Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 77 I won’t investigate anymore, just kill!

After Ma Wensheng and others left, Zhu Houzhao went to the Cining Palace to pay his respects. It is the courtesy of a son to visit his parents every morning and evening.

Zhu Houzhao also adhered to the moral etiquette that was proper in that era.

Zhu Houzhao would often perform his filial duties as a son, dressing up in colorful clothes and playing tricks in front of Empress Dowager Zhang to make her happy, and at the same time making sure his inner court was not as solemn as that of the previous dynasty.

But today, Zhu Houzhao obviously couldn't laugh.

Wang Shu's death shocked and surprised him, but more importantly, it made him realize that his political opponents were never more merciful than himself.

Zhu Houzhao didn't know whether Ma Yongcheng, the governor of the East Factory, and Wang Yangming were also killed along with Wang Shu.

But from the worst perspective, perhaps no one was left alive, Wang Shu was killed, and Zhang Yu and other murderers of Emperor Hongzhi were also silenced.

Zhu Houzhao felt frustrated and angry, especially when he thought of Li Dongyang's smug look.

Zhu Houzhao walked into the gate of the Cining Palace listlessly and came before Empress Dowager Zhang.

The female official Ruyi was obviously aware that Zhu Houzhao was unhappy, and she consciously held her breath.

Queen Mother Zhang also put away her smile: "My son, what's wrong with you?"

"I feel guilty because one incident led to the massacre of several villages and the deaths of thousands of villagers. If I had not listened to my mother's advice and investigated the cause of my father's death, these innocent people would not have been implicated."

Zhu Houzhao let out a long sigh.

Empress Dowager Zhang smiled slightly. Although the harem was not allowed to interfere in government affairs, she could hear some meaning from Zhu Houzhao's words. She just said, "Do you still want to investigate?"

"No need to check, just kill!"

Zhu Houzhao placed the hand warmer handed to him by Ruyi heavily on the table and looked outside.

"If these wicked people had only killed Wang Shu and his gang, I could have tolerated it, and even appreciated their tough tactics. But they caused thousands of people to be slaughtered by the Tartars, and I absolutely cannot tolerate it!"

When Empress Dowager Zhang heard this, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "You are more impatient than your father! I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse, but I think your father was quite forgiving, but he ended up like this. Maybe it would be better for you to do this. I hope God can bless my son and the Ming Dynasty! I am a person in seclusion, and I can't help you with anything!"

"Don't worry, mother. They can't do anything to me!"

As Zhu Houzhao said this, he ordered someone to serve the meal. After having the meal with Empress Dowager Zhang, he returned to the Qianqing Palace.

Just as Zhu Houzhao said to Empress Dowager Zhang, he knew that Li Dongyang and others were as cunning and treacherous as foxes, vicious and cruel as jackals, and that he would even face more than just these enemies in the future, including the Tartars outside the Great Wall. However, Zhu Houzhao was not afraid.

The present Zhu Houzhao is no longer the Zhu Houzhao who grew up in the deep palace. As a man who has experienced several life and death experiences in later life, he has seen all kinds of storms. Therefore, he is not afraid of any threats.

Just as he said to Ma Wensheng and others, at worst, he could re-establish a new ruling order and rebel against himself as the emperor.

Although Zhu Houzhao did not know the specific circumstances of Wang Shu's murder, he decided to go all out and severely punish Li Dongyang and others!

Not for anything else, just for the thousands of common people who were killed in the murder of Wang Shu!

Zhu Houzhao wanted to let the officials and gentry of the world know the price of poisoning lives! Even in the future, he wanted the Tartars to know this price!
At this time, Zhang Yong came to Zhu Houzhao, and Zhu Houzhao handed Zhang Yong the decree that had been prepared by the Imperial Household Department:
"I now appoint you as the eunuch guarding Fengyang. At the same time, I have asked the Ministry of War to cooperate and bring two battalions of troops to you for the time being. Send one battalion of troops to Henan to escort all the relatives of Liu Jian's nine clans to Fengyang for custody and confiscate their property!
At the same time, you must send a battalion to Zhejiang to escort all the relatives of Xie Qian's nine clans to Fengyang for custody and confiscate their property!
At that time, you will prepare the army of the Eight Guards and One Division in Fengyang. When I summon you to the capital to report the order, you will bring these criminals to the capital for execution! The old friends and students of the ten clans will not be moved for the time being, and the East Factory will handle them when the time comes! Do you understand?"

"I understand, Eunuch!"

Zhang Yong had never expected that his emperor would implicate the ten clans of the three cabinet ministers. Having always hated the three cabinet ministers, he quickly responded excitedly.

Zhu Houzhao said as he looked at Gu Dayong again: "You go to the Northern Pacification Office immediately and interrogate Wang Yue, Li Dongyang and others strictly. If they refuse to speak, fabricate evidence of their rebellion for me!"

Gu Dayong knew that his master had the intention to kill him, and now he no longer cared about evidence, so he nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do it right away!"

……

Ma Wensheng and others couldn't help but shake their heads when they left the Forbidden City.

As an official who had experienced ups and downs in officialdom for many years and had been in contact with Zhu Houzhao for so long, Ma Wensheng could guess what the next emperor Zhu Houzhao would do.

But Ma Wensheng couldn't help but sigh: "Your Majesty is going to risk everything!"

"Isn't it? But what can we do? With the temper of our emperor, I'm afraid there will be a bloody storm. But this is not the reign of Taizu. I'm worried that if this continues, the emperor and his subjects will hate each other and become enemies!"

Jiao Fang also sighed.

"Now the life of the prince has been sacrificed. A lack of patience can ruin a great plan. Your Majesty is still too young and impatient. Now that there is no solid evidence to eliminate the traitor, the new policy of reforming the civil service can no longer be implemented! What a pity!"

Xu Jin also shook his head helplessly and said, "But these people are too cruel and too hasty. They dared to let the Tartars penetrate into Guanzhong and slaughter the people. Isn't it obvious that Your Majesty will suspect that they are the ones who did it?"

"They are cornered and can't care less. They are just worried about whether it is the governor Yang Yiqing, the inspector Lu Zhonghe, or the two of them who cooperated with Li Dongyang in the court to do this. If it is the two of them, it shows that the power of these three ministers is really not small! If Your Majesty wants to deal with them by force, I am afraid that you will encounter greater resistance!"

Ma Wensheng said.

"Even if there is one person who is one of the three cabinet ministers, it is not to be underestimated. These three cabinet ministers have been in charge of the court for so many years. From the provincial governors to the six ministries, they have people everywhere. It is estimated that as soon as Li Dongyang is put into the Jinyiwei prison, a group of officials will plead for him!"

As Jiao Fang was speaking, he saw a large group of officials blocking his way. One of them was Chen Yuanren, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, who stood up first:
"Please stay, the two ministers. I just heard that Your Majesty has put the Prime Minister in the Jinyiwei prison. I don't know what crime the Prime Minister has committed, who impeached him, or was he instigated by a traitor, causing a dignified veteran of four dynasties, an old minister entrusted by the late emperor to be thrown into the imperial prison for no reason? Please help me and others to clear up my doubts!"

Seeing this, Ma Wensheng hurriedly said, "Don't panic, His Majesty is just angry for a moment. The Minister of Personnel was killed, and thousands of villagers were slaughtered by the Tartars. As the head of all officials, the Prime Minister will inevitably bear some of the Emperor's wrath!"

"Although thunder and lightning are all grace from the emperor, why didn't you advise him? Are you just watching the chief minister being imprisoned and persecuted by the guards?"

Chen Yuanren questioned directly.

Seeing this, Jiao Fang could not help but get furious: "The officials of the Southern Province really have no rules. How do you know that the Deputy Minister did not advise you? Since you are a poet, you should be good at enforcing the rules and regulations for the court. Why are you gathering here under the palace wall to cause trouble? How can you be so disrespectful!"

After Jiao Fang's accusation, these officials were not afraid. A member of the Ministry of Rites, Xin Yi, pointed at Ma Wensheng and Jiao Fang and shouted, "If the treacherous ministers are not overthrown, the emperor's mausoleum will cry at night and the seven prefectures will be shaken. They are the treacherous ministers and the eunuch party. Why bother to question them!"

A group of officials responded to this, pointing at Ma Wensheng and Jiao Fang and cursing: "Traitors, you are traitors. You are not Hanlin scholars, so how can you be in the cabinet? You are just trying to curry favor with Your Majesty and collude with eunuchs. In terms of morality, you are no different from warriors. Now you have framed the Prime Minister and put him in jail. If you are not traitors, what are you!"

Thank you Su Yizhi for the 100 starting coins reward

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(End of this chapter)