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

Chapter 135 The imperial court is in complete chaos!
"Is the minister guilty?"

Emperor Wanli was startled.

What is Zhang Shiyuan up to now?
The officials and civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Given Zhang Yunxiu's personality, even without any reason to refute him, he should have argued and made trouble for a while. How could he just admit defeat like that?
At the front of the steps, Grand Secretary Shen Shixing stood stiff as a wooden statue, his knuckles white as he gripped the ivory tablet, looking at Zhang Yunxiu with an incredulous gaze.

Is this kid messing with me again?!

Shen Shixing had finally made up his mind to fight the Qingliu faction openly and honestly, but Zhang Yunxiu behaved like this?

However, staring at Zhang Yunxiu's confident demeanor, he suddenly had a sudden realization.

That kid's up to his old tricks again!
Emperor Wanli's face grew increasingly grim, even showing signs of anger, as he stared intently at Zhang Yunxiu and spoke.

"What are you guilty of?"

Zhang Yunxiu stood below the steps, looked up at the Wanli Emperor, and wore an expression of utter grief.

"His Majesty has placed great trust in me, entrusting all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy to my care. I should have carefully instructed them to ensure their success, but unexpectedly, some have gone astray. It is truly tragic and painful!"

For a moment, all the ministers in the court assembly fell silent, looking at Zhang Yunxiu as if he were a fool.

After all that fuss, all you've got is this?
Xu Xuemo pointed at Zhang Yunxiu and angrily shouted, "Zhang Shiyuan! How dare you treat the imperial court like this! Don't try to change the subject. Did you collude with the White Lotus Rebels or not?!"

He felt that Zhang Yunxiu had run out of options, which is why he openly acted like a rogue at the court meeting.

But Zhang Yunxiu ignored it.

He said this with great emotion.

“Every imperial physician in the Imperial Medical Academy is a talent of our Great Ming Dynasty. They are often from families that have practiced medicine for generations, received early family instruction, and are well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine classics.”

Although he did not achieve official rank, his medical skills, knowledge, and cultivation were no less than those of Jinshi and Juren.
Your Majesty has entrusted them to your humble servant; how could I dare to be the slightest bit disrespectful?
We should regard it as a piece of jade from Kunshan or a bright pearl from Sui Hou, and live in constant fear, lest the pearl be tarnished or the jade be flawed.
I will impart to them the essence of 'modern medicine' and teach them how to better treat patients.

The imperial physicians were also very diligent. Without my scolding or beating, they all studied hard, burning the midnight oil to research medical principles. Some spent their days and nights analyzing difficult cases, while others devoted themselves to writing effective prescriptions.
I naturally trust and cherish them.

The way Zhang Yunxiu beat his chest and stamped his feet made it seem as if he truly had a very deep teacher-student relationship with the imperial physicians.

"Zhang Shiyuan! Stop spouting your high-sounding rhetoric!"

Seeing the other person's attitude, Xu Xuemo was furious. What was most infuriating was that the boy spoke in a very literary style, using the words that Confucian scholars and officials often used.

Using the language of scholar-officials to commit his rogue and scoundrel acts is truly hateful.

He stomped his foot and shouted angrily.

"Your so-called 'modern medicine' is nothing but a patchwork of Western sorcery and White Lotus heresy. What exactly is your relationship with those White Lotus cultists? Speak the truth, and stop dodging the issue!"

But Zhang Yunxiu simply ignored his moves and kept attacking Wang Yingyuan.

“Wang Yingyuan, have I been disrespectful to you in any way? Have you kept any of the medical books you have learned to yourself? In just over a month, how many people in the capital have your Renmin Third Medical Clinic saved? How many patients have been given a new lease on life through your medical skills? After those people regained their health, were the smiles on their faces fake?”

These court officials, manipulating power, can disregard the facts. And you, as a physician trained in traditional Chinese medicine, are you also going to blatantly lie about whether modern medicine has any connection to the White Lotus Rebellion?

"Zhang Shiyuan!" Xu Xuemo clearly identified with him. "Who are you calling abusing power? Don't make baseless accusations!"

During the court assembly, the other officials looked at each other, all feeling as if they had been caught in the crossfire.

Wang Yingyuan didn't dare to meet Zhang Yunxiu's eyes at all, and just kept his head down and remained silent, trying to block out all of Zhang Yunxiu's words.

“Zhang Tongzhi, are you still going to be so quick to argue? The evidence is right here. What do you have to say? If you can tell the truth, there is still room for negotiation.”

Zhang Siwei smiled as he looked at Zhang Yunxiu. He thought Zhang Yunxiu was like a childish child who couldn't win an argument and resorted to shamelessness.

Seeing that Wang Yingyuan was unmoved by reason, Zhang Yunxiu was not frustrated. He was just trying his luck.

"Evidence? This is evidence? It's utterly ridiculous!"

Zhang Yunxiu responded to Zhang Siwei's words, but then turned his attention to Wang Yingyuan.

"Physician Wang keeps saying that I colluded with the White Lotus Sect and spread its doctrines, but what have I bewitched? And what have you learned?"

Wang Yingyuan was furious. Why did you, Zhang Shiyuan, not deal with Grand Secretary Zhang and Minister Xu, but instead attack me?

Unable to feign death, he instinctively replied.

"It's nothing more than talk about the birth of Maitreya, the Buddha, from the void homeland, without birth parents."

Zhang Yunxiu pressed on relentlessly: "This is a slogan, not a philosophy. Imperial Physician Wang's interpretation is far-fetched. Tell me what the White Lotus Sect's doctrine is. If you don't even understand the White Lotus Sect's doctrine, how can you claim that 'modern medicine' originated from the White Lotus Sect?"

He narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Or is this just a pretext someone else gave you?"

Zhang Yunxiu was certain that in just a few days, it would be difficult for this group of people to make thorough preparations to frame him.

While the other party might be able to answer fluently in some court audiences, they would likely be at a loss when it came to other matters.

The Qingliu's offensive did indeed seem very intimidating. If Zhang Yunxiu were to be led astray and have his medical examination at the clinic, he would be utterly speechless upon discovering the various organs soaked in high-proof liquor.

But Zhang Yunxiu was not the weak Wanli Emperor; his mind contained the essence of all the keyboard warriors' online arguments over the past few decades on the Chinese internet!
Not only that, he has also gone through fire and water, simultaneously engaging in online battles on six different social media platforms. He is a tough guy with an iron will, forged from the cesspool of the internet!

He's been involved in the same arguments that the "pure" faction has had!
He's argued with all the arguments that the "pure" faction never did!

As expected, under Zhang Yunxiu's repeated questioning, Wang Yingyuan's mind went blank.

"It's nothing more than praying for Maitreya Buddha to descend to earth."

He stammered, as if he had never prepared to answer these questions.

But Zhang Yunxiu was clearly unwilling to let him go, and pressed him further with his questions.

What are unborn parents?

"Perhaps."

What exactly does the birth of Maitreya signify?

"To be born is to be born into the world."

What does the birth of a Bright King signify?

"I...I don't know what these questions have to do with the case!"

Wang Yingyuan also went a bit crazy, and he shouted loudly with his neck stiff.

He said that, but he was actually in a panic.

He was, after all, a royal physician; he had never seen anything like this before.

Zhang Yunxiu said with a sneer, "You say I forced you to study the White Lotus Sect's doctrines, why are you stammering here? Since you say I taught the White Lotus Sect's doctrines, how can you judge something when you don't even know what the White Lotus Sect's doctrines are?"
Or is it that the person behind Imperial Physician Wang simply didn't tell you these things?

"I don't!!"

Wang Yingyuan took two steps back, completely dumbfounded by the question. He couldn't help but want to escape, leaning back, but the other party remained aggressive.

Zhang Yunxiu raised his voice and questioned again.

"You have nothing? Is it that you have no one backing you? Or that you haven't studied the White Lotus Sect's doctrines?!"

"None of them!!!"

With a thud, Wang Yingyuan covered his ears and fell heavily onto the paving stones in front of the Danchi.

Before he could even feel the pain, he sensed something was wrong and shook his head repeatedly.

"No it's not"

Some parts of his statement were incoherent and disjointed.

"That's it?" Zhang Yunxiu scoffed. "What exactly is Wang Yingyuan trying to say?"

Didn't I teach you to grasp the main contradiction when encountering a problem? Have you forgotten?!

"Master...I..." Wang Yingyuan blurted out "Master" without thinking.

For a moment, most of the civil and military officials in the court frowned.

Wang Yingyuan's disgraceful behavior was truly too glaring.

This person's speech is incoherent and lacks conviction. Can such a person's testimony be convincing?
Seeing Zhang Yunxiu's aggressive demeanor.

Xu Xuemo immediately jumped out and said.

“Zhang Yunxiu, don’t go too far. Modern medicine is derived from the teachings of the White Lotus Sect. Otherwise, how could there be so many similarities between them!”
Your so-called modern medicine has never been found in Buddhist scriptures. If it's not based on the teachings of the White Lotus Sect, then where does it come from?

This argument has a similar flavor to the "literary inquisition" of the Qing Dynasty.

Why are you able to stand out from the crowd? You can't just appear out of thin air, can you?
There has to be some basis for it.
Now, looking around, the only thing that matches is the White Lotus Sect and Western sorcery. Do you dare to say that you haven't colluded with the White Lotus Sect bandits?
This is the traditional thinking of the "pure stream" (a group of people who uphold integrity and integrity), but Zhang Yunxiu's thinking is not so traditional.

He squinted, looked at the other person with the gaze one would give an idiot, and said, word by word.

"A frog in a well, confined to its small enclosure, can never know the vastness of the ocean."

These words ignited a fire within Xu Xuemo, rising from the depths of his heart to his very face.

How could he not understand Zhang Yunxiu's meaning?

This kid is using the proverb "A frog in a well cannot be told about the sea" from Zhuangzi's Autumn Floods to criticize himself!

The intention was to point out that he was short-sighted and therefore unaware of the origins of modern medicine.

If a soldier heard this, he would have no reaction whatsoever, but for a cultured person like Xu Xuemo, it was undoubtedly a devastating blow.

"Zhang Shiyuan!" Xu Xuemo glared, his beard bristling, his lower back slightly arched as if in pain, looking fierce and menacing.

Do you really think no one can get rid of you?

Zhang Yunxiu, however, said leisurely, "Minister Xu keeps saying that modern medicine is similar to the doctrines of the White Lotus Sect."

Then I'll ask Minister Xu, you have a nose and eyes, and so does a pig. Does that mean Minister Xu was born from a pig?

"Pfft!"

Upon hearing this, the Wanli Emperor, sitting on the throne, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

No wonder he lacked the composure of an emperor.

Although they often quarreled in the court, they always managed to maintain a semblance of decorum.

Unlike Zhang Yunxiu, whose unconventional thinking in arguing with others always yields brilliant and insightful remarks.

Of course, this brilliant remark refers to the aspect of subtly insulting someone.

Seeing the upright officials humiliated, Emperor Wanli felt very pleased and leaned back in his chair.

But he still had to maintain the dignity of an emperor, so he sat up straight, coughed twice, and said...

"Um, Minister Xu, please don't get too excited. Both of you have made valid points. Please continue!"

That's damn insightful!
The officials looked puzzled. How had the court become like this since Zhang Shiyuan rose to power?
But one person was truly "injured".

Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, did not pay much attention to "rites".

He flew into a rage, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws like a street urchin turned mad, shouting something under his breath.

"You scoundrel! You have humiliated me time and time again! I will strangle you! Don't stop me! I'm going to strangle this beast!"

Then he started spewing vulgarities from Suzhou Prefecture.

Fortunately, many officials around him stopped him; otherwise, if Minister Xu had started a fight, he might have been beaten to death by Zhang Yunxiu.

Ignoring Zhang Yunxiu, Minister Xu, who was already unable to communicate normally, looked at Wang Yingyuan and spoke.

"Are you still going to be misled? I have read every single one of your academic papers from when you were in the clinic, and I still have all the notes you took while practicing medicine there."

If I were to send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, do you think they could find even a trace of the White Lotus Sect's doctrines?
Should we have all the dozens of imperial physicians in this clinic confront you?

"I don't!"

Wang Yingyuan's eyes were bloodshot, and he kept shaking his head, trying to avoid Zhang Yunxiu's questioning.

But Zhang Yunxiu stepped forward and slapped him twice, saying...

“Wang Yingyuan! Are you still confused? There is a copy of the White Lotus Sect’s scriptures in the Imperial Guard’s files! Go and take a look. Do you think modern medicine really has any similarities to it?”

"Were all the principles you learned and the people you saved in the past false?"

Zhang Yunxiu glared at him and said, "You lied before the Emperor, which is a crime of deceiving the Emperor. Do you want your entire family executed?"

After only a moment of stunned silence, Wang Yingyuan's face turned deathly pale. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to the Wanli Emperor.

"Your Majesty! I did not deceive you! I dare not deceive you! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I will never dare to do it again."

His forehead slammed against the ground with loud thuds, and soon the floor tiles in front of him were stained with blood, his forehead becoming a bloody mess.

If it weren't for several eunuchs stepping forward to stop him, Wang Yingyuan might have actually kowtowed to death in front of the emperor.

Seeing Wang Yingyuan's frenzied state, Emperor Wanli's eyes widened. Had another one gone mad?

This was the first time he had ever seen someone drive someone mad with just words.

But Zhang Yunxiu had an arrogant expression on his face. He patted his sleeves, cleared his throat, and acted as if nothing had happened.

It makes you want to beat him up for no reason.

Seeing the Wanli Emperor's blank expression, Zhang Yunxiu stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, do you see now who is right and who is wrong?"

The emperor was speechless for a moment.

It is indeed clear, but both ministers have talked you crazy, how could you not understand?

He tried his best to keep a composed expression and maintain a dignified image. He turned to look at Zhang Siwei and said in a deep voice.

"Mr. Ziwei, do you have anything else to say?"

Wanli knew that this man would not give up easily, so he might as well let him talk beforehand.

Zhang Siwei met the emperor's scrutinizing gaze and felt a hidden mockery, as if the emperor were saying, "Old man, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

He was also overcome with rage and immediately stepped forward to speak.

"Your Majesty, I have further irrefutable evidence to present!"

Is there any backup plan?

Although he had expected this, Emperor Wanli was still somewhat uneasy and said...

"Then bring it here for us to see."

Zhang Siwei glanced at the dying Xu Xuemo, then at the trembling Wang Yingyuan, and then at the powerless Yang Sizhi in the ranks. He suddenly felt a sense of loneliness.
Zhang Yunxiu hadn't even made a move yet, but with just his words, he managed to take down two of his "generals".
It's a shame this kid isn't an imperial censor!
However, Zhang Siwei's repeated provocations must have been backed by something.

Now that things have come to this, he is already being manipulated by the group of people behind him, and he has no way out.

The only way is to burn our bridges!

His eyes immediately flashed with ruthlessness as he raised the ivory token and spoke.

"Your subject requests to submit a petition to the people!"

(End of this chapter)