12dz Chapter 444 Jianghu Figures
Chapter 444 Jianghu Figures
"Ma Dazhi, could you please give me your permission first? I'll be up in a bit."
Ma Dazhi immediately led his men to begin preparations. At this moment, inside Zhao Beixing's residence, several masked men were all kneeling on one knee. Although their facial features were not clearly visible, they were still present.
However, the chilling aura emanating from each of them revealed them to be martial arts practitioners. Their hands were stained with the blood of countless officials, for these individuals were martial arts masters selected from Wei Zhongxian's inner circle.
However, Zhao Beixing spent a lot of money to invite these people, and he even sacrificed his own daughter.
"Whoever helps me rescue Zhao Tianming today, my daughter will be your reward. Remember my words, you can only succeed, failure is not an option. If you fail, you know what to do, right?"
Zhao Beixing said indifferently. At this moment, the girl had already been locked inside the house by Zhao Beixing, and the door was locked from the outside.
In Zhao Beixing's eyes, his daughter would always belong to someone else. He figured he might as well use her a little; whoever performed well today would get to marry Xue'er. The men in black revealed wicked expressions, and a hoarse voice immediately responded.
"Please rest assured, Lord Zhao Beixing. After all, we were personally trained by Lord Wei Zhongxian. If Zhao Tianming doesn't come out today, we will commit suicide and won't cause you any trouble."
Zhao Beixing was very satisfied with their performance and waved his hand.
"You all go ahead and prepare. I'll be waiting for your good news at home."
Today is destined to be an unforgettable day, because the Emperor actually held court early. Every civil and military official was very puzzled, wondering why the Emperor would hold court early today.
They knew that the emperor hated attending court the most and that the person he least wanted to see was Wei Zhongxian.
As a result, the emperor missed several days of court last month, directly letting Wei Zhongxian take his place. This allowed Wei Zhongxian to experience what it was like to be the emperor. However, Wei Zhongxian is now very puzzled. Could it be that the emperor has taken the wrong medicine today?
The Emperor is holding court early today. Is it because Zhao Tianming is going to die that the Emperor is holding court early?
Anyway, Wei Zhongxian couldn't understand it either. The emperor was wearing a dragon robe and looked to be in good spirits. The emperor sat on his dragon throne and immediately glanced at the crowd before speaking indifferently.
"I just notified everyone that they were supposed to attend court early. As for those officials who didn't make it, write them all down in my notebook and give each of them a heavy lash. It seems they really think they can do whatever they want and don't respect me, the emperor, at all."
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, some officials were left somewhat at a loss.
These people had no idea what the Emperor was really up to. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? Was it because someone hadn't come to the morning court session?
They were punished for attending the morning court session early. Wei Zhongxian was the most upset, because when he looked around, he found that at least half of his men and officials were not present.
It was obvious that this was the Emperor's doing, that he wanted to get rid of him. Wei Zhongxian felt it was unlikely. Just then, Zhang Shaoqing, the Minister of War who had been keeping a low profile, stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the disaster situation in the Jiangnan region has become increasingly severe recently, and many impoverished people have become homeless. I am willing to go and suffer in Your Majesty's place to save those people from their suffering."
Zhang Shaoqing spoke with great determination, and did not forget to kneel down and kowtow three times to the Emperor, hoping that the Emperor would grant his request.
Zhang Shaoqing's actions surprised all the civil and military officials. Everyone knew that since Zhang Shaoqing, the Minister of War, lost his power, he immediately became low-key.
Normally, Zhang Shaoqing rarely speaks during the morning court session, but today, he actually took the initiative to go and do some business, saying that he was going to the Jiangnan region to help the poor people.
Of course, some of these civil and military officials had gone to Chen Er's residence yesterday. They all knew that this task was deliberately assigned to Zhang Shaoqing by the Emperor, so they dared not speak, and the Emperor clapped and cheered.
"Zhang Shaoqing, you are truly a role model for our generation, a pillar of our great Ming Dynasty. I will grant your request, but is your health really up to the task?"
When the Emperor asked in confusion, Zhang Shaoqing stood up without batting an eye and pounded his chest with both fists.
"Your Majesty, do not underestimate me because of my age. I am still in good health. Now, while I can still share the burden for the Ming Dynasty, I am willing to sacrifice myself. Please grant my request."
When Zhang Shaoqing spoke again, the Emperor's eyes reddened, and he pointed at the civil and military officials present.
"Long live the Emperor! We deserve to die. We have not shared the Emperor's burdens and difficulties. Please, Your Majesty, give us a chance to make amends."
The group shouted loudly, and the emperor turned his scheming gaze to Wei Zhongxian, only to find that this damned eunuch had not knelt before him.
Wei Zhongxian was already used to it, after all, it wasn't the first time he had done this. But Wei Zhongxian felt that the emperor was acting strangely today. Just as Wei Zhongxian was hesitating whether to kneel down to the emperor, the emperor suddenly slapped the dragon throne and stood up.
"Wei Zhongxian, how dare you! Others can kneel before me, do you think you're more noble than me?"
Although the Emperor's words were very calm, he no longer concealed his anger. Wei Zhongxian was startled. He never expected that the Emperor would attack him at this critical juncture.
Wei Zhongxian immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I was just thinking about something and didn't react in time. I hope Your Majesty will not blame this old servant."
Wei Zhongxian touched his head to the cold ground, but his hands were clenched into fists. Just then, the Emperor suddenly strode over.
The Emperor kicked Wei Zhongxian, causing him to stumble. The Emperor's actions caught many off guard, leaving them wondering what he meant.
How could this happen in front of so many people? Who would dare to come out now? At this moment, Wei Zhongxian's eyes were filled with coldness.
Wei Zhongxian cursed the emperor and his ancestors in his heart. Wei Zhongxian was even more puzzled, wondering why the emperor would have the audacity to hit him today.