Li Chengqian pressed his hands down, bringing silence to the crowd once more.
He walked down the steps with his hands behind his back, entering the area of the common people and casually pointed to one of them.
"You all say it's too chaotic, let's go one by one. You speak first!"
"Me... is it me?"
The person he pointed at seemed flattered, quickly getting up and pointing to himself in disbelief.
"That's right, it's you!" Li Chengqian nodded.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
The man took two excited steps forward and bowed.
"Your humble subject Zhu Dachang, pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
He then continued, "Thank you for your favor, Your Highness."
"I have nothing to say. Such rebellious traitors deserve to die!"
"Cut them down with a single sword, and confiscate their property!"
"I am done speaking..."
He looked expectantly at Li Chengqian, wondering if his suggestion would be accepted.
"You sit first, you!"
Li Chengqian smiled at him and pointed to another person.
"Your humble subject Yang Bian..."
"No need for formalities, speak your mind."
"Yes, yes, yes. Your humble subject believes they received the country's grace and enjoyed wealth and status, yet they failed to be loyal to the nation. Instead, they undermined the foundation of the country and should be executed!"
"Their descendants and family members, who benefited from their grace, not only failed to supervise and advise but also did not report them immediately. They should be punished as accomplices, executed!"
"However, your humble subject believes that exterminating three generations of their kin is sufficient. Beyond the third generation, there is little interaction, so it is not advisable to implicate them excessively."
"Sit, you!"
Li Chengqian did not express his opinion and continued to call on another person to speak.
"Your humble subject Mao Gousheng. I am just a dirty fellow who digs gold, I don't understand any grand principles."
"But I know that peaceful days are given by the Emperor."
"Anyone who dares to oppose the Emperor should die!"
"Even exterminating ten generations of their kin would not be too much!"
...
Li Chengqian patiently questioned all one hundred and eight people one by one.
Time passed slowly, the torches in the square extinguished, and the sky had already brightened.
Although each person only spoke for a short few tens of seconds, it still took nearly two hours for all one hundred and eight people to finish.
Li Chengqian looked at these simple and honest commoners, and never had he felt the burden on his shoulders so heavy!
He stood before the wooden dragon throne and looked coldly at the officials.
"Now!"
"Does anyone else have a different opinion!"
"Your subject supports the judgment of exterminating three generations!"
Finally, an official stepped forward.
"Your subject seconds!"
"Your subject seconds!"
"..."
These officials had no choice. Rebellion, according to the law, was punishable by the extermination of nine generations of kin.
Pleading for leniency was absolutely out of the question.
But if they didn't plead, more than half of the officials present would be implicated!
Now that a commoner representative had proposed the judgment of exterminating three generations, who wouldn't seize this opportunity to extricate themselves?
A cold smile curved Li Chengqian's lips.
"So, are the commoner representatives acceptable?"
All the officials were instantly speechless.
This move was too ruthless!
It was equivalent to placing a knife directly to their throats!
If they said no, the commoners' suggestions would naturally be discarded, and the sentencing for the Three Kings, Four Dukes, and others would be re-discussed.
According to the law, nine generations...
Wei Zheng stood up, tidied his robes, and walked with a commanding gait to the center of the square, speaking righteously.
"Your subject believes it is feasible!"
"In fact, the role of these commoner representatives is no different from that of censors."
"Therefore, they should be incorporated into the Censorate."
"Given the identity of censors."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Zhang Gongjin, who had just taken a bite of melon, almost choked to death upon hearing this!
He looked at Fang Er in astonishment.
"Holy crap, Wei Tie Wa really dares to think big!"
Fang Er was also speechless.
This guy truly wasn't afraid of overreaching himself!
If Wei Zheng, who managed the Censorate, were to truly incorporate the commoner representatives into the Censorate, his authority would skyrocket!
"Otherwise, your subject believes they should be under the Ministry of Personnel."
"No, no, no, they should be under the Ministry of Rites..."
The Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites successively stepped forward.
Li Daozong, Li Shentong, and others, with their hands bound behind their backs, knelt facing away from the crowd.
Their disheveled hair concealed their gagged mouths.
No one saw the look of terror and despair on their faces at that moment.
They had schemed painstakingly to prevent Li Shimin from reforming the system, only to have Li Chengqian brutally break it through their actions!
Not only did he break it!
He also smoothly pushed the representative council into the open, making it impossible for the officials to refuse!
"Since no one else opposes the representative council, then today's court session will conclude here!"
"Effective immediately, the Lower House will be established, with representatives selected from across the nation!"
"The specific affiliations and personnel numbers will be discussed on another day!"
"As for the Three Kings, Four Dukes, and Twenty-Five Noble Families, as per the ministers' suggestion, three generations of their kin will be exterminated!"
"Court dismissed!"
Cleanly and decisively, without any lingering hesitation, after announcing the judgment on Li Daozong and others, Li Chengqian waved his sleeve and turned to walk towards Li Shimin.
"Father, the court session has concluded. Your son will escort you back to the palace."
"Mm, yes, yes, yes!"
Li Shimin did not express any opinion, chewing on his melon, and allowed Li Chengqian to help him up and walk towards the inner palace.
"We respectfully see off His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince!"
All the officials quickly bowed to see off the father and son.
Then they exchanged glances, each looking very helpless.
Wei Zheng was somewhat disappointed. He hadn't managed to get the representative council under the Censorate this time, and it would be difficult to have such an opportunity again.
As for the commoners, they spontaneously prostrated themselves three times before getting up and heading out of the palace.
Li Daozong, Zhangsun Shunde, and others were re-escorted away by the Hundred Riders Guard.
Even though his own uncle was among them, Zhangsun Wuji didn't even glance at him.
Damn it, thankfully it was only three generations. If it were nine, he wouldn't be able to extricate himself!
He stood up with a laugh and said to Fang Er with a smile.
"Hahaha, my son-in-law, let's go. We haven't had a good drink together yet. Let's go to my manor today!"
"I've already sent someone to Yangzhou to pick up Ling'er, and we'll stay at home tonight."
Zhang Gongjin picked the melon seeds from the corner of his mouth, flicked them away, and grinned.
"Your place isn't fun! I heard that the Hundred Flowers Pavilion has a new batch of Japanese women, and they'll be accepting guests in the next few days. Let's go check them out."
Whether it was the Three Kings and Four Dukes, or the Twenty-Five Noble Families, they had nothing to do with him. Let them die if they wanted to!
Fang Er heard this, but instead of mentioning that the Japanese women were already in the Eastern Palace, he quickly moved far away.
As expected.
The next second, Zhangsun Wuji flew over and kicked him.
"You damned Zhang Gongjin, you're asking for a beating, don't blame me!"
Zhang Gongjin was kicked ten feet away on the spot, and Zhangsun Wuji lunged forward, pinning him down and raining blows upon him.
"Damn it, Old Man Zhangsun, I was kindly inviting you gentlemen to enjoy yourselves together, and you're trying to kill me!"
"Damn it, I'm fighting back!"
For a moment, the two wrestled, rolling around on the square of the Taiji Hall.
Fang Er shook his head speechlessly. It seemed that this scene occurred at every grand court session.