Chapter 417: Chapter 419: Forced to Resign
“Master, you look pale. What did the Emperor summon you to the Imperial Study Room for?” i Ying asked anxiously.
Shao Zhengru glared at her fiercely, “The Emperor demanded that I resign from my official position!”
“What? How could the Emperor do such a thing?” Shao Mingyang exclaid loudly.
Shao Zhengru slapped him across the face, the smack landing on his cheek, “You think I’m not humiliated enough, is that it?”
“Father, I’m just indignant on your behalf. How can the Emperor, the ruler of a nation, force a minister to resign?”
“Yes, Master, could it be that the Fifth Prince said sothing to the Emperor behind your back?”
Shao Zhengru took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, “It was clear from the Emperor’s words—if I didn’t resign voluntarily, I would likely face imprisonnt. In the end, it’s all because of the disaster you caused!”
“Father, how can you bla for this? If anyone’s at fault, it’s Shao He. If she hadn’t encouraged the Fifth Prince to oppose the Shao Family, why would he make things difficult for you everywhere?” Shao Mingyang, rubbing his slapped cheek, said angrily.
Whenever Shao He was ntioned, he was filled with anger.
Shao Zhengru, looking at his disappointing son, said sternly, “If you hadn’t bungled the disaster relief efforts, what pretext would the Emperor have had to force to resign? How did I end up with such an incompetent son!”
Having said that, he stord out, his sleeves flapping violently.
i Ying stood there, stunned, and it took her a mont to recover, her face showing a look of frightened unease.
…
Before Shao He left, Jiang Zhou called out to her again, “I didn’t expect to be so fated with Doctor Shao. If anything arises in the future, feel free to seek out at the Second Prince’s Mansion.”
Shao He gave a slight nod, understanding that this was Jiang Zhou’s way of trying to win her over, fearing she might spill the beans.
If Xia Zhaoshun beca aware of the affair, he wouldn’t let it go so easily.
On her way back, Shao He told Pei Huaian about it, expressing her worries as well.
“No, Xia Zhaoshun doesn’t dare to act rashly right now; he can only watch and wait,” Pei Huaian said confidently.
“I hope so.”
Seeing the lingering concern in her brows, Pei Huaian reached out and took her slender wrist, “Don’t worry. Xia Zhaoshun knows we are at odds with the Second Prince; he certainly won’t choose this ti to act against you.”
“Should he strike at you, he would face attacks from both sides. A man as clever as him will surely know how to choose.”
Shao He found his rationale reasonable, realizing she had been overly cautious.
In an instant, two days passed, and the news of Shao Zhengru resigning from his official position spread throughout the Capital City, prompting behind-the-scenes discussions.
Shao Mingyang also suffered a dramatic fall from grace. The people who once flocked around him had now vanished without a trace, leaving him to drown his sorrows in drink alone.
“Well, if it isn’t Lord Shao, the second son of the Shao Family. What has you drinking alone?” a mocking voice called out.
The speaker was Li Ren, the son of the Chief of Staff. The two had always been on bad terms, and now that Shao Mingyang appeared so destitute, ridicule was inevitable.
Shao Mingyang glanced up at him and continued to drown his sorrows in silence.
Seeing himself ignored, Li Ren grew even more infuriated, “Lord Li offers you a toast, and you still put on airs?”
Shao Mingyang grabbed the wine jug from the table and guzzled several cups, muttering, “Such bad luck!”
After speaking, he turned to leave.
Li Ren suddenly stood up and grabbed the collar of Shao Mingyang’s robe, “Who are you calling unlucky?”
“You dare to lay hands on ? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death!” Shao Mingyang struggled unsuccessfully, frustration boiling over.
Accustod to a life of privilege since childhood, he was unaccustod to such treatnt.
Li Ren scoffed coldly, “With that feeble skill of yours, you dare to defy ?”
Shao Mingyang landed a punch squarely on his adversary’s nose, causing blood to spray instantly.
“Ah—,” Li Ren cried out in pain, clutching his nose with continuous wailing.
“I warn you, provoke again, and I won’t hold back next ti!”
“Your Shao Family has fallen on hard tis, and your father has resigned. What right do you have to be arrogant?” Li Ren’s words struck at Shao Mingyang’s heart.
Unable to restrain himself, Shao Mingyang retorted, “The Emperor threatened my father’s life to force his resignation!”
“Hahaha… The Emperor threatening your father? What a joke,” Li Ren, along with everyone else, erupted into echoing laughter.
Shao Mingyang, grinding his teeth, glared at Li Ren. He knew his words would find no belief. Pushing his way through the crowd, he ran out.
Watching him from the second floor, a pair of eyes followed his departure, then tossed down a few pieces of silver and followed.
Full of bottled-up frustration, Shao Mingyang stord off, oblivious to the figure in his path, and bumped headlong into them.
“Are you blind?”
Clutching his sore head, Shao Mingyang looked up at the stranger with fury.
Xia Zhaoshun frowned, displeased, “Lord Shao, as fiery-tempered as ever.”
“Who are you?” Having been so brazen normally, Shao Mingyang now turned cautious.
“Xia Zhaoshun.”
At the ntion of the na, Shao Mingyang felt it was familiar, as if he had heard it sowhere before, but couldn’t quite place it.
“I overheard you in the tavern ntioning the Emperor forced Lord Shao to resign. Is that true or false?”
“Of course, it’s true. But no one believes it, though that’s to be expected. Who could imagine that the Emperor would force a minister to resign?” said Shao Mingyang, self-deprecatingly, as he walked past Xia Zhaoshun to leave, everyone now avoiding the Shao Family like the plague.
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