Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 297 A life for a life, it has always been so
"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now!" Empress Zhou said, rising from her seat.

But Zhu Youjian did not reply, remaining lost in his own world. Zhou was now in an awkward position, unsure whether to stand, sit, or leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan got up, took Zhou's arm, and led her away.

"Ugh!" Sun Shiwan looked at the contents of the file and suddenly covered her mouth, gagging. Zhu Youjian turned his head to look and saw that her eyes were red and filled with hatred.

"What's wrong with you?" Zhu Youjian asked.

But then she said in a hoarse voice, "He deserves to die!"

Geng Ruqi, standing hunched over to the side, caught a glimpse of this scene and couldn't help but shudder.

“He truly deserves to die.” Zhu Youjian nodded, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, cleared his throat, and calmly said, “By imperial grace, I summon the ministers and vice ministers of the three ministries of war, justice, and rites, the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, the Chief Justice, Vice Ministers and Assistant Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censors-in-Chief and Vice Censors-in-Chief of the Censorate.”
The Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, Zhang Weixian; the Commander-in-Chief of the Vanguard Army, Huang Wei; the Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army, Hei Yunlong; along with the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Vice Commanders of the Northern and Southern Garrison Commands, and Wei Zhongxian, the Director of the Eastern Depot, gathered at the Wenhua Hall for a meeting!

"Your Majesty!" Geng Ruqi said anxiously.

"What?!" Zhu Youjian glanced at Geng Ruqi.

"This matter... this matter should not be publicized!" Geng Ruqi said worriedly.

"Have you had lunch yet? Are you hungry?" Zhu Youjian asked, seemingly not hearing Geng Ruqi's words.

"Your Majesty, I have already eaten and am not hungry," Geng Ruqi replied with a wry smile.

"Gurgle~" But his stomach wouldn't cooperate with his lie. Zhu Youjian stared at his stomach without saying a word, and Geng Ruqi's ears burned a little.

"Huh?! Where are the Empress and my sister-in-law?!" Zhu Youjian asked in surprise.

"They're gone. They took their leave of His Majesty, but he didn't hear them," Sun Shixiu said, her cheeks puffed out. With that, she scooped a piece of mutton from the copper pot with a swift motion, shook it, rolled it up, dipped it in the sauce, and popped it into her mouth. Everyone else was busy with their own things, but she took the opportunity to flaunt her success.

Wanwan stood with her hands on her hips, watching the scene with a speechless expression. Zhu Youjian squinted, somewhat amused and exasperated, but his mood inexplicably improved a little. He reached out and pinched Xiu'er's soft cheek, saying, "They probably haven't eaten enough yet. Have someone call them back to continue eating. I'm going to the outer court for a meeting."

"Go on, go on." Sun Shixiu focused on the meat in her bowl, not even glancing at the emperor. "By the way, when is His Majesty returning? Should I save some for you?"

"I don't know, no need. If we can't finish it, let the eunuchs share it."

"Let's go to the Wenhua Hall." With that, Zhu Youjian took a cold and hard steamed bun from the table and handed it to Geng Ruqi.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for the gift!" Geng Ruqi accepted the steamed bun with both hands, bringing it to his mouth but not taking a bite. Zhu Youjian strode away, Sun Shiwan following closely behind. Old man Geng, unconcerned about the grease, stuffed the bun into his sleeve and hurried after him. Sun Shixiu was left alone in the hall, sitting there blankly.

"Sigh!" Sun Shixiu sighed softly, muttering to herself, "We finally managed to get together for a meal, but we can't even have a peaceful one!" She put down her chopsticks, lost her appetite, propped her chin up with her arm, and watched the soup pot bubbling away, her gaze gradually drifting away.

……

The Wenyuan Pavilion, where the cabinet offices were located, was only a few steps away from the Wenhua Hall, so the first four to arrive at the Wenhua Hall were Sun Chengzong, Yuan Keli, Shi Fenglai, and Li Guoyu. Zhu Xieyuan, the second-in-command, concurrently served as the Minister of War, and Bi Ziyan was the Minister of Revenue. They spent most of their time in charge of their respective government offices and rarely stayed in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

In recent years, Shi Fenglai has completely given up, transforming from an ambitious man into a perfunctory, paper-thin Grand Secretary who merely goes through the motions. He even keeps a myna bird in the Wenyuan Pavilion that can only mimic speech, always speaking in a strange, sarcastic tone. Every time the other Grand Secretaries show hostility towards Shi Fenglai and his bird, Shi Fenglai feels a strange sense of satisfaction.

Li Guozhen, who was once predicted by Wei Zhongxian to be a potential Grand Secretary, is now somewhat disheartened. He worked very diligently in recent years, and the emperor seemed to appreciate him, but appreciation doesn't equate to promotion. Three Grand Secretaries have come and gone, and he hasn't even been considered for a Second Grand Secretary position.

He's forty-six now, the youngest in the cabinet, but how can he guarantee that the position of Grand Secretary will fall into his hands after these senior members have passed away? The title of Grand Secretary sounds prestigious, but only he knows the true feeling behind it. He entered the cabinet in July of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, having been promoted to Minister of Rites.

Before this, it was a junior compiler who served as the Grand Master of Ceremonies. He had no background, no connections, and his qualifications were very weak. While others had long lists of titles, he could only hold the title of Minister of Rites, but he never actually worked a single day in the Ministry of Rites. The position of Grand Master of Ceremonies was even more ridiculous; neither of the two emperors had designated a crown prince!

For someone like him, the only thing he could rely on if he wanted to advance was the emperor himself. Perhaps Emperor Tianqi made this decision when he brought him into the cabinet, but unfortunately, Emperor Tianqi fell seriously ill shortly after promoting him and didn't have time to put him in a position of great responsibility.

Shi Fenglai and Li Guozhu, two veteran cabinet members, exchanged a glance before quickly looking away. Sun Chengzong and Yuan Keli, newcomers to the cabinet, had plenty to talk about, but they were also quite bewildered by this unexpected meeting. When they asked the eunuch who delivered the message, the eunuch was respectful but knew nothing.

"Zhisheng, based on your understanding of His Majesty, what could be causing him such anxiety?!" Yuan Keli asked.

Sun Chengzong shook his head blankly and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty has changed a lot and is completely different from before. I don't really know Your Majesty."

Yuan Keli nodded in deep agreement and said, “I have heard in my hometown that the Prince of Xin is prudent, taciturn and resolute. However, when I first met Your Majesty, he was quite different from the rumors. I think Your Majesty has the same style as Emperor Gaozu.”

"To be magnanimous and not get bogged down in trivialities?!" Sun Chengzong asked in bewilderment.

"No."

"Knowing people well and assigning them to suitable positions, and being open to honest advice?!"

"No."

"Being flexible and adaptable, and seeking practical benefits?!"

"No."

"Then what are you talking about?" Sun Chengzong asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Initially, Emperor Gaozu did not study literature, but he was intelligent, resourceful, and good at listening. He treated even the gatekeepers and garrison soldiers as old friends. He first made a three-chapter agreement in accordance with the will of the people. After the empire was pacified, he ordered Xiao He to revise the laws and regulations, Han Xin to enforce military law, Zhang Cang to establish the rules and regulations, Shusun Tong to formulate etiquette, and Lu Jia to create the 'New Discourses'. Although he was busy every day, his plans were far-reaching."

"This is Ban Gu's saying?!" "Indeed!"

"You son of a bitch! You surnamed Yuan, I don't have time to play guessing games with you!"

"Boring!" Yuan Keli rolled his eyes and said nothing more.

Sun Chengzong clenched his fists, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Hey, did you understand?" Shi Fenglai nudged Li Guozhu's arm.

"No." Li Guozhu shrank back as if disgusted, moving away from Shi Fenglai. Upon seeing this, Shi Fenglai's expression froze, and she gave Li Guozhu a death stare.

Yuan Keli possessed some talent, which explained why he was ostracized. A single sentence left the three Grand Secretaries scratching their heads, utterly perplexed, and yet, after provoking them, they offered no solace.

As a result, others might not even be able to sleep well, spending the whole night thinking about it. After a few days like this, sporting dark circles under their eyes and brimming with resentment, how could anyone not hate them?!
From then on, the Wenhua Hall fell silent, and the atmosphere naturally became heavy. When Zhu Xieyuan, Bi Ziyan, and others arrived, they saw the men deep in thought and wondered: these men must know the truth! So they hurriedly asked them questions. Actually, asking these questions was pointless; as long as the emperor was present, the mystery would be solved, it would just take a few more minutes.

But that's human nature. Even if the emperor were to appear any second from now, these subordinates would try to figure out what the emperor was going to do the moment before. Every extra second of preparation is worth it! But in the end, they didn't get any answers.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the officials from various government departments had mostly arrived, but the emperor was still nowhere to be seen. However, judging from the identities of those present, everyone could roughly guess what had happened: a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices—a major case! In the past, the emperor had no interest in observing joint trials by the Three Judicial Offices; at most, he would review the case files after the verdict and draw up a death sentence. Now, the emperor was personally organizing it—just how significant was this matter!

As for why Zhu Youjian was late, it wasn't because it took half an hour to walk from Qianqing Palace to Wenhua Hall; he had actually passed by Wenhua Hall long ago. However, he disliked waiting and assumed the attendees hadn't arrived yet. After all, those old men in the Five Military Commands usually skipped work when they had nothing to do, so to find them, one would have to go to their residences. Zhu Youjian had gone to see the victim's body.

Cao Er's wife had a terrified look in her eyes, her eyes wide open in death. There were ligature marks on her neck, hands, and feet, as well as signs of struggle, and her body was covered in bruises.

Cao Er was covered in wounds, his fingernails were gone, his finger bones were bent backwards and twisted, and his body was covered with whip marks. Despair and resentment were frozen on his face. Clearly, he had been subjected to severe torture before his death. Looking at them, Zhu Youjian's anger began to build.

It's no wonder that his comrades-in-arms did something so irrational in their anger. Even if Zhu Youjian had been there, he probably would have wanted to kill someone too.

"Take him into the palace!" Zhu Youjian ordered.

"Your Majesty, this is probably not auspicious!" Geng Ruqi advised.

Zhu Youjian still ignored him, and the imperial guards who accompanied him were known for their strict discipline; they picked up the coffin and left.

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall, everyone was in a state of distress, whispering and buzzing among themselves. The heads of the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate were being pressed for answers, but even after discussing it amongst themselves, they couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong—they simply hadn't received any information!
Just then, the eunuch's distinctive voice rang out from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhu Youjian walked in with a stern face, and everyone stood up to pay their respects. However, contrary to his usual behavior, Zhu Youjian did not ask them to stand up.

"Whoosh!" The sound of orderly footsteps rang out, and everyone's foreheads were covered in sweat as they looked in horror at the white-pole guards carrying a coffin in.

Zhu Youjian directed the men to place the coffin in the center of the main hall, and with a loud clang, the hall doors slammed shut. Outside the hall, soldiers with white-pole spears, carrying long spears, began to deploy, their footsteps echoing, and shadowy figures flickered outside the doors and windows. Even a seasoned soldier like Zhu Xieyuan began to break out in a light sweat.

People began to go through a series of thoughts, recalling whether they had recently committed any offenses or whether any of their past misdeeds had come to light.

Zhu Youjian walked around the coffin, sat down on the dragon throne facing north, and then said in a deep voice, "No need for formalities."

By this time, the old men were almost bent over. Everyone turned to look at the emperor, while some curiously looked at the coffin in the center of the hall. But the person inside was completely unfamiliar to them; he was neither a high-ranking official they knew, nor did he appear to be a member of the royal family based on his clothing and appearance. What on earth was the emperor doing?!

At that moment, the crumpled dossier, which Zhu Youjian had been holding, was handed to Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong. Second Grand Secretary Zhu Xieyuan was nearby and peered over to look.

"Hiss!" The two men quickly finished reading and took a deep breath. Zhu Youjian wasn't in a hurry. There were only a dozen or so people present. Apart from the few people from the Five Military Commissions' atmosphere-building team, everyone present was a hard-working scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Reading ten lines at a glance was not difficult for them. In this silent atmosphere, the document was circulated and read through, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive.

After everyone had finished reading, Zhu Youjian tapped his chair and asked, "Tell me, how should this matter be handled?!"

But everyone looked at each other, hoping someone else would step forward; no one volunteered.
"Master Sun, you speak!" Zhu Youjian began calling out names.

Sun Chengzong did not answer immediately. He stood up from his seat to the left, remained silent for a moment, and then said a single word: "Kill!"

"Kill whom?!" Zhu Youjian's face fell.

“Your Majesty loves your soldiers like sons, which we can understand, but if you allow your soldiers to rebel against their superiors, I fear the consequences will be dire!” Sun Chengzong did not explain further. He believed that the emperor must also understand this principle. He even knew how the emperor wanted him to express his opinion, but as the chief minister, the nominal head of all officials, he would not condone the emperor’s recklessness. He also had his own principles!

As expected, Zhu Youjian did not argue with him, but instead raised his chin, signaling Zhu Xieyuan to express his opinion.

Seeing the emperor's expectant gaze, Zhu Xieyuan sighed slightly, but still said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that they should be brought to justice. Murderers should pay with their lives, as has been the case since ancient times. However, Your Majesty can privately compensate their families."

Zhu Youjian stared intently at Zhu Xieyuan, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but Zhu Xieyuan remained calm and composed.

"Ministry of Justice!" Zhu Youjian bypassed the God of Wealth and had Feng Jiahui, the Minister of Justice, answer.

"Your Majesty, according to the 'Great Ming Code on Homicide,' if a citizen commits murder against a prefect, magistrate, or county magistrate, the perpetrator shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled two thousand li; if the perpetrator has injured the victim, he shall be hanged; if the perpetrator has killed the victim, both the ringleader and accomplices shall be beheaded. The massacre of monks is considered a common act of murder. If it is considered murder, the one who presided over the act shall be beheaded; those who followed and added to the merit shall be hanged; those who did not add to the merit shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled three thousand li."
If it is intentional homicide, the punishment is beheading; if it is murder in a fight, the punishment is hanging. However, there are special cases. For example, during the reign of Emperor Hongwu, there was an edict that if monks or Taoist priests who lived in seclusion violated the law, the judicial authorities could demand money from them. If they had no money, they could be beaten to death without consequence. Feng Jiahui answered in a seemingly professional manner.

(End of this chapter)