Chapter 33: Blood on the Golden Steps Part 3

Conveniently, there was a volunteer.

Clap!

With a crisp sound, Gu Huaiyu struck his hands together.

Four Iron Eagle Guards entered silently. Without a word, the leader grabbed the Minister of Rites by his topknot and began dragging him toward the jade steps.

“Chancellor! Chancellor, mercy!”

The Minister of Rites shrieked like a slaughtered pig. His official cap tumbled to the floor, his hair became a tangled mess, and his face turned as white as paper.

“Stop!” Grand Preceptor Dong cried out, but as he took a step forward, an Iron Eagle Guard blocked his path.

Seeing this, the Minister of Rites clawed at the golden floor tiles with his fingers until his nails bled. Like a pig for the slaughter, he wailed toward the throne, “Your Majesty! Save me!”

The young Emperor’s pupils constricted. Before he could speak—

Thump!

The first strike. That head was slammed viciously against the jade steps. Blood sprayed, leaving the hall in shock.

Thump!

The second strike. Several blood-coated teeth popped out, rolling right to Grand Preceptor Dong’s feet. The old man’s face went completely white.

Yuan Zhuo’s fingers dug into his armrests, his knuckles turning white from the force. He pressed his lips together, forcing himself to remain silent.

Thump!

The third strike. The sound of a fracturing skull was clearly audible. Blood mixed with brain matter erupted, splashing red and white across a dragon pillar.

The hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Thump!

The fourth strike. An eyeball popped out of its socket, rolling toward Qin Zijin’s feet with a trail of viscous blood, looking like a grotesque marble.

Thump!

The fifth strike. The entire face had become a blurred mess of bloody pulp. Teeth and bone fragments were scattered; even his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.

The smell of blood in the air was so thick it was suffocating.

When had the Pure Stream scholars ever seen such a scene?

Several cowardly officials vomited on the floor; some fainted outright.

Blood stained the entire section of the jade steps, flowing down to pool on the blue jade tiles.

The lead Iron Eagle Guard checked the mangled throat. Confirming there was no breath left, he bowed to Gu Huaiyu.

Gu Huaiyu took a handkerchief from an attendant and wiped his hands, pronouncing the final judgment. “Minister Zhou was loyal and upright in his counsel, steadfast until death. Today he martyred himself for the national debate. In accordance with national rites, take him away and bury him in a thick coffin.”

The Iron Eagle Guards dragged the unrecognizable corpse away, leaving two long streaks of blood on the floor.

The young Emperor stared at the shocking pool of blood. The emotion swirling in his eyes was far more complex than mere fear—it was a profound, heavy disappointment.

Gu Huaiyu’s gaze swept over the Pure Stream faction. He tossed the handkerchief aside and asked with a light smile, “Weren’t we here to discuss business?”

“Why is everyone silent?”

No one dared to wail or act out.

The crying stopped instantly. Some quietly untied the mourning bands from their arms; others hurriedly wiped away their tears.

The officials who had just been “heartbroken over the death of tradition” now stood straight, their faces returning to a mask of solemnity and dignity, as if they weren’t the ones just dressed for a funeral.

If they continued to make a scene, they would likely end up in a coffin before the national mourning even began.

In the seats for the Imperial kinsmen, several Princes were pale.

They simultaneously recalled the brothers who had died mysterious deaths during Emperor Rui’s reign—some falling from horses, some from sudden heart failure, and some even dying in the beds of courtesans.

Behind every unsolved case, the shadow of this Chancellor Gu seemed to loom.

Only Prince Xian let out a soft sigh, looking at Gu Huaiyu with eyes full of regret.

The hall remained silent for a long moment until a deep voice broke the quiet.

“The Chancellor’s actions are… excessive.”

Grand Preceptor Dong, a man of three generations of prestige, was now gray-faced, but his back remained as straight as a spear. He first bowed to the Emperor, then turned to Gu Huaiyu, his old eyes flashing with sharp light.

“The Founding Emperor rose from nothing to stabilize the nation through military might. He personally established the system of ‘Separation of Civil and Military’ and forbade military officers from politics precisely because he knew that weapons cannot be held for long, and power cannot be held in both hands. Chancellor Gu, you have recklessly changed the ancestral laws and set a dangerous precedent. This action…”

“Is both disloyal and unfilial!”

These six words struck like a thunderclap, echoing through Chuigong Hall.

The expressions of everyone in the hall shifted drastically. In a court governed by strict ritual, once the label of “disloyal and unfilial” was pinned on someone, they were effectively exiled from the world of scholars forever.

Suddenly, Shen Jun knelt down in full view of everyone. He used his hands to gently brush Gu Huaiyu’s robes, smoothing out every fold.

The hall was deathly silent.

Pei Jingyi stared at Shen Jun’s hands, his gaze darkening.

Once Shen Jun stood up, he turned to the court and spoke warmly, “Grand Preceptor Dong is a man of vast learning. I have a question to ask the Preceptor.”

Dong knew Shen Jun meant no good, but he couldn’t refuse. He nodded.

Shen Jun bowed. “Back then, the Founding Emperor was merely a border captain. He raised an army in rebellion and personally destroyed the previous dynasty.”

“May I ask the Preceptor: was that action one of loyalty and righteousness?”

Though later generations honored the Founding Emperor as a sage-king, they all knew the truth. What “rebellion”? In reality, it was treason.

Treason was the ultimate act of disloyalty.

The Pure Stream faction remained silent; no one dared to answer that “question.”

But Shen Jun did not let them off. His tone remained gentle, like a studious pupil. “I have one more thing I don’t understand.”

“Since the Founding Emperor rose from the military, why did he hurriedly establish the rule that ‘Military Officers shall not participate in politics’ the moment he took the throne?”

The answer was as clear as a mirror in everyone’s heart.

That Founding Emperor knew better than anyone how he had snatched the dragon throne.