Chapter 50 Vice Minister of Rites
Yu Zhaoning blinked, her little head filled with question marks.
[The Vice Minister of Rites? Lord Liu? Didn't he submit a memorial a few days ago saying he had caught a cold and was so ill he couldn't even speak?]
[Why is he suddenly so energetic today? Did he take some kind of magic pill? No, no, he's a die-hard fan of the Second Prince's faction. If he comes here at this time, he's definitely here to cause trouble!]
The civil and military officials below lowered their eyes again, each one looking down at their noses and their minds, pretending to be wooden figures.
Soon, a middle-aged man wearing an official robe, but with slightly disheveled hair, rushed in from outside the hall.
As soon as Liu Zhengfeng, the Vice Minister of Rites, stepped into the main hall, he saw the small figure on the dragon throne and the Empress Dowager beside him, and his face instantly showed a mixture of grief and indignation.
He suddenly knelt down heavily on the ground, crying out in tears.
"Your Majesty! Empress Dowager! You two are confused!"
"His Highness the Second Prince is not even ten years old! He's still a child! How could you, how could you be so heartless as to exile him!"
His shout stunned the entire court.
The officials below immediately erupted in discussion.
"What? The Second Prince has been exiled?"
"What happened? I haven't heard anything about it! The Second Prince may be a bit straightforward, but he hasn't committed any major offense, has he? Without any evidence, why was he exiled?"
"Yes! The Grand Tutor has already been punished. This matter has nothing to do with the Second Prince. The Empress Dowager's actions were indeed somewhat inappropriate!"
For a moment, many officials showed expressions of indignation.
Yuan Hua sat upright on the phoenix throne, his eyes slightly lowered, picking up the teacup without even lifting his eyelids.
On the contrary, Yu Zhaoning, sitting on the dragon throne, was so angry at this sudden accusation that her face turned red.
She slammed her hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, silencing everyone.
"How dare you!"
The little empress scolded in her childish voice.
"Who told you that my second elder brother was exiled?"
With her cheeks puffed out, she announced angrily, "I have already bestowed the title of Prince Xiaoyao upon my second brother! The Dowager Consort Duan is about to take him to Jiangnan for medical treatment! I mean, medical treatment! Do you even understand what medical treatment is?"
Liu Zhengfeng knelt on the ground, his expression growing increasingly tragic, like a lone minister sacrificing himself for justice.
"Your Majesty! Empress Dowager! A prince with only a title and no fiefdom—what's the difference between this and exile? He'll be bullied wherever he goes!"
He raised his head, tears streaming down his face: "When the late emperor was alive, he doted on the Second Prince! If the late emperor knew in the afterlife that the Prince of Xiaoyao was being treated like this, he probably wouldn't be happy!"
"Oh."
A very soft, cold laugh came from the stage.
Yuan Hua finally put down his teacup, his voice flat but carrying a chilling undertone.
"Whether my son is willing or not, Minister Liu knows better than I, his own mother, do."
"The title of Prince Xiaoyao was requested by Consort Duan herself. Both she and her son have already expressed their gratitude and accepted the imperial decree, yet you are here to speak up for them."
Yuan Hua's gaze fell on Liu Zhengfeng, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Minister Liu, are you truly thinking of Jinghong's best interests, or do you have ulterior motives?"
Liu Zhengfeng's face turned pale and then red with anger, and he trembled with rage, as if he had been insulted.
"Empress Dowager! How can you slander me so baselessly! Your humble servant is utterly loyal to the Great Yu, as heaven and earth bear witness, as the sun and moon prove! Please do not humiliate me any further!"
He stiffened his neck, his face filled with unwavering loyalty: "This humble subject is merely speaking out against injustice on behalf of His Highness the Carefree Prince!"
Yu Zhaoning, sitting on the dragon throne, pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
She swung her little feet and said in a clear voice, "Since you care so much about Prince Xiaoyao and are so indignant on his behalf, why don't you resign from your post now and go to Jiangnan to take care of him yourself? If you protect him, he won't be bullied, right?"
At the same time, a familiar voice rang out once again.
[That old fogey is driving me crazy! Does he even think my second brother is a good person?]
[In the story, as soon as the male lead ascends the throne, this second prince is the first opportunist to fawn over him! To curry favor with the male lead, he constantly sabotages his grandmother behind her back—he's practically an ingrate!]
[Besides, he has no ability, but quite a temper! Later, he insisted on taking on the task of flood control himself, and what was the result? He gave terrible orders, causing the downstream dikes to burst and countless innocent people to drown! I haven't actually exiled him to be eaten by wolves; that's already showing him extraordinary mercy because of his royal bloodline!]
This heartfelt sentiment,
This left Liu Zhengfeng, the Vice Minister of Rites who had just been loyal and indignant, completely stunned.
His mind went blank, and he had only one thought in his mind.
How could this be? His Highness the Prince of Xiaoyao is benevolent and loyal, how could he do such a thing? This, this must be His Majesty talking nonsense! Yes! She's the one slandering His Highness!
Liu Zhengfeng didn't believe it.
But the entire court believed it!
They initially felt some sympathy for the Second Prince, thinking that the Empress Dowager and the young Emperor were acting inappropriately.
But after hearing these words, everyone's face turned green.
A fence-sitter? An ingrate?
These are things that can be left alone, after all, they are internal grudges within the royal family.
It could control floods, but instead it killed tens of thousands of people... This is an unforgivable and heinous crime!
A person may lack ability, and that is their own problem.
But if someone lacks ability yet insists on doing great things beyond their capabilities, ultimately harming countless lives, then they are a sinner against the entire Great Yu!
In an instant, the officials who had just wanted to stand up and speak up silently retracted the foot they had already stepped out.
Everyone looked at Liu Zhengfeng, who was still kneeling there, with extremely complicated expressions.
This person... is he an idiot?
The person you're desperately trying to protect is a future catastrophic sinkhole!
However, Liu Zhengfeng was still immersed in his own world of loyalty and righteousness, completely unaware of the looks his colleagues were giving him, as if he were a fool.
He raised his head again, speaking righteously to the young empress on the dragon throne.
"How can Your Majesty be so willful? You order this old minister to resign just like that? How will you govern the Great Yu Kingdom if you act so recklessly?"
"No need for Vice Minister Liu to trouble himself with that."
Yuan Hua's cold voice came from behind the beaded curtain, carrying an undeniable authority.
Yu Zhaoning was so angry that her little chubby cheeks bulged out.
[Hmph! Are you taking advantage of my young age?]
[You stubborn old man, you have a mountain of problems at home, your head practically glowing with malice, and you still dare to lecture me!]
[Alright, since you love being the first to stick your neck out, then I'll make you famous today!]
A sly glint flashed in Yu Zhaoning's eyes.
[System! System! Scan Liu Zhengfeng now! I need to see what shocking secrets he has in his house! Today, I'm going to rip his roof off in front of all the officials!]
Hearing this, Vice Minister Liu was still very puzzled, wondering what that system was.
What exactly did His Majesty do to rip the roof off his house?
Hmm, how could the Empress possibly know about his family's affairs? This must be an attempt to threaten him. He absolutely cannot yield!
If he yields, who will speak up for the Second Prince in the future?
Are we really going to let the Empress sit on this throne forever?
Thinking this, he glanced at the civil and military officials again, revealing a look of disappointment and frustration, thinking that these guys were all spineless cowards!
They actually let a little girl sit on the throne for so long!