Trading Blows

Tian Fen was indeed somewhat forced into the role of prime minister, which led to him being unable to handle many matters effectively.

But he remained very calm.

The injury trope, which Zhang Xuezhou has overused, is indeed very effective. A patient like him wouldn't be so likely to cause trouble for Dou Ying and others; the incident must have been initiated by Dou Ying's side.

Although he wasn't entirely sure if his retainers had been involved in the affair, Tian Fen felt it wouldn't be difficult for him to extricate himself from the entanglement.

It wasn't until two sorcerers under Sima Yi attacked and killed Shen Chong that Tian Fen realized he was in serious trouble.

This trouble did not stem from Dou Ying, but from his performance in the ambush at Mayi.

The one who defeated Daojun and the others was the new emperor, but it was difficult for any cultivator from the Xiong State to know that the swordsman was the new emperor. The empress dowager also managed to remain hidden, making it difficult to discern her identity from her attire.

Tian Fen somewhat resented himself for being too flamboyant, even during the Battle of Mayi, when he wore the Tongtian Minister's crown.

Although this is a valuable treasure, he is hardly someone who can use such a treasure.

The treasure was useless, but his identity was thoroughly investigated, and he was even tracked down to his residence by a sorcerer.

He felt increasingly agitated and anxious.

"What do you mean by not having Dongfang Shuo keep an eye on me? Is it because his place is heavily guarded and difficult to get in, so you're not going to look for him?"

Tian Fen cursed inwardly a few times.

He only snapped back to his senses when the new emperor called his name in court.

"This old minister is seriously ill and injured; it is impossible for him to provoke trouble. He would only retaliate if he were bullied to the point of exhaustion. Your Majesty must stand up for this old minister!"

Tian Fen bowed deeply and cried out, then quickly covered his head with his hands.

He needed to feign illness to get rid of trouble, but Tian Fen couldn't make it too obvious, lest he be unable to 'perform' the position of prime minister.

If it weren't for the need to consider the Empress Dowager and their kinship, Tian Fen felt that he would likely have been temporarily appointed as the prime minister by someone else, and then he would have had to go home to recuperate.

It's very difficult to do something that requires you to be sick, but you can't be too sick.

"Dou Ying was incompetent as prime minister in the past and was later dismissed from office. He has been harboring resentment all these years, waiting for the old minister to fall ill so he can take his place!"

Regardless of Dou Ying's true intentions, Tian Fen chose to retaliate.

"Prime Minister, His Majesty asks if you need a chair because you have difficulty standing."

The Imperial Censor Han Anguo, who was standing side by side in the main hall, had to whisper a reminder before Tian Fen realized what he had missed while he was distracted.

But words spoken cannot be taken back, so Tian Fen had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue reporting.

"Absurd!"

After Tian Fen finished speaking, he heard Marquis of Weiqi Dou Ying was on the other side of the court officials, vehemently deny it.

After being removed from his position as prime minister, Dou Ying was not allowed to enter the palace except for special occasions, and had not visited the main hall of the Weiyang Palace for a long time.

He stared intently at Tian Fen, his eyes seeming to spit fire.

"You... you're just a crony, lacking both ability and competence for your position. You know best what you've been up to behind the scenes. Someone like you is here to bring ruin to our Great Han Dynasty!"

Dou Ying pointed at Tian Fen, her gesture almost like she was about to strike, causing Tian Fen to involuntarily take two steps back.

"If you can't even withstand Dou's imposing presence, how can you have the face to serve as Prime Minister?" Dou Ying rebuked.

"Although I, Tian, am not talented, I am not the kind of person who would slink away from the position of prime minister in half a year!"

Tian Fen retorted sarcastically, mentioning that Dou Ying's performance as prime minister was even worse, to the point of being utterly incompetent and useless.

"You..."

It's like bringing up a sore spot; being dismissed from his post as prime minister was the most painful thing for Dou Ying.

The situation he faced at that time was extremely complex, far more so than what we see today.

The fact that Dou Ying was overwhelmed by just one Empress Dowager meant that it wouldn't matter who was prime minister; this inevitably made him somewhat vulnerable.

When Dou Ying threw a powerful punch at Tian Fen, he was blocked by Han Anguo, who was trying to break up the fight, and couldn't push away Han Anguo, who was good at defense, for a while.

When other officials stepped in to break up the fight, Dou Ying could only resort to cursing.

"Marquis of Weiqi tried to kill me! He openly tried to kill me in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace! He almost broke my bones with his fist!"

Tian Fen was both shocked and furious.

With the Empress Dowager seriously injured, his support system collapsed by more than half. Moreover, Tian Fen's ability to fly was not unique in the court; there were others like Zhang Xuezhou who could pilot the Imperial Shuttle.

Although Zhang Xuezhou also suffered an injury, young people recover faster.

Tian Fen was genuinely afraid of being beaten to death. He shouted and cursed at the same time, accusing Dou Ying Yinghou's family of many scandals.

This prompted Dou Ying to berate him, directly exposing the scandalous and irregularities of the Prime Minister's residence. Corruption was commonplace for Tian Fen, and Dou Ying could provide Tian Fen with a long list of such things.

"You went to great lengths to rescue Guan Fu, and it was likely you who instigated him to steal the Red Empyrean Sword. Your covetousness for the rightful heir to the Red Empyrean Sword clearly reveals your true intentions!"

Tian Fen also lost his temper and started cursing.

He noticed that the new emperor in the court had already frowned, clearly somewhat dissatisfied after hearing Dou Ying's detailed explanation.

Not to mention the new emperor's dissatisfaction, Tian Fen was also surprised that he had received so much.

Having too much money made Tian Fen lose his sense of proportion. Listening to Dou Ying calculating how much armor to make for the army and how many mounts to replace with all that money, Tian Fen panicked and could only directly attack Dou Ying's weak point.

A marquis cannot be brought down by mere words; only acts of rebellion or other serious offenses could render him irrevocably defeated.

Tian Fen himself was a marquis, so no matter how much he was investigated, he would at most lose his official position, and he could regain it later through some maneuvering.

He was filled with resentment that the position of prime minister would inevitably be taken by someone else in the future, so he couldn't help but accuse Dou Ying of spreading rumors and attempting to use the chaos of last night to implicate Dou Ying in the case of the Red Empyrean Sword.

"Guan Fu is a man of great talent, who fought to the death during the Rebellion of the Seven States. Few generals today are as valiant as him," Dou Ying retorted angrily. "You have ordered your retainers to frame Guan Fu! Only those who aspire to usurp the throne would commit such an act of murdering a loyal official!"

"Everyone knows about your relationship with Guan Fu. The Red Empyrean Sword case has sentenced him to death. It is a fact that you instigated the Guan family's retainers to rescue him. Now you are making false accusations, you must be trying to kill me. Marquis of Weiqi, don't act so arrogantly just because the Dou family is related to the imperial family, and don't use treason as a pretext to attack people at every turn!"

"Tian Fen, don't pretend. I have evidence to prove my point!"

"If you're so capable, then provide evidence. Don't just spout nonsense here!"

Tian Fen cursed repeatedly.

He pondered this over and over, but couldn't come up with any idea that he had colluded with any forces to seize the Great Han Dynasty.

The current Empress Dowager is his own sister, and the current emperor is his nephew. Tian Fen believes that only someone with a mad mind would attempt to seize the throne. If anyone else were to become emperor, who would he rely on, and how could he possibly become prime minister?

The answer to this is something that can be found with a little rational thought; even his good-for-nothing son understands this principle.

Tian Fen launched into a scathing rebuke and then explained the reasons behind it, which drew nods of approval from the assembled officials.

But to his surprise, Dou Ying produced a piece of evidence.