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

Chapter 152 What if I feel guilty?
Qipan Street is located before and after Daming Gate.

To the east of the Daming Gate, there were government offices such as the Ministry of Clan Affairs, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works.

On the west side are the Five Military Governor's Office, the Jinyiwei Northern Pacification Office and other government offices.

At this moment, the eastern part of Daming Gate was extremely lively.

When Liu Jin and Tu Yu led the Dongchang men and the censors of the Censorate and rushed into the offices of the three ministries.

The officials on duty in the three government offices all stood there in shock with their eyes wide open.

This was the first time since the founding of the Ming Dynasty that so many Eastern Depot guards and censors raided the three ministries.

Many people were in shock and unable to react.

"What are you doing? Why are you trespassing into the Ministry of War?"

"The Ministry of War, do you think you can be so presumptuous?!"

Yu Shen, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who was on duty at the Ministry of War Yamen, stepped forward and blocked the crowd.

Yu Shen was a Jinshi in the second year of Jingtai. It was also in this year that Yu Qian abolished the North and South list system.

As a result, in that year's list of successful candidates, southern scholars overwhelmingly outnumbered northern scholars.

There were a total of 201 Jinshi in the list of Jinshi that year, and 174 of them were from the south.

Among them, there were as many as 34 Jinshi from Qian’s hometown, Zhejiang Province.

Yu Shen was Yu Qian’s fellow townsman from Qiantang County, and he reaped the benefits of the lack of ranking in the imperial examinations in the second year of the Jingtai reign.

After passing the imperial examination, Yu Shen joined the Censorate and became a censor, and later toured Yuzhou and Ganzhou.

In the sixth year of Jingtai, under the arrangement of Yu Qian, Yu Shen entered the Ministry of War and served as a Langzhong of the Ministry of War and worked in the Wu Ku Qing Li Si.

In the first year of Tianshun, Emperor Yingzong was restored to the throne and Yu Qian's three clans were exterminated. Yu Shen was imprisoned.

The following year, he was demoted to the position of county magistrate of Jinchang County and went to Xiangzhou.

In the first year of Chenghua, after Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he rehabilitated Yu Qian and at the same time pardoned several officials who had been demoted because of Yu Qian.

Yu Shen was also pardoned, reinstated, and recalled to Beijing.

In the third year of Chenghua, he was promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor of Jinzhou.

When Yu Shen was the governor of Jinzhou, he traveled to several border towns in Jinzhou, including Datong and Xuanfu.

He also took over all the land that was privately reclaimed by the border generals and used it as official farmland to subsidize border defense expenses, and he was well-known for his virtue.

In the 16th year of Chenghua, Yu Shen was recalled to Beijing and served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War until now.

Therefore, Yu Shen was quite prestigious not only within the Ministry of War, but also in the entire capital.

At this moment, he had a stern face and shouted loudly at the East Factory guards and the Censors in a timid manner.

"You have trespassed into a strategic location. Are you planning to rebel?!"

These scoldings were really effective. The censors in the Censorate were actually a little hesitant for a moment.

Liu Jin, the supervisor of the East Factory, came out with a smile and said in a sarcastic tone, "Whose property is this? It turns out to be Lord Yu."

"Master Yu is so impressive, but you don't have to scare us with these words. We can't afford to bear the accusation you put on us."

"Master Tu and I have been ordered by the Emperor to come and check the accounts of the Ministry of War."

"Master Yu's reaction is so intense, is there something wrong?!"

Liu Jin's question immediately made Yu Shen's face change drastically, and he subconsciously refuted: "How is it possible?!"

"Why is there something fishy in my mind?!"

"Stop spitting blood!"

"In that case." Liu Jin smiled sinisterly: "Then please ask Sir Yu to bring out all the accounts of the Ministry of War in previous years."

At this time, Tu Yu, who had been standing aside without saying anything, also spoke up and said, "Yes, Minister Yu, we are also following the orders of His Majesty and working for His Majesty."

"Since Minister Yu has a clear conscience, please bring out all the accounts of the Ministry of War for the past ten years."

"Please don't make it difficult for us."

"The sooner we finish the investigation, the sooner we can leave and stop causing trouble for the Ministry of War."

Yu Shen secretly clenched his fists, his face slowly turned pale, and a thin layer of cold sweat seeped out of his face.

If he had a clear conscience, Yu Shen would naturally not be afraid of the investigation by the East Factory and the Censorate.

But the question is, what if he feels guilty?
Yu Shen is under tremendous pressure now. It would be great if Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, was here...

Yu Shen suddenly remembered that not long ago, it was His Majesty who summoned Liu Daxia into the palace to discuss matters.

All of this was planned by Your Majesty.

If that is the case, then aren't these Dongchang guards and Censors here to look for problems with answers?

Suddenly, Yu Shen felt completely hopeless.

Yu Shenqiang supported his weak legs, sat back in his seat, and forced a smile.

"Master Tu is right. Take out all the account books of the Ministry of War."

"Yes, Lord Yu."

The clerk from the Ministry of War bowed and nodded, then went to the storehouse to move the account books.

Meanwhile, in the Ministry of War, the faces of other doctors, clerks, and managers began to turn pale. They sat there dejectedly, and their hands and feet began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing this scene, Liu Jin could not hide the smile on his face, his eyes were shining with excitement, and he could not wait to have someone check the account books of the Ministry of War.

Tu Yu's expression darkened, knowing that this account-clearing operation would, as he had expected, implicate many officials in the capital.

Soon, the capital city will be a scene of rivers of blood again.

The Ministry of War was in mourning, and many officials in the Ministry of Revenue were also in a state of panic. They all lowered their heads, looked gloomy, and looked like they had lost their parents.

Only the officials of the Ministry of Works were in a better condition and cooperated more with the inspection of the Eastern Factory and the Censorate.

Just as the Eastern Depot and the Censorate were reviewing the accounts of the three ministries, the entire officialdom in the capital was in uproar.

To the west of the Daming Gate, the generals of the Five Military Governor's Office saw the Eastern Depot guards and the Censors marching into the three ministries in a mighty force.

These generals were whispering to each other and discussing.

Some are happy about misfortunes, some are worried and fearful, and some are sadder when the rabbit dies.

"Those civil servants in the six ministries are going to be in trouble again! Let me see, why did they only go to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice?"

"Even the Imperial Censors from the Censorate have been dispatched. What is Your Majesty trying to investigate?!"

"No matter what they investigate, a lot of people will definitely die."

"That's enough! Aren't you afraid that something bad will happen to these civil servants and implicate us?"

"What are you afraid of?! The civil servants are enjoying a lot of benefits, but we can't get anything. Even if they find out about us, what can we do?"

"..."

In the capital city, one crisis has not yet subsided when another one arises.

The accounts of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works are extremely complex and the numbers are so numerous that it is dizzying to read.

Especially since Zhu Youtang had to trace back ten years, the data was extremely huge.

Fortunately, Zhu Youtang only asked for an inventory of military data such as armor and firearms, which greatly reduced their workload.

The Censorate was mobilized in full force, and a large number of Eastern Depot men assisted them.

With the help of human wave tactics, two hours later, the Censorate finally completed the review of the accounts related to arms in the three departments.

And it was re-registered and recorded in full.

Do not check, I don’t know, I’m scared.

Tu Yu looked at the data in his hand and cold sweat broke out.

At this moment, he finally understood why Zhu Youtang suddenly ordered them to check the accounts.

He did not dare to hesitate for a moment, and immediately went to the palace with Liu Jin, bringing the newly prepared account books, to meet the emperor!
In the Hongde Hall, Xu Pu, Liu Daxia and Jia Jun had been discussing matters with Zhu Youtang for two hours.

He asked about all the memorials that had been piling up in Zhu Youtang's place during this period.

Many memorials had already been drafted by the cabinet, but Zhu Youtang still wanted them to discuss them again.

During these two hours, Liu Daxia and Jia Jun had enough of being the Grand Lord.

The key point is that after Zhu Youtang let them discuss and give suggestions, he did not adopt their suggestions but made his own decision.

This made them feel a little uncomfortable.

And as time passed, they gradually realized that something was wrong.

They were afraid and anxious, feeling like they were sitting on pins and needles, with a thorn in their backs and a fishbone stuck in their throats.

It felt like there was a sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

Just when the uneasy feelings in the hearts of the three people reached their peak, the sword hanging over their heads finally fell down.

"Your Majesty, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Tu Yu and the Director of the East Factory Liu Jin request to see you."

Zhu Youtang put away the memorial he was discussing and his expression became serious: "Let them in."

"It's Your Majesty."

After the young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came out of the hall to deliver the message, Tu Yu and Liu Jin immediately walked in.

"I am Tu Yu, your humble servant, paying my respects to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I bow to you."

"No gift."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Tu Yu paid his respects to Zhu Youtang, he took out three booklets from his arms and respectfully presented them to Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, I have checked the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works over the years according to your order."

"And all the data related to weapons, armor, firearms and other military ammunition in these accounts should be extracted separately and bound into a book."

"Your Majesty, please take a look!"

When Tu Yu said this, Xu Pu and Liu Daxia immediately showed expressions of horror.

The two men shuddered, their bodies almost going limp.

If it weren't for the support of the chairs, the two of them would probably have collapsed to the ground.

Jia Jun was also very surprised, but he was more nervous than afraid.

Zhu Youtang did not rush to take the account book from Tu Yu's hand, but looked at the three ministers sitting there and took note of their performance.

"Three ministers, do you have anything to say about these accounts?"

Xu Pu forced a smile, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and pretended to be calm: "Haha, your majesty's audit is reasonable and logical, what can we say?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, if you want to see it, you can see it."

Liu Daxia lowered his head slightly, lowered his eyes, and spoke in a muffled voice.

Jia Jun kept shaking his head: "Your Majesty, I...I don't have anything to say."

Zhu Youtang's expression became even colder. Are these old foxes betting that he can't see the trick between the accounts?
Zhu Youtang said no more. He took the three booklets from Tu Yu's hand, opened them together, and checked the account data of the three departments.

(End of this chapter)