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

Chapter 33: Do you dare to interfere in the investigation of the Western Factory?
Tonight in the capital, everyone is in danger.

One hundred and seventy-six retired officials, every family cried for their parents.

The shrill screams enveloped the entire capital city.

Other officials who had not retired hid in their own homes, listening to the crying and shouting coming from outside in fear, and could not sleep at all.

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

When did your Majesty's methods become so cruel?
Both of them recalled what Zhu Youtang looked like when he was still serving as the prince's lecturer in the Eastern Palace's Zhanshi Mansion.

At that time, Zhu Youtang was modest, polite, careful in his work, and somewhat weak in character.

And now, Zhu Youtang can cause hundreds of families to be destroyed and people to be beheaded in a single thought.

With such an iron fist, how could he still have the slightest bit of his former cowardice?

I don’t know whether Zhu Youtang’s change is a blessing or a curse for the Ming Dynasty?

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang were half worried and half relieved.

But Liu Jian felt deeply uneasy in his heart.

When Empress Dowager Zhou and the previous cabinet were in power at the beginning, Liu Jian hoped that Zhu Youtang could be tougher and take back the imperial power.

This was because he had not yet entered the cabinet at that time and was still working in the Ministry of Rites.

As an old official of the Eastern Palace, he will only have a chance to come to the fore after the new emperor takes complete power.

Otherwise, the old cabinet will always suppress him.

Later, after Zhu Youtang took back the imperial power with thundering means, he promoted him to the Minister of Rites and the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, allowing him to participate in cabinet ceremonies.

But after entering the cabinet, he hoped that Zhu Youtang would be a little weaker so that he, as a cabinet minister, would have more power.

This is a typical case of "the butt determines the thinking". The interests involved are different depending on the position, and the stance will change accordingly.

But Zhu Youtang was still so tough that he oppressed the cabinet to the point where they had no power to resist.

If Zhu Youtang's expanding imperial power can no longer be curbed, then all civil and military officials will truly become Zhu Youtang's retainers.

The civil service group took advantage of the power vacuum during Emperor Yingzong's youth when he ascended the throne at the age of eight.

It went through the era of the Three Yangs, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong and Yang Pu, and then to the Jingtai era of Yu Qian, Chen Xun, Gao Gu and others.

The civil service group successfully stole the imperial power, and the power of the cabinet began to expand infinitely!

The cabinet was transformed from a simple advisory body into a powerful institution that could curb imperial power.

During the Jingtai period, Emperor Daizong was just a puppet of the cabinet.

Even when Emperor Daizong wanted to depose or enthrone a prince, he had to use gold and silver to bribe cabinet ministers. It was truly ridiculous.

Although after Emperor Yingzong was restored to the throne, he tried hard to take back some power from the cabinet.

But the legacy of Emperor Daizong was too deep, and the Cabinet had already firmly laid stress on the emperor.

When Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he used the Western Factory to attack the civil service group and further consolidated power.

During the Chenghua period, everyone said that the Ming Dynasty court was made of three paper cabinet ministers and six clay ministers.

It's a joke that the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty are just sitting there doing nothing, just eating and not working.

And that was precisely because Emperor Xianzong, with his mastery of imperial skills, brought power back from the cabinet to the hands of the emperor.

With the cabinet in danger, the imperial power will once again override the civil service.

Suddenly, Emperor Xianzong passed away without cause, giving the cabinet a break and the ability to regain power.

It was originally thought that given Zhu Youtang's cowardly and sensitive character, the cabinet would be able to further control power after he ascended the throne.

They could even do what the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty did, deposing and enthroning emperors at will.

But they never expected that Zhu Youtang's iron-blooded tactics would not play any part in their imperial tactics or checks and balances of power.

If you are not satisfied with anything, your property will be confiscated and your entire family will be exterminated!

Unfortunately, the two factories and one guard were as fierce as wolves and tigers, and their strength was even greater than before, so the civil servants were collectively helpless.

Now, retired officials are being searched and confiscated on a large scale in the capital, and all civil and military officials are in danger.

What will happen if this continues?
Liu Jian paced back and forth in the study, thinking about countermeasures.

Then he sat down at his desk and wrote a letter.
Before he finished writing the letter, Liu Jian suddenly sighed again and burned the letter under the candlelight.

Liu Jian looked out the window at the night view of Beijing that was as bright as day.

Sighing. …

Junzhou.

Under the cover of night, a group of hundreds of people rushed to the city of Junzhou.

Junzhou City is an ancient city with walls made entirely of blue bricks and a solid structure.

The soldiers guarding the city were patrolling at the sentry posts on the city walls. When they saw this group of hundreds of people, they immediately became nervous.

"Who are you? Stop immediately!"

"Junzhou is under curfew, no one is allowed to enter!"

The group of people remained unmoved and instead increased their speed, rushing quickly towards the city gate.

The general defending the city was shocked and angry. When he was about to order his men to shoot arrows to deter the pedestrians, they had already approached the city.

With the help of the firelight from the watchtower on the city wall, the general guarding the city finally saw the leader and his clothes.

The man wore a pointed hat, white leather boots, a straight uniform, had disheveled hair, and a half mask on his face. He looked like a devil!
Behind him were hundreds of people dressed in the same attire!

The general defending the city's pupils dilated and his eyes trembled in fear.

He was horrified and used all his strength to roar in fear at the soldiers below the city.

"Open the city gate quickly!!!"

"The West Factory is here!!!"

When the soldiers inside the city gate heard the name of the Western Factory, they were so frightened that they trembled all over and opened the gate of Junzhou City as quickly as possible.

Without stopping his horse, Ma Jinzhong led hundreds of foreign troops into Junzhou city and headed straight for the Ma family of Junzhou.

The Ma family in Junzhou covers an area of ​​dozens of acres, with countless carved beams and painted buildings, waterside pavilions, singing stages, and pavilions.

The entire Ma family mansion is beautifully built and charming.

There was an urgent knock on the door and the Ma family servant came to open the door impatiently.

"Who is it? What are you doing here so late at night? Why are you waking me up..."

As soon as the Ma family servant opened the door a crack, the Western Factory guards broke it open.

Two sharp knives were pressed against his chest, forcing him to retreat again and again.

The Ma family servant had never seen such a scene before. When he saw the large group of ferocious-looking Western Factory guards wearing uniform uniforms and holding sharp knives outside the door, he was frightened out of his wits.

Ma Jinzhong walked into the gate, his face as gloomy as ice, and uttered one hoarse and mocking word after another from under the mask.

"copy!"

"Yes, big boss!"

The Western Factory thugs poured into the Ma family like a tide, and the next moment, long-lasting cries of fear were heard from the Ma family.

The entire Ma family is in turmoil!
The Ma family's experience alarmed the city of Junzhou. The prefect of Junzhou was suddenly awakened from his dream by his own servant.

"Master! It's bad! A large group of people broke into the Ma family and are looting them!"

"what?!"

The prefect of Junzhou hurriedly got up from the bed, shocked and angry.

"Which group of bandits is so bold as to set their sights on the family of Minister Ma?"

"What do the soldiers guarding the city eat? Are they allowed to enter the city now?"

Ma Wensheng is now the Minister of War. If he knew that his hometown in Junzhou was looted, his position as the prefect of Junzhou would be over.

"I don't know either. They all wear pointed hats, white leather boots, and straight-legged clothes..."

"what?!"

The prefect of Junzhou, who was originally getting dressed, stopped what he was doing, turned around and slapped his servant.

"You almost killed me!"

"You dare to intervene in the investigation of the West Factory?!"

"Get back here!"

After the prefect of Junzhou finished cursing, he climbed onto the bed trembling and covered his head with the quilt.

(End of this chapter)