Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 326 Disposition, Last Will and Testament

The entire court was filled with unease.

I don't understand what Zhu Houzhao meant by what sounded like a will.

"I agree."

Zhu Jinzhen merely glanced at him calmly, and Lin Lang, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief who had just jumped out to argue, instantly collapsed to the ground. The latter clearly knew that he was finished.

Disaster comes from the mouth; this is a perfect example.

Whether it was Zhu Houzhao or Zhu Jinzhen, both emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the old and the new, sentenced him to death.

He is doomed.

In the Fengtian Hall, those who were close to him subtly distanced themselves, fearing they might be tainted by his bad luck or be directly categorized as accomplices by Zhu Jinzhen and Zhu Houzhao.

"Zhu Wushi, Yang Yanhe, Li Dongyang and other Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet disregarded the Emperor's grace, did not think of repaying the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor, and participated in treason and regicide. Their crimes are unforgivable."

What is the basis for this assessment?

"Wei Chen is here."

He Jian hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward.

In front of Emperor Zhu Houzhao, and on the orders of Zhu Jinzhen, he could already imagine his fate if Zhu Jinzhen ultimately failed to secure the throne.

But such worries were only momentary.

Thinking of the Cangyun Army and Tiance Army outside, and the many terrifyingly powerful warriors under Zhu Jinzhen's command.

The last bit of worry in my heart disappeared.

If Zhu Houzhao could still turn the tide, why would he ask for the death of his entire family, instead of his entire clan?

Zhu Jinzhen glanced at He Jian and asked calmly, "According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, what is the punishment for treason and regicide?"

"His crimes are unforgivable; his entire family should be exterminated!"

After hearing the same thing, He Jian calmly delivered the judgment that left Yang Yanhe and the others in despair.

Many of the civil and military officials present closed their eyes in anguish.

He Jian's statement was entirely without fault. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, both treason and regicide were heinous crimes punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. They had no room to even plead with Zhu Jinzhen for leniency or a lighter sentence.

Upon hearing He Jian's conclusion as Minister of Justice, Zhu Wushi's eyes flashed with a hint of sadness, but he remained unresponsive, like a withered tree.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; this has been the way of things since ancient times.

At least, he was able to fulfill his lifelong wish before he died.

Zhu Jinzhen had already treated him quite well.

Moreover, during this period, Zhu Wushi had carefully considered the words Zhu Jinzhen had used to denounce him that day, and found them to be quite reasonable. If he had succeeded in his plot to usurp the throne in collusion with the cabinet, once that door was opened, not to mention the fact that he had no heirs, the throne would inevitably fall into the wrong hands after his death.

Even if he were to have a child with Su Xin by some stroke of luck, and successfully ascend the throne as emperor.

Having already tasted the poison of power, the cabinet and civil service that manipulated the throne by calling a deer a horse will inevitably follow suit.

His descendants, or rather, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, will likely have many more who died suddenly for various reasons because they blocked the path of the cabinet or the civil service.

If that's true, then Zhu Wushi is a sinner for the Zhu family and the Ming Dynasty for all time.

Compared to Zhu Wushi's lukewarm reaction of being utterly despondent, Yang Yanhe, Li Dongyang, and others reacted with great excitement, even drastic intensity, when they heard He Jian say that treason was punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

They died at an old age.

Their entire family could be exterminated.

Their relatives and descendants were all implicated, which they clearly could not accept.

However, faced with the confinement of the Tian Ce soldiers, they were merely weak scholars; how could they possibly resist? Apart from whimpering and their eyes blazing with fury, they could do absolutely nothing.

"Remember Mei!"

"The end will be here."

"Take them away and deal with them according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Jinzhen glanced at Zhu Wushi and the others, showing no mercy. From the moment they plotted rebellion and the cabinet became involved, their fate was sealed.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

If he fails, Zhu Jinzhen believes that neither Zhu Wushi nor Zhu Houzhao will show him any mercy.

With Zhu Jinzhen's order, Yan Yimei waved her hand instantly, ordering several Cangyun Army generals, including Zhu Wushi, Yang Yanhe, and Li Dongyang, to lead Zhu Wushi, Yang Yanhe, and Li Dongyang out of Fengtian Hall.

This time, no one stood in their way, and no one spoke out for them.

The murdered emperor Zhu Houzhao was right in front of them.

With him as a witness, even if they still firmly believe that Yang Yanhe and others in the cabinet could not possibly commit such an act of treason and assassination, they dare not utter a single word now.

At this moment, Zhu Jinzhen suddenly laughed, "I desire to ascend to the throne and become the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty. What does the emperor think?"

To reveal one's ambition in front of the emperor.

Among all those who openly declared their ambition to ascend to the throne, only Zhu Jinzhen did so.

Their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious.

There's no need to reveal Zhu Jinzhen's involvement.

He stared at Zhu Houzhao with blatant arrogance, as if he were an ordinary person buying vegetables at a market, casually asking how much a pound of a certain vegetable cost, and then casually revealed his desire to become emperor.

The officials in the Fengtian Hall seemed to have already foreseen Zhu Houzhao's furious outburst and the scene of the two dragons vying for power in the court.

Many who had already begun to lean towards Zhu Jinzhen were secretly anxious, thinking that Zhu Jinzhen was too hasty and too straightforward, and should be more tactful.

Zhu Jinzhen looked at Zhu Houzhao with a playful expression.

Upon hearing this, the latter not only did not get angry, but instead smiled:
"Since Prince Su inherited the title, he has guarded the borders of our Great Ming for many years, deterred neighboring countries, and ensured the peace of our Great Ming for many years. His merits are great. Under your rule, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places have become more and more prosperous."

"Because my teacher Yang Yanhe and my uncle Zhu Wushi conspired to commit treason and murder the emperor, my soul returned to the underworld. Before my death, I had the thought more than once that I was not the emperor."

"Although I have been saved by Prince Su, I am truly exhausted and weary of court affairs!"

"I have no sons to carry on my throne, and I truly intend to entrust the Ming Dynasty to you."

"Prince Su, are you willing to shoulder this great responsibility?"

Zhu Houzhao's words were sometimes heartbroken, sometimes sincere, and sometimes desolate, leaving the shrewd officials in the Fengtian Hall unable to discern how much of his speech was true and how much was false.

However, upon hearing that Zhu Houzhao was willing to abdicate, all the officials quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the good days of Prince Su becoming emperor would be over, it was still better than being caught between Zhu Jinzhen and Zhu Houzhao, becoming a pawn or even a discarded piece in their game, living in constant fear!
"Does the Emperor truly think that way?"

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao nodded firmly, then looked at Eunuch Sun and Yu Huatian: "I was previously wary of Zhu Wushi and the cabinet resorting to desperate measures, so I left behind a will to prevent the Ming Dynasty from falling into the hands of treacherous officials."

"If Prince Su does not believe it, he can ask them to bring the imperial edict."

These words shocked all the officials.

They could tell that Zhu Houzhao didn't seem to be lying.

Zhu Jinzhen also looked at Yu Huatian and Eunuch Sun. The latter two immediately understood and slipped away from Fengtian Hall. Soon, they came to Fengtian Hall with a sealed brocade box, opened it in front of all the officials, and revealed the imperial edict inside.

(End of this chapter)