Suspended Sentence

"His Majesty!"

"How?"

"Grand Master Dongfang Shuo just urinated outside the Tianlu Qilin Pavilion. He disregarded etiquette and should be dismissed and investigated!"

Outside the Tianlu Qilin Pavilion, before Zhang Xuezhou had even finished urinating, Zhuang Qingdi had already spoken.

"It was difficult to identify who urinated before, but now it is undoubtedly Dongfang Shuo's urine," Zhuang Qingdi said.

"I told you this Dongfang Shuo committed treason once, and now he's committed it twice!" Xu Chang cursed. "This kind of person commits treason again and again, he deserves to be skinned alive!"

"Cough cough!"

Zhuang Qingdi coughed twice.

Among the court officials, the Grand Secretary Zheng Dangshi immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty," Zheng Dangshi said, "If we hadn't seen the Grand Master of the Palace urinating in the Qilin Pavilion before, we now have. Lord Dongfang's actions are contrary to etiquette; he is clearly unfit for the position of Grand Master of the Palace!"

"That's right, Dongfang Shuo has served as Grand Master of the Palace for nearly two years, but he's only been in office for less than two days!"

"Since he lacks virtue, he is unfit for a position that requires virtue!"

Compared to Xu Chang, Zhuang Qingdi, who was specifically responsible for impeaching officials, undoubtedly had more precise authority to issue orders.

Many officials failed to understand Xu Chang's intentions, but Zhuang Qingdi's instructions were quite clear.

In a short time, more than ten people stepped forward to criticize and impeach Zhang Xuezhou.

"Hey, I'm urinating on orders, do you have to kick me when I'm down like this?" Zhang Xuezhou cursed.

"To knowingly do something impossible is also a grave taboo," Zhuang Qingdi said. "If His Majesty's virtue is flawed, and the Grand Master of the Palace not only fails to dissuade him but also condones it, then the Grand Master of the Palace is incompetent for his position!"

"Imperial Censor Zhuang, you've set a trap for me!"

Zhang Xuezhou cursed.

But Zhang Xuezhou could read Xu Chang's mind and dared to fight and curse with Xu Chang, so he really couldn't figure out Zhuang Qingdi.

In the imperial court, speaking and expressing opinions are two different things. Xu Chang may seem to be cursing Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly, even wanting to kill him, but Xu Chang can change his tune at any time.

Zhuang Qingdi, on the other hand, was a strict enforcer of orders. In particular, the way Zhuang Qingzhai manipulated Zhang Xuezhou taught him a lesson, and it also reminded Zhang Xuezhou of Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and others who had been driven to suicide by Zhuang Qingdi.

He inwardly gasped, hoping things wouldn't go too far and he wouldn't lose too much.

"What nonsense about scams?" Zhuang Qingdi sneered. "Just tell me, isn't it true that you peed outside the Qilin Pavilion?"

"You're clearly trying to frame me!"

Zhang Xuezhou offered a rebuttal, but did not struggle excessively.

He looked at the new emperor, only to see the emperor's eyelids twitching repeatedly.

Clearly, the new emperor realized that his men were nothing more than greenhorns in the hands of Zhuang Qingdi and his group, being played around with at will.

What was not a major issue was seized upon by Xu Chang to make a big deal out of it, while Zhuang Qingdi orchestrated a scheme witnessed by all the officials, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to perfectly repeat his criminal acts.

Xu Chang and Zhang Xuezhou could each present their own arguments, and after a period of wrangling, the matter would be over. However, Zhuang Qingdi's approach turned the situation into a swift and decisive resolution, directly determining the nature of Zhang Xuezhou's actions and enabling a judgment to be made on the spot.

The only redeeming quality was that Zhuang Qingdi did not act arbitrarily, but instead gave the new emperor sufficient reason to intervene and was able to characterize and judge Zhang Xuezhou's actions.

"Dongfang Shuo's misconduct is undeniable." The new emperor, unable to deny the ministers' claims, could only admit, "What does Imperial Censor Zhuang think should be done?"

"He is not qualified for the position of Grand Master of the Palace," Zhuang Qingdi said.

"Indeed, I am not up to the task," the new emperor nodded.

"Then remove his title of Grand Master of the Palace and reserve it for another official position!"

Zhuang Qingdi spoke in a deep voice.

He looked at the expressionless new emperor, then at Xu Chang, whose anger had not subsided.

Clearly, the new emperor agreed to the punishment, but Xu Chang was not entirely satisfied, seemingly sensing that the punishment was insufficient.

This quickly turned the initial shock in Zhuang Qingdi's heart into emptiness.

If it weren't necessary, Xu Chang obviously wouldn't risk getting involved in such a matter. Zhuang Qingdi felt that things had likely spiraled out of control.

Xu Chang, who reported everything to Anle Palace, surprisingly agreed to Zhang Xuezhou's impeachment of the Grand Master of the Palace on the spot without uttering a sound, without consulting Anle Palace.

If Xu Chang no longer needs to consult with the emperor, it only proves that Anle Palace no longer has a master to listen to.

Zhuang Qingdi appeared calm on the surface, but his mind was in complete turmoil.

"Dongfang Shuo has repeatedly committed heinous crimes; merely impeaching him for his official position is far from sufficient," Xu Chang said, still seething with anger.

"Prime Minister Xu," the new emperor called out displeasedly, "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"The system of rites has always been meant to warn future generations not to repeat the same mistakes. If Dongfang Shuo can avoid being held accountable by impeaching an official today, someone will imitate him tomorrow," Xu Chang said.

"Oh?"

"I suggest that Dongfang Shuo be punished with the instruments used to commit treason," Xu Chang said. "If someone commits a crime with their hands, their hands can be cut off; if they commit a crime with their feet, their legs can be severed; if they are eloquent, their tongue can be cut out. But Dongfang Shuo..."

What do you mean?!

Xu Chang spoke angrily, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a little flustered, sensing that this old man was up to something and that the matter had exceeded his psychological tolerance.

"Does Prime Minister Xu intend to have Dongfang Shuo castrated?" Zhuang Qingdi asked.

"That's the intention," Xu Chang nodded, "That's why I tied him up and held him down earlier, to prevent him from struggling during the castration!"

"Sizzle!"

Zhuang Qingdi gasped, while the new emperor's expression darkened.

"Are you really going to cut it?"

Li Guang leaned in and asked, then glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, who was courting death, and also at the new emperor's expression.

"Really cut!"

Xu Chang responded forcefully, which drew another barrage of insults from Zhang Xuezhou, who even pulled up his pants and clamored for another hand-to-hand fight with Xu Chang.

"Severe punishment is not enough to deter others," Xu Chang said.

"Dongfang Shuo, do you have any opinions?" Zhuang Qingdi asked.

"Of course I have objections!" Zhang Xuezhou shouted. "When I was an official, you operated on my head, leaving me with serious health problems. Now you want to use methods to kill my offspring! I haven't gained any benefits from being an official in this court; I've only suffered. Is there no law? Is there no justice? You don't investigate corruption or crimes, you frame people and investigate nothing but trivial matters... You..."

"You have one chance to save yourself," Zhuang Qingdi interrupted. "As long as you can prove yourself so that others won't follow suit, there's still a chance to salvage the situation. Otherwise, don't blame us for calling in reinforcements to cut off the source of the crime!"

"I hope I can get a suspended sentence!"

Zhang Xuezhou let out a huge shout.

"I promise I won't urinate in the Qilin Pavilion again," Zhang Xuezhou said quickly. "You can observe me for three years. If I make this mistake again within three years, you can castrate me!"

"This guarantee is very effective!"

Without waiting for Xu Chang to object, Zhuang Qingdi quickly agreed.

"Then strip Dongfang Shuo of his position as Grand Master of the Palace and make him wait for orders in the Eunuch's Office. If Dongfang Shuo comes to the Qilin Pavilion to urinate again, then castrate him," the new emperor said, frowning.

"Your Majesty Sagacity!"

Zhuang Qingdi bowed in response.

"Three years probation?"

Xu Chang muttered it once, but ultimately remained silent.

The test subject, Zhang Xuezhou, did not bleed, which is quite different from the power struggles and life-or-death battles within the imperial court.

Xu Chang thought about Zhang Xuezhou's position as Grand Master of the Palace, and then about his own position as Prime Minister, and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Given his high position and power, even if he were to imitate Zhang Xuezhou's behavior, the punishment he would inevitably receive would be much heavier.

But probation is easy to negotiate. As long as he can step down from the position of prime minister normally, he can accept even a ten-year probation.