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

Chapter 114 We are eliminating a scourge for the country! Not going against you! [Seeking monthly votes]

The atmosphere inside the duty room next to Fengtian Hall Square changed abruptly.

"Why is he here?!"

Ru Chang's chubby face twitched, showing a sense of unease as if her script had been disrupted.

"Outrageous! Instead of avoiding the situation, he comes here to flaunt his presence? Is he truly insane, or does he have something to rely on?" Zheng Ci frowned.

Fu Youwen stared at Zhang Biao with a sinister look: "Coming to watch the show? Coming to provoke us? Hmph, he's courting death! It'll be perfect for the Emperor to see just how arrogant and domineering he is, how disdainful of everyone!"

Instead of being deterred by the clamor of "Your Majesty! Execute Imperial Censor Zhang!", Zhang Biao sought to cooperate with the group of upright officials to have the emperor kill him.

The four were stunned by the absurd and bizarre scene, and their expressions gradually became serious.

Zhai Shan was the first to react. He gasped sharply, a look of horror flashing in his eyes:
"No! My lords, look at Zhang Biao's expression! He's not afraid at all! On the contrary, he seems to be looking forward to it! He's deliberately provoking those upright officials!"

"I can see that too!"

Zheng Ci paused, stroking his beard, his expression changing slightly: "If he were afraid, he should be hiding in the Censorate or submitting a memorial to defend himself, not coming here to add fuel to the fire. His actions make it seem as if he's afraid the Emperor won't kill him!"

"Isn't this just like when they impeached Zhao Qian, Qi Tai, and Lü Ping? They're trying to drag a bunch of people down with them even in their dying moments!"

The smug look on Fu Youwen's face vanished completely, replaced by an incredulous shock: "He made such a huge fuss, auditing all the officials, even defying the emperor's authority, not for anti-corruption, nor for power."

"His entire plan was to provoke the Emperor and seek a quick death?!"

Boom!

These words struck the four men like a thunderbolt.

This conclusion was so absurd that the four of them found it difficult to process for a while.

Ru Chang's mouth dropped open: "Want to die? Why? What's he after? There's a limit to madness!"

"If he is truly determined to die, wouldn't impeaching him be exactly what we want?"

Fu Youwen's eyes were sharp as he quickly analyzed, "The more we shout for war, the more likely the Emperor is to go along with it and kill him, thus fulfilling his wish?"

The thought that their meticulously planned fatal blow might actually be an aid to their opponent's goal sent a chill down their spines.

"Then us"

Zheng Ci said with difficulty, "Wouldn't this backfire?"

A brief silence fell over the room upon hearing this.

You thought you had outmaneuvered your opponent, but you discovered that they might have deliberately stepped into a trap, or even that the trap itself was their target.
This cognitive upheaval left them feeling powerless.

"not necessarily!"

Fu Youwen, being a shrewd and calculating man, quickly calmed down, his eyes gleaming:
"Even if he begs for death, will the Emperor necessarily kill him? The Emperor was so angry before, but he held back and even promoted him. This shows that the Emperor must have something that the Emperor values ​​in this person. Perhaps the Emperor wants to use him for more things!"

“What the Vice Minister says is absolutely right.”

Zhai Shan nodded in agreement: "The Emperor's heart is unfathomable. Perhaps the Emperor has already seen through Zhang Biao's desire for death, and therefore deliberately prevented him from having his wish?"

"Would our impeachment only make the Emperor more wary and more eager to keep Zhang Biao as a tool to continue stirring up trouble?"

"That"

Ru Chang felt a little dizzy listening to this and couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead: "So, in this whole play, did we help the Emperor, or Zhang Biao? Or did we just dig our own grave?"

"No matter what the Emperor decides, Zhang Biao is far more dangerous than we can imagine."

Fu Youwen took a deep breath, looked at Zhang Biao who was still 'performing' in the square, and at the upright officials who were half-dead with anger from him, and slowly said:

"He doesn't care about life and death, he doesn't care about the rules, and he doesn't even care about the structure of the court. This kind of person cannot be judged by common sense, and he is impossible to control."

His gaze swept over the other three, becoming extremely serious: "Our plan remains unchanged. The impeachment must continue, and the momentum must be amplified!"

"But the objective needs to be adjusted: it's no longer simply about killing Zhang Biao, although that would be the best outcome. But more importantly, it's about demonstrating our strength to the Emperor, showing the importance of stability in the court, and forcing the Emperor to make a choice!"

"Even if the Emperor doesn't kill Zhang Biao this time, he must be made aware that the price of tolerating this person is political turmoil and the alienation of the civil service system!"

"If His Majesty still wants to use him, he must restrain him and set boundaries! And within these boundaries lies the space in which you and I operate!"

"at the same time."

Fu Youwen lowered his voice: "We must act quickly. We must destroy all traces that need to be destroyed as soon as possible, and smooth things over with all the necessary personnel. No matter what the Emperor ultimately decides, we cannot let Zhang Biao implicate the people behind us, or we will all die a horrible death!"

The other three looked solemn and nodded in agreement.

They abandoned their spectator mentality and reverted to being cunning schemers who navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom.

They turned their gaze back to the square, but their eyes were different now.

It's no longer just about watching a play that you directed yourself.

Instead, they are examining a terrifying variable that cannot be fathomed by common sense, and thinking about how to better protect themselves in the upcoming storm, or even snatch chestnuts from the fire.

the other side.

Seeing those upright officials kneeling and grimacing, their voices almost hoarse from shouting, yet there was no response from inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhang Biao couldn't help but wonder: "What's going on? Why isn't Old Zhu reacting at all?"

At this moment, Sun Gui walked over with the chamber pot lamp in hand and whispered, "Brother Biao, they don't seem to be up to par! Should we just give up and go back?"

"What are you doing back?"

Zhang Biao asked somewhat displeasedly, "How's the investigation of the Ministry of War going?"

"this."

Sun Gui hesitated for a moment, then looked at Shen Lang.

But Shen Lang looked around and said, "There are many problems, but we haven't accomplished anything. Those people from the Ministry of War keep talking about military secrets. If we investigate further, Commander Jiang will just draw his sword and stop us."

"Ah!"

Zhang Biao sneered, about to speak, when suddenly a light, airy eunuch's voice came from inside the Fengtian Hall: "His Majesty is unwell, gentlemen, please return." Boom!
Everyone looked at each other, as if they had been doused with cold water, somewhat at a loss.

The Emperor won't see us? How can this charade continue?
Those upright individuals were immediately caught in a dilemma.

Just then, a voice that made them grit their teeth in hatred rang out slowly again: "Tsk tsk tsk, my fellow colleagues, your strength is lacking!"

"Zhang Biao! Stop trying to use your clever words to crush our will!"

The old censor Li Tiesheng angrily rebuked him.

"How can you say I'm trying to crush your will? It's your methods that are wrong!"

Zhang Biao shook his head with a sigh, then walked outside the Jinyiwei's 'warning line,' crossed his arms, and looked at them with a 'disappointed' expression.

"What's the use of just shouting slogans? 'Your Majesty, please execute Imperial Censor Zhang!' That's too straightforward and lacks sophistication! The Emperor will only think you're trying to force him to abdicate and are threatening him!"

As he spoke, Zhang Biao immediately began his on-the-spot instruction: "You need to talk about strategies! Talk about methods!"

"???"

The officials who were supposed to be upright and honest were completely bewildered.

We're impeaching you, and you're telling us how to impeach you more effectively?!
What kind of scheme is this?!
They've got us completely stumped!

However, Zhang Biao ignored their confusion and continued to speak eloquently:

"First, you must emphasize the harmfulness! You can't just say I'm disrupting the court; you need to explain clearly how I'm disrupting it!"

"For example, because I audited the accounts, the Ministry of Revenue was paralyzed, which led to delays in the payment of military salaries in the north and instability in the border defenses!"

"The chaos within the Ministry of War has created loopholes in the autumn defense arrangements, which the Tartars may exploit to launch an attack!"

"The Ministry of Works' stagnation has caused delays in the repair of the Yellow River dikes. If they breach, there will be immense suffering and loss of life!"

"The Ministry of Personnel is paralyzed, causing local officials to be unable to be assessed and promoted on time, and local administration is in ruins! The consequences must be described as extremely serious, as if they concern the fate of the nation!"

"."

The upright officials were stunned.

Although they felt that what this madman said made some sense, it felt like he was helping us list his crimes.
"Secondly, you need to raise your standards!"

Zhang Biao got more and more excited as he spoke: "We can't just talk about the matter at hand! We have to link me to the treacherous officials in history!"

"For example, I could be Wang Mang reincarnated, humble before his usurpation! Or Dong Zhuo reincarnated, wreaking havoc on the court! In short, do whatever is most disgusting to me! Make the emperor feel that if he doesn't kill me, he will become the greatest tyrant of all time!"

"Third, and most importantly!"

Zhang Biao lowered his voice, as if imparting some secret: "You have to show a sense of tragic heroism! You can't just kneel and shout, you have to cry! You have to kowtow! Kowtow until you bleed!"

"Ideally, there would be a few elderly, respected gentlemen who would faint on the spot!"

"Or take out a rope and mark it against the pillar outside the hall, making it look like you're going to 'die for your cause'!"

"Make as much noise as possible! That way we can force the Emperor to come out and see you!"

Damn it!
He makes a very good point!
The upright officials were completely dumbfounded.

Is Zhang Biao completely beyond saving?

He actually taught us how to kill himself more effectively?!

The senior censor Li Tiesheng, who was in the lead, was so angry that his beard trembled. He pointed at Zhang Biao and said, "You shameless scoundrel! Stop spouting nonsense here!"

"How am I talking nonsense?"

Zhang Biao spread his hands, looking completely innocent: "Wasn't I just trying to help you devise a plan so you could quickly achieve your demand to 'request the Emperor to execute Censor Zhang'?"

"Don't you want me to die? I want to die too! We have the same goal! We should be cooperating!"

"puff--!"

Several upright officials were so enraged by this bizarre logic that they nearly vomited blood on the spot.

Cooperation? Cooperation to kill you?!
We're here to rid the country of a scourge, not to engage in a two-way street fight with a lunatic like you! You bastard!

Looking at their varied expressions, Zhang Biao nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, I've taught you the method. Whether it works or not depends on how moving your performance is."

He then gestured to them, saying, "Go for it! I believe in you!"

After saying that, he turned and left gracefully, then walked to the side to tell Shen Lang and the others about his 'last affairs'.

All that was left was a group of upright officials, bewildered in the wind, their beliefs almost shattered.

How the hell can they impeach him?!
The person in question is here to give you technical guidance, and they're even more eager for the impeachment to succeed than you are?!
The solemn atmosphere vanished instantly! It felt like we were witnessing an absurd drama orchestrated by a director!

Meanwhile, Old Zhu, who was in his dormitory, soon received news that Zhang Biao had "enthusiastically guided" that group of nobles to kill him. He was so angry that he smashed the bowl of medicine he had just picked up.

"Snapped!"

"We have never seen such a shameless person!"

Old Zhu pounded on the dragon bed, his anger still raging: "That bastard! Not only does he want to die, but he also wants to drag us and the entire court down with him! He's going to make things even more muddy!"

"The Emperor"

"No! We won't see anyone! Especially not Zhang Biao!"

Before Yunming could finish speaking, Old Zhu angrily interrupted him: "Let those corrupted intellectuals and that 'mad dog' who's eager to die cause trouble outside!"

"I'm going to sleep! I'm so sleepy!!"

Yunming: "."

No, Your Majesty, how can you sleep? Imperial Censor Zhang is waiting for you to execute him!
(End of this chapter)