Chapter Twenty-Two The Protagonist

  Seeing Sun Ruoyou's inquiring gaze, both of them thought for a moment, exchanged a glance, and finally felt that this method was feasible, nodding slightly.

  Yang Lian saw the three men ignoring him, but he didn't feel uncomfortable in his heart. After all, his position was placed here, not only was his official rank not high, but also very young and inexperienced. However, the discussion of the three people made Yang Lian very dissatisfied. What kind of talk is this? Handing over the crown prince to Li Xuan's servant to raise? These people are really idle and incompetent, can't bear heavy responsibility, are their eyes all blind?

  "Is this what the three of you think?" Yang Lian knew he had to speak up, otherwise things would be settled like this. At this time, some officials had come into the room one after another, and a few people who heard Sun Ruoyou's words were nodding secretly, which made Yang Lian realize that he must speak up.

  "Gentlemen, the Qin dynasty unified China but lasted only two generations before falling. The Han dynasty was established and its prosperity is well-known to all of you. However, even with the greatness of the Han, there was the usurpation of power by Empress Lü. If it weren't for the wise emperors that followed, perhaps the Han would have also fallen after one generation. The Tang dynasty was once so powerful, but then there was the usurpation of power by Wu Zetian, who stole the throne. You gentlemen have received the emperor's favor and wear purple robes, standing among the scholars and officials. But now you say such things - that the Ming is the domain of the Zhu family. If another Empress Lü or Wu Zetian were to appear, could you gentlemen face the previous emperor? Could you face Taizu? What face do you have to stand among the scholars and officials? What right do you have to wear purple robes? I, a low-ranking official, know that my position is humble and my words carry little weight. But I also know what it means to be loyal to the emperor and love the country. At this moment, I am willing to die for righteousness and assist the crown prince in ascending to the throne, even if it means sacrificing my own life. Have you gentlemen forgotten what happened that day in the grand hall? Do you really want to leave a stench that will last for ten thousand years and disregard the emperor's favor?" Yang Lian was truly enraged at this point and didn't care about anything else, saying everything that was on his mind.

  The grand hall fell into an unprecedented silence as everyone gazed at Yang Lian's furious expression, some with confusion, others with astonishment, but most of all, they were intimidated by his glare.

  The Ming Dynasty was a place where seniority was respected, whether in officialdom or in the scholarly community. Yang Lian was just a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue and had no great reputation among scholars. Yet this man scolded twelve high-ranking officials who had been entrusted with the emperor's last wishes, without using a single obscene word, but every person present blushed with shame.

  With a gentle cough, the Chief Assistant of the Cabinet, Fang Zongruo, walked out first. He knew that at this time he should stand up for himself. If it was really like Yang Lian and others said, if Lv Wei and Wu Mei were involved, these people would certainly be infamous for generations to come, and would also be despised by the scholars of the forest. In the end, they might even be counter-attacked and their families exterminated.

  "Gentlemen, have you all forgotten what the Crown Prince said on that day in the grand hall? We are deeply indebted to His Majesty's benevolence. Since ancient times, it has been the duty of scholars to die for their principles and warriors to die in battle. At this critical moment when the state is on the verge of collapse, I, an old man over 70 years old, am also willing to defend my integrity for Your Majesty, to defend the integrity of the Great Ming." Fang Zhenzhe's words were like a thunderclap, his emotional agitation causing his lips to tremble uncontrollably.

  Looking at Fang Zhong and Yang Lian, the ministers present at this time all remembered that scene on the grand hall that day, that arrogant woman, and everyone's heart slowly made up their minds.

  "We are subjects of the great Ming, no matter when, we are loyal only to the king of the great Ming. What we want to do is to see the crown prince, only by seeing the crown prince can we assist him in ascending to the throne." Looking at these ministers who were still hesitating around him, Yang Lian's heart was very anxious and also very resentful. These old guys who held positions without doing anything were simply causing trouble for the country.

  At this time, Yang Lin secretly made up his mind that once he gained the emperor's trust, he would definitely clarify the official governance and drive out all these idle officials from the court to fulfill his ambitions.

  As soon as Yang Lian's words fell, a person stood up. This person was Liu Yiyu, who was pulled by Han Kuang when he was in the Imperial Academy. He turned his head and shouted at Han Kuang: "Let go of me!" At this time, Liu Yiyu's eyes were wide open, his eyes were bloodshot, and he shook off Han Kuang's hand with force.

  Seeing the appearance of his old friend, Han Kuang let out a bitter smile and released his hand. Liu Yijun also stood beside Yang Lian, facing the remaining officials and said: "Everyone, I am prepared to die today." After finishing speaking, he took off his hat and placed it in Han Kuang's hand, saying loudly: "Old friend, my wife and children are now entrusted to you. If I don't return this time, please take care of them for me."

  Waiting for Han Kuang to nod, Liu Yijun turned around and said to these ministers: "Everyone, what is the point of reading the books of saints? The merit of following the dragon is now, let's go." After finishing speaking, he walked towards the palace first. The one walking in front was Fang Congzheng, the chief assistant of the inner cabinet, followed by Liu Yijun, the university scholar of the inner cabinet, and the third one was Yang Lian.

  Looking at the three people who had left first, everyone's face was unpredictable. Finally, Han Kuang stomped his foot fiercely and slammed his official hat to the ground, shouting: "Old friend, wait for me, I'm coming! Your family is no longer something I can take care of." After finishing speaking, he walked forward.

  With one person taking the lead, these officials threw away their official hats and shouted loudly: "Supporting the state and protecting the king is done from now on, everyone, let's go!"

  All the ministers did not expect that when they arrived at the palace gate, someone had already arrived before them. This person was Zhang Weixian, a British public figure, whose ancestors were among those who followed Zhu Yuanzhang to start his uprising. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a group of people with very special status, their status being the highest in this era, even at the time when Wei Zhongxian had the most power, he did not dare to provoke them. They were the meritorious officials of the Ming Dynasty. These people were either those who assisted Zhu Yuanzhang in his early years or those who followed Zhu Di in suppressing the rebellion. They were a group of people who could stir up trouble in the Ming Dynasty, but also the most loyal group of people in the Ming Dynasty.

  No matter what kind of trouble they cause, unless it's treason, no one will pursue them because the imperial edict that conferred their titles has a sentence that says "treat them as relatives of the state".

  In the Ming Dynasty, although the civil officials looked down on these nobles in their hearts, they also adopted an attitude of respect and caution. However, this was not the time to care about these things. The Grand Secretary Fang Congzheng came to Zhang Weixian's side and asked loudly: "Duke Guo, have you seen the Crown Prince?"

  Although the other party did not salute, it is now clearly not the time to care about these things. The British public Zhang Weixian stomped his foot heavily and said loudly: "Do you see? This group of eunuchs are blocking me here, let alone the prince's son, I haven't even seen the emperor yet!"