One of the Yang brothers' plans was to leverage the connections the Yang family had accumulated over the years and lash out at Li Ke and Li Jingyun in the court.
The scolding they had to bear was about the same. Once when Li Ke went out, someone even threw a rotten cabbage at him. Later, when he caught the person and questioned her, it turned out she was sent by the Yang family, and the person who sent her had a bit of a history with Li Jingyun.
Li Jingyun had once bought the shop of their younger sister.
Yes, it was Wu Yuanqing, Wu Yuanshuang and those people.
Wu Meiniang's mother, that is, the step - mother of Wu Yuanqing and the others, was from the Hongnong Yang clan, the same clan as Yang Yuzhi.
When Li Ke arrived at the Taihe Hall, in the court, he saw his sleepy little sister Li Jingyun. Her eyes were barely open, and her hair was simply tied up before she came. The eunuch Feng behind her kept making small movements. Wasn't he just trying to tidy up her hair again?
This time, Hongxuan stood in front of the ministers, standing together with him. This was a big sign. Was it going to officially allow Hongxuan to participate in government affairs and discuss policies?
The main seat was empty. Father hadn't come yet. Elder brother's seat was next to Father's, and elder brother had come early.
"Alright, Feng. The hair is tied up. I'm fine. Don't be nervous," Li Jingyun could even feel the eunuch Feng's hands trembling as he tied her hair. She patted his hand to comfort him.
"Okay, then this servant will take her leave."
The eunuch Feng stepped aside, still looking at Li Jingyun worriedly, feeling uneasy in his heart.
The situation today was really grand. In full view of everyone, if Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and the others kept pressing on, His Majesty wouldn't be able to protect them too much.
Everything would depend on the luck of the two highnesses.
Following the eunuch Feng's gaze, Li Jingyun turned around and saw her third elder brother behind. She skipped over, grabbed her third elder brother's hand, and looked up at him with a smile. "Third elder brother! You're late today! Father told me that you usually arrive at the beginning of Chen hour! But it's already the second quarter of Chen hour today!"
Converted to modern time, the beginning of Chen hour was 7:00 am, and the second quarter of Chen hour was 7:30 am. Half an hour late.
Li Ke also laughed. How could Father just say such things casually? He usually didn't participate in government affairs and didn't come to the court sessions often. He came early today only after hearing that Zheng Min had rallied a large number of officials to scold their siblings.
He didn't expect that Father would actually agree to let Hongxuan come. Their siblings could be said to be advancing side by side, getting scolded together and then retorting together.
Li Chengqian couldn't sit still either. He quickly walked down from above. "You must be careful when you speak later. If you say a single wrong word and it gets spread, things will get even more complicated. Rumors can be very powerful."
Looking at his younger brother and sister, he was really anxious.
Wasn't this just a debate?
But they had to debate. If they wanted to sell the coal, they had to pass this hurdle. Coal was different from woolen sweaters. Woolen sweaters had no risks, but coal was very risky.
"Elder brother, we understand," Li Ke nodded seriously.
"Isn't it just a matter of meeting force with force? We'll just handle things as they come," Li Jingyun spread her hands, looking nonchalant.
"Hongxuan, don't be afraid. Your elder brothers are here for everything, and so is Father," Li Chengqian patted Li Jingyun on the shoulder, but it was obvious from their expressions that he was more worried.
The situation on the other side was completely different from theirs. Zheng Min was the main force, assisted by a few juniors from the Zheng and Yang families. There were also Cui Renshi and Cui Gan, who were waiting to take a stab at them at any moment depending on the situation.
They all thought they could severely refute Li Jingyun and her brother this time. They were confident about the debate, and their words seemed to suggest that they had already seen their victory.
Why did Zheng Min also get involved? The Xingyang Zheng clan also had a share in the charcoal business.
It was quite interesting that Yang Shidao, who was at the center of the storm, lowered his head, folded his hands and remained silent, looking extremely calm. He planned to plead guilty today.
In case the two sides argued endlessly and His Majesty hesitated, he would take a step back.
He believed in Li Jingyun. Even if coal did have its drawbacks, it could still bring warmth to the common people.
As for his family's business, it didn't matter if it got a bit smaller.
He didn't have a valid point in the argument. The former emperor had clearly stated that officials should not compete with the common people for profits and were not allowed to do business. He had indulged his nephews in doing business, which was already on the red - line. It was just that no one had pursued this matter for so many years.
Some things, if not weighed, seemed to be of little importance, but once weighed, they could be extremely significant.
"His Majesty is coming!" Wang De shouted, and all the officials below immediately fell silent. Li Chengqian ran back to his seat.
Li Jingyun had participated in policy discussions in the Political Affairs Hall, but this was her first time attending a formal court session.
It felt really different.
Li Shimin walked out, his eyes sweeping over his children, and finally sat on the main dragon throne.
Everyone bowed together. "Greetings to Your Majesty!"
"All my dear officials, please rise. Aren't you all interested in coal? Ke'er and Hongxuan are both here. If you have any questions, just ask," Li Shimin said in a loud voice.
There was a row of people behind the screen. They had all gotten up early in the morning to listen to the debate. There were the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth princes, as well as Princess Gaoyang, Princess Xinxing, and Princess Mingda. A large number of them had come.
They originally wanted to come to the court and listen openly, but they had no reason. There was no such system of spectators in the court session.
They could only be temporarily placed behind the screen.
Zheng Min stepped forward. First, he bowed, and then pointed at Li Ke and shouted, "Your subject has a question for the King of Wu. Does the King of Wu know that coal is extremely toxic, even more so than charcoal? Only one in ten people who are poisoned by coal can be saved!"
"I know," Li Ke took a deep breath and thought that the moment had finally come.
"Humph, since you know, why do you still do it knowingly? If you sell coal to ordinary people's homes, once they are poisoned by coal, aren't they doomed?" Zheng Min continued.
His words were sharp, and he looked like he was standing on the moral high - ground, pointing fingers, which made Li Jingyun and her brother a bit speechless.
They weren't angry. They even wanted to laugh a bit.
"Firstly, we have stoves, which can reduce the probability of coal poisoning. Secondly, coal is expensive. A catty of ordinary charcoal costs more than ten wen, and ordinary families can't afford it. Using coal for heating is a better choice," Li Ke had already prepared his speech and retorted reasonably.
Normally, in a court debate, one had to quote classics. But now, since the matter was urgent, they didn't have time for that. They could only say what they thought.
Li Jingyun even wanted to clap and cheer for Li Ke. Her third elder brother really had a way!
Retort! Retort fiercely!
It would be best to retort that old guy Zheng Min into silence!
"Your Highness the Princess, may I ask how much wealth you plan to amass before you stop? The Ice Tower, the Warm Tower, the Library, and the woolen sweaters. Which one of these doesn't make a fortune? And now you want to sell coal?" Zheng Min quickly changed the topic and asked Li Jingyun.
His angle was very tricky, and when he said it, it really seemed to be the case.
Few people paid attention to this aspect. When people mentioned the Ice Tower and the Warm Tower, they only thought they were good places for a gathering of friends. When they mentioned the Library, they only thought it was a great project that benefited all scholars in the world. No one cared about the money involved.
"So, does Imperial Censor Zheng think that one of these four things shouldn't have existed? Which one?" Li Jingyun followed Zheng Min's words. She wasn't deliberately making things difficult. She really couldn't understand.
Weren't all the things she did good deeds? They were beneficial to the country and the people. Why was she suddenly being scolded because of these things?