Starting with his deathbed remonstrance to Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperors were brought to their knees.

Li Qing spoke each word with utmost care:

"Don't kill ministers who offer advice casually. No matter how harsh their words are, listen to them before making a decision."

They are all people with families to support; those who dare to desperately advise you are mostly loyal ministers, all acting in the best interests of Qin.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes, but he still nodded:

"Very well, I promise you, from now on I will listen to all the remonstrances made by the censors."

Seeing that this tactic was failing, Li Qing could only muster all his strength and roar:

"Your Majesty! I will risk my life to make you remember these words! May the Great Qin Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Qing suddenly rushed out and crashed into the giant bronze pillar in the hall at full speed!

"Bang--!"

With a loud bang, the ten-thousand-pound bronze pillar was struck and made to vibrate.

Li Qing's head caved in instantly, blood and brain matter splattered all over the ground, his body twitched twice, and he died on the spot, a clean and decisive death.

"What?!"

Li Si jumped up abruptly, screaming as he rushed over. Seeing the horrific scene on the ground, he turned to look at Ying Zheng, his voice trembling:

"Your Majesty! He...he's really dead! He wasn't faking it! He really died in the accident!"

Ying Zheng slowly stood up, and for the first time, his eyes behind the curtain showed intense emotion.

He had seen countless dead people and killed countless enemies, but he had never seen anyone willingly throw themselves to their death in front of him for a word of advice, for the sake of the Qin Dynasty.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Only the blood on the bronze pillar dripped slowly, falling onto the cold floor tiles, staining the eyes of the emperor who ruled for millennia.

It also became the most tragic and arrogant death remonstrance in the Qin Dynasty!

……

【Ding! 】

[The deathbed remonstrance has been completed, 6000 RMB has been earned, and the player is about to return to the modern era...]

"No way, they didn't even exterminate their entire family?!"

Inside the rented room, Li Qing sat up on the bed, feeling somewhat dazed.

According to his original plan, after the incident of remonstrating to the death and burning books, Ying Zheng should have killed him directly!

As a result, not only was he unharmed, but he almost got promoted!

"Alas, was my method of remonstrating wrong?"

Li Qing was puzzled. He decided to change the content next time.

During these five days, Li Qing continued to search for historical materials, especially those about the Qin Dynasty, in order to prepare for his remonstrance even at the cost of his life.

The rest period passed in the blink of an eye. Five days later, in a flash of white light, Li Qing once again traveled back in time.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the familiar courtyard once more.

Li Qing checked the memories given to him by the system and found that he had returned to the Hongwu era. This time, his identity was still that of an imperial censor, and his name was Wang Liang.

"Set out to remonstrate to the death! The goal is to exterminate your entire family!"

Li Qing hummed a song as she pushed open the door and found that Zhang Tu from next door had also come out of his house.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, long time no see. Today is truly a good day for a desperate remonstrance."

Li Qing greeted him.

"Die, to die in protest? What do you want to do?"

Zhang Tu already had some PTSD, and upon hearing this, he was jolted awake.

"What do you want to do? Today is the last day of the Lantern Festival, we're still on holiday."

Zhang Tu quickly said.

"Oh, the Lantern Festival isn't over yet..."

Li Qing was stunned for a moment. Damn, does that mean he has to wait until tomorrow to remonstrate with his life?

Seeing that he had finally returned to normal, Zhang Tu breathed a sigh of relief, then revealed a wicked smile that all men would understand, leaned over and patted his shoulder, his eyes carrying a hint of ambiguity:

"Old Wang, you seem rather restless. Could it be that you were alone during the New Year and are missing women?"

"Huh?" Li Qing froze, looking completely bewildered. "No... what do you mean? I don't understand."

"Don't pretend to be innocent with me!"

Zhang Tu struck a pose like a seasoned veteran, grinning slyly.

"We're both grown men, and you're neither married nor have children. It's perfectly normal to feel empty during holidays and want to find a companion! Brother, let me show you a way out, want to hear it?"

This experienced attitude made Li Qing, a modern-day single woman, blush and feel quite embarrassed.

"What kind of approach?" Li Qing asked, feigning composure, following up on his question.

Zhang Tu smirked, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously:

"What you want, the legitimate, above-board approach, or the shady, clandestine one? I bet you want the latter, right?"

Before Li Qing could answer, he pointed to the street ahead and quickly explained:

"Just keep walking along this road, turn a corner and go to the end. When you see a river, cross the bridge. There is a sesame oil shop under the bridge. Next to the shop is a narrow alley. Go into it and you will see a tofu shop."

"The tofu shop isn't the important thing. The important thing is to walk a few dozen steps further in, deep in that old alley, and you'll find the fun you're looking for. Got it?"

Li Qing's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly realized what was happening, gasping for breath:

"This...this isn't quite right, is it? The imperial court has its rules!"

He certainly understood that Zhang Tu wasn't talking about anything respectable.

The laws during the Hongwu era were extremely strict, explicitly prohibiting officials from entering brothels and entertainment venues, and forbidding them from frequenting brothels. Violators would be dismissed and investigated, and those with serious offenses would be punished.

But rules are rigid, while people are flexible.

The Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) was a government-run, officially registered brothel, and officials dared not touch it. However, there was another kind of clandestine brothel in the countryside, which was a private brothel. These brothels did not display any signs or register and were hidden in deep alleys. They were very well concealed and the court could not control them. Instead, they became a place for many officials to have their private entertainment.

He never expected that Zhang Tu, who was known for his integrity and uprightness in the Hongwu court, would actually be proficient in such matters.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Zhang Tu waved his hand, looking indifferent, yet with a hint of emotion.

"Your Majesty only banned official prostitutes, not private prostitutes among the common people, so it doesn't count as a violation of the rules."

"To be honest, the women in that place are all pitiful."

He looked up at the falling snowflakes, tightened his cotton robe, and said in a somber tone, "Who would want to do this kind of work in public during a festival? It's all because their families are too poor to survive and they're forced into it."

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to buy some tofu and a fresh fish to take home for the New Year. Be careful and don't cause any trouble."

After saying that, Zhang Tu waved his hand and turned to merge into the bustling crowd on the street.

Li Qing stood there, silent for a long while.

He had only casually strolled around and didn't really intend to go to that kind of place, but Zhang Tu's last sentence, "They are all pitiful people," stirred up a strange feeling in him.

As an imperial censor, he was accustomed to the darkness of officialdom and the evil deeds of the powerful, but he rarely came into contact with the suffering of ordinary people.

Since I have nothing better to do, I might as well go and take a look.

It wasn't for pleasure, but to see how much untold blood and tears were hidden beneath the veneer of the Hongwu era's prosperity.