eurekapd Chapter 194: This King Has Always Conquered People with Virtue
Chapter 194: This King Has Always Conquered People with Virtue
After saying that, Shen Changgong rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight, and said,
"Master Ma, this matter is not over yet. You scolded my wife in front of me, which is a provocation to my dignity and bottom line as a man.
Today, I will defend my dignity and have a man-to-man contest with you, with our dignity at stake."
"Ah? How...how do we compete?"
Ma Guocheng said with a confused look on his face.
"Of course it's a one-on-one duel, fair enough."
When the ministers heard this, their eyes almost popped out.
No, what style of painting is this?
You and he are princes and important officials, not thugs who fight on the streets.
This is the most sacred and solemn Golden Throne Hall in the entire Dayan, not the entrance to a street vegetable market.
What kind of move is it to beat someone up just because they don't agree with you?
Ma Guocheng was even more confused!
Are you, Shen Changgong, and I the same level? I'm just a civil servant, and you're a martial arts master who's killed hundreds of people single-handedly. If I fight you one-on-one, I'll be like an old man hanging himself because I think my life is too long!
Even if the empress beheads me in anger because of my honest advice, my name will still go down in history.
If I were to argue with you out of personal pride and get beaten to death by you, I would not be remembered in history, but would be infamous for eternity!
Seeing Shen Changgong walking towards Ma Guocheng, the ministers hurriedly advised,
"Prince Shen, calm down, calm down."
"Why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning?"
"Since we're here, let's discuss it properly."
"He's still a child..."
The ministers quickly took Ma Guocheng to the back, protected him, and comforted Shen Changgong in a gentle voice.
Shen Changgong snorted coldly, continued to roll up his sleeves, and asked without raising his head,
"So, who else just insulted my wife? Please come forward."
The ministers retreated one after another, no one wanted to be punched.
"So, who supports and who opposes the imperial examination system that I am promoting?"
Now, there is really no one who objects.
No one spoke.
Shen Changgong nodded with satisfaction and said,
"This king has always won people over with virtue. Seeing that everyone is so reasonable and can reach a consensus, this king is very pleased.
As long as everyone can unite as one, I believe the imperial examination system will be able to be implemented smoothly."
All the ministers felt so aggrieved that they wanted to cry. How could they win people over with virtue? Your fist can be called "virtue", right?
What bullshit consensus? You just “fought” to reach a consensus!
Damn, in all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen a court meeting like this.
Shen Changgong continued,
"In Great Yan, we should promote people based on their merits and never appoint people based on personal connections, thus burying talented people.
Only when there are more talented people can our Great Yan prosper, become strong, and expand its territory. You all are great contributors to our Great Yan.
However, I must be frank with you. If I find out that someone is corrupt and partial, burying talented people, promoting cronies, and pretending to obey orders while secretly disobeying them, they will destroy the foundation of Great Yan.
This king will confiscate his property and exterminate his entire clan, skin him alive, remove his tendons, stuff his skin with straw, and hang him in front of the government office as a warning to the world."
After Shen Changgong finished speaking, seeing that no one dared to speak, he shouted coldly,
"Did you all hear that?"
"Wei Chen obeys!"
"Well, that's right. Anyone who has different opinions can raise them. This king has always won people over with virtue."
"Retreat from the court."
When the ministers heard this, they turned around and ran away as if they had been pardoned.
They were afraid that if they ran too slowly, Shen Changgong's "virtue" would befall them.
When the Prime Minister passed by Shen Changgong, he gave him a thumbs up and hurried out.
"Prime Minister."
Shen Changgong called him.
"The old minister is here."
"Select a group of examiners who are not factional, have integrity, and create more exam questions. Have them dispersed to various locations to conduct exams and mark the papers. We must put an end to favoritism and fraud.
After the autumn harvest, the autumn examination was held to select a group of outstanding talents.
In the future, our country's territory will continue to expand, and we will need more and more talented people. They may not know the classics, but they must be able to govern, maintain peace, coordinate, and plan and develop local livelihoods. This is what is most important."
"This old minister understands. It is a great honor for Great Yan to have the prince."
After the prime minister left, Shen Changgong walked towards the dragon throne.
Going up the steps and standing in front of the imperial desk, Shen Changgong smiled and said, looking at the empress with her lips tightly pursed and eyes full of smiles and liveliness.
"Laugh if you want to. Everyone has left and no one is laughing at you."
The empress chuckled and then covered her face with her sleeves. Shen Changgong could only see her shoulders shrugging. She must have been laughing so hard.
Yan Fuyao's personality is smart and majestic, domineering and cold, but that is only how she appears in front of outsiders.
After all, she was just a girl in her early twenties. In later times, she would not even have graduated from college. She was at the age of sunny, cheerful, youthful and lively. She also had her own lively side, but this side was only in front of Shen Changgong.
Gongsun Wan'er, who was standing by, also covered her mouth and chuckled, her face twitching a little.
After a moment, the empress put down her sleeves, but there was still a smile in the corners of her eyes, and said,
"How did you come up with such nonsense as "conquering others with virtue"? How did you think that a thorny issue like this could be resolved with just a slap?"
"What are you talking about? I just relied on my excellent eloquence and virtue to convince them. As for the beating, he scolded my wife, so isn't it right for me to hit him?
If you didn't care about your reputation and feared you'd be branded as someone who killed a minister who advised you, I would have sent people to confiscate your property."
"Forget it. If I really kill Ma Guocheng this time, the court will only be filled with flatterers and sweet-talkers. This is not what I want.
What kind of monarch you have, what kind of ministers you will have.
If the monarch is a tyrant who only likes to hear flattering words, then all the civil and military officials in the court will become treacherous ministers in order to protect themselves, and will only flatter the monarch and ignore the country.
"Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler throughout history. Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and I admire you deeply."
"Well, that's it. That's how treacherous ministers talk."
Shen Changgong laughed heartily, then walked around the imperial desk and sat on the dragon throne.
Gongsun Wan'er widened her eyes. This boy was too disrespectful. Now he even dared to sit on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace?
Not only did Shen Changgong dare to sit on the dragon throne, he was even bolder.
He simply picked up the Emperor and placed him on his lap, holding his arm around his slender waist, and said with a smile,
"Your Majesty, do you think I am a traitor?"
Yan Fuyao looked at the lustful Shen Changgong, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said,
"I think you are not only a treacherous minister, but also a wicked minister who is deceiving the emperor!"
"Since Your Majesty has said so, then I will be a treacherous minister who offends Your Majesty."
After saying that, Shen Changgong turned the empress's pretty face towards him and kissed her.