Yes, the Minister of Rites has so disorderly violated etiquette, which leaves him, who has always valued etiquette and whose high position is based on his expertise in it, with no chance to argue his case.

Any attempt to argue only further demonstrates how serious his problems are.

After a long silence, Li Yuanming kowtowed heavily to the ground and said to Zhu Yunwen:

"This old minister is guilty, this old minister is guilty!"

Zhu Yunwen stood in the main hall, his expression not very good, and said in a low voice:

"You admit your guilt? Very well, I am not a heartless person. Today in the court, I only wanted to point out some problems of you, Minister of Rites. The matter is not a big deal."

Since you have confessed, His Highness will naturally not pursue the matter. However, Minister Li, is it perhaps inappropriate for someone so lacking in manners and upbringing to assume the position of Minister of Rites?

Minister of Rites Li Yuanming trembled slightly; he knew what Zhu Yunwen meant.

He felt deep regret, regretting why he had helped Zhu Yunwen invite those Confucian elders to cause trouble for Zhu Yunwen.

Not only did the matter fail to be accomplished, Zhu Yunwen also completely lost his chance with the Crown Prince.

He even caused trouble for himself in the imperial court, with Zhu Yunwen bringing up the matter to cause him trouble.

This whole affair brought him absolutely no benefit; on the contrary, it caused extremely serious consequences for him.

Despite his great reluctance, there was nothing he could do. Zhu Yunwen's words had been quite clear, and it was a relatively dignified way of reminding Li Yuanming.

If Li Yuanming still doesn't understand the meaning and doesn't cooperate with Zhu Yunwen's wishes, then perhaps Zhu Yunwen won't show him any mercy.

Thinking of this, tears welled up in Li Yuanming's eyes. Only now did he realize how serious the consequences of choosing the wrong team were.

Think about the former Minister of Revenue, and then think about the current Minister of Revenue.

Isn't that just like heaven and earth?

Having learned from past mistakes, I found myself following in the footsteps of my predecessor, the Minister of Revenue.

I can't help but want to scold myself.

He sighed helplessly before speaking:

"This old minister knows that he is unworthy to serve as Minister of Rites. Therefore, I request permission from His Majesty and the Crown Prince to resign and return to my hometown in retirement."

At this point, not a single person in the imperial court dared to stand up and say anything in his defense.

Everyone knows that Zhu Yunwen was quite shrewd in the past. Now that he has just become the Crown Prince, it is the time for Zhu Yunwen to establish his authority. If you don't know your place and say something at this time, you may become Zhu Yunwen's next target.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said:

"Grandpa Emperor, Minister Li has requested to resign and retire to his hometown. What do you think..."

Zhu Yuanzhang was both amused and exasperated. He thought to himself, "You've clearly forced him to retire and return to his hometown, and you still come to ask about this? That's really going too far."

However, he was also extremely angry about Li Yuanming's previous actions.

Since Zhu Yunwen wanted to use him to establish his authority, he naturally supported him.

So Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said:

"Minister Li is old and has lost his virtue. Since he himself has realized that he is not worthy of his position, we should naturally grant him his request."

He then waved his hand, signaling Li Yuanming to step down.

Li Yuanming kowtowed again, then stood up and carefully withdrew from the court.

He was already incredibly grateful that Zhu Yunwen hadn't killed him.

At this moment, they naturally had to be even more careful, lest they do something that would displease Zhu Yunwen.

At the same time, he made up his mind to return to his hometown immediately after court, and from then on, everything between him and Zhu Yunwen would have nothing to do with him. He had completely severed ties with Zhu Yunwen in his heart.

After all, he had served Zhu Yunwen for so long, yet he had not only gained no benefits but had also ended up in such a state. If he were to have any further dealings with Zhu Yunwen in the future, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After Li Yuanming, the Minister of Rites, withdrew, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yunwen and said:

"Yunwen, is there anything else?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said:

Where is the Vice Minister of Rites?

In the imperial court, the Vice Minister of Rites, terrified, quickly stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying:

"Your Highness, I am innocent..."

He was eager to prove that he had never been at odds with Zhu Yunwen.

However, Zhu Yunwen quickly waved his hand and said:

"I did not say that you had any faults. I called you here because I have something to entrust to you."

The Vice Minister of Rites finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified. This also showed that Zhu Yunwen's previous attempt to establish his authority had indeed been very effective.

So much so that the Vice Minister of Rites, whom he specifically mentioned, was terrified.

Zhu Yunwen continued, "Choose an auspicious day and make proper preparations. I intend to marry my former fiancée, Zhao Qingzhu, the daughter of military commander Zhao Sili, as the Crown Prince's consort."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said:

"Grandpa, I've taken it upon myself to make this decision. I hope you won't be angry."

Zhu Yuanzhang clearly hadn't realized that Zhu Yunwen's second matter was about this, and immediately nodded with a smile:

"Of course I have no objection. You are now the Crown Prince, so it is only right that you establish a Crown Princess as your successor. Besides, the Zhao family's daughter is already engaged to you. It is indeed a good thing that you can take on such a responsibility. Ministry of Rites, please proceed with the preparations according to the Crown Prince's wishes."

The Vice Minister of Rites was finally relieved.

As long as Zhu Yunwen doesn't cause him trouble, he's willing to do whatever is assigned to him.

Besides, it's something like preparing for the grandson's wedding.