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

Chapter 101 Li Shanchang Vomits Blood Again
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, everything was in ruins and the country was extremely poor.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang paid these nobles and even the civil and military officials in the court very low salaries, barely enough to make ends meet.

These nobles, accustomed to a life of constant danger, now that the world is at peace, naturally live a much more carefree life.

Therefore, the money issued by the imperial court was simply not enough.

As time went on, they began to covet the land.

These people have been acquiring large amounts of land in their hometown of Fengyang, causing quite a bit of trouble.

All of these matters were resolved by Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, and naturally they acknowledged Li Shanchang's status as the head of the Huaixi nobility.

Now that Li Shanchang has encountered such a situation, they instinctively felt a sense of panic.

Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"If you ask me, we don't need to overthink this. I reckon it was the Crown Prince's idea to dismiss the Duke of Han. His Majesty and the Crown Prince don't know about it. If they did, they would definitely stop the Crown Prince!"

"We don't need to take this matter seriously, it's just a child's business. At worst, we can take the imperial edict to Yangzhou Prefecture and ask His Majesty to make a decision for us!"

Surely His Majesty would consider the feelings of us old ministers?

Hou Luju from Henan gave a cold shout.

"Lu Zhongheng, shut your stinking mouth. If you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame us for being impolite. Although the Crown Prince is just a child, he is still a member of the royal family and the grandson of the current emperor. What right do we have to speak?"

"Pleading for mercy is possible, but if you say the wrong thing and displease your superiors, no one can protect you!"

Marquis Yongjia, Zhu Liangzu, laughed it off.

"It's not that serious. We're all his uncles and cousins. It's true that the Crown Prince was in the wrong. We can't be denied the right to speak, can we?"

Hou Luju from Henan sighed.

These scoundrels are always so unruly, and they're still the same way now.

If it weren't for Gongyi Sun-chang of Korea cleaning up their messes, the crimes they committed alone would probably have been enough to get them executed a dozen times over.

Just as the group was discussing, Li Shanchang, the Korean prince who was resting in the inner room, slowly woke up.

Li Qi, who was standing to the side, was extremely excited to see that Li Shanchang had woken up.

"That's great, Father! You're finally awake!"

He then turned his gaze to the imperial physician beside him.

"Director Zhang, how is my father?!"

Zhang, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, took out a piece of paper and said.

"Don't worry, the Korean prince is just temporarily overwhelmed by anger. He'll be fine after a few days of rest. Just make sure he doesn't get angry again. I'll write a prescription for him. Just get the medicine according to the instructions, and he'll be back to normal in a few days!"

Hearing this, Li Qi breathed a sigh of relief, took out a purse from his pocket, and stuffed it into Zhang Yuanzheng's sleeve.

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please feel free to use it for tea or something!"

Dean Zhang nodded and did not refuse.

Such things happen frequently in the capital; once they've been taken away, that's that—no big deal.

Moreover, during the Hongwu era, being a royal physician was an extremely dangerous profession. Given Zhu Yuanzhang's personality, he would kill a group of people at the drop of a hat. Who knew if their heads would still be on their shoulders tomorrow? It would be better to take this opportunity to make more money to leave to future generations.

After seeing Zhang Yuanzheng off, Li Qi looked at Li Shanchang and said.

"Father, what exactly happened? How could the Crown Prince treat you like this?"

Korean Prince Lee Seon-chang was immediately overcome with emotion and tears streamed down his face.
“My son, your father is all grown up and has never suffered such a loss. Even when I betrayed the emperor back then, he never humiliated me like this. How dare a mere child bully me like this!” “I have lost all face and will never have the face to appear in court again!”

Li Qi was extremely angry when he heard this.

"He's just a ten-year-old child, yet he dares to insult this old minister like this. If Your Majesty doesn't punish him, I fear the people of the world will not be satisfied!"

"Father, rest assured, I will go to the palace with Lin'an to ask Her Majesty the Empress to make a decision. I believe Her Majesty the Empress is wise and righteous, and will definitely stand up for us!"

Korean official Lee Seon-chang shook his head.

"It's too late. No matter what, Zhu Xiong Ying is the Empress's own grandson. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so the Empress would never do anything to the Crown Prince!"

"On the contrary, it will leave us with a bad reputation, we must not do that!"

Hearing this, Li Qi felt extremely unwilling.

If he doesn't vent his anger, it will leave a stain on his life.

"Father, several marquises and earls have arrived outside, discussing how to petition His Majesty to reinstate you as prime minister!"

"How about we invite our uncles in to meet Father?"

Li Shanchang shook his head.

"I don't want to see anyone right now. My own official position isn't a big problem, but without me, Li Shanchang, in the Central Secretariat, I don't believe that a ten-year-old child can handle things!"

"Since he dares to treat me like this, then I will teach him what the real officialdom is like, and what a true scholar is like!"

"Go and fetch Hu Weiyong. Tell him I have something to tell him!"

Li Qi looked troubled upon hearing this.

When Li Shanchang saw that Li Qi did not move, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Why are you still standing here? Hurry up and go!"

Li Qi sighed and forced himself to speak.

"Father, don't go looking for Hu Weiyong anymore. That man is an ingrate. After you left the court, he actually kicked you when you were down!"

"Now that the Crown Prince has appointed him as acting prime minister, specifically to handle the blank seal case, Hu Weiyong is now enjoying his power, and many officials in the Secretariat are currying favor with him!"

"What did you say? Hu Weiyong actually betrayed me? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Li Shanchang stared blankly, repeating those words over and over.

Hu Weiyong was his most prized disciple. According to his plan, after his death, he would step down from this position and have Hu Weiyong take his place.

Unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, Hu Weiyong betrayed him.

More importantly, Hu Weiyong knew a lot about me, so if he were to try the blank seal case...

In order to demonstrate their loyalty to Zhu Xiong Ying, it is likely that everyone involved in this matter will be affected.

The suffocating foundation upon which they depend for survival will likely be completely severed.

Thinking of this, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the bed unconscious.

The marquises and earls who had been waiting outside for a long time grew increasingly heavy-hearted as they watched the people coming and going inside.

Not long after, Li Qi came out and looked at everyone with a smug expression.

(End of this chapter)