Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 78 Who is the traitor?
There is another reason why these upright officials unscrupulously cursed Ma Wensheng and others as treacherous ministers.

After Tang Bohu came to Beijing, Zhu Houzhao immediately appointed Tang Bohu as the director of his attendant office, specifically responsible for creating public opinion.

Zhu Houzhao asked Tang Bohu to gather storytellers and children from the streets to spread rumors that because there were treacherous ministers in the court, there would be earthquakes in seven prefectures and the emperor's tomb would cry at night.

Zhu Houzhao even specially asked the eunuchs of the Imperial Stables to find someone to go to the imperial mausoleum and cry every night.

Zhu Houzhao was naturally confident in doing this, because he clearly remembered that in September and October of this year, that is, the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, earthquakes would occur successively in Nanjing and seven other prefectures, and the news would not be delivered to Beijing until after November or December.

At this time, it happened to be the time when Zhu Houzhao was dealing with Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others in the cabinet. By creating rumors that there were treacherous ministers in the court and using the earthquake in seven prefectures and the crying at the emperor's tomb at night as evidence, he could naturally make the grassroots military and civilians more convinced that there were indeed treacherous ministers in the court, and naturally laid the foundation for Zhu Houzhao to purge Liu Jian and others in the cabinet on a large scale.

After all, people in this era believed that these supernatural phenomena would indicate something. As long as they had the evidence that Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others had committed regicide, they would be able to completely label Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and others as treacherous ministers and send them to the eighteenth level of hell, where they would never be able to turn over.

At the same time, Zhu Houzhao also asked Tang Bohu to establish the Huangming Newspaper Bureau, and began to print and compile the "Huangming Newspaper". Tang Bohu and other grassroots literati began to publish articles questioning the death of Emperor Hongzhi.

In addition, Zhu Houzhao also appointed a group of grassroots literati as newspaper reading officials, and first appointed them as newspaper reading officials in every district of the capital. The Western Factory assisted these newspaper reading officials to read newspapers for the people in each district.

Becoming a newspaper reader meant having an official position and a salary. These impoverished lower-class literati were naturally willing to do this job for the emperor. They did not feel ashamed but rather honored, and they all praised themselves for educating the people for the emperor.

As a result, many people in the entire capital now know that there are treacherous ministers in the court, and that the late emperor might have been killed by them. They also know that this will cause earthquakes in the seven prefectures and crying at the imperial tomb at night. Some people naturally believe it, while others are naturally skeptical.

Naturally, Li Dongyang and other upright officials of his party also heard these rumors and saw the doubts about the death of the previous emperor in the Huangming Newspaper, but they used this to turn the tables and said that Ma Wensheng and others were treacherous ministers. They also directly said that Ma Wensheng and others colluded with Liu Jin and others to control the government, causing treacherous ministers to run rampant in the court.

So, up to now, there are two versions of the rumors in the entire capital, but the right to speak is still in the hands of civil officials. Therefore, in the court, most people still say that Ma Wensheng and others are treacherous ministers and eunuchs.

……

Li Dongyang had been taken to the imperial prison at this time, but he did not feel fear at this time. He walked in the prison very calmly, and even had a smile on his lips.

After all, Li Dongyang now thought that Zhang Yu and others had been successfully silenced, and Wang Shu had also been killed. Li Dongyang knew that Zhu Houzhao could no longer produce any evidence to prove that he had committed the crime of treason and regicide, and naturally could not deal with him as the chief minister of the cabinet.

Although Zhu Houzhao forcibly ordered him to be imprisoned, Li Dongyang was not at all panicked. He believed that most of the civil servants in Beijing would help him stop the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao from punishing civil servants without reason, not to mention that he was the chief minister of the cabinet.

Zhu Houzhao's behavior was challenging the bottom line of the entire civil service group. Li Dongyang believed that Zhu Houzhao did not dare to be an enemy of his entire civil service group, and in the end he could only compromise and release himself.

Therefore, Li Dongyang even said to the Jinyiwei of the Northern Pacification Division indifferently:
"I am different from Wang Yue and other rebels. I am not guilty of treason or regicide. I was just thrown into prison because I angered His Majesty. When His Majesty calms down, he will release me. So you don't have to throw me into the prison for serious criminals. Bring me three dishes of side dishes and a pot of wine. The side dishes should be from Gulin Tower, and the wine should be from Huang Erwa's house! I haven't had dinner yet."

The person on duty at the Northern Pacification Division tonight was a Jinyiwei centurion named Peng Zhong. He didn't know what happened in the court, and thought that it was really as Li Dongyang said, that the cabinet's chief minister was thrown into prison just because the emperor was angry for a while. Seeing that Li Dongyang also took out a silver ingot, he didn't say much, and asked people to prepare wine and food for Li Dongyang, and still respected Li Dongyang as the chief minister:
"Please wait a moment, Prime Minister. You will have to endure this incarceration for a while." Li Dongyang nodded and smiled slightly: "You are a sensible person. Your future prospects will be more than this."

As Li Dongyang spoke, he entered a cleaner cell, sat on a pile of dry grass, pretended to be calm and meditated like an old monk.

However, at this moment, Gu Dayong came hurriedly.

"Where's Li Dongyang?"

"Reporting to the Governor, the Prime Minister is in the Yellow Cell No. 5."

Li Dongyang opened his eyes when he heard Gu Dayong's voice and smiled involuntarily. He guessed that Gu Dayong must have come to release him on the orders of the emperor. He also guessed that the civil servants outside must be pleading for him. It was impossible for Zhu Houzhao to force himself, a prime minister, to be imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison for no reason regardless of the opposition of the entire civil servant group.

Snapped!
But who would have thought that Gu Dayong came over and slapped Peng Zhong in the face: "Asshole! Who told you to put this traitor in a cell that only holds accomplices involved in the case? Put Li Dongyang in the prison for serious criminals! This is the order of His Majesty, go now!"

Peng Zhong, a captain of the Imperial Guard, had no choice but to obey the order and quickly ordered his men to open the prison door and forcibly drag Li Dongyang out.

Li Dongyang was greatly shocked when he saw this, and could not help but shout, "What are you doing! I am the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. What crime have I committed to deserve being treated like this by you? Let me go! I want to see His Majesty, I want to see His Majesty! Gu Dayong, you are seeking revenge against me!"

"Revenge! I, Gu Dayong, am not qualified to retaliate against you. It is His Majesty's order to interrogate you strictly! You heard it in front of His Majesty yourself."

As Gu Dayong said this, he took Li Dongyang and others into the place where the serious criminals were held.

Li Dongyang was also hung up like Wang Yue.

Moreover, Li Dongyang also saw Wang Yue, who had been tortured beyond recognition, and suddenly felt a little scared. He struggled and said, "Let me out, let me out quickly! You can't treat me like this, I'm innocent, I'm innocent!"

"Li Dongyang, Prime Minister Li, it is not up to you to decide whether someone is guilty or not!"

As Gu Dayong said this, he ordered the Jinyiwei in the imperial prison to start torturing Li Dongyang, and directly forced Li Dongyang to tell him about the murder of Emperor Hongzhi.

At this time, Li Dongyang also guessed that Gu Dayong must have received Zhu Houzhao's order to force him to open his mouth and obtain from him the evidence of his conspiracy with Liu Jian and others to assassinate the king.

In order to protect his family from being implicated, and for his own life, Li Dongyang would not admit it. He just laughed and shouted, "Hahaha! Zhu Houzhao, Ma Wensheng, you want to force me to confess? No way! I will not admit it even if you beat me to death. Just wait, within three days, the officials outside who are pleading for me will kneel all over your Forbidden City!"

(End of this chapter)