PDLP Chapter 322 Rescue
Chapter 322 Rescue
Once the emperor spoke, the matter was settled.
Most of the military generals came from poor backgrounds and achieved their current status by fighting alongside the late emperor.
Born into hardship, they naturally knew how helpless ordinary people were when faced with a plague; a slight mishap could cost millions of lives.
These powerful and influential families, with their deep-rooted resources, naturally had no fear of the plague. They simply needed to stay at home and wait for the plague to disappear.
But if ordinary people cannot go out to find a living, they will starve to death even if they do not contract the plague.
Therefore, they breathed a sigh of relief after the emperor spoke.
General Chu was worried about Wen Shuyao being in Jiangnan, and upon hearing the emperor's words, he was the happiest person present.
He glanced coldly at Minister Liu and his group, and sneered a few times: "They're nothing but cowards who fear death. No wonder they can only utter such weak words."
"His Majesty is concerned about the people and will naturally do his utmost to turn the tide and resolve this plague." He paused, then added, "Moreover, Jiangnan has been a land of plenty since ancient times. If we cut off contact with Jiangnan, where will your families get their rice and grain?"
"Could it be that the rice and grain in Minister Liu's and Lord Gan's households fell from the sky?"
Lord Liu knew that General Chu was always unforgiving when it came to matters involving Wen Shuyao, so he simply kept quiet and did not argue with General Chu.
But Lord Gan frowned and looked down on military officers. He had always looked down on military officers. Even though the Chu family was a family with a hundred-year history, in his mind, military officers were people who were born lowly.
When General Chu mocked him in a sarcastic tone, implying he wasn't minced meat, the anger in his heart was instantly ignited.
"If we don't sever ties with Jiangnan, the entire capital will be doomed," Lord Gan retorted sharply. "Throughout history, disaster-stricken refugees have always fled to the capital. If a million refugees were to gather outside the capital... could the capital withstand it?"
"Your Majesty!" Minister Gan turned and bowed to the Emperor. "I beg Your Majesty to see the truth! This old minister is utterly loyal! This old minister only thinks of protecting Your Majesty and ensuring the safety of the capital!"
"You already know the plague is incurable before we've even started treatment?" General Chu sneered. "Lord Gan is being far too pessimistic."
"With Prince Jing in charge of Yongcheng, the plague in Yongcheng will surely be brought under control in a short time." General Chu spoke of Xie Jinghan with great confidence, "And there are also the imperial physicians and doctors sent by His Majesty."
"With so many people here, how could a mere plague not be cured?" General Chu said, then gave Lord Gan a cold look. "Or is it that Lord Gan has been longing for this day?"
Upon hearing this, Lord Gan's face turned bright red with anger.
"I can't reason with a rude and unreasonable military officer like you!" Lord Gan angrily flung his sleeve, "I'm ashamed to be associated with you!"
Upon hearing this, the military officers beside General Chu immediately widened their eyes like copper bells, glaring fiercely at Lord Gan: "You look down on us military officers for being rude? Where were you when we were fighting on the border?"
"They'll probably complain that we've killed too many Northern Barbarians!"
"Civil officials are cowards!"
Chaos erupted in the imperial court.
Some, harboring personal grudges, seized the opportunity to make a move.
Lord Gan was punched on the head. He clutched his wound, felt his vision go black, staggered a few steps, and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the civil officials naturally assumed that the military officers had made the first move, so they also grabbed their ivory tablets and threw them at the nearest military officer.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, watching as General Chu punched Lord Gan first, and then saw Commander Leng kick Minister Liu in the chaos. For a moment, he rubbed his tightly furrowed brows, his headache growing worse.
Seeing this, Li Dehai quickly instructed the guards around him: "If you see the fight getting fierce, you must step forward to stop it."
Such things had happened countless times during the grand court assembly, and they had long since become accustomed to it.
The emperor saw the chaos in the hall and called out several times, but there was no response from the people below.
Left with no other choice, he could only obey Li Dehai's orders.
……
Back in the Taiji Hall, the emperor was exhausted.
The Empress brought the chicken soup she had personally prepared to the Emperor.
He looked at his wife behind the thick steam and suddenly sighed heavily: "I still can't rest easy."
"I even want to... I want to go to Yongcheng myself." The emperor said with a frown, "I can't rest easy when I think about him going to Yongcheng. I want to see with my own eyes whether he is alright."
Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled helplessly: "Your Majesty only wants to send the Imperial Guards to Yongcheng, and these aristocratic families are jumping up and down in opposition like cats whose feet have been stepped on. If you go to Yongcheng yourself... I'm afraid they will all kill themselves in the Taiji Hall to persuade you to change your mind."
The emperor was a wise and virtuous ruler. Under his rule, the Great Li Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous. Although the powerful families were restricted and weakened year after year, life in times of peace was always better than in times of chaos.
The powerful families wanted to eliminate Xie Jinghan, the sharpest sword in the emperor's hand, but not the emperor himself.
Therefore, they wanted Xie Jinghan dead, but did not want to see the emperor harmed.
Hearing the Empress's words, the Emperor rubbed his furrowed brow: "I know, I'm just worried about Jing Han."
"They all think that I and Jinghan will eventually fight for the throne, but they don't know that Jinghan is the person I trust the most. Even if Jinghan wants the throne, I am willing to give it to him."
"Moreover... from the very beginning, Jing Han did not want this throne." The emperor said with a bitter smile, "I also did not want to be the emperor. I was forced into this position. If we do not fight with them, we will be the ones who die."
He gently took the Queen's hand.
The Empress was his bedmate, having been by his side for decades, so she naturally knew that everything he said was true.
So the Empress gently patted his hand: "Your Majesty, whether they believe or not is irrelevant. Your Majesty and I believe in you, and that is enough."
"However," the Empress changed the subject, "you still cannot go to Yongcheng."
"Jing Han is all alone in Jiangnan. Without you as his backer in the capital, how can he do things with full confidence?" The Empress's voice was much deeper. "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself for Jing Han's sake. I heard that you haven't eaten a meal all day."
The emperor forced himself to speak: "The empress is absolutely right. If I don't stand up for Jinghan, the Gan and Liu families will probably tear him apart!"
"They dared to attack Jing Han when I was alive. If I'm gone... who knows what they'll do!"
The emperor's eyes were filled with disgust. He slammed his hand heavily on the table, making a loud noise: "And that Gan Changyi! I will kill him sooner or later! I will have him beheaded at the execution ground!"