If it were any of the ministers present, they would not easily punish Zhao Huan with death.
Even if Zhao Huan is no longer a thing and no matter how tense the fight with Zhao Ji is, the fact that Zhao Huan is the eldest son of the emperor cannot be changed.
If you do something too hard, there will be no turning back.
But Zhou Pu is an exception. He only cares about legal principles and not about human relationships.
The word "death penalty" is very resounding!
"My lord, I have already recorded all the evidence of King Ding's crimes. I have submitted impeachment petitions several times, but there has been no response."
"Since His Majesty asked about it today, my tone remains the same and there will be no change!"
"Bloodbath the Jiaofangsi, kill the courtiers, die!"
"Slaughter five hundred Yizhou soldiers, even if they provoke a mutiny, die!"
"Beat Prince Su and forcefully break into Prince Yun's palace. If the brothers are at odds with each other, they will be destroyed!"
"The death penalty has been convicted, and the living crime cannot be avoided. As for how to impose the sentence, it is up to Zongzhengji and the Ministry of Punishment to decide, and it is not the responsibility of the minister."
Zhou Pu listed all the evidence against Zhao Huan in one breath.
There was no need for Zhao Ji and Tong Guan to instigate him. As an official of the Ministry of Rites, his eyes were always fixed on Zhao Huan.
Any outrageous behavior will be reported to Zhou Pu for impeachment.
Zhao Ji's eyes were extremely fierce: "Prince Ding, what else do you have to say!"
Zhao Huan, who maintained a bowing posture, ignored Zhou Pu's sonorous impeachment at all. After all, he had long been used to it.
As his closed arms slowly dropped, Zhao Huan's curved body became straight again.
He held his head high, without any fear, and looked directly at Zhao Ji.
"The Jiaofang Secretary forced good girls into prostitution and committed adultery. After these years of torture, there are more than 10,000 sex households in Bianjing alone."
"Shouldn't we be killed for disturbing our national customs?"
"The soldiers of Yizhou should have escorted the troops to leave as early as a month ago. Yizhou is the front line against the Jin Dynasty. Every night when the troops are paid, Yizhou will be in chaos."
"Shouldn't I kill someone who ruins my border area?"
"Prince Su is rude. Shouldn't he be beaten? Princess Yun humiliated my beloved concubine in public. Shouldn't she be punished?"
"Is it possible that in our great Song Dynasty, we only have the alternation of day and night, but no distinction between black and white?"
Zhao Huan's voice continued to echo in the imperial study, like a deep tiger's roar, with lingering sounds.
The heads of the six court officials were lowered.
Zhou Pu remained expressionless, while Zhao Ji and Tong Guan's eyes gradually widened.
At the beginning, when Zhao Ji went to Prince Ding's Mansion to discuss the matter of the crown prince in private, Zhao Huan still kept his tail between his legs.
Gen Yue held a fund-raising meeting, and Zhao Huan dared to confront him.
But now, Zhao Huan's momentum is clearly aimed at suppressing His Majesty.
It seems that with each passing day, Zhao Huan's momentum becomes stronger.
Tong Guan came back to his senses and gritted his teeth.
"Prince Ding, you are clearly confusing right and wrong. You can just accuse someone and kill them. Then why do you need six departments?"
"Even if they are guilty, they will be sent to the six ministries for strict trial. How can you be allowed to abuse your private conduct?"
Zhao Huan's eyes were like an eagle, piercing Tong Guan, as if he wanted to shock the old eunuch to reveal his true colors.
"As the prime minister said, if the six departments are useful, how can it be my turn to take action?"
"Does it mean that I, the king, want to continue to watch as the Great Song Dynasty is declining?"
As soon as these words came out, Tong Guan instantly showed a sinister smile as if his evil plan had succeeded.
Originally, the ministers of the six ministries were not willing to get involved in such a bad thing, but in the end, Zhao Huan did not know whether to live or die, and offended all six ministries in one sentence.
As Tong Guan expected, the ministers who had lowered their heads straightened up one after another, their eyes full of hostility.
Unfortunately, before they could attack, Zhao Huan had already taken the lead.
"Gao Qiu colluded with Yizhou and embezzled military pay. How much stolen money has been accumulated over the years? Why has it been delayed until today?"
"Gao Qiu's crime is so heinous that he can be sentenced as soon as he is found out. Why has he been detained in Yushitai for so long and he has not yet been executed?"
"The Ministry of War knows nothing about the chaos in Yizhou?"
Where are the foolish kings and sycophants joining forces to strangle Zhao Huan?
It's obviously...
Zhao Huan single-handedly fought against the entire imperial power and civil servants!
Everyone knew very well that Zhao Huan was certain to die, but the heads of the six ministers lowered their heads again.
They were unwilling and did not dare to confront Zhao Huan.
So what if we win? Aren't we going to leave a lot of trouble for His Majesty and the Prime Minister?
Seeing that the ministers of the six ministries were silent, Tong Guan was so angry that his teeth itched, but he had no choice but to do anything.
Zhao Ji suppressed his anger and summoned Zhao Huan to the palace today just to interrogate him severely. Instead, Zhao Huan pointed his nose at him and scolded him. How unreasonable.
But...
Zhou Pu was watching from the side. If the charges were not firmly established and Zhao Huan was rashly convicted, Zhou Pu would definitely join forces with Qingliu Zhengchen to force a retrial.
Calling this stinky Zhou Pu to the imperial study room was really like shooting oneself in the foot.
Zhao Ji took a deep breath and suppressed his anger: "Except for King Ding, all retreat!"
The ministers of the six ministries did not even think about it, and they retreated neatly.
Although Tong Guan was unwilling to do so, he could not disobey the order in public, so he could only clench his fists and leave with the six ministers.
In the blink of an eye, only father and son, monarch and ministers were left in the entire royal study.
Snap!
Zhao Ji directly hit the inkstone on the table in front of Zhao Huan, his fingers trembling with anger.
"What a eloquent and eloquent villain!"
"Everything can be ignored, except for the Yizhou soldiers, I will never tolerate it."
"Do you know what this move today means?"
Since the discussion was private behind closed doors, Zhao Huan naturally showed no mercy.
"Ninety-two thousand Guansui coins, the hard-earned money of hundreds of millions of people in our Song Dynasty, will remain in this land."
"With strong troops and strong horses, we will attack the Jin invaders head-on and protect our mountains and rivers throughout the Song Dynasty."
Zhao Ji was so angry that he lost his mind and slapped his hand on the table.
"fart!"
"If I can fight, how can I be timid?"
"Ever since our ancestors, the emperor has suffered repeated defeats. Now that the country's power is declining and the Jin Kingdom is gaining momentum, how can we compete with them?"
Not to be outdone, Zhao Huan responded sternly: "Is it true that by begging for mercy, you can bring peace to the world?"
"The golden thief will not destroy the Song Dynasty today just because he is in a good mood. If he is in a bad mood tomorrow, it will be the day when the Song Dynasty will be destroyed."
Zhao Ji's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that this traitor was so bold.
"You...how dare you say that I am begging for mercy?"
Now that things have come to this, why should Zhao Huan be afraid?
"Who said the ancestor emperor lost consecutive battles? Although the result was a defeat, the process was brave!"
"Who said that the soldiers of the Song Dynasty were no match for the Jin people? I, the Song Dynasty's infantry warriors, were the best in the world, but my morale and people's hearts were destroyed."
"If we can revive morale, even if we don't have a single cavalry in the Song Dynasty, we can still push the Jin people back!"
This was the first time since Zhao Huan was crowned king that he and Zhao Ji had broken up with each other.
Zhao Ji never thought that his useless son would one day be stronger than Qingliu Zhengchen.
If it were a prosperous age, having this prince would be enough to comfort our ancestors.