Chapter 88 - 88 Condemnation
88 Condemnation
“Enough!”
Chu You could not stand it anymore and interrupted Fang Huairui with a voice as cold as ice.
He was a martial artist and knew very well if that dagger would kill him. The British Duke was clearly being unreasonable.
Fang Huairui lowered his right arm that was wiping his tears and maintained his kneeling posture. He shouted without care, “Your Highness Kang Wang is only a prince, yet he wanted to kill an old minister who founded the country!!”
He spoke each word louder and louder, wishing most of the court could hear him.
The veins on Chu You’s forehead throbbed, and even on his neck.
“My father and I are loyal to the Great Jin Dynasty. Even if we don’t contribute, we have worked hard. Your Highness Kang Wang’s actions have really disappointed me!”
What a ruffian! These words could not help but appear in Chu You’s mind. He flicked his sleeve and left.
Instead of returning to the East Warm Pavilion, he strode past Fang Huairui. Fang Huairui’s loud wails came from behind. “Your Majesty, please seek justice for me.”
Chu You walked faster, his head held high.
He did not believe that the Emperor could do anything to him!
Fang Huairui knelt for an entire day and night without eating or drinking. The next morning, he finally fainted from exhaustion.
Kang Wang had stabbed the British Crown Prince, causing the fate of Crown Prince Fang to be unknown. The British Duke only had one legitimate son and was in tears. He would rather give up his title to punish the murderer.
When the censors heard the news, they finally could not hold back.
They swarmed to the East Warm Pavilion and presented several letters to the Emperor. They impeached Kang Wang, Chu You, for injuring someone and asked the Emperor to take the appropriate measures. They also said, “Kang Wang is in the wrong, so he has to take responsibility. Otherwise, won’t the world think that the Emperor condoned the imperial family’s murder!”
The Emperor looked at the memorial and did not comment. He only instructed the eunuch to seek an audience with Kang Wang.
Those aristocratic families who supported Kang Wang exchanged glances and decided to suppress the arrogance of these censors so that these poor scholars from poor families would not be impudent in front of their aristocratic families.
Therefore, the Minister of Revenue, Wang Kangyin, retorted, “Censor Li, Kang Wang has always been careful with his words and actions. The previous Emperor also praised him for being magnanimous. There must be a reason why he took action.”
“How can you listen to the British Duke?”
What he meant was that Fang Mingfeng had misbehaved.
To put it more clearly, if the censors still had any objections, they would be questioning the previous Emperor.
It had been less than a year since the late Emperor passed away. Even the current Emperor had to abide by the rules and not change his father’s will after three years.
The censors were momentarily speechless by Wang Kangyin’s words. Even the Emperor seemed to be in a difficult position as he repeatedly stroked his beard.
A moment later, the Emperor cleared his throat with a dry cough and said, “Kang Wang and the British Crown Prince are both young and impetuous. That’s why they argued and pushed each other a few times.”
At the side, Duke Wei, who had a straight face, saw that those aristocratic families insisted on dragging Fang Mingfeng down, and the emperor still wanted to be a peacemaker. His expression darkened and he was unhappy.
That would not do!
Duke Wei snorted coldly and said unhappily, “How dare he hurt someone with a knife in broad daylight? How can you easily understate the word ‘pushing’?!”
As soon as Duke Wei expressed his stance, the nobles who had only come to join in the fun immediately became solemn.
After the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, Emperor Taizu conferred him a meritorious man, and he was named the Fourth Duke.
According to the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty, the noble titles were decreased by one grade for three generations. Only the titles of the four noble families were hereditary and would never be demoted. They were above the other nobles, so the nobles vaguely followed the “Fourth Duke”.
Duke Wei continued angrily, “Fang Mingfeng is the only legitimate son of the British Duke. If anything happens, won’t there be no one in the British Monarchy to inherit the title!!”
Usually, although the Fourth Duke would occasionally argue and not be convinced of each other, they would support each other in the face of common interests.
After hearing that the British Duke had fainted, Duke Wei specially went to see him to comfort him. In the end, the British Duke cried buckets and held his hand to complain. What he meant was that Kang Wang was from a noble family and did not care about them. Today, he dared to stab his son for no reason. If he really ascended to that position in the future, he might even cut off their titles to make room for those noble families…
The more Duke Wei thought about it, the more frightened he felt. His voice also became louder. “Kang Wang simply has ulterior motives!”