63Chapter 63: The Law of Heaven and Earth, This is a Difficult Example
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There was no doubt that the 'treacherous minister' Empress Dowager Dou spoke of referred to Chen Xi, or, to put it more seriously, the Chen clan.
She had originally thought no one would refute her words.
After all, she was the Empress Dowager!
But she had clearly forgotten one thing—the people of the Chen clan were not ordinary, especially Guandu Marquis.
After enjoying a few years of good life, people always tend to become a bit conceited, like Empress Dowager Dou at this moment; she had forgotten that Chen Yun had dared to draw his sword and directly intervene when the succession of a brother to the throne was mentioned in the palace earlier. She thought she was a high and mighty Empress Dowager whom no one could oppress.
"Heh heh."
"Empress Dowager, your words are mistaken."
Emperor Jing and Chen Xi hadn't spoken yet, but Chen Yun, who was sitting there, first opened his eyes, a hint of disdain in his brows—he understood the Empress Dowager's meaning and what she was thinking, so he stepped forward.
Chen Xi was, after all, a junior and couldn't be so audacious in front of the Empress Dowager.
He cleared his throat, then said, "Princess Guantao selling official positions and titles is a grave crime. Let alone being His Majesty's sister, even if it were His Majesty's son, this crime, if spoken of broadly, is tantamount to treason."
Chen Yun chuckled softly: "The grave crime of treason can lead to the extermination of nine generations of a family."
"At this moment, out of consideration for His Majesty, merely confiscating her property and confining her to a Taoist temple to become a nun is already the best possible outcome."
"How can the Empress Dowager say there are treacherous ministers in the court?"
He slowly sighed: "However, there are indeed some treacherous ministers in the court, who could reduce such a grave crime to such a light punishment."
Chen Yun's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining that benevolent, smiling demeanor, but his words caused Empress Dowager Dou's expression to shift several times.
"Since that's the case, then retract the judgment of 'treacherous ministers'."
At this point, Chen Yun's expression suddenly changed, and then he looked at Emperor Jing and said, "Your Majesty, this old subject wishes to impeach Princess Guantao. Selling official positions and titles is a crime equivalent to treason, and she should be punished by the extermination of three generations of her family."
"However, although the Princess has married, she is still a member of the imperial family, so there is no need to exterminate three generations."
"Please, Your Majesty, in accordance with Han law, sentence Princess Guantao to the waist-chop execution; all her children and relatives above ten years old should be beheaded, and those under ten years old, males exiled to Lingnan, and females sent to the official brothels."
Chen Yun's expression remained unchanged, with a thunderous rage in his brows.
Then, before Empress Dowager Dou could speak, he said again, "Emperor Gaozu once left an imperial edict: the empresses and concubines shall not interfere in government affairs."
"Now the Empress Dowager interferes in government affairs, defying Emperor Gaozu's imperial edict."
"According to Emperor Gaozu's imperial edict and Han law, the Empress Dowager's esteemed position should be stripped, she should be demoted to a commoner, confined to the inner palace, and never allowed to leave."
"Please, Your Majesty, act according to Emperor Gaozu's imperial edict and Han law!"
After he finished speaking, everyone present fell into a deathly silence, all staring at Chen Yun as if looking at an incredibly brave warrior.
They had originally thought Chen Xi was courageous enough, but now, compared to Chen Yun, he was but a small wizard facing a great one!
This one was truly courageous!
His son only dealt with a princess, but this one had already taken on the Emperor's mother, the late Emperor's widow, the current Empress Dowager!
At this moment, no one dared to speak, not even Empress Dowager Dou, who recalled the fear of being dominated by the Chen clan earlier.
She understood that the Chen clan truly possessed this ability and capability!
She further understood that her earlier desire for the Emperor to pass the throne to Prince of Liang had already angered the Emperor; although the Emperor seemed to still respect her, only he knew what he truly thought in his heart.
Empress Dowager Dou glared at Chen Yun, but couldn't utter a single word.
The entire Weiyang Palace was enveloped in a desolate, chilling, and silent atmosphere.
At this moment, the usually stern Chen Yun suddenly let out a slow laugh: "The Empress Dowager wouldn't think this old subject would truly say such things, would she?"
He smiled, but the coldness in his brows showed that he wasn't truly smiling, and the Empress Dowager wouldn't truly believe that what he said before was just a joke.
But at this moment, Chen Yun had already provided an out, so how could Empress Dowager Dou not take it?
Chen Yun's expression remained gentle at this time, but he said firmly: "The laws of heaven and earth, this precedent is difficult to set."
"Princess Guantao's matter absolutely cannot set a precedent; if this precedent is set, all the years of hard work of The Late Emperor and Emperor Gaozu will turn into smoke and mirrors."
"Does the Empress Dowager wish to see The Late Emperor's lifelong efforts all come to naught? Does the Empress Dowager wish to see the good reputation The Late Emperor earned among the Qian Shou through a lifetime of effort be ruined in an instant because of this foolish daughter?"
He looked at Empress Dowager Dou and said: "Empress Dowager, you might as well ask your brother, because of Princess Guantao's selling of official positions and titles, what has the public opinion of The Late Emperor become?"
"When a child is not taught, it is the father's fault."
"What has become of the lives of the Qian Shou in the counties where officials were sold by Princess Guantao, and have they begun to curse The Late Emperor daily?"
"They will not detest Princess Guantao, because they only know that Princess Guantao's power comes from her being The Late Emperor's daughter!"
Upon mentioning The Late Emperor, Empress Dowager Dou's muddled mind suddenly seemed to return to normal.
Between her husband and her daughter, she would definitely choose her husband.
Her cloudy eyes looked at Princess Guantao, then slowly closed: "Prime Minister Chen is right, let it be done as Prime Minister Chen said."
Empress Dowager Dou sighed deeply and said: "This old woman was muddled; I almost ruined The Late Emperor's reputation because of this wicked creature."
After speaking, she left tottering, just as she had arrived.
At this moment, the Emperor, like a mascot, finally spoke.
After a few words of emotion, he pronounced his judgment on Princess Guantao.
.... .....
In the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign, Princess Guantao was impeached by Guandu Marquis and Marquis Wen, father and son, for selling official positions and titles. At that time, the Emperor, also enraged by Princess Guantao's crimes, confiscated her property and confined her to a Taoist temple.
Upon this incident, the extravagant customs throughout the land came to a halt.
Because everyone knew this was a warning from the Chen clan to the people of the world.
Wasn't Princess Guantao targeted by the Chen clan because of her extravagance?
Was anyone's status more esteemed than Princess Guantao's?
Dream on.
Even the Empress Dowager couldn't stop Guandu Marquis, let alone others.
After the extravagant customs ceased, the world returned to a peaceful and tranquil life, and Emperor Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
His difficult old mother was sent back to the inner palace, this time even more heartbroken and unwilling to bother with court affairs, which for Emperor Jing, how could it not be a good thing?
.... ...
The rustling autumn wind, time like spring water, flows away never to return.
In the blink of an eye, the thirteenth year of Emperor Jing's reign arrived.
This year, the struggle for the Crown Prince slowly began.
PS: Recently, firstly due to final exams week and strict school inspections, and secondly due to the conclusion of another book, writing has been very difficult, so I can only manage four thousand characters a month for now. Next month, with the summer break and the other book finished, I should be able to resume adding more updates, and I'll make up for it little by little then. Also, please support continued reading QAQ If the completion rate drops, Xihongshi will start limiting the amount.