Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 911 Accountability
As the Prime Minister, Wen Tiren learned the news when the emperor mobilized the new army, the Jinyiwei and the police. At first, he was indeed a little panicked, fearing that something big had happened in the court. But after a while, after receiving information from all sides, Wen Tiren realized that Zhu Shenzhui's target was the Donglin Party.

After learning the news, Wen Tihen was extremely surprised. He never expected that the emperor would take such action against the Donglin Party. You must know that although Wen Tihen did not get along with the Donglin Party, he also knew the Donglin Party’s huge political power and deep-rooted influence.

Emperor Tianqi did not do this to the Donglin Party. He just used Wei Zhongxian to suppress the Donglin Party and found various reasons to target them one by one. As for Emperor Chongzhen, he was influenced by the Donglin Party before he ascended the throne, and was fooled by the Donglin Party after he ascended the throne. Although Emperor Chongzhen, who suffered several big losses, gradually understood what the Donglin Party was like, his perception of the Donglin Party began to change, and he gradually alienated the Donglin Party members and began to promote other party members to weaken the Donglin Party's power in the court, but even so, Emperor Chongzhen never dared to directly attack the Donglin Party.

But now the Yongming Emperor did something that the previous two emperors did not dare to do, which is simply incredible. Is Zhu Shenzhu not afraid of a strong reaction to the Donglin Party? Especially in the south, the Donglin Party is more powerful. Now the Ming Dynasty's control over the south is not the same as before. What if the Donglin Party and the southern gentry group counterattack and split the country?
The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. How could Wen Tiren sit still? He quickly changed into his official uniform and hurried out, heading straight to the palace.

He had to go to the palace to ask for an audience with Zhu Shencui. As the Prime Minister, he had to take responsibility for this matter. Since it had been done, he didn't have a better solution. He could only try his best to assist the emperor in controlling the incident within the scope and hope that nothing serious would happen.

When Wen Tiren entered the palace, he found that he was not the only one who shared the same idea as him, but also several other important officials, including his old rivals, Yang Sichang, the Minister of Revenue, Chen Qiyu, the Minister of War, and Zhang Ruitu, the Right Censor of the Censorate and the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion.

"Prime Minister!" Seeing Wen Tiren hurriedly arriving, the three people who had arrived earlier bowed and saluted him.

"My Lords..." Wen Tiren returned the greeting and then asked impatiently, "Do you know what happened in the capital? Are you here to see His Majesty?"

Yang Sichang and the other two nodded silently. Like Wen Tiren, they were shocked by this incident, especially after hearing that the emperor had arrested many members of the Donglin Party. Although they didn't know why the emperor did this, the Donglin Party was not so easy to deal with. Such an action could cause chaos. As important officials of the court, how could they ignore it?
To this end, the three decided to ask for an audience with the emperor to find out what was going on, and intended to dissuade Zhu Shenzhu from causing national unrest.

They had just entered the palace and had not yet seen the emperor when Wen Tiren also rushed over. Looking at Wen Tiren's anxious expression, it goes without saying that Wen Tiren's purpose was the same as theirs.

"Prime Minister, is there any news from the cabinet?" Zhang Ruitu asked.

Wen Tiren shook his head. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even go to the cabinet. Moreover, this matter was an emergency. There were only ministers left in the cabinet now. As the Prime Minister, he didn't understand what was going on, let alone his subordinates.

"Lord Zhang is in charge of the Censorate, didn't you know anything in advance?" Wen Tiren asked back.

Zhang Ruitu also shook his head. He knew nothing about this matter. You know, he is now the second in command of the Censorate! Although Xu Xiancheng is the Left Censor-in-Chief, the actual top leader, Xu Xiancheng is no longer in charge of the Censorate. Now, Zhang Ruitu is in charge of the specific work of the Censorate on weekdays. However, Zhang Ruitu did not know anything about such a big thing in advance. Moreover, this time, not only the Donglin Party members were arrested, but also two censors in his Censorate were among them.

The four of them looked at each other, not understanding the situation for a moment. At this moment, Lu Jiude, the eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, came out. When he saw the important ministers standing outside the palace, he hurriedly saluted and then told them that the emperor was aware of the arrival of the gentlemen and invited them into the palace to talk.

Wen Tiren and others thanked Lu Jiude, then stepped into the hall, and were then led by Lu Jiude to a side hall.

When he arrived at the place but had not yet entered, he heard a faint voice coming from the side hall. The voice sounded familiar. After listening carefully, Wen Tiren realized that it was actually Sun Chengzong's voice.

"Strange, why is Sun Chengzong here?" Wen Tiren was very puzzled. Today, the emperor suddenly arrested many Donglin Party officials, but Sun Chengzong was also a Donglin Party member! Moreover, Sun Chengzong was a big boss in the Donglin Party. No one could compare to him in terms of status, position and qualifications, not even the famous Qian Qianyi.

He rushed to the palace as soon as he heard the news, and so did Yang Sichang and others. But how come Sun Chengzong was summoned by the emperor before them?

Thinking of this, Wen Tiren's heart moved slightly. He suddenly recalled the emperor's previous promotion of Sun Chengzong. Thinking of Qian Qianyi's departure from the capital, a light bulb suddenly lit up in his mind and he seemed to have figured something out. However, Wen Tiren was quite shrewd. Although his heart was in turmoil, there was no change on his face.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and several others have arrived." Lu Jiude reported to the inside first, and soon there came a reply from Zhu Shenzhui asking them to come in. After entering the side hall, they found that not only the Emperor Zhu Shenzhui was there, but also Sun Chengzong who had just spoken was there, and there were three others besides them, namely Xu Xiancheng, Wu Mengming who had recently taken over the position of Jinyiwei, and Liu Bo, the commander of the police.

Seeing Wen Tiren and others coming, Sun Chengzong, who had just spoken, stopped talking temporarily. Zhu Shenzhui did not show any other expression when he saw them, but just nodded slightly and asked Lu Jiude to bring stools for them to sit down.

After Wen Tiren and others sat down, Zhu Shenzui asked Sun Chengzong to continue speaking, and Sun Chengzong then continued speaking.

As Sun Chengzong continued to speak, Wen Tiren and others listened attentively. They were completely confused and had no idea what was going on. Although they wanted to ask about it, Sun Chengzong was talking to the emperor and it was not convenient to interrupt them for the time being. They could only listen to them finish their story.

But they didn't expect that after just a few words, everyone showed surprise on their faces, because Sun Chengzong and the emperor were not talking about anything else, but exactly what they had come for.

Sun Chengzong told the emperor that the capital was now under full control, and except for one person who committed suicide out of fear of punishment, the remaining 18 people were all captured. In addition to these officials, some of their subordinates and some people implicated in them were also captured one after another. Only a few people were still being hunted down, but the city gates were under martial law, and Wang Jinwu was leading the new army to block the main roads in the capital. As long as these people were in the capital, they would definitely not be able to escape, and it was only a matter of time before they were captured.

In response to this, Wu Mengming and Liu Bo expressed their opinions, saying that Sun Chengzong was right, the overall situation had been decided, and the few fish that had slipped through the net would definitely not be able to escape, and they would all be resolved after waiting for some time, so the emperor could rest assured.

Hearing these words, Zhu Shenzui nodded easily to show that he was very satisfied with their arrangements. He then asked some other questions and arrangements. Sun Chengzong had everything planned out and answered them immediately. After listening to them, Zhu Shenzui became even happier.

"You have done a good job, sir. Thank you for your hard work."

"This is what an old minister should do. It is the duty of an old minister to serve the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty." Sun Chengzong replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

At this time, Zhu Shenzhui shifted his gaze from Sun Chengzong to Wen Tiren and the others, and asked with a smile: "The Prime Minister and the others are in a hurry to see me, is it because of today's matter?"

"Your Majesty!" Before Wen Tiren could speak, Zhang Ruitu couldn't wait to ask, "I was shocked to learn of Your Majesty's actions, but I don't know why Your Majesty did this suddenly. I am worried and restless, so I came to the palace to ask for an audience with Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty can help me solve my doubts."

"Haha, I understand what Lord Zhang means. I know what Lord Zhang is worried about. So do the Prime Minister and the other two Lords do the same?" Zhu Shenzui asked with a smile. Zhang Ruitu had a straightforward personality, was old, and had a lot of experience. Although his question was a bit rude, Zhu Shenzui did not have the slightest idea of ​​blaming him. Instead, he was very polite.

Wen Tiren and others nodded silently, indicating that they had the same idea as Zhang Ruitu, because the court suddenly arrested so many Donglin Party officials and people involved with the Donglin Party. This matter was too sudden and too shocking. They were afraid that something big would happen, so they hurried into the palace to ask for a meeting.

"This is my fault. Logically, I should have informed you all about this first, especially the Cabinet and the Censorate..." Zhu Shenzui said, nodding slightly to Wen Tiren and Zhang Ruitu. This attitude made Wen Tiren and Zhang Ruitu feel relieved. At least Zhu Shenzui's behavior was very normal and it was definitely not an impulsive act.

Zhu Shenzhui continued, "However, this matter is serious and involves many people. I have to be cautious, so I can only act in this way..."

"Your Majesty, why did you do this? According to the court system, even if Your Majesty wants to punish officials, you should follow the procedures. This action has shaken the court and the people in the capital are in panic. As the Right Censor of the Censorate, I know nothing about it. Please explain it to me." Zhang Ruitu continued to ask. He held his breath in his heart, thinking that Zhu Shenzhu should not do this even if he was the emperor! So many officials have been arrested. Even if these people are wrong, they should be investigated by the three judicial departments. If the emperor can arrest anyone he wants and kill anyone he wants, where is the law? What's the point?

"My Lord, be careful with your words!" Yang Sichang hurriedly tried to stop him, and said, "Your Majesty has his reasons for making such an arrangement. Your Lordship need not worry. Your Majesty will have an explanation. Your father and king are in front of you, so please do not lose your manners!"

Yang Sichang's words calmed Zhang Ruitu down a little, but he still looked at Zhu Shenzhui, as if asking Zhu Shenzhui to give a real explanation. If he was not satisfied with the explanation, he would make direct criticism even if he did not want to be the official. Anyway, it was not the first time that Zhang Ruitu had done such a thing. Since he was now in charge of the Censorate, he had to do his job, otherwise wouldn't he be just a figurehead?
(End of this chapter)