Many people are eager to try their hand at it, or they're just watching the excitement and not caring if things get out of hand.

Kong Ne felt the time was ripe. Not only him, but other ministers who wanted to impeach Zhu Zhaohui also felt the time was ripe. They had to do something now, not only to protect the reputation of Confucius's descendants, but also for their own reputations. This was a crucial moment where they could not back down.

Even at this time, some ministers who were concerned about the country and its people felt that this was a warning to the imperial clan, lest they become restless. They believed that Zhu Zhaohui's behavior was a sign that the imperial clan was becoming somewhat unruly and that it must be dealt with severely.

Zhu Yunying, sitting high on the dragon throne, remained calm. He roughly knew what was going to happen next, and he could guess that the main event was about to begin.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!" Just as Zhu Yunying remained calm, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate knelt down, holding up his memorial. "Your Majesty, I impeach the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Lu for slandering ministers and defaming sages!"

Zhu Yunying remained calm and simply asked, "Who else is there? Step forward."

"Your subject has submitted a memorial impeaching the Prince of Lu, whose actions are outrageous and perverse."

"I second that opinion! Prince Lu..."

One by one, the ministers stepped forward, and soon nearly ten ministers appeared, all of them impeaching Zhu Zhaohui.

Basically, the Censorate was the leading body, with representatives from the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Hanlin Academy also stepping forward. It was normal for the Censorate to step forward; its governing body evolved from the Imperial Censorate of previous dynasties, and it was responsible for oversight, impeachment, and recommendations. Together with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, it was known as the Three Judicial Offices. In cases of major offenses, the Three Judicial Offices would jointly try the cases, a process also known as the "Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices."

My little brother has stirred up a hornet's nest. All the ministers look furious, and they're all impeaching him.

At this point, Kong Ne could no longer pretend nothing was wrong, and he stepped forward shakily. It wasn't unexpected that he would kneel down, holding the memorial aloft, amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd; it would have been disappointing if he hadn't stepped forward.

Kong Ne was filled with grief and indignation. Holding up the memorial, he choked with emotion, "Your subject has a memorial to present! The Crown Prince of Lu has slandered my father and grandfather!"

Zhu Yunying remained expressionless. Although a dozen or so ministers stood up, creating a seemingly imposing presence, such pressure had no effect on him whatsoever.

Zhu Yunying remained calm and simply asked, "Oh? Is what the Prince of Lu said yesterday true?"

Suddenly, many people seemed to realize something. Despite the calm tone of the young emperor sitting on the dragon throne, his words undoubtedly stirred up a storm in the hearts of some.

Kong Ne was startled, and at this moment Zhu Yunying continued, "Yesterday I ordered people to search through the classics, and everything the Prince of Lu said was recorded. Duke Yansheng, is this true?"

"I am young." Kong Ne was taken aback, and then quickly made up an excuse, "I was unaware of this."

At this moment, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief stepped forward and chimed in, "Your Majesty, it is my duty to submit a memorial of remonstrance to the late Duke Yansheng, Kong Gong!"

Well, that's a pretty good reason. Zhu Zhaohui, a scholar from the Prince of Lu, is bringing up old grievances, impeaching Kong Kejian, the Duke Yansheng from the Yuan Dynasty, while the current ministers have their own perspective. They argue that Kong Kejian was an official of the Yuan Dynasty, and serving the Yuan Dynasty was normal; it was a subject's duty.

Kong Ne remained silent at this moment, and the other officials also received the signal one by one.

They were all agitated. The late Duke Yansheng had only served under the Yuan dynasty, and his report was perfectly reasonable. If His Majesty were to reopen old grievances, it would dishearten the scholars of the realm, especially since many Ming officials had served under the Yuan. Such an act would unsettle them and chill the hearts of all officials.

This "general trend" seems to make a lot of sense and is quite convincing.

Many civil and military officials believed that bringing up past grievances was inadvisable, given that many Ming officials did indeed have records of serving in the Yuan dynasty. If this matter were investigated now, many officials would be implicated, which was certainly inappropriate.

Furthermore, some argue that while Kong Kejian was advising the Yuan emperor on behalf of the Ming dynasty and resisting its advance, he was, in essence, the Duke Yansheng of the Yuan dynasty. His actions, according to universal values, were simply the duty of a subject. It would have been truly disappointing if he had received a salary from the Yuan dynasty but failed to perform his duties.

This seems to have gained considerable approval, especially since Kong Kejian did not serve the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, if the Kong family were to be investigated now, particularly Kong Kejian's crimes, many people would be dissatisfied.

Zhu Yunying spoke up at this moment, slowly saying, "During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, Confucius was posthumously honored as the King of Wenxuan. Before that, there were many Dukes of Wenxuan. However, it is not appropriate to add the posthumous title of Confucius to his descendants. Therefore, during the Zhihe era of the Song Dynasty, Duke Wenxuan should be called Duke Yansheng."

Zhu Yunying continued, “Confucius’ descendants were honored with titles and honors, a tradition that has lasted for generations. It began when Emperor Yuan of Han enfeoffed him as Lord of Baocheng to continue his ancestral sacrifices, and Emperor Ping of Han enfeoffed him as Marquis of Baocheng, at which point Confucius was posthumously honored as Duke Xuanni of Baocheng. Baocheng was his fief; Xuanni was his posthumous title; and Duke and Marquis were his ranks. Although his descendants made some changes, the essence remained the same!”

This is the origin of the title "Duke Yansheng". Compared with previous titles such as Baocheng, Baozun, Zongsheng, Fengsheng, Chongsheng, Gongsheng, and Baosheng, "Yan" means that the descendants of the saint continue to spread and multiply endlessly, representing the highest realm of feudal emperors' respect for Confucius and the saint.

Kong Ne was 'unaware of the details,' and many civil and military officials waited for the next part, because their emperor was explaining the origin of the title Duke Yansheng.

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