Zhou Ming smiled slightly, and the composure in that smile made Gongsun Gu's heart skip a beat for no apparent reason.

He turned around, faced the assembled civil and military officials, and said in a clear voice, "Minister Gongsun asks a good question."

"The old system of the Great Xia that the Great Ming continues to use is a complete set of rules from the previous Dynasty, and it has roughly three accumulated flaws."

He raised his first finger and his gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

"First, by taking the Dao of Kingship as the foundation, the administration of the country and implementation of policies are intermittent. Relying solely on fragmented new policies to patch up the current situation yields minimal results and cannot keep up with the great era of contention among warlords."

A buzzing sound of discussion began to rise within the hall.

Some nodded, some shook their heads, and some lowered their heads to exchange glances quickly with those beside them.

Zhou Ming continued to speak in a clear, resonant voice, every word sonorous, suppressing the discussion of everyone present:

"The prosperous age of the previous Dynasty was not the result of long-lasting laws, but entirely due to Emperor Liu Jun alone! It relied on the rule of man, not the rule of law that is universally practiced across the country and strictly adhered to for generations!"

"Therefore, after Emperor Liu Jun, the Great Xia suffered generations of political turmoil, rampant chaos, and withered livelihoods, until it was eventually uprooted by the Zongsheng Sect!"

These remarks were dignified and well-founded, directly dismantling the so-called "prosperous age" of the Great Xia into pieces.

Gongsun Gu stood in place, his face turning pale and then green. His chest heaved violently, and his lips moved several times as he wanted to refute, but he found that he had no way to begin.

What Zhou Ming said was the truth; the prosperity of the Great Xia never relied on any perfect legal system, but on the unrepeatable deterrent power of the founding emperor, Emperor Liu Jun.

While Emperor Liu Jun lived, the world was at peace; when Emperor Liu Jun declined, the world fell into chaos.

Standing next to Gongsun Gu, the head of the Bai family, Bai Chengsheng, seeing his old friend choked into silence, glared and stepped forward, cupping his hands to ask:

"We have received instruction on the first flaw. May we ask the Minister of Justice for your esteemed opinion on where the second flaw lies?"

"Second," Zhou Ming raised his second finger, his voice becoming increasingly impassioned.

"Rewards and punishments in the court and among the people are unfair! Noble families and scholars can be exempted from punishment for their crimes, while commoners and the poor receive neither titles nor rewards for their merits!"

"Farmers toil diligently year-round with granaries full of surplus grain, yet they still struggle to afford food and clothing, living in poverty and hardship."

"Soldiers bathe in blood on the battlefield and repeatedly achieve military exploits, yet they remain in low positions with little power, holding no rank or salary!"

"If this continues, the righteous Qi of those who fight bravely for the country and serve the nation with loyalty can never be promoted or upheld!"

Before his voice had faded, a sharp rebuttal suddenly rang out in the court.

Bai Chengsheng took the lead in attacking. He snorted heavily and pointed at several young generals standing beside him who had just been promoted:

"Nonsense! Among the civil and military officials present, who among them was not promoted based on their achievements?"

"If there were truly no rewards for merit, how could they advance? Does Minister Zhou's statement not amount to slapping everyone here in the face?"

Following closely behind, the head of the Meng family, Meng Xi, took the opportunity to take over the conversation, pointing the spearhead directly at those scholars from humble backgrounds who had entered officialdom through recommendations:

"What's more, many commoner scholars with not an inch of merit to their names can occupy important local positions and manage regional government affairs based solely on a single letter of recommendation!"

"Talents from noble families, on the contrary, are repeatedly forced to serve under them; is this not absurd?"

Several young officials of humble origin standing on the right side of the hall looked at each other upon hearing this, their expressions somewhat embarrassed.

They had all entered officialdom through recommendations after Empress Su Mingyue ascended the throne. They had no family background and stood here solely because of their burning passion and loyalty to Empress Su Mingyue.

Although Meng Xi's words were aimed at Zhou Ming, they hit their sore spot squarely.

And Gongsun Gu, who had just been rendered speechless by Zhou Ming's rebuttal, now seemed to regain his confidence and loudly echoed:

"That's right! And you, Zhou Ming! Born a mere servant, with no military achievements and no track record of governing, yet upon entering officialdom, you were appointed Minister of Justice, given important duties, allowed to participate in court discussions, and sit in the court. By what right do you receive such special honor?"

The successive layers of questioning, with every sentence sharp and confrontational, caused the atmosphere in the court to instantly tense to the extreme.

The words of Gongsun Gu, Bai Chengsheng, and Meng Xi were hidden daggers, with veiled meanings.

It was false to say that Zhou Ming received rewards without merit; what they were truly dissatisfied with was Empress Su Mingyue's heavy reliance on commoners and suppression of noble families.

The hall was so quiet that one could hear everyone's breathing.

On the Dragon Throne, Empress Su Mingyue sat steadily in her high position, her expression indifferent, quietly observing the whole situation without moving a muscle.

Her gaze swept from Gongsun Gu's face to Bai Chengsheng, and then from Bai Chengsheng to Meng Xi.

Finally, it fell on Zhou Ming. In that gaze, there was appraisal, expectation, and a trace of very faint worry.

This moment was the critical time to test Zhou Ming's breadth of mind and eloquence.

Zhou Ming's gaze was open and honest, his reply composed, every word clear and forceful:

"It has been the case since ancient times that noble families receive rewards for their merits, but there has never been a system to protect commoners or low-ranking soldiers so they could achieve merit and advance!"

"If the three of you can cite a precedent from the hundreds of years of the previous Dynasty where commoners or servants achieved merit and were granted titles, received salaries, or were promoted, I, Zhou Ming, will immediately bow down in submission!"

The hall fell into silence once again.

Gongsun Gu, Bai Chengsheng, and Meng Xi looked at each other, their lips moving several times, but they could not name a single person.

For the hundreds of years of the Great Xia, commoners had only two paths to get ahead.

Either die on the battlefield or be recommended by a noble family.

If one wanted to change their social class while still alive through military or political achievements, sorry, there were none.

Zhou Ming did not give them a chance to catch their breath.

He looked at Gongsun Gu, a faint, ambiguous smile curving the corners of his lips:

"As for saying that I, Zhou Ming, received rewards without merit, that is even more terribly wrong!"

"Generals on the battlefield donning armor to kill the enemy and protect the country's territory are establishing merit for the nation."

"Scholars in the court who strategize, reform administration, and support the state are also performing great service in pacifying the nation!"

"And as for me..."

He deliberately dragged out the end of his sentence, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Gongsun Gu, Bai Chengsheng, and Meng Xi one by one.

That gaze was very calm, yet it made the three of them shiver involuntarily.

"Hehe... do you all not know?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three men changed simultaneously.

Zhou Ming did not spell it out, but that airy "do you not know?" was more chilling than any threat.

Everyone present knew what he was talking about.

Half a year ago, in the Taihe Hall, he pointed at a deer and called it a horse, and not a single official in the entire hall dared to stand against him.

Those noble families in Yuyang Commandery who did not send him gifts were, one by one, raided and wiped out on the grounds of "disrespecting the imperial decree," and even their threshold stones were pried up and hauled away.

Who among the civil and military officials does not remember these things?

Gongsun Gu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. The aggressive Aura he had just displayed was like a punctured ball, visibly deflating.

Bai Chengsheng took a deep breath, suppressing the chill in his heart, and cupped his hands to ask again:

"May I ask, Minister of Justice, where does the third flaw of the Great Xia's old laws lie?"

Zhou Ming withdrew his gaze from Gongsun Gu's face, swept it over the assembled civil and military officials, and spoke in an increasingly deep and resonant voice:

"Third, fearing the people leads to weakness, and governing the world without authority!"

"If a unified new law is implemented across the country, orders are executed and prohibitions enforced, rights and responsibilities are clearly defined, the guilty are strictly punished without leniency, and the meritorious are rewarded based on their achievements!"

"At that time, officials in the court will have no corruption or favoritism, and the common people of the world will have no intention of hiding their true abilities or slacking off. Everyone will strive to achieve merit, everyone will fight bravely to protect the country, and everyone will avoid crime and serve the public!"

"With a righteous Qi cultivated throughout the court and the fields, the Great Ming Dynasty will naturally possess national prestige without needing to resort to force!"

"Supplemented by the inherent nature of our Great Ming people—their steadfastness, resilience, diligence, and martial spirit."

"One day, our Great Ming will surely rise above all under heaven!"