When Miaoyun started a live stream, all the ancients were completely taken aback.

Chapter 25: What a cool guy! Old Zhu has broken down again!

During the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang's hard-won composure crumbled once again!

"Is the water too cold?"

"Could this really be something a leader of the literati, a model of scholars, would say?"

"Is this something a high-ranking official like the Minister of Rites of the Ming Dynasty would say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he cursed out loud.

Those ministers who were invited by Zhu Yuanzhang to stay for dinner all lowered their heads and dared not utter a word.

Xu Da sat to the side, eating with his head down, secretly complaining to himself.

"Liu Yan is good in every way, so why does he always seem to be poking fun at His Majesty?"

"First came the 'Supporting Heaven and Pacifying the Rebellion,' then the 'Chicken Stewed in a Clay Pot,' followed by the 'Gatekeeper Emperor,' and now we have a Minister of Rites whose water is too cold?"

"Even the dead would be brought back to life by anger!"

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth in the Fengtian Hall, his hurried steps seeming as if he were about to crush the gold bricks beneath his feet.

Empress Ma sat to the side and did not say anything to stop it.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stopped, pointing at the sky, his body trembling.

"We've fought a lifetime of battles! We've won! We've lost! But we've never given up!"

"I never expected that among the officials of our Ming Dynasty, there were not only loyal ministers like Yu Qian who could turn the tide, but also Qian Qianyi, who was well-versed in the classics but was spineless and flattered the enemy, who was renowned for his literary talent but surrendered to the enemy, who was afraid to die in the face of danger, and who was a cowardly traitor with no integrity."

Zhu Yuanzhang was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Xu Da had no choice but to put down his bowl and chopsticks and kneel on the ground with the other officials, shouting loudly.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice gradually turned cold and sharp, and he was on the verge of exploding again.

"A high-ranking official of the imperial court has lost all integrity, and is even less virtuous than a woman from the banks of the Qinhuai River!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly and deliberately, each word carrying the sharp edge of a knife.

"Even prostitutes know to die for their country and be loyal to the emperor, yet Qian Qianyi, a minister of six ministries who has received the Ming Dynasty's salary for decades, is so cowardly and incompetent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly looked up and stared at the sky, demanding an answer in a stern voice, even though he knew that the people there couldn't hear him.

"Qian Qianyi! Tell me! What exactly has our Ming Dynasty done to wrong you?"

"Even your wives and concubines knew to die for their country to preserve their honor! What face do you have to live on? What face do you have to face your ancestors of the Zhu family?"

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his seat but did not sit down. Instead, he turned his back to the court officials and spoke in a low voice.

"The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide. I know there is no dynasty that lasts forever! But I want to tell you all: a nation may be destroyed! Blood may be shed! But integrity must not be forsaken!"

The assembled officials all kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up again, gazing at the Qinhuai River against the sky, his expression complex.

The magnificent scene of the brightly lit world remained unchanged, but his heart was heavy with the words "the water is too cold."

Meanwhile, in the Ming Dynasty, the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, at the Wenhua Hall.

The newly enthroned Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian had just completed a thorough purge of Wei Zhongxian's eunuch faction and was preparing to launch a major campaign. However, upon seeing the news coming from the sky, the young emperor was stunned.

The words "the water is too cold" struck all the officials of the Chongzhen era like a heavy hammer blow.

Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, sat on the dragon throne, his face seemingly calm, but the anger in his eyes was enough to ignite the entire Wenhua Hall!

His gaze slowly shifted to the assembled officials in the hall, finally settling on one person.

This person was Qian Qianyi, who was then serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently as a Reader in the Hanlin Academy.

At this moment, Qian Qianyi's face was ashen, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

His life has never been as glorious as it is this year. In the imperial court, he not only holds the rank of a third-grade official, but has also been promoted to cabinet minister, just one step away from the position of prime minister.

Among the common people, with the passing of a number of Donglin elders, Qian Qianyi was now unmatched in terms of seniority, literary fame, and status. He was now the literary leader of the Ming Dynasty, the undisputed head of the Donglin Party, and a role model for scholars all over the world.

However, just when his life's grand philosophy reached its peak, the sky brightened!

Then, Qian Qianyi heard his name heard within the sky, accompanied by the three words, "The water is too cold."

Qian Qianyi froze on the spot, unable to move. A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his whole body, from bones to flesh, became completely stiff!

It was as if his soul had been taken away, leaving only a shell.

Just then, above the sky, Liu Yan, sitting not far away, spoke with a smile.

"This brother is absolutely right! Qian Qianyi's line, 'The water is too cold,' is truly timeless!"

"Liu Rushi was known as Hedong Jun, and Qian Qianyi was known as Liangliang Jun."

The words of this young man who strayed into the celestial canopy were nothing short of a murderous blow!

"Liang Liang Jun? Liang Liang Jun?"

These three words seemed to echo repeatedly in Qian Qianyi's mind.

At this moment, all the court officials in the hall focused their attention on him.

Those gazes contained shock, disdain, schadenfreude, and above all, disbelief. No one could have imagined that Qian Qianyi would do such a thing in the future.

Among the court officials, Wen Tiren, the Grand Secretary and a powerful figure in the Zhejiang faction, stared sharply at Qian Qianyi, his gaze as sharp as a jackal eyeing flesh.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Chongzhen's voice rang out in the hall. The voice was not loud, but it cut through the stagnant air like a knife.

"My Lord? Don't you have anything to explain to me?"

Qian Qianyi shuddered, his body went limp, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"My lord...my lord..."

For a moment, Qian Qianyi didn't know how to explain.

For Chongzhen himself, that was a matter for the future, but for the future generations above the heavens, it was an established fact that had already happened.

All explanations at this moment are pale and powerless.

Zhu Youjian's chest heaved at this moment. He never expected that his Ming Dynasty would have such a weak and incompetent minister!

How could such a person be worthy of the title of the leader of the literati?

"I had thought that having just purged the eunuch faction, the court would surely be filled with the backbone of my Great Ming!"

Zhu Youjian paused here, and then his voice turned somewhat cold.

"Only today have I realized that your backbone isn't as hard as you claim!"

Qian Qianyi's tears welled up, and his forehead thumped against the gold bricks.

"Your Majesty is wise! Those are all matters of the future. Your humble servant is loyal to the Ming Dynasty! I have absolutely no disloyal intentions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qu Shisi, a trusted confidant of Qian Qianyi and a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, knelt down and kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, please understand! The reason why Vice Minister Qian did not die for his country must be that he wanted to preserve his life and wait for the opportune moment!"

Upon hearing this, members of the Donglin Party in the court also spoke up. After all, Qian Qianyi was currently their leader of the Donglin Party, and they were going to push him into the cabinet in the future. They absolutely could not afford to make a mistake at this moment, otherwise all their previous efforts would be in vain.

Immediately, Wen Zhenmeng, Yao Ximeng, Qian Longxi, and other members of the Donglin Party spoke up to defend Qian Qianyi.

Upon seeing this, Qian Qianyi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before he could even relax for three seconds, another message came from the sky.

Xu Miaoyun cupped her face in her hands and asked.

"And then what happened? What became of Liu Rushi?"

Liu Yan reached out and swept his hand across the surface of the Qinhuai River, speaking calmly.

"Later, Liu Rushi, who was determined to die for her country, was rescued by others."

"But this leader of the Donglin Party opened the gates of Nanjing and led his officials to kneel and welcome the Qing army commander Dodo into the city, surrendering to the Qing Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun immediately puffed out her cheeks in anger.

"That bastard is completely unworthy of Liu Rushi!"

Liu Yan shrugged.

"Who can argue with that?"

"After Qian Qianyi surrendered to the Qing, Liu Rushi continued to sell her property to secretly provide financial assistance and contact anti-Qing rebels."

"And after Qian Qianyi's death, in order to protect his family property and reputation, he hanged himself."

"Later generations praised her as the greatest courtesan of Qinhuai throughout history."

"In contrast, Qian Qianyi had another interesting story circulating about him, besides the fact that the water was too cold."

Xu Miaoyun immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"Husband, please tell me quickly."

During the Chongzhen reign, Qian Qianyi, who had been kneeling on the ground and thought he had escaped a calamity, suddenly lost all hope.

Qian Qianyi: 666! There's a second hurdle! Am I doomed to die today?!