chsdbacks Chapter 105 You've got some nerve.
Chapter 105 You've got some nerve.
early morning.
In the main hall, civil and military officials were lined up separately. Lin Yan stood at the end of the military officials' ranks, his sixth-rank position almost touching the threshold of the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Today, Lin Yan kept his head down, looking down at his nose and inwardly contemplating his thoughts, appearing honest and obedient, as if the affairs of the court had nothing to do with him.
But Lin Yan's ears remained perked up.
The Third Prince, Li Zhengyuan, returned to the capital last night. Even if he has a good temper, Lin Yan doesn't believe he can't possibly not cause some trouble.
Sure enough, Li Zhengyuan stepped out of the queue just halfway through the court meeting.
"Father, I have something to report."
The emperor raised his eyelids slightly. "Speak."
Li Zhengyuan took out a folded book from his sleeve and read it aloud clearly, “Your Majesty, I want to impeach Lin Yan, the Councilor of Defense of the Capital, for overstepping his authority, improper procedures, and abusing his power when he searched and confiscated the alchemy room of Juwu Pavilion.”
Upon hearing this, the previously somber atmosphere in the court was immediately filled with buzzing noises.
Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat; they had indeed arrived.
The eunuch took the folded document from Li Zhengyuan and presented it to the emperor, but Li Chengji had no intention of looking at it and simply waved his hand impatiently.
"read."
The eunuch cleared his throat and read aloud, "Today, we impeach Lin Yan for three crimes: First, he failed to report to the Martial Selection Department according to proper procedures when searching the alchemy room of Juwu Pavilion, and instead broke in without authorization, which constitutes an overreach of authority. Second, the scope of the search exceeded the authorization limit stipulated in the relevant documents. The documents only authorized the search of matters related to elixirs, but Lin Yan detained all the people in the alchemy room, which constitutes an abuse of power. Third, the items seized do not match the facts. One item in Lin Yan's reported seizure list was not registered, which is suspected of being embezzled."
After the memorial was read, the court was quiet for a moment, and many civil and military officials secretly glanced at the young man who was about to stand at the entrance of the main hall.
Li Zhengyuan continued, picking up where the eunuch left off, "Father, Juwu Pavilion is a subordinate agency of the Martial Selection Division, which is under my jurisdiction. Lin Yan did not inform me at all before the raid, and he overstepped his authority during the raid. If this matter is not investigated, where will the prestige of our Martial Selection Division be in the future? I fear it will become a laughingstock among countless cultivators throughout the world!"
After he finished speaking, he gave a slight smile in the direction of the Crown Prince.
The emperor did not immediately express his opinion. His gaze first swept over the ministers who had turned around to watch the commotion, and finally landed on the crown prince.
"Your Highness, I remember Lin Yan is one of your men, right? Tell me, is this true?"
Li Zhengxin stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Father, I did indeed send Lin Yan to search the alchemy room of Juwu Pavilion. The reason is that today, a rogue cultivator suffered a qi deviation after consuming pills made in that room and committed a crime in the street. There are witnesses and physical evidence. Lin Yan was acting under orders. In order to prevent more cultivators from being harmed by poisonous pills, he acted expediently. Although there were oversights in the procedure, they are understandable."
"Excusable circumstances?" Li Zhengyuan sneered. "Brother, you make it sound so easy. If everyone uses 'excusable circumstances' as an excuse to act recklessly, what will become of the laws of the court?"
Li Zhengxin turned his head and replied calmly, "Third brother, that rogue cultivator committed a crime in the street, resulting in several deaths and injuries. He is still locked up in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison. If Lin Yan hadn't seized the property in time, who knows how many more people would have been harmed. Instead of reflecting on the poor management of the alchemy room, you're fixated on the procedures?"
"The mismanagement of the alchemy room is a matter for the Martial Selection Division to handle internally; it's not up to a sixth-rank military officer to overstep his bounds," Li Zhengyuan said firmly.
The two brothers stared at each other, the atmosphere in the court tense and fraught with danger.
It all depends on how the emperor decides.
Li Chengji leaned back on the dragon throne, listened to his two sons arguing for a long time, and finally spoke.
"Alright, stop arguing. Aren't you ashamed?"
The hall fell silent instantly.
"Lin Yan, do you plead guilty?"
Lin Yan stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I acknowledge it."
It was straightforward and decisive, without a single word of explanation.
Another round of whispers broke out in the court.
Li Zhengyuan frowned slightly; he hadn't expected Lin Yan to admit it so readily.
Li Zhengxin was clearly taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. This kid, confessing so quickly, is he really not afraid that I can't protect him?
Li Chengji, however, became interested and sat up straight. "Oh? Aren't you going to say a few words in your defense?"
"Your Majesty, I have indeed violated the points mentioned by the Third Prince," Lin Yan replied, bowing his head without a trace of panic. "The situation was urgent that day. After that rogue cultivator committed the crime in the street, there were still many people in the capital who had received pills from the alchemy room. If they hadn't been sealed off in time, I feared that more people would have suffered qi deviation, leading to more civilian casualties. As for the unregistered items mentioned by the Third Prince, they were lists of those who had received pills. His Highness the Crown Prince has already located these rogue cultivators through the list, preventing them from suffering qi deviation due to taking the pills. Although I acted hastily, I have no regrets in order to maintain the stability of the capital."
After he finished speaking, he kowtowed to the emperor.
Everyone present, both civil and military, understood what Lin Yan meant. He had made his stance clear: Yes, I broke the rules, but I did it to save people. You decide what to do.
Li Chengji pondered for a moment, then forced a smile onto his wrinkled face.
"Heh, he's a very honest person."
Li Zhengyuan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. He was about to speak again when the emperor raised his hand to stop him.
"Alright, I will decide this matter." Li Chengji's voice carried an unquestionable authority. "The procedures for the confiscation of Lin Yan's property were indeed flawed, but due to the expedient measures, a six-month salary deduction is imposed as a warning to others."
He then looked at Li Zhengyuan and said, "Third brother, you are also responsible for the mismanagement of your alchemy room, which led to a rogue cultivator suffering from qi deviation. The alchemy room manager should be dismissed and investigated, and all relevant personnel should be fined two months' salary."
Both sides should be punished equally.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince could no longer argue, so they could only silently accept the decree.
Li Chengji waved his hand, "If there's nothing else, court may adjourn."
He added as soon as he finished speaking, "Lin Yan, stay."
Lin Yan was immediately alarmed and remained kneeling on the spot, not daring to move.
After all the civil and military officials had left, only the emperor, the eunuchs, and Lin Yan, who was kneeling on the ground, remained in the main hall.
"You've only been in the capital for a few months and you've already been impeached by the third prince, yet you dared to confess in court. You certainly have some nerve." The emperor's voice was unreadable.
Lin Yan bowed even lower, "Your Majesty, I have been reckless and beg for your forgiveness."
"What crime have we been punished for? We've already punished him." Li Chengji shook his head. "Alright, go down. Next time, be more careful with your actions and don't give anyone any leverage against you."
Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat.
Was the emperor giving him a hint?
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty." Lin Yan bowed deeply and withdrew from the main hall.
As soon as Lin Yan stepped out of the palace gate, a figure blocked his way.
The man was dressed in a black official robe, with a gold knife at his waist. He was as tall and imposing as half a wall, and just standing there gave people a sense of oppressive power without him even trying.
Wang Yan, General of the Left Golden Guard.
Lin Yan knew that this was one of the Third Prince's men.
Lin Yan stopped and clasped his hands in greeting, "General Wang."
Wang Yan lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yan like a knife. "Lin Yan, impressive skills."
Lin Yan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "General, you flatter me. I was merely following orders."
"Acting under orders? Hmph..."
Before he finished speaking, an extremely powerful pressure enveloped Lin Yan.
He felt as if another mountain had pressed down on his shoulders, and his legs could no longer bear the weight, causing him to collapse to the ground, his body being pressed further and further towards the ground.
This Wang Yan, at the fourth-grade Qi Transformation Realm, is actually no less powerful than General Jiang Bufan of the North.
Just then, a voice rang out from the side.
"General Lin, Your Highness, please get into the carriage."
Lin Yan struggled to lift his head and saw Manager Feng smilingly lifting the carriage curtain, gesturing for him to enter.