The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Li Jinglong felt the overwhelming murderous aura emanating from Zhu Yuanzhang.

Not good.

This is very bad.

His Majesty's anger level is off the charts right now, and he could kill someone at any moment.

I need to get out of here quickly to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Your Majesty, I still have some food simmering in the pot at home. If I don't go back soon, it will burn. I'll take my leave now." He turned around and tried to leave.

"stop!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Kneel down over there!"

Li Jinglong wanted to try again, but after seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous glare, he wisely shut his mouth.

So be it.

His gaze swept over the kneeling officials, finally settling on the last seat in the far corner.

That location is good; it's far from His Majesty but close to the main gate. In case His Majesty goes crazy, it'll be easy for him to run away.

He crouched down and walked towards the back row. He had only taken a few steps when a hand reached out from the side and grabbed his wrist.

"Jiujiang," Ma Sandao said with a righteous expression, "Kneel behind me, and I'll protect you."

Li Jinglong gritted his teeth.

"Screw you! His Majesty will chop off your head later, and I'll be covered in blood."

"Let go!"

"I won't let go."

Li Jinglong dared not linger and could only kneel behind him.

Fortunately, Ma Sandao was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist. When he knelt there, he was like a wall.

Li Jinglong was hiding behind him, completely blocked from view.

"Has there ever been such an audacious person throughout history? How dare a man from outside the palace go to the inner palace and seek out our concubines? Who gave you the courage!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared.

Li Jinglong, hiding behind Ma Sandao, whispered, "It's Fish Leong."

The other ministers had varying expressions.

Some people secretly peeked up to watch the commotion, while others looked serious.

Hu Mei and her son Hu Fei knelt together, their mental state completely broken.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty!" Hu Fei's face was covered in snot and tears. "I was confused for a moment. I was drunk. I don't know anything."

He suddenly remembered something and abruptly raised his head.

"Your Majesty, I possess an ironclad certificate of immunity from death. Please spare my life."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered angrily: "An iron certificate of immunity from death, yet another iron certificate of immunity from death."

"Do you all think that having this in your hands means you have three or four heads on your necks? That you can commit a capital crime and still escape death?"

The courtiers fell silent, as if trembling with fear.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ma Sandao said earnestly. "When you granted me the iron certificate, that's what you said: except for treason, all other crimes would be exempt from death."

Li Jinglong knelt behind Ma Sandao, his hair standing on end.

I only dare to secretly pick up on jokes, and you dare to say something like that? You're really brave.

He reached out and pinched Ma Sandao hard on the back.

Ma Sandao grimaced in pain and almost jumped up.

"Hurry up!" Li Jinglong whispered, "Hand over the death-exemption certificate now, immediately!"

Ma Sandao finally figured it out.

He pulled the iron certificate of immunity from death from his sleeve and held it high above his head with both hands.

"Your Majesty, I have made a mistake, and it is all because of this iron certificate of immunity from death."

"When I first received this iron certificate, I was overjoyed, for it was bestowed upon me personally by His Majesty."

"Then I thought about it. Your Majesty said that except for treason, all other capital offenses can be pardoned, so what do I have to fear?"

"Later on, I became even bolder. I dared to accept money when others offered it to me. I dared to do favors when others asked me to. What was there to be afraid of? I had an iron certificate of immunity from death, so I wouldn't die even if something happened."

Ma Sandao looked extremely regretful as he said this.

"Only now do I realize that this iron certificate is not a talisman, but a death warrant. It has emboldened me, corrupted my sense of propriety, and transformed me from an honest and dutiful warrior into a scoundrel who dares to deceive Your Majesty."

He suddenly raised his head and shouted:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to voluntarily hand over the iron certificate of immunity from death. Whoever takes this certificate is doing so with malicious intent and ulterior motives!"

Li Jinglong, who was kneeling behind him, almost knocked his head to the ground.

Old Ma, you've set everyone on fire!

The nobles knelt down, their faces respectful, but in their hearts they cursed Ma Sandao's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze swept over them, and he said in a deep voice:

"Ma Sandao is right."

"When we granted you the ironclad immunity from death, it was out of consideration for the old brothers who fought alongside us to build this empire, to give you honor, not because we had the power to embezzle and break the law."

"We never imagined this thing would turn out like this."

"A foreign man dares to run into my harem just because he has an iron certificate of immunity from death."

"With an ironclad guarantee of immunity from death, one can kill without consequence. With an ironclad guarantee of immunity from death, one can embezzle money without fear of investigation. What wouldn't one dare to do?"

The ministers all bowed their heads, not daring to breathe.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze fell on Li Shanchang.

Is this old fox trying to play dumb forever?

"Excellent," he said, naming her directly. "What do you think?"

Li Shanchang slowly raised his head.

He knew he couldn't avoid this hurdle, and he understood even more clearly what the emperor wanted.

"Your Majesty is right." He cupped his hands in greeting. "I am also willing to voluntarily hand over my imperial pardon."

Duke Tang He of Xinguo stood to the side, cupped his hands and bowed: "Your subject is also willing to voluntarily hand over the iron certificate of immunity from death."

With both dukes having expressed their opinions, the remaining marquis had no choice but to take the initiative to do so.

"I am also willing to voluntarily hand over the iron certificate of immunity from death."

"I am also willing to voluntarily hand over the iron certificate of immunity from death."

"I am also willing to voluntarily hand over the iron certificate of immunity from death."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "Alright, the day after tomorrow, we will light the large bronze incense burner for worshipping Heaven at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. We will be waiting for you there."

"We welcome anyone who voluntarily returns their immunity certificate. We won't force anyone who doesn't want to."

The officials bowed down, saying, "We obey the decree!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Hu Mei and his son: "As for you two, let the Ministry of Justice determine your crimes. Sentence you according to the law."

He waved.

Immediately, Imperial Guards stepped forward and dragged Hu Mei and his son away.

Everyone turned to look at Ma Sandao.

"Ma Sandao," Zhu Yuanzhang said, looking at him. "Yesterday, you voluntarily went to the Qianqing Palace to apologize and returned the three thousand taels of stolen silver. To err is human, to forgive divine."

"You are guilty of embezzling silver. But since you have voluntarily confessed, returned the stolen silver, and handed over the pardon certificate, your merits and demerits cancel each other out, so we will not punish you severely."

"You are demoted to earl and deducted one year's salary."

Ma Sandao kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

So what if he's demoted? As long as he doesn't go to jail or get his head chopped off, he can go home and live with Xiao Cui. Anything is fine.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Alright, get up, all of you."

The ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

"This examination hall needs to be renovated. Let's discuss how to do it," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Shanchang, you will oversee the renovation of the examination hall."

Li Shanchang bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

After giving his instructions, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced around the crowd.

"What about Jiujiang?" he asked Zhu Biao beside him in a low voice.

Zhu Biao lowered his head slightly: "Father, he just told me that he was cooking at home and had left first."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted irritably: "He really knows how to do things so well, leaving without a trace and concealing his merits and fame."