Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 107 The Great Purge in the Imperial Palace: If You Don't Court Death, You Won't Die!

"The Lü family?"

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at his crown prince, Zhu Biao.

"There are too many things to do at the Empress Dowager's place, and Lady Chang is pregnant again."

"Besides, she can't do these things, and she's not capable of doing them."

Zhu Biao began to explain.

"The Lü family has been a prominent family for over a hundred years."

"For these tasks, Lady Lü is indeed more suitable than Lady Chang."

"But you must not forget that there is an order of seniority and distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. She is, after all, only your concubine."

"Yes, son will remember."

Zhu Biao bowed solemnly.

"Boss, what about tomorrow's morning assembly..."

"Father, rest assured, I have arranged everything properly."

Zhu Biao said earnestly.

"Tap tap..."

A series of hurried footsteps interrupted the conversation between the father and son, as Geng Tianbi, the commander of the vanguard of the imperial guard, rushed into the hall.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Geng Tianbi quickly bowed and greeted the two men, then whispered a report to Zhu Biao.

"I understand."

"You can go down now."

"Yes."

Geng Tianbi immediately left the Qianqing Palace.

"Boss."

"What has happened in the palace this time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked.

"father."

Zhu Biao replied, "Just now, my second sister and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Yuan had a competition at the Imperial Horse Ranch, and my second sister lost."

"The eldest daughter of the Duke of Yuan was excellent in both riding and archery. She could hit the bullseye with all thirty arrows while shooting from horseback."

"The fourth prince asked the Empress Dowager for a reward, granting three thousand acres of land on the east bank of Xuanwu Lake to Boyalunhai to be used as a horse ranch."

"That brat always takes advantage of people's kindness."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, realizing that this perfectly matched Zhu Di's reckless and unscrupulous way of doing things.

"Father."

"My second sister is still young. If she had no one to guide her, why would she have taken the initiative to challenge the eldest daughter of the Duke of Shangyuan?"

"The eldest daughter of the Duke of Yuan is the fourth prince's concubine, and they are already engaged. Every move she makes is related to the reputation of the Prince of Yan's mansion."

Zhu Biao's expression turned serious, and he spoke solemnly.

"Um."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately realized the key point and said unhappily, "There must be some loose tongues whispering in Ningguo's ear."

"Investigate! Conduct a thorough investigation throughout the entire palace to find out if the plot involves the princess and the prince's concubine."

"Whoever it is, be beaten to death. Find out who is behind him and exile their entire family to the frontier."

At this critical juncture, having Princess Ningguo deliberately provoke trouble with Boyalunhai was intentionally making things difficult for Zhu Di.

Princess Ningguo, Zhu Yingrao, was so young and a full sister of Zhu Di. How could she do such a foolish thing? Someone must have been instigating her behind the scenes.

"Yes, Father."

"Son, I'll take care of it right away."

Zhu Biao turned and left in a hurry.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. I do not wish to kill, but you should not force me to kill.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked step by step to the outside of the palace, gazing at the vast capital, his eyes involuntarily turning grim.

"Guards, proclaim the imperial edict."

"The eldest daughter of the Duke of Yuan is heroic and spirited, straightforward and cheerful, truly a model for noblewomen."

"He was granted a white jade bow, a golden knife, and a fine horse, and was permitted to carry the knife into the palace."

"Yes."

The eunuch attending to the emperor acknowledged the order and went to the Duke of Yuan's residence to deliver the imperial decree.

On that day, a massive purge took place in the palace. From Princess Ningguo's residence to the Empress's Kunning Palace, hundreds of people were investigated. More than ten people were beaten to death, and dozens of their families were exiled to the frontier. The palace was filled with an atmosphere of fear and unease.

The capital city, the Hu residence.

"How foolish! How could you be so foolish?"

Hu Weiyong was furious with these people. The Huaixi Xun Gui had just lost six marquises, and they were still eager to give His Majesty something to talk about.

Arranging for someone to whisper in Princess Ningguo's ear and make things difficult for Wang Baobao and Zhu Di was tantamount to telling Zhu Yuanzhang that someone had planted spies around him, which was tantamount to courting death.

"Prime Minister Hu"

"Is it that serious? It's just getting some trouble for that Tartar."

"So that Kuo Kuo doesn't think that Yingtian Prefecture is their territory, and instead makes us brothers feel inferior to the Yuan people."

Lan Yu was somewhat dismissive. The person who did this was also trying to vent his anger, so he naturally couldn't let them feel disheartened.

"General Blue."

"How can you still not understand?"

"Aren't the lessons learned from the examples of Marquis Yongjia and others enough?"

Hu Weiyong's face flushed red, and his voice became hoarse.

Upon hearing Zhu Liangzu's name, the faces of the people from Huaixi present froze, and they could no longer smile.

"Prime Minister Hu"

"We've already done it, His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't cause us any trouble over such a small matter."

"I need your guidance on how to conduct tomorrow's grand court assembly."

Lan Yu quickly moved on from that matter and got to the main topic.

The people from Huaixi present focused their attention on Hu Weiyong, regarding him as their leader.

"call!"

Hu Weiyong glanced at Lan Yu, then suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow is the grand court assembly of the sixth year of Hongwu."

meeting."

"People from Mughalstein, Yarkand, and Tibet have all come."

"Your Majesty will not only announce the names of the generals of the capital army and the local military commanders, but also bestow titles upon the four barbarian tribes."

"This will determine the future policies of the Ming Dynasty and how you all can achieve merit."

"Please be patient, everyone."

"That's great!"

Lan Yu rubbed her hands together, looking eager to try.

Almost everyone else present was a descendant of the Huaixi people; they did not hold any titles of nobility or marquis, and were least afraid of fighting.

"It's getting late, generals, please return to your residences and prepare."

Hu Weiyong rubbed his temples and dismissed him.

"Let's go home."

Lan Yu waved his hand, and the group of people from Huaixi who were sitting there left Hu Mansion in a large group.

"Master, Lord Chen has arrived."

The butler hurried inside and quietly reported.

"brush!!"

Upon hearing that Chen Ning had arrived, Hu Weiyong immediately looked up towards the outside of the hall.

A moment later, a slender figure slowly entered, bowed slightly, and greeted, "Prime Minister Hu."

"Please sit down."

Hu Weiyong's tense expression relaxed a little, and he raised his hand to signal.

Chen Ning sat down at the lower end of the table with a worried look on his face. He should have been the head of the Censorate, but now he was the second-in-command of the Censorate. Apart from the Censor-in-Chief Liu Bowen above him, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Wang Yi had the same power as him, and he was subject to the control of others in everything he did.

"You've come today because of matters concerning the Censorate?"

Hu Weiyong saw right through his thoughts.

"Prime Minister Hu"

Chen Ning said bitterly, "The Censorate has now become Liu Bowen's one-man show."

"Wang Yi, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, Bei Qiong, the Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, and Xu Yikui were all from eastern Zhejiang."

"The sixteen provincial inspectors to be appointed are all from Zhejiang, so my position as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief is practically just a figurehead."

"If this continues, the people of eastern Zhejiang will firmly control the power to supervise local areas and impeach officials, creating a situation where they become too powerful to control."

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Censorate, which served as the emperor's eyes and ears and was responsible for impeaching officials and participating in joint trials.

The power to inspect local areas and evaluate officials was held by the Censor-in-Chief and the Grand Censor, and below them were thirteen circuit censors responsible for supervising local officials.

In addition, there were six supervising officials from the six ministries of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works, who, together with the censors, were known as the officials of the Censorate.

This is still just a rootless duckweed, unable to directly govern local areas like the Grand General's Office or the Central Secretariat.

But things are different now; the emergence of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner has filled this gap.

The Censorate directly governed the Provincial Surveillance Commission, forming a vast network of oversight from the imperial court to the local level, impenetrable to any interference.

In the past, the influence of Zhejiang scholars had declined, and the Huaixi faction held sway in the court. Officials from other regions either attached themselves to Huaixi or remained independent. Since Liu Bowen left, the Censorate had been influenced by Huaixi, and Chen Ning himself was a follower of Hu Weiyong.

The emperor's single edict brought about a dramatic change in the court situation.

The Censorate returned to Liu Bowen's control and practically became the stronghold of scholars in eastern Zhejiang.

With the Six Ministries gaining the power to intervene in local affairs, they gradually broke free from the control of the Secretariat. Minister of War Shan Anren and Minister of Works Xue Xiang were from Huaixi, so the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works were not greatly affected.

The Minister of Personnel, Zhan Tong, was from Wuyuan. He had supported a large number of scholars from Jiangxi to serve as prefects and magistrates in various places.

Yang Siyi, the Minister of Revenue, was from Xishui. A large number of scholars from Huguang were placed in local positions as provincial governors, thus controlling the financial power.

Furthermore, Qian Yongren, the Minister of Rites, was from Guangde, and Zhou Zhen, the Minister of Justice, was from Jiangning. Scholars from Jiangnan began to appear in the imperial court, and many of the provincial education commissioners and provincial judicial commissioners were from Jiangnan. This marked the emergence of three local forces besides Huaixi and Zhejiang.

In the future, with the establishment of the sixteen provinces, scholars from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei and other places will go to local governments to serve as officials, forming new groups.

"A rise to power is truly a once-in-a-lifetime achievement!"

Hu Weiyong said something with a complicated expression.

"I can hardly move an inch in the Censorate."

"I would be grateful if Prime Minister Hu could lend a hand."

Chen Ning was considering leaving; he no longer wanted to stay in the Censorate and wanted to go to a local area to become a high-ranking official.

"How did it come to this?"

Hu Weiyong stared intently at Chen Ning, his gaze sharp: "Your journey has been fraught with hardship."

"Now that the Censorate has greatly increased its power, it is a good opportunity for you to show your abilities."

"Giving up now would mean all our previous efforts were wasted, wouldn't it?"

"Prime Minister Hu"

"But I..."

Chen Ning hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Take it easy, take it easy."

Hu Weiyong comforted him, saying, "How old are you? How old is Liu Bowen? He's frail and sickly. How long can he stay in the Censorate?"

"No one in this world can stay on the uphill path forever, nor can anyone stay on the downhill path forever."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is now rampant, so the Censorate naturally has no scruples."

"If the Embroidered Uniform Guard is abolished, the Censorate will also become the target of public criticism, and Liu Bowen will inevitably be attacked by the court."

"At that time, wouldn't that be your opportunity?"

"Minister Hu, can I really wait until then?"

A fire reignited in Chen Ning's eyes as he stared intently at Hu Weiyong.

"Just wait a few more years, and everything will become clear."

Hu Weiyong nodded and made a promise.

With Chen Ning gone, who else can he rely on in the court? The Censorate has truly become Liu Bowen's domain. Even if he joins forces with Li Shanchang, he may not be able to keep the Zhejiang literati in check.

Therefore, Hu Weiyong needed Chen Ning to firmly occupy the position in the Censorate.

"I believe in Prime Minister Hu."

Chen Ning gritted his teeth and took back his words about where he wanted to go.