Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 339 One Person vs. Tens of Thousands

"The timing was excellent!"

"Using your son to outwit me?"

After his initial outburst of anger, Zhu Houcong read through the memorials one by one, his eyes darting around as he began to ponder a solution.

An emperor who can see through the essence of power at a glance, and an emperor who is ignorant of it, are destined to have completely different ruling careers.

Zhu Houcong understood a principle when he was young—

The imperial power of the Ming Dynasty was unshakeable.

Yang Tinghe, a veteran official who served three reigns and was the Grand Secretary, could not defeat him.

Zuo Shunmen cried out in remonstrance. So many important officials, so many Grand Secretaries and censors—any other emperor would have been forced to back down long ago, but he showed no leniency and ruthlessly killed them.

Because the court officials outside Zuoshun Gate, though seemingly high-ranking and powerful, could not represent the entire court; at best, it was merely a faction forming to oppose the emperor.

Forming cliques is not a problem.

No matter how large a party is formed, there will inevitably be opposing factions. As long as the opposing faction is supported and a counterbalance is formed, the ministers will soon fall into infighting. The emperor can then mediate and maintain his high position, leaving the ministers with no chance to oppose him.

Even Zhu Houcong didn't use this method; he directly dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to suppress the rebellion with floggings.

Even though resolving problems through violence is by no means the best approach, that's just the spirit of Chairman Mao—when it's time to take action, there will be no hesitation.

Truth prevails under the baton of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; heaven and earth are vast, but imperial power is supreme!
But this time it's different.

Because the crown prince and the other princes also represent a part of the imperial power.

Unfortunately, the position of Crown Prince had been vacant for many years. After finally being appointed as Crown Prince, he fell seriously ill and could not be cured after just over three months.

Three more princes are now involved in a major conspiracy to murder their brothers.

Using this incident as a pretext to launch an attack is undoubtedly the best opportunity.

The court was united like never before.

No longer forming factions...

Or rather, it is no longer a party belonging to one family or clan!
Rather, it is the ethical principles, justice, and fairness of the world!
In this situation, it would be inappropriate to use the court flogging method used during the Zuo Shunmen period of weeping and remonstrating!
He could not possibly order all the officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers in the capital to be flogged, as that would absolutely shake the foundation of his rule, and such a "chaotic order" might not even be carried out!
If it really comes to that, then things will be completely ruined!
"so……"

"Is this forcing me to admit my mistake?"

Zhu Houcong slowly closed his eyes.

In fact, even without the caning, he quickly came up with a way to break the attack—

He resumed his duties at court and reassured his ministers.

He admitted that he had been too harsh on the Crown Prince and had been misled by the secret guards, and therefore disbanded them completely.

In another year or two, transfer Haiyue, Yan Song, Xia Yan and their cronies away from the central government and promote a new batch of key officials.

Yes, given Zhu Houcong's past methods, he could have completely reshuffled the court in just one or two years, eliminating every single minister who dared to gather a crowd to remonstrate with him!

But when Zhu Houcong thought of this solution, he felt not relief and peace, but rather a deep sense of unease.

One of the most practical problems is that he can replace the court officials, but what if the replaced officials still support this set of ethical principles and are determined to oppose him?

There is only one answer: the officials who are promoted again must be those who have no bottom line and only know how to flatter the emperor!
However, promoting such a group of people to higher positions will inevitably increase resistance and make the process of changing personnel much longer. It may take more than one or two years, but two or three years, or even three or four years, to complete, since screening and selection are still required.

Moreover, from then on, he had to say goodbye to the life of enjoying comfort in the harem and had to return to the court to care about every major event of the Six Ministries and intervene in every appointment in order to control the court and ensure that he was not sidelined.

Because having no bottom line inevitably means greed, and if greedy desires are not controlled, they will even dare to covet imperial power.

Compared to the historical Jiajing Emperor, who had been accustomed to Yan Song's service for many years, Zhu Houcong of today was certainly not going to trust a group of newly promoted treacherous officials.

But as the saying goes, it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Over the years, he had become accustomed to laziness and no longer wanted to manage state affairs meticulously.

"You bastard! You worthless scoundrel!!"

Zhu Houcong suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the direction of the alchemy room, forcing out a hoarse voice through clenched teeth: "Go! Bring me the elixirs!"

The young eunuch standing by reminded him, "Your Majesty, the dosage of the elixir was taken this morning, and the master gave instructions..."

"Snapped!"

A slap landed with a sharp whistling sound.

The young eunuch was slapped so hard he staggered backward and crashed into the incense table. The incense ash from the bronze incense burner spilled out, burning several red spots on his face.

Ignoring the pain, he immediately rolled over and knelt down, banging his forehead against the incense ash with a dull thud: "This servant deserves to die! This servant will go get it right away!"

Zhu Houcong's hands trembled beneath his robes; his emotions had been so turbulent that he had even experienced bouts of dizziness.

When the jade box containing the scarlet pills was presented to him, he grabbed the pills and stuffed them into his mouth. A metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat, which strangely suppressed the burning pain churning in his internal organs.

"Heh...hehehe..."

Zhu Houcong slowly lay down on the brocade cushion, gazing at the Twenty-Eight Mansions painted on the ceiling.

As the medicine gradually took effect, the stars seemed to begin to rotate, converging into a dazzling galaxy.

He reached out his trembling hand to touch it, but grasped only air.

He's been dealing with politics and balancing factions all day long, and even though a single word can decide the fate of countless people, he's long been used to it and is now just exhausted!

How wonderful!
How wonderful this is!

Zhu Houcong was still savoring the afterglow of the elixir when, in a corner, a young eunuch secretly raised his eyes.

By the flickering light of the alchemy furnace, he saw that the emperor's lips seemed to be oozing fine blood, leaving a shocking red mark on his pale chin.

The young eunuch quickly shrank back, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

Given Jiajing's escalating torment of those around him, no one dared to offer any real warnings. Many servants even secretly hoped that something would happen.

It must be said that Jiajing's original life trajectory, at least in the area of ​​Taoist cultivation, was gradual and progressive.

First came Shao Yuanjie, who came from Longhu Mountain, and then Tao Zhongwen. Regardless of their character, they were at least on par with each other in terms of their understanding of Taoism.

After Tao Zhongwen passed away, Jiajing himself no longer needed guidance from others. Therefore, later figures like Lan Daoxing gained favor through their own abilities.

However, Tao Dianzhen did not receive favor in this world. Zhu Houcong's cultivation process was not gradual, but rather more inclined to pure interest. As a result, after he started refining elixirs, he quickly began to test and take the medicine.

No one dares to say what will happen now, and no one dares to ask.

Zhu Houcong, however, recovered and suddenly realized why Haiyue dared to do such a thing.

On the one hand, the other side seized this excellent opportunity to use the prince to oppose the imperial power.

On the other hand, the other party is convinced that they can no longer return to the stage of hard work and dedication they once had.

The emperor is old.

The emperor has become weak.

This is the core reason why the officials dared to submit memorials and engage in legal battles.

"I...I...cough cough cough cough!"

"Lu Bing... Summon Lu Bing..."

"No! He was involved too! He was involved too!!"

Zhu Houcong suddenly stood up, first coughing violently, then gritting his teeth.

The sudden disappearance of the leader of the secret guards, coupled with the collective remonstrances of the court officials, and the analysis and dissemination of the case details in the security report, would be nothing short of self-deception for the Embroidered Uniform Guards to say that they were completely unaware of the situation.

Zhu Houcong preferred to believe that Lu Bing, entangled in past grudges, also participated in the siege of the secret guards, aiming to completely erase the traces of the Liyuan Society and set someone right.

"You're an ungrateful idiot!"

"In this world, there are only two kinds of people you can truly rely on: the foolish and the straightforward. The foolish are guileless, and the straightforward are not cunning!"

"Huang Jin...go and summon Huang Jin!"

But the young eunuch whispered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Eunuch Huang has fallen ill, and it is already..."

Zhu Houcong was taken aback, then realized that he had indeed not seen this loyal servant for some time.

And it seems I never cared about it.

After all, there were so many people who wanted to curry favor with him, and an old slave who wasn't particularly capable was really overlooked.

Why is this happening?

He was a little bewildered.

After a long, long time, Zhu Houcong slowly got up.

"Change."

"I wish to rule the court!"

……

"The emperor has finally held court!"

Beneath the imperial steps, the assembled officials were greatly encouraged.

Their petition received a response, and the emperor, who had neglected his duties for years, emerged from the inner palace.

At the same time, the courtiers also harbored a hidden desire to end the period of one-man rule.

In the past, although ministers submitted memorials, they were hesitant, focusing only on the matter and not the person, and criticizing the ministers but not the emperor.

What shocked the court officials most about the current "Memorial on Governance" was that it went straight to the core issue and denounced the rule of one person alone!
But when the whip cracked three times, startling the crows roosting under the eaves, and Zhu Houcong stepped onto the jade steps on the scarlet felt carpet, the golden dragon embroidered on his dragon robe gleaming coldly in the morning light, many of the ministers who had previously spoken so confidently suddenly held their breath.

The moment they sat down, the temperature inside the Fengtian Hall seemed to drop instantly.

The gilded throne with its cloud and dragon design had been empty for many years, but now someone was sitting on it again.

A person who is both familiar and unfamiliar.

In fact, Zhu Houcong had aged considerably since his southern tour, but his imposing presence still made Yan Song, who was sitting in the front row, unconsciously shrink back.

"Your Majesty, we kowtow to you—Long live the Emperor!"

The shouts echoed between the beams of the palace, but could not conceal the slight tremor in the lingering sound.

No one knows what the consequences of this mass petition will be, or whether it will turn into another tearful remonstrance at Zuoshun Gate.

At this moment, apart from Haiyue and Hairui, whose eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

Xia Yan showed fear.

Yan Song hesitated for a moment.

Many officials remained silent in fear.

This group of court officials were all loyal and upright, far better than the Ming Dynasty court at the same time!
But this is the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty!

Under the suppression of imperial power, no one dared to confront it head-on!
Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Houcong's previous anxiety and panic gradually dissipated.

I alone am the ruler of all the millions of my subjects!
Simply ignoring the "Memorial on Governance" and strictly disciplining the officials would be enough to eliminate all these traitors and rebuild an impregnable empire.

But as the Jiajing Emperor coldly surveyed his ministers, a eunuch scrambled in, prostrating himself on the ground and wailing:
"Your Majesty... His Highness the Crown Prince! His Highness the Crown Prince has passed away!"

(End of this chapter)