The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 87: Provocation and Arrogance

Before arriving at the waiting room, Liu Hongyi was so angry he almost laughed.

Not to mention that he is now the governor of the Shence Prefecture, even when he was the Lieutenant of the Imperial Guard and the Privy Councilor in the palace, no mere censor dared to speak to him like that.

At that moment, he was too lazy to waste words with the other party and spoke directly.

"His Majesty ordered us to attend court and stand in formation. How dare you, a mere censor, interfere? Guards, seize him!"

Given Liu Hongyi's status, he certainly wouldn't come to court alone.

As soon as he finished speaking, the several attendants beside him rushed forward without hesitation and lifted up the censor who was blocking their way.

"Insolent, outrageous..."

The censor was also surprised that Liu Hongyi would be so rude.

Suspended in mid-air, he kicked his legs incessantly while shouting angrily.

"I am an imperial censor; you have no authority..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Hongyi punched him in the face, causing his nose to bleed profusely.

A group of officials nearby heard the commotion and rushed over, but Liu Hongyi didn't care at all.

He rotated his arm, looked coldly at the censor whose face was covered in blood, and said in a cold voice.

"Don't try to use your underhanded tricks on me. Let me tell you, I've seen plenty of dirty tricks. Today is only my first day in court. In the past, I would have beaten you so badly you wouldn't be able to get out of bed for three days."

After saying that, he turned to look at the group of officials present and asked with a smile.

"What, you also want to defy the imperial decree and stop me?"

The scene fell silent. Everyone swallowed hard, then bowed respectfully and silently made way for them.

It was only at this point that a person of sufficient importance finally appeared in the waiting courtyard.

"What happened?"

Minister Linghu Chu pushed through the crowd and stepped out.

Several other people appeared with him, and Liu Hongyi quickly recognized their identities after glancing at them.

The elderly man at the front, with three long strands of beard and a refined demeanor, was Niu Sengru, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit.

Behind him stood Du Cong, the military governor of Zhongwu Army, with a dignified and handsome face, and Yang Sifu, the military governor of Jiannan Dongchuan, with a tall and slender figure and an elegant demeanor.

The last one, who was younger, was Li Jue, the governor of Jiangzhou.

Undoubtedly, these individuals are core members of the Niu Party. Apart from Linghu Chu, the rest of them had just returned from other places.

Liu Hongyi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over each of them with a scrutinizing air.

"I have met Minister Linghu."

After a moment, he slightly cupped his hands and bowed to Linghu Chu.

Then, he stood still, looking at the rest of the crowd with a slightly arrogant expression.

In the court, the Shence Commander was ranked only after the Prime Minister. So, in terms of rank, among all the people present, only Linghu Chu, a minister who barely held the title of Prime Minister, was slightly higher in status than him.

As for the rest of the people, no matter if you are a leader of a powerful faction or a local military governor, you all have to bow to him.

Yang Qinyi originally wanted to say something more, but when he saw that Niu Sengru was among the people who came, he immediately stopped talking and stood in place with Liu Hongyi, waiting for the other party to come forward and pay their respects.

However, Niu Sengru and the others frowned upon seeing the two men's behavior.

"Lieutenant Liu, today is your first day in court. Don't you think it's beneath the dignity of the court to assault a court official like this?"

The speaker was Du Cong. As the son-in-law of the emperor, he had some connection with the royal family, so he naturally held a more condescending attitude towards Liu Hongyi, an "inner official."

Liu Hongyi looked Du Cong up and down, as if he were meeting him for the first time, and said, "So you are Military Governor Du. If I remember correctly, the court has not issued an edict summoning you back to the capital."

"Does Commander Du know that the last person to return to the capital without permission has been exiled to the frontier? And where do you, Commander Du, intend to be exiled to?"

Unlike his usual somber and reserved demeanor, Liu Hongyi seemed unusually aggressive today.

In particular, his rebuke of Du Cong, a prince consort connected to the royal family, was completely unexpected by everyone present.

Feeling the various gazes around him, Du Cong's expression immediately turned ugly, and he rebuked them.

"How dare you! This military governor's return to the capital to report on his duties was naturally reported to the Council of State in advance. How could he have returned to the capital without permission?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyi smiled and said.

"So, Du Jiedu is aware of the court's system. In that case, you should know that there is a hierarchy within the court. Governor Yang and I are ranked above all other officials, after the prime minister. Why do you not bow to me?"

"you!"

Du Cong was immediately filled with rage and pointed at Liu Hongyi, about to speak.

Seeing this, Niu Sengru, who was standing to the side, raised his hand to stop him, and then said.

"Lieutenant Liu..."

However, he only managed to say half a sentence before Liu Hongyi immediately interrupted him rudely.

"Governor Niu, if I may remind you, His Majesty has already issued an edict throughout the land. I am now the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Shence Military Command!"

Niu Sengru frowned, but did not lash out. Instead, he patiently continued speaking.

"Governor Liu, as a court official, you should abide by the rules and regulations. You cannot act as recklessly as you do in the palace. Even if this censor's behavior was inappropriate, how can you, by publicly assaulting a court official, possibly uphold the dignity of a court official?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyi looked at him with a strange expression, as if he had heard a joke.

He shook his head, seemingly having lost interest in talking to these people, and gave a cold laugh.

"I've already hit you, so what are you going to do about it?"

These eight simple words left Niu Sengru speechless.

He expected the other party to argue fiercely with him, and he also expected the other party to get angry because of it, but he never expected that Liu Hongyi would say such a shameless thing.

"you……"

Seeing that Niu Sengru had no response, Liu Hongyi pulled Yang Qinyi along and swaggered through the crowd, heading straight into the waiting courtyard, a public room reserved for prime ministers.

After his figure disappeared, the officials outside breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, Niu Sengru and others, who were being watched by everyone, couldn't help but speak with cold faces.

"How can such arrogant individuals be entrusted with important responsibilities? Today at court, we will certainly impeach them!"

After saying that, the group turned and left angrily. Once they were gone, a noisy discussion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the Waiting-for-Leaks Courtyard, which had been quiet.

A moment later, in the waiting room of the public house, Yang Qinyi looked at Liu Hongyi, who was leisurely sipping tea, and couldn't help but say something.

"Governor Liu, your actions just now were rather impulsive. On our first day at court, to act so arrogantly will likely invite criticism..."

To be honest, Yang Qinyi still doesn't understand why Liu Hongyi, who is always cautious and self-disciplined in the palace, suddenly became such a high-profile and flamboyant person when he arrived at the outer court today.

Is he really not afraid of being impeached by others?

However, Liu Hongyi remained calm in the face of his question and instead smiled.

"Governor Yang, haven't people like you and me been criticized enough?"