Well said!
Yin Yunlan nearly applauded out loud.
Mu Qingbai was practically her mouthpiece!
That slap was incredibly satisfying! And in just two lines, he silenced the entire court with a sharp rebuke grounded in the principle of “When the Emperor is humiliated, his ministers should die.”
“If natural disasters occur because the ruler’s conduct is lacking, then let me ask: if that’s the case, what use are all of you?”
As soon as this was said, the expressions of everyone in court turned ugly.
Zheng Wanchuan was so furious he nearly spat blood. He trembled as he pointed at Mu Qingbai and shouted, “Ignorant brat! How dare you bark nonsense! This is a celestial phenomenon—how dare you ramble here?”
Mu Qingbai responded with another slap, knocking Zheng Wanchuan to the ground.
Even the Military Generals flinched, inhaling sharply. So ruthless.
The fifty-six-year-old Zheng Wanchuan collapsed with blood all over his mouth.
A Civil Official immediately stepped forward and sternly said, “Your Majesty, this child is insolent, has acted improperly before the throne, and has assaulted a superior. His crime cannot be forgiven!”
Mu Qingbai looked at him and asked, “May I ask who you are?”
“I am Cai Jiweng, Vice Minister of Rites!”
“Don’t rush. If I’m to be punished, I should at least finish what I have to say.”
Mu Qingbai raised a finger and swept it around in a slow circle, “The entire court is absurd. In this disaster, all I see is a group of useless, bloated officials!”
Every Civil Official glared at him with seething rage, as though they wanted to tear him apart. The Military Generals lowered their heads, stifling laughter. Satisfying. Truly satisfying. Finally, someone had the guts to slap back at those Civil Officials.
“The Ministry of Revenue did nothing, letting the disaster spread, letting the victims flee all the way to the capital, inciting rebellion. Who from the Ministry of Revenue dares take responsibility?”
At this question, many frowned deeply.
Someone from the Ministry of Revenue immediately stepped out, distancing himself, “Your Majesty, this child speaks in ignorance. He does not understand how difficult disaster relief is! The disaster spread rapidly, affecting not just thousands, but tens of thousands!”
“Shipments of relief grain are dispatched in batches and take time. The delivery speed cannot keep up with the victims’ consumption!”
Mu Qingbai calmly asked, “May I ask, how much has the grain price risen?”
The Civil Officials smirked upon hearing this, their faces full of ridicule.
As expected of a greenhorn—he didn’t even know the price of grain and still dared to grandstand in court. Did he think reckless courage would make him shine? Naïve!
“Censor Mu, are you suggesting we send silver directly to the disaster areas?” someone sneered from the crowd, immediately drawing laughter.
Cai Jiweng shook his head mockingly, “Censor Mu, even I, a Vice Minister of Rites, know that with the rapid spread of disaster, grain prices in the surrounding unaffected areas have soared.”
“Normally, one dou of rice costs six coins. Now it’s several times that! If you deliver silver instead of grain, you’re being too naïve.”
“Tell me, Censor Mu, how much silver would it take to feed such a massive number of victims?”
Mu Qingbai quietly listened.
Thinking he had no response, the officials laughed even more wantonly, mocking him one after another.
“If running a nation relied on speeches alone, the country would’ve perished long ago!”
“Your Majesty! Mu Qingbai is arrogant and disrespectful! We plead that Your Majesty punish him! Strip him of office and expel him from the capital!”
“He should be exiled to the border and never employed again! Such a man endangers the Empire!”
The Military Generals shook their heads and sighed.
This young man was still too inexperienced. He came out swinging, challenging the entire Civil Official group, but after just a few exchanges, he was beaten down and on the verge of exile.
The ministers echoed the demand, urging Yin Yunlan to punish him.
Yin Yunlan looked at Mu Qingbai standing silent in place and felt a hint of disappointment. Was that all he had? Was he really just tough on the outside, weak on the inside?
Mu Qingbai furrowed his brow. Exile? Not beheading?
Damn. These people didn’t want to kill him—they wanted to torment him slowly.
He had intended to stay quiet, but now that wasn’t an option.
Mu Qingbai suddenly smiled.
The entire Grand Hall turned to look at him.
“Who said disaster relief must be done with grain?”
That one sentence stunned everyone. Though they couldn’t yet grasp its meaning, it sounded completely heretical.
“Nonsense! Are you insane?”
“Disaster relief without grain—what, with clay?”
Yin Yunlan’s heart sank. She realized Mu Qingbai might truly have gone mad. She’d heard rumors he couldn’t handle stress and might suffer fits under provocation. She never thought it would happen right here in court.
At this rate, not even she could protect him.
“1 kg of the cheapest grain can be exchanged for 3 kg of bran.”
Though softly spoken, it sent a shockwave through the Grand Hall.
Even Yin Yunlan, seated loftily on the Dragon Throne, froze.
Everyone looked at Mu Qingbai in disbelief.
“Mu Qingbai… you… what did you say?”
“Your Majesty, are you blind and deaf?”
Such a treasonous retort would’ve warranted death ten times over on any other day!
But now, Yin Yunlan didn’t pursue it.
“You just said bran? Did I hear that right?”
“Didn’t Your Majesty hear it clearly? One kg of the cheapest grain can be traded for three kg of bran. The court insists on using the best rice for appearance’s sake—of course, it’s not enough.” You are reading on NovelPing, the official source.
Mu Qingbai looked at them mockingly.
“Absurd!” Cai Jiweng roared.
Mu Qingbai chuckled, “Minister Cai, calm down. You shout ‘absurd’—but have you ever treated the victims as humans?”
“You’ve gone mad! As a Censor, you make baseless accusations?”
“Using top-grade rice as a façade, after layer upon layer of skimming, the grain that reaches the victims is probably already mixed with sand and gravel.”
Mu Qingbai stepped toward Cai Jiweng and smiled, “How is that any different from bran?”
Cai Jiweng trembled, pointing at Mu Qingbai, “You’re spouting baseless accusations! Are you saying everyone in the Great Yin Empire’s government is a parasite?”
His words stirred a storm of outrage.
Mu Qingbai stood firmly at the center.
“When a stone is thrown, the dog that yelps the loudest is usually the one hit.”
“You—!” Cai Jiweng widened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Minister Cai! Minister Cai!” Several officials rushed forward to support the now-collapsing Cai Jiweng.
Mu Qingbai shook his head in disappointment, “You crave reputation but don’t treat victims as humans. You want to be a whore and still hang a virtuous signboard?”
“You quote sages constantly, yet today, one kg of top-grade rice could be exchanged for ten kg of bran. What could feed one person now could save ten. With so many officials drawing salaries from the Empire, not a single one dares act?”
Everyone glared at him with murderous intent, wishing they could sew his mouth shut.
Yin Yunlan looked at Mu Qingbai with complicated emotions.
She couldn’t even find the right words to describe him at that moment.
Brilliant… utterly brilliant.
When Mu Qingbai’s gaze met hers, Yin Yunlan snapped back to attention.
She had just opened her mouth to speak when Mu Qingbai turned his gaze away.
“May I ask, Minister of Revenue—what do you have to say?”
Mu Qingbai’s eyes fell on those in the front.
Yin Yunlan spoke in a low voice, “Minister Wen, do you have anything to say?”
Wen Gongdan stepped forward from the ranks and looked deeply at Mu Qingbai.
Mu Qingbai met his gaze without backing down. His eyes practically shouted: I’m not afraid of death.
“I… have nothing to say. What Censor Mu said today may be rebellious, but it is not without merit. A youth like this—truly a hero.”