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

Chapter 93 How Can a Minister of State Be Dragged Away?
"How could this be?"

"Your Highness, you can't be so frivolous!"

The officials of the Secretariat were alarmed.

I thought Zhu Xiong Ying would severely punish Liu Bo Wen.

At that time, both the Censorate and the Secretariat will be equally culpable, with neither side faring much better than the other.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying's actions now are entirely intentional indulgence.

Hu Weiyong's face was gloomy.

Zhu Xiong Ying's actions showed them absolutely no respect.

Ten days of self-reflection at home is not a dismissal, but a holiday.

The officials of the Censorate breathed a sigh of relief, as it seemed that the Crown Prince had no intention of colluding.

Now all the blame is being directed at the Central Secretariat.

Xu Da slightly opened his eyes, glanced at him with a smile, and Zhu Xiong Ying nodded to himself.

This approach, though somewhat unavoidable, is still reasonable.

However, Li Shanchang, having suffered a loss in silence, may not let it go easily.

Lan Yu looked at Fu Youde with a face full of surprise.

"Old Fu, His Highness is playing some fancy tricks!"

"Resigning from office for ten days? Is there such a punishment in the world? Interesting, very interesting!"

Fu Youde's face was flushed.

"Of course, he is His Majesty's grandson and General Chang's grandson after all. His personality suits our taste!"

"But let's put this aside, Prime Minister Li has gone too far. Tonight I'm going to the Han State's mansion to clean up the latrine. Are you coming?"

"Let's go together!"

Xu Da glared at the two men, who lowered their heads dejectedly and remained silent.

Korean official Lee Sun-jang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Ever since Zhu Xiong Ying gained the power of regent, he has not had a single day of peace.

First, he skinned Yang Xian alive, and then, under pressure from numerous officials, he protected Liu Bowen.

Now even Hu Weiyong's confidant Tu Jie and the Qian family, representatives of the Jiangnan clans whom he had painstakingly won over, are about to be lost.

He felt quite aggrieved, being the top official in the Ming Dynasty.

Korean Prince Lee Seon-jang slightly raised his head, a pleading look appearing on his aged face.

"Your Highness, I believe myself to be utterly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and all my actions have been motivated by selfless devotion!"

"How about we just let this matter drop for now?"

The officials in the court were in an uproar. No one expected that the Prime Minister Li Shanchang would bow down to a ten-year-old child.

This sudden turn of events caught the military commanders completely off guard.

"Old Fu, you slapped me? Am I still half asleep? Is this still the Duke of Han?"

Lan Yu rubbed her eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Xu Da glared at the two of them.

"Shut up!"

These two troublemakers were giving Xu Da a lot of trouble, and he also looked at Zhu Xiong Ying sitting above with some worry.

Korean official Li Shanchang's words were extremely insidious and a tactic of feigning retreat to advance.

Li Shanchang had already said all that; if Zhu Xiong Ying did not back down, he would be arrogant and domineering, and would be disrespectful to meritorious officials.

If concessions are made, this nascent case of the blank seal will likely be left unresolved.

Many high-ranking officials in the imperial court have already realized this.

Hu Weiyong glanced at Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, and thought to himself that his teacher was still superior, and that he was far inferior to his teacher.

Zhu Xiong Ying had already cursed Li Shan Chang eight hundred times in her heart.

How can that old geezer be so shameless?
To say such things in court—is he trying to force me to back down? Hmph! Does he really think he's one of those emperors of the Song Dynasty, easy to bully?

"What do you mean by this, Lord Han? I don't understand. Everything is done in accordance with the laws of my Great Ming Dynasty, and there is nothing that is not investigated!"

"The blank seal case is truly appalling. If it is left unchecked, who knows how many people will take advantage of it!"

"This time we have Qian Yongqin, tomorrow we might see Li Yongqin or Zhao Yongqin. What does the Prime Minister think?"

Li Shanchang's hawk-like eyes stared intently at Zhu Xiong Ying.

"So, Your Highness is not going to give this old minister any face?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sat on the dragon throne without saying a word.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Li Shanchang looked into Zhu Xiong Ying's resolute gaze, sighed, and slowly removed his official hat. "Your Highness is exceptionally capable. I fear the court no longer needs me. Your subject, Li Shanchang, begs to retire!"

"Your Excellency, you mustn't!"

"Your Excellency, this is absolutely forbidden!"

"Teacher, you are a pillar of our Ming Dynasty, please don't say that!"

……

The officials in the court panicked instantly. What would they do if Li Shanchang stopped intervening in this matter?
Hu Weiyong was overjoyed. His teacher's skill in using retreat as a means of advancement was masterful. On the surface, he was still putting on an act, his face full of displeasure.

Lan Yu scratched his head.

"Is Li Shanchang, that old geezer, really going to resign? This isn't like him at all!"

Li Shanchang was obsessed with power, so it's hard to understand why he would voluntarily relinquish his authority.

Deng Yu tugged at Lan Yu and whispered.

"You don't know anything! This is called a strategic retreat; Old Li is playing dirty!"

The high-ranking officials in the court understood what Li was good at, but unfortunately, there was no way to counter such tactics.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered and waved his hand with a look of regret.

"The Duke of Han has worked tirelessly for the country and is a rare and invaluable minister of our Great Ming. Now that he is resigning and returning to his hometown, I am deeply saddened, as if I have lost an arm!"

"However, I cannot bear to see the Duke of Han suffer alongside my grandfather for half his life, and I can only reluctantly agree. Duke of Han, go!"

Li Shanchang: "???"

"You, what did you say?"

He agreed; he actually agreed.

Li Shanchang stood there stunned, completely bewildered. He had considered everything, but he never expected Zhu Xiong Ying to agree.

Lan Yu was extremely happy.

"Haha, this old man, he's shot himself in the foot!"

The words are not finished yet.

Zhu Xiong Ying gave a cold shout.

"Duke of Liang, please don't speak nonsense. I am deeply saddened by the resignation of the Duke of Han!"

The officials in the court looked at Zhu Xiong Ying with disbelief and rolled their eyes.

If they hadn't seen Zhu Xiong Ying's barely suppressed upturned lips, they would have actually believed it.

Li Shanchang's face turned completely red.

"Your Highness, do you know what you just said?"

Zhu Xiong Ying picked at his ear.

"Did I not make myself clear just now? I will!"

"roll!"

Li Shanchang trembled all over, pointing at Zhu Xiong Ying without uttering a single word.

"Puch!"

Li Shanchang spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the spot.

The officials in the court were startled and rushed over to check.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?"

"Someone come here! Quickly, fetch the imperial physician!"

"The Prime Minister has fainted!"

Inside the Fengtian Hall, chaos reigned.

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed, her face full of regret.

"The Korean Duke has been working day and night, and he actually fainted during the court assembly just now. It's such a pity!"

"However, this place is where the imperial court holds discussions, so the Duke of Han's actions are somewhat inappropriate!"

"Yu Huatian, take the Prime Minister, no, the former Prime Minister, to rest!"

Yu Huatian, accompanied by two agents from the Western Depot, dragged Li Shanchang away.

Zhu Xiong Ying shouted angrily.

"Old Tian, ​​how can you be so insensible?"

"The Duke of Han is a minister of the state; how dare you drag him away! Get him out of here!"

(End of this chapter)