Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 473: Unending Turmoil in the Court_1
"Long live, my Emperor!"
Within the Golden Luandian, a sea of ministers prostrated themselves, with the exception of Wang Linchi, who sat nonchalantly in the foremost Taishi Chair, appearing strikingly conspicuous.
"Rise," the eunuch’s voice declared, prompting the many ministers to stand.
Then, the entire court was plunged into silence; no one dared to speak. Everyone present knew what was about to transpire. Emperor Jing remained calm, aware that this was the decisive moment.
"King Heaven Equivalent, I..." Emperor Jing was the first to speak.
However, Wang Linchi interrupted him: "Your Majesty, the Twelve Golden Orders and Decree of Punishment have already been delivered."
This bold attitude was infuriating in Emperor Jing’s eyes, but he forced himself to remain patient.
Looking at the items presented before him, he suppressed his rage and asked, "King Heaven Equivalent, do you understand the charges against you?"
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. What crimes has King Heaven Equivalent committed?"
"A commander in the field is not bound by the commands of his sovereign!" Someone stepped forward, immediately countering the claim.
Once someone took the lead, the ministers, like men ready to die, ferociously attacked Emperor Jing. They implied he was wrong and should quickly admit his mistake, or else he was walking the path of destruction.
"Merits and demerits don’t cancel each other out!" Emperor Jing roared.
The ministers, seeing Emperor Jing lose his usual composure for the first time, realized their pressure was too intense and temporarily became silent.
"So, what does Your Majesty intend to do?" Wang Linchi asked, rising from his Taishi Chair.
Feeling the oppression coming at him, Emperor Jing gritted his teeth and said, "I ask King Heaven Equivalent to resign from his positions, meditate on his wrongdoings for three years at home, and forfeit his salary for three months."
"Is that enough?" Wang Linchi asked.
Emperor Jing was taken aback by this question; he did not expect Wang Linchi to ask it.
"Isn’t the degradation of your title necessary?" Wang Linchi asked again.
Cold sweat broke out on Emperor Jing’s forehead. He saw Wang Linchi’s line of questioning as a rebellion.
However, Wang Linchi had no such intention; he was sincerely asking.
"No! This was decreed by the late emperor!" Zhang Lin stepped forward and said.
"The Grand Secretary’s words are reasonable. King Heaven Equivalent’s title was bestowed by the late emperor himself. I cannot take it away." Emperor Jing knew he could only go so far. If he could remove all of Wang Linchi’s positions and power, the rest wouldn’t be a problem.
Imprison him? That’s not my intention at all. My plan is to kill Wang Linchi next, but I can’t do it openly in court; it would cause chaos.
"Alright, then I thank Your Majesty for your approval," Wang Linchi said calmly.
The ministers present hadn’t expected Wang Linchi to agree to resigning. However, they did not agree with it.
Therefore, a new wave of public opinion erupted, causing chaos throughout the court.
Wang Linchi, as if none of this concerned him, took his seat again in the Taishi Chair.
At that moment, Emperor Jing and the ministers understood Wang Linchi’s plan: he was using the tactic of appearing to retreat in order to make progress.
Emperor Jing challenged him, and Wang Linchi agreed to transfer his political power. So what was their interest group supposed to do? Were they really willing to let Wang Linchi, their leader, retire?
That was impossible. So they argued vehemently against Emperor Jing, their faces red with exertion.
Claims of "Contrary to rites and laws," and "Your Majesty is defying the late emperor’s decree. King Heaven Equivalent should be the regent!" were thrown around.
Fortunately, Emperor Jing was prepared. Although the situation was difficult and he was at a disadvantage, he stood his ground and did not retreat an inch.
He knew that if he backed down now, it wouldn’t be a small concession but a return to his status as a puppet.
Wang Linchi watched the spectacle with interest. It’s almost like a battlefield. Perhaps when Emperor Xian of Han was forced to abdicate, the scene was like this? Wang Linchi thought, finding it somewhat amusing.
Of course, if he announced his intention to become emperor now, Emperor Jing would find himself in an even more difficult position.
Emperor Jing was still the emperor, so everyone was saving him some face. However, if Wang Linchi were to become emperor, Emperor Jing would no longer hold that position, and nobody would need to save him any face then.
The court meeting dispersed quickly. The matter had not been resolved.
Emperor Jing was stuck, unable to strip Wang Linchi of his positions and power. However, the group of ministers also hadn’t succeeded because the decree had already been issued and could only temporarily block the matter.
There wasn’t a good solution yet, and it fell to Wang Linchi to figure it out.
However, Wang Linchi seemed to adopt a resigned attitude, unable to sort out the matter.
「In the inner palace」
Emperor Jing, his face filled with rage, smashed a vast number of things, leaving the room in disarray.
"A bunch of bastards! They... how dare they!!!"
After exhausting himself from the destruction, he gasped for breath and sat down.
The Aide emerged silently. "Without removing King Heaven Equivalent, Your Majesty will never have peaceful days," he said.
"Good! Then follow your plan. Kill him on trumped-up charges!" Today’s morning court session had thoroughly trampled Emperor Jing’s dignity.
So, after the Aide spoke, he agreed without hesitation.
"Tonight, host a feast in the palace for King Heaven Equivalent to welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey. At that time, order assassins to lurk secretly behind the corridor. When Your Majesty throws a cup as a signal, let the assassins rush in with swords and slash him into minced meat."
"Once a snake loses its head, it will die. There’s nothing to fear from the court officials then," the Aide supplied the strategy.
"Right, follow this plan. Immediately send someone to invite King Heaven Equivalent to the palace for the feast." Just as Emperor Jing finished speaking, he suddenly realized something: "What if King Heaven Equivalent doesn’t come?"
If you want to trap a turtle in a jar, the turtle has to get into the jar first. Otherwise, no matter how well the plan is laid out, it won’t succeed.
"This matter is not difficult. Your Majesty just needs to invite him under the pretext of addressing his wrongdoings and admitting your mistake for today’s affairs. I don’t believe King Heaven Equivalent won’t fall for it," the Aide offered a reason.
This reason was not to convince Wang Linchi, but to convince Emperor Jing.
Otherwise, if he simply invited Wang Linchi, it would clearly indicate a scheme.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing’s eyes lit up. "Brilliant!"
As for admitting a mistake, isn’t it contrary to the imperial style? Nonsense. After the events at this morning’s court session, I’ve already lost all face. What dignity is there left? Killing Wang Linchi might even help me regain some of it.
"It is not suitable for the Imperial Guard to go this time. If we want to deceive everyone, we not only have to fool King Heaven Equivalent but also the court ministers."
"Go and prepare the ceremonial guard, and get horses and carriages ready. The grander the display, the better. Let everyone know about this." Emperor Jing was not stupid. He intended to murder someone, but for the killing to be foolproof, Wang Linchi must be forced to come.
With the emperor admitting his mistake and such grandeur, Wang Linchi would have to come, whether he wished to or not.
A smile touched the Aide’s lips as he flattered, "Your Majesty is truly talented. With this method, King Heaven Equivalent will undoubtedly die."
"HAHAHA!" Emperor Jing laughed freely, yet he didn’t get carried away.
The plan hasn’t been carried out yet. Who knows what problems might arise in the process?
"Still, it’s you, Mr. Jia, who are ingenious. With this chain of tricks, everything is connected. Regardless of whether King Heaven Equivalent hands over political power, he cannot escape the ’trumped-up charges’ accusation." Emperor Jing knew he still had to rely on Mr. Jia, the Aide before him, and naturally did not skimp on his praises.
Verbal praises, of course, were plentiful, since they cost nothing and conferred no power.
「Tianqi King’s Mansion」
Wang Linchi was receiving Zhang Lin.
"Your Highness, I can’t quite see through this move of yours," Zhang Lin asked frankly; he just wanted to know what Wang Linchi intended to do.
With Wang Linchi’s means, the ways he could resolve this situation were unimaginably numerous. However, Wang Linchi had instead used a tactic of retreating to advance, making everything messy.
"Do you still remember what I want?" Wang Linchi asked.
Zhang Lin frowned. Of course, he knew. Isn’t it just fame? But he has already achieved success and fame. There’s nobody in the world who doesn’t recognize King Heaven Equivalent. He has already reached his goal; leaving a mark in Green History isn’t a problem.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?" Zhang Lin genuinely couldn’t see through it this time.
But it didn’t matter; he could just ask directly.
"The time is almost up. I can only take a gamble," Wang Linchi said calmly. He had already heard the noises outside; in about five minutes, someone would come to report.
"What?" Zhang Lin couldn’t understand.
"The path of the Spirit Master has been severed. I’ve been injured, and my lifespan is less than a year." After Wang Linchi finished speaking, he stood up. "So, it’s too slow. I need a way to reach the heavens in a single step."
"If you think... if I die, or if I’m killed by Emperor Jing for some fabricated reason... this fame..."
Wang Linchi didn’t finish speaking, but Zhang Lin supplemented for him: "It will skyrocket! You might even use the entire Dajing Empire to achieve your fame!"
Fear flickered in Zhang Lin’s eyes; he had never thought Wang Linchi would be so insane.
"And you won’t regret it?" Zhang Lin asked once he calmed down.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Wang Linchi opened the study door and walked out, replying, "No regrets. I came here for fame; dying for fame is also common."
