stjorthotic Chapter 9 Demanding Official Positions on the Spot
Chapter 9 Demanding Official Positions on the Spot
"Do you dare to take on this responsibility?"
These seven characters are like five knives hanging over Xu Ming's head.
It says "dare or not," but it really asks—are you willing to be this knife?
This is the knife that slaughtered former officials and blew blood in the court.
If you do a good job, you're a hero. If you do a bad job, you're a scapegoat.
If the knife breaks, just throw it away. The emperor won't care.
All eyes were fixed on Xu Ming.
There was resentment, schadenfreude, and indifferent scrutiny.
Crown Prince Zhao Chengqian's gaze fell on Xu Ming, as if he were getting to know this person all over again.
The纨绔 (spoiled brat) of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?
A person who can remain calm in the face of public criticism cannot be a useless person.
The Second Prince Zhao Lie's lips curled up in a wide smile, as if he were watching a spectacular beast fight.
The emperor handed over the knife.
Do you dare to accept?
Exterminate nine generations of a family—this task is both a tremendous achievement and a raging inferno.
If you do it well, the emperor will be satisfied, but all the civil officials in the court will hate you to the bone.
If you mess things up, the emperor will be the first to use you as a sacrifice.
How to choose?
Even a fool knows he shouldn't have accepted the call.
Everyone was waiting for Xu Ming's answer.
Wen Yanbo prayed silently—reject it! Reject it!
You're such a spoiled brat, where did you get the guts to take on such a job? You definitely wouldn't dare! You absolutely wouldn't dare!
Other civil officials were also waiting.
They waited to see how this young man, who had just been so arrogant, would back down in the face of the emperor's "important task."
Xu Ming's lips curled slightly upward, and he said, "Your subject dares!"
Two words.
Clean and efficient.
There was no hesitation, no stuttering, and not even a tremor in his voice.
Many people subconsciously took a half step back.
They looked at the young man standing in the center of the hall as if they were seeing a madman.
He actually dared to do it!
That madman!
He'd jump into mountains of knives and seas of fire without hesitation. He'd brave a bottomless abyss without flinching.
Does he even know what the phrase "extermination of nine generations" means?
How many people will die? How much blood will be shed? How many powerful families and clans will be offended?
This madman...
On the dragon throne, Zhao Huan let out a soft, enigmatic chuckle: "Good."
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
An old but loud voice rang out from the ranks of civil officials.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Han Zhang, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, walking out of the queue.
He bowed deeply to the dragon throne, his posture respectful, but his back remained straight, unlike other civil officials who bent over like shrimp.
"Your Majesty, the execution of nine generations of one's family is a severe punishment for the state, not a child's play."
"Since ancient times, the execution of such major cases has always been jointly reviewed and supervised by the three judicial departments of the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate. Only in this way can the strictness of the national law be demonstrated, wrongful convictions be prevented, and the indiscriminate killing of innocent people be avoided."
These words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, and every word was powerful and resounding.
Many officials nodded in agreement.
"Lord Han is right!"
"A case must be heard jointly by the three judicial departments; that's the rule!"
"How could Xu Ming, a commoner, be in charge of such a major case?"
Han Zhang paused, then glanced at Xu Ming standing in the center, his gaze indifferent, as if he were looking at an ignorant child.
He continued bluntly, "Xu Ming has no official position, is a commoner, and has never served in the Three Judicial Offices. He is probably completely ignorant of the law. Entrusting such a major case involving hundreds or even thousands of lives to him alone—"
His voice suddenly rose: "It violates the laws of my Great Liang Dynasty, and... it's difficult to convince the public!"
These words were spoken with great conviction.
Many neutral officials nodded in agreement.
Han Zhang is right. This is not a personal grudge; it is the law of the land.
Case handling must follow procedures and rules. The emperor can make exceptions, but if there are too many exceptions, the rules will be rendered useless. If the rules are rendered useless, the court will fall into chaos.
The Second Prince Zhao Lie nodded slightly.
He didn't have a good impression of Han Zhang, but he had to admit that Han Zhang was right; it was a procedural issue.
The emperor may appoint Xu Ming to important positions, but he cannot disregard the rules.
The prince's fingers began to fidget with his sleeve again, but this time he only fidgeted twice before stopping.
He is waiting.
How will the emperor respond to this move?
Zhao Huan's gaze fell on Han Zhang and lingered for a moment.
Then, he turned to Xu Ming.
"Xu Ming, what do you think of Han Aiqing's words?"
He passed the buck to himself.
The emperor could have simply issued an edict—he was the ruler of the country, his words were law, and whether or not it followed the rules was entirely up to him.
But he refused.
He insisted on pushing Xu Ming to the forefront, letting him debate, argue, and silence all the opponents.
This is a test for Xu Ming.
Xu Ming knew exactly what was going on.
He looked in Han Zhang's direction, respectfully cupped his hands, and had a sincere expression of "I have learned something" on his face.
"Lord Han is right!"
This sentence stunned everyone.
Han Zhang was also somewhat surprised.
He had prepared a whole host of rebuttals, citing numerous classical texts, reciting from the first to the three hundredth article of the "Great Liang Code," but Xu Ming shut him all down with a single sentence: "You're right."
This kid actually backed down?
Han Zhang frowned, momentarily at a loss for words.
Wen Yanbo was also stunned.
Has Xu Ming backed down?
He's given up on arguing?
Is he really just spouting nonsense in court, and then chickens out when it comes to real action?
The civil officials looked at each other, unsure whether to be happy or continue their rant.
Xu Ming ignored the astonishment of the crowd.
He turned to face the dragon throne, his face serious, his tone as sincere as a primary school student just starting school.
"Lord Han is absolutely right that I have no official position and am not qualified to handle cases!"
He held up one finger and waved it in the air.
"so--"
He then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"...So, Your Majesty, why don't you just give me an official title, Dangdang?"
Quiet.
A deathly silence.
In the Golden Palace, more than a hundred people were all petrified.
It was as if someone had cast a spell on me.
What did they hear?
Demanding an official position on the spot?
In the imperial palace, before the emperor, to ask for official positions and titles with the same tone one would use to buy cabbage at a market?
The imperial censor's tablet fell to the ground with a "clatter".
"presumptuous!"
"Utterly shameless!"
Wen Yanbo pointed at Xu Ming, his finger trembling.
"You scoundrel! What do you take the imperial court for?! How dare you demand official positions and titles here! You utterly disregard the laws of the land!"
"Your Majesty!" a censor exclaimed, "This boy is arrogant and disrespectful, showing no regard for the emperor! I beg Your Majesty to punish him!"
"I second that proposal!"
Sun Qian, the Vice Minister of Works, shouted loudly from the crowd, his voice high-pitched, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"We second that proposal!"
The civil service was instantly thrown into an uproar.
They had seen greedy people, lustful people, power-hungry people, and people who formed cliques—but they had never seen anyone so shameless as to openly demand an official position in the imperial palace!
This isn't just being ignorant of the rules; this is trampling on the rules!
Despite being condemned by everyone, Xu Ming looked completely innocent, even a little aggrieved.
His eyebrows drooped slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned down like a wronged child: "What did I do wrong?"
He spread his hands, looked around, and his voice was full of grievance.
"Didn't you all say I can't handle cases without an official position? Isn't it because I want an official position to share His Majesty's burdens so I can legitimately carry out my duties?"
His expression became even more aggrieved, and his voice rose a few decibels.
"How come in your mouths I'm arrogant and rude?"
These fallacies and heresies nearly made a group of senior officials faint on the spot.