Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Meng Shuping clenched his fist in frustration, a face full of resentment as he rose and followed the eunuch who had come to summon him to the palace.

Emperor Qianyou was in a meeting with his ministers when he heard Meng Shuping grumbling angrily outside, "I mean, do they all have a screw loose? Do they know how agonizing it is to be dragged out of a warm bed on such a cold day? Do they know how overworked I’ve been lately? Do they know how outrageous their behavior is?"

"They don’t know a thing! All they know is how to stir up trouble, right?"

"And that Emperor—he keeps summoning me to the palace at the drop of a hat. Doesn’t he realize how exhausting it is for me, running around all the time? Why doesn’t he just put a bed here so I can sleep directly? That would save them the trouble of impeaching me!"

Though Emperor Qianyou sympathized with Meng Shuping’s plight, he couldn’t help but wonder, *Okay, maybe I am a little jealous that you get to sleep in, but do you have any idea how much trouble you stir up? Don’t blame everything on me!*

He intended to continue the discussion, but just as he focused on the minister speaking below, he heard Meng Shuping’s voice again, "Yawn… man, I’m tired. I’ll probably be waiting out here forever again, right? Should I just take a nap now?"

"Ugh, it’s so uncomfortable sleeping here. Ah, whatever—it’ll do! At least I can get some sleep!"

Minister of Revenue Chen and Minister of Justice Cao Jie exchanged discreet glances with Meng Houliang. *Hahaha, they wondered how he ended up with a grandson like this—such a weird mix of timid and bold.*

Emperor Qianyou’s vein throbbed on his forehead. *That rascal, has the nerve to sleep anywhere? If I weren’t so magnanimous, someone like Meng Shuping would have been punished long ago!*

Worried that Meng Shuping might, like last time, take ages to show up when called, he quickly concluded the current discussion and instructed the eunuch beside him, "Summon Meng Shuping in."

A minister below was about to speak, but seeing Emperor Qianyou giving orders to Eunuch Yang, he immediately bit back his words. *What were the Emperor and Eunuch Yang discussing?*

Just then, he heard Eunuch Yang announce loudly, "Summon—Vice Director of the Board of Punishments—Meng Shuping for an audience!"

The minister suddenly understood. *So it’s that Vice Director Meng again! Hahaha, he thought, what kind of show is it this time? He was rather looking forward to it!*

Meng Shuping had just dozed off, half-asleep, when he abruptly heard the summons to enter. Furious, he clenched his fists, "Ugh! I just dozed off! Did they have to call me right now?"

But no matter how frantic he felt inside, he couldn’t refuse Emperor Qianyou’s summons. So, bracing himself, he walked into the hall under the curious gazes of everyone.

As he walked, he yelled in his head, "Argh! I hate having to walk in with everyone watching! Don’t look at me! Stop looking at me!"

"Whoever impeached me this time—just wait till I find out who it is! I’ll curse them to never have toilet paper when they need it!"

Cai Feng’s expression soured. *So what if it was him? Hmph, did Meng Shuping think such a childish curse would scare him?*

"Pfft!" Someone couldn’t hold back a laugh. Meng Shuping assumed they were laughing at him. Stiffly, he walked to the front and said, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Qianyou suppressed a laugh and said, "Rise!"

Then he turned to Cai Feng, "Beloved Minister Cai, what was it you impeached Beloved Minister Meng for?"

Meng Shuping was stunned. *“Beloved Minister Cai”? That lousy censor? What’s his deal again? Didn’t he learn his lesson last time? Is he back for more? Is he totally out of his depth but keeps trying? Well, he’s certainly determined!*

Cai Feng was furious. Last time, he hadn’t been prepared, but this time he wouldn’t fail!

He put on a stern, righteous expression and said, "Hmph! Your subject—"

Meng Shuping lowered his head and mumbled under his breath, "Yes! He’s absolutely right!"

*You argue, you win! Hahaha, clever me, I’ve already learned to answer before he finishes!*

"Pfft!"

"Haha—guh—"

Many ministers couldn’t help making sounds but, mindful that they were in morning court, they quickly covered their mouths, shaking with suppressed laughter.

Cai Feng’s face flushed red with anger. He glared at Meng Shuping, "Vice Director Meng, this is the imperial court! We’re discussing serious matters. Stop messing around!"

Meng Shuping resorted to his deflection tactics again. His eyes darted around, avoiding everyone’s gaze, as he said in a trembling voice, "Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right!"

Cai Feng: "..."

*He was even angrier now. Why did he feel more frustrated than ever, even though the kid didn’t even argue back?*

Seeing Cai Feng so ineffective, Emperor Qianyou sighed silently. He began to wonder why he had ever appointed Cai Feng as censor in the first place. *Was it because Cai Feng was hardheaded and stubborn?*

He coughed and explained, "Beloved Minister Meng, Cai Feng has impeached you for harassing a decent woman yesterday, claiming you have poor character and are not fit to serve. How do you explain this?"

The ministers in the court instantly turned to look at Meng Shuping, whispering among themselves, "Hahaha, him harass someone? Why does this sound hilarious?"

"Exactly! I’ve never seen anyone shyer than Vice Director Meng. He turns red just talking to people. I’m really curious—how could he possibly harass anyone?"

"Tsk, I wonder what it’d be like if Vice Director Meng tried to harass someone. It must be quite amusing, right?"

The others looked at him in shock. Meeting their "you’re a pervert" stares, the man quickly forced a dry laugh, "Haha, haha, I was just joking."

But some disagreed, "Hmph, you can’t judge a book by its cover! Who knows what kind of person he really is!"

"Some people seem well-behaved on the surface but are rotten to the core behind closed doors!"

"Don’t be fooled by his appearance!"

Meng Houliang stepped forward with a stern expression, "Imperial Censor Cai, even if you want to slander him, at least find a plausible reason! How could he possibly—"

*Ah? This matter? Oh no, how did it reach the court so quickly?*

"Ahem, ahem!" Meng Houliang stumbled over his words before barely managing to finish, "...do such a thing?"

But by the end, his voice had grown much quieter, lacking confidence. He was utterly shocked. *Impossible! Even if Ping Geer’s thoughts were sometimes unconventional, his character was still decent, right?*

*Could there be some misunderstanding?*

Emperor Qianyou also looked at Meng Shuping in disbelief. *Seriously, you actually did something like this? Did I misjudge you?*

Minister of Revenue Chen had been about to defend Meng Shuping, but upon hearing this, he quickly retreated. *Better to wait and see—if he misspoke, he’d lose face.*

Cai Feng sneered, "Lord Meng is Vice Director Meng’s grandfather, so of course he’d side with his own grandson. But I’m not slandering him—whether he did it or not, he knows the truth!"

Another official who disliked Cai Feng stepped forward and said, "Well, I say Cai Feng has a grudge against Vice Director Meng. Otherwise, why would he keep targeting him? Could it be that you lost face last time and now want revenge?"

Cai Feng flared up, "What nonsense! Why would I seek revenge? Even if I wanted to target him, he’d have to have done something wrong first. If he can’t conduct himself properly, who else can he blame?"

"You’re the one claiming he’s done wrong. The truth hasn’t been investigated yet, so how can you insist he’s guilty? Did you witness it yourself?"

...

Meng Shuping had no idea how much Meng Houliang and the others were agonizing over him. Frowning, he fretted inwardly, "Will I be utterly humiliated later? Argh! This Imperial Censor Cai is so annoying! Why did he have to bring this up in court? Don’t I have any dignity?"

"Ugh, but I’m torn. Maybe I should just admit to the charges—then I’d never have to be dragged here early in the morning again!"

"But being falsely accused is so infuriating! I can’t even. If he really wants me dismissed, couldn’t he impeach me for something else? Even impeaching me for misconduct in court would be better—I’d gladly plead guilty to that!"

Meng Houliang and Emperor Qianyou simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. *Good, it was just a misunderstanding. Since Meng Shuping claimed it was a false accusation, the harassment charge was likely untrue.*

*But what really happened?*

Cai Feng was quite smug. *Losing face? Try losing his job! He couldn't believe that at such a critical moment, Meng Shuping was still worried about something as trivial as losing face. Once he was dismissed from office, he won't know where to cry!*

*He refused to believe Meng Shuping was innocent—he had seen too many of these sanctimonious fakes!*

He said, sneering, "What? Can't find the words, Vice Director Meng? Are you thinking about how to talk your way out of this?"

Meng Shuping replied honestly, "Not really!"

Cai Feng was annoyed. *Was he actually expecting an answer? Shouldn't a normal person retort sarcastically?* He snorted coldly, "Not at all? Then why have you been silent for so long?"

Meng Shuping set his jaw and said stiffly, "I'm just wondering how you got the news, Minister Cai."

*Could it be that the girl was arranged by him? Is that why he found out so quickly?*

*Sneaky! Really sneaky! He must have held a grudge after failing to impeach me last time and being punished by Emperor Qianyou, so he came up with this underhanded scheme to harm me!*

*Could he still resent Emperor Qianyou in his heart? Not daring to trouble the Emperor, he vents all his anger on me. Eww, how pathetic can he be?*

Cai Feng felt a chill run down his back and shuddered violently. *It must be because of the cold, right?*

He said angrily, "I heard it, of course!"

Meng Shuping pressed further, "From whom did you hear it?"

Cai Feng grew impatient and shot back, "That's none of your business!"

Meng Shuping immediately turned to Emperor Qianyou and said, "Your Majesty, I must also state that this matter involves Cai Feng and Dong Lide forming factions for their own gain, colluding to push out anyone who disagrees with them, and framing loyal officials!"

*If he can't even clarify the source of the news, how can he claim it's not a setup? I suspect the two of them are definitely working together!*

*And it's not that I'm deliberately targeting them—aside from them, who else would bother framing me? Other than the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Minister of Justice, and a few others from the Earl's household, who else have I offended?*

*It can't be the Minister of Justice, right? Such a trivial matter wouldn't bother him!*

*Never mind, regardless, they're definitely suspicious!*