The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 746 If necessary
Nanjing Forbidden City.

It was July, the sun was blazing in the sky over the capital, and the imperial palace was surrounded by trees with shadows covering the ground. Inside the palace walls, the sound of cicadas filled the air, but several halls were silent.

After Princess Liu Yufei was exiled to Yunyang, more concubines were implicated.

They were not as lucky as the eldest princess, as Emperor Guangde's harem was quite strict. Within the harem, anyone implicated in the Liaodong rebellion, from the two Empress Dowagers down, was executed, regardless of the severity of the crime.

The tragedy of Emperor Jiajing of the former Ming Dynasty being assassinated by a palace maid is a recent lesson. For a monarch who is implementing strict reforms, the truly fatal threat is often not outside or in the four corners of the country, but around him and in the harem.

While the various corps were constantly reducing their troops and the workshops, schools, and garrisons were undergoing earth-shaking changes, the imperial palace, the core of the dynasty's power, was also undergoing a reshuffle. A group of palace maids, concubines, and eunuchs who were loyal to the retired emperor or dissatisfied with the new policies were all cleared out, and all twenty bureaus were replaced by Li Juying's followers.

Of course, the reshuffle is not simple and crude. At least, the charges against those who are cleared out are based on evidence.

From May to July, no less than a hundred people, including palace maids, concubines (during the reign of the retired emperor), and eunuchs, were implicated and executed. Even two young eunuchs around the Empress Dowager Cisi were impeached by the chief steward Li Juying for "inciting rumors, causing trouble, and encouraging rebellion". In the end, the young eunuchs were sentenced to be beheaded.

In this way, Emperor Guangde, while reforming the political and economic structure of local prefectures, also firmly grasped the palace power and imperial power of the Great Qi.

As the saying goes, both hands must be grasped and both hands must be strong.

In the main hall of Fengtian Palace, Liu Kan put down the chilled watermelon, ignored the juice overflowing from the corner of his mouth, took the roasted lamb leg handed to him by the palace maid, dipped it in the sauce, and took big bites.

Along with the sound of chewing, veins on Emperor Guangde's face bulged, and his expression became more ferocious. His originally broad face became even wider.

He gnawed off half a leg of lamb in one breath, ate five or six pieces of watermelon, and devoured most of the fruits and mutton piled on the table like a whirlwind, with blood-red juice splattered everywhere.

Finally, he took the handkerchief handed to him by the palace maid and wiped it hard on his face. The blood-red sauce and melon juice immediately dyed the white handkerchief red.

Liu Kan glanced at the handkerchief and threw it away. He slowly raised his head and finally noticed the two ministers kneeling below the hall.

"Everyone, stand up and speak! Tell me where my sister, the eldest princess, and the former Prime Minister Lu Xiangsheng are now. Have they arrived safely in Yunyang?"

Emperor Guangde placed his two big hands on the table, his eyes looking forward, like a master returning from hunting, asking his servants about their harvest today.

"My sister is a person with a miserable life, alas."

When she mentioned her sister, her eyes suddenly tightened and she tried hard to squeeze out two tears. She tried twice but found that she couldn't do it at all.

"Your Majesty, allow me to report..."

The two men stood up almost at the same time and bowed to Liu Kan to report. Because neither of them gave in, they ended up bumping into each other.

"whee."

A young palace maid suddenly saw a civil official and a military general colliding with each other. She found it both strange and funny, and she smiled secretly with joy.

"If you like to laugh, I'll send you to the Jiaofangsi, where you can laugh as much as you want!"

Emperor Guangde waved his hand lightly, and Li Juying ordered two eunuchs to come forward and drag the palace maid out without any explanation.

When the maid's wailing gradually faded away, Chief Steward Li angrily shouted, "The emperor and his ministers are discussing important military affairs. You have no right to butt in. All of you, please withdraw. If you dare to act rashly again, you will accompany her to the Music Bureau to have fun!"

The palace maids' faces suddenly changed. They stood there trembling in fear, their bodies trembling. They hurriedly retreated without even having time to clean up the mess of melon peels and dishes on the table.

Emperor Guangde said with a pleasant expression, "Jiang Liuer, speak first!"

Jiang Liuer took a step forward, getting closer to Emperor Guangde. Ignoring Kang Guangxu's angry gaze behind him, he said loudly to Emperor Guangde:

"Your Majesty, it's all my fault for being incompetent! I tried my best this time, but I couldn't kill the rebel. The princess had someone escorting her all the way. That person was very skilled and knew how to deceive people. A group of soldiers were willing to die for him! The thieves sent to intercept and kill him were either killed by him or recruited by him and became his personal soldiers..."

"Oh, who can be so brave? He can even recruit bandits to be his personal soldiers. He is indeed extraordinary." Emperor Guangde looked up at Jiang Liuer in surprise.

"I thought you, Jiang Liu'er, were invincible, but I didn't expect there was someone even more powerful than you!"

"Who is that person?"

Jiang Liuer blurted out, "Your Majesty, that man is Lin Zhenyu, the battalion commander sent by the court to Yunyang. He is just like his father, the Marquis of Zhennan, and is incredibly brave..."

Jiang Liu'er was about to report in detail about his experience in killing and subduing the bandits when Emperor Guangde said calmly, "Alright, I understand."

There was no change on Liu Kan's face, no sign of joy or anger.

"So, my sister is still alive?"

Jiang Liuer whispered, "I'm afraid he's not only alive, but also living very well in Yunyang."

Liu Kan waved his hand to let Jiang Liuer step back first and called Kang Guangxu forward.

"Kang Guangxu, your father was a close minister to the emperor. In the past, many things in Da Qi were accomplished by Kang Yingqian with the emperor's help."

Emperor Guangde looked at Kang Guangxu with a peaceful expression.

Kang Guangxu kowtowed to express his gratitude, and when he looked up again, his eyes were blurred by snot and tears.

"The Princess arrived safely in Yunyang, which was somewhat beyond my expectations."

Before Emperor Guangde could finish, Kang Guangxu quickly reminded him:

"Your Majesty! Jiang Liu'er is clearly..."

"Your Majesty, please understand. Jiang Liu'er is clearly in league with the Liaodong rebels. I haven't completed the task Your Majesty has assigned me this time. If you want to kill me, I will absolutely obey. But this guy is behind the scenes, deliberately looking for useless thieves and letting them escape. Traitors like him should be executed immediately!"

"Jiang Liu'er is in charge of my Central Army Guards. Many of his men are veterans of the Emperor Emeritus. If Jiang Liu'er dies and his men start to riot, what will I do? Who will be able to protect me in the future?"

Liu Kan became increasingly stern, and Kang Guangxu was frightened and didn't dare to say a word.

"The Great Qi ruled the world with filial piety. Many generals' parents and children have moved to Nanjing. Jiang Liu'er's family is still on Sakhalin Island. How can they live there in such a cold and bitter place? Liu Xingzuo has sent people to pick them up. Jiang Liu'er has made great military achievements over the years. Now that he has become rich, I cannot let his family continue to suffer. I will give them a place to live and money, just like I did to Lin Zhenyu. I will give him another chance. I hope he can seize it and cut off ties with the rebels. Good and evil are only a thought away."

"certainly,"

Emperor Guangde looked up at Kang Guangxu with murderous intent.

"If Jiang Liu'er persists in his wrongdoings and continues to mingle with the rebels, you and Liu Xingzuo can act at your convenience and eliminate him."

(End of this chapter)