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

Chapter 94 If you want to take something, you must first give it.

Seeing that Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, who was second only to the emperor, was roughly dragged out by a few agents from the Western Depot, the literati lost all face, and everyone in the court was as silent as a cicada in winter.

The usually carefree Lan Yu and Fu Youde were both stunned.

"My goodness, Xiong Ying's move was truly ruthless! Elder Li Shan has never suffered such humiliation in his life!"

"Having lost face like this, I'm afraid I'll never have the face to appear in court again!"

The officials in the court were already soaked with sweat; this grandson's methods were even more ruthless than the current emperor's.

Xu Da sighed silently to himself.

Li Shanchang brought this upon himself. After being granted the title of Duke of Han and appointed as the Left Chancellor of the Secretariat in the second year of the Hongwu reign, this old fellow became arrogant.

They always thought they could use their power as prime ministers to suppress the power of the emperor, but how could they be so easily provoked after they ascended to the throne?

The Crown Prince is gentle and kind, but his decisiveness and ruthlessness are just like those of the current emperor. In addition, there is the young Crown Prince who is extremely capable in his schemes and calculations.

The Ming Dynasty enjoyed a stable imperial power and prosperity for three generations.

Seeing that the civil and military officials in the court had fallen silent, Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

If a tiger doesn't show its power, it's a sign of weakness; otherwise, people will mistake me for a sick cat.

Weren't you all pretty arrogant just now?
Why are they all wilted now?

"Do any of you ministers have any further opinions?"

Hu Weiyong was covered in sweat. Things had developed too quickly; even he, known for his decisiveness and quick thinking, hadn't been able to react in time. Hu Weiyong quietly raised his head and saw Zhu Xiong Ying's sharp gaze. Instinctively, his legs went weak, and he hurriedly walked out.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is upright in his conduct. The practice of using an empty seal is a disastrous act that harms the country and its people. If it is not stopped, it will surely bring ruin to the neighborhood!"

"As officials of the Great Ming Dynasty, we cannot allow such a thing to happen. Your Highness, I implore you to thoroughly investigate this matter and show no leniency to anyone involved!"

Hu Weiyong's words were profound and earnest, and his integrity was awe-inspiring.

This startled the officials of the Secretariat.

Li Xiang had just been dragged away, and you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, betrayed him? The official involved glared angrily at Hu Weiyong, as if he wanted to devour him.

The practice of using blank seals has a long history, and there are far more than a few people in the imperial court who are involved in it. Apart from local officials, the most responsible are the officials in the Secretariat.

If this were to be investigated, how many people would be left in the Secretariat?
The officials from the Jiangnan gentry lowered their heads and remained silent, their eyes filled with boundless anger.

They had hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to gain benefits and also get affiliated with the Duke of Han, but who would have thought such a thing would happen.

Li Shanchang couldn't control it, and as his prized student, Hu Weiyong directly sold them out, which would make anyone unhappy.

The Qian family was a representative of the powerful gentry in Jiangnan.

This matter of the empty seal involves not only the Qian family, but also the entire Jiangnan gentry. It is possible that their accumulated wealth and influence over the years could be completely lost in one fell swoop.

Other officials from the Six Ministries and the Censorate watched the spectacle with mocking expressions.

In an attempt to exonerate himself, Hu Weiyong made numerous accusations, which alienated them completely. Now, by turning against them, he has offended all the officials in the Secretariat, making it difficult for him to maintain his position in the court in the future.

difficult.

At this moment, Hu Weiyong could feel the gazes of the people behind him, but now that things had come to this, he couldn't care less about them.

No one expected Zhu Xiong Ying to be so resolute. Now that his mentor has lost face, if he doesn't have the determination to make tough decisions, the days ahead will be even more difficult.

Rather than that, it's better to fight for survival. Zhu Xiong Ying was stunned for a moment.

Even he hadn't expected Hu Weiyong to react so quickly. As expected of the last prime minister after Li Shanchang, he really had some skills.

There are some things that are perfect for him to do.

"Oh? I never imagined that Lord Hu would be so righteous and hate evil. This is truly a blessing for our Great Ming!"

"I have only heard that Lord Hu is the disciple of the Prime Minister, no, the former Prime Minister. You two are very close, so why are your political views so different?"

Hu Weiyong smiled bitterly to himself. He understood what answer Zhu Xiong Ying wanted. But if he really said it, his reputation would be ruined.

Zhu Xiong Ying is truly ruthless, pushing himself to the brink of ruin.

Whatever.

Let's see whose methods are superior.

"Your Highness is greatly mistaken. Both I and my mentor are loyal subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty, and we are willing to go through fire and water for the Great Ming Dynasty to lay a foundation for its lasting prosperity!"

"However, the methods of handling things may differ. My esteemed teacher wins people over with virtue and acts with benevolence and righteousness, while I believe that benevolence has its limits and only the law can correct itself. To be unaware of one's mistakes, or to know the law but not to examine it, is not the way of a sage!"

"Therefore, in my opinion, all those who disrupt the state should be executed swiftly!"

The officials of the Secretariat were trembling with rage. Hu Weiyong was utterly despicable. Such behavior and such remarks were tantamount to cutting himself off from the court.

Xu Da opened his eyes and carefully examined Li Shanchang's prized student, a man from Han State. He never expected that this man would resort to such a method to escape punishment; he must be an ambitious person.

Thinking of this, Xu Da closed his eyes again. With three generations of the upper family in power, even if Hu Weiyong had great ambitions, he would have little chance to use them. Moreover, after this incident, Hu Weiyong would not go far.

Zhu Xiong Ying was extremely pleased with Hu Wei Yong's words and slapped himself while laughing.

"Very good, very good. It's rare to see Lord Hu so selfless. The Duke of Han has indeed nurtured a good talent. With Lord Hu's abilities, it's a bit of a waste to only appoint him as the Vice Minister of the Secretariat!"

"Alright then, since the Duke of Han has retired to his hometown, you, as his disciple, will temporarily assume the position of Prime Minister and thoroughly investigate the Empty Seal Case. Do not let a single evil person go unpunished, nor should you wrong an innocent person. Do you understand?"

Hu Weiyong was extremely excited when he heard this.

The reason why I joined Li Shanchang's faction and worked diligently for so many years was for that supreme power, that position second only to the emperor.
I never imagined that I would obtain it in such a bizarre way.

Really, everything is impermanent.

"Your Highness, I am deeply grateful for your great kindness. I will certainly do my utmost to repay your kindness!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded in satisfaction.

"The six ministers have come to the Hall of Diligent Governance after court; there are important matters to discuss!"

"The rest of you may leave the court if there is nothing else to discuss!"

As the group left Fengtian Hall, the sunlight was already blindingly high. Many officials looked gloomy, their gazes at Hu Weiyong as if they could devour him. Hu Weiyong kept his head down, not uttering a single word. As long as he could achieve his goal, everything was worthwhile.

Lan Yu and Fu Youde found Xu Da.

"Xu Shuai, wait for us!"

"General Xu, what exactly is the Crown Prince up to? He finally got rid of Li Shanchang, so why did he turn around and appoint Hu Weiyong as acting prime minister?"

"Speaking of which, Commander Xu is the real Right Chancellor of the Secretariat, and he's one of our own. How could Your Highness possibly take a fancy to Hu Weiyong, who is nothing? He's just a mere Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat, yet he's risen to the top in one step?"

(End of this chapter)