Several days prior, in the Taiji Palace of Chang'an, during the morning court.
After the daily work arrangements were made, Li Shimin sat high on the dragon throne, surveying the officials in the hall.
Deng Dengjie stood beside him, flicked his horsetail whisk, and shouted in a sharp voice: "Present your memorials if you have any matters, otherwise disperse!"
This sentence also marked the end of the court session.
But just then, a person stepped out of the ranks and bowed to Li Shimin.
"Your subject, Mao Mingda, Left Advisor of the Department of the Door, has a matter to report!"
"Your subject impeaches Fang Anzhi, the Duke of Shenyang, for using the guise of investigating a case to lead his troops to plunder Shandong Dao and kill thousands of innocent people."
"Not only that, but he even dared to use firearms against the Emperor's bloodline, and the Kong family's Langya branch was completely annihilated."
"I implore His Majesty to issue a decree recalling the Duke of Shenyang to the capital to report on his duties."
Upon these words, the hall instantly erupted in an uproar.
Fang Anzhi annihilated a branch of the Kong family?
Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Li Jing, Changsun Wuji, and others were all shocked by this news.
Even Li Shimin felt his head buzzing. To read.
What was the Kong family?
They were an aristocratic family even older than the Five Great Clans and Seven Noble Houses!
Their bloodline and disciples were spread across the land!
With a thousand years of accumulation, who knew how deep their heritage was?
Wei Zheng, from among the crowd, stepped forward, about to speak, when someone else beat him to it.
"Your subject, Zhu Yixiang, Right Advisor of the Department of the Central Secretariat, reports to His Majesty!"
"These past couple of days, Your subject has also heard similar rumors."
"As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire, and such a matter would not be baseless."
"Therefore, I implore His Majesty to issue a decree summoning the Duke of Shenyang back to the capital to report and defend himself!"
"Where did you hear of this matter!"
After a long while, Li Shimin, with a grim expression, looked at Mao and Zhu and asked.
Fang Anzhi went to Shandong to investigate the case of the national debt being robbed. It would be impossible for him to attack the Kong family without reason. Could it be that the Kong family was indeed related to the robbery of the national debt?
Just these past two days, a report was received from the Hundred Horsemen Division stating that Fang Er had divided his troops into five routes to suppress bandits, but the report did not mention the Kong family.
Mao Mingda quickly replied, "Your Majesty, after Your subject's duty yesterday, a group of commoners came to the door, claiming to be survivors who had escaped from the clutches of the Duke of Shenyang's poison."
"They are currently outside the palace and can be summoned for questioning at any time."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately ordered the commoners Mao Mingda spoke of to be summoned.
More than twenty people, all in tattered clothes and with haggard faces, knelt down with a thud as soon as they entered the Taiji Palace.
"Your Majesty, please uphold justice for us commoners!"
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Shenyang he..."
These people began to cry out in the hall, one after another.
In short, it was about how Fang Er, under the guise of suppressing bandits, committed atrocities and massacred the innocent.
After they finished speaking, everyone in the hall could not believe their ears.
Was this still the Fang Anzhi who had destroyed three kingdoms and done countless deeds for the Great Tang?
"Your Majesty! Your subject agrees with the proposals of Masters Mao and Zhu, and implores that Fang Anzhi be summoned back to the capital to report!"
"If the matter is true, Your subject requests his execution!"
"Your subject seconds!"
"Your subject seconds!"
"Your subject seconds!"
"Your Majesty, the sage cannot be insulted!"
"What position does Fang Anzhi's actions place the sage in!"
"Since the Spring and Autumn period, Confucianism has educated all people, with immeasurable merit. The sage's disciples naturally enjoy the sage's radiance and are admired by all. Why must they suffer such a cruel fate? I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree for a thorough investigation!"
"Your Majesty, Your subject requests that the Hundred Horsemen Division be dispatched to apprehend him and bring him to the capital for interrogation!"
"Your Majesty, Your subject requests a trial by the Three Judicial Offices!"
"Your Majesty, Your subject seconds!"
~~~~~
For a time, all the censors in the hall spoke out. The first few merely suggested that Fang Er be summoned back to the capital to report and defend himself.
But then, it escalated to apprehension and interrogation, and trial by the Three Judicial Offices!
In the end, some even took advantage of the chaotic scene and shouted for troops to be dispatched to suppress the Heavenly Fire Army.
"Presumptuous!"
Li Shimin was enraged. He directly rose from his dragon throne, pointing at the officials and roaring!
"What kind of order is this, with all this clamor!"
"This is the Taiji Palace, not the East and West Markets!"
"Your Majesty."
Du Ruhui, who had been silent, stepped forward.
"Your subject believes that the matter of the national debt is of great importance and involves disaster relief. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to directly summon the Duke of Shenyang back at this time."
"Perhaps, we should first send someone to Shandong Dao to verify the matter."
"Your Majesty, Your subject objects!"
"If this matter is true, and we do not prepare early, I fear that by the time of verification, Shandong Dao will be littered with corpses!"
"I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree summoning Fang Anzhi back to the capital! To uphold justice for the sage's descendants!"
Mao Mingda finished speaking and actually knelt down, kowtowing three times.
"I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree!"
"I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree!"
"I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree!"
In the Taiji Palace, hundreds of officials, more than half of them, actually knelt down!
Only some military officials and the ministers of the Six Ministries remained standing, looking at this scene blankly.
In their minds, the same two words flashed simultaneously with Li Shimin.
Coercion!
This scene was eerily similar to how they had forced Li Yuan to abdicate after the Xuanwu Gate Incident?
"You are coercing朕?"
Li Shimin was furious!
Precisely because he had engaged in coercion himself, he could not tolerate such a thing happening to him.
He immediately kicked over the low table beside the dragon throne, strode past the imperial steps, and threw himself at the feet of the crowd.
"Your subjects dare not!"
Led by Mao Mingda, the officials kneeling on the ground cunningly retorted, their faces not blushing and their hearts not skipping a beat.
Wei Zheng now felt like ten thousand grass-mud horses were stampeding in his heart. Damn it, he had gotten mixed up with these people just moments ago!
"Well said, 'dare not'!"
"Come, count for me, how many of the officials in this court have knelt down!"
"Since朕 ascended the throne, I have never received such a grand gesture!"
"For a report that even the Hundred Horsemen Division has not yet received, you have made such a commotion.朕 truly cannot fathom the reason!"
Some matters, even if he were the Emperor and knew the truth, could not be spoken aloud!
Without corroborating evidence, if spoken, the consequences would be even more severe than what was currently happening!
"Replying to Your Majesty, there were two hundred and thirty-seven officials present at the morning court today."
"A total of one hundred and seventy-six officials have knelt down."
As soon as Li Shimin stopped, Deng Dengjie loudly announced the counted results.
"Hahahaha!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
"I did not expect that my officials would all be so devoted to the people's welfare!"
"Disperse the court! All your requests will be discussed after the Hundred Horsemen Division has investigated the matter!"
Li Shimin, filled with rage and amusement, flicked his sleeves and walked towards the back of the hall.
Before the Hundred Horsemen Division reported back, it was impossible to determine who was right and who was wrong, but he absolutely did not believe that Fang Er would act in a way that massacred the innocent.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you cannot!"
"Your Majesty, this matter is of great consequence and must be investigated as soon as possible!"
The officials kneeling on the ground, seeing Li Shimin directly announce the dispersal of the court, began to clamor again.