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

Chapter 225: There was only one emperor in the Ming Dynasty from beginning to end!
The sharp sword blade fell, and Zhu Youluo closed his eyes in horror.

歘!
After a slight sound, Zhu Youqiu opened his eyes with cold sweat on his forehead and rapid breathing.

What made him both confused and fortunate was that he was still alive.

Zhu Youtang did not kill him with a sword, but instead cut off the yellow Yishan crown on his head.

The Yishan crown, which symbolized imperial power, was cut off, and Zhu Youlang's hair fell down.

His hair was disheveled and he looked so miserable.

But Zhu Youlang was happy from the bottom of his heart. At least he was still alive!
Zhu Youtang snorted coldly: "Humph, you are worthy of wearing a dragon robe?"

"Don't take it off for me!"

"Yes! Yes! Brother Royal is right!"

"I'll take it off right now! I'll take it off right now!"

Zhu Youluo hurriedly began to tear off the dragon robe he had hastily made and took it off as quickly as possible.

Zhu Youlang could die, but he could not die in his hands, or die in Fengtianmen Square.

At this time, Zhu Youtang had already passed by Zhu Youlang, who had hurriedly torn off his dragon robe and walked towards the dragon throne in front.

Soon, Zhu Youtang came to the dragon throne.

Zhu Youtang turned around, gently lifted the dragon robe on his body, and sat steadily on the dragon throne.

In an instant, everyone in Fengtianmen Square knelt down and saluted Zhu Youtang!
"I am here to see you, Your Majesty!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

During these three shouts of "Long live the emperor", the imperial edict that Zhu Youlang ascended the throne and honored Zhu Youtang as the Supreme Emperor became a piece of invalid order.

As long as Zhu Youtang is alive, there will only be one emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and that is Zhu Youtang!

There will only be one reign title in the Ming Dynasty: Hongzhi!
As for the reign title Jingyuan, it became a thing of the past before it was put into use.

Disappeared forever in the long river of history!

……

Zhu Youtang looked down at the civil and military officials and the army of factory guards kneeling on the ground with a solemn expression.

Along the way, the many things he saw, encountered, and experienced have already caused great doubts in his heart.

After he returned to the capital, what happened there made his confusion reach its peak.

It started when he decided to lead the army in person and inspect the nine frontiers.

Everything he experienced was so similar to the Battle of Tumu forty years ago!

History seems to be a cycle. What happened to Emperor Yingzong in the past is happening again in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youtang became more and more skeptical that the historical plots he had seen on TV dramas before were all fake, fabricated, and modified by someone!

Zhu Youtang began to doubt many things and people around him.

But the only thing he believed in was the 130,000 soldiers in his hands.

Everything can be fake, only the power in your hands is real!
Where there is military power, there is power!

In the face of absolute military strength, all conspiracies and tricks are a joke.

Zhu Youtang could turn it into ashes with just a wave of his hand.

Now, Zhu Youtang has thwarted the conspiracy planned by the civil officials in the capital and the military generals in the border towns.

The situation has been determined, it’s time to settle accounts!
But before settling the accounts, Zhu Youtang had to make one thing clear.

He must not continue to be the emperor in such a muddleheaded way.

"Liu Jin, Mou Bin, listen to my orders!"

"As long as I am here, I will be in charge!"

Liu Jin and Mou Bin, whose names were called, looked serious and immediately listened attentively to Zhu Youtang's next order.

"Immediately, have the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard investigate everything that happened in the capital during my absence."

"Everything must be recorded in great detail and submitted to me for review."

"Find out all the officials who participated in the coup, don't let any of them go!"

Liu Jin and Mou Bin hurriedly bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Gao Shun!"

"The general is here!"

Gao Shun took a step forward and saluted.

"Martial law is imposed in the capital! Immediately have the Xianzhen Camp take over the imperial palace and all defenses of the capital!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Gao Shun immediately took the order and transferred the three major camps in the capital back to the Xishan military camp for settlement and rest.

Then Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Zhi.

Among these three factory guards, the one he trusted most was Wang Zhi, the supervisor of the Western Factory.

So he had to let Wang Zhi do this last and most important thing.

"Wang Zhi."

"Your humble servant is here!" Wang Zhi bowed and stepped forward.

"Immediately lead the Western Depot to investigate the defense forces in the palace and the capital. Anyone involved in the mutiny or coup will be executed immediately!"

The defense forces that Zhu Youtang mentioned were the Teng and Xiang Four Guards in the imperial palace, the Jingwei Commandery in the capital, the Wucheng Bingmasi, and the troops transferred to the capital by Yu Shen.

These troops temporarily transferred to the capital included soldiers from border towns, Luzhou's anti-Japanese troops, the Grand Canal's transport troops, local garrison troops, and local militia recruited by local prefectures. They came from different places and different systems, and their composition was extremely complex, which was a hidden danger.

What Zhu Youtang had to do was to find out which of these people were deceived by Yu Shen and which knew the truth and were willing to follow Yu Shen in rebellion.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhi had a serious expression on his face. After receiving the order, he immediately led thousands of Western Factory soldiers under his command to start an investigation!

After making these arrangements, Zhu Youtang looked at the officials kneeling before him.

"Is the Hanlin Academy scholar here?"

"I am here, I am here."

As soon as Zhu Youtang finished speaking, an official with white hair and beard and a look of panic crawled to the middle on his knees from between the officials on both sides.

The Hanlin Academy was originally the emperor's personal advisory group, specializing in drafting secret imperial edicts.

After the Ming Dynasty, its duties as secretary and advisor were replaced by the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department, and it gradually became a place to nurture talents and store promising futures.

The main responsibilities of the Hanlin Academy were to compile books and write history, draft imperial edicts, serve as a reader for members of the royal family, and serve as an examiner for the imperial examinations.

The status of Hanlin is extremely noble, and it is the necessary way to become a local official or even a minister.

For example, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian were lecturers in the Hanlin Academy before they were selected into the cabinet by Zhu Youtang.

Starting from Emperor Yingzong, the imperial examination system gradually became a routine in the Ming Dynasty.

Those who passed the imperial examination and ranked first were awarded the positions of editor and compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

In addition, young and talented candidates were selected from the second and third classes to serve in the Hanlin Academy as Shujishi.

Because the cabinet ministers, the six ministers and local officials basically all came from the Hanlin Academy.

Therefore, there is a saying that only Jinshi can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin can enter the Cabinet.

Moreover, the Hanlin Academy was also responsible for presiding over the imperial examinations, and the successful candidates had the habit of calling the chief examiner their teacher and treating him as their disciple.

Therefore, after graduating from the Hanlin Academy, these officials have disciples all over the world, which is another invisible network of interests.

Generally speaking, the Hanlin Academy is equivalent to the Ming Dynasty court, a place where senior officials are trained and the world's cultural context is controlled.

Although these Hanlin scholars in the Hanlin Academy did not hold high official positions, they had a very high status in the court.

Hanlin Bachelor is the chief official of the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Youtang looked at the Hanlin scholar and ordered coldly: "Bring me the history books compiled by your Hanlin Academy immediately!"

Another important responsibility of the Hanlin Academy was to compile the Veritable Records, and the main executor was called the historian.

When the Hanlin scholar heard Zhu Youtang's order, his face suddenly turned as pale as the white hair on his face.

"This...this...Your Majesty, the emperor of this dynasty cannot read the records of this dynasty. This is an ancestral rule that has been passed down for thousands of years. Your Majesty cannot break it!"

"If the emperor reads the records of this dynasty, he will be infamous for eternity. Please think twice, Your Majesty!"

After the Hanlin scholar finished speaking, he bowed to Chief Zhu Youtang.

What the Hanlin scholar said was correct. Ever since the establishment of the position of historian, the emperor was not allowed to read the history books of his dynasty.

Its purpose was to prevent the emperor from arbitrarily tampering with history and to restrain the emperor's words and deeds.

But in fact, it is these historians who have changed history most seriously, acted most arbitrarily, and even directly fabricated history!
Let’s not talk about how much the Qing historians changed, deleted, and edited when they compiled the Ming history.

Even the historians of the Ming Dynasty arbitrarily deleted and modified the history when recording their dynasty, and even directly fabricated history!
Moreover, this so-called excuse of following the ancestral system may be enough to deceive emperors who have no real power.

If you meet an emperor who truly has power and he is determined to read and change history books, who can stop him?

People like Li Shimin, Wu Zetian, Zhao Kuangyin, and Zhao Guangyi have deleted and revised history books countless times.

Did the Hanlin academician still hope to scare Zhu Youtang with a bad reputation that would last forever?

"Be bold!"

Zhu Youtang sneered: "Mou Bin, immediately send the Jinyiwei to the Hanlin Academy to bring all the historians' compilations and the records of this dynasty compiled by them to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving the order, Mou Bin immediately arranged for people to handle the matter.

When hundreds of Jinyiwei rushed out of the capital, the Hanlin scholar kneeling on the ground looked even more desperate.

At this moment, he could only hope that the historians and compilers in the Hanlin Academy could act faster.

Burn all the historical materials they compiled as soon as possible!

Not long after, those Jinyiwei who had left came back.

At the same time, they also held nine historians and dozens of history books that were still being compiled.

"Your Majesty, the historians and history books of the Hanlin Academy are all here."

The Jinyiwei knelt down to report, and Zhu Youtang extended his hand to them.

"Bring the book."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Several Jinyiwei came to Zhu Youtang with a thick stack of history books in their hands.

These historical books are actually Zhu Youtang's daily records.

It records Zhu Youtang's daily life in great detail, totaling over a million words.

Later, he compiled the Veritable Records for Zhu Youtang, which involved editing and organizing these vast amounts of information.

Zhu Youtang skipped the previous part and directly picked up the latest history book, starting from when he left the capital.

Seeing this scene, the nine historians and the Hanlin scholar kneeling on the ground all showed despair on their faces.

It’s over! It's all over!

(End of this chapter)