Chapter 71

"His Majesty, I agree."

A firm voice echoed from within the palace.

This was the emperor's promise, as well as his stance.

The suffering of the refugees in Jiangning County was entirely depicted on this map of famine.

The citizens of the capital knelt to petition.

Gu Jinnian made three requests for punishment.

Whether it was the will of heaven or the will of the people, Emperor Yongsheng could not go against the tide.

But the main reason was that as an emperor, he would not tolerate such a situation. If Gu Jinnian had not created such a celestial phenomenon,

Perhaps he would have taken a long-term approach, first making an example of someone, then gradually reaping the benefits, without being too hasty.

But now that the celestial phenomenon has appeared, with the will of the people, he can act without restraint.

The sword of the people's will, looking down on all, is the sharpest sword between heaven and earth.

Having received Emperor Yongsheng's response,

Outside the palace gates,

Gu Jinnian bowed deeply again.

The citizens of the capital also bowed to Emperor Yongsheng, then shouted loudly,

"Long live the Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years."

The citizens knelt and shouted "Long live the Emperor," and the civil and military officials also knelt at this moment.

In the Great Xia, there was no custom of kneeling.

But today, they must kneel, symbolizing submission to the will of heaven.

While Li Shan and others knelt in reverence, their eyes could not help but fall on Gu Jinnian.

They were deeply moved, and for a moment, they did not know what to say.

Gu Jinnian was a variable.

A variable in the court.

Politics is not like this. Although he was passionate and seemed to have done something that the people supported, for the court and the Great Xia, killing merchants was ultimately not a good thing.

Not only Li Shan, but all the civil officials had a certain feeling about Gu Jinnian.

Gu Jinnian was talented, and they acknowledged it.

Gu Jinnian was a prodigy, and they also acknowledged it.

But this did not mean that Gu Jinnian would become a good official in the future.

Being too rigid can easily break.

The civil officials were like this, but the Confucian officials were different. They looked at Gu Jinnian with deep emotion.

Zhu Yuan, the leader of the Confucian officials, quietly watched Gu Jinnian and muttered a few words.

"Prosperity brings suffering to the people."

"Decline brings suffering to the people."

"What a great statement, 'Prosperity and decline bring suffering to the people.'"

"Gu Jinnian has the potential to be a sage of Confucianism."

Zhu Yuan spoke. He was the leader of the Confucian officials, and his status in the court was equal to that of the prime minister, not inferior to the Marquis of Zhen Guo.

But like the Marquis of Zhen Guo, Zhu Yuan did not attend court regularly, yet his reputation and prestige were not inferior to Su Wenjing.

Su Wenjing was the leader of the Confucian scholars, while Zhu Yuan was the leader of the Confucian sages. Both were great scholars in the literary world.

However, Su Wenjing was more famous because he was half a step away from the realm of sages.

"Potential to be a sage? Sir, is Gu Jinnian really that talented?"

A Confucian official was surprised and could not help but speak.

Zhu Yuan's evaluation was too high. Although the Gu family had been boasting about Gu Jinnian's potential to be a sage, clear-eyed people knew it was just for their own satisfaction.

But now it was different. Zhu Yuan personally acknowledged Gu Jinnian's potential to be a sage, which was a big deal.

"Throughout history, who at sixteen could write a timeless article? Who at sixteen could write a poem to stabilize the country? Who at sixteen would dare to plead for the people?"

"Who could write timeless poetry? Has such a person ever existed?"

"Whether Gu Jinnian can become a sage, I cannot be completely sure, but his future achievements will definitely not be inferior to mine."

Zhu Yuan spoke seriously, and his evaluation of Gu Jinnian was extremely high.

Especially, Gu Jinnian's fearlessness against authority deeply impressed him.

It is important to note that Gu Jinnian himself was also a member of the nobility, which made him even more admirable.

Ordinary people, when fearless against authority, might just die.

But when a noble offends another noble, it is usually due to a conflict of interests.

Without a conflict of interests, they would not act. Now, Gu Jinnian, without any personal gain and even at the risk of offending many, pleaded for the people. This spirit truly moved him.

And it made Zhu Yuan feel ashamed.

It can be said that what Gu Jinnian did today not only won the hearts of the people but also earned a place in the hearts of scholars across the Great Xia.

Just this act alone, in the future, anyone who met Gu Jinnian would respectfully call him "Prince."

Inside the palace,

The Crown Prince, Prince Qin, and Prince Wei quietly looked at the celestial phenomenon.

The Crown Prince was shocked.

Prince Qin was excited and joyful.

As for Prince Wei, he was amazed.

The Crown Prince and Prince Qin had different thoughts.

However, in the capital of the Great Xia, there was also a figure looking at the sky, his eyes filled with complexity.

At this moment,

The celestial phenomenon gradually disappeared.

After the rain, the sky cleared, and rays of sunlight shone down, illuminating Gu Jinnian.

At the same time, a greenish-white light entered Gu Jinnian's body, which was the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

The talent in Gu Jinnian's body instantly broke through, reaching the level of a scholar who cultivates qi.

This was the second realm of Confucianism, and because of the true righteous energy of heaven and earth, Gu Jinnian directly reached the second realm's perfection.

As long as he made a statement, he could reach the third realm, becoming a scholar who makes a statement, which is known as "establishing a statement and becoming a sage."

At the same time, a terrifying righteous energy formed a cloud in his body, merging into a martial fruit in the ancient tree, although it was unknown why it became a martial fruit.

But there were thirty-six such martial fruits, a great harvest.

However, Gu Jinnian did not have the mood to care about this.

What he did today was not for the reward but for a sense of justice.

"His Majesty has decreed, all officials to attend court."

At this moment,

As the eunuch's voice echoed, the officials outside the palace changed their expressions slightly.

But soon, they all walked towards the palace.

Because they knew the emperor was about to act.

After the officials entered, a figure appeared beside Gu Jinnian.

It was his father, Gu Qianzhou.

"Jinnian."

"Let's go home."

He spoke slowly, his eyes filled with complexity, as he could not see through his son at the moment.

Think about it, a few months ago, Gu Jinnian was still a young noble.

But a few months later, everything Gu Jinnian did was earth-shattering.

But he had no other doubts; instead, he believed Gu Jinnian had been hiding for sixteen years.

Thus, he felt pain, thinking the Gu family had put too much pressure and burden on Gu Jinnian, otherwise, it would not have come to this.

Soon, Gu Qianzhou led Gu Jinnian towards the Gu family.

On the streets, all the citizens saw Gu Jinnian and their eyes were filled with admiration.

Some elderly people even bowed deeply.

Gu Jinnian won the hearts of the people.

Not because of the Gu family, but because of himself.

Facing the people's bows, Gu Jinnian remained silent.

Thus,

Inside the palace of the Great Xia,

As all the officials entered the court,

Emperor Yongsheng spoke directly.

"Today, the grandson of the Marquis of Zhen Guo, Gu Jinnian, pleaded for the people. What are your thoughts?"

Emperor Yongsheng spoke.

He looked at the officials, waiting for their response.

But in reality, no matter how the officials responded, the facts could not be changed.

"Since it is the will of heaven, I have no suggestions."

"The will of heaven is set, and the people's will is clear. We have no objections."

The officials spoke in unison. At this moment, no one dared to go against the emperor, as this matter was no longer a simple political struggle but the will of heaven.

They dared to criticize the emperor, but they dared not go against the will of the people.

No one dared to do that.

"Good."

Emperor Yongsheng nodded, satisfied with the officials' performance.

"Since that is the case, listen to the orders of the Minister of War and the Minister of Justice."

"Prime Minister Li Shan will draft the decree. You two will dispatch elite troops to Jiangning County. Minister Zhao, I want you to investigate all the corrupt officials and merchants in Jiangning County within three days, based on the people's statements. Once discovered, arrest them and send them to the Jiangning prison."

"Let the Ministry of Justice review the cases. Once they confess and sign, execute them in the market of Jiangning County as a warning."

"If anyone resists, their entire family will be executed."

"Then, the Ministry of Revenue will send people to investigate their assets, confiscate them for disaster relief, and the Xuan Deng Si will thoroughly investigate whether the flood in Jiangning County has any hidden causes. All those involved will be executed without mercy."

"If any officials in the court are involved, their entire family will be executed."

"Furthermore, the imperial inspection will be advanced. I want the Ministry of Personnel to complete the inspection within a month, without any favoritism."

"After the Great Xia poetry meeting, I will hold a banquet for the officials. I will also issue a decree for the people. Within the Great Xia, if any citizen has a grievance, the local government must handle it seriously."

"Any official or merchant who colludes to oppress the people will be executed without mercy."

"Do you understand?"

Emperor Yongsheng spoke.

But these words made the officials' expressions change.

Because the matter was ten times more serious than they had anticipated.

The reason was simple.

Emperor Yongsheng clearly intended to use this opportunity to eliminate the greatest tumor of the dynasty.

The aristocratic families.

This was a hated and feared existence for all emperors.

The aristocratic families were a presence that even the founding emperor dared not touch.

Now, what Emperor Yongsheng was doing was challenging them, a terrifying act that could potentially overthrow the dynasty.

Half of the officials in the court might come from aristocratic families.

And in the entire Great Xia dynasty, more than half of the officials came from aristocratic families. Even those who did not come from aristocratic families had intricate ties with them.