The first poisonous scholar in Daxia, starting from the abdication of the prime minister

"Your Majesty! Chen Baonian came to my house for a drink yesterday, and I said the same thing!"

Gu Jingzhi said honestly: "I also told him that no matter how poor Fufeng is, as officials of the imperial court, we should protect this area for the imperial court and His Majesty. This is the way of being an official!"

"Well!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia's expression brightened slightly, but he immediately asked, "Then what about the fight between you and your brother? Also, I just heard you say that you beat him to uphold the laws of the court?"

"That's right, Your Majesty!"

Gu Jingzhi said, "This morning I went outside the city to see Chen Baonian off. After returning to the city, Gu Xiu stopped me in person and told me that Chen Baonian was appointed to Fufeng County because he is a good friend of mine!"

"Are you saying that Chen Baonian is your good friend, and Gu Xiu deliberately assigned him to Fufeng to deal with you? With his status, how could he have the power to represent the court..."

Emperor Xia sensed something was wrong when he was halfway through his words. He stood up with a bang, looked at Gu Jingzhi coldly, and asked, "Gu Qing, do you dare to tell me that everything you said is true?"

"Your Majesty! Every word I say is true!"

Gu Jingzhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty has trusted me and bestowed upon me the position of Secretary. I am at your service and obey your orders. I am deeply concerned, and therefore I constantly reflect on myself and dare not make any mistakes easily."

"However, today I heard that a young man from a marquisate, a seventh-rank civil servant, could actually decide the fate of officials in the court. This, both publicly and privately, makes me furious, Your Majesty!"

After hearing what Gu Jingzhi said, Emperor Xia's face became extremely ugly.

"Tianshu, go to the Ministry of Personnel and ask who was in charge of handling Chen Baonian's appointment documents. Check if there's something fishy going on here!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

Tianshu just responded silently and then retreated.

Then, Emperor Xia pointed to the small table on the left and said, "Forget about your rest! Until the matter is fully investigated, just do your work..."

"..."

Gu Jingzhi smiled bitterly in his heart.

Got it!

The boss forced me to work overtime again! There are no human rights in feudal society!

Gu Jingzhi obediently returned to his seat and plunged into the massive memorials.

……

About an hour later, Tianshu came back to report.

"Your Majesty, we've investigated thoroughly! This matter was indeed instigated by the Second Young Master of the Ning Marquis."

"Gu Heng?"

A murderous look flashed in Emperor Xia's eyes, and he said in a cold tone, "How can a mere seventh-rank official command the officials of the Ministry of Personnel?"

"This matter... is done by using Prime Minister Song's name!" Although Emperor Xia's murderous intention was directed at Gu Xiu, Tianshu was still frightened and broke out in a cold sweat!

"Ah……"

Emperor Xia was so angry that he laughed: "Good, very good! I see that the six ministries in the court are getting better and better under the leadership of Prime Minister Song!"

The voices grew louder and louder, until they were practically deafening.

No wonder Emperor Xia was angry.

He was just a young man from a marquisate. If Gu Jingzhi had said so before, he had snatched his fame from others. Such a spoiled brat actually used the power of his elders to stir up trouble in the officialdom.

He treated the court's public property as his own and retaliated against others.

If all the officials in the court followed suit, then he might as well let someone else become the emperor!

"Gu Qing!"

"what?"

Gu Jingzhi, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb, was suddenly startled when he heard Emperor Xia calling him. He immediately stood up and trotted forward: "Your Majesty, I am here!"

"I ask you, what crime should Gu Xiu be punished for disregarding the laws of the court?"

"His Majesty!"

Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and said, "Gu Xiu is only a seventh-rank official. If we punish only him in this matter, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince everyone! If someone doesn't understand the situation, they might even think that the authority of our Great Xia is just a child's plaything..."

"I believe that Song Pu is guilty of failing to discipline him strictly. However, considering that he is ignorant of the true situation, I should issue an imperial decree to reprimand him..."

"Gu Xiu has misused public property and disregarded the laws of the court. He should be stripped of his official position, never employed again, and punished with a cane..."

"The officials in the Ministry of Personnel who handled this matter abused their power for personal gain and failed to maintain self-discipline, resulting in the misuse of public resources and the transfer of power between individuals. This is a serious crime!"

"Also, Gu Heng, a marquis and general of the imperial court, failed to educate his son properly. His family's reputation is certainly corrupt, and he should be demoted! Madam Song, relying on her power and status as a woman in the harem, dared to disrupt the order of the court. She should be stripped of her status as a lady of honor to serve as a warning to others..."

Emperor Xia: “…”

Tianshu: "..."

This is fucking cruel!

A mere dandy young man actually dragged so many important figures into the matter. Not counting Gu Xiu, the person involved, the lowest rank... must be a fourth-rank official!

When Emperor Xia heard that even Song Pu and Gu Heng were punished, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Song Pu was fine, he was just reprimanded by imperial decree!

The abuse of his title as prime minister was a sign of lax discipline. If he had only been reprimanded, it would not have caused any backlash.

But Gu Heng's punishment was too severe, he was demoted directly...

Below the Marquis is the Earl. Although the two are only one level apart, the relationship between them is worlds apart.

Gu Jingzhi noticed Emperor Xia's hesitation and couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, there are only a limited number of prefectures and cities in the world, and there are also a limited number of officials. The purpose of the imperial court's imperial examinations is to select talented people from the people to serve Your Majesty, to guide and govern the region for the emperor, and to assist Your Majesty in governing the country..."

"But if public property ceases to be a public property, and power can be transferred privately, it will inevitably lead to chaos throughout the world! If such crimes are not severely punished, those who come after them will surely follow suit. By then, corruption will continue, and the country will no longer be a country!"

"For the sake of the nation, I ask Your Majesty to impose severe punishment!"

"Severe punishment..."

Emperor Xia sighed, "He deserves a severe punishment!"

"Come here and draw up a decree..."

"His Majesty!"

The eunuch trotted forward. Emperor Xia glanced at him and said, "Do as you say! Also, no one else must know about this. Do you understand?"

"Old slave obeys!"

The old eunuch glanced at Gu Jingzhi imperceptibly, and even Tianshu couldn't help but look sideways.

Gu Jingzhi's identity is no longer a secret in their Inner Guard Palace, but this guy is ruthless when dealing with his own family members!

Demotion, deprivation of status as a lady of honor, deprivation of official position and heavy beatings...

Good man, what on earth did Gu Heng do to cause his eldest son to attack him so ruthlessly.

If this matter were to become known, it would certainly deal a heavy blow to his reputation.

This is also the reason why Emperor Xia didn't let more people know about it. It was entirely to protect him!

To be honest, even as the commander of the Internal Guard, he couldn't help but envy this honor.

Gu Jingzhi noticed the gazes of the two people, but he accepted it calmly.

He knew his own sufferings well. He had no foundation in the court and no prominent family to support him. The only thing he could rely on was the imperial power.

But if Emperor Xia wants to trust him completely, he must have something on him.

Otherwise, expecting an emperor to give more trust is nothing but a fantasy.