frightfiction Chapter 112 He came here today with all these injuries, not to act like a saint.
Chapter 112 He came here today with all these injuries, not to act like a saint.
In the era of monarchical power, whether an imperial edict was correct or not might not have been that important, but if you dared to question an imperial edict, then you were definitely wrong.
Therefore, Lin Shiming had no intention of arguing with them about whether the punishment was justified or too severe, thus avoiding a situation where right and wrong were difficult to discern. He would stand on high ground and tell them that their very act of daring to argue with him was a crime.
"Overstepping one's bounds, defying imperial orders, and questioning the emperor's authority." Lin Shiming strode forward, appearing like a demon in Zhu Tangshu's eyes. "Lord Zhu, I've been reorganizing the laws these days and have learned a lot. Do you know that every single one of your crimes is a capital offense punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan?"
"no no..."
Zhu Tangshu was terrified under Lin Shiming's oppressive presence and collapsed to the ground.
Lin Shiming suddenly chuckled, "Father, Zhu Tangshu has committed a grave error. I request that Your Majesty issue an edict to have him tried and dealt with by the Ministry of Justice."
The Ministry of Justice is now Lin Shiming's territory. Once someone enters the Ministry of Justice, it's basically equivalent to Lin Shiming arbitrarily determining their guilt and punishment.
Only then did everyone realize the immense pressure that Lin Shiming's control of the Ministry of Justice had brought them.
Lin Shiming was originally the Crown Princess, who held a high position of power. Now that the Ministry of Justice was also under his control, anyone who offended him would be immediately imprisoned on some pretext and thoroughly investigated. This investigation would inevitably uncover all their past crimes, and they would be dealt with accordingly.
How many truly clean ministers can be found in the entire court? Who can guarantee that they themselves have no secrets or weaknesses?
Besides, once someone enters the Ministry of Justice, the ease with which they are subjected to torture or imprisonment is entirely up to Lin Shiming.
They had no protection whatsoever. After all, even as an official, Lin Shiming could be imprisoned if Emperor Longyun approved his memorial, but as everyone knew, Emperor Longyun had long since delegated the power to approve memorials to the Crown Prince.
Not to mention that they were political enemies to begin with. Even if the Crown Prince didn't intend to do anything to them, wouldn't it be the same if the Crown Princess whispered in their ear?
Thinking of this, the ministers broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously glanced at Lu Yuxi several times. Now, all they could rely on was the Crown Prince's character.
The ministers' complex thoughts could not escape Emperor Longyun's notice.
What a pity!
These old fogies have no idea that Lin Shiming can also approve memorials! He writes and approves memorials for whomever he doesn't like, what kind of support does he have? None at all.
Emperor Longyun lowered his head and chuckled silently.
"Accurate."
Zhu Tangshu immediately collapsed to the ground, utterly disheartened. He looked pleadingly at Prince Ping, who gritted his teeth but still gestured for Shen Lin to come out and plead for his men.
"Your Majesty, please hear my words! I believe that Minister Zhu's concern for the sake of a clean and honest government led to his confusion. Why should Your Majesty imprison him, subject him to humiliation, and thoroughly investigate his crimes? Considering Minister Zhu's hard work over the years and the fact that his actions were merely a momentary impulse and a case of being confused due to concern, I beg Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree in court to investigate only his crimes and let it go."
Lin Shiming's words left them speechless, a miscalculation on their part. They hadn't expected the Crown Princess to see the truth so clearly, which prevented them from drawing Lin Shiming into a debate about the validity of the imperial edict, thus greatly diminishing Lin Shiming's prestige.
The best that Prince Ping could do was to prevent Zhu Tangshu from being punished in the Ministry of Justice and to avoid implicating his family.
Zhu Tangshu was well aware of this matter.
It's unknown whether Prince Ping will help him take care of his family.
Zhu Tangshu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and kowtowed heavily. "Your Majesty! I acted impulsively and offended Your Majesty's majesty. I now know I have repented. But my family is innocent. I cannot bear to see them implicated because of my rash actions. I beg Your Majesty's mercy and grant only my death!"
Zhu Tangshu didn't know if Lin Shiming would let his family go, so he didn't dare to beg for his life. He only hoped to appease Lin Shiming's anger with his own life so that Lin Shiming would no longer implicate his family.
Emperor Longyun saw through this man's plan. He was about to reject it directly when a sudden inspiration struck him, and he wanted to see what Lin Shiming would do.
"Crown Princess, what do you think?"
I think?
Lin Shiming rolled his eyes in annoyance.
When they made up their minds to pledge allegiance to King Ping, why didn't they consider that their family's lives and fortunes were entrusted to him? Now that something has happened, they suddenly remember! How ridiculous!
Besides, if I let him go today, wouldn't everyone think that I, the Crown Princess, am kind-hearted, and then they would all be even more unscrupulous in attacking me? Anyway, if I succeed, I'll profit; if I fail, I'm kind-hearted, and my family won't be implicated.
It's incredibly profitable!
Lin Shiming would never do such a thing.
Whether it's out of legal fairness, given that this crime involves the entire family, or out of a desire to make an example of him and deter others, Lin Shiming will not let him off easily just because he begs for mercy.
A ruler should be decisive in killing and wielding, not be kind and cowardly. Mercy towards the enemy is cruelty towards oneself.
Not to mention that he came here today with all these injuries, not to act like a saint.
“Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate. People should be responsible for their actions, and the law is strict and cannot be trampled on at will. I request that Zhu Tangshu be imprisoned and punished according to the law.”
Not bad!
Emperor Longyun nodded in satisfaction. He was kind to the people, yet he did not lack the means to suppress them. This was the mark of a wise ruler who could support a country.
"Alright, Mu Bolin, do as the Crown Princess wishes."
Zhu Tangshu's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.
King Ping clenched his fists tightly, his hands hidden in his sleeves, trying to calm his inner resentment.
Mu Bolin, who had to manage everything, led a few people forward and was about to take Zhu Tangshu away when Lin Shiming stopped them.
"No rush. I still need to ask those officials who came out with this Lord Zhu earlier whether they should also be imprisoned. Once I've got everything sorted out, it'll save you the trouble of running back and forth."
As he spoke, Lin Shiming turned to look at the court officials, and the one at the front immediately cupped his hands in greeting, "Your Highness! We have no objection to the edict Your Highness issued yesterday!"
Huh? So afraid of dying?
Lin Shiming chuckled, "Then what you were doing just now..."
"Just now, we were deceived by that Zhu Tangshu. We had no intention of questioning Your Highness. We beg Your Highness to investigate thoroughly!"
"Indeed, indeed! We are extremely respectful to Your Highness and would never dare to question or offend you. Please forgive us, Your Highness!"
They were not tough people to begin with, and they only joined forces with King Ping to gain benefits. Now they have no benefits and are about to lose their lives. How can they bear this?
The five or six ministers behind him quickly expressed their loyalty, each saying that they had been deceived by Zhu Tangshu. Their kowtowing was much more sincere than when they had just said "I second that proposal."
"Alright then." Lin Shiming flicked his sleeves and walked back. "I'm not that kind of unreasonable person. Since you say you've been deceived, then so be it. Commander Mu, take them away."
After spending half the day as a background character, Mu Bolin was finally able to lead the group down.
The five or six courtiers breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't expect that Lin Shiming's voice would come again in the next second.
"But you are all officials of the fourth rank or above. If you are so stupid and blind, you would be so easily tricked into doing something like confiscating property and exterminating your families. Isn't that a disgrace to the Changping Dynasty?"
The courtier broke out in a cold sweat, stammering, "Yes, it was a moment of folly on our part. We will certainly never do that again..."
"The future?" Lin Shiming said calmly, "It's not certain whether you'll have a future at all."
"What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"
Lin Shiming smiled and said, "I know it's a bit presumptuous to say you're incompetent based on just this one incident. But your actions do make me suspicious."
"How about this, Father? The imperial examination is coming up soon, isn't it? Let these people retake their departments' examination. If they rank in the top 30%, we'll let this matter drop. But if they don't..."
Lin Shiming's smile was meaningful.
“They’ve been around for over a decade. If they can’t even pass 70% of the new recruits, they might as well go back to farming.”