts Jia Zi Jie completely, listens and follows his advice, even refusing to allow others to impeach him—what can be done?

Jing Sheng Di, seated on the Golden Throne, glanced over the officials in the hall and spoke in a low voice:

"The New Policies are a major plan for the revival of the Da Han Empire; how can they be allowed to rally public opinion, storm the palace, and speak nonsense about abolishing the throne?"

"Zi Jie is a peerless national talent; no one may slander, defame, or sow discord against him at will."

"In the past, Huo Qubing, Guan Zhong, Wang Meng, and Zhuge Liang achieved extraordinary feats as loyal ministers; I trust Jia Jing as Emperor Wu trusted Huo Qubing, Duke Huan trusted Guan Zhong, the Qin lord trusted Wang Meng, and the Later Lord trusted Zhuge Liang."

"If the earth has plants but heaven sends no rain and dew, they will not grow... If a minister has an undertaking but the sovereign does not trust him, it will not succeed."

"Whether the Da Han Empire's revival succeeds rests upon these ministers of state; from now on, you officials must cease doubting one another!"

Jing Sheng Di's words undoubtedly show his absolute trust in Jia Jing, urging the ministers henceforth not to groundlessly speculate about ruler-minister relations using the rhetoric of civil-military checks and balances.

Upon hearing this, the cabinet ministers were shaken, their gazes inexplicably fixed on Jing Sheng Di and Jia Jing.

Peerless national talent, do not suspect each other any further!

Such frank words are scarcely recorded in ancient histories; just what is so good about Jia Zi Jie?

Or did His Majesty ingest some bewitching potion, causing ruler and minister to get along and trust each other to this extent?

Repeatedly advocating the ruler-bright, minister-worthy theory only reveals that these civil officials harbor ulterior motives, are narrow-minded, and lack tolerance!

Jia Jing's expression trembled at the right moment, a touch of emotion and flush rising on his face as he looked toward the Dragon Throne where Jing Sheng Di sat, his voice slightly choked, he cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty's kindness to me is higher than heaven, deeper than the sea, unprecedented in antiquity! I am overwhelmed with fear, unable to express my gratitude enough to keep back tears."

Seeing the reaction of the ministers below and Jia Jing, Jing Sheng Di's heart stirred slightly; he waved his hand and said:

"I am just this sort of person! I like to speak openly about anything, not hiding anything!"

"My lifelong wish is to revive the Da Han Empire; whatever benefits the state and the altars of soil and grain, I will gladly accept!"

"You officials should henceforth devote yourselves sincerely to affairs, not worry about idle gossip, and not engage in factional strife and misgovernance!"

Who is loyal, who is treacherous—Jing Sheng Di himself claims he can still tell the difference!

Jia Jing defeated the False Qing, pacified the northwest; his military achievements are towering, his command of troops undeniable!

Yet even when he held hundreds of thousands of troops in the northwest, he never acted arrogantly or rudely, serving his sovereign father with sincere reverence, never harboring a second heart!

Recall when the three northwest states jointly invaded, the altars were about to fall, and the whole court above and below echoed with cries for peace and surrender.

It was Zi Jie who bravely shouldered the burden, stemmed the torrent, and saved the nation from peril; without exaggeration, he has the merit of supporting the throne and safeguarding the state.

Moreover, the northwest military command was handed over as soon as it was said, with not the slightest reluctance to leave or greed for power.

Even to this day, Zi Jie still voluntarily submits memorials each day, reporting his thoughts, observations, and experiences, never ceasing, faithfully observing his duty as a subject and treating his lord as a father!

You say such a person is a treacherous minister with ulterior motives? How dim-witted would one have to be to believe such slander?

As for the claim that military men bring disaster to the state and harbor ill intentions, that is an even more vicious accusation!

If Jia Jing were winning hearts, forming cliques for private gain, attracting followers under the pretense of forbearance, he might still mutter complaints!

But now Jia Jing has voluntarily proposed establishing a great prison and taking responsibility for Jiangnan, thereby thoroughly offending the civil-official faction.

Furthermore, he will soon oversee military reforms, purging military merit; then he will likely also earn a poor reputation among the military faction.

Such a man, wholeheartedly for the state, even willing to offend the entire civil and military establishment as a lone upright official—you say he holds military power and plots treason?

Needless to say, this is the virtuous minister who appeared in a dream to the founding emperor...

Looking at the civil officials, these scholar-bureaucrats are mostly corrupt and law-breaking, leeching off the state—bad enough as it is!

Yet the state lacks funds; we merely propose slight reforms, but they secretly obstruct, petition the palace, and keep causing trouble!

The state's discipline is lax, the people's livelihood withers, disasters unceasing, rebellions erupting everywhere; they turn a blind eye, only caring that their own interests not be harmed!

Whenever frontier warfare goes poorly, they only know to surrender and seek peace, relocating southward—each more cowardly and incompetent than the last.

Now that the state shows a slight improvement, they again form cliques for private gain, impeach loyal ministers, and sow discord!

They show no trace of usefulness to the state or the people, accomplish nothing substantive, yet their mouths are full of sagehood, ancestral statutes, benevolence, righteousness, and morality.

What's more, they secretly collude with the Longshou Palace and the False Qing, as if they thought we wouldn't notice!

Loyalty and treachery, good and evil are so clear; he is no Emperor Gaozong of Song—how foolish would one have to be to believe slander, then destroy the Great Wall and cut off his own arms?

That old crooked-neck tree in the northern city—is it still staring at him?

In the hall, facing Jing Sheng Di's frankness, Jia Jing's expression paused slightly, then he first cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty's aspiration is also my lifelong aspiration!"

"In order not to damage Your Majesty's sage virtue, I am willing to take charge of investigating this clique case, together with the Imperial City Guard to thoroughly rectify the administration of Shenjing."

"Since I proposed this matter, I should naturally bear the blame."

"As long as it benefits the court, benefits the Da Han Empire's rivers, mountains, altars, and grain, and benefits Your Majesty, I would not mind being a lone official!"

Jia Jing's words are precisely to volunteer to take the blame for this great prison affair!

This matter was his proposal; if it is also entrusted to him to handle, then the infamy will naturally fall mainly on him!

Such an approach not only helps Jing Sheng Di clean up the administration but also preserves his image as a benevolent ruler—truly clear skies and bright moon, wholly a heart devoted to the ruler.

The two words "lonely minister" further show to those present that he harbors no intention of forming factions for personal gain—no treacherous ambition.