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

Chapter 124 Granted suicide!
Zhou did not answer, but Zhu Youtang had already got the answer he wanted.

Zhu Youtang stood up, turned around and walked out of the hall.

In fact, this answer is not that important to Zhu Youtang.

He didn't know why he came to Qingning Palace.

Maybe, there is still a glimmer of fantasy about this cruel thing?

Zhu Youtang walked out of the hall, put his hands behind his back, showing neither sadness nor joy.

"I will obey your order."

The people from Qingning Palace and Wang Zhi who were guarding outside the palace knelt down to listen to his orders.

"The food, clothing and expenses of the descendants of Qingning Palace Zhou will all be reduced to the same as those of palace maids. Except for Nanny Liu, the rest of them will no longer serve in Qingning Palace."

"Remove the tablets of the two former emperors from Qingning Palace, and do not allow the Zhou family to worship the two former emperors anymore."

"The Empress Dowager Wang deceived the emperor and was stripped of her title, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the Ciqing Palace."

"Empress Dowager Wu deceived the emperor and was stripped of her title, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in Renshou Palace."

"The eunuch Huai En, who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department, deceived the emperor and colluded with both the inside and the outside, and he is ordered to commit suicide."

"The eunuch Zhang Min, the imperial eunuch, deceived the emperor and plotted treason. His coffin will be opened and his body will be mutilated. His entire clan will be executed."

After saying this, Zhu Youtang walked out of Qingning Palace with his hands behind his back.

From Zhou, Zhu Youtang learned the word "ruthless".

Behind him, the voices of Wang Zhi, the palace maids and eunuchs obeying the order could be heard.

"I will obey the imperial edict!"

"Your servant will obey the imperial decree!"

"This servant will obey the imperial decree!"

For those palace maids and eunuchs, it was a blessing from heaven that they no longer had to serve Zhou and waste their best years in the Qingning Palace.

But what they didn't know was what kind of outcome would be waiting for them.

Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon chariot and ordered to return to the Qianqing Palace.

In the eastern warm room of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang summoned Wang Zhi again.

Zhu Youtang drove out all the palace maids and eunuchs in the East Warm Pavilion before he gave instructions to Wang Zhi.

"Wang Zhi, I will give the two deposed queen dowagers a dignified death and allow them to commit suicide."

"Find out those who participated in hiding the Holy Mother Queen Mother and tampering with the Holy Mother Queen Mother. Execute them all and purge them completely!"

There is also a difference between ordering suicide and being executed.

Suicide is suicide and has nothing to do with the emperor.

At the same time, the dignity of the emperor and the two deposed empress dowagers was preserved.

Moreover, Zhu Youtang only sentenced the two empress dowagers to deceiving the emperor and did not mention a word about their conspiracy to treason and seize the throne, all for the sake of maintaining the reputation of the royal family.

Zhu Youtang's way of handling things now has become much more mature than when he first came to power.

At that time, Zhu Youtang had been forced to the edge of the cliff and had to resort to severe punishments.

Wang Zhi nodded and said, "I obey your order."

"After dealing with the harem, it's time to deal with the former dynasty."

Wang Zhi's expression froze and he knelt down again to listen to the order.

"Shang Lu, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, interfered with the harem, colluded with the inner and outer forces, and was stripped of his posthumous title, his coffin was opened and his body was mutilated, and his entire clan was exterminated."

"Fang Xian, the Left Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration, plotted treason, and his entire clan shall be executed."

"besides……"

Having said this, Zhu Youtang found that there were no more officials to deal with.

Both the Zhou and Wang families had their three clans exterminated.

Liu Ji and his entire clan were executed.

Those who had participated in the fight for the throne had already been cleaned up by him before this.

Zhu Youtang waved his hand tiredly, and Wang Zhi bowed and accepted the order: "I will obey the imperial order."

"Wei Chen retire."

Wang Zhi left the Qianqing Palace quietly.

Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon throne, looking at the empty East Warm Pavilion, and finally understood why the emperor had always been alone.

After sitting on the throne, you will be truly alone.

……

After receiving the order, Wang Zhi immediately started to work on this matter.

Zhu Youtang deposed two empress dowagers at once, one of whom was his biological mother.

At the same time, the two deposed empress dowagers were ordered to commit suicide.

Wang Zhi had to handle such an important matter personally.

Wang Zhi called in several guards from the Western Factory, prepared white silk and poisoned wine, and first came to Anle Hall.

Wang Zhi pushed open the door of the room where Huai En was imprisoned and walked forward.

Huai En sat on the ground with a dejected face, disheveled hair, dishevelled clothes, and looked extremely embarrassed.

After seeing Wang Zhi, Huai En rolled and crawled to Wang Zhi's feet and pulled his trouser leg.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty...what did Your Majesty say?"

Wang Zhi looked at Huai En, who was in such a miserable state at his feet. Where was the glorious image he had in the past when he and he were in charge of the East and West factories respectively?

He waved his hand, and two Western Factory guards carrying trays came forward. Wang Zhi reached out and lifted the black cloth on the tray, revealing the white silk and poisoned wine underneath.

"Your Majesty, in consideration of your meritorious service, will allow you to commit suicide and leave your body intact."

Huai En was stunned for a moment, then he reached out his hand tremblingly and picked up the piece of white silk.

Suddenly, Huai En burst into tears loudly, holding up a white silk scarf and weeping while kneeling in the direction of the Qianqing Palace.

"I bow to the Emperor in gratitude! I bow to the Emperor in gratitude!"

Two quarters of an hour later, Wang Zhi and two Western Factory guards walked out of Anle Hall and headed for Ciqing Palace.

At the same time, several young eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department walked into Anle Hall, wrapped Huai'en's body in a torn mat, put it on a cart, and pulled it out of the palace for burial.

At this moment, the news that Zhu Youtang had stripped the two empress dowagers of their titles, demoted them to commoners, and imprisoned them in the palace had spread throughout the harem.

After hearing the news, Wang was stunned and surprisingly did not show any excitement.

Because her heart was already dead after the three clans of Jinghai Wang were exterminated a few days ago.

Moreover, the news that Zhu Youtang imprisoned Huai'en in Anle Hall was no secret in the palace. And now, Huai'en, who had been favored by the emperor since Zhu Youtang ascended the throne, was ordered by Zhu Youtang to commit suicide.

Wang didn't need to guess at all, she knew that Zhu Youtang must have found out about their attempt to use Zhu Youtang to seize the throne.

Wang was already heartbroken. She sat alone on the couch in her bedroom, recalling her life.

Ever since she was chosen by the cabinet and entered the palace, her life was no longer in her own hands.

Fighting for the position of queen, fighting for the eldest son, fighting for the position of queen mother...

It's not up to her to fight or not.

Wang suddenly recalled that when she was in her teens, her fantasy about the future was just to choose a good man and live an ordinary life of taking care of her husband and raising children.

But half a century has passed, and she has changed from an ordinary official's daughter to the queen who is the mother of the country, and then to the empress dowager.

But good dreams are easy to wake up from, colorful clouds are easy to disperse, and glass is fragile.

When Zhu Youtang's words woke her up from her dream of wealth and glory, she looked back on her life and wondered what she had gained.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Wang Zhi, bringing two Western Factory guards, walked into the main hall of Ciqing Palace and came in front of Wang.

"My lady, please."

Wang Zhi was still as cold and taciturn as usual.

He reached out and lifted the black cloth covering the tray, revealing a piece of white silk and a cup of poisoned wine on the tray.

Wang looked at the two things, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was neither sad nor happy.

She did not ask the reason, but simply said: "Thank the emperor for your help on my behalf."

Wang walked forward, hung her hands on the white silk for a while, and finally chose the cup of poisoned wine.

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Zhi walked out of the door of the main hall of Ciqing Palace.

Outside the door, Runqiu, the head maid of Ciqing Palace, led a large group of maids and eunuchs from Ciqing Palace and knelt in the snow.

Wang Zhi looked at them indifferently: "The deposed Empress Dowager Wang has passed away. Please bury her properly."

The next moment, Runqiu could no longer suppress his inner grief and began to howl.

"Empress! Empress!"

Except for Runqiu, all the other eunuchs and palace maids working in Ciqing Palace started crying.

They were people from Ciqing Palace, servants who depended on their masters, but now their masters were dead.

It is foreseeable that their future days in the palace will definitely not be easy.

At this moment, I don’t know how much of their crying was for Wang and how much was for themselves.

After coming out of Ciqing Palace, Wang Zhi, along with the two Western Factory guards, continued walking towards Renshou Palace.

At the same time, several Western Factory guards armed with knives walked into Ciqing Palace.

At this moment, Renshou Palace was in chaos.

The palace maids and eunuchs were in a panic and huddled in the yard, with no intention of doing their duties.

Ju Shuang, the maid in charge of Renshou Palace, knelt at Wu's feet with tears streaming down her face, crying bitterly.

"Your Majesty, I just received news that the one from Ciqing Palace has passed away!"

"Wang Zhi, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, is now walking towards the Renshou Palace..."

"My lady, how about I go and beg His Majesty!"

"The Queen has treated Your Majesty as her own child since she was young. The mother is kind and the son is filial. Maybe Your Majesty will be soft-hearted for a moment, and then... then..."

Mrs. Wu sat on the couch, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

"No...no...don't think too much. It's natural for Your Majesty to hate Wang."

"It was she and Zhou who imprisoned the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, and it was they who hid Your Majesty, not me... not me..."

"I'm just... I'm just following orders. I just want to find someone to rely on. I'm not wrong. I'm not wrong..."

Wu murmured to herself, her spirit almost collapsed.

She endured twenty-three years in the harem, twenty-three whole years!
She has been enduring ever since the late emperor forcibly abolished her position as queen just one month after she entered the palace.

She finally waited for the death of the previous emperor, finally waited for Zhu Youtang to ascend the throne, and finally waited for herself to become the empress dowager.

It was clear that all the hard work had paid off, but how come it all suddenly disappeared?
Wu didn't believe it. She didn't believe Zhu Youtang would be so cruel as to take her life!
But at this moment, Wang Zhi had already walked into the main hall of Renshou Palace with two Western Factory guards.

"My lady, please."

Wang Zhi pulled open the black cloth, revealing the white silk and poisoned wine underneath.

When Mrs. Wu saw these two things, she opened her eyes wide, shook her head repeatedly, and her face was full of disbelief.

"This...is this what the emperor meant?"

Wang Zhi looked at Wu calmly without answering.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I want to see the emperor..."

Mrs. Wu was a little excited. She stood up quickly and was about to walk out of the hall.

Wang Zhi took a step forward and stood in front of Wu.

"Your Majesty is a smart person, so why should you make things difficult for Your Majesty?"

"It's better to give the royal family some respect, and also give yourself some respect."

Wang Zhi's words broke down Wu's defenses. Wu closed her eyes and tears suddenly fell.

After crying silently, Wu finally accepted her fate. She turned around and looked at the white silk and poison wine on the tray, and wiped the tears from her face with her hands.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help..."

Wu reached out and picked up the white silk: "Please ask Lord Wang to step aside for a moment."

"Yes."

Wang Zhi did not make things difficult for Wu. He took the two Western Factory guards with him, left the main hall of Renshou Palace, and waited outside the main hall.

In the hall, Wu held the white silk in her hand, feeling a little regretful.

If I had known this earlier, I would not have entered the palace...

Two quarters of an hour later, Ju Shuang's cry could be heard in the palace: "Madam! Madam!"

Wang Zhi pushed the door open and went in. After checking everything was correct, he retreated out of the hall.

"The deposed Empress Dowager Wu has passed away. You should bury her properly."

After Wang Zhi and the two Western Factory guards left Renshou Palace, cries were also heard in the palace.

Similarly, several Western Factory guards with the smell of blood on their bodies walked into the Renshou Palace.

(End of this chapter)