BSI Chapter 201 Not a single one of them can fight.
Chapter 201 Not a single one of them can fight.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen strolled in leisurely.
Lin Chen wore a robe adorned with nine pythons and five claws, a symbol of his princely status, yet somehow managed to exude a carefree and unrestrained air.
The neckline was slightly open, and the belt was loose, as if she had just woken up and casually put it on.
In his hand, he even held a half-eaten, juicy, crimson spirit fruit.
"Crunch!" Another bite, bursting with juice.
"Wow, so neatly arranged? Is there a big meeting going on?"
Lin Chen chewed on some fruit, mumbled a greeting, strolled over to the imperial steps, and casually cupped his hands in greeting to the Empress.
"Your subject Lin Chen greets Your Majesty. I overslept a little late, please forgive me."
A fleeting hint of helplessness flashed across the Empress's eyes, but her expression remained aloof and cold.
"No need for formalities. Prince Zhenbei, you've arrived at the perfect time. The Grand Tutor and the ministers are impeaching you for indiscriminately killing innocent people and abusing your power."
"Indiscriminate killing?"
Lin Chen turned around and glanced at Wei Sanchao and the others.
Finally, his gaze settled on Wei Sanchao, and he raised an eyebrow, saying calmly:
"Lord Wei, you're saying I killed innocent people? Who did I kill? What were their names? Which alley did they live in? Tell me, I want to hear it."
Wei Sanchao was so angered by Lin Chen's reckless attitude that his mustache twitched.
"Why does Your Highness feign ignorance? Hundreds of lives were lost in the capital the night before last; wasn't that your doing?"
"Oh—you mean those 'people'?" Lin Chen drawled, nodding as if suddenly understanding, then his expression turned serious.
"Yes, I killed him, but it was good, he deserved it!"
"You...you are simply arrogant!" Wei Sanchao roared.
"Am I arrogant?"
Lin Chen chuckled and slowly flicked the remaining spirit fruit pits into the copper bowl in the corner, making a crisp "ding" sound.
Then, in full view of everyone, he reached his hand into the wide sleeves of the python robe.
He rummaged around and pulled out a stack of crumpled but rather thick pieces of paper.
He casually flipped open a few sheets of paper, cleared his throat, and began to read in the tone of a street storyteller:
"Wang Ergou, on the surface, is a pancake seller in Nancheng, but his true identity is a second-level secret agent in Beishuo."
In the third year of the Tianyou era, he sneaked into the capital and, over the next ten years, used the opportunity of delivering cakes to steal and transmit intelligence on the rotation of troops stationed in the northern border and the allocation of provisions on seventeen occasions.
This directly led to the northern border troops being ambushed twice by the Northern Shuo in the autumn of the seventh year of Tianyou and the spring of the tenth year, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than 3,600 soldiers.
"Lord Wei, tell me, should this pancake seller be killed?"
The hall was completely silent.
Only Lin Chen's clear voice echoed.
Lin Chen drew out another card and read it aloud:
"Liu Cuihua, a registered girl at the Jade Meat Shop, is actually an outer sect steward of the Demonic Path Joyful Union Sect, with the cultivation level of a Grandmaster."
Skilled in the art of sexual exploitation, she infiltrated the capital ten days ago, using the Jade Meat Shop as a cover to seduce and harm thirty-one men, draining their vital essence until they died of exhaustion.
The latest victim was a scholar who had studied diligently at the Imperial College for many years. When his body was discovered, it was as dry as firewood.
Lord Wei, should this 'girl' be killed?
Some of the civil servants in the queue were already gasping in shock.
Those who had frequented the Jade Meat Shop, in particular, turned deathly pale.
Lin Chen glanced at everyone, then drew out another card and read it aloud:
"Cui Daniu, the owner of 'Daniu Carriage and Horse Shop' in the West Market of the capital, is considered a small wealthy man."
Another identity of his was that of a very distant branch of the Cui family in Jiangnan, who was responsible for handling "dirty work" for the Cui family.
An investigation revealed that this person was directly responsible for 17 deaths, nine of whom were widows of soldiers who died in the Northern Frontier.
Because she refused to sell the land that her husband had risked his life to obtain as compensation, he set it on fire, poisoned her, and faked her death as an accident, forcibly seizing the land.
"Lord Wei, should this Boss Cui be executed?"
"And this one, the Shadow Guard of Dongli, disguises himself as a storyteller in a teahouse, specializing in spreading rumors and undermining public morale..."
"This is the Corpse Refining Sect of Zhongzhou. In just a few days, they dug up ten graves, and on the day of the arrest, they had already set their sights on the ancestral graves and imperial tombs of various families..."
With each line Lin Chen read out, Wei Sanchao's face paled a little more, and he could no longer straighten his back.
Those ministers who seconded the motion were sweating profusely, their heads almost buried in their chests.
After reading seven or eight points, Lin Chen thrust the paper forward, almost poking Wei Sanchao's nose:
"Here you go, a copy of the indictment, it's still fresh."
"If Lord Wei is interested, you can take it back and look at it at your leisure, to see if the people I killed were truly 'innocent'? Or..."
Lin Chen took a step closer, lowering his voice so that the entire hall could hear him:
"Does Lord Wei think that these Northern Shuo spies, demonic sorcerers, and evil servants of the Cui family... are not actually guilty of crimes deserving of death?"
I even feel a little sorry for them?
Then we'll have to have a good talk.
Let's talk about why you, a veteran of three dynasties and Grand Tutor of the State, would advocate for these scumbags.
"You've come to impeach me, the 'executioner' who rid the court of evil and sought justice for the people?"
"You...you're spouting nonsense!" Wei Sanchao took a step back as if he had been burned.
The stack of papers that Lin Chen handed over fluttered to the ground and scattered.
He pointed at Lin Chen, his fingers trembling, but he could no longer utter a single powerful rebuttal, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
"Tsk, what's there to get so excited about?" Lin Chen curled his lip, turned around, and instantly put on a lazy smile again, cupping his hands to the Empress.
"Your Majesty, during this campaign to clean up the capital, I captured a total of 873 enemy spies, agents, scoundrels, and local tyrants and their wicked servants."
Of these, 641 people were found guilty of murder according to the Dayan Law and were executed yesterday.
The remaining two hundred or so people have been handed over to the Ministry of Justice prison, and the relevant evidence has also been handed over.
I will not interfere with how the trial and judgment are conducted, but…”
Lin Chen paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room:
"If anyone tries to use the lives of these damned people to stir up trouble in the court and attack loyal officials, then don't blame me..."
Find all his underwear and hang it out to dry in this Taiji Hall so everyone can see what it looks like!
These words are a blatant threat, yet they somehow appear to be in the right.
Among the ranks of military officers, some couldn't help but let out low snickers.
On the civil officials' side, many people's expressions changed, and when they looked at Wei Sanchao and his group again, their eyes carried a hint of looking at "pig teammates".
Su Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked at Lin Chen with some worry and sighed.
The Empress's smile deepened as she spoke:
"Your Majesty, you have worked hard this time. The hidden dangers in the capital have been eliminated, which is a great achievement for the country and the people."
"It's my duty to share His Majesty's burdens," Lin Chen waved his hand and yawned.
"I'm a little sleepy. If Your Majesty has no other instructions, may I... go back and take a nap?"
"Granted."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Lin Chen immediately perked up, turned around and left with light steps.
As I passed by Wei Sanchao, who was slumped on the ground and being barely supported by his colleagues.
Lin Chen stopped and said slowly:
"Grand Tutor Wei is getting old, so he should stay home, grow flowers, fish, and enjoy his grandchildren."
The affairs of the imperial court are too complex for you to handle.
Next time you want to impeach someone... remember to do your homework first.
Otherwise, if you get slapped too hard in the face, you might get so angry that you hurt yourself, don't you think?
After saying that, without even looking at Wei Sanchao's face, which had turned ashen and lifeless, he hummed an unknown tune and swaggered out of the Taiji Hall.
The Empress watched Lin Chen leave before turning her gaze back to the silent court, her tone returning to its usual coldness:
"My lords, do you have any further matters to report?"
A deathly silence.
"Since there is nothing to report, the court may adjourn."
"Retreat from court!"
As the eunuch's drawn-out voice faded, the officials felt as if they had been granted a pardon and began to quietly line up and leave.
But today, the team was unusually silent and unusually swift.
Many people instinctively kept a distance from Wei Sanchao, who was ashen-faced and could only move with the help of his students.
Several military officers walked by, exchanging winks with each other.
"The Prince of Zhenbei is still fierce; he slapped people in the face like crazy."
"Hey, that's right. Don't you even know who they're impeaching? Trying to play these tricks on the Prince of Zhenbei is like lighting a lamp in a latrine—looking for shit."
"Shh, keep your voice down... But that felt so good!"
"Let's go, let's go have a drink and celebrate the fact that the capital is finally clean!"
Among the civil servants, some were also talking in hushed tones.
"This time, Lord Wei... alas, he has really suffered a great loss."
"It's also his own fault. He launched an attack without fully understanding the situation. Is the Prince of Zhenbei the kind of person who plays by the rules?"
"After this incident, I'm afraid no one will dare to use 'indiscriminate killing' as an excuse anymore. Just how many people's secrets does the Prince of Zhenbei hold against him?"
"Watch your words, watch your words! Let's go!"
On the dragon throne, Empress Zhao Lingyang looked at the hall, which had become much emptier in an instant, with a complex expression.
"Azure Phoenix".
"This servant is here." From the shadows, Qingluan appeared silently.
"Pick up those papers on the ground and put them away," the Empress ordered calmly.
"Especially... those few with the Cui family's name on them."
Qingluan understood immediately: "Yes."
The Empress stood up, looked at the bright sky outside the palace, and a clear, cold smile appeared on her lips.
"It's time for a good wind to blow in the capital."