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

Chapter 227 The Truth of the Tumubao Incident (Part )

"In February of the second year of the Hongzhi reign, I examined the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue and suspected that Yang Tong, the general of Xuanfu, had smuggled arms without authorization!"

"I sent the East Factory to investigate Xuanfu. The general of Xuanfu falsely reported that there was an invasion by the Oirat Mongols. I then led the army in person to inspect the nine borders."

Zhu Youtang read and Li Dongyang recorded, recording everything that happened during this period in full.

Zhu Youtang not only revised the history books, but also added the previous causes that were not originally recorded in the history books.

"I was stationed in Tumubao and was attacked by 20,000 Xuanfu troops. I wiped out the rebels in Tumubao."

"..."

Zhu Youtang told everything that happened to him outside.

Li Dongyang recorded it in full, but when recording it, he changed the "I" in Zhu Youtang's mouth to "Shang".

Zhu Youtang kept talking about his arrival in Beijing and then stopped.

Because the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guards had not yet completed their investigation of what happened in the capital, Zhu Youtang only knew a little about it and was not clear about the ins and outs of the coup in the capital.

After taking note, Zhu Youtang rubbed his temples tiredly.

"Okay, let's do this for now."

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Li Dongyang respectfully presented the written paper to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang took it and read it. He found that Li Dongyang not only recorded the content consistent with his own, but even modified some of the wording to make it look more fluent and more written.

As expected of an old scholar who has worked in the Hanlin Academy for thirty years, his clerical work is truly impeccable.

"good."

Zhu Youtang put down the paper and waved to the people in Fengtian Hall.

"All of you go down and investigate what happened in the capital as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving Zhu Youtang's order, Mou Bin and Liu Jin ordered that all the civil and military officials who had been arrested by the factory guards at Fengtian Gate be taken back to prison.

This time, there was another round of ghosts howling.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Please let me go, Your Majesty!"

"I am loyal to your majesty! Your majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!"

"..."

After all the officials were taken away by the factory guards for investigation, Zhu Youtang noticed that there was a man named Zhu Youlang standing next to him, with disheveled clothes and disheveled hair, trembling with fear.

"Mou Bin, take him back to Prince Xing's Palace. He is not allowed to see anyone without my order."

"And the more than 37 million taels of silver should be sent to the treasury."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving the order, Mou Bin immediately arranged for people to bring Zhu Youlu back to Prince Xing's Palace.

At this moment, Fengtianmen Square finally became deserted.

But Zhu Youtang knew in his heart that the purge of officials in the capital was far from over, it had just begun.

Now, the affairs of the previous dynasty have come to an end for the time being.

The next thing to deal with is the affairs of the harem.

"Fu Dahai..."

Zhu Youtang shouted out of habit, and only reacted when he heard no response.

Fu Dahai, the eunuch who had just been appointed as the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, had been beaten to death in the Fengtian Hall by those southern officials and Yu Shen during the previous coup in the capital.

This was the second senior official to be beaten to death in public after Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard under Emperor Yingzong.

In this coup, Zhu Youtang's biggest loss was the death of Fu Dahai, who stayed behind in the palace.

Zhu Youtang sighed and waved to the eunuch beside him: "Go to the harem."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

Zhu Youtang came to the harem on the dragon chariot.

In the harem, security is still tight.

The Xianzhen Camp took over the defense of the harem, while the Xichang guards were investigating the Four Tengxiang Guards under the control of the Imperial Stables.

In the harem, there was a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps, and it was filled with densely packed soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp.

There were also countless Western Factory guards constantly shuttling back and forth.

On both sides of the road, palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground in fear, tears streaming down their faces.

After seeing Zhu Youtang, she kowtowed and saluted again and again: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you and welcome you back to the palace!"

Zhu Youtang looked straight ahead with an expressionless face.

Wang Zhi led a dozen Western Factory guards to pay a visit to Zhu Youtang.

At this time, Wang Zhi had already grasped what had happened in the harem during this period, and immediately rushed to report the situation to Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, Zhou was taken out of Qingning Palace by Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Fu Dahai and others and returned to Cining Palace."

"The Concubine Shao is currently living in Ciqing Palace."

"Shufei, Ningpin and others were forcibly moved to Nangong by Prince Xing..."

"..."

Wang Zhi reported to Zhu Youtang in detail what had happened in the harem during this period.

Including the fact that Zhou once wanted Prince Chong Zhu Jianze to come to Beijing to supervise the country, but was rejected by Prince Chong.

In desperation, Zhou first promoted Concubine Zhang Wan'er to Concubine Shu.

He also appointed Zhu Youtang's unborn heir as the crown prince.

But he still failed to stop Yu Shen from seizing power, so he was forced to establish Prince Xing as the new emperor.

At the same time, Zhu Youtang's concubines were forcibly moved to Nangong by Zhu Youlang.

After hearing this, Zhu Youtang frowned slightly.

He didn't expect that Fu Dahai would actually stand with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, the two cabinet ministers. He also didn't expect that Zhou would finally make her unborn child the crown prince.

If Zhou succeeds, then the emperor's main branch will still belong to Zhu Youtang's lineage.

No matter what Zhou's actual purpose was, at least his efforts were to protect Zhu Youtang's interests.

Zhu Youtang immediately issued an order: "After sending Shao back to Prince Xing's Mansion, seal off Prince Xing's Mansion, dismiss all servants, and do not allow anyone to enter or leave."

"The Choros selected concubines to live in Chunhui Hall of Yanxi Palace."

"Follow me to the Cining Palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The dragon chariot set off again, heading towards the Cining Palace.

After arranging Zhu Youtang's orders, Wang Zhi quickly followed and stayed by his side.

The guards from the Western Factory escorted Concubine Chen back to Prince Xing's Mansion, while welcoming Mona into the Chunhui Hall of the Yanx Palace.

When the Western Factory troops took action, Zhu Youtang's dragon chariot had already stopped outside the Cining Palace.

When Zhu Youtang walked into the Cining Palace, the eunuchs and maids in the palace were terrified and knelt down to salute: "Your servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Youtang said coldly: "Everyone get out."

"Here."

The palace maids and eunuchs left the Cining Palace quickly as if they had been released.

Zhu Youtang looked at the tightly closed door of the main hall of the Cining Palace, his chest heaving slightly.

After returning to Beijing, Zhu Youtang found that what he had experienced was inexplicably familiar.

It was like the Battle of Tumu forty years ago was happening again to him.

But what he experienced was different from what was shown in those TV dramas.

However, all the confusion in Zhu Youtang's mind disappeared after he read the Veritable Records of the current dynasty compiled by the Hanlin Academy.

Because he had already confirmed that these civil servants of the Ming Dynasty had begun to tamper with history books in the records recorded in the 14th year of Zhengtong!

Now, he needs the truth.

Not many people know the inside story of the Tumu Incident, and Zhou in the Cining Palace is one of them.

She was the concubine of Emperor Yingzong and a party to the Tumu Incident. She must know all the inside stories!
Zhu Youtang took a deep breath, walked forward, pushed open the closed door, and stepped inside.

Inside the hall, Zhou was sitting on a chair, dozing off with her eyes closed facing Zhu Youtang.

Beside Zhou stood Madam Liu.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zhou opened her eyes and was not surprised at all to see Zhu Youtang at the door.

He just said calmly: "The emperor is back."

After saying this, she glanced at Aunt Liu beside her.

Nanny Liu looked at Zhou worriedly, bowed, and quickly left the main hall.

The entire space in the hall was left to the grandmother and grandson.

Outside the palace, Wang Zhi was guarding the door and no outsiders were allowed to approach.

Inside the palace, Zhu Youtang slowly approached Zhou and asked, "You don't seem surprised at all to see me?"

Zhou smiled self-deprecatingly: "No matter what happens to you, I won't be surprised."

Zhu Youtang did not comment: "Then you should know the purpose of my coming here, right?"

"Tell me, what is the truth behind the Tumu Incident forty years ago?"

"Don't you already know that now?"

After Zhou finished speaking, she revealed a faint smile.

Zhu Youtang's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "As expected."

He suppressed his anger and asked, "Why?! Yu Qian and Yang Hong, why on earth would they do this!"

Zhou closed her eyes and remained silent, not intending to help Zhu Youtang solve his puzzlement.

At this moment, it seemed that nothing could threaten Zhou except her life.

But Zhu Youtang sneered in her heart, she knew what kind of desires Zhou had beneath her seemingly indifferent surface.

"I know that you have always wanted to be buried with Emperor Yingzong."

"If you tell me the whole story of the Tumu Fort Incident."

"I can consider this matter."

Sure enough, after Zhu Youtang finished speaking, Zhou immediately opened her eyes.

His face pretended to be calm, but his eyes were full of anxiety and excitement.

Zhu Youtang did not finish what he said. He just sat in front of Zhou and looked at her quietly.

Zhou looked conflicted, and after a moment, she sighed softly.

"It's been 40 years, why are you still talking about it..."

"The direct cause of the Tumu Incident can be traced back to the eighth year of the Zhengtong Period, when Emperor Yingzong ordered Jiao Hong, the Minister of Works, to be the Chief Supervisor of Eight Prefectures and supervised the construction of 120 ships for the voyage to the West in Minzhou."

"Since the 9th year of Zhengtong, Ye Zongliu of Ganzhou and Deng Maoqi of Minzhou have started to rise up and cause unrest, causing unrest in the entire southeastern coast."

"Although these people are peasants who are in rebellion, they don't attack landlords and local tyrants, but only attack officers and soldiers, and their weapons are all Ming Dynasty standard weapons."

"These people are actually the noble families in the southeast who funded and prevented Emperor Yingzong from building ships to sail to the West."

“And when the 120 ships were completed in the 13th year of Zhengtong, the entire southeastern coast was in chaos.”

"The sea route is blocked, the land route is cut off, and the ships cannot go to sea at all."

"So in November of the 13th year of the Zhengtong reign, Emperor Yingzong appointed Chen Mao, Marquis of Ningyang, as the commander-in-chief, wearing the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians, and commanding 100,000 troops to suppress the rebellion in Minzhou."

"Among these 100,000 troops, there are also 20,000 elite troops that Emperor Yingzong personally dispatched from the three major camps in the capital."

"In less than three months, the unrest in Minzhou was quelled."

"But in May of the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, Emperor Yingzong ordered Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to investigate the cause of the rebellion in Minzhou."

"On July 11, military reports arrived simultaneously from Xuanfu, Datong and Liaodong, which had been peaceful for 25 years."

"Walakkobian!"

(End of this chapter)