At this moment, not to mention Cang Xuan, Su Qing, who was hiding behind the screen, and Yan Huan, who was kneeling on the ground, were all waiting for the emperor's decision and reply.
Yan Huan's heart was pounding wildly.
If it weren't for the power of the Wang family, he wouldn't have threatened the emperor with his resignation. This move was a desperate gamble.
He was gambling that the emperor would be afraid of the combined power of the Yan and Wang families and punish the Duke Yong's Mansion.
After all, Su Qing was now unarmed and had no soldiers behind him. He was completely useless.
Surely their great emperor would be able to figure out which was more important.
Su Qing, hiding behind the screen, couldn't help but think that if the emperor really sided with the Yan family today, he would no longer be the Duke Yong. He might as well just fulfill the prophecy of that treacherous scoundrel Cang Xuan and rebel against this heaven and this dynasty!
What was the use of keeping an emperor who was so easily swayed by one - sided opinions, kidnapped by the aristocratic families, and had no independent judgment?!
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a heavy sigh sounded in the room.
"Alas."
The sigh came from the emperor.
For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to the emperor.
"Lord Yan."
Hearing the emperor call his name, both Yan Huan and Su Qing, who was hiding behind the screen, instantly held their breath.
The emperor gently stroked the Buddhist beads beside him, looked deeply at Yan Huan, and said,
"It's not that I don't want to help you. It's just that I really don't know how to help. This matter is clearly the fault of your Yan Mansion. The Su family from the Northern Desert has been guarding Xuancheng for generations on my behalf and has repelled the northern barbarians. The dangers they've endured are unimaginable. Our Great Chu has sacrificed tens of thousands of soldiers for this. Such achievements should be remembered for generations to come. However, in the mouth of your son, they seem so insignificant!"
"Since your Yan family is in charge of the 50,000 capital guards, you should know the importance of the soldiers' lives. Does your Yan family deserve those heroes who were buried in the green mountains and died a tragic death in the Northern Desert?"
Yan Huan's face stiffened. He knew that he was in the wrong in this matter and had nothing to defend himself with. He couldn't help but feel angry at his youngest son for being so naughty and having no filter with his words.
Meanwhile, Su Qing, hiding behind the screen, had moist eyes.
The emperor's words really hit home with him.
Su Qing wasn't afraid of being wronged himself, but he was afraid that the soldiers who had fought side - by - side with him on the battlefield would be wronged.
After the emperor finished speaking, he paused for a moment and then continued, "Secondly, since it was a competition, there would be winners and losers. It was your unfilial son who provoked others first, so he can't blame others for getting angry. He was inferior in skills and lost the competition. He should have gone back to strengthen his martial arts and learn from his mistakes. But now, instead of repenting, you come to see me. What do you expect to get from me?"
"Do you want to break the legs of Su Qing's second son and make him a useless person? But Su..."
The emperor paused for a moment here and turned to look at Cang Xuan. "What's his name again?"
Cang Xuan replied, "Su Huaiyuan."
The emperor continued, "What crime has Su Huaiyuan committed? Is it only allowed for your Yan family to bully the Duke Yong's Mansion wantonly, but not allowed for the Duke Yong's Mansion to fight back? What kind of logic is this? I never knew that the commander of my capital guards was such a person who couldn't tell right from wrong!"
These words were quite harsh and almost left no room for Yan Huan.
Yan Huan had never been scolded like this by the emperor before. In the past, the emperor had always been kind to these noble families and even granted their requests. That was why he had come to the palace to complain to the emperor at the first opportunity.
The emperor's unusual reaction made Yan Huan have a premonition of something bad.
Sure enough, the next moment, the emperor said,
"Since Lord Yan doesn't want to be the commander of the capital guards anymore, I'll grant your request. You can just go home and take good care of your useless son. Let him remember today's lesson and learn to be a humble and polite young master, instead of a spoiled brat who causes trouble everywhere. I'll hand over the position of the commander of the capital guards to someone more suitable than you."
All the color drained from Yan Huan's face.
Could it be that Emperor Jing really granted his request to resign? How was this possible? How could this be allowed?!
The Yan family had been able to gain a foothold in Shengjing precisely because he was in charge of the 50,000 capital guards and controlled the vital area of Great Chu!
Without the position of the commander of the capital guards, what status would the Yan family have in Shengjing? They would completely lose their value in the eyes of the Wang family!
"Your Majesty, I just... I just..." Yan Huan was eager to say something, but Emperor Jing rubbed his temples and sighed,
"All of you just come to bother me with family matters. I'm the emperor, not the supervisor of the Imperial College. It's not proper for me to always interfere in the squabbles among children. If there's nothing else, just leave."
Seeing Emperor Jing close his eyes and not look at him anymore, Yan Huan was filled with shock, but more importantly, he felt a faint sense of fear.
In the past, relying on the privileges of the noble families, they had used the emperor's hand to get rid of many political enemies they disliked. After being so proud for so long, he almost forgot that since they were in this game, how could they stay out of it?
One day, who was to say that he wouldn't become the fish on the chopping block?
If he lost the position of the commander of the forbidden army, whom would Emperor Jing choose to succeed him? Could it be...
Su Qing?
No, he absolutely couldn't hand over the position of the commander of the forbidden army so easily!
He still had other methods. He could go and ask the Wang family for help!
Just as Yan Huan was about to kowtow and leave the palace to go to the Wang family, he suddenly heard Emperor Jing call his name,
"Lord Yan."
Yan Huan's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine. He quickly came back to his senses and said, "Your servant is here."
"Didn't you say you wanted to resign? Why are you still standing there? Where are your seal and the token to enter and exit the palace? Why haven't you returned them to me?" Emperor Jing opened his eyes and looked at him. "You can't have forgotten to bring them with you, right?"
Seeing Yan Huan stunned for a moment because of his words, Emperor Jing squinted his eyes. "You really didn't bring them? So, when you came in front of me and said you wanted to resign, it was just a joke. You wanted to threaten me into compromising?"
Facing Emperor Jing's cold gaze, Yan Huan quickly knelt down. "Your servant wouldn't dare!"
"Presumptuous!" Emperor Jing angrily slapped the table, picked up the teacup on the table, and threw it at Yan Huan's forehead. The sharp edge cut a deep, bone - visible wound on it.
"Do you think you can just come to the palace, cry to me, and pretend to resign, and I'll agree to whatever you want? Yan Huan, what do you take this palace for? What do you take me for? A lackey of your Yan family, always at your beck and call? Hm?"
As a martial artist, Yan Huan was as tall and strong as Su Qing. It was quite comical to see such a powerful man lying on the ground trembling.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your servant has no such thoughts!" Yan Huan said to Emperor Jing. "After I go back, I'll immediately send someone to return the seal and the token to the palace!"
"Bao Zhong, Bao Zhong!" Emperor Jing called out twice. Cang Xuan beside him reminded him, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Bao has gone out of the palace to the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion with your oral order."
Only then did Emperor Jing remember that Eunuch Bao wasn't there. He looked at Cang Xuan, and his tone instantly became gentle, completely different from when he was facing Yan Huan. "Lord Cang, please draft an imperial edict for me."
There were two powerful officials in the imperial study, but one was entrusted by the emperor to draft an edict, while the other had to kneel and be punished. The difference was truly vast.
Cang Xuan took in all the jealousy and hatred in Yan Huan's eyes, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Your servant obeys the order."
He got up and walked to the imperial desk. Picking up the imperial brush that the emperor used to annotate memorials, he followed Emperor Jing's words and wrote flying and dancing characters on the blank imperial edict:
"... After investigation, Yan Huan, the commander of the capital guards, has defied the law, deceived the emperor, and manipulated power. His crime deserves death! However, considering his past merits in protecting the emperor, his death penalty is commuted. Immediately, his position as the commander of the capital guards is revoked, and he is demoted to a commoner. He is to be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. In addition, the Yan family is ordered to relocate to Xuancheng within three days and shall not return to the capital without a summons. Those who violate this order will be regarded as defying the imperial edict! So it is decreed!"