Chapter 353: Please, Your Majesty, issue an edict to dismiss the Prime Minister

Jiang Tu's little abacus was clicking away loudly.

Everyone present was a clever person, a top-tier scholar who had fought their way through thousands of troops and horses. Even if they hadn't understood how to fathom others' thoughts at the beginning, after decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, their intelligence and wisdom had long since reached a state of perfection in the art of reading people.

With the slightest shift of Jiang Tu's backside, everyone present knew exactly what he was calculating. They sneered inwardly: a toad lusting after swan meat, what a beautiful dream. Delusionally wanting to seize military power—he was clearly asking for a beating.

Just as Jiang Tu was itching to act, Yu Zhaoan stepped out first.

Yu Zhaoan was a newly appointed official who had been very low-key, without the usual "three fires" of a new official. However, everyone knew clearly that Yu Zhaoan was by no means a person who kept to himself. When he was the first to step out, a thought flashed through everyone's minds simultaneously: he was going to stir up trouble.

Sure enough.

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach His Highness the Prince of Zhong."

What the hell?

What is this?

Everyone was discussing the major event of the Prince of Chu raising an army to rebel, yet Yu Zhaoan had put the cart before the horse and actually came out to impeach the Prince of Zhong? Had his brain been flooded?

What card was Yu Zhaoan playing, and what was his intention?

The Left Prime Minister, Li Liangcheng, who had already taken half a step out, suddenly paused and slowly retracted his foot. He seemed to have caught a glimpse of the purpose behind Yu Zhaoan's move.

Impeaching the Prince of Zhong at this moment—was it to protect him or to harm him?

The old Emperor was also curious, not understanding Yu Zhaoan's actions.

"My subject, do not create side issues!"

Yu Zhaoan suddenly raised his volume, as if his words wouldn't carry weight without a high pitch. Everyone present felt their eardrums ache from the shock.

They only heard him say: "I am not making trouble out of nothing. Your Majesty has been too indulgent toward His Highness the Prince of Zhong, which is why the Prince of Chu's rebellion occurred. I have heard that the Prince of Zhong has been building Daoist temples extensively in his mansion, gathering every famous Daoist in the world, regardless of their quality, to his estate to cultivate the Dao and seek longevity every day.

May I ask, what virtue or ability does the Prince of Zhong possess to dare to cultivate the Dao and seek longevity? Xiao Changsheng is not so easily attained. The opportunity for longevity must be extremely rare, perhaps so rare that there is only one. If he cultivates the Dao, what does Your Majesty cultivate?

Under the heavens, the only person qualified to cultivate the Dao of longevity is Your Majesty. Your Majesty possesses the four seas; the only opportunity can only belong to Your Majesty.

The Prince of Zhong is daring and lawless. Even after being deposed as Crown Prince, he does not reflect on his mistakes and actually dares to compete with Your Majesty for the only opportunity for the Dao of longevity. This action clearly shows a heart of disloyalty. It is precisely because of his actions that the people below were given a false impression, leading to the Prince of Chu raising an army to rebel. I implore Your Majesty not to be swayed by father-son affection any longer and issue an edict to severely punish the Prince of Zhong."

The hearts of scholars are all black.

Jiang Tu, standing at the end of the line, thought to himself.

Is this the brain of a scholar? Even flattery is performed in such a fresh, refined, and unique way. In any case, he couldn't come up with this style of flattery.

His intuition was indeed correct; Yu Zhaoan was his greatest opponent.

Such a sycophantic villain, yet still having the nerve to call himself a scholar—it truly shames the scholarly community. If he were a scholar, he would disdain to associate with such a person.

Many people present showed expressions of anger and disdain. Yu Zhaoan kicking the Prince of Zhong while he was down at this very moment was truly despicable and shameless. How did such a bastard end up in this pure team? They should have firmly opposed the old Emperor's decision to promote Yu Zhaoan in the first place.

The officials looked toward Li Liangcheng one after another.

However, the Left Prime Minister, Li Liangcheng, slowly closed his eyes, his whole body relaxing, no longer showing the tension from the beginning.

"Absurd!"

Finally, someone couldn't help but be angry and was the first to stand out.

"The Prince of Chu is causing chaos; what does it have to do with the Prince of Zhong? His Highness the Prince of Zhong is so innocent, sitting at home while disaster falls from the sky. Prime Minister Yu, you are clearly sowing discord between the father and son of the Imperial family. You are not fit to be Prime Minister."

"Regarding Prime Minister Yu's words, I am afraid this official cannot agree. How can cultivating the Dao be linked to the Prince of Chu's rebellion? Even if you want to find fault, at least find a decent reason."

"Is Prime Minister Yu paving the way for His Highness the Prince of Jin? Is His Highness the Prince of Jin really that impatient?"

"As a Prime Minister of the Imperial Court, how can you frame His Highness the Prince of Zhong for personal gain? The most important thing right now is how to quell the rebellion and whom to send to quell it. Prime Minister Yu ignores the major military and national affairs of the court and only cares about settling personal grudges; it is truly disappointing."

"Please, Your Majesty, issue an edict to dismiss Yu Zhaoan from his post as Prime Minister; he is not worthy!"

"Please, Your Majesty, issue an edict to dismiss the Prime Minister!" the officials shouted in unison, treating Yu Zhaoan as a treacherous villain whose danger was even greater than Jiang Tu's. If this person were not expelled from the court, the court would never have peace.

Jiang Tu's cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Yu Zhaoan is courting death; Heaven is helping me! He followed the officials and roared in unison: dismiss the Prime Minister, dismiss the Prime Minister, he must be dismissed. Yu Zhaoan is not worthy.

The only one present who did not move was the Left Prime Minister, Li Liangcheng, who remained seated in his chair, as immovable as a mountain. His expression was indifferent, showing neither joy nor anger, making it impossible for people to see his true inner thoughts.

"You keep saying that this Prime Minister is absurd, which shows your short-sightedness and limited thinking. No wonder the government is getting worse and worse in your hands. The world is getting worse and worse in your hands. Do not push all the responsibility onto His Majesty. If His Majesty must bear thirty percent of the responsibility, you must bear at least fifty percent."

Yu Zhaoan sprayed the entire room.

"Absurd!"

"Traitor!"

"Dog thief!"

"Yu Zhaoan, you will not die a good death."

"Everyone shut up! This is the Imperial Court, not a vegetable market. Let Prime Minister Yu finish his words." Li Liangcheng finally spoke, stepping out to maintain order in the court.

The old Emperor felt unhappy inside, yet also felt a secret sense of comfort, and a bit of gratification.

Yu Zhaoan understood him.

Of course, he would never admit that the chaotic state of the world was his responsibility. It wasn't chaotic before, but it is now, so it must be that the officials are not doing a good job. Just as Yu Zhaoan said, the officials present must bear the main responsibility. As for his own responsibility, well, although his reason acknowledged Yu Zhaoan's statement—that he was not entirely innocent and had to bear some—emotionally, he would never admit it. Therefore, he felt unhappy, yet also felt comforted and gratified.

Promoting Yu Zhaoan was indeed the right move.

As for the little bit of "senior-junior brother" friendship between Yu Zhaoan and the Prince of Jin, haha, that was just a fart. The Prince of Jin dreaming that Yu Zhaoan would lean toward him was clearly a daydream.

Yu Zhaoan used to be a staunch scholar, adhering to the principle of scholars defending orthodoxy, vowing to debate with the old Emperor. The current Yu Zhaoan, however, was a staunch member of the Emperor's faction, with everything centered on the Emperor. But his brilliance lay in the fact that he wasn't like that villain Jiang Tu, who only knew how to flatter superiors and bully subordinates; he wrapped his true purpose in the sugar-coated shell of supporting the Emperor.

What his true purpose was, no one could say clearly.

Just like right now, he impeached the Prince of Zhong—was he really aiming at His Highness the Prince of Zhong?

Li Liangcheng narrowed his eyes to observe Yu Zhaoan in the center of the room; facing the questioning and insults of the officials, he showed not the slightest wavering, becoming even more resolute.

"Why did the Prince of Chu dare to rebel? Besides his long-held ambitions and secret planning, it was also because the Prince of Zhong's plight gave him confidence." ===== CHAPTER 354 =====