Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 242 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (142)

Putting everything else aside, why is this King of Hell in the imperial court investigating his own ancestors?

The old man's heart was pounding, but he couldn't let his indignation show on his face.

He remained standing there, staring at Ji Jishumin...

The others in the court were momentarily at a loss as to why Ji Shumin was saying this, so they all pricked up their ears, waiting to hear what he would say next.

Ji Shumin sighed softly, resting his chin on his hand, a hint of doubt appearing on his face.

"Then I'm a little curious, what does this so-called ancestral merit have to do with you, and with the current Duke of Ande's mansion?"

"You—" The old man thought and thought, but he never expected to hear such words from Ji Shumin's mouth...

This was completely unexpected; I was so angry at him that I almost fainted.

With these words, Ji Shumin clearly erased all the glory of the Duke of Ande's mansion.

This is not just disrespectful; it's practically trampling the entire Duke An De's mansion underfoot.

The old man received countless honors and accolades throughout his life; no one, whether strangers or members of the clan, dared to be disrespectful to him.

They praised him so highly that he became arrogant and haughty, never having heard such harsh words before.

Even though Ji Shumin was a prince, he couldn't care less about that at this moment.

The old man's beard trembled, and he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound for several breaths. Two men, slightly younger than him, hurriedly supported him, saying, "Old Master Lu, Old Master Lu! Lord Ande!"

Ji Shumin was not one to be convinced, nor did he seem to care. He simply watched him quietly, still waiting for him to speak.

After a long while, the old man finally recovered and asked, "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"Even today, the Duke of Ande's mansion is not as glorious as it once was... but it was still a family personally praised by the founding emperor! You—you shouldn't slander it like this! This is disrespectful to the founding emperor—"

As the old man spoke, he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed several times towards the imperial mausoleum, muttering the imperial title of the founding emperor. He looked pitiful, as if he had suffered a great injustice and a terrible grievance...

If someone unaware of the situation saw him like this, they would think that Ji Shumin was abusing his power to bully an octogenarian to such a helpless state.

He caused such a commotion, even bringing up the founding emperor; any ordinary person would be a little flustered...

But when you come to Ji Shumin's place, it's like watching a monkey show.

He calmly adjusted his wheelchair, then turned to face the imperial mausoleum, bowing slightly: "Emperor Taizu, even in heaven, would surely not wish to see his own meritorious family, whom he personally bestowed the title upon, now usurped!"

Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow: "When did I say I didn't respect the achievements of the Duke of Ande's mansion? I've seen with my own eyes the blood spilled on the battlefield and the armor with its stark scars displayed in the mansion. They all bear witness to the loyalty and glory of the Duke of Ande's mansion, and I admire them immensely..."

“But this should belong to the Duke of Ande’s family and its descendants. Where did your ancestors come from? What did they do? How were they helped back then? And how…did they take over the Duke of Ande’s position?” Ji Shumin asked sternly.

"As a result, the relatives in this mansion have been completely replaced. Who is enjoying themselves now? Are those who hold positions without doing their jobs and harm the people really descendants of the Duke of Ande's mansion?" Ji Shumin spoke solemnly. Although his voice was not loud, every word was firm and resounding. It struck people's hearts like a stone axe cleaving through them. No one in the hall dared to utter a word in rebuttal.

We could only listen to him recount his story...

"You keep talking about the glory of the Duke of Ande's mansion, but who is it that has ruined that glory? Who has the audacity to seize this meritorious family's property for themselves?" Ji Shumin asked one question after another, not giving anyone a chance to breathe, leaving him no choice but to listen to him.

"Did your ancestors ever meet the founding emperor? And how dare you plead your case before the founding emperor in this very court?"

"What grievances do you have?"

Regardless of whether one agrees with what Ji Shumin said, his way of speaking was quite ingenious.

This old man clearly came to speak out for the Duke of Ande's family, but unexpectedly, in just a few words, His Highness the Third Prince seemed to have dissected him from the Duke of Ande's family...

What is your current An De Duke's Mansion? It's nothing but a hollow title. The current An De Duke's Mansion is nothing more than a mediocre family enjoying the imperial salary in vain.

The family that truly made contributions, was loyal and brave, and was favored by the founding emperor was the original Duke Ande's family. But where did the original Duke Ande's family go?

There are probably very few people left. Even if some bloodlines have been passed down, they are no longer in charge of the Duke of Ande's mansion.

Many people in the imperial court were unaware of the old man's true identity...

After all, no one is so idle as to bother to find out what other people's ancestors did, where they migrated from, and what their kinship was.

Now, after hearing Ji Shumin say this, I find it to make some sense.

If he were a direct descendant, that would be one thing, but this man who came from his hometown to find relatives and ask for help ended up becoming the head of the An De Gong family.

Isn't this just like a cuckoo taking over someone else's nest? If this happened in my own home... thinking about it carefully, it really is absurd!

In the imperial court, there were those who defended the aristocratic families, and naturally, there were those who opposed them.

Those officials from humble backgrounds who had truly excelled in the imperial examinations nodded in agreement upon hearing Ji Shumin's words.

They had long disliked these aristocratic manners...

Whether below or above the imperial court, they banded together to maintain the status quo and eliminated dissidents.

If you are not careful, you will be ostracized and impeached by them, and even your path to promotion may be blocked by them.

The emperor cannot be all-encompassing; sometimes, a person's future can be ruined with just a little mischief.

They might be sent to some remote, unseen place, where they may never see the emperor again in their lifetime. No matter how talented they are, they will have nowhere to use their abilities.

If we were to curry favor with them, wouldn't that be considered servile and obsequious to scholars?

It doesn't align with my past ideals and aspirations, but if I don't do it, then...

It's a real dilemma.

Now that His Highness the Third Prince advocates reform, cracks down on the conservatives, and dismantles the aristocratic families, how could they not support him!

Some even had several sleepless nights, writing impassioned memorials and submitting them to the First Prince in hopes of gaining support for the Third Prince's reforms.

Clean up the atmosphere in the imperial court, don't let the imperial examination system become biased, and don't let ambitious and talented scholars lose heart!

"Your Highness, why would you utter such nonsense? I am the current Duke of Ande, inherited from the family genealogy!"

The old man was actually panicking at this moment.

The Third Prince has investigated their entire lineage so thoroughly!

His recent outburst to Emperor Taizu, pleading for justice, was nothing but a bluff.

In terms of ancestry, his ancestors had never even entered the imperial court. Although his great-grandfather knew this in his heart, he never cared about it throughout his life.

So what? He was An De Gong, who enjoyed wealth and honor throughout his life, and his descendants will surely enjoy wealth and honor as well! They are blessed with good fortune, their ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke, and they deserve to live a good life!

Many aristocratic families share this mindset, never asking or thinking about why their family lives a good life, simply taking it for granted, feeling that they are born to live this kind of life.

The old man never expected to be dealt such a blow by Ji Shumin at his age.

“If Lord Ande is truly indignant, and thinks there’s nothing wrong with what I’m saying…” Ji Shumin looked thoughtfully at the coffin placed at the front, which belonged to Lord Ande.

"I could also personally plead my case to the Duke of Ande and to Emperor Taizu. If they both felt that my words were unreasonable and Emperor Taizu decided to severely reprimand me, this unfilial descendant, he would tell me this in a dream."

Ji Shumin curled his lips into a chilling smile and said, "Even if you take me away to reprimand and punish me, I will have no regrets... and today is just the right day..."

The implication behind these words was that they were urging the old man to die!

In previous years, everyone had been saying that the Third Prince had gone mad after becoming disabled, and that he couldn't even bear to see the light in his own residence.

It's like he's possessed by some kind of ghost all day long, it's terrifying!

But these were just idle words; who could really believe them?

But seeing Ji Shumin's current state and hearing his words, many people sighed in their hearts: This Third Prince... seems to have really gone mad.

How come people in the imperial court speak of gods and ghosts, life and death?

Even if one doesn't mind the language, it's still really indecent...

But these words came from Ji Shumin's mouth, and he was calm and composed. As soon as he sat there, no one dared to say a bad word about him.

Not to mention that the First Prince hadn't said anything yet. Not only that, but ever since the Third Prince opened his mouth, the First Prince hadn't stopped him, letting him talk the old men until they were red-faced and speechless.

Originally, this was supposed to be led by Duke Ande, but now the Third Prince has exposed all of Duke Ande's secrets.

They not only delve into the details of someone's ancestors, but also clearly explain the history of their current generation.

"For the sake of his family's sons, he bought an eighth-rank official position in the prosperous Jiangnan region. Is he doing well now? Are the local people still living in peace and prosperity? Has he been exploited and embezzled?"

"The old man said all the children in the family are scholars, and that's how they studied!" While Ji Shumin's previous words were merely infuriating, these last words were truly chilling...

The imperial court is now cracking down on buying official positions, and isn't the Duke of Ande's family just asking for trouble?

The court fell silent for a moment; those with guilty consciences didn't even dare to raise their heads.

They had hoped that if these noble families joined forces and made a scene today, the eldest and third princes might back down.

Unexpectedly, he was rendered speechless by the retort. What if he angered the Third Prince…

"Among the cases reported these days, how many were committed by descendants of the old man? The Dali Temple should investigate thoroughly to avoid wrongly accusing anyone and making the court appear harsh."

Ji Shumin meant that he was giving you face by simply stripping you of your titles, so that you could at least live in peace.

If you are unwilling, then let's tear things apart completely, investigate the good deeds you've done, and deal with them accordingly, so that the court won't have to show mercy!

Upon hearing the Third Prince's words, He Diaoyu stepped forward and said, "Your subject will do his utmost!"

No, this...

To everyone's utter astonishment, the idea of ​​stripping someone of their marquisate and cutting off their salary was, in the Third Prince's mouth, already considered an act of mercy...

This act of kindness is astonishing!

"Grandpas, do you want to continue arguing with me here, or go up to the Great Ancestor Emperor and your own immortals to plead your case, or go home and properly inquire about any outrageous behavior among your clan members so that you can discipline them?"

"If you wish to choose the first path, I will await you here. If you choose the second path, then please set off..."

"Although this court is solemn, it is not afraid of bloodshed. The imperial aura of past emperors is here to protect the nation. Even if one or two people die, it will not ruin the fate of the country. Gentlemen, please."

In the past, if an official dared to say that he would die by banging his head against a pillar in the imperial court, it would be a very big deal!

Unexpectedly, the Third Prince not only did not try to dissuade them, but was also not threatened in the slightest. Instead, he actively urged them to die!

He looked very interested, as if he was waiting to see something interesting happen.

This kind of behavior leaves one at a loss for how to respond...

Several elderly women stood there, their faces turning pale and then red, but none of them uttered a sound.

Even his back was more hunched than when he arrived.

"Oh, it seems you gentlemen want to choose the third path. Then take those unlucky things out and burn them; they're an eyesore and annoyance."

"Given the capabilities of each family, bringing up only a few flimsy coffins is hardly befitting your status and stature..."

Ji Shumin looked at the several dark, hardwood coffins and raised his hand to point in the air.

Soon, the eunuchs came up and quickly carried the coffins outside the main hall, down the stone steps.

They somehow managed to build a fire and actually lit a bonfire on the spot. They then picked up an axe, chiseled the coffins into pieces, and threw them into the fire to burn.

In an instant, flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke filled the air.

The people in the court were choked by the smoke and coughed, covering their faces.

If anyone had tried to argue with Ji Shumin just now, they all shut up.

His Highness the Third Prince is truly insane...

For many, only this one thought remains in their minds.

But some people felt relieved, saying that these old geezers were thieves.

Now that their true colors have been exposed, let's see how those powerful families, led by them, can still cause trouble.

Before everyone's eyes, the coffins slowly turned to ashes.

The Third Prince sat on the platform, his eyes lowered, observing calmly.

His gaze swept over the crowd, as if anyone who dared to stand up at this moment would be told, "Then you can jump into the fire and be burned to ashes with us."

The court was completely silent until the court session ended.

The courtiers discovered that the Third Prince was indeed insane, but the First Prince wasn't much better.

The Third Prince was so arrogant and excessive that in the end, the First Prince didn't even utter a single word of "no."

There wasn't a single symbolic rebuke.

He sat there calmly and peacefully, his expression still gentle and serene, as if it were perfectly natural for him to silently express his support for the Third Prince.

Just how far are these two brothers going to go?