Reborn As Divine Doctor to Rule the World
Chapter 417 - 419: Forced to Resign

Chapter 417: Chapter 419: Forced to Resign

"Master, you look pale. What did the Emperor summon you to the Imperial Study Room for?" Mei 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 exclaimed 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 something 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 imprisonment. In the end, it’s all because of the disaster you caused!"

"Father, how can you blame me 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 mentioned, 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 me to resign? How did I end up with such an incompetent son!"

Having said that, he stormed out, his sleeves flapping violently.

Mei Ying stood there, stunned, and it took her a moment 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 me 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 became 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 time 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 me? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death!" Shao Mingyang struggled unsuccessfully, frustration boiling over.

Accustomed to a life of privilege since childhood, he was unaccustomed to such treatment.

Li Ren scoffed coldly, "With that feeble skill of yours, you dare to defy me?"

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 me again, and I won’t hold back next time!"

"Your Shao Family has fallen on hard times, 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 stormed 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 mention of the name, Shao Mingyang felt it was familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but couldn’t quite place it.

"I overheard you in the tavern mentioning 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.