Chapter 1874: Chapter 1876: Disturbance at the Palace Gate
Yang Chuxia and her family were happily browsing through various shops.
But over on Ye Zi’an’s side, things were not going so smoothly.
On his way to the morning court, because it was early and people weren’t up yet, things went fairly smoothly. However, by the time he left the court, it was a different story.
Especially at the palace gate, there was a crowd kneeling in protest, and as soon as they saw him come out, they raised their fists as if to demonstrate, chanting, "Refuse Ye Zi’an from attending the court, refuse Ye Zi’an from attending the court!"
"Ye Zi’an is unfit for office!"
"Ye Zi’an desecrates ancestral graves, hateful and shameful!"
"..."
Upon hearing these chants, the ministers exchanged glances, with many showing a hint of amusement in their eyes, especially those from the Ministry of War. Within the Ministry, aside from the minister’s position, others had been eyeing the vice-minister’s position before Ye Zi’an came along. Now, seeing the person who took the position being besieged, they were naturally happy to watch the spectacle.
At this point, Ye Zi’an looked expressionlessly at the crowd before him. There was no need to think; he knew where these people came from.
"I’ve heard that I dug up your ancestral graves?" It seemed this was the first time he directly confronted such unreasonable people.
In the past, whenever such people showed up, they were chased away by his wife. This felt somewhat novel.
He stepped forward and asked the person at the forefront.
At this moment, Li Wen and Li Wu, who were waiting at the gate, had already arrived. Seeing this, Ye Zi’an beckoned, "Go prepare some pen and ink, ask which people here had their ancestral graves dug up by me, record their names, addresses, ancestral origins, and the locations of their ancestral graves."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Li Wen turned and left upon hearing the instruction.
The crowd was unsure of what Ye Zi’an intended, and even those protesting and complaining were baffled.
"Ye Zi’an, what is the meaning of this?" Lord Prime Minister was the first to speak up.
"It’s just as you see, my lord," Ye Zi’an replied calmly.
"Corrupt official, what trick are you playing?" the leader shouted at Ye Zi’an, "No matter what you do, I will not support you being an official. Someone like you shouldn’t be in office, only harming the common people."
Ye Zi’an gave him a slight, dismissive glance, "Whether or not I can be an official is not up to you, nor does your opinion matter. If you have the guts, come kneel here every day. Moreover, kneeling at the palace gates means nothing, because if you anger these guards at the gates, be careful—they might wield their swords against you. I think you’d be better off kneeling at Prince An’s Mansion with your heads pointed towards the gate; I promise I won’t stop you."
"You!"
The leader didn’t expect Ye Zi’an to say such words, and was a bit taken aback.
The Prime Minister lowered his head to ponder for a moment and then said, "When encountering such matters, it’s always necessary to report to the Emperor. I shall return to the palace now; having these people kneeling here is not a solution."
"Indeed, Prime Minister, I shall go with you." This was spoken by the Minister of Criminal Justice.
"I will go too, it’s truly inauspicious for Lord Ye to encounter such matters on his first day in court. These troublemakers might be spreading rumors. We must let the Emperor know, these people ought to be arrested."
"..."
Although it sounded like they were standing up for Ye Zi’an, who knew what they truly thought inside?
"Then I thank you all, esteemed lords!" Ye Zi’an lightly cupped his hands in gratitude.
Yet he sneered inwardly, knowing that their return was most likely to propose having him removed from office.