Chapter 112: Rebellious ministers and villains, blocking the road

"The Shaobao has an order, pass it to the capital!"

"Today is forbidden, those who violate the order will be beheaded!"

Cavalry galloped, the sound of horse hooves was constant.

The flag-bearers held the flags, beating the watch to stop the sound!

The alleys of the capital were stationed with the Lu Family Army, with a post every few dozen steps, and patrol battalions interspersed.

The flag orders fluttered!

The common people moved upon hearing the news; those who were sensible closed their doors and did not go out, fearing they would be implicated.

The peddlers also hurriedly packed up their stalls, not daring to linger for a moment.

The streets and alleys were empty, only above the pavilions, pairs of eyes were quietly peeking.

The changing situation in the capital was all in their eyes.

The Dali Temple, the Jin Wuwei headquarters, the Ministry of Justice prison, and even the important government offices were all guarded by Lu Family Army generals under orders.

In front of the Hongwen Hall!

Two white-haired old men stood side by side, their eyes complex.

The Hongwen Hall was an initiative after the Daqing Emperor ascended the throne, gathering 200,000 volumes of books in the Hongwen Hall, establishing a hall to store classics, and also serving as a hall for recruiting the virtuous and talented.

It was both a place for royal book storage and a place for the emperor to recruit literary scholars.

Just then!

A young general in heavy armor, sitting on a tall horse, surrounded by a thousand elite soldiers, surrounded the Hongwen Hall.

He lightly pulled the reins, his voice steady and powerful, piercing through the crowd:

"The Shaobao has an order, the capital is sealed today, everyone please return, do not violate the order!"

His eyes were obscure; if it weren't for the military advisor's order to be polite to these scholars, he would have broken into the house long ago.

How could he let them stand outside the door.

The two old men at the door.

One was the current head of the Hongwen Hall and also a Grand Secretary in the court, Du Jing.

The other old man was Zou Lin, the old man playing chess whom Lu Chen met in the temple.

Zou Lin, a former Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, was not only a fellow townsman of Du Jing but also a fellow Metropolitan Graduate; the two had a deep friendship.

This time, Zou Lin had just arrived in the capital and intended to rest for a while before going to the Hongwen Hall to find a place to stay and talk about old times with his old friend, but he did not expect the situation in the capital to change suddenly.

After just entering the capital, the whole city was under martial law, not allowed to go out or come in!

Du Jing and Zou Lin exchanged glances.

Du Jing was about to speak, but saw Zou Lin shake his head lightly, signaling him to remain silent with his eyes.

In this situation, arguing with those generals wearing armor and holding heavy troops was indeed like

"A scholar meets a soldier, and cannot explain his reasoning!"

Behind the two, a group of Confucian scholars gradually gathered; among them were talents from the Jiangnan water towns and talents from all over the world, all of whom had unique insights into current policies, literature, or other aspects, and were recruited here by the Hongwen Hall.

The Hongwen Hall not only provided them with generous salaries but also arranged comfortable residences, allowing these scholars to study without distraction, exchange ideas freely, and discuss state affairs.

Being able to step into the gate of the Hongwen Hall in the capital was naturally highly respected and known as a "Scholar."

Even more, if one was talented, one could be recommended by a Grand Secretary and jump to the status of a literary scholar in the Eastern Palace or the Hanlin Academy.

Feng Long was among these Confucian scholars; he and Zou Lin, Zou Shuning, crossed the river to the capital and stayed in the Hongwen Hall.

What he did not expect was!

Here he also met two acquaintances.

The two fat and thin scholars in the broken temple by the Yuetang River.

The fat scholar was good at calligraphy, and the thin scholar was good at painting; both were specially hired as direct scholars by the Hongwen Hall because of their special talents.

After Zou Lin discovered the two, he felt quite gratified in his heart; he did not expect that the two he met in the temple also had extraordinary attainments.

In contrast, Feng Long's mood seemed quite gloomy, and his eyes revealed a bit of displeasure.

The fat and thin scholars greeted him, but Feng Long turned a deaf ear.

At this moment.

The young general sat on his horse, holding a horse whip, his tone peaceful but with unquestionable majesty:

"The two of you, please return to the hall. The Shaobao has an order, the capital is under martial law."

His words revealed a bit of warning,

"As long as everyone obeys the arrangements, I guarantee everyone will be safe."

Hearing this, Zou Lin had a peaceful expression; he had long heard of the strict military discipline of the Lu Family Army and knew that they were not people who killed the innocent indiscriminately.

Du Jing's expression was extremely complex, his face wavering between blue and white; he was not satisfied with the general's arrogant attitude—even court heavyweights had to give him some courtesy.

Moreover, as the head of the Hongwen Hall, he felt he had the responsibility to stand up and say a few words to set the record straight.

For the Shaobao, as a subject, to pass orders in the capital was a great disrespect!

The capital was ultimately the world of the Daqing Emperor; how could he let others impose martial law at will?

Since ancient times, there has been an order between monarch and subject!

Du Jing stroked his robe, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible arrogance:

"I am the master of the Hongwen Hall, and also a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, and I have received the grace of the Eastern Palace, listed among the literary scholars, Du Jing, courtesy name Zishen."

Every time he revealed an identity, his tone became heavier.

After speaking!

Du Jing straightened his back, looked at the general on the horse, and said: "General, can you allow me to meet the Shaobao? I have a few words from the bottom of my heart that I wish to discuss with the Shaobao, which might become golden words to resolve the current situation."

"You cannot create a barrier between monarch and subject; since ancient times, subjects have mostly shared the worries of the Son of Heaven, don't leave a bad name in history."

"If the Shaobao has any negligence, I am afraid you, General, will also be hard to blame."

Hearing this, the young general was obviously confused by Du Jing's series of titles.

He was a lieutenant in the Lu Family Army, holding thousands of elite troops and only caring about fighting.

He knew very little about the complex official system of the court and the world of literary scholars, especially terms like "Hongwen Hall" and "Grand Secretary."

But he understood the last sentence.

The young general's face sank slightly, he pulled his horse whip, a sonic boom sounded in the air, and his tone was cold:

"The Shaobao's actions need an old scoundrel like you to teach him."

"What are you!"

Once these words were spoken!

Du Jing was stunned.

The Confucian scholars behind him were all filled with righteous indignation.

Not to mention the Junior Guardian of Mount Zhongnan, even the loyal ministers in the court treated them with courtesy, and he was the head of the Hongwen Hall; wasn't this slapping their faces?

"A mere lieutenant leading a thousand men, and he dares to be so arrogant!" Someone sneered, his words filled with disdain.

Someone sneered: "I don't know what the general's position is, but I am also a Censor of the Censorate; I only need one memorial, and the hat on the general's head will probably fall off."

"I am not talented, but I also hold the position of Censor of the Court of Censors, with the power to impeach all officials; those who have no respect for the law are all on the list!"

Someone else said loudly.

The voices of the crowd rose one after another.

The voices of the Confucian scholars rose one after another, getting louder and louder; they were not afraid of these armored and armed soldiers at all, as if in their eyes, these warriors were not worth fearing at all.

They were the elite of Daqing, the pillars of the court.

This was also because Daqing had valued literature over martial arts for many years, and the status of scholars was extremely high; every change of dynasty needed to rely on their power to stabilize the regime.

"I don't know, do you dare to report your name?" Someone in the crowd asked loudly, his voice carrying a trace of provocation.

Hearing this, the young general laughed loudly.

"I am Jiang He, report me if you want!"

However, this did not calm the public anger, but instead stirred up even greater waves.

Feng Long stood in the crowd, his chest already filled with dissatisfaction and resentment.

He knew Lu Chen's true identity; he was that middle-aged man he met in the temple.

Feng Long recalled the scene of Lu Chen riding the wind across the river, as well as the infatuation on the faces of those women, and the jealousy in his heart burned like a raging fire.

"Lu Shenzhou, a person who usurped imperial power, deserves to be executed!"

Feng Long finally could not hold back and shouted loudly.

His voice exploded in the crowd like a thunderclap, instantly igniting everyone's emotions.

"Lu Shenzhou, a rebellious minister and villain!" The public sentiment was angry, and the voices rose one after another, getting louder and louder.

The Confucian scholars echoed one after another.

Hearing this, the fat and thin scholars had eyes filled with shock and confusion.

They were not stupid people and could naturally see the current situation.

The Lu Family Army had already entered the capital, and the capital had already fallen into their hands.

The two looked at each other.

"How dare you?"

Just then!

Just as the public sentiment was angry, a burst of rapid horse hooves came from far to near, breaking the chaos at the scene.

The voice of the Cavalry Captain pierced through the noise, clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"The Shaobao is passing, everyone avoid!"

This sudden report shocked everyone, and they all turned their heads to look in the direction the sound came from.

I saw a team of cavalry wearing armor and holding long spears galloping over, standing on both sides of the road.

The Hongwen Hall was located next to the Wumen Gate near the palace and was the only way to enter the palace.

Du Jing's eyes lit up, as if he saw a turning point; he hurriedly pushed away the people around him and ran quickly to the street.

Zou Lin did not stop him for a moment!

Dozens of Confucian scholars also held their heads high and ran up all at once.

They blocked the road in a crowd.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 113 =====