Xie Ming

Continued from the previous article
As the saying goes, the greatest villains appear to be loyal, and the greatest falsehoods appear to be true. When Ma Shiying learned that the Hongguang Emperor intended to send troops to Xiao Jun to advance eastward, he used veiled criticism to refute Zeng Ji's words and advised him to surrender. His voice was loud and clear, and he spoke of the country, the nation, and the foundation of his ancestors.

However, it is not worth delving into the details as to how much of it was genuine and how much was feigned.

In the ensuing confrontation, Li Shichun, a figure from the Northern faction and Minister of Rites, engaged in a heated exchange of words, while the hardliners voiced their opposition.

They always point out the weaknesses of the Southern Party, and every sentence is a stab in the back.

In order to achieve the desired effect, they took advantage of the situation to undermine his moral character, which made it difficult for them to uphold the principles of a gentleman. They even brought up the matter of their family members in the lawsuit.

"you!"

"Li Erhe, you—" Provoked by his words, Ma Shiying was filled with anger and turned his head to point at him.

However, before the man could utter any retort, Li Shichun pressed his advantage, his words becoming increasingly harsh.

"What am I?"

"Humph!"

"Ah, I understand now."

"Ma Shiying, Ma Shiying, you're talking without a care in the world."

"By now, I'm afraid your entire family, your three sons, your nine wives and concubines, and all your relatives should have arrived in Hangzhou by now!"

"Your Majesty, a dozen days ago, Minister Ma, fearing the enemy and sensing something amiss, secretly moved all his family members to the south."

"Humph!"

“I dare say that Your Excellency speaks of the nation, the country, and the legacy of your ancestors.”

Behind the scenes, you're the one who runs around the most.

"Move your family wealth, wife and children to the rear as soon as possible."

"The situation is so dire that it's like a fire burning the ground, yet Your Majesty is barking and howling in front of him, pretending to emulate the Southern Song Dynasty in order to preserve his own interests."

"They distorted the facts, attempted to confuse the public, and forced the emperor to submit a surrender document."

"I bother!"

"Ha, yes, you're not afraid of surrendering."

"At worst, being a traitor and a villain only means losing one's reputation."

"In the end, if you spend money to pull some strings and say a few nice words, you might be able to keep your official position."

"But have you really thought about His Majesty's feelings?"

"If the Jurchen Tartars become increasingly greedy and intend to harm you, what will Your Majesty do then?"

"Ma Shiying, you traitorous scoundrel."

"To propose peace at this time is no different from regicide."

"If things were to go as you wish, the Ming Dynasty would truly perish here."

"You and I, along with all the officials in this hall, are sinners for all time!"

Li Shichun revealed his true intentions, daring to speak what other officials dared not.

His angry outburst struck right to the heart of the Southern Party's surrender faction, completely tearing off the mask and leaving no room for maneuver.

Seeing that the conversation had taken such a turn, Ma Shiying was driven to desperation and completely lost his temper.

"Li Erhe, you bastard, stop spouting nonsense!"

"We're discussing state affairs, don't ramble on about trivial matters!"

"The request to surrender and protect the territory is the result of the joint discussion and decision of the court and most of its officials."

"Up, we can remove the sword hanging over our heads and prepare for the future."

"At the same time, we can strive to improve people's livelihoods to the greatest extent possible, and avoid the moral means of causing suffering to the people."

"Moreover, this method was not proposed by me, Ma Shiying alone."

"I just don't understand."

"How can such earnest and heartfelt advice fail to please the Emperor?!"

"damn it!"

"It is because of people like you who do nothing but sabotage and cause trouble that the court has suffered this calamity!"

"They ignore the actual difficult situation in the southern border and keep stirring up trouble everywhere."

“I, Ma Shiying, dare to defy the world.”

"I dare to accept the infamy of future generations, all for His Majesty, for our ancestors and the nation, and for the people of the southern provinces of our Great Ming."

"To spare the common people from the ravages of war and their slaughter by iron hooves," "Even if there is infamy, I, surnamed Ma, will bear it."

"Unlike you, each of you who consider yourselves paragons of virtue, utterly useless in any task, yet each adept at finding fault!"

"Stir, stir!"

"Go ahead and make trouble!"

"If we dare to turn the entire Ming Dynasty upside down tomorrow, we'll all be doomed!"

Provoked by Li Shichun's rebellious words, Ma Shiying blurted out some reckless remarks, many of which were treasonous and disrespectful to the emperor.

This kid is so reckless and doesn't care about the consequences. In the heat of the moment, he doesn't take it seriously.

However, Qiu Weizhen, who was standing nearby, was quite astonished and furious.

In order to stop the situation from getting out of control, Chief Qiu, who was hunched over, slapped his thigh repeatedly, glared back at Ma Shiying, and immediately ordered him to shut up and shut his stinking mouth.

"shut up!"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Furious and on the verge of a fit of rage, Qiu Weizhen put on a solemn and dignified demeanor, relying on his seniority. After speaking, he seemed breathless and took several steps back. It was unclear whether he was truly so enraged that he was dizzy and had no choice but to act this way to protect himself.

Meanwhile, Gao Hongtu, the Minister of Justice who was originally behind Ma Shiying in the train, quickly stepped forward and grabbed Qiu Weizhen from behind, ensuring the old man's body was secure.

"Old Qiu!"

"What kind of situation is this, and you're still siding with them and not letting me speak up?"

Ultimately, the burdens of the provinces south of the Yangtze River are all on our shoulders.

"These troublemakers are good for nothing but causing trouble!"

"he"

Ma Shiying, stubborn and unwilling to yield to the old minister's wishes, continued to argue and refuse to back down.

Hearing that things were going to continue like this, fearing that this hothead might cause trouble, Qiu Weizhen pushed Gao Hongtu aside and stepped forward to strike.

"Stop, shut up!"

"You are presumptuous!"

However, the elderly and senile head of the pavilion stumbled and tripped.

Before he could move two steps, he was no longer able to enjoy it.

Fortunately, Ma Shiying was also quite nimble and quick-witted.

Seeing that Qiu Weizhen was about to fall to the ground, he quickly stepped forward to meet him and caught him from below.

In this way, Qiu Weizhen was out of danger.

However, this sudden farce was also observed by Emperor Hongguang, who was sitting on his couch not far away.

After all, given the current situation, he really had no other choice. He didn't have the full power to control the Southern Party, and he dared not really break off relations with them.

Ma Shiying and his ilk, with their aggressive and intimidating manner, almost pushed the situation inside the palace to the brink of collapse, and their words were extremely rude.

If Qiu Weizhen hadn't stepped in to stop him at this crucial juncture, forcing Zhu Cilang to confront him, then there might have been no chance of turning things around.

"Your Majesty!"

"This old minister is filled with trepidation."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty! Please forgive me!"

“Ma Shiying, this is the Wuying Hall. Open your dog eyes and take a good look.”

"How dare you speak such nonsense when His Majesty is here!"

"If you do it again, hmph!"

"Even if His Majesty is merciful and forgives you, I will never forgive him!"

Just as Dema and Gao were supporting him from both ends, Qiu Weizhen pretended to be wearing a slingshot and hurriedly knelt down on both knees in front of the bed, kowtowing once. He cleverly pleaded guilty on behalf of Dema Shiying.

Seeing this, Emperor Hongguang was filled with turmoil and could not hide his panic. His hands trembled as he finally got a chance to catch his breath.

"Ah, old... cough cough, Your Excellency, please get up."

"Wang Zhixin, go, go and bring a stool over so that Elder Qiu can sit down!"

Zhu Cilang quickly gave the order, and Wang Zhixin obeyed and went to deliver the seat to Wang Zhixin.

(End of this chapter)