Chapter 477: He Is a Loyal Minister, Yet a Born Rebel

"Depose the Emperor!"

"Depose the Emperor!"

"Depose the Emperor!"

These radical young officials were no longer satisfied with making the old Emperor abdicate in favor of the worthy; they wanted to depose him outright. Depose the old Emperor, and strip him of even the qualification to be Retired Emperor.

This move was simply shocking, enough to make one's eyes pop out.

Which of the veteran ministers present had ever seen or heard of such a fierce scene? Depose the Emperor? They had some nerve thinking it up.

Those two words—the veteran ministers in ordinary days not only never thought them, they never even entertained the notion for a moment. To think such a thing was the height of treason, the mark of a traitorous minister.

What everyone thought about more was how to let the old Emperor gracefully cede power, how to gracefully let the Chancellor's authority suppress the Imperial authority, and thereby smoothly transition the succession of Imperial power.

They really dare to think it!

And they shouted it aloud, turned it into a slogan.

Qiu Qiu Defu was even more terrified out of his wits, his face deathly pale. A dignified martial artist nearly went weak in the legs and collapsed; had his godson not been quick-eyed and quick-handed to steady him, he would have made a fool of himself on the spot.

Leaning on his godson, he roared furiously: "Arrest them, arrest them all. Every one of them is a traitorous minister, every one a rebel. What are the Brocaded Guards good for, why don't they move? This is plainly a rebellion!"

"Depose the Emperor, depose the Emperor, depose the Emperor…"

The young officials pressed forward bravely, closing in step by step.

"Saving the dynasty is today! My comrades-in-arms, please roar and fight alongside me!" Zhao Mingqiao waved his hand. That rallying power, that infectiousness, that highly theatrical contagion—let alone the court ministers, even the Princes and Imperial Princes present were infected.

In their hearts they thought: if they stepped forward and said, "I can shoulder the dynasty's heavy burden!"—would that be enough to become Emperor?

Though they thought this in their hearts, no one was willing to step forward as the first to eat the crab.

The first to eat the crab—the temptation is great enough, but so is the risk.

Look at the several senior ministers on the side, all watching coldly. Without the participation of several senior ministers, relying solely on Zhao Mingqiao and his band of troublemakers to become Emperor—no Prince or Imperial Prince was that naive.

Therefore…

Better leave the chance to be the first to eat the crab to the younger (older) brothers. They only needed to watch which way the wind blew and seize the most critical opportunity.

"Zhao Mingqiao, you incited these madmen to storm the Imperial Palace—what are you after?"

"You still dare shout 'depose the Emperor'—are you trying to rebel?"

"This old man will oblige you right now, let you stay in the great prison for a few days to cool your head."

Li Li Liangcheng and the others finally stepped in, opening their mouths to slap on a big label and decisively draw the line. Regardless of whether they inwardly agreed with Zhao Mingqiao's actions, on the surface they must sternly condemn—what kind of propriety is this!

Once it has come to this, how is it to be wrapped up?

Zhao Mingqiao simply didn't know his limits, didn't know when to advance or retreat. How could he shout the slogan of deposing the Emperor.

Absurd!

Zhao Mingqiao laughed heartily, not afraid in the slightest.

His expression was like one hoping the storm would come even harder.

The fiercer the wind and rain, the greater the gain.

He howled excitedly: today the Supreme Palace was not the Emperor's home turf, but his, Zhao Mingqiao's—it was his stage.

The history books would surely record this moment in lavish detail.

He, Zhao Mingqiao, was destined to be a figure recorded in the history books.

Praise or blame, it didn't matter—our generation fears nothing!

He roared: "Gentlemen, the moment I stood here, I had already prepared to sacrifice my life. Whoever wants to kill me—my head is right here, come take it. If I had any regrets, I wouldn't deserve to live in this world.

My lords, the dynasty has reached a moment of survival or ruin. The life or death of one man like me is unimportant, but do you not care about the dynasty's survival either?

Your wealth, your future, the glory of your families—all depend on the dynasty. If the state perishes, tell me, how will you protect your own wealth, your descendants' futures, your family's legacy? Do you wish to be turncoat ministers, selling out the dynasty to keep your riches?

Then, Princes and Imperial Princes, what will become of you? We ministers can survive by becoming turncoats, but what can you rely on? Your sons and grandsons are all registered on the jade genealogy; you cannot even change your names and hide, let alone flee. Things have come to this—will you still not step forward, still not shoulder the dynasty's heavy burden? Do you truly expect a comatose old man to keep sitting in that chair, shielding you from wind and rain?"

Words that cut to the heart!

Utterly heart-cutting!

The court ministers were all forced to bear the stigma of turncoats.

The Princes and Imperial Princes bore the stigma of cowards!

Everyone was a good-for-nothing; only Zhao Mingqiao and his band of followers became the brave ones, laughing to their heart's content.

The atmosphere on the scene was extremely bizarre.

Some were unconvinced, struggling like cornered beasts to find a way out.

Some fell silent in thought.

Some weighed the options on both sides.

Some wavered.

Some tried to find loopholes to grab benefits.

A thousand people, a thousand faces.

Only one thing was certain: Zhao Mingqiao's words had touched every person present.

As for whether the dynasty had truly reached a moment of survival or ruin, that did not need to be discussed now. One couldn't exactly say the dynasty had favorable weather and peace throughout the land.

Don't forget both north and south were at war, both suppressing rebels.

The rebel Guo Guo Dachun showed no sign of being destroyed.

In the south, Prince Chu's momentum was growing stronger. Prince Chu had cultivated for years; his reputation in his fief was excellent, earning him the reputation of a Wise Prince. The local people's hearts could be used.

On the court's side, after several consecutive years of raising taxes on the southern regions, popular resentment had long since boiled over, with everyone cursing them.

Compare the two sides: even if Prince Chu couldn't take the whole realm, taking a portion of territory to be a feudal king was no problem. Carve out a kingdom, an independent realm—tearing away the richest slice of land from the Great Qian's map—just thinking about it was thrilling.

The court's side was in for a hard time.

Once the rich tax base was lost, and the army had to be expanded, one dared not imagine how severe the tax burden on the common folk in the court's territory would become. Likely beacons of rebellion would rise on all sides—just as the eastern rebellion was put out, the west would begin to respond.

If this went on, the King of Chu would win without lifting a finger. The Great Qian dynasty would play itself to death.

Judging from these two aspects, Zhao Mingqiao's words were by no means alarmist talk, but well-targeted, substantive, and a case of preparing for trouble before it arose — a loyal minister through and through!

But at the same time he had also raised the slogan of deposing the emperor, and that was fatal.

This loyal minister had rebellion bred into his very bones.

Out of a hundred and forty catties of body weight, a hundred and thirty-nine catties were pure rebellion.

Unfit for service!

A splitting headache!

Li Li Liangcheng felt both his temples throbbing wildly, as if fresh blood were rushing straight up into his head.

"Zhao Mingqiao, if you have something to say, come down, and let us find a quiet place to talk it over slowly. There's always a way to settle things. Shouting and screaming here, spreading sensational rumors, inciting a bunch of ignorant people to make trouble with you — what kind of behavior is that? This is the imperial palace, not your own backyard, and certainly not the place for you to throw a tantrum. As a court minister, you should still keep a basic sense of dignity. Just do it for my sake."

Li Li Liangcheng, very much a man who knew which way the wind blew, promptly softened his tone and backed down — first get the man under control, then talk. Face or no face, as long as he could keep the situation from spiraling, what did a little face matter?

He was the dignified Prime Minister — did he not want face, and would others dare not give him face?