Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 130 Let's stir things up! Let's stir things up! Let's all stir things up! [Bonus chapter 1 for Alliance Leader S]

After many days, Zhu Yuanzhang finally presided over the court assembly.

But unlike before, the atmosphere at today's court meeting was very strange.

Old Zhu, sitting on the dragon throne, had a gloomy face, as if he might erupt in a thunderous rage at any moment.

Although Zhang Biao was not present, his shadow loomed over the entire Fengtian Hall.

Sure enough, before they could even discuss the important matters, several censors eagerly stepped forward, holding their tablets and speaking with great enthusiasm, but their objectives had subtly changed.

"Your Majesty! I wish to impeach Shen Lang, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate!"

A censor said in a shrill voice:
"Yesterday outside Chengtian Gate, a rioter stormed the palace. Not only was Shen Lang unable to effectively stop it, but he also got entangled with the rioter and exchanged ambiguous words!"

"I suspect that he has been in cahoots with the mob for some time, and that his pretense of persuasion is actually an attempt to incite unrest and win over the people. His actions are suspicious and his intentions are despicable!"

Wow!
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Before Shen Lang and the others could even offer a defense...

Another official from the Hanlin Academy immediately followed up:

"Your Majesty! Li Mo, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, has overstepped his authority by privately recording the distribution of military equipment and supplies. This is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue! What is his intention? Is he trying to use this to support his own people and plot treason? I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

"And there's Sun Gui, the Assistant Minister of War; Wu Naida, the Principal Clerk of the Ministry of Personnel; and Zhao Fengman, the Censor of the Censorate..."

Another censor stepped forward, fabricating all sorts of charges, from frivolous behavior and lack of official decorum to associating with military men and having ulterior motives—basically, they fabricated charges based on the severity of the offense.

Although most of the claims were far-fetched, their sheer number and power made it seem as if these five individuals were heinous criminals who formed cliques for personal gain.

Soon, the spittle of the purists almost drowned out Shen Lang and his four companions standing at the end of the court assembly.

Shen Lang's face was pale, and his palms were sweaty. He could feel the malicious gazes coming from all directions, but he gritted his teeth and did not back down.

Li Mo frowned, quickly thinking of a solution.

Sun Gui's cheeks puffed up with anger, but he could only suppress his rage.

Wu Naida's eyes flickered as he quickly analyzed the power distribution behind the impeachment.

Zhao Fengman subconsciously straightened his back, ready to step forward and refute at any moment.

On the dragon throne, Old Zhu listened expressionlessly, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest; no one could guess what he was thinking.

He didn't immediately lash out, nor did he allow Shen Lang and the others to defend themselves. He simply glanced coldly at the impeachers kneeling on the ground, and then at Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, and the others standing behind him, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

"enough."

Old Zhu finally spoke, his voice not loud, but instantly silencing all the noise: "What kind of behavior is this, all this commotion!"

He did not directly comment on the content of the impeachment, but instead turned his attention to Zhai Shan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel: "Vice Minister Zhai."

"The minister is here."

Zhai Shan immediately stepped forward and bowed in response.

"The evaluation of officials is the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. As the officials just mentioned, your Ministry of Personnel should verify this according to regulations. If there are any overstepping or violations, they should be dealt with according to the law without any leniency."

Old Zhu's voice was calm and even, as if he were just handling a routine official business.

"Sir, obey the order!"

Zhai Shan was secretly delighted and quickly accepted the order.

The Emperor's words are tantamount to giving us a sword of Damocles!

Has the Emperor already abandoned Zhang Biao and his associates?

As expected! The Emperor is indeed able to distinguish between what is important and what is not!

Governing the world still depends on us!
Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, and Zheng Ci exchanged a knowing glance at that moment.

The first step was a success!

After the court session ended, the Ministry of Personnel's official document was issued quickly.

It's not dismissal, but suspension from duty pending investigation.

The reasons are high-sounding:

[Due to recent impeachments, and for the sake of impartiality, I must suspend my duties pending a joint investigation by the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate before a final decision is made.]

A single document instantly stripped Shen Lang and his four associates of their official positions and power!
The news elicited mixed reactions from various parties.

Fu Youwen Group celebrated its success.

Although they couldn't kill the five people immediately, suspending them from their duties turned them into a toothless tiger, which could then be manipulated at will.

Many neutral officials sighed inwardly, realizing that Fu Youwen and his associates had begun their purge, and they became increasingly silent.

Some minor officials who had initially sympathized with Zhang Biao or had a favorable impression of Shen Lang and his group's performance yesterday were now disheartened.

When Shen Lang and his four companions received the official document from the Ministry of Personnel, they were gathered together discussing the follow-up.

The news came like a bolt from the blue.

"How...how dare they?!"

Sun Gui slammed his fist on the table, trembling with rage: "Why are we being suspended from our duties?!"

"Because they are from the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of all official positions in the country!"

Wu Naida's face was extremely grim: "Moreover, the Emperor has also given orders! An investigation must be conducted according to regulations..."

At this point, he gritted his teeth again: "What a fine 'regulation-based inspection'! This is clearly an attempt to trap us! Or, to let us perish on our own!"

"Hey!"

Li Mo sighed, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
“Being suspended from duty means we can no longer use any official resources or access files and documents. The leads we had halfway through have all gone cold.”

"Moreover, without the protection of official positions, we will have little chance to defend ourselves against whatever underhanded methods they may use next."

"Even the Emperor has abandoned us!"

Zhao Fengman said angrily, "This is driving us to a dead end!"

Shen Lang stared at the document bearing the official seal of the Ministry of Personnel, his fingers trembling slightly, his face deathly pale.

He used to fear losing his official position the most, because it meant losing his protection and being at the mercy of others. A profound fear gripped him once again.

But this time, amidst the fear, an extreme sense of resentment and anger was growing wildly.

He raised his head, looking at his four companions who were equally angry and worried, his voice trembling, yet unusually firm:
"They... were scared."

"what?"

The other four people suddenly looked at him.

"I said, Fu Youwen and his group are afraid of us."

Shen Lang repeated, his gaze gradually sharpening:

"They don't dare let Brother Biao speak, nor do they dare let us investigate any further! So, they're using these methods to trap us and kill us!"

"What does this mean?"

Shen Lang's voice gradually rose: "This shows that we're investigating in the right direction! It shows that the shit they've got under their noses is even more filthy than we imagined!"

"The more they act this way, the less we can let them succeed!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mo's eyes lit up instantly: "Brother Shen is right! He's been suspended from his post, but that just means we can't investigate him openly anymore!"

"Yup!"

Sun Gui also realized what was happening and sneered, "If we can't do it openly, we'll do it covertly! I've been in the Ministry of War for so many years, I have a few friends from all walks of life!"

"Not bad!"

Wu Naida quickly calculated:

"The Ministry of Personnel has suspended us from our posts, but some of the connections we built up before might still be useful. Besides, now that we're commoners, it's actually easier for us to do some things..."

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Fengman threw his head back and laughed, rubbing his hands together as he said:
"Perfect! Now I can focus on writing the little notes that Brother Biao taught me. Although they're not as good as impeachment memorials, I can have hundreds of copies made and scatter them all over the streets!"

Despite being in dire straits, the five were not crushed; instead, they were inspired with even stronger fighting spirit and ruthlessness.

Just like the 'high-altitude three-dimensional audit' that Zhang Biao taught them before, if there are no conditions, you have to create them; you can't make things difficult for yourself.

Once the overt channels are blocked, we turn to the underground and use every possible means!

As the saying goes, it is easy to dodge a spear but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark.

"Okay! Let's do it!"

The five of them reached out their hands together, their enthusiasm growing stronger.

……

Meanwhile, deep within the imperial prison.

Jiang Huan reappeared, but he didn't mention the turmoil in the court or the suspension of Shen Lang and the other four. He simply said to Zhang Biao with a cold face, "Zhang Biao, why haven't you submitted the document the Emperor asked you to write?"

Zhang Biao was gnawing on the braised pork ribs that Zhu Gaosui had just sent him, his mouth dripping with oil. Hearing this, he mumbled, "What's the rush? There are so many cases, don't we need to think things through properly? What if I forget someone or leave someone out of the story? I won't be able to think straight."

Jiang Huan's eyes turned cold: "Don't try anything funny! The Emperor's patience is limited!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

Zhang Biao tossed the bone at Jiang Huan's feet and looked at him coldly, saying:

"Don't forget, I'm a death row inmate. I have no obligation to work for the imperial court anymore!"

"If you're unhappy, you can kill me right now. I'd be more than happy to do so!"

"Of course, if you guys have a better attitude, I might take a few more people down with me before I die!"

"but……"

At this point, he changed the subject and said calmly:
"It's too cold in this prison; my brain's frozen, I can't write anything. Go tell Old Zhu to move me to a warmer place, give me some paper and pen, and preferably some good wine and meat!"

"Once a person has eaten and drunk their fill, their mind works quickly, and they might even remember something else..."

Jiang Huan was furious at his shameless behavior, but there was nothing he could do. He could only snort coldly, "This commander will report to the Emperor!"

After speaking, he walked away.

Zhang Biao watched his retreating figure, his smile gradually fading, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Although Jiang Huan didn't tell him about Shen Lang and the others, he had a "delivery guy" and naturally already knew.

Did Lao Zhu suspend Shen Lang and the others from their posts?

Is this a slap in the face? Or is it going with the flow?
Fu Youwen and his old foxes finally couldn't resist making a move against the younger ones?
That's fine... How can a wolf cub learn to hunt for itself if it's not forced to do something?

After all, survival of the fittest.

They can't keep going crazy with me forever.

Thinking of this, Zhang Biao lay back down on the haystack, crossed his legs, and seemed completely unconcerned about the storm outside.

But deep down, a more insane and riskier plan was slowly taking shape.

He knew that before leaving, he had to throw a big enough stone into this murky water!
The suspension of Shen Lang and his colleagues presented a perfect opportunity...

"Stir it up, stir it up, stir it all up!"

"Look at the raging fire! How many weeds, or even the people who planted them, will be burned to death!"

"Ah!"

A slight smile appeared on Zhang Biao's lips.

Li Jinglong in the opposite cell and Zhu Gaosui in the shadows trembled in fear.

Are Brother Biao and Imperial Censor Zhang about to unleash their ultimate move?!

……

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(End of this chapter)