Great Yu.
Imperial capital.
Imperial Palace.
“I, Chief Censor Cui Zhe, jointly endorse this with Minister of the Dali Temple Zhen Yuandao and Minister of Justice Jia Si'an to impeach chief minister Li Zhen!
While in office, he formed cliques for personal gain, monopolized the imperial court, acted tyrannically, and was arrogant and unruly! He showed contempt for imperial authority.
I believe this man has already acquired the power of a powerful minister. If he is not restrained, I fear great chaos will arise, the realm will lose its peace, and turmoil will spread across the four seas!
I ask Your Majesty to punish him! Strip him of his position as chief minister and appoint him elsewhere!”
In the imperial court, three figures in purple robes knelt on the ground, their voices filled with anguish, appearing utterly devoted to the nation and its people.
“I, Minister of Revenue Xu Ning'an, second the motion!”
“I, Minister of Works Yan Fu, second the motion!”
“I, Minister of Rites...”
Dozens of officials, both prominent and obscure, stepped forward, each one brimming with righteous indignation.
In their mouths, this chancellor had already become a criminal guilty of the most heinous offenses, as though he had reached the point where he could not possibly be spared!
Above the dragon throne and the imperial steps.
A dignified man dressed in a dragon robe narrowed his eyes. A sharp glint flickered in his dragon eyes as his fingers tapped the dragon head on the armrest, deep in thought.
The head of all officials.
A young figure wore a blood-red official robe embroidered with splendid mountains and rivers, birds and beasts.
This was the unique attire of the head of all officials!
And this young man was none other than the Great Yu chief minister Li Zhen, the man everyone called a calamity who had thrown the realm into chaos and monopolized the imperial court.
After glancing back, Li Zhen remained calm when he saw that nearly half of the civil officials had stepped forward. Instead, a hint of amusement touched his face.
In his five years as an Official, he had personally spearheaded Great Yu's reforms and offended countless people.
If no one impeached him at Court one day, he would actually feel unaccustomed to it.
But today's lineup seemed rather grand!
Still, the problem should not be too serious.
However, as time slowly passed,
Li Zhen's expression began to change ever so slightly.
Because under normal circumstances, the current Your Majesty should have issued a stern rebuke, then announced the end of Court and ignored the matter.
Yet now, it seemed...
Li Zhen raised his head and looked toward the person seated on the dragon throne.
“Minister Li, you have heard what the officials have said. I am in a difficult position! With all the officials petitioning together, I have no choice either. Minister Li, hear your appointment: from this day forward, you are relieved of your position as chancellor and appointed Prefect of the Capital!”
When Yu Emperor stood to speak, his face was filled with conflict and hesitation, but his words flowed extremely smoothly.
Clearly, he had prepared the script long ago.
Li Zhen secretly laughed inwardly, with a trace of self-mockery.
Slaughtering the donkey once the millstone is removed!
The phrase was hardly unfamiliar.
But he had never expected it to happen to him.
In the five years since he had transmigrated, he had risen smoothly all the way. He and Yu Emperor had been exceptionally close, and he had used his abilities to stabilize the imperial court for him. Now the nation was prosperous and peaceful, the realm followed their lead, and governance was clear and honest!
Li Zhen had thought he could compose a celebrated tale of ruler and minister with this emperor.
Who would have thought!
The donkey was being slaughtered far sooner than he had expected.
He raised his head and looked toward the foremost general on the right—the aloof woman in white robes as pure as snow.
Not the slightest ripple crossed her breathtaking face, as though she could not sense Li Zhen's gaze at all.
This woman's name was Shao Xuxue. She was the emperor's biological younger sister and Great Yu's Military Immortal.
His fiancée!
At this moment, she appeared not to have heard anything, as though the man being demoted was not her fiancé.
Seeing this, Li Zhen's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
He gently exhaled. By now, he understood the situation. Yu Emperor had probably contacted everyone he needed to contact long ago.
He was now a fish on the chopping block, entirely at the mercy of others!
“Minister Li, you must understand me. I am in a difficult position too!”
Yu Emperor Shao Xuji looked at Li Zhen with an expression of helplessness.
His heart was filled with pride and self-satisfaction!
He was six years older than Li Zhen.
He had Ascended the Throne at twenty and had already been emperor for six years.
During these six years, Li Zhen had helped him transform a Great Yu that was militarily strong but economically weak into the strongest nation in the Nine Provinces. He had also fulfilled everything he had promised.
He was the head of all officials, second only to one person, and the emperor's biological younger sister had married him. Unfortunately, Li Zhen always gave him the feeling that he wanted to stand on equal footing with him.
It was not that Li Zhen formed cliques for personal gain or refused to obey orders. On the contrary, Li Zhen was utterly clean.
So clean that he could not find a single fault with him.
But he disliked that feeling!
At first, he had been able to endure it for the sake of Li Zhen's talent. But now he was no longer the young Son of Heaven who had only just taken power.
He was the emperor!
Now it was time to make Li Zhen understand that he was not his friend, much less his brother. He was his master!
In any case, it was rare for him to see such an expression on Li Zhen's face.
Shao Xuji felt immensely satisfied!
Originally, he had wanted his sister to marry Li Zhen, using civil and military strength together to consolidate his imperial authority.
That decision would not change now, but he had to knock Li Zhen down a peg.
At the same time, dismissing Li Zhen from office would be a new achievement for him.
In the past, many people knew only Li Zhen and not him.
After removing Li Zhen this time, his authority would rise tremendously!
Li Zhen's expression shifted twice before returning to its former calm.
He knew everything Yu Emperor was thinking. After all, he was the one who had helped him establish himself securely. One could say that whenever Yu Emperor lifted his buttocks, Li Zhen already knew what kind of fart he was about to release.
But he had never imagined that this former friend, as he had thought of him, would act this way.
His experience from his previous life had all been fed to the dogs.
An emperor is three parts drunk, yet can act until you weep.
This position truly knew how to nurture a person!
He admitted that he had judged him poorly!
【The System senses that the host is hesitating】
【The Life Choices System is officially activating】
【The following options are now being issued to the host】
【1. Choose to swallow your anger and accept the demotion, then work diligently without complaint and become a beast of burden. Reward: an innate breath of humiliation】
【2. Choose to endure and lie low while engaging in open and covert struggles with Yu Emperor. Reward: first grade martial arts cultivation】
【3. Choose dismissal from office and leave. I quit! Reward: fifth grade martial arts cultivation and Great Completion of the Tongtian Sacred Dragon Technique】
The sudden System voice in his mind was not unfamiliar to Li Zhen.
He had possessed this thing for a long time, but it had never shown any activity.
Yet now, it had appeared.
As Li Zhen looked at the three options, stormy waves surged through his heart.
This world truly possessed martial arts.
He had always yearned for them, but Shao Xuxue had told him that his talent was a martial arts wasted body unseen in a century!
He could not practice martial arts.
Could he finally have an opportunity now?
Seeing Li Zhen's dazed expression, Shao Xuji thought he had been intimidated by him.
He felt absolutely exhilarated.
The more Li Zhen looked like this, the happier he became.
Only imperial authority could stand above everything.
The officials also watched this scene, curious about how Li Zhen would choose. At the same time, most of them felt some schadenfreude and emotion.
After all, Li Zhen had never joined forces with them and had even treated them coldly.
Now he had been stabbed in the back by the emperor he trusted.
Look at him now!
Shao Xuxue's lovely face remained as still as an ancient well, but she still felt somewhat apologetic toward Li Zhen.
Li Zhen was the man she had chosen, and she truly liked him. But for the sake of her older brother's imperial authority, she could only let Li Zhen suffer a little grievance.
In her view, however, thunder and rain were both the ruler's grace. In any case, Li Zhen was still an Official.
It was not as though he had been demoted to a commoner.
Actually, when Shao Xuji had spoken to her about this matter yesterday,
Shao Xuxue had also harbored a little selfishness.
She had always liked being one step above others. As the head of all officials and head of the ministers, Li Zhen gave her the feeling of being the one placed beneath someone else instead.
It was true that she liked Li Zhen, but it was also true that she disliked being surpassed by anyone.
She was the renowned female Military Immortal of the world. At twenty-three, she had already reached the fifth grade of martial arts cultivation and was even a genius at military strategy.
Compared with her, Li Zhen seemed to shine even brighter. In the six hundred years since Great Yu was founded, he was unquestionably the chief minister with the greatest methods and abilities.
But he was too dazzling, and Shao Xuxue felt uncomfortable about it.
Her husband was no ordinary man, but he could not outshine her either.
At this moment, under everyone's watchful eyes,
Li Zhen paced to the center of the main palace hall. Under everyone's gaze, he removed the official hat from his head and slowly placed it on the steps.
Next, he removed his official robe and folded it neatly.
This sight left everyone completely dumbfounded!
What did this mean?
Before they had time to wonder further, Li Zhen spoke.
“I, Li Zhen, bow and thank Your Majesty for your grace. However, I am in poor health and truly unable to continue assisting Your Majesty. The position of Prefect of the Capital is beyond my ability to undertake. Since Your Majesty has raised the matter today, I shall take this opportunity to Retire and Return to One’s Hometown!”
His voice slowly echoed throughout the main palace hall.
Yu Emperor's eyes were filled with astonishment, along with a trace of shock.
The Chief Censor, the Minister of the Dali Temple, the Minister of Justice, and the others were likewise stunned.
Wait, what was going on?
They had only intended to strip him of his position as chancellor. They had never meant for him to resign from office!
If he left, who would carry out his reforms? Who could do it? Who would dare?
Shao Xuxue also turned her head, her face filled with confusion.
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