Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 115 You are all extremely loyal subjects!
Zeng Shengwu's words were very clever. He did not take advantage of the topic to mention the names of Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Yunxiu, but simply used the "method of dealing with the plague" as the starting point.

It doesn't seem like they're favoring Zhang Juzheng. In fact, as long as the "plague treatment" proves effective, the opposition won't be able to find any faults in either Zhang Juzheng or Zhang Yunxiu!
Is this yet another threat to retire?
Emperor Wanli raised an eyebrow, but he actually quite liked this kind of threat to "retire," it made people feel very comfortable!

Just as he was about to offer some encouragement, Emperor Wanli suddenly remembered his own "persona" and immediately put on a stern face.

"Zeng Sanxing, you mustn't speak nonsense!"

He glanced at all the officials in the court, then his gaze fell on Zeng Shengwu.

"Your talent is no less than that of Grand Secretary Shen, and you have a profound understanding of the principles of mathematics. I will need capable ministers like you to govern the country well so that the people can live in peace!"

From now on, one must not lightly speak of 'dismissal' or 'retirement'!

"Your Majesty's illustrious name is worthy of my deepest gratitude!"

Zeng Shengwu bowed again, looking terrified.

The two, the emperor and his minister, seemed to be performing a play, their back-and-forth banter leaving all the court officials in awe.

However, what surprised them the most was the combination of "charts" and the principles of arithmetic introduced by Shen Shixing and Zeng Shengwu.

Wow! There are so many intricacies to this little "chart"?
Although Ming Dynasty scholars could read arithmetic, what they studied most in their daily lives were naturally classical Chinese texts.

Officials who were not from the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works generally only had a superficial understanding of the principles of arithmetic.

Little did they know that arithmetic could reveal the trends of the plague and even prove the effectiveness of the "plague prevention and control plan"!

The officials were not fools. Their intention to overthrow Zhang was simply because they felt that he was acting against the tide of history, and given Zhang Juzheng's serious illness, they wanted to follow the trend of the times.

But now it seems that the tide is not in Xu and Zhang's favor?

After receiving the praise, Zeng Shengwu appeared to be crying tears of joy, but in reality, he was overjoyed.

Even Shen Shixing glanced at Zeng Shengwu, his eyes immediately lighting up.

Zeng Gong truly deserves his title as Minister of Works; he is indeed an expert in his field. I studied this "chart" for a long time before I fully understood it, but Zeng Gong could understand it at a glance!
No way! I must introduce Zeng Gong to that rascal Zhang Yunxiu! Wouldn't it be wonderful to hand over this chart method to him in the future?
Shen Shixing put his hands in his pockets and glanced at Xu Xuemo and the others.

"Cough cough~"

While the courtiers were still reeling from the shock, the Wanli Emperor coughed twice and spoke with considerable authority.

"Arithmetic is a practical skill for governing the world. Emperor Taizu Gao was wise and far-sighted. He specially established an arithmetic course at the Imperial Academy, which must contain profound principles. You should all learn from Grand Secretary Shen and Minister Zeng!"

At this point, the ministers had no objections whatsoever and immediately bowed and said...

"I will obey His Majesty's will!"

However, among the assembled officials, several stood frozen in place, appearing unusually out of place.

Xu Xuemo stood frozen like a statue; he had noticed something was wrong just moments before. The court was in the middle of a discussion, and the wind had somehow shifted in Shen Shixing's direction?

Wasn't the plan to force His Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach? How did it suddenly turn into a study of mathematics?
Where on earth did Shen Shixing get all these unorthodox methods?! Why doesn't he play by the rules?!
Xu Xuemo cried out in his heart, but his facial expression was too obvious, making him appear quite abrupt in the court.

The Wanli Emperor frowned deeply and spoke in a stern tone.

"Minister Xu, do you have any further questions?"

With a "thump," Xu Xuemo no longer dared to have any questions; there was simply no room for argument regarding this "chart method"!
He was filled with fear and anxiety, having lost all concern about confronting the emperor, and stammered out his words.

"Your Majesty."

"Hmph!" Emperor Wanli slammed his hand on the imperial desk and said angrily. "You were just speaking so eloquently, but now you're speechless. Are you trying to deceive me because I'm still young and inexperienced?"

These words were undeniably heavy, causing Xu Xuemo to tremble with fear, on the verge of making another mistake. At that moment, Zhang Siwei, the Second Grand Secretary, suddenly stepped forward and addressed the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, Minister Xu was probably surprised by this 'chart' and deeply felt its mystery, which is why he lost his composure."

I believe that Grand Secretary Shen's chart is indeed exceptionally ingenious, but the figures within it still need to be verified.

Matters of the court should be handled with utmost care and seriousness. I request that this matter be postponed for further discussion!

Old thing!
After Zhang Siwei finished speaking, he was able to exonerate Xu Xuemo and even wanted to postpone the matter for the time being!
There are no doors!

Emperor Wanli gritted his teeth inwardly, but his gaze fell upon Shen Shixing, who was making faces at him, and he shook his head slightly.

The emperor then snapped out of his emotional turmoil and realized what was happening.

Now that many ministers have been convinced, they should know when to stop. If they continue to push their luck, it will only garner sympathy from the ministers for Xu Xuemo and his ilk.

As Zhang Yunxiu said, if we want to thoroughly criticize and discredit this group of people, we must peel off their hypocritical facade layer by layer.

Make sure they have no chance of turning things around!

After pretending to think for a moment, Emperor Wanli finally spoke through his nostrils.

"Considering that Minister Xu is a veteran official, we will let it go this time. However, if he commits any further offenses in the future, he will be severely punished!"

At this moment, Xu Xuemo, who was kneeling limply in the main hall, finally breathed a sigh of relief and said in a slightly trembling voice.

"Thank you for your grace!"

"Your Majesty is benevolent and magnanimous! We admire you greatly!"

Zhang Siwei immediately came out and said respectfully.

His arrogant attitude followed by obsequiousness was truly laughable.

After the group finished their greetings, Emperor Wanli did not tell them to stand up. Instead, he squinted and said...

"You may be spared the death penalty, but you will not escape punishment!"

His eyes suddenly turned fierce.

"Yang Keli, the Supervising Censor of Yunnan Circuit, has slandered the Emperor and disrupted the court. He shall be dragged out of the Meridian Gate and flogged twenty times!"

"Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, is ignorant of the facts and has made false accusations against an official appointed by the court. Considering his past service to the court, he shall be punished with fifteen strokes of the cane!"

Zhang Siwei's smiling face froze instantly.

Xu Xuemo remained kneeling in the hall, his body already soaked in sweat. His eyes widened even more, and he collapsed to the ground, as if all his strength had been drained away.

"His Majesty."

Before he could even finish speaking, several burly generals stepped forward and forcibly lifted him up.

Yang Keli was so frightened that he fainted.

Before Feng Bao could order the two men to be dragged out, they heard the emperor speaking through gritted teeth.

"Feng Banban, don't kill them! Minister Xu and Censor Yang are, after all, pillars of our Ming Dynasty! They are extremely loyal ministers!"

(End of this chapter)