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

Chapter 217 The Ministers' Difficulties
Crown Prince Zhu Biao entered the main hall wearing a python robe.

"I've heard about what's going on in the court. I'm quite curious about what document could possibly warrant such a commotion!"

"Xiao Dezi, go and fetch that document for me!"

The eunuch who was accompanying Crown Prince Zhu Biao went over and took the documents from Zhu Xiong Ying's desk.

The eyes of Guo Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and others lit up.

This is indeed a good opportunity.

They were originally thinking of ways to force Zhu Xiong Ying to reveal the contents of the document, but unexpectedly, His Highness the Crown Prince arrived at this crucial moment.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince does not appear in court often, no one doubts his influence in the court.

It would be much more interesting if His Highness the Crown Prince knew about this.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at the contents of the document with an extremely grim expression.

"The grain in Shanxi and Henan provinces suddenly caught fire, and all the grain inspectors were assassinated. How could such a big thing happen? What exactly happened?"

Some ministers in the court were greatly surprised when they heard this news; it was no small matter.

The grain reserves in Shanxi and Henan provinces are the largest outside of the Jiangnan region.

If there were problems with the food supply in these two places, it would have a huge impact on the entire Ming Dynasty.

And the same goes for those grain inspectors; problems with the grain should not be their responsibility.

Unfortunately, none of these people survived; they all died, leaving no one to testify.

Guo Huan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As expected of the men he had personally trained, they were indeed extremely loyal to him.

Now that such a big thing has happened, His Highness the Crown Prince is in trouble.

"Your Highness, I suspect this was done by the Northern Yuan. They have always coveted our Great Ming, and now they have burned down the grain in all the granaries!"

He then turned his gaze to Zhu Xiong Ying, the grandson of the emperor, who was sitting at the very top.

"We advised His Highness the Crown Prince long ago not to cooperate with the Northern Yuan Tartars. These people are wolves in sheep's clothing and have always wanted to harm our Great Ming. Naturally, they will not let this opportunity pass them by!"

Yang Siyi and other important officials in the court were shocked to hear this news.

Guo Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, directly pointed the finger at Zhu Xiong Ying, believing that Zhu Xiong Ying had let the wolf into the house, leading to this outcome.

This is going to be troublesome.

Although Zhu Xiong Ying was the grandson of the regent and possessed immense power, he was not the emperor after all.

If it is confirmed that Zhu Xiong Ying colluded with the Northern Yuan, he will probably be completely ruined.

Yang Siyi stepped forward and spoke directly.

"Your Highness, the outcome of this matter remains to be verified. We hope Your Highness can send someone to investigate before making a decision!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince killed many nobles of the Northern Yuan, and the Yuan people hate him to the bone!"

"I believe His Highness the Crown Prince would not do something that pleases his enemies and pains his loved ones!"

At this moment, Guo Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, said in a sarcastic tone.

"Your Excellency, that's not quite right. Zhu Xiong Ying spoke with Qi Wang Kuo Kuo's envoy in front of all the court officials and envoys!"

"As for what they were talking about, we have no idea. It might even be something detrimental to our Great Ming!"

"What's more, the Queen Consort of Qin who is now married to the King of Qin is Minmin Temur, the younger sister of Kökö Temür!"

"It is said that this imperial edict was requested by His Highness the Crown Prince from His Majesty. All indications suggest that His Highness the Crown Prince played an indispensable role in this matter!"

"Your Highness, we respectfully request that Your Highness assume the regency and abolish the power of the Crown Prince's regency. We will investigate thoroughly before making a decision!" The ministers in the court also understood the meaning of Guo Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue; they wanted to seize power by taking the opportunity.

Grandson Zhu Xiong Ying is ruthless in his actions, and now he has exposed the matter of the granary. If this matter is not handled properly, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom.

Compared to Zhu Xiong Ying, who shared a similar personality with Zhu Yuanzhang, they preferred the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who had the demeanor of a Confucian disciple.

At least when Crown Prince Zhu Biao was in charge of the court, he might not have continued to investigate this matter.

In any case, all the grain had been burned, and none of the grain inspectors survived.

When the time comes, what to say will be up to them.

At this moment, the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, looked at Guo Huan and said.

“Lord Guo, as the Vice Minister of Revenue, these officials are more or less related to you. Even if it was the Northern Yuan people who did it, how could they know the situation of the grain so accurately and avoid the scouting soldiers!”

"Unless someone is extremely knowledgeable about these places!"

Guo Huan said without any politeness.

"That's not necessarily true. Some people have this right, and if they use their authority to conduct a covert investigation, it's not a big deal!"

"Moreover, because of His Highness the Crown Prince's order yesterday, the granaries in Shanxi and Henan have already begun preparations. Such a large-scale operation has actually exposed the location of our Great Ming's granaries to these people. This outcome is not accidental!"

The court officials all nodded, glaring angrily at Zhu Xiong Ying.

Guo Huan was extremely satisfied.

What good is the power of regent?

What can a precocious grandson do?

In the end, they all lost because of their own actions.

Yang Siyi and the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, are very close. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to bring both of them down.

He could then rise to the position of Minister of Revenue.

Although the power of the court now rests with the cabinet, the real power still lies with the Six Ministries.

Once you control the Ministry of Revenue and the nation's finances, you can do whatever you want with ease.

At this moment, the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, shouted loudly.

"Guards! Throw Guo Huan and his gang into jail!"

Soon a group of people dressed in flying fish robes appeared from outside and immediately captured Guo Huan and the others.

Guo Huan and the others were filled with disbelief. How was Zhu Xiong Ying's action any different from rebellion? "Your Highness, we are all important officials in the court, and we have not committed any wrongdoings. Why are you arresting us? This is tantamount to rebellion!"

"Your Highness, you must do something about the Crown Prince! We have been wronged!"

The court officials were filled with lamentations, and even some neutral officials felt sorry for the situation.

Arresting people isn't a huge problem, but even if the imperial court arrests people, it should be based on reason and evidence. These officials haven't done anything wrong.

If we rashly arrest them, it may incite public outrage.

At this moment, an official from the Censorate stepped forward.

"Your Highness, the current food shortage in various regions is due to the Crown Prince's inappropriate orders, and has nothing to do with you gentlemen. Please release you gentlemen!"

Soon, some more officials stepped forward.

Just then, an old minister slowly walked out from the crowd.

(End of this chapter)