bookrandom Chapter 1133 Kong Yingda
Chapter 1133 Kong Yingda
The atmosphere inside the Taiji Hall became somewhat subtle because of the appearance of the name "Kong Yingda".
The civil and military officials whispered among themselves.
Everyone was puzzled as to what the head of the Kong family wanted to do by coming at this time.
Could it be that he wanted to plead for his nephew, who had already become a prisoner?
This is too courageous!
Kong Zhiqian committed a heinous crime of treason that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of his family!
It was already a mercy from the Empress and the Regent that Kong Yingda was not implicated, yet he still dared to come forward.
Isn't this like lighting a lantern in an outhouse—courting death?
On the imperial steps, Murong Yan's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.
She glanced at Lin Zhen beside her and noticed that although his face was expressionless, his eyes had become somewhat playful.
"Xuan."
In the end, Murong Yan uttered a single word in a low voice.
She was also very curious about what this Minister Kong, who was said to be a great Confucian scholar of the time and the most particular about etiquette, was really up to.
Soon, an elderly man, dressed in a crimson official robe, with white hair and beard but still upright, slowly walked into the Taiji Hall, led by an attendant.
It was none other than Kong Yingda, the Minister of Rites.
As soon as he entered the hall, all eyes were on him.
His face was pale, his eyes were sunken, and he looked at least ten years older than he had a month ago.
But his back was ramrod straight, and his face carried an almost obsessive arrogance typical of scholars.
He walked to the center of the hall, but unlike the others, he did not immediately kneel down and shout "Long live the Emperor!"
Instead, he first tidied his clothes and then performed a standard and impeccable kowtow to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I, Kong Yingda, pay my respects to the Prince." His voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear.
"Minister Kong, what crime have you committed?" Murong Yan looked at him, her tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Weren't you claiming to be ill at home? How come you have time to come to court today?"
Kong Yingda slowly straightened up, raised his head, and looked directly at the beautiful face above the steps, a face that exuded supreme majesty.
"Your Majesty, I have come here today not for myself, but to cleanse the Kong family of its filth!"
These words shocked the entire court!
Cleaning the portal?
What do you mean?
Kong Yingda took out a pre-written memorial from his wide sleeves and raised it high above his head.
"My family has unfortunately produced such a disloyal, unfilial, lawless traitor as Kong Zhiqian! This scoundrel is insane and depraved, attempting to overthrow our Great Qian Dynasty. This is an unprecedented disgrace to my Kong clan! As the head of the Kong family, I have failed in educating and disciplining my son, causing this misfortune to my family. My sins are unforgivable!"
"Today, your guilty subject humbly begs Your Majesty's permission! To completely remove the traitor Kong Zhiqian from the genealogy of my Kong family! And for your guilty subject to personally oversee the execution... by slow slicing! To uphold the law of the land! To serve as a warning to others! To comfort the people! To thank the spirits of my ancestors in heaven!"
His words were delivered with great passion and righteous indignation! It was as if he were not the traitor's uncle, but his mortal enemy!
The officials in the hall were all dumbfounded.
That was some seriously flashy moves!
Sacrificing family for the greater good? Drawing a clear line between them? This old man Kong is really capable of anything to protect the reputation and status of the Kong family!
Many officials looked at him with a hint of disdain.
However, Lin Zhen and Murong Yan sensed something else in his seemingly righteous words.
That old fox is testing me.
He was testing his and Yan'er's attitude towards the Kong family.
If they agree, it would be tantamount to acknowledging that the Kong family has nothing to do with Kong Zhiqian, and the Kong family would be able to completely extricate themselves from this massive treason case.
If they disagree, he can then put on a pitiful act of "being loyal but the king does not believe him" to win the sympathy of scholars across the land.
What a brilliant scheme! What a brilliant scheme!
Lin Zhen sneered inwardly.
He glanced at Murong Yan beside him, only to see her pick up her teacup, gently blow on it, and not speak immediately.
This girl is becoming more and more like an emperor. She knows when to speak and when not to.
Lin Zhen cleared his throat and spoke. His voice, though not loud, carried clearly throughout the entire hall.
"Minister Kong, your loyalty to the emperor and your patriotism are evident to both Your Majesty and me. However..."
He changed the subject, his gaze sharpening.
"Kong Zhiqian committed the heinous crime of treason. According to the laws of our Great Qian Dynasty, his entire family should be executed! His Majesty, considering that your Kong family are descendants of a sage and have made great contributions to our Great Qian Dynasty, has shown leniency by only investigating the ringleader and not implicating your Kong family. This is already an immense grace."
"And now you intend to personally oversee the execution, to have him slowly sliced to death? What? Do you think that the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review of my Great Qian Dynasty are just for show? Or do you think that your Kong family's rules can supersede the laws of my Great Qian Dynasty?"
Lin Zhen's words were like a knife hidden in a sachet, each word piercing the heart!
This directly exposed Kong Yingda's little scheme!
Didn't you want to draw a line?
OK!
I'll first elevate you to the level of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and then I'll tell you that you're trying to use family law to interfere with national law!
This is a huge accusation, let's see how you handle it!
Kong Yingda's face instantly turned even paler than before!
He never expected that this young regent would be so shrewd and experienced at such a young age!
With just a few words, he blocked all his escape routes!
"This sinful subject...this sinful subject dares not!" He knelt down again with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"It's good that you don't dare." Lin Zhen looked at his disheveled appearance without feeling the slightest bit of sympathy.
He stood up, walked to the edge of the imperial steps, looked down at Kong Yingda, and said in an icy voice, "Kong Zhiqian's crimes will be judged by the law! His fate will be decided by me and His Majesty! There's no need for Minister Kong to worry about it."
"As for your Kong family..."
Lin Zhen paused for a moment.
All the officials in the hall held their breath.
They knew that the most crucial moment was about to arrive.
The Regent is about to deliver his final verdict on the Kong family.
"Your Majesty is merciful, saying that only the ringleader will be punished. However, while the death penalty may be spared, punishment is inevitable!"
"By order of His Majesty and myself! Kong Yingda, the Minister of Rites, has failed in his duty to educate his son and manage his household properly, and cannot escape blame! He is hereby removed from his post as Minister of Rites, stripped of his title, and ordered to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion! For ten years, the Kong family shall not participate in the imperial examinations, nor shall they serve as officials in the court!"
"Furthermore, the Kong family shall be punished by donating half of their property and land to the national treasury to compensate the civilians and soldiers who died or were injured in this Jiangnan Rebellion!"
Upon hearing the verdict, Kong Yingda's body swayed violently, and he almost collapsed to the ground!
Dismissed from office! Stripped of his title!
He will be barred from holding office for ten years!
Half of his family's assets were confiscated!
This...this is practically equivalent to taking half the life of the Kong family!
What is the reason why the Confucius family has achieved its current status?
They relied on having connections in the imperial court, and on their vast landholdings and wealth!
Now, Lin Zhen and Murong Yan have severed their two most important legs with a single strike!
ten years!
Ten years later, where will the Kong family have a place in the court of the Great Qian Dynasty?
So cruel!
That's really ruthless!
"Kong Yingda, do you accept this?" Lin Zhen's voice, like a death knell, rang in his ears.
Kong Yingda's lips trembled. He wanted to say "I'm not convinced," he wanted to question, "Why should I?"
Why should the entire Kong family bear the consequences of Kong Zhiqian's crimes?
But he didn't dare.
He looked up at Lin Zhen's cold, emotionless eyes on the steps.
He knew that if he dared to say "no," the consequences for the Kong family would be far more severe than simply confiscating half of their assets.
Instead, the entire family was executed!
"This sinful subject...accepts the decree...thanks for the grace..." He mustered all his strength to squeeze out these words through clenched teeth. Then, as if all his energy had been drained, he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up again.
After dealing with Kong Yingda, Lin Zhen felt no relief whatsoever.
He always felt that things weren't that simple.
Is Kong Zhiqian, that madman, really finished?
Can the so-called "Nihilistic Party" really be completely eradicated based on the people Zhao Wuji and his group have captured?
He recalled Kong Zhiqian's diary filled with crazy ideas, and the vague "final plan" he mentioned at the end of the diary, which was aimed at Chang'an.
No, I have to go see him again.
This thought suddenly popped into Lin Zhen's mind.
He wanted to personally go to the prison to see Kong Zhiqian, whose legs had been broken and who had been completely rendered useless.
He wanted to pry out that madman's last and deepest secret from his mouth!