Impeachment (Wishing You Prosperity and a Happy Life)

"What? Xu Chang wants to impeach Dongfang Shuo?"

The new emperor still held hope for Zhang Xuezhou, and he waited at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence for Zhang Xuezhou to successfully persuade the empress.

If you succeed in persuading someone, that's fine; but if you fail, you'll inevitably be blamed and admonished by him.

But after waiting for a long time at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, the new emperor did not see Zhang Xuezhou return. Only after having someone inquire did he learn that Zhang Xuezhou had been seized by Xu Chang in the palace and was to be impeached.

"Why did Xu Chang suddenly want to impeach Dongfang Shuo?" the new emperor asked in surprise.

Zhang Xuezhou went to great lengths to get rid of his position as Grand Master of the Palace, making numerous erratic and incoherent statements, but the official post was like a piece of chewing gum that he couldn't shake off no matter what he did.

Zhang Xuezhou and Xu Chang had gotten together and that he would be impeached by Xu Chang.

"Prime Minister Xu said that Dongfang Shuo had broken the rules set forth by the ancestors of the Great Han Dynasty, and his crime was unforgivable. He immediately summoned many court officials to the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, and it was necessary to hold an impeachment meeting to remove Dongfang Shuo," Sang Hongyang, who was in charge of gathering information, replied.

"How did he break the rules set by our ancestors?"

The new emperor exclaimed in surprise, feeling that the accusation Xu Chang had leveled was a bit too much, and that what Zhang Xuezhou had done was probably no small matter either.

But the idea of breaking the rules set by the ancestors by going to the palace was rather mysterious, and the new emperor couldn't figure out what had happened.

"Did he set fire to the Weiyang Palace?" the new emperor asked after thinking for a moment.

"Weiyang Palace is perfectly fine, and there's nowhere in the palace that could catch fire," Sang Hongyang said, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Then did he steal the relics left in the armory by the previous emperors?" the new emperor asked again.

"That shouldn't be the case," Sang Hongyang said. "Prime Minister Xu didn't say that!"

"Did he peek at the Empress bathing and removing her makeup?"

The new emperor pondered the matter back and forth, feeling that there was only so much to do in the palace.

It either involves objects or people; the former is damage or theft, the latter is peeping.

In the palace, only the Empress might bathe during the day. If Zhang Xuezhou happened to see the Empress bathing, the new emperor thought Xu Chang must have seen it quite a bit as well.

This ignited a nameless anger within him, and he felt that both of them deserved to be severely punished.

"Since Her Majesty the Empress hasn't appeared, this matter shouldn't have anything to do with Her Majesty the Empress, right?" Sang Hongyang whispered.

"How did you get this information? It's so vague and incomplete!" the new emperor complained. "You don't know this or that, I can't even come up with a plan!"

Despite the criticism, Sang Hongyang was not yet a court official, and his network of connections only involved eunuchs and imperial guards, so he had no way to find out the truth.

But Zhang Xuezhou was one of only two high-ranking officials under the new emperor, so he couldn't be treated recklessly.

After all, Zhang Xuezhou only sought to impeach the overpowered position of Grand Master of the Palace and did not want to suffer any other punishment.

"Li Guang, Wei Qing, you two come with me to the palace and see what kind of trouble they're up to!"

Xu Chang did not have law enforcement power within the imperial palace, but Xu Chang did have the power to temporarily summon officials.

For the court assembly currently controlled by the Empress Dowager's faction, if Xu Chang obtains the tacit approval of Anle Palace to use the court assembly for review, this can indeed bypass the new emperor's trial of Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor snorted and wanted to see what he had done that had angered both heaven Zhang Xuezhou man, and that had provoked Xu Chang, who had always tolerated Zhang Xuezhou's misbehavior, to the point that he insisted on convening an impromptu court meeting to impeach Zhang Xuezhou.

He took a carriage from the Marquis's residence, and in no time he arrived at the main road leading to the palace.

Seeing the carriages and horses also rushing to the Weiyang Palace, the new emperor knew that he had arrived in time. The impeachment meeting might not have started yet, or it might have started but not ended.

Once the carriage entered the palace, Li Guang retrieved the imperial robe hidden inside. After the new emperor changed his clothes, Li Guang alighted from the carriage.

After passing through a dark corridor, the new emperor, along with Li Guang, Wei Qing, and others, appeared behind the main hall of the Weiyang Palace.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Li Guang gave a muffled shout, and the new emperor strode forward quickly.

The once bustling, market-like main hall of the Weiyang Palace suddenly fell silent.

"Your Majesty, you've finally arrived! This Dongfang Shuo has committed heinous acts; he deserves to die!"

In the imperial court, Xu Chang's voice rang out, followed by the sound of someone walking briskly with a cane.

"What's all this commotion about?"

The new emperor walked out from the inner hall of the main hall and then walked step by step toward the dragon throne.

After sitting down, he first glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, who was bound by ropes and lying on the ground, then at Xu Chang's slightly bluish and swollen right cheek, then at Zhuang Qingdi, whose face still showed a trace of shock and bewilderment, and then at the many court officials who were somewhat confused.

The new emperor saw all the expressions on everyone's faces and realized that the temporary court assembly had only just begun.

The new emperor was relieved to find the empress absent from the main hall and began to question Xu Chang in a more normal manner.

"Dongfang Shuo is utterly rebellious, Your Majesty!" Xu Chang cried out.

"What treasonous act has he committed?" the new emperor asked. "Prime Minister Xu, could you loosen your golden ropes and Tongtian, so that Dongfang Shuo can speak up?"

"We can't let him go!" Xu Chang shouted. "This kind of rebellious subject should be bound and restrained, then impeached in court and stripped of his official position, and finally thrown into the execution ground and beaten to death with sticks!"

"Prime Minister Xu, do not act rashly," the new emperor said. "Tell me, what exactly did Dongfang Shuo do wrong?"

Xu Chang's words were utterly treasonous, and he frequently used phrases like "deserving of death," as if Zhang Xuezhou had committed an unforgivable crime. This made the new emperor's heart skip a beat, and he felt his heart pound.

The new emperor couldn't immediately figure out what heinous crime Zhang Xuezhou had committed, or why he possessed such rebellious abilities.

"Take a breath and speak slowly," the new emperor comforted Xu Chang. "If Dongfang Shuo's crimes are unforgivable, then we'll discuss how to deal with him!"

"Discipline! They must be disciplined!" Xu Chang shouted, leaning on his cane. "If such a rebellious person is not punished today as a warning to others, wouldn't it ruin the legacy of our Great Han Dynasty!"

"So serious? What crime did Dongfang Shuo commit?"

The new emperor asked a series of questions from his throne.

This was not only a question for the new emperor, but also for Zhuang Qingdi and the others.

Many high-ranking officials were summoned to the imperial court and listened to Xu Chang reprimand Zhang Xuezhou for his treasonous acts, but at that moment, none of them really knew what treasonous things Zhang Xuezhou had done.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xuezhou, who was able to explain himself, was tied up by Xu Chang, and his body was pressed down by Xu Chang's Tongtian, making it difficult for him to move or speak.

This left everyone bewildered, and they all looked at Xu Chang, wondering what serious mistake Zhang Xuezhou had made that warranted such treatment from Xu Chang.

"Your Majesty, this Dongfang Shuo is a traitor..."

"Tell him exactly what he did, clearly and plainly. If you can't explain it clearly, I'll have no choice but to have Dongfang Shuo released!"

Xu Chang was about to repeat himself when the new emperor beckoned Li Guang to take two steps forward, which silenced Xu Chang's attempt to continue.

It seemed extremely difficult for Xu Chang to change his mind; after a long pause, he reluctantly spoke.

"Dongfang Shuo has committed an outrageous act! He actually urinated outside the Tianlu Qilin Pavilion! This is utterly disgraceful, especially considering he is in charge of etiquette among the officials. Such behavior is intolerable..."

Xu Chang kept harping on about the serious mistakes Zhang Xuezhou had made.

The new emperor's expression hardened instantly, Li Guang looked astonished, Wei Qing clicked his tongue in amazement, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was incredibly audacious, and the other officials had various expressions and exchanged glances.

Zhuang Qingdi's expression changed and gradually turned ugly.