Di Ming

Chapter 399 They dare to humiliate me! They dare to humiliate me!
Wang Xijue immediately stood up and said solemnly, "We will all request an audience with His Majesty!"

The cabinet ministers and the Nine Ministers left the Wenyuan Pavilion together, presenting their credentials to request an audience. However, there was no news from inside for a long time. Only when the ministers were on the verge of exploding with anxiety did Gao Huai emerge with several eunuchs to deliver an oral decree:
"Grandpa said that he had just received a report about this matter. It was said that a scholar had secretly reported that Hai Rui and others were plotting to contact the generals of the Beijing garrison and intend to support Prince Xin. Grandpa is currently listening to the report from the eunuch and does not have time to summon you gentlemen for the time being. Please wait for me, gentlemen."

Wang Xijue angrily retorted, "Does Your Majesty believe that Hai Rui is plotting a rebellion? They came to the capital to petition and offer advice! Who would believe they were trying to force the emperor to abdicate? How could a bunch of scholars possibly force the emperor to abdicate!"

Gao Huai said sarcastically, "Grandpa is wise and of course he won't believe it easily. That's why Grandpa wants to inquire about this matter personally, lest he wrong Hai Rui and the others. But who can guarantee that Hai Rui isn't using the so-called petition to the capital to plot a coup and install Prince Xin? You can't see into people's hearts. Heaven knows what Hai Rui and the others are thinking?"

Zhang Wei retorted sharply, "How can the three words 'fabricated charges' convince the world! If even Hai Rui is a traitor, then every official in my court is a traitor! The distinction between right and wrong, loyalty and treachery, and matters of justice and morality cannot be treated so lightly!"

Sun Piyang, his face contorted with grief and indignation, pointed at Gao Huai and shouted, "The way of the virtuous has declined, while the way of the petty has flourished! Has it come to this? There are traitors around His Majesty! We demand to see His Majesty! We demand justice for Hai Rui and the others!"

Gao Huai chuckled arrogantly, his nostrils flaring as he said:
"The matter has not yet been adjudicated, and the palace has not stated that Hai Rui and others are necessarily rebels. Isn't an investigation underway? Why are you gentlemen so eager to defend Hai Rui? Are you also involved with him? Oh, by the way, Hai Rui's journey north this time involved a large group of scholars, and the local officials along the way not only did not obstruct them but also provided them with food and lodging. Was this ordered by you gentlemen? Or was Hai Rui's grand petition to the capital instigated by you gentlemen?"

All the ministers glared angrily at Gao Huai, their beards trembling with rage, and some even stepped forward with their arms outstretched.

"What do you think you're doing!" Gao Huai shouted angrily. "This is the Imperial Palace! Not your outer court office!"

A group of eunuchs immediately blocked his way, each one baring their teeth and brandishing their claws, looking menacing.

“You…” Wang Xijue pointed at Gao Huai, “This is the Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor, the center of power, and you are not allowed to deceive His Majesty and mislead him!”

"Grand Secretary, be careful what you say!" Gao Huai sneered. "Grandpa is a once-in-a-century sage emperor, with eyes as sharp as lightning and keen insight. Who in the world can deceive the emperor's wisdom and bewitch him? Do you think Grandpa is a foolish ruler? Who exactly is trying to deceive the emperor's wisdom?"

"Now that the Holy Lord is in charge of the Nine Heavens and Lord Zhang is in charge of important matters, the atmosphere is naturally upright and completely renewed. Those who have ulterior motives and are hypocritical will probably no longer be able to point fingers."

Shen Yiguan suddenly whispered to Wang Xijue, "Prime Minister, Gao Huai is trying to provoke us so that we will argue with him endlessly. We must not fall for it. These eunuchs are sharp-tongued and argumentative. They never lose a verbal battle. Why bother arguing with them? We should leave the palace immediately and go to the Meridian Gate to stop the situation from escalating."

The most skilled debaters in the Ming Dynasty weren't actually the civil officials, but rather the eunuchs. These men, mostly from the Imperial Study, possessed the learning of scholars but lacked their integrity, making them even more shameless than hypocrites. In terms of arguing skills, they surpassed even the civil officials.

Wang Xijue immediately realized his mistake and said with shame, "What Grand Secretary Shen said is absolutely right. I almost fell for it. Then we will leave the palace immediately and head to the Meridian Gate."

After saying that, he stopped arguing with Gao Huai and hurriedly left the palace.

Gao Huai watched the ministers' retreating figures and sneered.

"Hehe, you self-righteous, arrogant scholars, do you still think it's the same as before? Things are different now, your old tricks don't work anymore. Grandpa won't tolerate you anymore, so you can go cool off somewhere else."

Although Gao Huai was pleased with himself, thinking that civil officials would no longer be able to restrain the emperor and that the emperor would be able to make all the decisions, and that they, the inner court officials, could also manipulate events at will, he forgot one very important thing: the pen and public opinion have always been in the hands of scholars!
Loyalty and treachery, good and evil, right and wrong, are not determined by the emperor, nor by these court officials, but by the scholars!

Offending the literati and officials would come at a price that would be absolutely unbearable.

The Ming Dynasty nurtured scholars for over two hundred years, and the scholar-officials were a large and well-established group with many branches and leaves. It was not that simple.
What is an emperor? Having weapons in hand is not enough to be called an emperor; one must also grasp the great principles.

Unfortunately, Gao Huai and his men, in their complacency, forgot this principle.

Meanwhile, a group of ministers rushed to the Meridian Gate and climbed the Five Phoenix Tower. What they saw there filled them with shock and anger. From the Meridian Gate to the Duan Gate, they saw white-clad scholars everywhere, surrounded by squads of constables from the Five City Garrison and officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Under the command of agents from the Eastern Depot, they were being captured like wolves and tigers.

Over a hundred soldiers have been killed or injured in the resistance against arrest!

The guards shouted sternly, "You are all traitors! Anyone who dares to resist arrest will be put to death!"

Many scholars roared in grief and anger: "In broad daylight! Where is justice?!"

"We want to see His Majesty! We are not rebels!"

"Traitors and villains disrupt the government! They flatter the ruler's evil! Justice resides in the hearts of the people!"

"The sky is clear! The sky is clear!"

"Three words can lead to imprisonment! A disgrace to the Ming Dynasty!"

The entire Meridian Gate Square was in chaos, resembling a battlefield. The angry shouts and screams of the scholars, along with the curses of the secret police, echoed throughout the imperial city.

"Stop! Stop!" Grand Secretary Wang Xijue shouted from the Five Phoenix Tower, "You must not arrest or harm the petitioning scholars!"

"Stop!" Shen Yiguan, Zhang Wei, Sun Piyang and others shouted angrily.

"Lord Hai Rui is loyal to the country and highly respected for his virtue. How dare you all act like this! Get out of here!"

When the secret agents of the Imperial Guard saw the Grand Secretary and the Nine Ministers appear, they were momentarily flustered and stopped what they were doing, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Well... now that the old masters have stepped in, there shouldn't be any more arrests, right? That's great!" Many of the secret agents from the imperial guards and secret police wore expressions of joy and relief.

They really didn't want to oppose Hai Rui and his men!

Unexpectedly, the leader of the group, the eunuch Liang Yong, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, shouted sternly:

"The arrest and interrogation of suspected traitors is an imperial edict and a decree from the Grand Eunuch. Who dares to disobey? Take action! Anyone who stops will be arrested and brought to justice!"

Upon hearing this, the secret agents of the imperial guards had no choice but to continue their operations.

Liang Yong bowed to the civil officials on the city wall and said with a forced smile, "This case of treason is of great importance. It is an imperial case to be handled by the palace. I advise you gentlemen not to interfere, lest you get burned!"

He even dared to threaten the court officials with impunity.

Wang Xijue and the others were both angry and resentful, but they were powerless to stop it. Only now did they realize that once the emperor truly acted recklessly and without restraint, it was very difficult for them to stop him.

When the rules are broken, anything can happen.

Hai Rui stared tremblingly at the scene before him, his expression filled with grief and indignation, his eyes blazing with fury. Although the secret agents of the imperial guards dared not arrest him, he was forced to watch helplessly as scholars were arrested, beaten, and even killed!

"Pfft—" Hai Rui suddenly couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, and his body swayed.

He was eighty years old, and had actually passed away six years prior. It was Ning Qingchen's medicine that extended his life by six years. Because Zhu Yin had sent people to take care of him, if he had settled down in Qiongzhou to live out his retirement, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to live another two or three years. However, this journey north to the capital was arduous and exhausting, and by the time he arrived, he was practically on his deathbed, with only his inner will remaining, clinging to life by sheer willpower.

At this moment, seeing that the emperor had actually set a trap to deal with the petitioners who had spoken out for the country with their utmost loyalty, and even foolishly slandered them as traitors, how could they possibly endure it?

"Lord Hai!" The scholars around him rushed forward, supporting Hai Rui, their eyes filled with tears, and cried out, "Lord Hai, wake up!"

When the secret agents saw Hai Rui vomiting blood and falling unconscious, they suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked at him with bewildered expressions.

"Lord Hai!" the ministers exclaimed in unison, rushing forward. A group of white-bearded old men all ran as fast as they could.

The scholars were filled with righteous indignation and cried out in anguish!

Wang Xijue came to Hai Rui's side, squatted down to look at Hai Rui, whose face was ashen and who was on the verge of death, and called out, "Lord Hai, Lord Hai!"

A large group of officials surrounded the unconscious Hai Rui, all with expressions of grief and indignation.

Wang Xijue suddenly stood up and looked coldly at Liang Yong and the others. "I am the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and I am ordered to take charge of the government. Without the official edict of the Cabinet, who among you would dare to act recklessly? Without the Ministry of War's order and verification, how dare you mobilize troops and arrest petitioning scholars in the capital?"

Minister of War Shi Xing shouted, "I am the Grand Marshal! Where is my official document? Where is the Ministry of War's dispatch certificate? I do not recall signing any such document! Who authorized you to mobilize several thousand troops!"

Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shida shouted, "You all return to camp immediately and await further orders!"

Seeing this, the imperial guards and patrol officers dared not make a move. The officials had long held considerable power, and these military men could not stand up straight in the presence of the refined civil officials wearing black gauze hats and red robes.

"What are you all standing there for!" Liang Yongli shouted. "Hurry up and make the arrests!" But the secret agents and police officers present seemed not to hear him. Even those few who did move could only stop when they saw that the vast majority were not moving.

Liang Yong was both shocked and furious. His shrill voice was piercing to the ears, "Do you dare disobey orders! Arrest them!"

However, the secret agents and police officers were frozen in place, unable to move.

Suddenly, a Jinyiwei captain threw down his chains and shouted, "Lord Hai is a great and honest official! He is respected by the world! He is not a traitor! I am but a lowly person, but I know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness! I dare not lay a hand on Lord Hai! I cannot bear this responsibility!"

Immediately afterwards, many guards and police captains shouted in unison, "We dare not lay a hand on Hai Qingtian! We can't live off him!"

Although the other henchmen did not respond, they silently retreated, ignoring Liang Yong's orders.

They have no problem arresting other officials, but none of them are willing to arrest Hai Rui.

"You! You...how dare you!" Liang Yong was trembling with anger, but the law does not punish the masses, and it is difficult to defy public anger. At this moment, he was helpless.

"Guards! Take my command and summon a standard-bearer from the Warriors Battalion!"

He decided to deploy the elite troops of the Warriors Battalion. The Warriors Battalion was the most elite force in the capital's garrison, with more than 10,000 men selected entirely from the best soldiers of the frontier and the nine border regions. It was not like the other empty-handed troops in the capital's garrison; it was actually the Imperial Guard, and was always commanded by the Imperial Horse Administration.

The Warriors Battalion was originally formed and recruited by eunuchs, and they always listened to the eunuchs. They were the most reliable military force of the eunuch group.

The current head eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration is Zong Qin, and Liang Yong is only the second-in-command. If he wants to mobilize the Warriors Battalion, he certainly needs to go through Zong Qin and obtain an imperial edict, but he does not need the Ministry of War's official document or verification certificate.

However, given the urgency of the situation, Liang Yong followed the emperor's decree and was able to dispatch only three thousand men without going through Zong Qin and the Ministry of War.

"Yes, sir!" Liang Yong's confidant immediately accepted the order.

"Who dares!" Wang Xijue stepped forward. "The Warriors Battalion is the Imperial Guard! Who gave you permission to mobilize them without authorization!"

"Hahaha!" Liang Yong laughed loudly, "The imperial court? What is the imperial court? The imperial court is the emperor, it's my grandfather! The Warriors Battalion is the emperor's imperial guard! Only the Warriors Battalion can be called the personal guard! Grand Secretary, I advise you to mind your own business! Things are different now!"

Wang Xijue and the others were furious. They never expected Liang Yong to be so presumptuous today. It seemed that the Emperor was really going to do things his own way.

Shen Yiguan, however, remained calm, glancing occasionally toward the direction of the Thousand Steps Corridor with a deep and unfathomable look in his eyes.

Just then, a sound like a tidal wave suddenly came from the direction of the Thousand Steps Corridor to the south, as if a thousand troops were surging in, followed by a deafening roar that swept across the sky:

"Hai Gong is innocent! Petitioning is innocent!"

"Your Majesty, please execute this treacherous minister!"

"Strike! Strike!"

When Liang Yong and the others looked south, their expressions changed drastically. A vast, densely packed group of students from the Northern Yong Imperial Academy, dressed in their blue scholar's robes, were approaching, stretching as far as the eye could see!
After the five thousand students of the Imperial Academy, there were also several thousand scholars from the Shuntian Prefectural School, Wanping County School, and Daxing County School, as well as scholars in the capital!

The total number is no less than 10,000!

Upon seeing this, Shen Yiguan couldn't help but smile.

Wang Xijue and the others breathed a sigh of relief, revealing eerie sneers.

"There are traitors around His Majesty!" a student shouted. "Eliminate the traitors for the country! Eliminate the villains for His Majesty! Protect Lord Hai!"

Someone else shouted, "Liang Yong is a traitor! Kill him!"

Thousands upon thousands of students and scholars rushed over in a chaotic frenzy, surging towards Liang Yong, the Grand Eunuch who stood out conspicuously in the crowd, dressed in a bright red python robe.

What? Liang Yong was shocked. At this moment, he no longer cared about dealing with the petitioning scholars. He didn't hesitate much and wanted to escape from the Meridian Gate Square.

But it's too late.

A tide of scholars surged in from three sides, surrounding Liang Yong and his confidants, pressing them relentlessly.

"How dare you! Are you trying to rebel?! I have an imperial decree! I am the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration..." Liang Yong shouted, his voice stern but his voice weak.

But how could the scholars care about such things? They rolled up their sleeves and swarmed forward, instantly overwhelming Liang Yong and seven or eight other eunuchs.

"Your Excellency, save me! Your Excellency, save me!" Liang Yong was so frightened that his cries for help were quickly drowned out by shouts and beatings.

In the blink of an eye, this arrogant and domineering eunuch, who had once tried to excavate the tomb of Qin Shi Huang at Mount Li, was beaten to death by the scholars!
The entire Meridian Gate Square was filled with over ten thousand students and scholars who went on strike, along with other scholars from other parts of the country who came to Beijing to petition.

Many people, upon seeing Hai Rui, who was unable to wake up, and thinking of the increasingly dire state of the court, could not help but feel grief and burst into tears.

...

In a restaurant on West Chang'an Street, Luo Yan and Tang Yangyang sat by the window, looking towards the Meridian Gate and listening to the deafening noise coming from it.

"Senior Brother Luo, is this what you wanted to see? This has blown up so big, how many people will die, how much blood will be shed?" Tang Yangyang said coldly. "When I was in Shandong, Senior Brother Fan said you would definitely do this, and you did, and you went even further."

"Hehe, you and Senior Brother Fan are the same kind of people."

Luo Yan drank a glass of wine by himself, looking somewhat dejected. "Junior sister, I won't be able to stay in Beijing for much longer. Teacher will definitely punish me. But I don't regret it."

“There are some things that teachers are not willing to do, but we have to do them for them, such as: murder, framing, and persecuting.”

“Junior sister, everyone has a shadow. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. Throughout history, great heroes and great men have never achieved great things by relying solely on honorable means. I, Luo Yan, am willing to be your shadow.”

Tang Yangyang was a little sad. "Should all members of the Huya family be like this?"

“There’s nothing we can do about it.” Luo Yan put down his wine glass. “Your teacher and his wife put you in Nanjing because they know you’re too kind-hearted to do these things. Junior sister, you’re very smart, but Tiger Tooth needs more than just smarts to complete the mission. I hope you can understand us.”

Tang Yangyang nodded. "How will the teacher punish you?"

Luo Yan smiled. "Both thunder and rain are the teacher's kindness. I'm not worried about myself. Even if I die, I'll have lived a full life. The great things I've done in the past few years are worth more than others' decades. What more could a man ask for in this world?"

Tang Yangyang comforted him, "Don't worry, senior brother, you'll be fine. Even if the teacher punishes you, he'll give you a chance."

Luo Yan raised his wine glass. "Then I'll take your good wishes. Today, let's see how the emperor will handle this! Junior sister, this grand show is just a side dish for our drinks, so just enjoy the show."

...

Just as the scholars occupied the entire Meridian Gate Square, more than 800 Beijing officials and civil servants, holding their official hats and with their heads bare, marched in orderly steps toward the Meridian Gate, led by officials from the Ministry of Rites who carried portraits of Emperor Taizu and Confucius.

Yuan Keli shouted, “Your Majesty has treacherous officials around you who have blinded your wisdom and disrupted the court. We are ashamed before Your Majesty and can only resign!”

All officials have suspended court proceedings!

Of the 1,300 civil officials in the capital, 800 have arrived today, meaning most of them are here!
At this moment, the civil officials and scholars are more united than ever before!

The news reached the palace at lightning speed. Upon hearing the report, the emperor felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and at the same time, he was furious!

Inverted! Inverted!
They dare to insult me! They dare to insult me!
(End of this chapter)