novelhk Chapter 315 Slapping the Face of the Treacherous Regent 10
Chapter 315 Slapping the Face of the Treacherous Regent 10
After putting on the robes of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Leng Yuexing followed Shangguan Jingzhi to the main hall in front.
Civil and military officials stood solemnly on both sides of the main hall.
They stared at Shangguan Jingzhi and Leng Yuexing through the main hall's gate in disbelief.
As emperor, Shangguan Jingzhi always entered through the gate behind the main hall, never through the main gate.
This time, he brought Leng Yuexing in through the main gate, and the officials all had their own guesses about why.
Officials who had already received word of the situation kept their eyes down and remained solemnly awaiting the news.
More than half of the officials were supporters of the Left Chancellor. When they saw the Left Chancellor standing at the front with a solemn expression, they had a bad feeling.
Officials who wanted to ask questions all chose to remain silent after considering Shangguan Jingzhi's madness.
Although the entire court was under the control of the Left Chancellor, Emperor Shangguan Jingzhi was in a weak position.
However, he did not play by the rules; sometimes he even killed people on the spot in the imperial court.
The Left Chancellor had many times wanted to replace the prince as emperor, but unfortunately, not long after Shangguan Jingzhi became emperor, his brothers died one after another, leaving him all alone.
With no suitable candidate for Left Chancellor and no way to deal with Shangguan Jingzhi, the situation remained deadlocked.
None of the officials who valued their lives dared to confront Shangguan Jingzhi directly.
Leng Yuexing followed behind Shangguan Jingzhi and walked openly into the court.
Leng Yuexing stood next to the Left Prime Minister, while Shangguan Jingzhi walked step by step to the throne on the high platform in front and sat down.
His posture was languid, yet he exuded an imperial aura, his eyes sweeping over the crowd below the stage with cold indifference.
"Kneel—" a sharp voice rang out.
The civil and military officials, dressed in various colored court robes, all knelt on both knees and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Rise," Shangguan Jingzhi said in a deep voice.
After all the officials had taken their positions, to the Left Chancellor's surprise, Shangguan Jingzhi spoke first: "From today onwards, the court will re-establish the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which will be in charge of guarding the emperor and patrolling and arresting criminals."
"Cold Moon Star!"
"Chen is here!"
"I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and bestow upon you the Imperial Sword. You are authorized to execute first and report later!" Shangguan Jingzhi announced loudly.
"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Leng Yuexing said respectfully.
Shangguan Jingzhi took the imperial sword from a eunuch beside him, then stood up, preparing to personally deliver it to Leng Yuexing.
At this moment, the Left Chancellor seemed to realize something and shouted, "Your Majesty! How can Leng Yuexing, a mere eunuch, hold such an important position?"
"Does the Left Prime Minister mean to look down on the eunuchs in the palace?" Leng Yuexing stood up and said coldly.
After the Right Chancellor was executed, the senior officials in the court referred to the Left Chancellor as Chancellor without adding the word "Left" to highlight his status.
Now, Leng Yuexing's words "Left Prime Minister" instantly enraged the Left Prime Minister.
"Eunuchs can only serve the emperor in the palace, how can they be subjects?" the Left Chancellor sneered.
In his eyes, eunuchs were just servants and could not be compared with the court officials.
Leng Yuexing's eyes turned cold. He wanted to let the Left Prime Minister experience what it was like to be a eunuch on the spot, but he couldn't do it in front of everyone.
He suppressed the murderous intent in his heart and said in an extremely cold voice, "His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. It is naturally our good fortune to be able to serve His Majesty."
"And it is precisely for this reason that we are even more qualified to be the Emperor's subjects!"
"His Majesty's thoughts are our concerns. We can be 100% loyal to His Majesty, but can the Left Prime Minister be?"
Leng Yuexing's voice clearly reached every corner of the hall, and the eunuchs who were bowing and standing in every corner of the hall instantly had tears in their eyes upon hearing it.
Some of them became eunuchs voluntarily, while others were forced into it, but regardless of who they were, they were constantly despised by others, and even they themselves despised themselves.
Leng Yuexing, however, was able to calmly face these courtiers who despised them and vindicate them, which deeply moved them.
From that moment on, Leng Yuexing's name was etched in the hearts of all the eunuchs in the palace; they admired and worshipped him.
Unlike those who were moved, the Left Chancellor was furious.
Before this, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that; the entire court was practically ruled by his voice.
His chest heaved with anger, and he pointed a finger at Leng Yuexing, wanting to retort loudly.
Shangguan Jingzhi roared, "Left Prime Minister! Are you dissatisfied with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard that I appointed?"
"Your Majesty, the court is full of capable people, many of whom are more capable than Leng Yuexing. I urge Your Majesty to consider choosing someone else!" The Left Prime Minister bowed and shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, about half of the officials knelt down and begged the emperor to replace the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Shangguan Jingzhi's eyes turned cold. He gripped the Shangfang sword, his whole body radiating murderous intent.
Seeing Shangguan Jingzhi approaching the Left Prime Minister step by step with his sword, Leng Yuexing knew something was wrong.
He knew that Shangguan Jingzhi hadn't killed the Left Chancellor directly before, not only for the sake of the court's stability, but also because he didn't care about such things. As a dying man, he didn't care who held the power.
This time, Shangguan Jingzhiqi's murderous intent stemmed solely from him.
The Left Chancellor must die, but he absolutely cannot die under the Emperor's sword without a clear explanation.
After thinking it over, Leng Yuexing quickly stepped forward, grasped Shangguan Jingzhi's hand, snatched the imperial sword from his grasp, and then bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for bestowing this sword upon me!"
He then turned to the Left Prime Minister and said, “Left Prime Minister, since you say there are many people in the court who are better than me, you can recommend someone to compete with me. If I lose, then I will hand over the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
Leng Yuexing turned to Shangguan Jingzhi and said, "Please grant my request, Your Majesty!"
The murderous aura emanating from Shangguan Jingzhi vanished without a trace upon being touched by Leng Yuexing.
Seeing Leng Yuexing smiling at him, Shangguan Jingzhi nodded and said, "Alright, I grant your permission!"
The Left Chancellor stood up and looked at the officials behind him. If his eldest son Xuanming had not been injured, he would have arranged for Xuanming to compete with Leng Yuexing. He believed that Xuanming, who had received strict education since childhood, would definitely be stronger than Leng Yuexing.
But now, he can only choose other officials who are skilled in martial arts.
After reviewing the options, the Left Chancellor decided to have Li An, the Vice Minister of War, compete against Leng Yuexing.
There are two vice ministers of the Ministry of War. The Left Chancellor actually favors Chen Guangfan, but Chen Guangfan's stance is fickle. If he wants to curry favor with the emperor, he will not go all out.
Li An is different. Li An is his spy planted in the Ministry of War. Among the six ministries of the court, only the Ministry of War has not yet completely submitted to him. If Li An successfully challenges Leng Yuexing, then the Ministry of War will also become his possession in the future.
Shangguan Jingzhi knew that the emperor was merely a figurehead!
The Left Chancellor grew increasingly excited. He suppressed the urge to smile and proclaimed loudly, "I recommend Li An, the Vice Minister of War, to compete against Leng Yuexing!"
As the Left Chancellor finished speaking, Li An stepped forward from among the officials, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your subject is willing to give it a try!"
Shangguan Jingzhi gave Li An a cold look; he had long known that Li An was the Left Prime Minister's man.
Although Li An was the Left Chancellor's man, his abilities and efficiency were quite good, so he let him stay in the position of Vice Minister of War.
But now it seems he's not exactly a peaceful person.
"I grant your permission." Shangguan Jingzhi returned to his throne and said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, you may begin now!"