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

Chapter 20: Give him the knife! Let him kill Liu Bowen!

The moment Li Shanchang stepped forward, the atmosphere in the entire court changed instantly.

Just now, His Highness the Crown Prince made a startling statement, dragging these officials out for a beating in court, which was incomprehensible to everyone.

but now,

The situation is reversed!

The Left Chancellor of the Secretariat stepped forward to inquire on behalf of the assembled officials!
Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone turned somewhat cold: "What is Prime Minister Li doing?"

"question?"

These words startled even Li Shanchang, a seasoned official.

He didn't know why this ten-year-old Crown Prince would still ask him a question under such circumstances.

This is more than just intelligence.

As the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, Li Shanchang had seen too many clever people, but those who could truly make their voices heard in the court were often not the clever ones.

Because they were missing something.
gas!
The composure to remain calm in the face of great events!
A calm and composed demeanor when facing joyous occasions!
The composure to remain calm in the face of tragedy!
Without a doubt, this Crown Prince possesses this quality.

Zhu Xiong Ying slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on Li Shan Chang, then a slight smile appeared on her lips:

"Then, in your opinion, Your Excellency, what should be done?"

"Should we exterminate Liu Bowen's entire clan? Or should we thoroughly reform or even abolish the entire Censorate?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang's expression immediately changed!

Zhu Xiong Ying's two questions were undeniably weighty!

Will Liu Bowen's entire family be implicated?

The Censorate should be abolished directly.
What does Li Shanchang want to do? Rebel?
His Majesty the Hongwu Emperor was merely on a tour, not ruling the heavens!
"I dare not!"

Li Shanchang quickly spoke up.

Even Xu Da felt that Zhu Xiong Ying's two questions seemed a bit excessive, and remained silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang kept Xu Da in the court, so that he could serve as a pillar of stability in the court, given his status as the top military achiever.

If Xu Da were to speak now, there would be absolutely no turning back.

Liu Bowen's Censorate and Li Shanchang's Secretariat, either one will definitely be uprooted.

"Then look what you're doing!"

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly flicked his sleeve and swept away the memorials on the table!
“Since yesterday’s memorial, many officials have mentioned the Censor-in-Chief, both openly and secretly.”

"today,"

"You'd better put on a good show for me!"

"The officials should offer their advice, punish the Censor-in-Chief, and punish our Marquis of Chengyi!"

"it is good!"

"That's really great!"

"Could it be that they're taking advantage of my youth and gullibility? Are they using this opportunity to completely eliminate any other voices in the court?"

Upon hearing Zhu Xiong Ying's words, Li Shan Chang's expression turned extremely ugly!
This interrogation was utterly merciless, a direct slap in the face to Li Shanchang.

"Liu Bowen, I have already investigated and found that you were unaware of Yang Xian's matter."

As for teachers and students…

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered and looked at Li Shan Chang, saying, "Prime Minister Li, if that's the case, all the officials in your Secretariat will be your subordinates. When any official in the Secretariat commits a crime, regardless of whether you retire or not, can I arrest your entire family and exterminate your nine generations?"

"If you want to impose joint liability on teachers and students, I'll make it a lifelong responsibility and punishment for them!"

"If you're willing," Zhu Xiong Ying paused slightly, then looked at Yu Hua Tian and said, "Yu Hua Tian, ​​go and give Li Xiang a knife, and tell him to kill Liu Bo Wen!"

"Keep this knife safe, you might need it someday!"

Yu Huatian flipped his hand and drew the long sword from the waist of one of the eagle scouts, throwing it in front of Li Shanchang!

The entire court was dumbfounded.

They never expected that this Crown Prince would actually spout the phrase "lifelong responsibility and consequences"!
And
Send Li Shanchang to kill Liu Bowen?
Isn't this a case of not even giving Li Xiang an open cover-up?
Liu Bowen looked at the small figure on the high platform, tears streaming down his face!
At that moment, he seemed to see the spirited and ambitious Commander Zhu when he joined the Red Turban Army.

The same domineering aura, the same ruthless decisiveness!
"This humble servant dares not!"

"This old minister only inquired about the reason for the officials being flogged in court; I dare not inquire about the matter of the Marquis of Chengyi!"

Li Shanchang truly lives up to his name! Despite having a long sword right in front of him, he still spoke calmly.

Even under Zhu Xiong Ying's aggressive pressure, Li Shan Chang remained as cunning as a fox.

They pushed the matter aside, adopting an attitude of simply discussing the issue at hand.

So what if the Crown Prince removes the fig leaf?

Li Shanchang doesn't acknowledge it, and that's it!
"The officials were flogged in court."

Zhu Xiong Ying raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "The world is not at peace now, and the Northern Yuan Tartars have repeatedly invaded the borders of our Great Ming."

"Within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the remnants of the Northern Yuan forces are secretly stirring up trouble."

"Floods in Hedong, tsunami in the East China Sea, and severe drought in Shanxi!"

“Every single one of these matters is closely related to the foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty, and every single one involves the safety of tens of thousands of people.”

"This is truly a critical moment of life and death, yet you mediocre people only know how to attack each other in the court."

"Could it be that our Imperial Censor Liu Bowen is just like Tuotuo of the Northern Yuan back then?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong shuddered.
Northern Yuan's Toqto'a! He actually compared Liu Bowen to this person!
It should be noted that although the Northern Yuan was driven out by the Ming army, this Toqto'a was the prime minister of the Northern Yuan in the past, and he intended to wipe out all the rebel armies in the country.

If it weren't for the internal political infighting within the Yuan court and the loss of power by Toqto'a, even the Red Turban Army, the predecessor of the Ming Dynasty, would have had a hard time surviving!
Comparing Liu Bowen to Tuotuo of the Northern Yuan Dynasty is to say that they were people who were only interested in political infighting and neglected national affairs, and that they might even cause the downfall of the country in the future.
"Your Highness!"

Liu Bowen wept uncontrollably and knelt on the ground.

A scholar will die for one who understands him. He never expected that on the second day of his regency, the Crown Prince would be willing to stand directly against all the officials for him.

And
How could Liu Bowen, a man of such intelligence, not realize that a large part of the Crown Prince's rage stemmed from his genuine concern for the world and its people?

"Your Majesty, I understand!"

"Your Highness's actions are indeed just and impartial!"

After a long while, Li Shanchang's eyes shifted between light and shadow, and he let out a long sigh.

These words indicate that the speaker agrees with Zhu Xiong Ying's previous actions.

but,

Li Shanchang naturally couldn't admit his mistake, otherwise it would confirm that he was the mastermind behind it.

Colluding with cronies is far more terrifying than these charges of 'dereliction of duty'.

"Even so, Minister Li, please return to your ranks."

Zhu Xiong Ying spoke calmly.

Li Shanchang silently returned to the head of the line. Hu Weiyong looked anxious, wanting to say something, but found that nothing he said would be appropriate.

His Highness the Crown Prince today
So powerful!

He hadn't expected that Liu Bowen, the Imperial Censor, could garner such strong support from the Crown Prince.
"Emperor Wen of Tang once said, 'Using bronze as a mirror, one can straighten one's clothes; using history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of dynasties.'" (Emperor Wen of Tang: Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, posthumously known as Emperor Wen.)
Zhu Xiong Ying stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the officials, and said in a loud voice: "What happened today should serve as a warning for the future."

(End of this chapter)