Die weibliche Nebenfigur ist unschuldig

Kapitel 72

Everything has changed.

The court, where the dispute had almost reached a fever pitch, suddenly fell silent.

The few small parties that were still clinging together last night

—The army collapsed.

"That's all I have to say on this matter. Does anyone have any objections?" The young Left Prime Minister snapped the yellow silk in his hand, his bright eyes looking at the prince. His clear voice swept over the silent crowd, sounding even sweeter and brighter.

After a brief silence, a chorus of responses rang out, "Yes." They all bowed and then stood up.

As the voices of the crowd reached him, Li Jinhuan felt a bone-chilling cold suddenly penetrate his heart. He stared blankly at the people around him, a voice in his heart repeating a fact more and more urgently and almost frantically.

It's over, everything is over. Decades of hard work, half a lifetime of dedication...

Network of connections, financial resources, status, reputation, influence ﹏﹏

He then left Huaicheng and never served as an official again.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when disaster strikes, people turn their backs. Even if you're just a colleague, or even a spouse or family member, they might all go their separate ways, and no one will be willing to help.

It's over,

It's all over.

Chapter 149: Resentment

Li Jinhuan blankly raised his head, his gaze falling on the smiling, gentle young man in the center of the hall. Despair and resentment filled his eyes. In the throes of extreme hatred, he suddenly became agitated and burst into a string of vulgar curses, which left the two guards who had come forward to pull him off the hall dumbfounded.

Everyone frowned deeply. They never expected that this high-ranking official, who usually appeared so dignified and gentlemanly, would do such a childish, ridiculous, vulgar, and shameless thing when he was defeated. It was a huge loss of face for him, and they were ashamed to stand next to him. They unconsciously moved away, especially the few officials who were usually on good terms with Li Jinhuan. When they suddenly received the meaningful glances from their colleagues, they were confused at first. When they realized what was happening, their faces turned red. They were neither angry nor upset. They could only grit their teeth and glance at the person who was still cursing. Those who were disgusted quickly walked away.

Li Jinhuan was in the middle of a tirade when Mo Yuqing's cold gaze swept over her, startling her so much that she forgot all her curses. She stammered and lowered her head, stopping her mouth. But in the blink of an eye, she saw the disgusted looks on her "friends'" faces. Shame and anger welled up inside her, and she abruptly changed her tune, turning her tirade against these officials. "Hmph, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter! These are my usual colleagues? Bah! What rotten people! Don't think I'm the one in trouble now. You're like grasshoppers in autumn, you won't last long. This vicious brat, first he messed with me, next…"

As the insults became increasingly offensive, everyone's faces turned ashen.

Suddenly, a yellow light flew by, struck Li Jinhuan on the head with a "bang," and fell to the ground. The cursing stopped abruptly.

Everyone looked over and saw a yellow silk ribbon lying on the ground, which was clearly the Crown Prince's edict that Lin Ran had just been holding.

Li Jinhuan was startled. He had already lost everything and didn't need to care about anything else, but he never expected that Lin Ran, as the newly appointed Left Prime Minister of the country, would be able to make such a direct and crude move in the main hall in front of all the civil and military officials, without any regard for his status and image.

He paused, clutching the small bump on his head, momentarily speechless.

Lin Ran casually walked up to Li Jinhuan with his hands behind his back, narrowed his eyes, and spoke calmly, "Speak up, is there anything else you want to say? Say it all at once."

Li Jinhuan's face turned bright red. He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth, "You brat, you... um... waaaah."

With a crisp snapping sound, Lin Ran shook her aching hand in annoyance, but then raised an eyebrow defiantly at Li Jinhuan, who was groaning in pain while clutching her cheek in shock and anger, "Anything else? Let's say it all at once."

Li Jinhuan sneered, glancing at the court officials. His words were already somewhat indistinct, "Heh heh, Lord Lin, you are the Crown Prince's newly appointed Left Prime Minister, a dignified gentleman, while I am but a commoner. Your Excellency, aren't you afraid of losing your dignity by arguing with me so seriously in the main hall? Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, he jumped up on one foot, his face contorted, baring his teeth, and spinning around in place.

Lin Ran smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, looking at her masterpiece with satisfaction. She nodded, "Hmm, it's definitely more convenient to use your feet."

"Ah, what did Lord Li just say? A gentleman and a villain, is that it? You, a villain, are not qualified to define a gentleman. What is a gentleman? One who follows the rules set by the world, cannot stray from the path, is upright and honorable, yet cannot retaliate when slapped, must feign composure when spat upon, allowing villains to gloat, and has countless means to deal with them—that is not a gentleman, that is a fool. Although I am impatient with being a gentleman, I would never stoop to being such a fool who can only be bullied. Li Jinhuan, if you think you can use this to restrain me, to let me curse without retaliating, you are mistaken."

"By the way, does Lord Li have anything else to say? If so, let's say it all at once. I have plenty of time and energy, and I can definitely keep you company to the end. Even if I get tired, there are still my guards. Ah, let me think, I used stomping just now. If you say anything more nonsense this time, I'll kick you."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at a certain important part of Li Jinhuan's body with great pleasure.

Even though Li Jinhuan was dizzy from Lin Xiao's words and in excruciating pain, she still couldn't help but shudder. No matter how venomous her gaze was, she dared not utter another sound. This kid's thoughts and actions were unpredictable. He neither played by the rules nor could he be restrained by gentlemanly manners. If she was a rogue, he could be even more rogue. If she didn't restrain herself, this kid would definitely do what he said he would do.

Chapter 150: Unfathomable

"Guards, remove Li Jinhuan's court beads and robes, and throw her out of the hall." Amidst the stunned silence of the entire hall, the Crown Prince calmly spoke, "Prime Minister Lin, you may also return to your post."

Lin Ran clapped her hands but said nothing more. She turned around, walked through the strange-looking crowd that automatically made way for her, and went straight to the front of the court officials, standing at the head of the opposite end of the aisle from Mo Yu. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, she made a face at Mo Yu and grinned.

A smile flickered across Mo Yu's eyes, and he gently shook his head.

With the court affairs settled, subsequent political matters proceeded smoothly. The Crown Prince's words carried absolute authority; at least, no one dared to be the first to act after such a major upheaval, to test the Crown Prince and the new Left Chancellor's ruthless methods. However, many secretly glanced around, sizing up the new Left Chancellor's background and temperament. Without a clear understanding of the situation, and given the recent major political upheaval, almost all the ministers in the hall remained silent.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Crown Prince promoted some of the coups he had been considering for a long time but had never had the chance to implement. The crowd was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement and carrying them out. The Crown Prince was so pleased that his usually expressionless face couldn't help but show joy, and the corners of his mouth kept changing between involuntarily curving upwards and trying to smooth them out.

This political upheaval was indeed very significant, because the Left Chancellor Lin Ran presented a series of major pieces of evidence in court. Many high-ranking officials subsequently submitted memorials of self-reproach, expressing deep regret and requesting punishment. The Crown Prince, on behalf of the Emperor, rejected each of these memorials and offered words of comfort.

The reforms proposed by the Crown Prince during this morning court session did indeed yield excellent results later on. Crown Prince Yuwen Ke, who had always held a rather mysterious position in the eyes of the people of Tianxing, finally began to formally manage state affairs as a wise and enlightened ruler.

This reform was later referred to as the "Edict Storm".

"Alright, that concludes today's court meeting. If none of you have anything else to report, you may leave." Seeing Lin Ran's weary face and the imminent yawn, the Crown Prince felt a surge of tenderness. A gentle smile touched his distinct features, hidden behind the beaded necklace. This lad, for today's court meeting, hadn't slept a wink last night, hastily gathering evidence and devising a whole series of checks and balances to prevent the elimination of Li Jinhuan and the resulting power imbalance in the court. He must be exhausted by now.

"Yes," everyone replied respectfully in unison. After performing the grand ceremony, they stood quietly to one side, waiting for the Crown Prince to rise before leaving.

Surrounded by eunuchs, the Crown Prince descended the high platform. As he passed Lin Ran, he paused and said softly, "Minister Lin, please come with me. I have something to discuss with you."

Lin Ran's eyes were already half-closed, and the sounds of the Crown Prince and court officials' discussions seemed very distant. She had only been happy when the Crown Prince announced the end of the court session, but upon hearing this, her face fell again. Looking at the Crown Prince, who had taken a few steps and was now waiting at the entrance of the inner palace, she reluctantly took her first step.

As the Crown Prince and Lin Xiao disappeared into the inner hall one after the other, a subordinate beside Mo Yu spoke with a hint of surprise, "My lord, where did this Left Prime Minister come from? He seems quite capable. After today's court meeting, he suddenly threw the major political parties into chaos. Those who were originally in high positions have fallen, while those in lower positions have suddenly risen. Those with aligned interests have also been broken up by him. The morale of the parties is unstable. Although the alliance has not dissolved, it will probably never be as close as before. Moreover, those who were in lower positions but suddenly rose to power will quickly join the Crown Prince's camp to protect their positions because others are dissatisfied. The royal regime will immediately become more stable. Tsk tsk tsk, impressive. I really don't know where the Crown Prince found such a person?"

Mo Yu withdrew his gaze from the depths of the inner hall and gave a faint smile.

Her? Hehe﹏﹏

He chuckled softly, casually put away the jade slip, lightly smoothed his robes, and turned to walk out of the hall. The morning light streamed in through the hall door, illuminating his back, making him appear exceptionally tall and slender. His subordinates, looking from behind, almost had the illusion that he was about to disappear with the light.

"Speaking of which, this Left Prime Minister does bear some resemblance to our Lord," the subordinate murmured, recalling Lin Ran's slightly sarcastic sneer when responding to Li Jinhuan's gentlemanly remark.