Chapter 714: First Volume, Chapter 714: Ministers Pressuring

First Volume, Chapter 714: Ministers Pressuring

The Taolin Party and Imperial Party officials stood tense, the entire Grand Hall thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Although before this, the Taolin Party and Imperial Party had already accumulated many grievances, avoiding each other privately and undermining one another in court.

But such intense confrontation as today had never happened before.

The clean-stream upright ministers present, the weakest faction, were pinned helplessly in the middle, adopting an attitude of mere spectators.

After all, to the clean-stream upright ministers, whether the Taolin Party or the Imperial Party held court discourse, or monopolized power, made not the slightest difference to them.

It was clear the Court Intrigue was about to spill beyond the Imperial Court.

The Liang Emperor, who had been hiding behind the Dragon Case Screen, realized that continuing to hide would only let the situation spiral further out of control.

The Liang Emperor's face turned ashen; he said nothing, stepped away from the Screen, and walked onto the Grand Hall.

With the Liang Emperor's appearance, the chaotic Grand Hall fell instantly silent.

Every pair of eyes in the hall fixed upon the Liang Emperor.

The Liang Emperor likewise surveyed the hall; seeing Qin Feng absent, he secretly exhaled a sigh of relief.

After personally witnessing Qin Feng's methods against the Northern Di Envoy Group and his ruthless slaying of Palace Guards, the Liang Emperor knew well: should Qin Feng enter court and personally intervene in the Grand Commandant and Taibao appointments, there would be no room whatsoever for maneuver.

Fortunately…

Qin Feng still regarded himself as a subject, holding merely the title of Anle Marquis, with no official post; unless specially summoned by the Sage, Qin Feng conscientiously refrained from disrupting court affairs.

At that moment, Zhang Xiuye's voice echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

"Morning court, noon court, evening court—unified into one."

Upon these words, all Civil and Military Officials knelt, chanting in unison: "Long live the Sage."

Watching the sea of kneeling Civil and Military Officials, the Liang Emperor could not suppress a sigh.

"My loyal ministers, what matters do you wish to submit?"

The Liang Emperor had assumed the ministers would at least follow procedure—first report the accumulated official business of recent days, then opportunistically raise the appointment of Grand Commandant and Taibao.

But to his surprise, Qin Tianhu did not hesitate; he stepped forward immediately, his voice clear and unyielding, filling the entire Grand Hall.

"Your Majesty! The posts of Grand Commandant and Taibao have remained vacant for too long, causing countless state affairs to stall. For the sake of the realm and the state, Your Majesty must promptly fill these two vacancies."

The Liang Emperor gazed at Qin Tianhu, his heart brimming with emotion.

When facing the Northern Di invasion, he and Qin Tianhu had once worked in perfect harmony, mutually reinforcing each other to advance the war effort; precisely because of Qin Tianhu's loyalty, the Liang Emperor had promoted his son Qin Feng—once a notorious Jingdu wastrel—into today's powerful Aristocratic Clan!

The Liang Emperor blamed no one else; he could only blame himself—for being overconfident, believing he could control anyone.

He had forgotten the old adage: beyond men stand greater men; beyond heaven lies higher heaven.

Yet seeing his former loyal minister now leading the ministers to force him to surrender power, the Liang Emperor still felt profound sorrow.

"Minister Qin, are you so impatient?"

Facing the Liang Emperor's question, Qin Tianhu's eyes showed no flicker.

"Your Majesty, it is not I who is impatient—it is the people of Heaven who are impatient."

"The Three Dukes system concerns the stability of state governance, the balance among all factions, and serves to spur the Imperial House to diligent rule, consolidating the Liang realm and blessing generations to come."

"Yet since the Grand Commandant and Taibao were both abolished, the entire court now has only the Grand Tutor left."

"The Grand Tutor, though holding the highest rank, excels only at self-preservation, rarely offering opinions on state affairs, merely drifting with the tide—doing nothing is his way of avoiding error."

"If the Grand Tutor continues thus, it might be tolerable—but it remains a latent threat."

"Should the Grand Tutor one day intervene in court politics and instigate factional strife, with no other Two Dukes to check him, who could oppose his edicts? Would not this entire court become his sole voice?"

"No man is a sage; who is without fault?"

"For an ordinary man, a single mistake affects only himself, at most his family. But the Grand Tutor stands at the pinnacle of power—his one error could inflict incalculable damage upon all of Liang. Only by immediately appointing the other two Dukes, establishing a dual-check system, can this threat be crushed in its cradle."

"Your Majesty, please appoint the Grand Commandant and Taibao immediately!"

The Taolin Party officials echoed in unison, raising their arms and shouting: "Your Majesty, please appoint the Grand Commandant and Taibao immediately!"

The Liang Emperor had anticipated Qin Tianhu would invent pretexts to seize the Grand Commandant and Taibao posts.

But he had not expected Qin Tianhu to target the Grand Tutor—long considered neutral.

Clearly, Qin Feng had entered the Hou Gong to court Seventh Prince Li Yong, seeking cooperation on the Grand Commandant and Taibao appointments.

And Li Yong had deliberately drowned himself to feign illness, while the Grand Tutor had directly left Jingdu to avoid suspicion.

This move was tantamount to declaring their stance to the Qin Family and the Taolin Party.

For an outsider, self-preservation might be acceptable; but for a Prince, silence is already a declaration.

Li Yong is the Liang Emperor's own son, of imperial blood; if he refuses to clearly support the Qin Family and the Taolin Party, he is effectively siding with the Imperial Party.

At this point, save for the clean-stream upright ministers who care only for governance and national interest, no one can truly remain neutral.

You must choose a side—if you do not choose, you are the enemy!

Often, court factional strife is a hundred or a thousand times crueler than actual battlefields—it is either you die, or I live!

This is why the saying goes: loyal ministers and capable generals do not die on the Battlefield, but in the Court.

Moreover, Qin Tianhu's attack on the Grand Tutor carries another deeper meaning: it is a full declaration of war against the Imperial Party!

By not sparing even Li Yong and the Grand Tutor, who claimed neutrality, Qin Tianhu has shown his absolute resolve.

Tian Yuanshou stepped forward immediately to rebut: "Minister Qin, even if you wish to nominate and appoint the Grand Commandant and Taibao, you must plan from a long-term perspective—how can this be treated so frivolously?"

"You yourself said a single mistake by the Three Dukes could affect Liang's entire future—then this appointment must be chosen with the utmost caution!"

"I believe, from now until next Autumn Harvest, all factions should nominate candidates, and the best selected—that is the wisest course."

Upon these words, Li Xu did not hesitate to rebut on the spot: "Minister Tian, as National Teacher, you need only oversee religious temples—when did court governance become your domain to meddle in?!"

"Minister Tian, I think your hands have grown too long—you manage the dead's affairs, and now the living's too?!"