The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 100 Zhu Bai's Exploitation Shakes the Nobles

Liu Sanwu rolled his eyes at Zhu Xiong Ying, saying that the kid could never say anything nice.

Zhu Xiong Ying entered the inner chamber and saw Zhu Bai sitting to one side resting and Zhang Fu writing furiously.

Zhu Bai was overjoyed to see Zhu Xiong Ying arrive.

"Xiongying, you're here! I've read through all the memorials today, especially Mr. Liu's annotations. Even Mr. Liu praised me, saying I've improved a lot compared to before!"

Zhu Bai seemed to be seeking credit, and was extremely excited.

"Uncle Twelfth is truly amazing. Just looking at those things annoys me, let alone dealing with them!"

"However, there might be a bit more memorials today than yesterday. Twelfth Uncle, will you be able to review them all?"

Zhu Bai raised his head proudly and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, U.A., a little more is very easy for me, and even adding a few more wouldn't be a big deal!"

Liu Sanwu's lips twitched.

The things they handled before were the ones that remained after the review process.

But this time it's different.

Zhu Xiong Ying essentially abolished all the duties of the prime minister. The affairs of the six ministries were reported directly to him, which meant that they had to deal with the affairs of the entire six ministries.

The workload has increased by more than a little bit.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Zhu Bai with a smile.

"With Uncle Twelve here, Xiong Ying is at ease. However, Grandmother said that you should not forget your studies at the main hall!"

Zhu Bai gritted his teeth as he thought about these things. It was just a matter of completing his studies while dealing with memorials. What was the big deal? He could finish it if he just persevered.

When Father returns and sees how clever and capable he is, he will surely praise him.

"Don't worry, I can do it!"

Yingtianfu East Street was home to all the high-ranking officials and nobles of the entire Ming Dynasty.

Historically, city layouts have often favored the east and wealthier areas, while the south and north were considered poorer.

The elite nobles lived in this East Street.

At the first alleyway on East Street stands a luxurious mansion, with the words "Korean Duke's Mansion" boldly written in gold lettering.

This place is the residence of Li Shanchang, a high-ranking official in Korea.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, six dukes were conferred titles according to their merits, with the Duke of Han, Li Shanchang, being the leader.

Following that are the residences of the Duke of Wei, the Duke of Cao, and the Duke of Song, among others.

Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, who had already fainted from anger, was carried by several agents of the Western Depot and thrown directly at the entrance of the Duke of Han's mansion.

The steward of the Korean government office was annoyed to see someone suddenly thrown at him and muttered curses.

"These agents from the Western Depot are really audacious. A bunch of eunuchs dare to be so arrogant, throwing anything into this place. Don't they know this is the residence of the Duke of Han?"

Guan watched as the person who had been thrown over kicked the man twice, but the man didn't react. When he turned the man over and looked closely, the manager's face turned deathly pale.

"It's...Master!"

"Guards, it's the master!"

Upon hearing the sound, a group of people rushed out and were shocked to see Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, stripped naked and with his official robes thrown outside. They quickly carried Li Shanchang back inside.

A voice came from inside the mansion.

"What happened outside?"

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized the man as Li Qi, the eldest son of Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, and a驸马都尉 (Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant). Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, had made outstanding contributions, and Zhu Yuanzhang married his eldest daughter, Princess Lin'an, to Li Qi, the eldest son of Li Shanchang, and appointed him as a驸马都尉.

When Li Qi saw that the person being carried in was actually his father, his expression changed drastically.

"What happened to Father? How did he become like this?"

The steward at the door stammered.

"I don't know what happened either. I only know that a few agents from the Western Depot just left you at the door!"

The steward was extremely frustrated. Li Shanchang wore his official robes when he went to court.

Now his official robes have been stripped off, and he even kicked them a few times. I wonder if his master knows about this.

Seeing Li Shanchang's appearance, Li Qi knew that something must have happened, and it was definitely not a small matter.

"Oh no, this is bad! Someone's here! Quickly, go and fetch Lord Hu Weiyong!"

The person Li Qi subconsciously thought of was Hu Weiyong. As Li Shanchang's favorite disciple, Hu Weiyong had always been groomed by Li Shanchang as his successor.

In order to curry favor with Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong also became quite close to Li Qi. Li Qi was unaware of what was happening in the court and was about to ask Hu Weiyong about it.

Before the man even left the house, he saw a servant walk in.

"Young Master Li, I am from the household of Lord Hu Weiyong, the Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat. Lord Hu is currently acting as the Left Chancellor and is too busy with official duties to come. If the Duke of Han wakes up, please inform him for my master!"

"Furthermore, my master instructed me to tell you, young master, that what happened in court today was of great importance. Please take heed of this!"

After saying that, he didn't say another word, turned around and left.

Li Qi stood there, stunned.

Could something really have happened? Li Shanchang was a duke, the head of the civil officials in the court, the head of the nobles in Huaixi, the left prime minister of the Central Secretariat, and also the imperial son-in-law.

The Li family was enjoying immense prosperity and success; how could anything possibly go wrong with a family like theirs? Now, even Hu Weiyong dared not interfere, which subconsciously made Li Qi somewhat afraid.

"Someone, go and fetch the official token of my Han State Duke's residence, and invite a few of my uncles here. Tell them we have important matters to discuss!"

Not long after, several men dressed in fine clothes appeared at the Han Gong Mansion.

These people were all powerful figures among the noble families of Huaixi.

Several people sat in the lobby, their faces grim.

Although most of them did not attend court, they could guess some of what was happening in the court based on what was said.

This is precisely why they felt extremely panicked.

A fat man dressed in tight black clothes and wearing a jade belt looked at the crowd and spoke.

"My old brothers, you've all heard about what's going on in the court. What should we do next?"

The person speaking was none other than Marquis Fei Ju of Pingliang.

The people behind him all frowned.

"I said, what's the use of being afraid? This matter has nothing to do with us anyway. Besides, even if it did involve us, so what? I don't have the imperial edict granted by His Majesty that would exempt me from death no matter what!"

"I simply don't believe the Crown Prince would dare to lay a hand on us uncles and elders."

The person speaking was none other than Marquis Tang Shengzong of Yan'an.

The others nearby chimed in.

"The important thing is not these things, but the Duke of Han. We have been under the Duke of Han's command before, and that's why we have such a good life now. If the Duke of Han falls, our future will be difficult!"

(End of this chapter)