Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 44: Promoted to Jinyiwei Qianhu

The eunuch Zhang Zhao, who was in charge of the Imperial Stables, was carried away by two captains of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and his three-peaked hat fell to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Zhengde Zhu Houzhao just smiled slightly. Seeing that the eunuch Wang Yue, the seal-holder of the Imperial Household Department, was still kneeling on the ground, his expression was a little indifferent, but his pair of turbid old eyes were rolling around as if he was still thinking about something.

Zhu Houzhao knew without asking that Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, must be shocked by his sudden attack.

But Zhu Houzhao didn't want to say anything more to Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. He just raised his boot and stepped on Wang Yue's palm, changing his usual innocence and biting his lips:
"Grandfather, your godson Zhang Zhao is incompetent, so I dismissed him from his position as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration and the commander of the Imperial Guards. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, knew that Zhu Houzhao wanted him to express his opinion. Seeing the pair of thick-soled boots stepping on his old hands very forcefully, he could guess how much anger Zhu Houzhao had suppressed. He never expected that a fifteen-year-old emperor would be so cunning that he had not noticed anything unusual for so many years!

However, Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, knew that it was the Emperor Zhu Houzhao who suddenly attacked him. He was totally unprepared and could not fight back at all. He could only grit his teeth and endure the severe pain between his fingers, and knocked his head heavily to the ground:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I am not worthy of you calling me ancestor. These are just nonsense calls from the ignorant people below. I hope Your Majesty will calm down! Zhang Zhao is not my godson. He is just a servant of Your Majesty. If Your Majesty has pity on him, you can spare him. If you don't have pity on him, it's not wrong to kill him. Zhang Zhao is incompetent, and it is even more right to remove his power to command the military in the Imperial Horse Supervisor! Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Houzhao loosened his feet. He knew that if he wanted to continue on the path of reviving the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, he would be destined to be ruthless and he could not show the slightest mercy to any political enemies who stood in his way of ruling the Ming Dynasty.

Politics has never been a game of house, nor is it just about conspiracies and schemes. It is more about following the law of the jungle.

"That's great! When you return to the palace, you can draft an edict to remove Zhang Zhao, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Guards, from his position as the commander of the regiments and the imperial guards. From now on, Liu Jin will be in charge of the Imperial Horse Guards and will also be the commander of the imperial guards. Zhang Yong will be the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Households and will be the commander of the twelve regiments. Do you understand?"

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he looked at Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, said hurriedly, "I understand!"

At this time, Liu Jin and Zhang Yong also received imperial orders.

"Once you receive the order, you must do your job well. If something like today happens again, I will never let you off easily!"

As Zhu Houzhao said this, he mounted his horse and rode away.

Lu He, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander of the Eastern Depot, hurriedly helped Wang Yue up and said, "Grandfather, are you okay?"

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his red and swollen hands, then stretched out his snow-white, bloodless hand to touch his cheek. He couldn't help but grimace in pain when he touched the wound.

"Your Majesty, that slap was really hard!"

Lu He couldn't help but say something.

"This is because we have always been listening to the cabinet. How can it not be cruel? I guess even crueler things are still to come. We really misjudged this new emperor. It turns out that he is no longer the prince who was ignorant of the world in the past."

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, said calmly. "If that's the case, what should we do?" Lu He asked.

"We are rootless people after all. We are the emperor's slaves on the surface. Slaves cannot compete with their masters openly. We can only ask the civil officials in the outer court for help. The literati and the emperor rule the world together, and only they can control the emperor. Although the emperor has his own ministers, as long as the civil officials control the emperor, we can be saved!"

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, said this and looked at Lu He again: "Now the emperor probably wants to seize the military power of the Imperial Stables first, and then take away your power over the Eastern Depot. Now he just wants to sideline you temporarily. While there is still time, you should quickly find a way to send someone to inform the cabinet that the emperor has asked Liu Jin to supervise the imperial guards. At the same time, find a way to rescue Zhang Zhaoxian. The regiment and the imperial guards still need him to take charge. When the time comes, as long as the civil officials help, he can still take back the power over the military of the Imperial Stables!

In addition, tell Zhang Zhao and our subordinates that the people's hearts are still on the side of the Ming Dynasty, and we cannot leave the royal family, so the purpose of the action cannot be blamed on the emperor. I cannot betray the master openly, otherwise I will be unacceptable to the world. I can only say that we must eliminate the treacherous people around your majesty! We have to punish the traitors!"

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, actually had no idea how many tricks Zhu Houzhao had prepared, but he knew that he had to go all out now. After all, no one who was favored by the emperor would ever have a good ending. So he still gave Lu He a few instructions, but he did not dare to say much. Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was about to turn around, he hurried over.

Zhu Houzhao knew that from the moment he passed through the Meridian Gate today, the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty would no longer be quiet. He was waiting for the arrival of the storm, and he was confident that he could win this competition.

Zhu Houzhao walked up to the assassin who had committed suicide. There was no trace of anger on his face. He even showed some reluctance and gratitude. He just waved his hand and said, "Since he is already dead, I don't think we can get anything out of him. Let's carry him away and bury him!"

So, two Jinyiwei captains carried the assassin away.

At this time, Zhu Houzhao looked at Guo Rong: "What's your name?"

Guo Rong suddenly put his feet together and straightened his chest, but he couldn't speak clearly: "Your Majesty, I am General Guo Rong, and I am a centurion of the Warrior Battalion!"

"Your swordsmanship just now was very accurate and fast. You have saved the emperor. From now on, you are a captain of the Jinyiwei and you carry a sword to serve in the palace!"

Guo Rongzi never expected that he would suddenly become a captain of the Imperial Guard.

What's even more rare is that His Majesty the Emperor also asked him to serve in the palace, which surprised Guo Rong.

Only Zhu Houzhao himself knew that he was just taking this opportunity to find a reliable guard for himself. Now that he has begun to show his fangs that he had hidden for a long time, he is destined to face various risks from today on, so he must place a reliable guard by his side.

Guo Rong was a low-level military officer with a shallow foundation, so he naturally had no connection with the high-level officials of the court. Moreover, it would be easier for him to be loyal to him if he showed him favors.

In addition, it was brave and decisive of him to cut off the assassin's arm quickly and decisively in the solemn atmosphere when the emperor returned to the palace. At the same time, it was smart of him to cut off his arm instead of killing the assassin to avoid being misunderstood as murder to silence him.

There was no reason for Zhu Houzhao not to promote such a person and make him his confidant.

Moreover, Zhu Houzhao believed in such a person. If he gave him a chance, he would seize it and work hard to make progress.

(End of this chapter)