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

"This is outrageous!"

Lan Yu slammed her wine glass on the table and shouted angrily.

"A mere seventh-rank censor dares to cause trouble on the first day of the Lunar New Year? Jiang Huan, take a few men down there, break his legs, and throw him into the mass grave outside the city!"

Jiang Huan lay prone on the ground, too afraid to move, secretly glancing at Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Your Majesty, he said that today's matter concerns the survival of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who dares to stop him is blocking the channels of communication and will be punished as an accomplice."

And...and he said he came today to plead his case to the death, even if it means dying in front of you.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao put down his wine cup and hesitated before saying to Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Father, this man has come with a death wish, disregarding everything. Why not listen to what he has to say first?"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow, a hint of fierceness flashing across his face, which he quickly suppressed.

"Then let him come up. We want to see what he has that's so important that he has to threaten to jump off a building to force us to come up here."

If he doesn't satisfy us, we'll kill him!

A moment later, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Li Qing, dressed in a faded blue official robe, swaggered in, stepping onto the embroidered carpet.

He neither bowed nor knelt, but instead, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, he tilted his head and scanned the assembled imperial relatives, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, everyone's here? It's quite lively."

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was stunned. They never expected this censor to be so arrogant, daring to speak to the emperor like that.

However, looking at Li Qing's behavior, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly thought of the censors who had died earlier.

Is this guy really here to offer his death in protest?!

"How dare you, Zhou Wan! Why do you not kneel before His Majesty?"

Lan Yu slammed her hand on the table in displeasure and shouted angrily.

"kneel?"

Li Qing chuckled and glanced sideways at Lan Yu.

"Duke of Liang, don't rush to show your loyalty. I'm here to remonstrate with the country even if it means my death. I don't care about those formalities."

Lan Yu was so angry that his face turned ashen. Just as he was about to explode, Zhu Biao raised his hand to stop him.

He felt that this censor might actually be able to say something.

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back in his chair, coldly watching Li Qing:

"Speak up, what do you want? If you can't give me a straight answer, we won't just throw you off the building, we'll do it ourselves."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty will be satisfied."

Li Qing slowly took out a ledger from his pocket, which he had instructed the system to create, and threw it on the table.

"I'm here for only three things! To get my wages! To get my wages! And I mean, to get my wages!"

Demanding unpaid wages?

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"You scoundrel! You barged into our family banquet on the first day of the Lunar New Year just for your meager salary?"

"Otherwise what?"

Li Qing said this with a straight face.

"Your Majesty, if you don't pay me my salary soon, I'll have to go begging at the Meridian Gate with my bowl tomorrow!"

"Then the whole of Nanjing will know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty can't even afford to feed a mere censor. You won't look good then, will you?"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Zhao Mian, the Minister of Revenue, immediately jumped out.

"Although the national treasury is tight, it shouldn't be to the point of defaulting on officials' salaries! Zhou Wan, you are spreading rumors and slandering the imperial court!"

"Your Majesty, I request that this scoundrel be executed to set things right!"

"Stain?"

Li Qing pointed at the account book and sneered.

"Minister Zhao, look for yourself! From last October until now, the salary given by the imperial court has been decreasing continuously!"

I even borrowed the money for paper and ink to write my memorials from Granny Wang, who sells tofu!

Li Qing spread his hands and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Do you expect me to write memorials while starving?"

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass. Surely Your Majesty understands this principle?

Or is His Majesty forcing us to become corrupt officials?

Upon hearing the words "corrupt official," Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew increasingly grim as he looked at Zhao Mian:

"Is what he said true?"

Zhao Mian broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down with a thud:

"Your Majesty, you are wise! The autumn taxes have not yet been collected, and coupled with the military pay for the northern regions and the expenses for river works, the national treasury is indeed severely depleted. I have no choice but to accept this!"

"no way?"

Li Qing laughed heartily, bending over with laughter.

"Minister Zhao, you must be joking! This year, the total tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty, converted to silver, is over thirty million taels!"

"Yet the imperial court's total annual expenditure amounted to only a little over eight million taels!"

Li Qing's voice suddenly rose:

"May I ask Minister Zhao, did this nearly twenty million taels of silver grow wings and fly away? Or did it all end up in someone's pocket?"

Zhao Mian slumped to the ground, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"I, your subject, wish to impeach Zhao Mian, the Minister of Revenue!"

Li Qing pointed at Zhao Mian and said, word by word.

"This man colluded with local provincial governors to embezzle profits from grain transport and salt and iron, fabricated accounts to deceive His Majesty, resulting in an empty treasury and no official salary for the people!"

Last year, he resold 500,000 shi of grain from Jiangnan during the Grand Canal transport; this year, he embezzled 200,000 salt permits!

Furthermore, he colluded with the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture to embezzle all the rent and taxes from the official lands surrounding Yingtian, reaping annual profits of one million taels of silver!

"In the early years of the Hongwu Emperor's reign, the Great Ming Code was established, stipulating that anyone who embezzled sixty taels of silver would be executed!"

Zhao Mian embezzled nearly 20 million taels of silver; he deserves to die!

Your Majesty, I implore you to immediately execute Zhao Mian and his entire family, confiscate their property, and deposit it into the national treasury!

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard this. He never expected that Zhao Mian and his accomplices had embezzled so much!

That's all money from the national treasury!

Zhu Yuanzhang realized that if Li Qing hadn't exposed it today, Zhao Mian would have continued to embezzle even more!

"Zhao Mian! Do you have anything else to say in your defense?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared coldly at Zhao Mian.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I was just confused for a moment!"

Zhao Mian knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, looking completely repentant.

"You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're going to die."

Li Qing looked at Zhao Mian and said coldly.

"Jiang Huan!"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared, staring intently at Zhao Mian, his eyes filled with murderous intent:

"Drag Zhao Mian away and throw him in jail! Immediately ransack his house, find out all his accomplices, and leave no one alive!"

"As you command!"

Jiang Huan waved his hand, and several Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward and dragged the wailing Zhao Mian away like a dead dog.

At the banquet, the nobles sitting upright all felt a chill run down their spines.

Many people have already begun to secretly wonder if they have been involved in this matter...

This made me increasingly alarmed, and the more alarmed I became, the more I couldn't help but think about it more deeply.

In the blink of an eye, many people's backs were soaked with cold sweat.

Zhu Biao looked at Li Qing and thought that this censor was very competent and must be a rare talent!

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and offered his suggestion:

"Father, Zhou Wan's exposure of Zhao Mian's corruption is a great achievement and deserves a rich reward."

"Biao'er is right!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded. He looked at Li Qing below the steps, his tone softening slightly:

"Zhou Wan, you dare to speak frankly and offer advice, and you are also able to clearly examine the accounts. You are truly a loyal minister."

We will reward you with a thousand taels of silver, a hundred bolts of brocade, and promote you to the rank of Censor…

"I do not want."

Li Qing refused without even thinking.