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

Chapter 92 A Strategic Retreat, a Shedding of the Cicada's Shell

"Your Highness, as the chief of the Censorate, I failed to thoroughly investigate the affairs of Songjiang Prefecture; this is my fault!"

"However, while censors have the power to report matters based on hearsay, they have no responsibility to verify or investigate them!"

"The so-called blank seals that have been leaked are all documents from various military commands and the Secretariat, and their contents are not inappropriate!"

"However, the Censorate also has its faults of failing to investigate, and I beg Your Majesty to punish it!"

Liu Bowen bowed deeply.

Hu Weiyong felt a chill run down his spine.

He cursed inwardly: Damn Liu Bowen, why did he have to step forward at this time?

Although Liu Bowen admitted that the Censorate had failed in its oversight, he did not admit that the Blank Seal Case was related to the Censorate.

All the review and correction of blank seals were the responsibility of the Secretariat, and had nothing to do with the Censorate.

Hu Weiyong wanted to bring down the Six Ministries and the Censorate, but Liu Bowen was not fooled at all.

If we're talking about the responsibility for oversight, all the officials in the court share it, but there should be a hierarchy of responsibility, and we can't condemn all the officials in the court because of this.

Upon hearing this, apart from the officials of the Secretariat, all the officials of the Six Ministries looked at Hu Weiyong with rage.

Hu Weiyong was inwardly groaning. He had originally thought that the law would not punish everyone, and that he could bring everyone down.

The grandson will surely pick it up high and put it down gently.

However, he has now offended all the officials of the six ministries.

Hu Weiyong felt a burning sensation on his back.

"Your Highness can't!"

"The blank seal has existed since the Yuan Dynasty. There are numerous prefectures and counties in the country, and the Secretariat cannot possibly investigate them all. Therefore, Your Majesty established the Censorate to monitor the entire country!"

"This matter is the responsibility of all parties. If we show favoritism, it may cause unrest in the court. I urge Your Highness to treat everyone equally!"

Officials from the Six Ministries and the Censorate nearly jumped up and cursed, thinking that Hu Weiyong was truly shameless.

The words of Liu Bowen, the Imperial Censor, had already cleared them of all blame; at most, they would only receive a reprimand.

It's truly hateful that Hu Weiyong insisted on bringing them back.

As if receiving a signal, officials in the Secretariat began to accuse officials in the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

Officials from the Censorate and the Six Ministries refused to acknowledge it.

The two sides hurled insults at each other in the imperial court, turning the entire court into a scene resembling a bustling marketplace.

Fu Youde and Lan Yu rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight again.

"Damn you, you stinking intellectual! The Duke of Wei is the head of the military, what does he have to do with your Secretariat?"

"I've never seen you consult with the Duke of Wei before!"

"Now they're biting like dogs, I can't stand people like that!"

The two men were cursing and about to rush forward when they were stopped by a burly figure.

This man was none other than Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, who stood at the forefront of the military generals.

Xu Da glared at the two of them.

"You mustn't be presumptuous in the imperial court. If you're so capable, come back and challenge me to a duel!"

Upon hearing this, the two felt as if they had been doused with cold water, and their tempers instantly vanished.

He could only glare resentfully at the group of officials from the Secretariat.

Xu Da glared angrily at Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, his eyes filled with blatant questioning.

Korean official Lee Seon-chang's beard trembled, and his face looked grim.

He considered himself the leader of the Huaixi nobles, but he was also very clear in his heart that in terms of influence, he, the Duke of Han, was far inferior to the Duke of Wei in front of him.

The reason why Emperor Hongwu dared to take the crown prince on an inspection tour and leave the huge mess of Yingtian to a ten-year-old grandson was not because he trusted the grandson so much, but because with Xu Da as a great bulwark, the Ming Dynasty would not fall into chaos.

Zhu Xiong Ying watched with amusement as the officials tore each other apart, and when he saw that the time was almost up, he shouted loudly.

"This is a sacred place, and you are all important officials of our country. How can you behave like shrewish women cursing in the street? What kind of decorum is this?" After three cracks of the whip, everyone fell silent.

"We are guilty, Your Highness, please forgive us!"

"Your Excellency, although the primary responsibility for this matter lies with the Secretariat, your Censorate also bears an indispensable responsibility. If I were to punish you, would you harbor any resentment?"

Liu Bowen knelt on the ground, his eyes calm and his expression normal.

"Your subject is willing to accept the punishment!"

The court officials couldn't help but gasp in shock.

It's over now.

Even the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate is to be punished, so wouldn't they be in even more trouble? Previously, Zhu Xiong Ying had flogged dozens of officials in court to protect Liu Bowen, but now is he going to abandon Liu Bowen? Hu Weiyong was extremely anxious.

Wait a minute, this isn't the same as my script.

The original plan was to implicate most of the officials in the court, since the law does not punish the majority, and therefore they would be unable to be convicted.

Throughout history, many officials have done this.

Could it be that this Crown Prince would really be willing to demote even the Earl of Chengyi in order to subdue them?

A hint of excitement flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes.

In recent years, in order to realize his political ambitions, he has united with the northern gentry and won over the southern gentry.

Even the newly emerging noble families of Huaixi implicitly regarded him as their leader.

If it weren't for Master Liu from Zhejiang, the grand ideal of the monarch and the scholar-officials governing the world together would have been realized long ago.

Unfortunately, this Master Liu from Zhejiang cherishes his power and has a five-year agreement with the current Empress, so winning him over will not be an easy task.

If we can seize this opportunity to win him over, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

When the officials of the six ministries heard that Zhu Xiong Ying wanted to punish Liu Bowen, their faces turned ashen.

This is really troublesome. Even Master Liu from Qingtian couldn't be saved, let alone them.

At this moment, they subconsciously turned their gaze to Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, who was standing at the front of the military officers.

In this situation, only Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, can stabilize the overall situation.

However, Xu Da's eyes were slightly closed, as if he were asleep, and he did not see the glances these people were sending him.

Xu Da did not believe that Zhu Xiong Ying would kill all the civil and military officials in the court with one blow.

When he saw the exchange of glances between Zhu Xiong Ying and Liu Bo Wen, he already knew what the two were planning.

Although this matter has caused a great stir, it has not yet reached the point of being out of control.

Once he takes action, there will truly be no turning back.

He believed that Zhu Xiong Ying had the ability to handle these matters well, and Zhu Xiong Ying's actions during this period had become increasingly unfathomable to him.

"By order of the Censor-in-Chief Liu Bowen, the failure to promptly investigate Qian Yongqin of Songjiang Prefecture for abusing his power to issue blank seals and committing embezzlement and perverting the law is a serious oversight by the Censorate!"

"He is hereby dismissed from his position as Vice Censor-in-Chief and ordered to stay at home to reflect on his actions!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

It's just a crime of oversight, something that's been heard so often in the court, how could it be so serious?

He was actually convicted of stripping himself of his official position and confining himself to his quarters.

Some officials who had worked with blank seals or were involved in blank seals were so frightened that their legs went weak.

Zhu Xiong Ying cleared her throat and continued.

"He is hereby ordered to go home and reflect on his actions, and will be reinstated to his original position in ten days!"

"..."

"What?"

The officials in the imperial court subconsciously picked at their ears.

Did I hear that right? There's actually such a thing?
(End of this chapter)