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

Everyone present was astonished.

Everyone stared at Li Qing in disbelief. Why would he give up the opportunity to get promoted and make a fortune? What was he planning to do?

"Your Majesty, I do not want your reward, nor do I want a promotion."

Li Qing said calmly.

"The reward is your grace, but the salary is what I deserve. You can't take grace to pay wages, can you?"

There's no such logic in the world.

I'm here today to get my salary, and the salaries of all the officials. I'll leave when you pay my salary.

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry he laughed:

"You're quite honest. Fine, we promise you, all officials' salaries will be paid out within three days."

"That's more like it."

Li Qing nodded, picked up the wine glass on the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

After spraying for so long, Zhao Mian was actually quite thirsty.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched his retreating figure with a complex expression.

He had lived a whole life and seen countless sycophantic villains and countless upright and loyal ministers, but he had never seen anyone like Li Qing!

He is not afraid of death, not greedy for money, not power-hungry, and his only hobby seems to be going against himself.

This man is a loyal minister of our Great Ming Dynasty!

"Zhou Wan, if you can continue to criticize current affairs as sharply as you did today, we guarantee you a meteoric rise in your career!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily.

A meteoric rise to power?

But all I want is to die for my cause, and then get killed!

Li Qing shook his head. He hadn't forgotten why he came here; his original intention couldn't be changed!

No, I have to get Old Zhu to kill me right now!

"Since His Majesty wants me to speak frankly and offer my advice, then I will not hold back!"

Li Qing raised his hand to wipe his mouth with his robe and smiled slightly.

For some reason, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly had a bad feeling. He had seen this smile on the faces of the previous censors who had remonstrated with him to the death.

This kid wouldn't be...

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Zhou Wan, do you have any further advice?"

"Your subject has a memorial to present!"

Li Qing stiffened his neck and shouted loudly.

"His Majesty is obsessed with Buddhism, building temples on a grand scale and emptying the national treasury!"

To put it mildly, this matter is a waste of resources and a disgrace to the palace!

On a larger scale, these monks are of dubious origin. If they were to infiltrate the ranks of wicked individuals, assassinate His Majesty, and disrupt the court, the Ming Dynasty would be in grave danger!

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you cease all Buddhist activities, expel the heretical monks, and prioritize the well-being of the nation and its people!

"presumptuous!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang was like a powder keg that had been lit, and he flew into a rage on the spot!

Li Qing glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was furious and about to explode, and chuckled inwardly.

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang got furious when Buddhism was mentioned, proving that he hadn't looked up the wrong information.

Zhu Yuanzhang's promotion of Buddhism was not out of devout faith, but rather for political calculations.

They used the Buddhist concept of "secretly assisting the king" to strengthen their own rule.

Li Qing's current open remonstrance to Zhu Yuanzhang advising him to abolish Buddhist activities is undoubtedly a challenge to Zhu Yuanzhang's authority.

"snort!"

Li Qing raised his head and glared angrily, pointing a finger at Zhu Yuanzhang, his words piercing to the heart:

"As the supreme ruler, Your Majesty should first and foremost love your people!"

The people of the land are starving, and the soldiers are suffering in the cold on the frontier, yet you squander gold and silver to support bald monks, burning incense and worshipping Buddha all day long. At your advanced age, you are indulging in vanity; aren't you afraid of being branded a tyrant?

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback upon hearing this. He raised his hand as if to say something, but found it difficult to refute. He could only blush and point at Li Qing.

"And you too! Your Highness!"

As Li Qing spoke, he suddenly turned his head and rebuked Zhu Biao, his voice sharp and stern.

"As a son, I witnessed my father's devotion to Buddhism leading to the downfall of the country and the squandering of the people's wealth. Instead of speaking out and advising him, he pretended to be deaf and dumb!"

Do you really have to wait until I, the imperial censor, tear off your mask before you feel at ease? As the crown prince, shouldn't you feel ashamed?

Could it be that you secretly hope His Majesty will become obsessed with Buddhism and neglect state affairs so that you can ascend the throne sooner?!

Li Qing didn't even spare Zhu Biao, otherwise it wouldn't be good if Zhu Biao developed a fondness for talent and spoke up for him later.

Zhu Biao was speechless, but inwardly he was furious.

How could I not know this?

Your censors are known for their outspokenness and willingness to speak out, but you, you madman, start by cursing and framing the crown prince. Are you leaving yourself no way out and not even caring about your nine generations of relatives?

"Nonsense!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the dragon throne in anger, his veins bulging.

"The Ming Dynasty belongs to the people! Who gave you the right to sow discord, you arrogant brat? Jiang Huan! Drag him away, cut out his tongue, and feed him to the dogs!"

Cut off the tongue? No way, that's too weak!

Li Qing hurriedly roared loudly:

"Your Majesty! You can cut out my tongue, but can you silence the voices of the people?!"

Enraged, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and instead waved to Jiang Huan, who quickly stepped forward to grab Li Qing.

Li Qing was stunned. Cutting his tongue wouldn't hurt, and the system could block it, but what if he didn't die? Wouldn't all his efforts be wasted?

In a flash, he suddenly raised his hand to poke Jiang Huan's eyes.

Why is it this trick again?

Jiang Huan recalled the pain of having his eye poked last time and hurriedly dodged, but unexpectedly Li Qing threw another plate at him, hitting him on the head.

"oops!"

Jiang Huan was caught off guard and struck by Li Qing's unexpected move, falling to the ground in pain.

Seeing Jiang Huan curled up on the ground, his face as pale as a boiled shrimp, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao exchanged a glance, both dumbfounded.

How could Jiang Huan, a master of martial arts, be severely injured in one move by a weak and scholarly censor?

Little did they know that Jiang Huan had underestimated his enemy and was careless, never expecting that a civil official would launch a sneak attack on him, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

"I am not afraid of death! I will not rest until I have finished speaking!"

Seeing the other Imperial Guards swarm forward, Li Qing ran back and forth in the hall, dodging and overturning countless bowls and chopsticks.

The others were terrified by his fearless and insane appearance.

"Fine! Let's hear what kind of nonsense you, this arrogant brat, can spout!"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand to stop the Embroidered Uniform Guards, his eyes filled with murderous intent, yet also with a hint of appreciation.

He rose from humble beginnings and spent his life in battle, and he had the utmost respect for those who were fearless and had no backbone. He wanted to see why this censor would risk his life for him.

"Your Majesty constantly claims to revere the Way of Heaven, yet you condone the rampant spread of Buddhist rituals!"

Li Qing rebuked him sternly.

"In order to build temples for worshiping Buddha, the people's wealth was exploited and tens of thousands of people were conscripted for labor. Countless families were destroyed and people died, and countless fertile fields were abandoned and left to rot!"

Your Majesty is obsessed with demonic arts and ignores the people's livelihood, yet you use harsh laws and punishments to bind the common people. Such double standards are laughable and despicable!

"What did you say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, his anger flaring up once more.

"Buddhist rituals are for honoring Heaven and praying for blessings, to protect the fate of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Soldiers and civilians should abide by their duties; how can this be compared to worshipping Buddha?

What we need are peaceful and prosperous people, and soldiers who defend our country, not rebellious scoundrels!

Li Qing sneered inwardly. Old Zhu was getting anxious; he really was losing his temper!

"Your Majesty! What the people and the military need is a wise ruler who cares for the common people, not a foolish ruler who is obsessed with illusions and cannot distinguish right from wrong! May I ask Your Majesty, have you done that?"

Li Qing pressed forward relentlessly, completely unafraid of Zhu Yuanzhang's overwhelming killing intent.

"When you destroyed the Yuan Dynasty and established your country, you relied on the hearts of the people and the army, not on the protection of gods and Buddhas!"

Now you are promoting Buddhism and suppressing the people, chilling the hearts of the people. The Ming Dynasty will sooner or later repeat the mistakes of the late Sui Dynasty and perish after only two generations!