Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 73: Impeached by the entire court, stripped of his post and reduced to commoner status (Request for subscription)

After the imperial envoy was "invited" to rest, the oppressive atmosphere in the hall eased slightly, but everyone's hearts remained heavy.

Wang Xing strode up to Chen Ye, lowered his voice, and his eyes were filled with undisguised killing intent.

"Your Highness, that damned emperor clearly wants to kill you, so what are we waiting for? Let's rebel now! This humble general is willing to be the vanguard and raze the capital to the ground for you!"

Upon hearing this, the generals in the hall echoed his sentiments, each filled with righteous indignation.

"The general seconded the proposal!"

"Please give the order, Your Highness!"

Over the past five years, they have followed Chen Ye through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and have long regarded Chen Ye as their only pillar of support. The Emperor of Dayong is nothing but a fart in their eyes.

Chen Ye waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said calmly, "The time is not yet right."

Wang Xing was taken aback, then hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the knife is already at your throat, what are you waiting for?"

"He's testing me, which means he's getting a little impatient. But it's not enough yet; the fish is only tentatively touching the bait and hasn't actually taken the bait."

Chen Ye did not want to hastily raise an army and bear the infamy of being a traitor.

What he wanted was legitimacy and the support of the people.

He wanted the new emperor to personally deliver the reasons for raising an army to him.

Two days later, the imperial envoy, who had been served the finest food and wine but had ended up losing a lot of weight from the fright, was finally escorted out of the city.

Accompanying him was a heartfelt memorial from Chen Ye, as well as large boxes filled with silver coins, totaling two hundred thousand taels, ostensibly as birthday gifts for the Empress Dowager.

In his memorial, Chen Ye stated that as a high-ranking official on the frontier, he bore heavy responsibilities, and with barbarians surrounding him, he dared not abandon his post for fear of failing the late emperor's trust and the new emperor's confidence.

Therefore, he earnestly requested the emperor to understand his predicament and allow him to continue guarding Daliang and defending the border for the country.

His words are filled with loyalty.

……

Dayong Kyoto, Zichen Hall.

Cao Xun looked at Chen Ye's memorial and then at the list of gifts presented below. A flash of anger crossed his face, which then turned into an almost imperceptible look of ecstasy.

Not coming?

It was right not to come!
He was waiting for Chen Ye not to come!
"What a pillar of the nation! What a defender of the borders!" Cao Xun slammed the memorial down on the imperial desk, his voice icy.

The censors below exchanged glances, all showing signs of excitement.

Their noses were so sharp that they naturally sensed an opportunity for Jane to win the Emperor's favor.

Therefore, just two days later, a memorial personally presented by the Imperial Censor appeared on Cao Xun's desk.

The memorial listed dozens of Chen Ye's major crimes.

From his wielding military power and harboring treacherous intentions, to his arbitrary killing of imperial officials and embezzlement of tax revenue, to his competing with the people for profit and his extravagant lifestyle... each and every one of these acts was enough to warrant the execution of his entire family.

After reading the memorial, Cao Xun did not express any opinion, but simply kept it in the archives without issuing a reply or rejection.

But this attitude sent a very clear signal to these officials.

As a result, the powerful and wealthy families who had long coveted the prosperous land of Daliang swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.

In a short time, memorials impeaching Chen Ye were submitted in droves.

In just over ten days, Chen Ye transformed from a pillar of the nation into a treacherous minister who brought disaster to the country and the people and committed heinous crimes.

The court was filled with the deafening cries of battle.

Faced with the indignant court officials, Cao Xun appeared troubled, showing concern for the past relationship between the emperor and his subjects, sighing and hesitating to make a decision.

It wasn't until half a month later that he reluctantly issued the imperial edict.

In the imperial edict, Cao Xun first denounced Chen Ye's various misdeeds, then changed the subject, considering his past merits, and decided to grant him leniency, only stripping him of his title of Marquis of Zhenxi and all his military official positions, ordering him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors.

At the same time, a new military governor was dispatched to Luoyang to take over the duties. As soon as the news came out, the entire former territory of Daliang was in an uproar.

"Why? Why are you stripping our prince of his official rank?"

"This land and these cattle were all given to us by the prince. Without the prince, how could we survive?"

"That damned emperor is just jealous of our prince!"

The common people didn't understand the power struggles in the imperial court. They only knew that since the arrival of Prince Liang, they had been able to live a peaceful life with enough to eat and wear, and with land to cultivate.

Now that someone wants to harm their Prince Liang, this is worse than killing them.

For a time, the crowd was furious.

With some people secretly stirring things up, various rumors unfavorable to the new emperor quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys.

The army was in turmoil, with all the soldiers unable to accept the imperial edict. Wang Xing and others rushed into the palace several times, pleading with Chen Ye to raise an army immediately, but Chen Ye turned them away each time.

Chen Ye himself has remained secluded since the imperial edict arrived, refusing all visitors, as if he were truly reflecting on his actions behind closed doors.

This only fueled the rumors circulating outside.

"Have you heard? The emperor is going to take it one step at a time. First, he stripped the officials of their titles, and next he'll take our prince's life!"

"We can't just stand by and watch!"

It's unclear who started it, but more and more people spontaneously gathered in front of the governor's mansion and stood silently.

They didn't make a fuss or cause trouble; they simply expressed their attitude in the most silent way.

The autumn rains are incessant, and the air is bitterly cold.

The rain soaked people's clothes, but the crowd in front of the government gate grew larger and larger, forming a dense, dark mass, with no one willing to leave.

Just then, the gates of the mansion slowly opened.

Chen Ye came out.

He was now only wearing a light blue casual outfit. He was still tall, but his face looked a little haggard, and even his temples were streaked with frost.

He stood in the rain, looking at the tens of thousands of people before him, a hint of emotion in his eyes.

"Fellow villagers, hurry back home." His voice was a little hoarse. "It's getting cold. What if you get sick from getting wet?"

His words only fueled a wave of suppressed sobs from the crowd.

An elderly man with white hair knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Highness! You can't leave! How will we live if you leave!"

"Your Highness, we won't let you leave!"

"Your Majesty!"

Shouts rose and fell, and countless people knelt in the mud and water, crying and pleading for them to stay.

Chen Ye's eyes reddened, and tears mixed with raindrops slid down his cheeks.

He bowed deeply to the crowd.

"I, Chen, have failed to live up to your expectations..."

Just then, in this gloomy and sorrowful moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, breaking the silence of the rain.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way, everyone!"

"The imperial envoy is here. All unauthorized persons shall immediately make way!"

Then a group of cavalrymen dressed in the uniforms of the Dayong soldiers barbarically broke through the crowd, escorting a luxurious carriage straight to the gate of the mansion.

Then the carriage curtain was lifted, and a young man with a fair complexion and an arrogant expression, dressed in an embroidered official robe, appeared before everyone.

(End of this chapter)