The Sixth Prince Zhao Yong was the first to launch an attack.
He demanded that Cao Feng be sentenced to death.
Zhenbei Marquis Cao Zhen did not dare to argue. He knelt and pleaded for mercy, attempting to shoulder the blame himself.
But not only did it have no effect, it instead provoked even fiercer impeachment from the officials aligned with the Sixth Prince.
“Your Majesty!”
Censor-in-Chief Cui Hao spoke loudly, “The heir of Zhenbei Marquis, Cao Feng, has committed insubordination and assaulted a prince in public. According to the law, he should be executed!”
Cui Hao was the head of the Censorate of the Great Qian Empire, responsible for supervising officials.
Once he took the lead, the Deputy Censor immediately stepped forward as well.
“Zhenbei Marquis Cao Zhen has failed in educating his son, resulting in Cao Feng’s vile conduct! Now he has set fire to the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion and assaulted a prince, causing severe consequences. We ask Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and punish both father and son severely, to rectify the court!”
Vice Minister of Rites Pei Jun also echoed the accusation.
“If today the heir Cao Feng dares to beat a prince, tomorrow he may dare to rebel! Zhenbei Marquis Cao Zhen, as a father, has failed in discipline and allowed improper family conduct. How can such a man command troops in battle? I respectfully request that Your Majesty dismiss him from office to rectify court discipline!”
Cao Zhen was the Zhenbei Marquis, invincible on the battlefield and unmatched in war.
But faced with the verbal assault of these civil officials, he opened his mouth to speak yet found himself at a loss for words. He scratched his head anxiously.
“Your Majesty, I… I am wronged…”
Kneeling on the ground, Cao Feng had now fully come to his senses.
They were using the burning of the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion as a pretext.
They were making a mountain out of a molehill.
Their true aim was to drag down his father, who held military power.
Damn it.
He now remembered clearly.
Yes, he had been a notorious playboy.
But he could still tell right from wrong.
If the Sixth Prince and his companions had not deliberately insulted and provoked him while he was drunk, he would not have been enraged.
Nor would the burning of the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion and the beating of the Sixth Prince have happened.
This was all a scheme by the Sixth Prince and his faction.
They wanted to bring down his father.
Damn.
His father was close to the Second Prince and others.
So they took this opportunity to target the Cao family.
How vicious.
His father was excellent at fighting wars.
But when it came to political scheming and playing mind games, he was hopelessly outmatched.
If his father lost power, how would he continue to enjoy a comfortable life?
Damn it.
He could not sit and wait to be slaughtered while they piled charges upon him.
He had to argue at least a few words.
Otherwise, he would die unjustly.
“Your Majesty! I am wronged!!”
Cao Feng’s loud shout startled the entire court.
All eyes turned toward him at once.
“Oh?”
Even the emperor found it amusing.
At such a critical moment, instead of keeping his head down, this brat dared to cry injustice?
The emperor’s majestic voice echoed through the hall.
“The witnesses and evidence are clear. On what grounds do you claim injustice?”
His cold gaze fixed on Cao Feng, impatience flickering across his face.
If not for the Cao family’s generations of loyal service, Cao Feng would already have lost his head.
“Cao Feng, if today you cannot give an explanation that convinces the entire court, then you are not only refusing to admit fault but also deceiving the throne. Your crime will be increased!”
Cao Feng’s heart tightened.
This emperor did not look easy to fool.
If he answered poorly, he would not only lose his comfortable title as Young Marquis.
In the emperor’s fury, his head might truly roll.
To die so miserably would be too suffocating.
His mind raced, organizing his words.
The Sixth Prince and his faction stared at the Cao father and son with cold smiles.
Wronged?
With witnesses and evidence present, no matter how eloquent you are, you will not escape death.
“You unfilial son, what nonsense are you saying! Quickly kneel and admit your fault to Your Majesty and His Highness the Sixth Prince…”
Cao Zhen’s face was pale as paper, terror written all over him.
This unfilial brat was courting death far too recklessly.
Did he not die quickly enough already?
Cao Feng ignored his father.
At a moment when his life was at stake, he could not gamble carelessly.
“Your Majesty!”
Cao Feng spoke clearly, “There was a reason why I set fire to the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion. The Esteemed Scholars Pavilion claims to be the gathering place of talents of the Great Qian Empire. Countless scholars flock there. Anyone who can compose a few poems or write a few verses is praised as a great talent, destined to become generals or ministers. But in my view, these so-called talents are nothing more than fame-seeking wastrels!”
Boom!
The moment these words left his mouth, many civil officials who had been watching eagerly froze in place.
Vice Minister of Rites Pei Jun’s face turned red, then pale, then red again with rage.
He had gained fame by reciting poetry at the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion and was later recommended for office. Now he held the high position of Vice Minister.
Cao Feng’s words were practically pointing at his nose and calling him a fame-seeking wastrel.
Outrageous!
“Impudence!”
“How dare you, brat!”
“Do you intend to make enemies of all the talents under heaven?”
With an angry shout, more than a dozen officials, led by Pei Jun, stepped forward in unison.
“Your Majesty!”
Pei Jun was furious.
“The heir of Zhenbei Marquis has insulted court officials. I request Your Majesty issue a decree to execute this villain!”
“Yes!”
“Execute him!”
“If he is not killed, public anger will not be appeased!”
Facing the furious Pei Jun and others, Cao Feng remained calm.
“Hehe.”
“When did I say you were wastrels? You rushed out so eagerly. Could it be you feel guilty?”
Pei Jun’s face flushed red.
“Do not twist words. You were clearly insulting us indirectly!”
“Hehe. Vice Minister Pei, you are so quick to claim the accusation. Are you admitting that you are a fame-seeking wastrel?”
“I… I am not a fame-seeking wastrel!”
Seeing Pei Jun thrown into chaos by Cao Feng’s words, a trace of disappointment flashed across the emperor’s face.
A dignified Vice Minister of Rites, yet so impetuous.
“Stand down.”
At the emperor’s unquestionable tone, the humiliated Pei Jun bowed and retreated into the ranks.
The emperor looked at Cao Feng, his disgust lessened somewhat.
This heir of the Cao family, aside from his unruliness, was not as useless as rumors suggested.
Sharp-tongued.
Far stronger than that fool Cao Zhen in verbal sparring.
But his ability to stir trouble was equally impressive.
Not only had he burned the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion and beaten a prince.
Now he dared to insult the scholars of the pavilion before the entire court as fame-seeking wastrels.
With a single statement, he had offended nearly every scholar who had ever set foot in that place.
This little brat truly had courage.
Interesting. Very interesting.
The emperor’s gaze toward Cao Zhen now carried a hint of sympathy.
Anyone saddled with such a son would go mad.
“You unfilial brat! I will beat you to death today and cleanse my Cao family!”
Cao Zhen had regained his senses.
He was so furious that smoke seemed to rise from his seven orifices.
He had thought this brat truly meant to turn over a new leaf.
Who knew he would say something so shocking.
The matter of burning the Esteemed Scholars Pavilion and beating the Sixth Prince had not even been resolved, and now he had offended another large group of officials.
If he had known this little bastard could cause so much trouble, he would never have indulged in that fleeting pleasure back then. He should have shot him onto the wall instead!