My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 59: First discuss merits, then punish the tiger!

Just as the three were filled with shock and anger, whispers began to rise among the guests in the hall.

Some of the officials who were allied with the four nobles held their cups and glanced sideways, coldly observing Gao Cheng's predicament. Other neutral officials lowered their heads, rested their hands on their desks, and kept their eyes downcast, fearing that disaster might befall them.

However, a few young officials who were loyal to Gao Cheng were secretly worried for him.

This is because everyone can see that although Sun Taibao's actions were ostensibly about seating arrangements, they were actually intended to give the heir a hard time.

If Gao Cheng fails to handle the situation well today, not to mention the loss of face he will have at this banquet.

In the future, it will likely be even more difficult for him to gain a foothold in the imperial court.

Gao Yang and Duan Shao were already extremely shocked and furious, and now, seeing the expressions of many people watching the show, their faces became even more unpleasant, and they almost couldn't help but explode.

Before the two could react, Gao Cheng suddenly burst out laughing.

He chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his voice, then turned and gave the two men, who were still in shock and anger, a look that said, "Try to calm down."

Once the two had calmed down, they immediately turned to Sima Ziru and asked with a faint smile, "Lord Sima, has your mansion already held a banquet before we sit down?"

Sima Ziru stroked his beard and smiled, watching the outcome unfold.

After all, Sun Teng's probing this time, regardless of the outcome, will be beneficial to him.

Unexpectedly, Gao Cheng suddenly turned the tables on him, causing him to pause slightly in surprise, and ask in astonishment, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng turned to look at Sun Teng and asked with a forced smile, "Since the banquet hasn't even started, why are you already drunk, and spouting such drunken nonsense, Master Sun?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Teng was taken aback, his brows furrowing as he asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness? I have never been drunk."

"Naturally drunk, and drunk to the bone marrow."

Unexpectedly, as soon as Sun Teng uttered these words, Gao Cheng suddenly stopped smiling and said sternly, "If you weren't already drunk, how could you utter such absurd words?"

Gao Cheng's sudden change of attitude was like a summer downpour; it came without warning, yet it caught everyone off guard.

Whether it was Sun Teng or the other guests, they were all stunned and speechless.

"My brother Duan Shao, though he has never personally donned armor and fought in the four directions, has served Your Majesty since his youth, offering advice and guidance, and pacifying Jinyang without ever making a mistake."

Gao Cheng, however, seemed oblivious to the change in everyone's expressions, and his voice grew even colder: "This time, you accompanied me to Ye under the cover of night, protecting the Emperor perfectly. Your service is truly commendable."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Sun Teng again and said with a sneer, "If someone as cunning and despicable as you can sit in the chief seat, how can my brother be relegated to the last seat?"

Upon hearing Gao Cheng's words, the entire hall erupted in uproar, and the whispers among the guests grew even louder.

No one expected that this fifteen-year-old prince would actually show no mercy and publicly break ties with Sun Teng.

Sun Teng's old face instantly turned bright red, then turned ashen.

He considered himself a close friend of Gao Huan from humble beginnings and a loyal subject who had served Gao Huan since he was a commoner. Even Gao Huan usually gave him some leeway, so he had never suffered such humiliation before.

He then shouted sternly, "It's one thing for the Crown Prince to show favoritism, but why resort to such vile language to slander an old minister? Duan Shao is still wet behind the ears and has never experienced a major battle. I am merely stating the facts. Could it be that...?"

"According to the facts?"

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Cheng sneered and interrupted him sharply, "Fine, since you wish to discuss the matter at hand, I will discuss with you today how much merit you have actually accumulated over the years!"

After speaking, he immediately took out a scroll of silk from his sleeve.

The silk book was of rough quality, with frayed edges, and looked like nothing more than an ordinary item.

But when Gao Cheng took it out, Sima Ziru, Gao Yue, and Gao Longzhi felt a sudden chill in their hearts. Then, an ominous premonition arose, as if something was about to get out of control.

With her mind in turmoil, Sima Ziru could no longer sit still and watch the play.

He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. Today is a time for drinking and making merry; why bring up such unpleasant topics?"

"Besides, Brother Sun's words just now were merely a slip of the tongue and not intentional. I apologize on his behalf and hope that Your Highness will forgive him and not hold it against him."

"Indeed, indeed! The scenery is beautiful today; how can we let trivial matters disturb our peace of mind?"

"Your Highness, please calm your fury. We can discuss the rest later."

Upon seeing this, Gao Longzhi and Gao Yue also hurriedly got up to persuade him, their words of advice echoing in the air.

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile as he slowly said, "I believe today is the perfect day to discuss this matter."

Upon hearing this, the three felt even more uneasy and wanted to offer further advice.

Gao Cheng didn't give them a chance to speak again. He immediately unfolded the silk scroll and read it aloud in a deep voice:

"Sun Teng, Grand Tutor and Grand Master of the Three Departments. Relying on his past merits of following the emperor, in March of the first year of the Tianping era, he forcibly seized more than 3,000 hectares of farmland in Zhangbin and confiscated more than 2,000 private households. This caused the people of Zhangbin to be displaced, forced to sell their children, and the roads were filled with corpses."

Upon hearing Gao Cheng publicly recite Sun Teng's crimes, Sima Ziru was instantly horrified and cried out in alarm, "Your Highness, this is unacceptable!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Longzhi and Gao Yue's expressions changed drastically.

"Shut up, you brat!"

The moment Gao Cheng finished speaking, Sun Teng was filled with rage. He roared and lunged forward to snatch the silk scroll.

However, Liu Taozhi was faster than him. Before he could even get close, Liu Taozhi had already kicked him to the ground.

At the same time, this sudden change stunned all the guests, and in an instant, gasps of shock filled the crowd, and some even panicked.

Even Gao Yang and Duan Shao, who had been poised to act, were momentarily stunned.

Before they could react, Fang Qiqi's expression changed, and they quickly stepped forward to protect Gao Cheng from the left and right.

Amidst this chaos, only Gao Cheng remained unmoved, slowly reciting the contents of the silk scroll.

"In the spring of the second year of the Tianping era, he colluded with others to embezzle one million strings of cash from the military pay of the Imperial Guards in Ye City, resulting in the Imperial Guards not receiving a single grain of rice for three months. The soldiers were full of complaints and almost mutinied."

"Since he was stationed in Ye, he has long been involved in factionalism, controlling the power of personnel selection in the Ministry of Personnel, selling official positions and titles with clear prices: a thousand coins for a prefect, ten thousand coins for a governor."

"It causes virtuous and talented individuals to sink into lowly positions, while scoundrels rise to high ranks. Bribery is rampant in both the court and the public, and the wise and the foolish are reversed."

"He even allowed his slaves to commit murder, beating and killing more than thirty civilians. The officials, fearing his power, dared not investigate. The dead died with grievances unfulfilled, and the living suffered in silence."

"......"

Gao Cheng read the words aloud, his steady voice resounding throughout the hall, completely unaffected by the surrounding environment.

By the time he finished reading the incriminating evidence on the silk scroll, Sima Ziru and the other two were pale as death, their eyes filled with disbelief.

No one expected that Gao Cheng would actually disregard all dignity and expose these shady dealings to the public.

The guests were completely silent, feeling a chill run down their spines. They hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet Gao Cheng's gaze.

As for Sun Teng, the person in question, his face turned even more pale and then purple.

He lay on the ground in despair, as if someone had grabbed his neck, staring at Gao Cheng with his head tilted back, speechless.

In the ensuing silence, only Gao Cheng, the instigator, nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with the scene.

He then casually rolled up the silk scroll, looked down at Sun Teng whose face was filled with despair, and asked with a smile, "May I ask, Master Sun, do you... acknowledge this 'minor achievement'?"