The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 68: Punishing the Nine Clans
Eunuch Zhang Cheng is plotting a rebellion!

This is just a joke.

All the civil and military officials in the court could hardly believe the news.

However, Wanli was not joking.

He has already thrown Zhang Cheng and dozens of Dongchang thugs into the imperial prison.

Under Lu Yi's severe torture and deliberate guidance, dozens of Dongchang men confessed.

They didn't know that Zhang Cheng wanted to murder the Emperor, they only knew that Zhang Cheng wanted them to kill someone.

Zhang Cheng took them to Zhengjia Cloth Shop in Banqiao Hutong and asked them to take action without saying a word.

As a result, the person Zhang Cheng wanted to kill was the Emperor who was in disguise to understand the people's sentiments!

The reason why Wanli made such a grand and serious move was that he wanted to follow the example of his ancestor, the Hongwu Emperor, and use the case of treason to punish others!
He wanted to kill people, he wanted to establish his authority, and he wanted to deal with Zhang Siwei and his gang.

But all this has to have a reason.

If he kills people indiscriminately for no apparent reason, it's not rebellion, it's a mental problem.

Rebellion does not mean there is something wrong with your brain. On the contrary, rebellious people think they are always right, absolutely correct, and there is nothing wrong with their brains.

If rebellious people think they have a problem with their brains and can attack recklessly, then that is not rebellion, that is a real problem with their brains.

Therefore, rebellion is not a problem of the brain, there must be a reason for killing.

Zhang Cheng was also unlucky. He actually had a brother who was greedy and lustful. He was thinking about how to find an excuse when Zhang Xin jumped out to cause trouble.

He just took the opportunity to dig a hole, waiting for Zhang Cheng to jump in, and then directly charged Zhang Cheng with the crime of treason!
The next morning at about noon, Wanli received the confession.

This time, Zhang Cheng couldn’t clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

However, this is just the beginning.

Next, he would use this as an excuse to indiscriminately incriminate others and start a massacre.

He was just thinking about who to implicate when Li Xuancheng suddenly rushed in like a thief, his face filled with panic as he said, "Your Majesty, this is bad! The Empress is here and she insists on seeing you."

Look how scared you are.

This stupid woman is just here to be used as a tool, what are you afraid of?
Wanli picked up the confession on the table, stood up and said, "Let's go and meet her."

what?
Should I go too?
Li Xuancheng's face turned pale with horror.

However, since Wanli had already walked out, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yingzhen followed him without hesitation. No matter how scared he was, he had no choice but to follow him.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Li was roaring at the gate of the Qianqing Palace, and the soldiers of the Beijing camp were so scared that they shrank their necks.

Shan Sinan, however, was as if made of iron or stone, without any emotion at all. There was no expression on his face at all, and he stood motionless in the middle of the gate.

As soon as Wanli came out, Empress Dowager Li roared, "Rebellious son, why did you arrest Zhang Cheng?"

I knew that you were sent by someone to rescue Zhang Cheng.

Sorry, the evidence is irrefutable and you can’t take it away.

No one can take it away.

Wanli didn't say a word, but directly stuffed a confession into the hands of Li Xuancheng who was standing beside him.

Aren’t you cheating me?

Li Xuancheng's hands couldn't help but tremble when he took the confession.

However, he still went up and handed in his confession.

Empress Dowager Li snatched the confession away and took a closer look. She was stunned for a moment.

However, she then said unreasonably, "How could Zhang Cheng possibly have murdered you? What can the confession of a Dongchang thug prove? You must have been tortured into confessing."

There aren't enough Dongchang guys, right?
Then come the first one.

Wanli took out another confession and handed it to Li Xuancheng.

Li Xuancheng could only take it mechanically and hand it over carefully.

At this point, Empress Dowager Li didn't know how to step down.

It is obvious that the one in Wanli's hand is the confession proving Zhang Cheng's treason.

With so many people confessing, how could she force Wanli to release Zhang Cheng?

In fact, she is not dumber than a pig.

There's something clearly wrong.

Why would Zhang Cheng take people to kill her, his rebellious son?
She never told Zhang Cheng that she wanted to kill this rebellious son.

What is going on here?
She frowned and pondered for a while, then snorted coldly, turned around with the confession and said, "I'll go ask Zhang Jing what's going on."

Zhang Jing? If he dared to speak for Zhang Cheng, he would be an accomplice!
Anyone who dares to get involved now is a traitor!

Wanli also snorted coldly, took the confession and turned back to the imperial study.

Immediately afterwards, he ordered someone to call Lu Yi over.

After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, he asked, "How is it going? Has Zhang Cheng confessed?"

This is a charge of treason, how could someone confess so easily?

He knew very well in his heart that Zhang Cheng did not intend to murder the Emperor, but that the Emperor deliberately set a trap for Zhang Cheng to fall into, so that it would be even less likely for Zhang Cheng to confess easily.

Creating something out of nothing is a really difficult task.

Lu Yi sighed inwardly, then shook his head helplessly and said, "No, he seems to refuse to confess even if he is beaten to death. He fainted twice this evening, and he kept shouting that he was innocent."

I just wrongly accused him of treason, so what?

Who made him stand on Zhang Siwei's side? Besides, this guy likes to build relationships and can implicate many people.

Wanli frowned and pondered for a while, then said decisively: "The confession is enough to convict him. First, order all his relatives to be arrested and tortured severely."

what?
Hearing this, Lu Yi asked carefully, "Your Majesty, how do we calculate this family relationship?"

Wanli said coldly: "Those who commit treason will be punished along with their entire clan!"

This one.

The Prince of Wuqing is Zhang Cheng’s brother-in-law!

Lu Yi still asked carefully: "Your Majesty, does the Prince of Wuqing Marquis count?"

There are many algorithms for calculating the nine clans, but generally they are based on blood relationships.

Some algorithms can calculate the answer to Zhang Cheng's brother-in-law, Wuqing Hou Shizi, while others cannot.

In fact, the purpose of punishing nine generations of a family is only one, which is to eradicate the relevant forces.

Regardless of whether the Prince of Wuqing is a good person or not, he will take this opportunity to remove his position as the commander-in-chief of the Central Army Commandery.

Wanli thought about it carefully, then nodded slowly and said, "Also arrest the Wuqing Marquis's son and interrogate him thoroughly.

Tell him that it's best to confess honestly. If he doesn't, don't blame me for torturing him."

Still need torture?

Zhang Cheng did not commit treason!
It is even more impossible for the Prince of Wuqing to be plotting a rebellion. What did he confess?
Lu Yi asked carefully again: "Your Majesty, what do you want him to confess?"

Li Wenquan pretended that he was his uncle, and he was also the eldest son of Wuqing Marquis and the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army Commandery. Even if Lu Yi went to interrogate him personally, he would not dare to do anything to this guy.

If Lu Yi didn't dare to use torture, he wouldn't be able to get anything out of the interrogation.

What do I want him to confess?

That is naturally something related to Zhang Siwei and his party.

I’m afraid my uncle Lu Yi cannot interrogate him, so it’s better for me to do it myself.

Wanli thought about it carefully, then said decisively: "You arrest him first, and the prince of Wuqing will be arrested last. We can arrest him after dark and when the imperial city is closed. Detain him overnight, and I will personally interrogate him tomorrow morning."

Fortunately, I don’t have to interrogate him, he is your uncle!
Lu Yi nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand."

Zhang Cheng committed treason and his entire clan was implicated!
The whole capital was in an uproar.

The people in the south of the city were running around telling each other the news and were extremely happy.

Because Zhang Xin is the bully in the south of the city. This guy has done things like robbing women and even stealing people's property more than once. This time, he finally got his retribution.

Most of the other people in the capital were just there to watch the fun, and they gathered around to watch. They didn't care whether Zhang Cheng was really plotting a rebellion or not, they just wanted to watch the show.

People in official circles are a bit baffling.

How could Zhang Cheng, a eunuch in charge of ceremonies, possibly rebel?
Although this guy has made some connections, he is just a eunuch in charge of ceremonies. To put it bluntly, he is just an errand boy and has only a few people under him. How can such a person succeed in rebellion?

They vaguely understood that Zhang Cheng had probably angered the little emperor, and the little emperor was looking for an excuse to kill Zhang Cheng and all his relatives.

Zhang Juzheng's old party didn't think it was a big deal, as Wanli would never be able to defeat them anyway.

Shen Shixing and his party were somewhat frightened. The little emperor was too cruel. What would they do if one day they were suddenly and inexplicably accused of treason?
Zhang Siwei and his gang wanted to rescue Zhang Cheng, but they tricked Empress Dowager Li into giving it a try, and what they got in return were two confessions.

Wanli was telling them through his confession that the evidence was irrefutable and there was no way they could overturn the verdict!

At this point, Zhang Siwei and his party didn’t know what to do.

The little emperor wanted to deal with Zhang Cheng. Could it be that they would fight against the little emperor just for a small eunuch?
That means there is something wrong with your brain!

The little emperor was famous for his reckless behavior. Besides, anyone who even had the slightest touch on rebellion would be punished. Who would dare to get involved?
Zhang Cheng's nine clansmen were arrested, and none of the civil and military officials in the court dared to speak out.

(End of this chapter)