freenovelworld Chapter 1925 There is a great scholar who will debate for me!
Chapter 1925 There is a great scholar who will debate for me!
The clamor in the Golden Palace, which was as noisy as a boiling pot just now, suddenly froze when the eunuch shouted "Silence!"
All the quarreling faces froze, and the arms waving excitedly stopped in mid-air, and then quickly retracted as if pressed down by an invisible hand.
The officials lowered their heads in panic, straightening their sleeves that were wrinkled in the argument, but their hearts were beating like drums. They looked away, not daring to touch the figure on the steps.
There was an almost tangible panic in the air, like the suffocating silence before a storm.
In this dead silence, Chu Ning slowly stood up.
His movements were not swift, and were even somewhat calm, but every tiny step he took touched countless frightened hearts of His Highness.
The hem of his dark uniform brushed against the cold imperial steps as he walked to the forefront of the Danbi.
Like a lone eagle standing on the top of a cliff, he looked down at the dark and trembling ministers below him.
His cold gaze, like an invisible searchlight, slowly swept across the entire audience.
He paused briefly on the faces of the surrenderists such as Li Bi and Wang Yu, which were a mixture of expectation and flattery, and then passed coldly across the faces of the conciliatory faction such as Liao Qian and Zhang Yi, who were trying to remain calm but could not hide their paleness.
Finally, he swept over those centrists who remained silent and wished they could shrink into the cracks of the ground.
Everyone whose eyes touched felt a chill running from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.
Finally, he spoke.
The voice was not loud, but it had a texture like metallic friction, and it was clearly transmitted deep into everyone's eardrums. Every word was like an icicle, hitting the heart.
"Is the argument over?"
He asked calmly, his tone expressing no emotion, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine.
No one dared to answer.
The corner of Chu Ning's mouth curled up into a very faint arc, but full of ridicule and cruelty.
"I've had enough of your noise."
He continued, "The Han imperial family, Dugu Jia, Liu Xiang... Keeping them around would only bring disaster, a symbol of the lingering ghosts of the previous dynasty, and a thought that some people shouldn't have!"
His gaze suddenly became sharp, like a real blade, slashing across the faces of Liao Qian and the others:
"Some people say that killing people without mercy will lose people's support? What a joke!"
His voice rose a few notches, carrying an unquestionable dominance. "My Great Chu rose from the western frontier, and wherever our iron cavalry went, we annihilated five kingdoms in a row!"
"Qin, Zhao, Yan, Jin, and Wei, which one of them wasn't a dynasty that lasted for hundreds of years? Which of their royal families wasn't uprooted and completely purged by me?"
"Why is the Han Dynasty an exception? Is it because it has been established longer? Or is it because its so-called benevolence is more extensive?"
He waved his sleeves suddenly, bringing up a gust of cold wind:
"In my opinion, there is no difference! The remnants of the old era should be swept into the grave of history!"
"Only by completely crushing the totems of the old dynasty can we establish the absolute authority of the new dynasty!"
Then, he turned to the arguments raised by Zhang Yi, Xu Chun and others regarding the unstable situation, his tone more sarcastic:
"As for what you say, that killing them will cause unrest, that's sheer nonsense! Open your eyes and see clearly!"
"Now, the Great Chu has occupied the lands of seven kingdoms, with a million soldiers and cavalry as numerous as clouds, and fertile lands stretching for thousands of miles. Under my sword and order, the people's hearts will naturally gradually come to my side!"
"I have unified the nine dynasties of the Central Plains and encompass the four seas! This is a magnificent trend, like a rushing river, unstoppable!"
His voice, like a huge bell, echoed in the hall, with an almost barbaric confidence:
"The people of the world may be ignorant, but they are never stupid!"
"They can clearly see who is strong and who is weak, and who can bring them order and a chance to survive!"
"At this moment, who would dare to speak out and stir up trouble for a dynasty that has already perished and a worthless mother and son?"
"That would be going against the will of heaven and going against the will of the world! The result will only be being crushed to pieces!"
These words were overbearing and cold, yet they carried a desperate logic based on immense strength.
He denounced all the arguments of the Huairou faction as pedantic, out-of-touch and noisy.
Li Bi, Wang Yu and others were overwhelmed with emotion after hearing this. They felt proud and looked at Chu Ning with fanatical eyes.
Liao Qian, Zhang Yi and others were pale and their bodies were shaking slightly, as if their faith had collapsed.
Chu Ning no longer gave them any chance to argue. His gaze, like the gavel of the final judgment, fell on the leading Huairou officials.
"Hanlin Academy Scholar Liao Qian!"
He called out the names, his voice icy cold: "Extremely pedantic, confusing the court!"
"Zhang Yi, Junior Minister of the Imperial Court!"
The second name spit out: "Presumptuously guessing the emperor's will and shaking the foundation of the country!"
"Xu Chun, Doctor of the Imperial College!"
The third name, with undisguised disgust: "Old and foolish, with rude words!"
Every time a name was called, the face of the person being called became paler and his body trembled more violently.
"And just now..."
Chu Ning's eyes swept across the crowd, taking in several officials who had previously whispered in agreement or tried to support the Huairou faction.
When his gaze locked on her, she felt as if struck by lightning and collapsed to the ground.
"All those who seconded the proposal to pardon the pseudo-Han imperial family, you are eating the Han's salary, yet you are falsely claiming the old favors in the new dynasty. Your hearts are worthy of death!"
He paused, and finally gave the bloody order:
"Capture these individuals, and all those who just agreed! Strip off your official uniforms and take them to the Meridian Gate—"
His voice was firm and emotionless, "Execute!"
"boom--!"
It was like thunder exploding in their minds! Although they had a premonition, when the word "execution" actually came out of the emperor's mouth, the huge fear and disbelief still instantly overwhelmed those people!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you can't do that!"
Liao Qian suddenly raised his head, his face no longer showing the previous elegance and calmness, but was replaced by extreme horror and a kind of anger of betrayal.
"You are killing people indiscriminately and blocking the channels of expression. Aren't you afraid that the people will be disheartened and alienated? You are alienating yourself from the people of the world!!!"
"Chang'an City has just been settled, and you're already taking action against us officials. This will definitely cause unrest among the people!"
"Do you want to see an unstable Chang'an City?"
He almost roared, making his final struggle.
Chu Ning looked at him like a madman, and the sneer on his face became even stronger.
He seemed to have heard an extremely ridiculous question, and he coldly spat out a sentence that chilled Liao Qian, and everyone in the hall who still clung to the ideals of the old-fashioned scholar-officials, to the bone:
"People's hearts? When I conquer the last of the Tang Dynasty, unify the Central Plains, and encompass the four seas—"
He leaned forward slightly, staring into Liao Qian's desperate eyes, each word clearly spoken:
"There is a great scholar who understands the current situation and will debate the classics for me!"