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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 237: A Bloodbath
Li Wei ordered that Dou Wei be brought into the palace, then looked at the Zhongshu Shilang and said, "The Chancellor is not here; will the Deputy Minister accept the imperial decree?"
The Zhongshu Shilang, hailing from the Southern Aristocracy, immediately replied, "I accept the will of the Emperor."
Li Wei did not leave but continued to observe the Secretariat as it operated according to protocol. The six Chancellors looked grim, none of them stepping forward. If they were to flatter him, they would easily be scorned by the world as sycophants of the Emperor.
Zhongshu Shilang Cai Ping pointed out the Chancellor responsible for the Ministry of Personnel. He stepped forward and removed his Court Robes, followed by nearly half of the Secretariat officials doing the same.
Most of these individuals were from Guanlong, while some simply refused to accept that the Emperor had acted so improperly. They covered their faces and wept, saying, "The Retired Emperor has harmed the nation; Your Majesty's anger and resentment are not befitting a ruler. This should not be so!"
Li Wei remained unmoved as the remaining officials of the Secretariat smoothly conveyed the decree to the Ministry of Rites. Minister of the Interior Liu Wenjing sighed and did not reject the decree.
However, there were also many officials in the Ministry of Rites causing trouble; those of higher rank were taken into the palace, while those of lower rank were directly expelled.
The expelled officials mingled with those from the Secretariat who were only wearing thin undergarments and headed toward the palace gates.
On duty at the palace gates today was Duke of Jiyin Dan Xiongxin. Seeing this group approach, he grinned maliciously and drew his sword, pointing it at them: "Without summons, you may not approach the palace gates. Those who violate this will be executed!"
Leading them was Dou Wei's second son, who stepped forward boldly: "I am a nephew of the Empress Dowager and wish to enter the palace to pay my respects to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Dan Xiongxin stepped forward and swung his sword down. The proud face was cleaved open at an angle, revealing red and white within.
This sight immediately terrified them into screams as they stumbled backward. Some trembled and accused Dan Xiongxin: "You... how dare you kill a Royal Relative!"
"Without summons, you may not approach the palace gates. Those who violate this will be executed!"
Li Wei protected the decree as he arrived at the Ministry of Rites. Minister of Rites Pei Ji was seated quietly with officials from the Six Ministries. Upon seeing him, Li Wei did not even bow in greeting.
"Pei Ji, the decree is here. You are no longer the Left Chancellor, but His Majesty still wishes to see you. Enter the palace."
Minister of Personnel Yin Kaishan said, "You, a lowly eunuch, act like this and will surely meet your end sooner or later."
Li Wei laughed and replied, "I am indeed destined to die, but you all deserve it more. How benevolent and wise is His Majesty, yet there are so many who deceive their ruler under his reign."
At that moment, another eunuch approached with a decree of the same color: "Retired Emperor's command."
Pei Ji led everyone in bowing to receive the decree, but Li Wei directly walked up to the eunuch and snatched the decree from his hands, stuffing it into his sleeve.
The eunuch could hardly believe it and pointed at Li Wei to speak, but all his words were met with a harsh slap from Li Wei, along with his knocked-out teeth swallowed down.
Kneeling on the ground, Pei Ji spoke up, "Your Majesty, have you disregarded filial piety? Retired Emperor, do you not even have the right to speak?"
Li Wei turned around in surprise and said, "What? His Majesty is most filial; everyone knows this. The Retired Emperor can naturally speak. Who would dare silence him?"
Minister of Rites Wei Yijie remarked, "Is Your Majesty going to govern the world in such a self-deceiving manner? Can today's humiliation of the Retired Emperor be hidden from the people?"
Li Wei shook his head and said, "This servant does not understand what you all are saying."
An official from the Six Ministries commented, "We thought we had a wise ruler; who would have expected that in just three years, such actions would begin? Emperor Yang's lessons are not far off."
Before Li Wei could respond, another official stated, "The Retired Emperor has done nothing for the country. It is Your Majesty who has received the mandate of heaven to establish this nation. Now that the Turkic Army is at our borders and the Retired Emperor has allied with court officials to pressure the palace, is there any justification for this?"
"The Retired Emperor may have faults, but he is still a father; filial piety..."
"Filial piety means a kind father and a dutiful son. Nowadays... I see it as still being the fault of the Retired Emperor!"
Li Wei, however, had no mood to listen to their bickering and directly summoned Pei Ji and several Ministers of Justice into the palace.
Just as they were about to walk away, Li Wei shouted, "Where are the officials of the Ministry of Justice? The imperial decree is here: Pei Ji's entire family shall be executed! The three clans shall be exiled to Liaodong, never to return!"
Pei Ji, who was walking at the front, stumbled and fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face as he looked up.
The officials behind him, who had been standing tall just moments ago, suddenly seemed as if their spines had been broken, bending over involuntarily.
Even when Emperor Yang executed Gao Shan, he did not implicate the entire family; let alone exile three clans.
They had thought that the worst outcome would be their own deaths; no one expected the emperor to disregard his reputation and unleash a massacre just because of a test.
Wasn't he supposed to govern with benevolence, rule by law, cleanse the bureaucracy, and welcome advice?
Yin Kaishan, Wei Yijie, Zhao Wenjing, and others could no longer move forward. No one had the heart to help Pei Ji; their legs felt weak as images of their wives and children dying tragically filled their minds, along with visions of their families falling into ruin and becoming commoners.
It shouldn't be like this. Wei Yijie suddenly kicked Pei Ji hard in the waist: "You harmed me! You harmed me! Old dog, you harmed my Wei Family!"
Wei Yijie could no longer care about anything else and ran back among the officials of the Six Ministries to kneel down, showing a flattering smile to the eunuchs he usually looked down upon, his eyes filled with desperation.
At this moment, Li Wei felt completely refreshed; even if he died now, he would do so with a smile. This was indeed in Jingzhao's Capital Wei of the Three Fiefs.
Li Wei shook his head with a smile: "Lord Wei is sensible and intelligent; how could you have lost your mind recently? His Majesty has always held you in high regard."
Wei Yijie repeatedly bowed towards the Council Hall: "Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!"
Everyone looked at the Minister of Rites. It felt as if something inside them had shattered.
Li Wei stepped forward to support him, saying, "Alright, Your Majesty will surely know of your loyalty, but please visit the Martial Virtue Hall first. It has been a long time since His Majesty hosted a banquet."
...
In Chang'an, the residence of the Left Chancellor was surrounded by soldiers, and this could not be hidden. Moreover, the common people under the emperor's rule were the most well-informed.
However, it was generally believed that the emperor was merely giving a small punishment as a warning. This did not stop them from gathering nearby to witness the spectacle surrounding the Chancellor.
Before long, the officials delivering the imperial edict arrived, and the betting organized by the common people officially began. This was a practice that had existed since the previous dynasty.
But as soon as the edict was announced, cries for mercy echoed from the Pei Residence. Young men from within attempted to break out but were swiftly executed. The streets were instantly cleared of all onlookers.
Not only at this residence, but all properties belonging to the He Dong Pei Clan in Chang'an were also raided by officials without mercy. Those who dared to resist were executed on the spot, and even those who stepped forward to plead for mercy met the same fate.
After clearing out the Pei Family, Shen Guang led his troops to surround the Wei Residence, Zhao Residence, Yin Residence, Liu Residence, Xue Residence, and even the Dou Residence along with several royal family estates.
...
(End of Chapter)
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