I have been a county magistrate for ten years. My subordinates insist on giving me a yellow robe.

Seeing Ning Zhiyuan shut up, Jiang Yuan immediately spoke again.

"Just now, I said that Lord Ning is a model for all officials. He is loyal, upright, and incorruptible. He is devoted to Your Majesty and will never give up until his death."

In the crowd, Chen Liu looked at Jiang Yuan with confusion. What was this kid doing?

I asked you to kill Ning Zhiyuan, why are you still praising him?

"Yes, you are right. Lord Ning is truly loyal to his king and his country. He is worthy of our learning!"

"A loyal minister like Lord Ning will surely be remembered for eternity."

Many officials rushed to speak in agreement. After all, it didn’t cost any money to say a few words. What if Ning Zhiyuan remembered it?

Jiang Yuan sneered, "Just praise me as much as you can. The higher you praise me, the harder I'll fall!"

"Yes, that's what I thought at the time, so when I entered the hall, I wanted to follow Lord Ning's actions." Jiang Yuan said, his face already frosty.

"The result! But the result, I never expected, this old guy actually met the emperor and didn't kneel!"

"Seeing this result, my faith in myself collapsed instantly. The person I once considered an idol actually has such a face!"

"That's why I did it on purpose out of anger!"

After these words were spoken, the officials who had just been praising Ning Zhiyuan seemed to have eaten shit. They were in a dilemma whether to speak or not.

"You! That's the late emperor..."

"Shut your mouth! Did I tell you to speak?" Ning Zhiyuan was about to open his mouth to defend himself when he was stopped by Jiang Yuan's roar.

"I spoke because His Majesty allowed me to speak, but you spoke without His Majesty's consent. You spoke without authorization. Are you disrespecting His Majesty?"

Ning Zhiyuan's face was ashen as he gritted his teeth. "Stop putting the blame on me. You're wrongly accusing me, and you won't let me defend myself?"

"Defend yourself? You can, of course, but only when His Majesty tells you to. Just like me, if His Majesty doesn't say anything, I won't even open my mouth, even if I'm in danger of being dragged out and beheaded. Do you understand?"

"You're a veteran of two dynasties, don't you even know this little bit of etiquette?"

Ning Zhiyuan's chest was heaving violently. Jiang Yuan, a mere fifth-rank official, actually dared to point at his nose and scold him.

However, the problem now is that he can't open his mouth yet. This bastard has already raised the threshold for speaking so high. If he forces himself to speak again, wouldn't it confirm the fact that he is disrespecting the emperor?

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jiang Yuan rubbed his face fiercely and said, "Your Majesty, I have explained why I kicked Lord Ning in anger. Now I ask Your Majesty to punish me."

Duanmu Yuanchen nodded calmly, "Well, I've heard it clearly. I wonder what you think, my dear ministers?"

As soon as the words fell, Chen Liu, who had been prepared for this, was the first to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that although Jiang Yuan's kick in public was indecent, it was excusable and well-founded. Moreover, what he said was all honest advice. He should not be punished, but rewarded!"

"Your Majesty, I think what General Chen said makes sense." Lu Fang followed closely behind.

"Your Majesty, I feel the same way." Yang Cheng said unwilling to be left behind.

Except for these few people who spoke, everyone else kept silent, even the officials that Ning Zhiyuan had won over.

Now that Ning Zhiyuan has been labeled as disrespectful to the emperor, who would dare to speak again?

Besides, Ning Zhiyuan himself hasn't spoken yet. Even if they want to be Ning Zhiyuan's dogs, they have to wait for the master to give the order before they can bite.

Ning Zhiyuan stood up bravely and said, "Your Majesty, I don't think this is appropriate!"

"My dear Ning, please speak." Duanmu Yuanchen sat upright on the dragon throne and spoke casually.

It was not until this moment that Duanmu Yuanchen truly felt a sense of superiority. Even you, Ning Zhiyuan, have to speak to me politely now. This is considered a decent imperial power!

"Your Majesty, the reason I didn't kneel was because the late emperor allowed me to attend court without bowing, and that carriages and horses could enter and leave the palace freely. I believe that since the late emperor has given me permission, I am not wrong to do so!"

Duanmu Yuanchen's expression changed for a while, and he finally brought the issue to Duanmu Xiongtu.

Jiang Yuan scoffed and said directly, "Master Ning, have you forgotten one thing? This is my first time attending court. How can I know that the late emperor had given you permission not to kneel?"

"You! Don't you know that you are not wrong?" Ning Zhiyuan was unreasonable and pressed forward towards Jiang Yuan step by step.

Jiang Yuan looked at Ning Zhiyuan with a smile: "Sir Ning, since you are like this, I have a few questions I would like to ask you."

"Please don't change the subject, Lord Jiang. Answer me, I don't know whether I am innocent or not!" Ning Zhiyuan still refused to let go of this question.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Master Ning, of course I can answer you, but I also want to ask a question."

"Why did the late emperor ask you not to kneel? Was it because you have accomplished extraordinary feats? Because you have brought blessings to the people of the world? Or is it because you are highly respected?"

"May I ask which of these items Lord Ning possesses?"

Ning Zhiyuan was suddenly speechless. Even if he was shameless, he didn't have the nerve to say that he took any of the credit for these three achievements.

"Haha! You have none of that. You even allow the Ning family members to run rampant in the imperial capital, bully the people, and bully men and women!" Jiang Yuan said with a sneer.

"And the late emperor, considering that you are the brother of Empress Dowager Ning and the elder of the current emperor, saved your old face and did not let you kneel. This is the late emperor's mercy!"

"But you, you really think you are second only to the emperor and above all others. How can you have the nerve to stand in this palace and claim that it was approved by the late emperor?"

After Jiang Yuan finished speaking, the entire court fell into an eerie silence.

Ning Zhiyuan moved his lips slightly, but no sound came out. All the officials lowered their heads, fearing that Jiang Yuan would change the subject and stare at them directly.

Chen Liu clenched his fists slightly, this is a sure thing!

Ning Zhiyuan was very sharp-tongued, even comparable to Jiang Yuan, but he lost because Jiang Yuan gained the upper hand.

If Ning Zhiyuan refuted anything, Jiang Yuan would immediately put a bigger hat on him, but unfortunately, Ning Zhiyuan was not an ordinary person and had already seen this clearly.

"My dear ministers, does anyone have anything to say?" Duanmu Yuanchen, who was sitting on the dragon throne, spoke softly again.

"Your Majesty, we have no objection." All the officials spoke in unison.

Duanmu Yuanchen waved his hand gently: "Well, I now declare that Lord Jiang is loyal and brave enough to risk his life for such a loyal act. He is not guilty!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" All the officials echoed again.

However, just as Duanmu Yuanchen was about to speak, Ning Zhiyuan suddenly knelt on the ground and said with tears in his eyes:

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"I have been a little too proud of myself recently. Your Majesty is my upbringing, so I have neglected the difference between ruler and subject. Lord Jiang's words today have completely awakened me."

"Your Majesty, please punish me!"

No one expected Ning Zhiyuan to suddenly kneel down, including Jiang Yuan.

The hall was quiet for a while. Jiang Yuan looked at Ning Zhiyuan seriously. This guy was not an ordinary person.

He can take it and let it go, and most importantly, this guy is someone who can throw his face to the ground at any time.

Why can't Duanmu Yuanchen's lover control Ning Zhiyuan? Is it really because of the difference in intelligence between them?

Absolutely impossible! Duanmu Yuanchen has been a prince since he was young, and the education he received was top-notch. Even if his mind is not on studying, he is influenced by it every day, so it is impossible for him to be bad.

Chen Liu and Zhou Chen are both thousand-year-old foxes. Who could be worse than Ning Zhiyuan? Moreover, there are many talents summoned by Duanmu Yuanchen from outside the palace.

Wu De, Ding Yi, Sun Liangce, these guys were chosen by Duanmu Xiongtu, so there is no need to say how valuable they are.

But so many people are unable to control Ning Zhiyuan. The reason is that these people are too proud!