Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 25 Patience means having a positive outlook and being able to endure.
Even for these impoverished scholars.

If they could risk their lives to tear a piece of flesh from those high-ranking officials, some of them would do it without hesitation.

Do you know why this is?
Because this is the capital city.

Do you know what the capital city means?

bustling!

Damn it, those high-ranking officials and nobles can spend thousands of taels of silver in one night at the brothel or entertainment venue to win a smile from the most beautiful courtesan.

I spent decades studying the classics and went through tremendous effort to get into the country's top university.

In the end, they didn't even earn as much as they did in one night?!

Who could stand that?
answer me!
Since that's the case, then I'll drag you bunch of bastards down with me even if I die!

The dispute between lower-ranking officials and the civil service is becoming increasingly intense.

You accuse me of corruption, I accuse you of embezzlement.

Initially, the focus was on national affairs, but later it devolved into pure personal attacks.

Zhu Youjian sat on the dragon throne, expressionless as he looked at the indignant crowd in the court.

Below him, Wei Zhongxian, Cao Huachun, Wang Chengen, Xiao Hongzi, and a group of imperial guards kept a close eye on everything happening in the court.

They were on guard to prevent any unexpected events from alarming the emperor.

Zhang Weixian, who was a little below, was dumbfounded.

When did His Majesty recruit such a group of low-ranking officials with such formidable fighting power? How come I didn't know anything about it?
You can't blame Zhang Weixian for being naive and out of touch with reality.

Even the issue of retroactively paying his salary wouldn't be addressed to a duke like him.

Moreover, His Majesty allowed him to indulge in debauchery every day, and he truly obeyed the decree obediently.

Therefore, he doesn't really have a thorough understanding of many things that have happened outside these days.

At this moment, Zhang Weixian was both shocked and overjoyed.

He was originally worried about how the emperor would manage the Beijing garrison.

It seems like all I can do now is stay home and wait patiently.

Jingying?

Just one on the side of the road.

At the same time, Zhang Weixian was extremely grateful that he had submitted a memorial on his first day in court, expressing his heartfelt suggestions for reforming the Beijing Garrison.

Otherwise, he would have been killed without realizing anything was wrong.

It was also at this time.

The dispute between the lower-level officials and the civil service has reached a fever pitch.

Suddenly, one of the lower-ranking officials shouted, "Damn them! The Ming Dynasty is in such dire straits because of these traitorous scoundrels!"

"Kill them! Give back our Great Ming Dynasty a bright and clear world!!"

Upon hearing this, these lower-level officials instantly exploded like a powder keg that had been ignited.

Those few impoverished scholars, sleeves rolled up, faces contorted with rage, pushed their way through the crowd, and shouted:

"Kill them! Beat them to death!"

"The nation has nurtured scholars for 150 years; today is the day to uphold integrity and die for righteousness!!"

It was clear that the situation was about to spiral out of control.

Cao Huachun hurriedly and anxiously turned his head to look at His Majesty on the dragon throne.

Zhu Youjian nodded calmly.

Seeing this, Cao Huachun hurriedly gathered his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Stop, everyone!"

"Are you people planning a rebellion?!"

Hear this.

The two sides, who had been on the verge of conflict, immediately ceased hostilities.

The main reason is that the new emperor's tyranny in killing hundreds of officials in a single day has already planted a seed in people's hearts.

If it were a weaker emperor, neither side would have stopped fighting just because of a eunuch's words.

The atmosphere has been perfectly built up, how can we just stop now?

Besides, there are precedents of court officials getting into brawls during court sessions.

If even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be beaten to death in court, what chance did other officials have? Seeing the officials fall silent, Zhu Youjian slowly rose from the dragon throne, and the officials hurriedly knelt down at the emperor's ascent.

The imperial court fell silent once again.

Zhu Youjian slowly walked up to Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites.

Lai Zongdao, who was kneeling on the ground, was so nervous that his heart was in his throat because of the emperor's approach.

Don't call me! Please don't call me!
"Lai Zongdao, as the Minister of Rites in charge of the rites, what should you do about the commotion in the court today?"

As Zhu Youjian spoke, Lai Zongdao felt a bitter taste in his mouth, as if bile was gushing out of his stomach, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

It's not that he acted that way; it's just that His Majesty's question was too difficult to answer.

The civil service group that held sway over the government, the lower-level officials who were beginning to gain power, and the eunuch faction to which he himself had some allegiance.

Which one can he afford to offend?

Not to mention the imperial power above them.

Even the slightest wrong answer could mean certain death.

Fortunately, Lai Zongdao was a genuine Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and had been immersed in officialdom for decades. After a quick thought, he actually came up with an answer that would minimize the offense to anyone.

"I believe that the uproar in the court today is all due to impeachment."

"Therefore, Your Majesty should investigate the evidence against Eunuch Wei. As for Chen Xinjia, the instigator of the riot, and the censor who died for his remonstrance..."

"According to the rites, I believe that these two should each be punished with twenty strokes of the cane in court, and as for the other subordinate officials, they should be fined three months' salary."

As Lai Zongdao answered, the censor who had just remonstrated to the death suddenly stood up abruptly: "Your Majesty, I have failed to remonstrate to the death! I have no face to face Your Majesty! I have no face to face the Ming Dynasty and its people."

As he spoke, he suddenly rammed into a large pillar in the hall not far away.

A glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of the civil service members.

As long as this person kills himself in the main hall today, then they won't have lost this round!

Zhu Youjian remained expressionless. Just as the man opened his mouth, he raised his hand and gently pointed forward.

Xiao Hongzi, who was behind him, immediately moved with lightning speed and pressed the censor down in three steps.

After being pinned down by the muscular Xiao Hongzi, the man tried to shout something, but Xiao Hongzi decisively tore off a piece of cloth and gagged him.

Zhu Youjian then spoke again, saying, "This man and Chen Xinjia, the prefect of Dingzhou, shall each be flogged twenty times, and the other subordinate officials shall be fined three months' salary."

"Although there was no actual evidence of wrongdoing by Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he was still fined half a year's salary and confined to the palace for three months."

After speaking, Zhu Youjian returned to the dragon throne.

Then several strong eunuchs immediately dragged Chen Xinjia and the remonstrating censor over, stripped them of their clothes, and carried out a court beating in court.

Chen Xinjia was somewhat uneasy as he was being dragged over, because he didn't know if he had gone too far with his actions today.

However, when the first stroke of the cane actually landed on his buttocks, his heart immediately settled down—he had made the right bet today!

The reason for this is that the blow to the butt really hurt.

As for why he felt excited despite his sore buttocks, it wasn't because Chen Xinjia had any special fetishes.

There are specific rules governing the use of caning in court.

Like the fellow sufferer next door, after one blow, he was already pale and unable to cry out in pain.

Chen Xinjia's pig-like screams of agony quickly spread throughout the imperial court.

After about ten blows, Chen Xinjia noticed that his fellow sufferer next door had completely stopped moving.

Its shouts also changed from being loud and clear at the beginning to being barely audible.

Ultimately, it deteriorated to the point of being on the verge of death, unable to survive.

The officials' acting skills are nothing to worry about for the leaders; it's a basic skill.

After the end of the dynasty.

The two groups that almost came to blows in the court just now exchanged glances, sparking a few more heated exchanges.

The low-level officials, who were originally a disorganized bunch, began to gradually develop a sense of collective consciousness after this incident.

As for the civil service, they were not discouraged by their defeat in court today.

One failure or one success doesn't matter at all; the one who laughs last is the real winner.

The most important thing for an official is patience.

Patience means being able to think things through and persevere!

PS: It's almost the end of the month, readers with monthly passes can help by casting one to improve this book's ranking on the new book chart, or 2.
(End of this chapter)