Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 77 The Arrogant Prince of Yan, even if Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong were here today, so what?

"Is tonight's expense paid from your own salaries?"

"Or is it public funds from the provincial government?"

Tu Jie, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan, questioned the entire audience with righteous indignation.

What?

Immediately, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

No one expected that Tu Jie would do this at such a crucial moment when he was hosting a banquet for the Prince of Yan and the heir of the Duke of Cao. This was practically a slap in the face to the two of them.

Cao Zhen, the commander of the capital, looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

If you don't want to live, don't drag me down with you.

"you."

Xu Xiuchuan, the Left Chancellor of Henan, turned pale and purplish-blue as he glared angrily at Tu Jie.

"Lord Xu."

Wang Bing, the Right Chancellor, quickly calmed Xu Xiuchuan down, and then loudly rebuked Tu Jie: "Tu, the Inspector General."

"Are you drunk, or did you take the wrong medicine?"

"Look closely, the people seated at the head of the table are His Highness the Prince of Yan and the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Cao."

"As the Provincial Judicial Commissioner, it is my duty to investigate and punish misconduct in the province."

Tu Jie didn't give him any face at all and bluntly retorted with those words.

"Smack!!!"

Xu Xiuchuan could no longer hold back. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared, "You've gone too far!"

"Lord Xu, please calm down."

3

Prince Zhu Di of Yan slowly finished the wine in his cup.

"Your Highness."

The faces of all the Henan officials changed drastically. Had they angered the Prince of Yan?

The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, looked at Li Jinglong with a drunken haze and said indifferently, "Jiujiang, what do you think should be done if someone's dog is disobedient?"

'

"That's easy. Just beat it up, beat it half to death, and it'll tuck its tail between its legs and behave like a human whenever it sees you from now on."

Li Jinglong glanced at Tu Jie with a half-smile and spoke.

Thump!

Those present couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Tu Jie, as his words were naturally directed at the Henan Provincial Judicial Commissioner.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan..."

'

"Kneel down!"

Zhu Di gave him no chance to explain and coldly shouted.

"I am the Henan Provincial Judicial Commissioner personally appointed by His Majesty."

Tu Jie neither dodged nor avoided, showing no respect for Zhu Di whatsoever.

"Lord Xu."

"According to regulations, how should an official meet with a prince?"

'

"Your Highness."

Xu Xiuchuan, the Left Chancellor of Henan, said word by word: "According to the imperial system, a prince is one rank below the emperor, and all officials, regardless of rank, must kneel and kowtow when they see a prince."

"Even your masters Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang have to kneel before me."

"Who gave you the audacity to act superior in front of me?"

Zhu Di stared directly at Tu Jie, his face grim, and said, "Provincial Inspector, what a display of official arrogance."

"Clatter!"

Cao Zhen, the commander of the Xingdu Guard, suddenly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Your Highness."

Tu Jie panicked a little. He hadn't expected that Prince Yan, Zhu Di, would be so arrogant and unruly.

This matter has now completely exceeded his expectations.

"Zhang Wu."

Zhu Di shouted loudly.

"Yes."

Zhang Wu, the commander of the Prince of Yan's guards, revealed a cold glint in his eyes and beckoned.

In an instant, several burly guards of the Prince of Yan stepped forward and pinned Tu Jie down.

"What are you trying to do?"

'

Tu Jie was terrified and trembling as he questioned, "Does Your Highness the Prince of Yan intend to kill an official appointed by the court?"

The next moment.

"ah?!

'

A piercing scream echoed throughout the main hall of the yamen. Zhang Wu used his sheathed longsword to sever Tu Jie's legs, forcing him to kneel on the ground. The exposed white bone fragments were still stained with blood, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"Who do you think you are, to presume to challenge me, the King?"

Zhu Di slowly walked up to Tu Jie, looking down at him condescendingly: "Ant."

"Giggle!"

Intense pain enveloped Tu Jie, but it paled in comparison to the humiliation Zhu Di was inflicting upon him; his eyes were filled with rage.

"Do you think I don't know what you're planning to do?"

, 3

"It's nothing more than the old drunkard's heart not being in the wine."

,brush!!!

Tu Jie's pupils dilated instantly.

"Go back and give them a message."

,

"Just tell them I'm back, and we'll have some fun."

Zhu Di raised his hand and said indifferently, "Throw it out."

,"yes."

Several of the Prince of Yan's personal guards carried Tu Jie and threw the Henan Provincial Judicial Commissioner, whose knees were broken, out of the provincial government office.

Cao Zhen.

"Your Highness."

Cao Zhen trembled, fearing he would suffer the same fate as Tu Jie.

"You are one of Uncle Chang's former subordinates."

"It is inconvenient for me to take action against you."

"Let's leave it at that for today. I have something to say to you!"

Zhu Di glanced at Cao Zhen, the commander of the Henan Garrison, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

,

Cao Zhen lowered his head and remained meek, not daring to make any move or say a word.

"The reason why Your Majesty established the Provincial Secretariat, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office, and the Commander's Office of the Imperial Guards is..."

"The purpose is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous dynasty."

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison controls all the garrisons in Henan. To be a dog for others is a disgrace to our ancestors."

"This humble general will humbly follow Your Highness's teachings."

Cao Zhen's face flushed red, and he didn't dare to refute.

"Lord Xu, Lord Wang."

Zhu Di called out softly.

"Your Highness."

Xu Xiuchuan and Wang Bing responded in unison.

"Tu Jie, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan, disregarded etiquette and offended the imperial family."

"Don't forget that local officials have the power to impeach those who have acted improperly."

Zhu Di offered a reminder, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

"Yes."

Xu Xiuchuan and other Henan officials' eyes lit up.

"belch!!!

'

"I'm full."

Li Jinglong burped and stretched.

That's all for today.

Zhu Di strode out of the hall, followed closely by Li Jinglong, and then the Prince of Yan's attendants disappeared from the provincial government office.

"General Cao."

"You brought this person here, so you can take him away."

"Don't dirty the land of the Provincial Secretariat."

Xu Xiuchuan made no attempt to hide his disgust for Tu Jie, and spoke sarcastically.

Bitter! "

Cao Zhen felt like crying but had no tears. If he had known Tu Jie would do this, he would never have come with this fool. Did he really think that just anyone could raid the northern desert and seal the wolf's lair? The strength of Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was beyond the imagination of those lazy civil officials in the court.

Lying sprawled on the ground, Tu Jie constantly felt the pain of his broken legs, his heart filled with resentment and murderous intent towards Zhu Di.

On the main street of Kaifeng Prefecture, two riders rode side by side, leisurely enjoying the scenery around them.

"Your Highness has offended Huaixi to the death by doing this."

"When news of today's events reached the ears of Hu Weiyong, the Minister of State of South Korea..."

Li Jinglong looked at the boy beside him with a surprised expression.

This was the first time he had seen Zhu Di display such a domineering and arrogant side, showing no regard even for the Dukes and Prime Ministers of the court.

"I know."

"If we don't do this, how can we provoke these people's anger?"

Zhu Di's lips curled into a slight smile: "People are prone to making mistakes when they can't stay calm."

"You did this on purpose."

Li Jinglong blurted it out.

"Indeed!"

Zhu Di smiled but offered no explanation.

The Henan-Jiangbei province was thoroughly sifted by the Huaihe River, like a sieve. If it wasn't sifted through, how could people survive?

Only when Tu Jie and his team are in a flurry of activity will everything return to normal.