The Crown Prince watched the chaos below, his lips parting.
Only moments ago, these officials had been opposing him, yet now they had begun opposing Zhou Cheng instead.
Publicly denounced, Zhou Cheng showed not the slightest anger. Instead, he tapped a finger against the armrest of the dragon throne, a trace of mockery in his voice:
"Oh? Then tell me, which matters more: legal principles or the realm of Qing? The moral order or the people of Qing? More people living or more people dying?
If I ascend the throne smoothly, the court will be stable, the realm will be at peace, and no war will break out! What? Will you only be satisfied when blood flows in rivers and corpses litter the fields?"
With that, his piercing gaze seemed almost tangible, stabbing a chill into their hearts.
"If you wish to resign for the sake of these so-called legal principles, or even seek death, I will not stop you. But listen well: I have already rebelled. I am not afraid of infamy.
You, on the other hand, would disregard all living souls beneath heaven for your own selfish desires and a moment's reputation. Surely you understand that history is written by the victors, and the future, too, will be written by me. Let me see which of you is willing to step forward first and leave a stench in the annals of history."
For a moment, the hall was silent as the grave. Even the military officers did not dare make a sound.
For the sake of their integrity, some civil officials truly would not shrink from death. But to have their reputations sullied, the facts twisted, and themselves nailed to the pillar of shame, their names stinking for ten thousand years-that was worse than killing them.
The Crown