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

Chapter 84 The late emperor has passed away. I no longer have the heart to argue about right and wrong!
Civil and military officials bowed their heads on the stone street, not daring to look up.

"I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youtang pointed at all the officials with a stern tone.

"The late emperor has just passed away, and his body is still warm, but the cabinet has dared to order more than 500 officials appointed by the late emperor to retire and replace them with people selected by the cabinet itself."

"Without my permission, do you think you can continue to be an official?"

"Wynn!"

"The old slave is here!"

Huai En, who was waiting beside him, hurriedly took two quick steps.

"Let the East Factory bring out all the officials who were appointed by the cabinet for promotion!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Huai'en received the order, he immediately sent a message to Li Guang, asking him to take people to capture Chuan Shengguan.

After receiving the order, Li Guang immediately led dozens of Dongchang men into the Wumen Square from the right temple gate.

Li Guang had arrested dozens of officials who were rumored to be promoted last night, but at that time he went door to door to arrest them, which was too inefficient.

Now, all the officials are in the Meridian Gate Square, making it extremely easy to arrest them.

"you!"

"伱!"

"And you!"

Li Guang shuttled among the officials, constantly pointing his finger at a certain official.

"Take them all up!"

"Yes!"

Under the leadership of Li Guang, the guards of the East Factory ran around, constantly bringing the officials selected by Li Guang to Zhu Youtang.

The official who was called out suddenly lost all color from his face, turned pale, and trembled with fear.

What's worse, some people just rolled their eyes and fainted on the ground.

But even if you faint, you can't escape death.

There were more and more officials in front of Zhu Youtang, and the situation was getting more and more crowded.

Xu Pu, Wang Shu and others had no choice but to lead the civil and military officials to retreat a few steps again to make room for the East Factory.

Li Guang pulled out more than 500 officials who were promoted in one breath, plus the dozens of officials who were promoted he arrested last night.

The 564 officials who were appointed for promotion by the cabinet without Zhu Youtang's knowledge have all been brought before Zhu Youtang.

After arresting all the officials appointed by the cabinet for promotion, Li Guang led the East Factory men quietly back to the Taimiao through the right temple gate.

It is worth mentioning that among the more than 500 officials who were promoted, nearly 200 of them were officials who pretended to be sick and did not attend the court today.

When these officials were first arrested, they were terrified.

The servant who had been ordered to be beaten with a stick in the court by Zhu Youtang before was extremely frightened.

After receiving the beating in the court, when he found himself still alive, his heart was filled with joy of surviving a calamity.

And now, when they were dragged in front of Zhu Youtang again by the Western Factory's men.

The hearts they had been hanging in the balance finally died.

"Your Majesty, you are wronged! I am only appointed to this position and I have absolutely nothing to do with the cabinet!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy! I am loyal to you. I had no idea that this was an appointment made by the cabinet without authorization!"

"Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"..."

Zhu Youtang would not let go of these officials who were involved in the power struggle between the emperor and the cabinet, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Zhu Youtang would never allow any second voice in the court.

We had just purged all members of the previous cabinet, and this time we are just cleaning up all the legacy left by the previous cabinet!

Zhu Youtang looked at the hundreds of officials below him, and the anger in his heart grew deeper and deeper.

He only knew that the court was dangerous, but he never knew that there were so many enemies in the court who threatened the imperial power.

So many people have already been arrested.

So how many people have not been caught?

Zhu Youtang looked at the court officials behind him with an extremely gloomy expression.

"I will continue to investigate the death of the late emperor!"

"I will not let any of the officials involved in this case go!"

"From now on, all military officers and soldiers in the capital will be suspended from duty and removed from their armor to be examined by the Western Factory."

"You are not allowed to leave the house without my permission."

Some of the military officers present had already been examined by the Western Factory last night.

And some people have not received any news yet.

Only then, when Zhu Youtang gave the order personally, did the generals realize how serious the matter was.

The military officers in the court quickly accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty, we obey your order."

"As for the officials involved in the case, Zhang Ying, his posthumous title will be stripped, his coffin will be opened and his body will be mutilated, and his entire clan will be exterminated!"

"Liu Ji, Liu Wentai, all nine clans will be executed."

"Min Kyu, Wang Ji, Yang Qiao, Shi Qin, Zhong Lan, and the Yi tribe!"

"All other officials above the fifth rank will be executed along with their entire families!"

"For those below the fifth rank, their property will be confiscated and their heads will be beheaded. Their female relatives will be sent to the Jiaofang Bureau, and their male relatives will be exiled 3,000 miles away or sent to serve in the frontier army!"

As soon as Zhu Youtang gave the order, the entire Wumen Square was immediately filled with thunderous cries for mercy.

Such a severe punishment shocked all the civil and military officials in the court.

The most terrifying thing is that this time, Zhu Youtang wanted to kill all nine generations of the three people in one go.

You know, the last time Qiu Yue secretly colluded with the enemy, bribed the little Tatar prince, and arbitrarily opened the pass to let the Tatars enter.

For such an act of treason, he was the only one who was executed along with his entire clan.

And this time, there were three of them!
At the same time, there were as many as five people from the three tribes who were exterminated this time.

You must know that last time, it was only because the Zhou family plotted treason that the three clans of the Zhou brothers were exterminated.

As the primary person responsible for Qiu Yue's treason, the Minister of War Ma Wensheng was also executed along with his entire clan.

This time, five people were exterminated along with their three clans!

Zhu Youtang is really crazy about killing!

This is enough to show Zhu Youtang's hatred for the person who poisoned the previous emperor.

If we don’t kill them harshly, we won’t be able to control these officials!

They even dared to poison the former emperor. If I don't scare them to death, they might dare to attack me!

In the Meridian Gate Square, hundreds of officials knelt and rushed towards the Meridian Gate, crying until they were hoarse.

"Your Majesty, this is unjust! Your Majesty, this is unjust!"

"Your Majesty, I never knew that there was such a secret about the death of the previous emperor. I am being wronged!"

"I am loyal to the Ming Dynasty, to the late emperor, and to Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to look into my heart and clear my name!"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Please, Your Majesty, I beg you to look into my heart! Please, Your Majesty, I beg you to look into my heart!"

"..."

Officials’ cries of injustice are endless.

As to whether there was any injustice, no one knew.

But since this case involves so many officials, it is not surprising even if there are false charges or wrongful convictions.

But now Zhu Youtang no longer cares about who deserves the punishment and who is being wrongly accused.

Zhu Youtang slapped the railing, filled with grief and anger.

"The late emperor passed away in such an unclear manner that I am deeply saddened. I have no intention of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, right and wrong."

Zhu Youtang turned around and slowly walked back to the dragon throne and sat down.

"Send an order, open the gate, and summon the Xianzhen Camp into the palace." "Yes, Your Majesty!"

The young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department took the order and left. Not long after, the Duanmen Gate behind the Wumen Square slowly opened.

Dozens or even hundreds of soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp, wearing black armor and holding long swords, slowly walked from the Duanmen Gate into the Wumen Square.

Seeing this group of evil spirits, the officials in the Wumen Square, whether they were those who had been ordered to be executed or the innocent officials waiting nearby, were almost scared crazy.

After all, the scene of the last massacre of officials by the Xianzhen Camp was still deeply imprinted in their minds.

The last time they watched the execution on the city wall, although it was a grand scene, they were still some distance away.

This time, the soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp were right in front of them and they could touch them with their hands.

Facing the Xianzhen Camp so close at hand, all the civil and military officials seemed to be able to smell the blood on them.

"Trapping... trapping the camp!"

"Your Majesty, why did you let the Xianzhen Camp in? These... these killers... what should we do?"

"No wonder His Majesty decided to hold court in front of the Meridian Gate today. There are high walls on all sides, and we don't even have a place to hide!"

"Oh my God! What is your majesty doing?! What is he doing?!"

"..."

The civil and military officials were devastated when they saw the towering palace walls around them!
The towering palace walls on all sides trapped them in the square, like a turtle in a jar, with nowhere to hide.

It was not until this time that all the civil and military officials in the court finally understood Zhu Youtang's real intention of moving today's court meeting to this place.

At this moment, the soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp who walked into the Wumen Square were slowly approaching them!

Zhu Youtang looked at the Xianzhen Camp and gave the order coldly.

"The trap camp listens to your orders!"

Gao Shun's personal guard general Zou Yi, leading hundreds of soldiers from the Formation Trap behind him, took two quick steps and knelt on the ground to listen to his orders.

"Immediately execute these traitors who have no king or father, who have abandoned their country and their families, in front of the Meridian Gate!"

"Kill them all for me, leaving no one alive!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Xianzhen Camp, obey the imperial decree!"

Hundreds of soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp stood up and drew their swords.

"kill!"

Zou Yi roared, ran forward with a knife in hand, and pointed directly at the guilty ministers kneeling in front of the Meridian Gate.

The soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp behind him followed closely and burst out with a strong murderous intent.

When the criminals in front of the Meridian Gate saw this scene, they were so scared that their souls flew away.

They rushed to the Meridian Gate and begged for mercy at the top of their lungs.

"Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"Your Majesty, I was just following your orders! I will never dare to do it again! From now on, I will only listen to Your Majesty and never listen to the cabinet again!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life, please, Your Majesty!"

"..."

They were scared. They were really scared this time!

They regretted it, they really regretted it this time!

But they did not truly regret having participated in the poisoning of the previous emperor, but they knew that they were really going to die this time!
The Xianzhen Camp passed through the terrified civil and military officials and killed the criminals in front of the Meridian Gate.

As the knife fell, a head with a terrified expression also fell.

There were heads all over the ground and blood was flowing everywhere!

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!"

"No! Please don't kill me!!!"

"I'm innocent! Don't kill me! I'm innocent!!!"

"I was just following orders, I am innocent!!!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life!!!"

"..."

The panicked criminals began to flee everywhere, and some even hid behind innocent court officials.

The soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp, who were chasing relentlessly, were like wolves among a flock of sheep, and they attacked the group of court officials behind the Wumen Square with their knives.

This also frightened the innocent court officials out of their wits.

They didn't bother to continue kneeling on the ground, and quickly stood up and dodged those criminals.

"Don't come over here!!! His Majesty wants to kill you, why are you coming here to harm me?!"

"Don't kill me, I'm innocent, the person you want to kill is over there!"

"Ahhh! Get away from me and don't harm me!"

"..."

There was chaos in the Meridian Gate Square.

The criminals who were ordered to be executed by Zhu Youtang fled in panic like frightened birds.

They specifically hid behind innocent court officials, and some even hid behind Xu Pu, Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang and others.

The court officials who were implicated by the criminals were also extremely terrified and tried their best to avoid those criminals and the soldiers of the Formation Trap.

This time, they had a different feeling from the previous time they watched the execution on the city wall.

The last time they watched the execution, they were far away on the city wall and were spectators.

There was a safe wall between them and the execution ground.

This time, they were at the execution ground and were participants.

The whistling sword, the howling criminals, the spurting blood and the falling heads.

It was all around them, right before their eyes.

The tragic situation irritated their nerves and brought them incomparable fear.

They wanted to run, but they were surrounded by palace walls.

They had no way to escape and could only stick their bodies to the palace wall, begging not to be accidentally injured by the trap camp.

There were countless officials who became incontinent due to fear, collapsed due to fear, or fainted due to fear.

Screams and cries came from all directions.

In the Meridian Gate Square, the three parties were like cats and mice, fleeing and hunting everywhere, and the scene was in chaos.

Zhu Youtang looked at the scene in front of him coldly, and the anger in his heart subsided a little.

If you dare to murder the emperor, you must be prepared to have your property confiscated and your clan exterminated!
Zhu Youtang would kill all the civil and military officials who dared to murder the emperor for the sake of the previous emperor and the next emperor!
The reason why the emperors of the Qing Dynasty reigned for such a long time was because they killed the civil servants until they knelt upon seeing the emperor, killed the civil servants until they called themselves slaves, and killed the civil servants until they shaved their heads and changed their clothes!
Only by killing them and making them feel scared can they completely settle down!
Moreover, the Qing Dynasty would occasionally carry out literary inquisitions and regularly kill a group of civil servants, which directly broke the backbone of the civil servants!
From then on, civil officials could only kowtow and shout "Long live the Qing emperor" in front of him, and they did not dare to raise their heads and curse the sky!

This civil servant can kill the wild boar skin, but I can't?

Zhu Youtang looked at the scene in front of him for a while, which was like purgatory on earth, and then turned to look at Huai En with an expressionless face.

"What about the families of these officials?"

"Your Majesty, the captured family members are still kneeling in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

"There are still some family members who have not been captured. They should still be in their respective homes."

"As for the nine clans of Liu Ji, Zhang Ying, and Liu Wentai, there are also the three clans of Min Gui, Wang Ji, Shi Qin and others."

"They are still in their respective hometowns, and the Eastern Depot has not yet freed up its hands to arrest them."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Take those family members to Caishikou and execute them together."

"After cleaning up the capital, it won't be too late to go to other places and clean up those relatives."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Huai En respectfully accepted the order, he asked, "Your Majesty, do you need to bring the relatives of these criminals to the capital for execution?"

"No need, just kill on the spot."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

　Chapter 5 is now available!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)