flstandardbreds Chapter 127 Mu Yunxi heard it but was too lazy to pay attention.
Chapter 127 Mu Yunxi heard it but was too lazy to pay attention.
Walking side by side with her father, they complained about the early hour for court and made small talk about what they had for breakfast. The father and daughter paid no attention to the strange looks from others.
Until a voice sounded beside them, "This is the famous first female official of Zhao State, Lady Mu, right?" The father and daughter looked at him at the same time. Seeing this, he hurriedly introduced: "I am Xie Sichen! Greetings to the two adults!"
Mu Yunxi only gave a slight nod, not even bothering to return the greeting, while Mu Cheng offered him some superficial flattery. After Xie Sichen finished speaking with Mu Cheng, he wanted to say a few words to Mu Yunxi, but Mu Yunxi didn't even glance at him. He was still staring at Mu Yunxi's profile, and Mu Cheng, seeing this, blocked his view and said, "Please, Mr. Xie, respect yourself."
Hearing what Mu Cheng said, Xie Sichen didn't know what to say. He wanted to get close to Mu Yunxi, but it was not easy to offend Mu Cheng now. But the ministers who heard Mu Cheng say this were secretly complaining: "Your daughter is always in the spotlight, and she still asks people to respect themselves?" But no one dared to say this in front of Mu Cheng. Last time, an adult said a few bad things about Mu Yunxi, and said that Mu Yunxi was already an old girl and was destined to be unwanted in the future! Mu Cheng heard this and did it without saying a word. After the incident, the emperor still stood on Mu Cheng's side and scolded the adult as worthless. In the end, he was dismissed from office. Since then, no one in the capital, including the harem, dared to say a word against Mu Yunxi. After all, her contribution to Zhao State is there.
Mu Yunxi observed the man carefully from the corner of her eye. She noticed that while he appeared gentle and courteous, he possessed a subtle cunning in his eyes. She thought to herself, "This man might be no ordinary person. We must be wary." Just then, the Meridian Gate opened, and Xie Sichen turned to look in their direction. Mu Yunxi avoided his gaze, turned around, and called Mu Cheng to join them. She also warned Mu Cheng, "Beware of this man!"
Mu Cheng also lowered his voice and said, "I know. He's angered several officials before, and no one could find fault with him. He looks so righteous, but I think he did it on purpose. During the last court session, he criticized Your Majesty, saying that letting women serve as officials is a disaster for the country. He didn't mention anything about what you did. I knew Your Majesty was on your side, so I didn't argue with him. I didn't expect that he would have the nerve to come and say hello today."
Mu Yunxi didn't say anything, but nodded in response, as everyone lined up according to their official rank to enter the hall. Mu Yunxi, a second-rank official, naturally stood closer to the front, with Mu Cheng a little behind her. Many people wanted to laugh at Mu Cheng, but he ignored them.
Entering the hall, they met Emperor Qing Zhao and paid their respects. A round of shouts of "Long live the emperor" filled the air. Emperor Qing Zhao then asked all the ministers to stand and began to discuss matters. Eunuch Fu shouted, "If you have matters to report, please report them. If not, please dismiss the court." Mu Yunxi sighed inwardly, "Eunuch Fu's tone is truly full of twists and turns!"
At this time, an imperial censor stepped out and saluted, saying: "I want to impeach Mr. Xie Sichen, the deputy envoy of the Ministry of Public Security. He was rude and hurtful, and showed no remorse afterwards. This behavior is truly shameful, and he is not worthy of being an official! I hope Your Majesty will be wise! Give justice to my colleagues who have not been able to attend court until now." The imperial censor's words were loud and clear, and the whole court fell silent in an instant.
Xie Sichen stepped out and said calmly, "I didn't say that. Censor, please don't take my words out of context. I've always only addressed the matter at hand and never targeted anyone. Those people didn't bother me, isn't it because they felt guilty?"
The censor was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at Xie Sichen and said, "What a good way to stick to the facts! You are clearly trying to sow discord and spread rumors!"
However, Xie Sichen did not say anything more to the censor. Instead, he faced Emperor Qing Zhao, bowed deeply, and said, "I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter and grant me justice."
The censor could only point at him with a trembling hand and said angrily, "You actually bite back!"
Mu Yunxi watched all this unfold. She watched the censor, so enraged by her words, mutter to herself, "This censor's fighting ability is inadequate!" After Xie Sichen finished speaking, he turned and retreated back into the ranks, leaving the censor in his wake. Mu Yunxi looked at the others, but no one spoke up for the censor. She guessed they were all afraid of Xie Sichen.
At this moment, she felt a gaze on her. Looking up, she saw Emperor Qing Zhao winking at her, indicating that she should speak. With a slight movement in her heart, she knew that Emperor Qing Zhao wanted her to speak. She took a deep breath and slowly stepped out of the line. She bowed to Emperor Qing Zhao, then said in a calm but undeniable voice, "Your Majesty, I have something to say. If what the censor said is true, then Lord Xie's behavior is indeed inappropriate. Officials should live in harmony and work together to share Your Majesty's concerns, not to create conflicts."
At this time, Xie Sichen also stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, everything I said is true. I don't know how I caused you all to fall ill!"
Mu Yunxi listened to Xie Sichen's explanation, her mind rapidly calculating. Her gaze was steady, her tone carrying a certain unquestionable authority: "Sir Xie, the truth of what you said must be verified. However, officials must not only act with integrity, but also be cautious with their words to avoid misunderstandings and damage the harmony among colleagues. The Censor impeached you, perhaps precisely because your words were indeed inappropriate and caused misunderstandings."
She paused for a moment, looked directly at Xie Sichen, and continued, "Furthermore, even if what you said is true, if it causes your colleagues to fall ill and be unable to attend court, this is something you should reflect on as an official. As an official, we should benefit the people. We should focus more on teamwork and work together to share His Majesty's worries, rather than affecting the harmony of the court with personal words and deeds." Her words were sincere and her logic was clear, which made the atmosphere in the court peaceful again.
Xie Sichen's expression changed slightly after hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. He bowed deeply and said, "Lord Mu, what you said is absolutely right. I will definitely keep it in mind and be more cautious in my words and actions in the future."
Emperor Qing Zhao watched this scene with a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He nodded slightly, signaling everyone to continue discussing the matter.
Just as Mu Yunxi was about to retreat back to the formation, Xie Sichen spoke again, "Your Majesty, I believe it's inappropriate to build a city wall around East China Sea Qingxue City. Your Majesty, East China Sea Qingxue City is located in the sea, with no powerful enemies nearby and no obvious dangers. Building a city wall would not only consume a huge amount of manpower and resources, but would also be meaningless. Furthermore, the East China Sea is vast and free of external enemies. If a city wall is built simply to prevent high tides, it may not be effective. It would be better to use resources for other more meaningful purposes, such as strengthening coastal defenses and improving the combat effectiveness of the army. Only in this way can East China Sea Qingxue City be kept safe."
Hearing this, Mu Yunxi narrowed her eyes slightly, and after glancing at Xie Sichen with her peripheral vision, she said, "Master Xie, you are wrong. Building a city wall is not meaningless. It not only protects against high tides, but also, to a certain extent, protects against foreign invasions. Although the East China Sea seems calm, who can guarantee that there will not be powerful enemies invading in the future? With a city wall, we can have an additional line of defense, giving the people in the city a greater sense of security."
"From the beginning to now, there has never been any dangerous enemy in the East China Sea!" said Xie Sichen.
Mu Yunxi directly retorted, "Just because it didn't happen before doesn't mean it won't happen now or in the future. How can Lord Xie be so sure that it doesn't happen? Could it be that... Lord Xie has gone to see it in person?" In China, there are living examples, and she doesn't want her peaceful life to be suddenly disturbed.