407: Court battles

Although the Great Ming had established the position of State Preceptor, it was different from the previous position of Chancellor, which held absolute power. The State Preceptor was primarily there to offer counsel and lacked actual authority. Replacing the Chancellor's power was the newly established Cabinet system, composed of six Grand Secretaries. This change helped avoid having a single Chancellor hold absolute power; by dividing power among six people who checked and balanced each other, it actually made it easier for the Emperor to maintain control. This was one of the main reasons why Zhu Zhenxiang could spend long periods playing the carpenter and not attend court, yet still maintain control over the imperial court.

His social anxiety made his unprecedented appearance before the officials today naturally due to an unavoidable reason: Prince Ding had caused a massive disaster. Due to his unauthorized absence from his post, the key city of the Northern Defense Line, Dingyuan City, had been raided by unknown powerful figures, suffering heavy losses!

What was even more speechless was that a whole day had passed, and yet they still hadn't figured out who the attackers were. Because those people were all dressed in black, wearing masks, and their strikes were ruthless and simple, they had not revealed their specific Cultivation Technique. With almost no clues left behind, they had slaughtered over a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians in Dingyuan City and looted a vast amount of wealth from the treasure vault!

By the time Prince Ding arrived from the south, they had long since retreated, leaving behind only the tragic state of the city...

This scene played continuously in the court. The footage was somewhat chaotic, clearly edited from various collected clues, with some parts filmed later during the scene cleanup. It was not of much use for the pursuit operation. The officials stared intently at the screen, trying to discern some clues. Their faces were grim, their heartbeats accelerated, and their breathing was heavy. Of course, what thoughts were turning in their minds would be hard for outsiders to know...

For these high-ranking individuals, losing some wealth and the death of over a hundred thousand people might seem like a lot, but in reality, it was nothing. The problem lay only in the impact of this incident. They only needed to identify the attackers, then capture and execute them to provide an explanation to the public. By then, the masses would still bow down and worship the people in the court, praising them endlessly!

However, for some among them, this matter involved the imperial princes' struggle for succession. Prince Ding's mistake gave them a pretext for attack. It could be said that this single event was enough to nail Prince Ding to the pillar of shame, making it very difficult for him to recover. Therefore, the officials belonging to Prince Ding's faction in the court were all ashen-faced, secretly discussing how to turn things around for him. For those who had already chosen a side, after Prince Ding had taken such a massive dump, they would definitely need to wipe his ass. If they couldn't wipe it clean, it meant they would be finished as well, because in the eyes of the other factions, they were equally targets to be attacked!

Zhu Zhenxiang's face was as calm as water, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking deep down. He gave a light cough and said slowly, "Do any of you ministers have any opinions on this?"

The vast majority of people below were shocked to hear this, as they hadn't heard the Emperor's voice for many years. Hearing it now gave them a somewhat unfamiliar feeling...

Although the Emperor addressed all the officials, there were naturally unspoken rules in the court. Even if you had a conclusion in your mind, you could not speak casually, otherwise, you would break the rules here.

And as for these rules, generally speaking, one speaks from high to low. This hierarchy relies on seniority, power, and strength. Everyone must carefully weigh their own importance before choosing the order in which to speak. If one speaks impulsively, the consequences could be extremely severe...

After a short while, Tang Zhenyuan stepped forward, bowed, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this Old Minister believes that the top priority is to restore order in Dingyuan City as soon as possible, provide relief to the families of the deceased soldiers and civilians, and increase the dispatch of troops and supplies to prevent the enemy from attacking again!"

Zhu Zhenxiang looked at him and, after a short while, said, "Granted!!!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tang Zhenyuan retreated to his original position.

At this time, Prince Rui stepped forward and said, "Father Emperor, this son has a proposal!"

"Speak!"

"Fifth Brother not only abandoned his post this time, but Dingyuan City, as a key stronghold of the Northern Defense Line, had its defenses improperly arranged, making it unable to cope with the raid by a group of powerful figures, which chilled the hearts of the soldiers and civilians. This son requests that Father Emperor revoke his position as City Lord and have him reflect on his mistakes!"

As Prince Rui's voice fell, the hearts of everyone in the hall immediately surged with monstrous waves. It's here, it's here; this is the cruelty of the struggle for succession. Even if one commits only a small mistake, it will be seized upon tightly to beat them to death. Those from Prince Ding's faction were all sweating profusely, their minds racing, but their eyes were all looking at the person at the front of the martial officials' row. This person was the Master of the Wuying Hall and one of the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, Fu Changqing!

He was expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking...

"Do any of you ministers have any objections?" Zhu Zhenxiang asked.

"This minister seconds the motion!"

"This minister seconds the motion!!"

"This minister also seconds the motion!!!"

At this moment, people kept standing up to echo Prince Rui's proposal...

Just as those of Prince Ding's faction were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, Fu Changqing stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this minister has something to say!"

"Speak!"

"According to my understanding, Fifth Highness left Dingyuan City to go to the Xuanji Tower in Yingtian Prefecture. Recently, news of cultivation to immortality has been constantly coming from the Xuanji Tower, attracting countless people to flock to the Xuanji Tower in search of immortal opportunities. Fifth Highness was invited by the Master of Xuanji Tower and thus left his post without authorization. Fifth Highness is indeed at great fault in this matter and should be punished. However, the Northern Defense Line is currently facing heavy crises. Although the War Bear Country's army that invaded Zhenyuan City has temporarily retreated, they still have a large army in the northwest, eyeing it covetously. There is also the possibility of the Sea Race from the deep northern seas attacking at any time. Fifth Highness has guarded the northwest Dingyuan City for many years, is familiar with the local situation, and has never made any major mistakes. This raid was truly an accident. In view of this, I propose that Fifth Highness be allowed to identify the attackers as soon as possible, bring them to justice, recover the losses, and atone for his crimes with merit!" Fu Changqing said loudly.

"This minister seconds the motion!"

"This minister seconds the motion!!"

"This minister also seconds the motion!!!"

Before the Emperor could speak, many people immediately stepped out to echo the sentiment. Undercurrents surged in the court, and the edge of blades seemed to shimmer within the exchange of words...

After a while, Zhu Zhenxiang spoke, "Prince Ding is to be recorded with one major demerit! He is ordered to capture the thieves and atone for his crimes with merit!"

"His Majesty is wise!!!" all the officials shouted in unison.

"Dismissed!"

"Understood!!!"

The officials gradually withdrew from the court. The officials from the factions of the powerful princes, such as Prince Rui, Prince Lu, and Prince Gong, looked at the direction where Prince Ding's faction was retreating, their faces full of gloom. They never expected that Prince Ding's faction would escape today. Where exactly did the problem arise?

Supposedly, all parties had already united to put pressure on the Emperor, and the chances of success were extremely high. Why did the Emperor still protect Prince Ding in the end?

This question was worth their deep consideration because no matter how powerful Fu Changqing was, he could not withstand the pressure of the other Cabinet Grand Secretaries. In the end, only the Emperor could make the final decision to protect Prince Ding. Therefore, the three princes exchanged glances and tacitly headed in the same direction...