The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law-Chapter 1007 - 1002: Confrontation in the Imperial Court

Jie Minister narrowed his eyes and whispered to his guard, "You go check who spread those words."

"Yes, Minister."

Jie Minister stroked his palm-length beard as he entered the tent, thinking to himself, Someone can’t hold back and wants to take this opportunity to revolt.

Just as well, King Jin is here.

Floods, epidemics, and rumors abound.

Since the Protector of the Nation instigated King Jin to take over this mess, let’s see how the Ducal Residence handles it.

Jie Minister’s guard soon returned, his face somber.

"What’s the matter?" Jie Minister asked.

The guard said in a low voice, "Minister, those words spread even before we arrived; it seems they originated near Qingshui Town. It’s too late to trace the source now."

"Qingshui Town?" Jie Minister pondered, tilting his head.

Qingshui Town, Lotus Village, Tianmen Mountain.

There are no secrets that don’t leak out. Although everyone deliberately covered up the incident on Tianmen Mountain, it still spread to some extent, unspoken but understood.

The collapse of Tianmen Mountain, last year’s struggle between Tianzong and Xuanzong from the Dao Family, was it a coincidence?

Whether it was or wasn’t, he didn’t believe the heavy snows in the north or the flooding in the south could be faked.

It’s just that someone is using this year’s unique weather to stir up trouble.

Indeed, the fear of public opinion was truly troublesome.

The guard expressed his worry, "Minister, the disaster relief this time seems challenging; we..."

"Ah, never mind!" Jie Minister raised his hand, his face showing a hint of a smile. "I’m just a humble censor with no real power. How could I be the one to decide such matters? When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up, ah, the tall ones. Tell the people in charge of food distribution to add a dish for King Jin’s meal tomorrow, get him a chicken."

The guard didn’t quite understand his master’s words, but the minister’s orders were always right, so he confusedly passed them on.

Jie Minister was immensely grateful that the Protector of the Nation and King Jin had stepped in; otherwise, if the Crown Prince’s disaster relief was just for show, he alone really couldn’t handle such a situation.

...

News of the disaster area quickly reached the ears of the Emperor in Beijing, who, holding Jie Huanzhi’s memorial, threw it onto the table.

"Let the ministers have a look as well," the Emperor said indifferently.

Wangong Gong picked up the memorial that the Emperor tossed on the table and presented it to the ministers in the hall, who hurriedly examined it.

The Imperial Court took this disaster very seriously, dispatching all available grain for relief efforts. They thought it would surely earn the people’s praise, but instead of praise, there was a litany of complaints.

The Court had done so much for disaster relief, only to face the people’s doubts about the current Emperor’s legitimacy.

The mountains of Tianmen were sealed, and the Emperor was said to mimic the First Emperor in his greed for eternal life, inviting the wrath of the deities.

Xian Huang saw that the Emperor was unkind, so he did not pass the throne to the Crown Prince but to the benevolent and filial Third Prince.

However, the current Emperor framed the Third Prince as a rebel and had him executed, an affront to the heavens.

The Protector of the Nation held up the document and loudly denounced it.

"This Jie Huanzhi, what has he written? Treasonous, truly treasonous! Your Majesty, I speak boldly to request your order to have that Jie Huanzhi brought back to Beijing for trial. Today’s civil officials are becoming increasingly unspeakable, truly uncensored."

Lin Xingyi stepped forward and spoke calmly, "Protector of the Nation, your words are mistaken. If civil officials dare not speak, what use are they?"