Xie Ming

Empress Chen Wanxuan sought to compromise by retreating in order to advance, remembering the past favors between the emperor and his subjects, and wished to quell the current tense situation.

The fact that Emperor Hongguang kept his coffin in secret and did not announce his death caused some dissatisfaction, so they inquired further.

However, before Grand Secretary Qiu Weizhen could explain, the sycophantic Ma Shiying jumped out and launched into a series of alarming remarks, making the scene in the hall even more awkward.

Later, when the matter of the sharp confrontation between Xiao Lang was brought to light, the Empress also felt uneasy and fearfully lowered her voice, but out of habit, she still wanted to struggle.

"This"

"You say that the Duke of Jingguo is definitely rebelling, but what evidence do you have?"

"What if he..." the empress argued.

However, it was clear that Ma Shiying did not intend to give her a chance to refute.

He then argued back and blocked her in court.

"Your Majesty, how can you still not understand?"

"Evidence, okay, okay."

"The evidence is readily available and is presented in court."

"Um, Minister of War Zeng Ji, Minister Zeng."

"Your Majesty, two months ago, Minister Zeng was ordered to take in and control the wealthy merchants and gentry who had fled to Yangzhou to avoid disaster."

"This matter involves money, amounting to millions."

"It should rightfully be taken over by the imperial court."

"The nation is facing difficulties, so we must replenish the national treasury to ensure its continued existence."

"But, Your Majesty, are you aware of this?"

Where did this money ultimately go?

"Hmph! The Xiao family army!"

"It was Xiao Jingchuan's troops. I wonder what methods this kid used."

"They cheated and swindled, and right under the nose of the imperial court, they swindled an entire troop of people and money to Nanjing."

"Ugh"

"The bandits have even dared to rob the imperial court."

"This is something that has never been heard of before in the world."

"The cabinet had no choice but to issue an imperial edict to send Minister Zeng to demand the money back."

“We tried to persuade him with reason and righteousness, we were practically begging and pleading with him.”

"But, to my surprise, that madman and traitor Xiao still insisted on detaining him."

"Openly defying the imperial decree!"

"Extremely arrogant!"

"Isn't such behavior enough to demonstrate his wolfish ambition?"

"Minister Zeng, you witnessed the whole affair yourself. Tell me, is this true?"

Ma Shiying embellished the story, turning black into white and exaggerating Xiao Lang's faults.

Upon hearing that Minister Ma was suggesting he take the blame, the cunning Zeng Ji was unwilling to be used as a scapegoat at this moment.

Unfortunately, his son's hesitant speech and affected manner dragged him down.

"Uh, this"

At this critical juncture, seeing that Zeng Ji did not respond, Ma Shiying, still angry, immediately turned sour.

He glared at him coldly.

Ma Shiying had intended to use this person as a medicinal ingredient, but unexpectedly, he was so ungrateful. Ma Shiying couldn't help but feel resentment.

However, they still need to find a way to salvage the situation for the time being.

"Humph!"

"No matter what."

"The heavens are clear: if such heinous villains are not eliminated, the nation will surely perish!"

“Since you are eating the king’s food, you should think about the country’s future.”

"Does this world belong to the Zhu family or the Xiao family? Huh?!"

Having stumbled, Ma Shiying raised his voice even higher to bolster his prestige.

As he spoke, he swept his face across the ministers, and every word he uttered was full of criticism, showing that he was truly somewhat confused.

He paused, barely managing to quell the tension, and then turned back to face the couch.

"Queen!"

"It is so late today, yet we have gone beyond the proper etiquette to invite you and Consort Hui out of the inner palace."

"In fact, it is precisely to deal with such a change." "We just came down, and we have already discussed it with the palace."

"The ministers strongly advocate that, in order to ensure the smooth progress of all matters, they intend to ask the two empresses to take the Crown Prince to the southeast and head to Shaoxing as soon as possible."

"It's relatively safer there."

"As for Hangzhou, we have already received the late emperor's last decree and summoned General Zheng Zhilong of Fujian to lead a large army by land and sea to defend the emperor."

"Only when the new emperor arrives and issues the edict of his ascension to the throne can the court and Hangzhou be saved from the crisis."

"It won't be too late for us to personally go and welcome back Her Majesty and His Highness then."

Ma Shiying went through a long and winding road, finally getting to the point.

However, before Empress Chen Wanxuan could react to these words, Li Shichun, who had been keeping silent, could no longer hold back and jumped out to contradict her in court.

"Humph!"

"If you ask me, even if the Xiao family didn't rebel, there would still be someone like you, the Ma family, causing chaos!"

Li Shichun was known for his outspokenness and willingness to make shocking statements. At the time, his words were often direct and scathing, aimed directly at the person's heart.

As expected, upon hearing these alarmist remarks, Ma Shiying jumped up in court, terrified and enraged.

"you!"

“Li Erhe (Li Shichun), how dare you!” he shouted, pointing at her nose.

"Pah!" Li Shichun retorted without holding back, continuing to argue.

"You've gone too far!"

"Whom did you consult with regarding the relocation of the two empresses and the young prince to Shaoxing?!"

"How dare you!"

“Ma Shiying, you and I are both serving as Ministers, and we will be in charge of various affairs.”

"What you're saying is nothing but selfishness and recklessness. Don't drag me into this."

"With Grand Secretary Qiu sitting here, we haven't even had a chance to discuss anything yet."

"Look at your despicable face!"

"A clown, jumping around."

"We were never meant to be in the same boat."

"Ma Shiying, I, Li, have disliked you for a long time!"

Li Shichun was a man of explosive temper, quick to anger and prone to speaking without thinking. He was also known for his fiery temper and quick temper.

It's no surprise that this person has once again jumped out to sing a different tune.

However, since this matter was of great importance and not a matter of ordinary sentiments, Ma Shiying could not stand this fellow's fickleness. In a fit of anger, his curses became even more vicious.

"Li Erhe, you, you scoundrel!"

"If you had this objection, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"The two empresses came out to discuss matters, and you jumped in to oppose them again. Who the hell do you think you are!"

"Demolish the temple and scatter the monks."

"Look at your behavior, I spit on you!"

"The Ming Dynasty will perish sooner or later in the hands of you, you bastard!" Ma Yi utterly vehemently declared.

I have heard that these two are openly arguing in the main hall, using offensive and obscene language. Every word they uttered was disrespectful. They are truly careless in their speech and unworthy of being ministers. This is a disgrace to literature and culture.
Thus, Qiu Weizhen, who had been held captive on the spot, could no longer bear it and had to use his cane to pry it off.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"You two, stop right there... cough cough cough cough cough."

Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, his voice was too loud, and he was already coughing and panting.

Qiu Weizhen was old and frail, and it seemed that he could no longer control the situation.

Fortunately, at that very moment, Zhu Shaotan, who was in Yuzhen's arms, was frightened by the loud arguing in the hall and began to cry incessantly.

Upon hearing this worry, Empress Chen Wanxuan seized the opportunity to reprimand her.

"Alright! Alright!" The woman's voice gradually rose, drowning out the sounds of Ma and Li.

Only now did these two finally react with resentment, gritting their teeth and temporarily stopping their rant.

"Alright! What's all the noise about?!"

“Shaotan is still young, and you... you are all ministers entrusted with the care of the young master.”

"Are you trying to frighten him?" The Empress asked, trying to calm him down by having the Crown Prince explain the situation.

Li and Ma were speechless, and both stiffened their necks and remained silent for a moment, unable to bow their heads in defiance.

The hall was in chaos for quite some time before Ye Fang finally managed to quiet down for a moment. (End of Chapter)