Xie Ming

Li and Qi started hurling insults at each other, making a bigger commotion.

Along with the emperor, Zhu Shaotan, the infant in Yuzhen's arms behind the dragon throne, was also disturbed by the shouts and cried out in fright.

Empress Dowager Chen Wanxuan stood by, trembling with fear, looking around helplessly.

Seeing this, Ye was indeed taken aback.

He was sitting upright in his fine clothes, but he looked flustered and panicked, unsure of what to do.

His eyes widened in horror, and he hurriedly searched for Xiao Yuanfu.

Duke Jing met his gaze, slightly raised his chin, and thus gave his signal.

Only after understanding this did Chen Wanxuan dare to act.

Unwilling to wait any longer, she turned and whispered a few words in Yuzhen's ear.

And so, Yuzhen went first, and then quietly carried the infant emperor to the back hall.

At that moment, below the jade steps, Li and Qi had clearly reached a boiling point, their accusations and insults becoming increasingly unbearable.

The courtiers inside the palace saw that their attempts to persuade the officials were futile, and there was an uproar both near and far, leaving them in a very awkward position.

Soon, whispers began to rise, and gradually the noise in the courtyard grew louder and louder, creating a chaotic and overwhelming atmosphere that caused all sorts of headaches.

At that very moment, seeing that the opportunity had presented itself, Xiao Jingchuan assessed the situation, seized the moment, and then roared loudly in the hall, his words as powerful as thunder.

"shut up!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

As they stepped out of the hall and stood before the jade steps, Xiao Yuanfu raised his tablet and pointed at Li and Qi, his face imposing and brooking no argument.

When he roared at the battlefield, his voice was like a booming bell, and the hall immediately fell silent, no one daring to speak loudly anymore.

After a moment of silence, the room was cleared, and Xiao Jingchuan, having carefully observed the expressions of the cabinet ministers, continued his story.

"This is the solemn and imposing imperial palace, the place where the affairs of the world are decided."

"Where do you think you are?"

"Is it the kind of place where you can hear the sounds of chickens and dogs in a quiet house, or the bustling marketplace where vendors' cries fill the air?"

"How dare you act so willfully and recklessly, creating such a chaotic and disorderly atmosphere! What kind of behavior is this?!"

He pointed his scepter at Li and Qi, but his gaze swept over the assembled officials in the palace to intimidate them.

"Humph!"

"One, a veteran official who served three dynasties, and a regent."

"And you, a minister of a department, a rising star in the cabinet."

"They are all important officials of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Where do you think this is?"

"Washe market?"

"You have no shame, but the imperial court still has its dignity!"

"Let's leave it at that for today."

"Now that I have assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief of the three armies, I must ensure that the rewards and punishments of the generals are fair and impartial."

"They are all talented generals of our Great Ming Dynasty. They have made contributions and should be rewarded."

"However, if anyone tries to use this to cause trouble and break my rules, then I, Xiao, and the soldiers of the three armies will absolutely not agree to it."

"Let's discuss this later to avoid any mishaps or disasters. It would be quite unpleasant to see people being killed or arrested during the Lunar New Year."

With a powerful roar, Xiao Yuanfu tucked his official tablet into his waistband and strode forward, closing in on Li Shichun. His intentions were crystal clear.

Seeing the situation, Li Erhe was speechless with fear and was momentarily stunned into having no words to refute him.

"Alright, there's no need to talk about this anymore."

With a flick of his sleeve, Xiao Jingchuan acted swiftly and decisively, knowing when to stop.

Originally, he intended to continue the discussion later, and this morning's court assembly could have concluded the matter entirely.

However, unexpectedly, before he could even finish speaking...

Suddenly, Lin Zhiwan, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, stepped forward from the right and cut off the conversation.

"Hehehe, what Lord Jing said makes sense."

"Within the current court, if we were to discuss wise and experienced advice on governing the country, Duke Jing would be the first to be mentioned."

"He is indeed a pillar of our great Ming Dynasty; the stability of the nation depends entirely on Duke Jing."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi turned away, glancing at the scene with a slight frown.

He thought to himself, "At this crucial moment, do I need your flattery? It's so inopportune, it only makes things worse." But before he could even get rid of Lin Zhiwan...

Quietly, Zeng Ji, the Minister of War, also rushed out to make a name for himself.

"Haha, not bad."

"As soon as I left, I felt that what Grand Secretary Li said was out of touch with the times."

"Promoting a lowly official to a higher position is highly inappropriate at this time and under these circumstances."

When Zeng Ji made his move, he immediately began by belittling Li Shichun's actions, suggesting that he wanted to distance himself from the situation before making further remarks.

"You! Zeng Ji."

Li Erhe was even more furious at this.

However, it was obvious that Zeng Ji had no intention of letting Li talk back. Instead, he emphasized his words and interrupted Li.

"At present, when we are waging war in the north, it is not wrong to set an example for the three armies and to set an example for the meritorious soldiers."

"However, your mistake lies in putting the cart before the horse."

You're picking up a sesame seed but losing a watermelon.

Zeng Shangshu remained calm and composed, unable to bear any turmoil.

Looking at him, Xiao Shen was momentarily at a loss as to what kind of trick he, Lin Zhiwan, and the two newly elected leaders of the Southern Party were up to with their conversation in the hall.

Impatient, he urged her to speak.

"Oh dear, Minister Zeng, what exactly do you want to say?" Xiao Yu asked anxiously.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Ji seemed completely at ease, remaining calm and composed, keeping everyone in suspense.

"Hehe, Lord Jing, I have a suggestion, and I hope you will grant it." He then bowed and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"you say."

Xiao uttered these two words.

Suddenly, Zeng Ji knelt down with a crisp voice and performed a full curtsy.

He kowtowed and rose without hesitation, his voice clear and steady.

"Your subject requests that Duke Jing be made king."

These words immediately caused an uproar throughout the hall!

It should be known that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, starting with Hongwu, the granting of titles to kings to those of different surnames was a momentous event.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and other founding heroes during the Hongwu era were only granted the title of Duke during their lifetimes.

It was already an honor to be posthumously granted the title of king.

From the Yongle reign onwards, the meritorious officials who fought in the Jingnan Rebellion all stopped at the rank of duke or marquis.

For nearly three hundred years, there hasn't been a single living king of a different surname.

Unexpectedly, Zeng Ji suddenly uttered these words in the palace today.

For a moment, in addition to the officials who were shocked and astonished, Grand Secretaries Li Shichun and Lin Zengzhi were also unable to calm down.

He gripped the tablet tightly in his hand, his face ashen, and his gaze toward Zeng Ji was sharp as a sword.

"Minister Zeng, what did you just say?"

"My hearing is poor, I didn't hear you clearly."

Almost gritting his teeth, Li Shichun squeezed out these two sentences, his eyes wide and bloodshot, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to bite Zeng Jifang to death.

Of course, when he arrived at this moment, Xiao Yuanfu, who was standing in the same spot, was also somewhat dazed.

Zeng Ji has always been a man with ulterior motives, and at this moment, he has no idea what this man's intentions are in making such a startling statement.

Therefore, none of the three brothers, Xiao, Qiu, and Qi, spoke out, leaving only clues to be gleaned from later accounts.

"I request that the Duke of Jing be made a king."

"Duke Jingguo raised an army in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign to serve the late emperor, broke through the siege of the capital, and went south to help the late emperor ascend the throne."

"In the first year of the Hongguang reign, a fierce battle was fought in Shandong, and troops marched out of Henan to quell the rebellion of Zuo Liangyu."

"In the second year, I was summoned to reinforce the Yangtze River defense line and protect half of the Ming Dynasty's territory."

"Winning battle after battle, he is the pillar supporting our great Ming Dynasty."

Such extraordinary achievements should be rewarded with extraordinary rewards.

"Therefore, your humble servant submitted a memorial recommending that Duke Jing of Jin be made King Jing, so as to embolden the three armies and bring peace to the people of the world!"

(End of this chapter)