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

Chapter 19: Drag it out and beat them hard!

Zhu Xiong Ying's words essentially allowed Liu Bowen to defend himself.

Hu Weiyong's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of barely suppressed smugness.

With officials in the Censorate turning against him and military generals doing nothing, even if Liu Bowen were to speak eloquently, he would find it difficult to refute their claims.

In the power struggles of the imperial court, what matters is never your own ability, but the power behind you.

Liu Bowen slowly stepped forward.

His already weathered and aged face showed even more weariness.

He was originally an official of the Yuan Dynasty, but was moved by Zhu Yuanzhang and joined the Red Turban Army, where he offered advice and strategies to restore China.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen had no interest in official rank and was determined to retire and return to Qingtian.

Simple meals and leisurely writing books were his wishes for the rest of his life.

Liu Bowen gave Li Shanchang a deep look.

The Left Chancellor of the Secretariat maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

He saw through the situation, but had no desire to fight.

"Your Highness, this old minister is old and has no desire to argue further."

"It's just that I have a clear conscience."

Liu Bowen spoke slowly, then closed his eyes.

In that case, Her Majesty the Empress will not blame me, Liu Ji, for breaking the five-year promise.

These words startled all the ministers.

Even Li Shanchang, who orchestrated all of this, looked astonished.

Would defeating Li Shanchang be so easy?
Lan Yu looked at Liu Bowen. Although he still loathed the old man for all the things he had done before, he couldn't quite see through this old geezer anymore.

"Your Highness, I have nothing to say about Liu Bowen's two previous crimes."

"But at this point, I must also impeach him!"

“I was merely drinking before, yet the Censorate impeached me before His Majesty Hongwu.”

"They can't even control the Censorate; they're truly incompetent and hateful!"

For some reason, Lan Yu inexplicably stepped forward and spoke.

He raised his head high and said something trivial.

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong's expression changed drastically!

Lan Yu's words were precisely about the matter of 'acting arbitrarily,' which was clearly fabricated and slanderous.
No one could have imagined that Liang Guogong Lan Yu, who was always impulsive, would actually speak up for Liu Bowen at such a critical moment.

Hu Weiyong gritted his teeth and coughed softly.

This subtle sound was like a bugle call amidst a vast army.

"Your Highness, regardless of what happens within the Censorate, Liu Bowen is inextricably linked to Yang Xian's case!"

“Indeed! Your Highness! Yang Xian is Liu Bowen’s student. He deceived the emperor’s wishes and was promoted as a disciple. It’s very likely that this was Liu Bowen’s scheme!”

"Your Highness, now that Yang Xian is dead, how can Liu Bowen remain uninvolved?"

"I second the proposal!"

"."

As voices rang out, almost all the civil officials stepped forward.

It's not that everyone harbored the intention to crush Liu Bowen, but the tide had clearly turned in this matter.

Even a neutral official would be better off stepping forward and saying "I second your opinion" than standing still.

If he stands still, even if Liu Bowen is unharmed, what good will a mere Censor-in-Chief remember about him?

However, by saying "I second your opinion" a couple of times, one can avoid disaster when Prime Minister Li turns around and wants to settle scores later.

After considering both advancing and retreating, a situation arose where Liu Bowen was subjected to both verbal and written attacks.

Looking at the court before him, Liu Bowen suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Is this still the same court that was established to expel the tyrannical Yuan dynasty?
Are these people's words and actions for the stability of the Ming Dynasty, the well-being of the people, or their own benefit?

He, Liu Bowen, could no longer see things clearly.

You can calculate everything under heaven, everything on earth, everything in the hearts of your enemies and your own people, but you can't calculate the selfishness and self-interest that comes after you've succeeded.

"boom!"

"it is good!"

"well said!"

"They are all pillars of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Just then, Zhu Xiong Ying, standing on the high platform, smiled and slammed his hand on the table.

The sound of such a movement startled all the officials.

"You're absolutely right! Impeachment is all about making a big scene!" "Since what you're saying makes sense..."

Zhu Xiong Ying's smile widened even more.

Li Shanchang, sitting in the audience, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

This feeling had no origin; it was just vaguely familiar.

It seems that this was the case when he betrayed Zhu Yuanzhang and joined Guo Tianxu.

All the officials craned their necks, looking at Zhu Xiong Ying, anticipating his next words.

Liu Bowen closed the curtain, raised his head, and quietly shed tears, preparing to return to Qingtian in simple clothes.

Xu Da remained silent, somewhat disappointed.

His Highness the Crown Prince is still too young to handle such a grand occasion!

however,
Just then, a shout rang out:
"Drag them all out and give them twenty strokes of the cane!"

"Beat them hard!"

Everyone was stunned by these words!
They were even wondering if there was something wrong with their ears!

Twenty strokes of the cane in court?

Not attacking Liu Bowen?

Should we attack them?!

"Yes!"

A soft, feminine voice rang out, and then a group of strong guards dressed in gold-embroidered white robes entered the Fengtian Hall. Only when they were being dragged away did they realize what was happening.

etc? ! !

We didn't hear wrong?
Are they really going to attack us?

"Your Highness! No!"

"Your Highness, what wrong have we done? Why must we be flogged in court?"

"Your Highness, this violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty! Your Highness, you are still young, how can you act so cruelly!"

"Your Majesty, I sob!"

"."

Only a few officials had time to speak up; the Eastern Depot's spies would never give these officials the chance to 'roar in the court'.

Even Xu Da, who had initially thought Zhu Xiong Ying was too young and somewhat weak, now stared wide-eyed.

Things changed so fast that even this great Ming war god, who was skilled at dealing with changes in the war, couldn't react in time!

"This great-nephew of mine is really something else!"

"Your Highness is truly domineering!"

Even Lan Yu almost let it slip.

As expected of a child born to a woman from a prominent family, he is indeed fierce and domineering!

Xu Da glared fiercely at Lan Yu; if they weren't in the imperial court, he would have kicked him directly.

"Not allowed, Your Highness!"

A gasp rang out, and Hu Weiyong, who had been keeping his neck hunched and hadn't stepped forward, could no longer hold back and hurriedly spoke up.

If these ministers were flogged by His Highness the Crown Prince, wouldn't Hu Weiyong lose all face?

Liu Bowen opened his eyes, his gaze filled with shock and confusion!
Why didn't His Highness the Crown Prince allow me to return to Qingtian? Why didn't he strip me of my official rank and title?

All the ministers who submitted impeachments or seconded the motions were dragged out and flogged in court.
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and ignored Hu Weiyong's shouts.

"boom!"

"what!"

"boom!"

"what!"

"."

Outside the Fengtian Hall, the sound of clubs striking flesh could be heard, the muffled thuds sending a chill down one's spine.

No one expected that just a moment ago, they were impeaching Liu Bowen, the Marquis of Chengyi, who was about to pack up and return to Qingtian, and the next moment, dozens of officials were dragged out of Fengtian Hall and flogged.

"Your Highness, what exactly is the reason for this?"

Li Shanchang gritted his teeth, a hint of anger even appearing on his face. He slowly stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice:
"minister"

"I don't understand!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the Fengtian Hall instantly became tense!
The head of all officials in the Ming Dynasty is questioning!

(End of this chapter)