The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 149

"Yongxiu, do you even know what you're saying?"

Yang Tinghe looked at Yang Shen with disbelief and said that he had never imagined that his son would betray him one day, and so decisively at that.

At this moment, Yang Tinghe didn't even know what emotions he should have when facing his son, or how he should face the civil and military officials.

"Your Excellency, in court we address each other by our official titles. Please call me Yang Xiuzhuan."

Yang Shen suddenly raised his voice and said with a serious expression.

These words stunned everyone present, even Emperor Jiajing on the throne was somewhat taken aback.

The others were completely bewildered, wondering what the father and son were up to.

However, not everyone was in a daze. Seeing Yang Shen stand up to speak for Zhou Chu, Han Jie no longer hesitated and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that the people arrested by Commander Zhou are all corrupt officials who have accepted bribes. They are parasites of our Great Ming Dynasty. Not only are they innocent, but they have also rendered great service to our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Minister Han said is absolutely right."

Yan Song also stepped forward, forcing himself to speak.

Besides the two of them, seven or eight other officials stepped forward to speak on behalf of Zhou Chu. Whether these officials acted out of public interest or personal motives, no one knew.

"Yang Xiuzhuan, do you know what you're saying?"

Yang Yiqing quickly realized what was happening and angrily rebuked Yang Shen.

"This humble official naturally knows what he is saying, but it is the Minister who speaks so confidently that Commander Zhou's crimes are unforgivable. How are they unforgivable?"

Yang Shen has never been afraid of anyone, so he naturally retorted directly.

"Putting everything else aside, Zhou Chu actually arrested and killed all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital. What is he trying to do? Does he want to kill His Majesty?"

Yang Yiqing said angrily.

Since Zhou Chu had pulled off such a big heist, he naturally wouldn't let the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy off the hook. He even confiscated all the medical books in the Imperial Medical Academy, leaving none behind.

This is what angered Yang Yiqing, Yang Tinghe, and others the most: without the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital, how could they possibly harm the emperor in the future?

"Then I must ask the Minister, the Imperial Medical Academy prescribed the wrong medicine to Emperor Chenghua, which led to his death. Later, they prescribed the wrong medicine to Emperor Xiaozong, which also led to his death. Some time ago, Emperor Wuzong only fell into the water, and the Imperial Medical Academy treated him for half a year, but Emperor Wuzong also died."

After saying these words, Yang Shen suppressed his anger and looked at Yang Yiqing in front of him. He didn't look at his father. He knew very well that, putting everything else aside, Emperor Wuzong's death was definitely related to his father.

"I would like to ask, shouldn't such a physician die? In my opinion, even the extermination of his entire family would not be excessive. Commander Zhou is too lenient."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiajing on the throne almost wanted to applaud Yang Shen, thinking to himself, "How well he spoke! He said exactly what I was thinking."

"Yang Xiuzhuan is mistaken. Even if the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy are guilty, they do not deserve to die. Moreover, Zhou Chu directly punished these thousand colleagues without the cabinet's decision or the court meeting. This is simply lawless. Isn't this the persecution of loyal officials?"

Yang Yiqing had a clear mind and was not led astray by Yang Shen, nor did he dwell too much on the issue of imperial physicians.

"This is the duty of the Northern Garrison Command. The Northern Garrison Command has the right to arrest any official directly. As long as there is evidence, they can directly interrogate or even execute them. Does the Minister not know this, or is he deliberately pretending to be confused?"

Before Yang Shen could speak, Han Jie stepped forward.

We can't let Yang Shen bear all the burden.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing narrowed his eyes, a cold glint in them as he looked at Han Jie, the warning in his gaze unmistakable.

Han Jie remained unfazed. Yang Yiqing was the Minister of Personnel, while he himself was the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministers were all of the second rank, and the Vice Ministers were all of the third rank. In some special periods, the Vice Ministers even had more real power than the Ministers. Of course, such special periods were very rare. Most of the time, the Ministers had more power than the Vice Ministers, but the Vice Ministers were not someone the Ministers could manipulate at will.

No matter what, Han Jie was a third-rank official, and in the entire court, the second rank was already the highest rank.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, apart from Zhang Juzheng, no civil official was granted the title of one of the Three Dukes while still alive, making the first rank a mere honorary title.

"I also believe that Commander Zhou was merely exercising the authority of the Northern Garrison Command. What crime has he committed? Or are some of the arrested officials innocent? Didn't Commander Zhou present all the evidence? Is there any wrongful conviction? Is there any deliberate framing?"

Seeing that Yang Yiqing and the others had fallen silent, Yang Shen took over the conversation and continued.

It must be said that Yang Shen, as a leader in the literary world, was naturally more powerful than ordinary people. Originally, he did not recognize his own limitations, and many of his arguments were untenable, so many of his words at that time were easily refuted.

But at this time, Yang Shen's self-awareness was terrifyingly clear. Everything he said came from his heart, and his arguments were irrefutable. He alone was worth countless upright people.

As soon as Yang Shen said this, many scholars stood up to refute him. However, Yang Shen remained unfazed and stood still, engaging in a verbal battle with the group of scholars. Yang Tinghe looked at the scene before him and seemed to have aged a lot in an instant. He opened his mouth several times, but did not know what to say.

Seeing Yang Shen's overwhelming victory, Jiajing was eager to try his hand at it and even considered joining in. However, he decided against it, realizing he couldn't possibly win an argument against these scholars.

Yang Shen and his group were outnumbered and outmatched. Even though Yang Shen's firepower was fierce, they were still at a disadvantage.

Zhou Chu has punished far too many officials this time; it's simply unacceptable.

"All right."

When Jiajing shouted, the noisy court gradually quieted down from its bustling state.

"I see now that you are determined to have me deal with Zhou Hengqi. Since that's the case, I will do as you wish. Effective immediately, Zhou Hengqi will be demoted to a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and exiled to Suzhou Prefecture."

Jiajing knew very well that he had to deal with Zhou Chu. This was an exchange in itself; Zhou Hengqi had traded his position as commander for these thousand officials and all the imperial physicians.

If he did not deal with Zhou Hengqi, the officials would turn against him, the emperor.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shen let out a sigh of relief. He knew that Zhou Chu was doomed today, and he also knew that Zhou Hengqi had no intention of keeping his position as commander since he had done this.

Yang Shen's vehement defense of Zhou Chu was solely for the purpose of protecting Zhou Chu. If he remained silent, Zhou Chu's fate would be far more severe than mere demotion; such a slap on the wrist would not satisfy these people.

Yang Shen was acutely aware that the Ming Dynasty could not do without Zhou Hengqi.

Yang Yiqing and the others were somewhat dissatisfied with the result, but there was nothing they could do, since it was already very difficult to achieve this outcome.

However, Yang Ting, Xia Yan, and the others sensed something unusual.

Exiled to Suzhou Prefecture? Isn't that the stronghold of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce? What would happen if Zhou Chu were put there?

But then I thought, Zhou Chu is just a mere centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If he went to Suzhou Prefecture, would he even survive? It would be no different from killing him, right?

Thinking of this, Xia Yan breathed a sigh of relief, finally having the opportunity to completely eliminate this scourge.