The emperor's roar was like thunder, and the entire splendid court trembled under this fury. On the red dragon chair, the middle-aged emperor looked ferocious, as if he was a wounded beast, and in front of him, kneeling
This young man in his prime is the prince who has been in charge of the country for ten years.
"You! In the past ten years, I have entrusted all the affairs of the country to you, but what have you done? There is corruption, cliques, and officials protecting each other." The emperor's roar was like a sharp sword, thrust into the hearts of all officials.
The prince's eyes were lowered, his back was as straight as a sharp sword, and his voice trembled slightly: "Father, I know I was wrong."
The emperor sneered: "You know your mistake? Do you know how many people's trust you have lost? Do you know that your actions have shaken the foundation of the Da'an Dynasty?"
The prince clenched his fists and said with a choked voice: "The child is really stupid and did not inherit the wisdom of his father, which led to the current situation."
The emperor looked at him coldly, with disappointment in his eyes: "Let those ministers come in!"
The prince rose in response, walked to the door of the court, tried his best to calm down his emotions, and shouted: "Come in!"
But it was quiet outside the court, and no one moved. Liu Huaian and Yan Huaizhong exchanged glances, but neither of them stood up. There was a hint of embarrassment on the prince's face, but the emperor noticed it.
The emperor broke out again and roared: "Incompetent! Don't you even have your own people? What have you done in the past ten years? Not only are you corrupt, you don't even have any prestige! You are a complete idiot!"
The beads of sweat falling from the prince's forehead seemed to be scorched by the anger, and he whispered: "Father, please be clear, my son is willing to abdicate and become a prince, and no longer tarnish the noble status of the prince."
The emperor looked at his son in front of him with hatred and hurt in his heart: "You... how much have I sacrificed for you? But you don't know how to cherish it! If you really don't want to do it, then become a prince! I have many sons.
, are you afraid that you will have no successors?"
The prince's body trembled, and he knew that from now on he would no longer have a foothold in the court.
But everyone else knew that this was impossible. Changing the prince would inevitably cause shock to the government and the public. Everyone knew that these were just the angry words of His Majesty the Emperor.
Liu Huaian knew better that this was a quarrel. He slowly turned his head and saw that the officials were glaring at him.
Then he looked at Mr. Ge who looked like a tiger next to him. He knew that the man next to him who had only come here after forty years must be a good friend of the whole dynasty.
When he came here in his early twenties, his back must be full of sharp knives. This is the difference.
The atmosphere in the court hall was like a storm before depression. Everyone could feel the heavy aura coming from the dragon chair. Especially when the emperor's roar sounded, everyone seemed to be shocked, as if the roar
It can directly shake the world.
The officials did not dare to raise their heads, only to hear the eunuch's voice resounding throughout the court: "Go to court!"
The ministers entered the hall one after another, lined up neatly, and stood in their positions. Many ministers signed a letter and sent it to the emperor, hoping that the emperor could fill the vacant official positions in the court as soon as possible to appease all parties.
The emperor's eyes were like lightning, scanning the seal, but he didn't seem to take it to heart. His eyes slowly turned to Liu Huaian, as if he was the only person in the hall at the moment.
"Liu Huaian." The emperor's voice was calm, but it carried an authority that made people dare not resist.
"I'm here." Liu Huaian responded respectfully.
The emperor asked calmly: "I heard that you are interested in An Heqing, is it true?"
Liu Huaian was shocked. He did not expect that the emperor would ask about such a private matter at this time, but he did not hide it. He nodded slightly and said in a firm voice: "Back to the emperor, this matter is indeed true."
The atmosphere in the entire court suddenly became tense, and all eyes were focused on the relationship between Liu Huaian and the emperor.
The emperor smiled slightly: "An Heqing is both talented and beautiful, and you are also talented and brave. Naturally, I will not object. However, I do not want to ask you this today."
Liu Huai'an's head sank, he knew there must be something more important behind this.
The emperor continued: "Do you know what is on that envelope?"
"I don't know!"
Liu Huaian intuitively told him that the court was not safe at the moment. The eyes of every minister were like sharp swords, locked on him, revealing deep anger and warning. He thought of Yan Huaizhong's words before, as if he had foreseen
At this moment, what they were discussing was not his excellence, but his crisis.
The emperor smiled and said: "Then take a look and give me an opinion."
"Your Majesty, I am a Heavenly Guard. I can only investigate cases and cannot get involved in political affairs. Besides, I know nothing about court affairs." Although Liu Huaian was panicked, he still tried to be steady in his tone, hoping to get out.
The corners of the emperor's mouth slightly raised, but his smile was a bit chilly: "Liu Huaian, do you mean to resist and disobey the decree?" This is a capital crime.
"No." Liu Huaian said hurriedly, "It's just that I really don't understand politics and am afraid that I will make inappropriate suggestions and live up to the emperor's high hopes."
The emperor waved his hand: "You don't need to worry too much. I ordered you to plan because I value your ability and vision, not your policy experience. I will naturally handle these matters."
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor handed the fold in his hand to the eunuch: "Give this fold to Liu Huaian, he will know how to do it."
The eunuch respectfully picked up the book, walked to Liu Huaian, and presented it with both hands: "This is the emperor's decree. Mr. Liu, please read it carefully."
Liu Huaian took a deep breath and put the fold away, but did not open it immediately. He knew it would be a heavy burden.
The emperor spoke again, with unquestionable majesty in his voice: "Liu Huaian, I value your marriage very much. If you can give me a satisfactory answer, An Heqing will naturally be yours. But if not, then your marriage will be yours.
I’m afraid it won’t be easy either.”
A trace of anger flashed in Liu Huaian's eyes. He knew that the emperor's words were not a threat, but a fact. He clenched the fold in his hand and knew in his heart that he could not refuse and could only do his best.
The emotions in Liu Huaian's heart were like turbulent waves, surging incessantly. Liu Huaian didn't care about An Heqing at all. What he cared about was the interests after this marriage and the cooperation between him and the queen.
The emperor stared at him sharply, as if he wanted to see through every thought in his heart. Liu Huaian silently opened the folder. The dense text on it described the details of the vacant official positions in the court, as well as the suggestions of some ministers.
He looked carefully and had already formed an answer in his mind, but he knew that the answer could not be too biased or too moderate, and must show his position and sincerity.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Huaian said steadily: "Your Majesty, I am still a layman regarding court matters, but after reading it, I believe that we should follow the suggestions of senior ministers, and at the same time strengthen the inspection of new officials to ensure that
They have enough ability and loyalty. As for the vacant official positions, the emperor needs to weigh them again and select loyal ministers to ensure the stability of the court."
The emperor smiled lightly: "The answer you gave is neither moderate nor original. Liu Huaian, I am not calling you here this time because I don't really want you to manage the government. I just hope you can see clearly what is going on in the court."
The situation is changing and you understand where you are."
Liu Huai'an was slightly startled and immediately said respectfully: "Thank you for your teaching, Your Majesty. I understand."
The emperor continued: "Since you are interested in An Heqing, I will not embarrass you. I just hope that you can treat each other sincerely and don't let things in the court affect your feelings."
Liu Huaian nodded gratefully: "I will definitely remember the emperor's kindness and will never let it down."
"Okay, Liu Huaian, you are so talented, why didn't you win the exam?" The emperor smiled, and countless ministers were frightened.
The atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony suddenly became tense, as if the air had been compressed. Everyone was waiting for Liu Huaian's answer.
Liu Huaian didn't expect that the emperor still wasn't going to let him go. He thought quickly and replied: "Your Majesty, this minister did take part in the imperial examination, but unfortunately he failed. Sometimes fate is irresistible. However, I did not lose my determination because of this.
Instead, he practiced and studied harder and served the imperial court."
The emperor narrowed his eyes, nodded slightly, and then asked: "Which department is in charge of the imperial examination? How could such a talented person be missed?"
Huang Shaochu, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, looked embarrassed and immediately explained: "Your Majesty, our Ministry of Rites is indeed involved in the imperial examination, but it is not just our department, the Ministry of Personnel is also involved, and the cabinet ministers also have the right to inspect the test papers."
Li Zhaoting, the Minister of Civil Affairs, hurriedly added: "Your Majesty, Liu Huaian's talent is indescribable, but the imperial examination has fixed questions and answering methods. The Ministry of Civil Affairs is only responsible for organizing the examination and does not directly review the test papers."
Cabinet Minister Wu Chengcheng stood up slowly and said coldly: "Minister Huang, Minister Li, don't try to shift the responsibility to the cabinet. We will review the test papers, but the premise is that you two will ensure the fairness and justice of the exam. Liu Huaian like this
There must be something wrong with how talented people can fail in the imperial examination."
Huang Shaochu and Li Zhaoting's expressions became particularly ugly. The three parties almost broke out. Each of them spoke sharply and pointed out the responsibility of the other party, like a powder keg ready to explode.
At this time, a bold minister raised his fist and rushed towards the minister of civil affairs, "What the hell!" Other ministers also followed suit. The hall of Taihe was like a vegetable market for a while, with endless quarrels.
Murderous intent flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he shouted: "That's enough!" The sound was like a loud bell, which made all the ministers tremble with fear.
"You ministers dare to fight in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. You are really lawless!" The emperor turned pale with anger and pointed at the booing ministers: "Get out of here and come back to court in three days!"
The ministers were horrified and left the court one after another, leaving the emperor and Liu Huaian behind, and the atmosphere became silent again.
After the emperor left, Liu Huaian breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and saw that the first and second ministers of the cabinet around him were all motionless, and the top ministers of the cabinet were as steady as old pine trees.