Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 11: All three clans will be exterminated and executed by slow slicing!
"What's going on? How did Mou Bin become the commander of the Imperial Guard?"

"The Jinyiwei seem to have arrested people from the Zhou family. The two who were taken in the front seem to be the Earl of Qingyun and the Earl of Changning..."

"Ah? That's your majesty's uncle. Is this your majesty's will?"

"Are you kidding me? How dare you do this, Your Majesty?"

"Those two are the brothers of Grand Empress Dowager Zhou. Your Majesty, if you dare to attack the Zhou family, aren't you afraid of being held accountable by Grand Empress Dowager Zhou?"

"..."

Mou Bin walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, passing through the civil and military officials standing on both sides, and came in front of Zhu Youtang. He raised something above his head and knelt down to salute.

"Your Majesty, I have done my duty. There are seventy-six members of the Zhou family, all of them are here!"

"This is the genealogy of the Zhou family. Your Majesty, please take a look!"

Wow!
The entire court was in an uproar!
The seventy-six members of the Zhou family...

Your Majesty is going to confiscate the property and exterminate the entire clan!

Zhang Yuan widened his eyes in horror, unable to believe what he saw.

"Your Majesty! The Zhou family has devoted their lives to the Ming Dynasty. Even if they have no merits, they have worked hard. Even if they have made mistakes, they are not guilty of this!"

Some self-righteous officials stepped forward to plead for the Zhou family.

"Your Majesty, is there some misunderstanding here? As the Son of Heaven, you should know right from wrong and never listen to slander!"

"Your Majesty, please think twice and do not act rashly!"

A large number of officials in the court were certain that as long as Empress Dowager Zhou was around, the Zhou family would never fall.

So they all submitted petitions to plead for the Zhou family, hoping to leave a good impression in front of the brothers Zhou Shou and Zhou Yu.

Not only the civil and military officials in the court, but even the two Zhou brothers who had become prisoners were not in a hurry and were full of confidence.

With their sister Zhou around, they were sure that Zhu Youtang would not dare to do anything to them.

Zhu Youtang ignored those who pleaded for Zhou, but took the Zhou family genealogy and read it with interest.

The several ministers at the front on the left were all looking at each other, hesitant in their hearts.

Minister of Revenue Ye Qi looked at Prime Minister Wan An and said, "Prime Minister Wan, this..."

Wan'an had a sullen face and did not express his opinion, as if he was an old monk in meditation.

Ye Qi looked at the other two elders in the cabinet. Liu Wei and Liu Ji were also both keeping an eye on their noses and looking at their hearts, as if they were staying out of the matter.

The paper-made third cabinet minister was indeed not wrong in name!

After Ye Qi cursed the three old foxes in his heart, he stood back and did not wade into this muddy water.

At this time, at the back of the civil service queue, two officials in their forties, who were in their prime, were whispering to each other.

Li Dongyang, who was then a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, looked at his colleague Xie Qian, who was also a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

"Brother Yu Qiao, what do you think about this?"

Xie Qian quietly raised his head and glanced at Zhu Youtang, then immediately lowered his head: "Brother Binzhi, I think this matter will not end well."

"Oh? Why do you think so?" Li Dongyang raised his eyebrows.

Both of them were lecturers in the Eastern Palace. They had taught Zhu Youtang, who was then the crown prince, and were very familiar with him.

Xie Qian frowned and thought carefully: "Your Majesty is too quiet today, and he gives me the feeling that everything in the world is under control."

"I have only felt this feeling from Emperor Xianzong before."

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid you won't give up easily this time."

Li Dongyang nodded: "I feel the same way."

"I hope that Your Majesty can really be ruthless this time and not let the cabinet, the harem, and the relatives of the emperor act so recklessly again."

"Bin, be careful with your words!"

Ahead of the two, Liu Jian, who was then the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was even more brilliant. As the former Junior Secretary of the Crown Prince's Palace, Liu Jian had been Zhu Youtang's lecturer since Zhu Youtang officially left the palace to study.

Liu Jian knew Zhu Youtang very well. He was a very kind and filial man, but he had a very weak character.

Such a person may be a good person, but he is definitely not a good emperor.

His weak character and filial piety meant that he had no say in front of the powerful Empress Dowager Zhou.

The princess is young and her mother is powerful. This is a clear case of the harem interfering in politics and the development of external relatives' monopoly of power.

The facts were just as Liu Jian expected, within a few months after the new emperor ascended the throne.

Empress Dowager Zhou then teamed up with the Imperial Household Department to sideline Zhu Youtang.

Liu Jian originally had to wait at least a few more years before Zhu Youtang could take back the imperial power.

But unexpectedly, today the Jinyiwei actually brought Zhou's entire family, young and old, to the court meeting!
what does this mean?
Liu Jian's heart was pounding.

A large group of people were already kneeling at the foot of Zhu Youtang's steps, no less than thirty in number.

Zhu Youtang sat high on the dragon throne, flipping through the family tree in his hand, and ignored the ministers below the steps.

The crowd, who were originally very excited, started to panic when they saw that Zhu Youtang remained calm.

The voices pleading for Zhou became smaller and smaller, and finally in front of Fengtian Gate it became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Finished?"

"Is there anyone who wants to plead for Zhou? Please come forward together."

After waiting for a while and seeing that no one came to plead for Zhou, Zhu Youtang put down the family tree and looked at Mou Bin.

"Mou Bin, please tell my beloved ministers about the crimes of the Zhou family."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Mou Bin then turned around and spoke murderously to all the civil and military officials.

"Grand Empress Dowager Zhou colluded with external and internal officials to place her trusted personnel in the Jinyiwei, the East Factory, and the Five Military Commands Office in an attempt to steal the imperial power. She is guilty of treason!"

"Anyone who plots treason, regardless of whether they are the leader or the follower, will have their entire clan exterminated and be executed by slow slicing!"

After Mou Bin finished speaking, all the civil and military officials fell silent.

Everyone opened their eyes wide, unable to believe what they heard.

The Empress Dowager Zhou was actually guilty of treason!

This... is a serious crime punishable by the extermination of three entire clans!
Among all the civil and military officials in the court, the first to react were the Earl of Qingyun and the Earl of Changning who were being held at the steps.

After hearing that his sister was convicted, Zhou Shou felt as if all his muscles and bones were pulled out and he fell down limply.

Zhou Yu's face, which was originally full of pride, turned pale in an instant, and his whole body began to tremble with fear.

"Your Majesty! This is definitely the slander of Mou Bin! Our Zhou family is loyal to Your Majesty, how could we possibly be plotting treason!"

"Your Majesty! I am your uncle, Your Majesty! We in the Zhou family have absolutely no ulterior motives!"

"Your Majesty, this must be a frame-up. Please investigate! Please investigate!"

Zhou Shou and Zhou Yu finally felt fear at this moment.

The conspiracy to treason must not be proven, otherwise, even with their sister Zhou around, they would not be able to save their heads.

What's more, judging from what Mou Bin said just now, my sister Zhou might not be able to save herself.

Such a huge blow was unacceptable to them.

How did Zhou fall? !

How could she fall?!
Without Zhou's protection, it seems that His Majesty is really planning to kill them!

(End of this chapter)