Inside the Golden Luan Hall.
No one was willing to yield!
One side wanted Jingrong to leave, the other wanted Jingrong to stay.
The one truly in a difficult position was ultimately Emperor Qizhen.
In truth, both sides made valid points. Jingrong had voluntarily requested to go to Yu Prefecture. As a prince, he naturally needed to investigate the case thoroughly. Moreover, the imperial edict forbidding his return to the capital had been issued before all the court officials. However, what Qin Shiyu said was also correct – Jingrong was neither guilty nor at fault. Furthermore, he had now delivered the late emperor’s testament. Even without merit, he had endured hardship and deserved to remain in the capital.
After lengthy deliberation, Emperor Qizhen gritted his teeth. “Beloved ministers, I understand what you all say. As a prince, Jingrong should see matters through to completion. Since he accepted the case of the relief silver, he must exert every effort to investigate it. However, this case is no small matter. I previously dispatched multiple high ministers there, and in the end, all came to nothing – they even lost their lives on the road back to the capital, leaving me deeply troubled and anxious. If we continue letting Jingrong investigate, the same thing might inevitably happen. We cannot let the relief silver matter remain unsolved forever, with him perpetually unable to return to the capital. Throughout Dalin’s history, there has never been a precedent of a prince staying away from the capital without returning.”
Jing Yi immediately understood the implication.
He hastily interrupted, “Father Emperor, though I also believe Jingrong should not remain in Yu Prefecture indefinitely, but…” He paused briefly, turning to look at Jingrong. “Even he himself said that if Father Emperor issues an edict commanding his return to Yu Prefecture, he would naturally comply. This shows that regarding the Yu Prefecture relief silver matter, he too wishes to investigate it thoroughly, correct?”
A barely perceptible smile curved Jingrong’s lips as he slightly raised his chin and took up his words. “I accepted this case, so I naturally should exert every effort to uncover the truth and recover the lost relief silver from Yu Prefecture. This is my duty, and I will not shirk it. As long as Father Emperor commands it, I will immediately return to Yu Prefecture and absolutely will not linger in the capital. Otherwise, even if all the civil and military officials kneel on the remonstrance stones outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I will not step one foot outside the capital gates.”
“You are clearly making things difficult for Father Emperor. You know full well that since ancient times, an emperor’s word carries the weight of nine tripods. If Father Emperor cannot bear it and must retract his edict that ‘you may not return to the capital,’ would that not place our Great Dalin’s national authority in jeopardy? How then could Father Emperor maintain his standing before the entire court?”
What a glib tongue!
Jingrong’s eyes sharpened. “Father Emperor is the Son of Heaven. What the Son of Heaven decrees should fundamentally be true. If something is clearly calamitous yet he stubbornly pursues it, that would be the greatest shame under heaven.”
“Action comes first, command comes earlier.”
“Right and wrong can be distinguished, regardless of sequence. Father Emperor has his will – if he orders me to stay, I stay. If he orders me to leave, I leave.”
“You failed to solve the Yu Prefecture relief silver case, which is your error. Since it is an error, how can you expect Father Emperor to issue an edict letting you remain? You gamble on Father Emperor’s compassion, which is unrighteous.”
“What constitutes compassion? What constitutes righteousness?” Jingrong swept his wide sleeve, pointing at the kneeling court officials. “All the civil and military officials kowtow, pressuring the emperor with their petition – is that righteousness? You speak of endangering precedent and command, placing me between water and fire – is that righteousness? Which article, which statute of Dalin’s laws states that an emperor’s command can be swayed by the mouths of the masses?”
Ugh!
Jing Yi’s eyes flickered, but he still refused to yield, saying sternly, “What the court officials uphold is that the Son of Heaven’s word carries the weight of nine tripods. You must not distort right and wrong.”
Bah!
Jingrong spoke with solemn gravity: “When our founding ancestor emperor established the nation and proclaimed its name, he personally wrote sixteen great characters in the imperial scrolls: ‘The nation’s foundation lies in kinship, the hall stands as one family, sealed by heaven and earth, not divided by nine tripods.’ And those sixteen great characters are also inscribed on the stone pillars outside the Golden Luan Hall.”
His words rang with decisive force!
Ugh!
“The nation’s foundation lies in kinship, the hall stands as one family, sealed by heaven and earth, not divided by nine tripods.”
The crowd murmured in astonishment.
Jing Yi was also completely stunned.
His words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Jingrong’s eyes swept over lightly, his gaze like layers of ice stacking up, piercingly cold.
He had never imagined that today he would engage in battle with Jing Yi in the court hall in such a manner.
What must come cannot be blocked!
Emperor Qizhen on the high throne, however, seemed relieved as he swept his dragon robe.
He said, “These sixteen characters are indeed the founding principle of our Great Dalin.”
His voice boomed like a great bell!
The crowd waited silently for what came next.
“Though I issued an earlier edict forbidding Jingrong’s return to the capital, our founding ancestor emperor established that matters are ‘sealed by heaven and earth, not divided by nine tripods.’ Even though my word carries the weight of nine tripods, I must still distinguish right from wrong, superior from inferior. Moreover, as Minister Qin said, Jingrong is neither guilty nor at fault. He even risked being ambushed by soldiers outside the city to deliver the testament into the capital, thus resolving the barbarian threat – this is merit, not fault. Since it is merit, it should naturally be rewarded. I hereby decree that Jingrong is graciously permitted to remain in the capital. The Yu Prefecture relief silver matter shall be investigated by personnel dispatched from the Ministry of Personnel.”
Below, there was dead silence!
So they really had knelt for nothing.
Jing Yi made one wrong move, and the entire game was lost. He was so angry smoke practically came from his seven orifices.
Jingrong did not display any expression of great joy or triumph. He bowed his head. “This son thanks Father Emperor for his gracious permission.”
Emperor Qizhen nodded slightly, breathing a sigh of relief.
So early in the morning, one wave after another.
Truly mentally and physically exhausting.
Seeing no one objecting, he said in a deep voice, “If there is nothing else, court is dismissed.”
His rear left the dragon throne, and he departed.
The officials were still kneeling. Only after the dragon on the high platform disappeared through the side door did they rise one by one, patting the dust from their official robes.
This performance was over!
Everyone looked at Jingrong, then at Jing Yi, all very tactful as they filed out.
Finally, only the two of them remained in the entire Golden Luan Hall.
In the empty hall, without the tense, intense atmosphere from moments ago, it actually seemed somewhat desolate.
After a moment—
Jing Yi spoke. “I truly underestimated you.”
His mouth seemed to contain sharp swords.
Jingrong met him with a cold face. “You want to set the game, I want to break the game. This is only the beginning.”
“You truly intend to fight with me?”
“You forced me to.”
“No, I did not force you.” Jing Yi looked innocent, his lips curving into a slanted smile. “Father Emperor forced both you and me.”
Heh heh!
Jingrong averted his gaze, making no response.
And Jing Yi took two steps forward, standing directly below the dragon throne, tilting his head slightly to look up at it. A smile gradually overflowed from the corners of his mouth, chillingly unsettling.
“See that? That is the most supreme place in all of Great Dalin. Only by sitting there will everyone under heaven listen to you. Whomever you want dead will die, whomever you want alive will live.” He said through gritted teeth, “But you and I are different. You want to be a koi carp, but I want to be a great eagle, eliminating at any cost whatever obstructs me, including people.”
That face was utterly vicious!
Looking at Jing Yi, now swollen with ambition for power, Jingrong walked to his side. “Perhaps being a koi carp isn’t so bad either. Who knows – one day it might leap through the dragon gate.”
“Hmph.” Jing Yi’s eyes turned vicious. “Don’t think that because the Ji family’s two brothers – one demoted, one transferred – you’ve won this time. Victory and defeat are not yet decided. Who ultimately loses and who wins will only be known by whoever laughs last.”
“Perhaps.”
Light and casual!
Jing Yi turned to look at him, then laughed boisterously, taking a long breath. “I’ll remind you of something – now all the civil and military officials answer to me. Without the Ji family, I can still control the situation. Even if things truly collapse like a mountain, I still have… one final chess piece in my hand!”
Ugh!
One final chess piece!
Wei Yi?
Jingrong immediately clenched his fists, demanding, “What have you done to him?”
In return, he received only Jing Yi’s triumphant smile.
He said, “You must have sent people to search the entire capital, even had people turn my Prince Yi Manor upside down, but found no trace of that fool. You must be very anxious, right?”
“Where exactly is he?”
“Want to know?” Jing Yi’s face was full of cunning as he said, “As long as you’re willing to leave the capital, once I ascend to the throne, I will naturally return him to you safe and sound. But if you insist on fighting with me, I guarantee that on the day I’m defeated, what will be delivered before you will only be that fool’s corpse.”
Those eyes seemed to carry the green gleam of a jackal.