Chapter 167 – Historically Memorable Villainy Arc
Su Shi stared at Song Rong for a while. Then he withdrew his arms, tightened the cloak around his body, and continued walking up the stairs without saying a word.
Su Shi put his hands inside his sleeves and held the small hand stove. The warmth from the hand stove seeped into his body, combating the biting cold wind outside.
Song Rong’s dark eyes lit up and he hurriedly followed behind Lu Li. His footsteps were light and unhurried, matching Lu Li step for step and protecting the prime minister’s back as he forged ahead towards the court hall.
The young emperor raised his head. Through the strings of decorative beads on his crown, he saw Lu Li slowly walking into the court hall.
Lu Li was still alive.
The emperor had spent a night in apprehensive terror, tossing and turning in bed. His heart finally calmed upon seeing Lu Li.
The familiar instinctive deep-rooted hatred he felt rose up again. This hatred was what had carried him through the years. It kept him from yielding to Lu Li and saw him through the years as a neglected prince. Now he was finally the emperor, respected by all.
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Reviewing the hatred and reluctance he went through in his memory, Song Zhilan narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze was once again as sharp as the edge of a knife. He chilling gaze fell upon Lu Li’s body.
The person below* him in the court hall seemed to have sensed something. He raised his head and glanced at the young emperor. His expression shifted into a familiar look of arrogance and indifference.
[*T/N: The emperor’s throne is placed on a dais above his subjects.]
That person didn’t even bother to confront the emperor. The corners of his lips curled up in faint ridicule. He carelessly flicked his sleeves behind him and crossed his hands behind his back. He remained exactly where he was, right at the front of the court.
The court was in an uproar, and all the ministers were instantly outraged. They all accused Lu Li of being ungrateful and disrespectful, but Song Zhilan had no intention of listening.
How could such a person be harboring any secret difficulties? He was simply too arrogant and egotistical. That was all. He was over thinking the situation for no reason.
Song Zhilan’s grip on the throne slowly tightened and his eyes gradually darkened. His voice had gone utterly cold: “The right minister, Lu Li, has been arrogant and domineering for five years. He has harmed devoted subjects, trampled over the imperial court as if it were his, and bore arms against the emperor and forced him to abdicate. He has long harbored a treacherous heart. Today, we are holding court to discuss his crimes. All the ministers should know that there is no need to hold back your words.”
A high ranking official from the Imperial Court of Judicial Review was the first to step up. He made an impassioned statement, complaining about Lu Li’s various crimes.
The right minister has long been coercing the imperial court. Regardless of whether the ministers were loyal, treacherous, good, or evil, they were all abruptly filled with righteous indignation as if they all wanted to skin Lu Li and pick his bones.
Disorder fell as everyone clamored to accuse Lu Li.
Song Rong stood at the sidelines. He remained silent, as his heart grew cold.
Although he has not been in court for a long time, he was by no means a fool. Those charges were obviously not groundless. Since the courtiers dared to accuse Lu Li like this, even if there were exaggerations and distortions, it must be because Lu Li did do these things.
But why on earth would he do this?
It was obvious that he did not need to make himself the target of public criticism while still being able to win the people’s hearts from both sides. Could it really be that, as he got more and more powerful he grew arrogant and considered everyone to be beneath him, thus cutting off any route of escape for himself?
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Song Rong’s eyebrows knitted tighter and tighter together as he looked at the person at the front of the court.
Since entering the court hall, Lu Li has not said a single world. He just stood there proudly and silently. His eyes seemed be closed. It was hard to tell if he was even listening to all the accusations flung at him.
“Prime Minister of the Right-”
The Minister of Revenue’s voice was clear and sonorous, speaking over the noisy clamor of the court. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting towards Lu Li. “Things are already like this, the right prime minister must not continue to blunder. Compared to the wealth that the right prime minister has accumulated over the years, the money and goods that the government seized from the prime minister’s mansion is nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Right now, the state treasury is in debt. Would the prime minister be willing to donate the remainder of his wealth to atone for his crimes?”
Although Lu Li has been in control of the court these years, wantonly exploiting officials in the court, and taking bribes to fill his own pockets, he was not tyrannical in his governance, and he was not harsh on the people.
The Minister of Revenue was promoted to his spot from a vice-minister of one of the Six boards. Because of the relatively generous taxation policy, his disgust towards Lu Li was not as bad as that of the other officials in the court.
Seeing how all the other officials were hurling accusations one after another as if they wanted to consign Lu Li to eternal damnation, the Minister of Revenue could not help interrupting and quietly offering Lu Li a way to redeem himself.
“What a joke! Lu Li is guilty of terrible crimes. He has been fined and his property confiscated. His wealth already belongs to the state treasury, so what do you mean by donating his wealth to atone for his crimes?”
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The high-ranking official from the Imperial Court of Judicial Review stepped out of line and sneered. Glancing at the figure in black, he snapped out a sentence fiercely, “Lu Li, if you’re still hiding wealth that you have not reported then that’s another crime!”
Su Shi chuckled and finally spoke. “I’m going to be dead anyway. If you must open my coffin, kill the corpse, destroy the bones, and burn everything to ashes, then go ahead.” He looked around casually as if he hadn’t paid attention to the overwhelming verbal criticism at all. “What this Lu Li desired was nothing more than to have a good time and indulge to my heart’s content while I lived. I’ve never cared about what would happen after my death. Money is merely a worldly possession. [I spent it on] Brocade garments, fine dining, good wine, and fleshly pleasures, in the blink of eye, all the money is gone. How could I still have any money left?”
The prime minister’s tone was extraordinarily arrogant and frivolous, making the high-ranking official’s expression turn cloudy, but the man did not dare to be too unbridled in court. In the end, the man repressed his anger, flicked his sleeves sharply, and returned to his place in line.
The Minister of Revenue was also choked dumb for a moment. With a regretful look on his face, he sighed softly, and also retreated.
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The Big Landlord
Chapter 154.1
Chapter 153.3
Chapter 153.2
Chapter 153.1
Chapter 152.2
Chapter 152.1
Chapter 151.3
Chapter 151.2
Chapter 151.1
Didn’t Love You Enough
Chapter 118
Chapter 117
Chapter 116
Chapter 115
Chapter 114
Chapter 113
Chapter 112
Chapter 111
This Alpha’s Pheromones Are Exploding
Chapter 141
Chapter 140
Chapter 139
Chapter 138
Chapter 137
Chapter 136
Chapter 135
Chapter 134
Chapter 133
Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending!
Chapter 117
Chapter 116
Chapter 115
Chapter 114
Chapter 113
Chapter 112
Chapter 111
Chapter 110
Chapter 109
Chapter 108
Let Me Shoulder this Blame!
Chapter 176
Chapter 175
Chapter 174
Chapter 173
Chapter 172
Chapter 171
Chapter 170
Chapter 169
Chapter 168