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

Chapter 298 A Civil Official's Death in Remonstrance: The Next Hai Gangfeng of the Ming Dynasty
Zhu Youjian was somewhat disappointed. According to Feng Jiahui, he seemed to be saying that the monks were dead, and since they had made a mistake, there was room for leniency. However, killing the county magistrate required severe punishment without any room for leniency! But Zhu Youjian was still angry and wanted to ask, "Why?"

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath and continued to pick and choose names, pointing to Zhang Weixian, the Duke of England.

Zhang Weixian's mind was a complete mess, his eyes filled with blankness. It was unclear what he was thinking; he seemed trapped in a logical loop, unable to understand, and therefore in great pain. He mumbled incoherently, "Killing has its advantages, and not killing has its advantages."

"Never mind, sit down!" Zhu Youjian rubbed his forehead, staring blankly at the ground, and the meeting came to a standstill for a moment.

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a solution."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's face lit up with a glimmer of hope, and he nodded: "Speak!"

Everyone looked surprised, wondering what kind of trouble this former high-ranking official would cause.

Wei Zhongxian thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention; he had been living a life of utter repression for the past few years. Within the inner court, Wang Chengen's status was subtly above his; outside, those civil and military officials who used to fawn over him were now starting to show some integrity—where were they all this time, pretending to be ignorant now!

And even though he was so obedient, his sons and nephews were still stripped of their titles by the emperor; it's a heartbreaking story. Sometimes he would wonder if it would have been better if he had fought back and killed Zhu Youjian, then adopted another prince from among the princes to be the Tianqi Emperor.

But upon deeper reflection, he himself became somewhat insecure: the plan was excellent, but unfortunately, it stalled at the first step. The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable the emperor seemed; how could he possibly have the ability to assassinate the ruler? He was lucky to have survived!

Wei Zhongxian said smugly, "Your Majesty can sentence these brave men to death. Anyway, no one knows what they look like. Just replace them with death row inmates from prison! That way, we'll have an explanation, and we won't have to kill anyone!"

Zhu Youjian was speechless. How dare they resort to such despicable tactics! The people in the court cast scornful glances at him. If the emperor truly only wanted to protect someone, he wouldn't have brought this matter up; he would have handled it privately. Everyone felt the emperor's actions must have a deeper meaning, and they needed to be wary, lest the emperor cause trouble!

"You may sit down too," Zhu Youjian said helplessly.

Wei Zhongxian also sensed that something was wrong. He looked at the emperor with some resentment. His method was clearly very good, so why couldn't it be used? He had used a similar method when he served the Tianqi Emperor before, and the late emperor had praised him for being resourceful and capable!
"My ministers are all advising against this, what should I do?!" Zhu Youjian was at a loss.

Just then, the former commander-in-chief Huang Wei said in a low voice, "I don't understand the laws you're talking about, but haven't you considered the morale of the army?!"

Commander Hei Yunlong chimed in, "You, surnamed Feng, go and explain your damn laws to the border soldiers and see if they'll accept them! Damn it, these people risked their lives to defend the Ming Dynasty's territory and people on the border, and instead of being killed by the enemy, they died a pathetic death at the hands of their own people!"

In truth, how could others not have considered this point? They simply overlooked it intentionally or unintentionally, or perhaps they viewed these soldiers as an easily deceived group, believing whatever the court said. Seeing that no one brought it up, Zhu Youjian, who had originally planned to speak himself, was no longer in a hurry to do so now that two commanders were acting as his intermediaries.

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu scoffed, retorting, "Morale is important, but isn't military discipline important too? If they can kill indiscriminately for the slightest dissatisfaction, how can you guarantee they won't rebel during battle?! You don't want the Ming army to become like the Weibo barbarians, do you?!" Seeing that Hei Yunlong was sullen and unable to argue with him, Shan Mingxu became increasingly agitated, even digging into the emperor's reputation, saying, "Your Majesty has already shown enough favoritism towards military men! Those arrogant and fierce generals have no manners whatsoever; they even refuse to bow to us! The rules of our Ming Dynasty have been corrupted! A ruler should be upright and impartial; Your Majesty should be mindful!"

Could it be that His Majesty has become so incapable of distinguishing right from wrong that he has resorted to favoritism and bending the law for personal gain? If so, how is His Majesty any different from the magistrate of Naquyang?!

Dan Mingxu chattered on and on, feeling like he had reached the pinnacle of his life, but he didn't notice that he was the only one with a voice in the entire hall. The other ministers were as quiet as chickens, looking down at their noses and their minds; while to the north of the hall, the emperor sat alone, his face already contorted with rage.

"Guards, strip him of his official robes and throw him out of the Forbidden City!" Zhu Youjian roared.

"Huh?!" Shan Mingxu was stunned, but then he straightened his neck and shouted, "I am an imperial censor, what crime is there in remonstrating? If Your Majesty insists on going your own way, I will kill myself right here in this hall today, so that Your Majesty's name as a tyrant will be remembered for eternity! Let me go, don't stop me!"

"Has he always been this reckless?!" Zhu Youjian laughed in exasperation. "Let him go, let him crash!"

"Sigh!" Left Censor-in-Chief Gao Hongtu hadn't wanted to step forward. The old man was indeed upright and incorruptible, but his targets didn't include the emperor; did they really think he was stupid?
But as the head of the Censorate, if he watched his second-in-command die in a car accident, it would be a major stain on his resume, and he would be too ashamed to face anyone back in the Censorate!

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Censor Shan's words were inappropriate and offended Your Majesty, but Your Majesty should not hold a grudge against this fellow. It would not be worth it to let him defile the Wenhua Hall!" Gao Hongtu said, cupping his hands. His intention was to give the emperor a way out, thinking that the emperor was just angry and probably did not want to kill anyone.

Unfortunately, he was wrong, terribly wrong. Not only was the emperor truly intent on killing him, but Shan Mingxu, whom he was protecting, was also ungrateful and stubbornly insisted on fighting the emperor to the end!

"Gao Hongtu, what nonsense are you spouting! You say my words are inappropriate? Every word I said is true. What's inappropriate about it? As the Left Censor-in-Chief, you dare not speak frankly and directly, and instead do nothing but flatter your superiors. You are a treacherous villain! I want to sever all ties with you and never associate with you again!" Shan Mingxu was already in character. He felt that tomorrow, his reputation for integrity would spread throughout Beizhili.

He is the next Hai Gangfeng of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the emperor hates him, he has to hold his nose and give him high-ranking positions and generous salaries!

The two white-clad soldiers flanking Shan Mingxu glared at him menacingly, while Gao Hongtu was rendered speechless by his words. The others, assessing the situation, refrained from participating in his performance.

Zhu Youjian didn't say anything either. Even when Shan Mingxu was arguing, someone had to respond. Now that everyone was ignoring him, he kept babbling on and on until he ran out of things to say. Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt.

"Have you finished speaking? Now no one is stopping you, go ahead and crash into it!" Zhu Youjian said coldly.

(End of this chapter)