flstandardbreds Chapter 180 Shock
Chapter 180 Shock
Chapter 180 Deterrence
Bai Ke, noticing the incredulous looks on the faces of the crowd, chuckled softly and walked step by step to the Second Prince Yuan Su's side, staring at him as he said:
"Second Prince, are you aware that our Tian Ce Palace's resident elder accepted bribes from the people of Mo Yun Kingdom?"
Seeing Bai Ke standing directly in front of him, staring at him, the second prince felt a sudden sense of timidity, his imposing presence instantly diminishing by half compared to Bai Ke's. However, he still feigned composure and looked at Bai Ke. "I can't predict the future, how would I know about this!"
"It seems the Second Prince is completely unaware of this matter! May I ask Your Majesty, are you aware of this?"
Ever since Bai Ke came out, the king's brooding gaze had never left him.
When Bai Ke asked him a question, the king clenched and unclenched his hands on either side of the throne, and finally spoke to Bai Ke, saying, "I do not know!"
"Very well! Since even the king is unaware, then the ones who bribed him must be the civil and military officials in this hall!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers in the hall waved their hands and hurriedly said they dared not.
Seeing this, the king quickly glanced at one of the people in the hall and gave him a wink.
Just then, a man suddenly stood up from his seat and shouted at Bai Ke: "Even if you are the chief disciple of Tian Ce Palace, how dare you question our king and princes like this at today's banquet? This is simply outrageous!"
Is this how the disciples of Tian Ce Palace conduct themselves? Is this how Tian Ce Palace treats its neighboring countries after receiving tributes from them year after year?
"Hmph, aren't you afraid of bringing trouble to your Tian Ce Palace with your reckless actions!"
The hall fell silent once more. Bai Ke turned to look at the person who had just spoken, his smile growing even brighter.
There are always some people who don't think straight; the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Since you're so blind to the situation, don't blame me for using you to establish my authority!
"Who are you?"
"Hmph! I am Zhao Li, an imperial censor appointed by the King himself. Everything I just said is true and reasonable. Does your Tian Ce Palace intend to use your power to intimidate me?"
"Hehehe, interesting, very interesting! However, you've said something wrong. I never use my power to intimidate people; I always subdue them with my martial arts!"
After saying that, Bai Ke raised his hand in Zhao Li's direction and clenched his fist.
Zhao Li was instantly pulled into Bai Ke's grasp by a powerful suction force. Bai Ke, holding Zhao Li by the neck, continued to smile and whisper in his ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Although you are an imperial censor appointed by your king, I, Bai Ke, am not afraid. So, it's best not to try to reason with me."
"Also, be smarter in the future, and don't be used as a pawn by others anymore." As soon as he finished speaking, the censor was grabbed by the neck and thrown out of the hall by Bai Ke.
Judging by the force, that censor probably won't be able to get out of bed for at least half a year.
Everyone was stunned. This Bai Ke was truly audacious. He dared to lay a hand on a minister and throw him out of the palace right in front of the king. Thinking this, they all looked to see the king's reaction.
The king's face was beyond just ashen.
"Your Majesty, your minister has spoken rudely to me and even tried to sow discord between my Tian Ce Palace and the Mo Yun Kingdom, as well as the surrounding vassal states. This is truly unforgivable."
I then threw the censor away, but I didn't quite control my strength; please forgive me!
After speaking, he even pretended to bow to the king. If someone didn't know the situation, they might think that Bai Ke was being very sincere and apologetic.
"Let me make this clear from the start: if I hear anyone slandering or talking about my Tian Ce Palace again, attempting to undermine my Tian Ce Palace's international image and relations with neighboring countries, I, Bai Ke, will show no mercy!"
This censor was merely a small lesson for him. If he offends again, as the chief disciple of the Tian Ce Palace, I will not let this matter rest!
After Bai Ke finished speaking, everyone present from Mo Yun Kingdom trembled and was speechless. Meanwhile, the disciples of Tian Ce Palace, upon hearing this, instantly became even more enamored with their senior brother, elevating his status in their eyes to a new level.
Even the elder looked at Bai Ke with admiration in his eyes. Seeing everyone's expressions, Lin Xiu realized that he had made one wrong step after another, and would not leave a good impression. His resentment towards Bai Ke intensified.
"Elder Ding! You are the steward elder here, yet you concealed the truth and failed to report what you knew. The Anning Village incident was only reported to the sect leader after being discovered by spies from Tian Ce Palace."
I sent men to search your residence and found a considerable amount of gold and silver jewelry. Since your guilt is a fact, if you confess now who bribed you, my uncle will report back, and the Enforcement Hall might consider reducing your sentence.
"If you refuse to tell me no matter what, hehe, you know how strict the Enforcement Hall is. Please think carefully!" After saying that, Bai Ke patted Elder Ding on the shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Elder Ding, recalling the harsh punishments that the Enforcement Hall had historically employed, trembled and immediately said to Bai Ke:
“I’ll tell you everything! The person who bribed me was the Grand Councilor of the Mo Yun Kingdom. He gave me gold and silver jewels so that I could enjoy worldly glory.”
Then he asked me to give him all the pills and other medicines that Tian Ce Palace had distributed to the lower forces so that I could keep them all for myself. That's how it happened.
"Look, I've confessed everything, I've told you everything. Please plead with the Enforcement Hall to give me a lenient sentence!" he said, tugging at Bai Ke's robe as he pleaded.
"The Enforcement Hall always upholds the law impartially, so don't worry, they will handle this appropriately. Ziyuan! Take him away!"
"Yes!" Su Ziyuan said, then pulled Elder Ding out of the hall. Elder Ding was still not quiet, and kept shouting and begging for leniency.
As everyone watched Elder Ding being led out of the hall, they couldn't help but turn their attention to the Grand Councilor that the elder had mentioned.
The Grand Councilor panicked when Elder Ding implicated him.
Seeing everyone staring at him, he appeared calm on the surface, but his palms were involuntarily sweating. He thought of Bai Ke's methods and how he dealt with the censor and the elder.
He understood perfectly well that if he were to confess so readily, not only Bai Ke, but even the King would not let him off easily. Although others were unaware that he had secretly bribed Elder Ding to obtain the elixir, the King had tacitly approved of it, and had even instructed him to go.
Since confessing is impossible, Bai Ke's approach is definitely not going to work. They might as well take a gamble, deny everything, and beg the king for protection.
Perhaps the king, seeing his loyalty and not revealing his true identity, might spare his life.