Huangming

Chapter 197 A desperate gamble, with hidden dangers.

The three noble families who chose to remain here each had their own reasons.

Why did Xu Xigao, the Duke of Dingguo, follow the Duke of Cheng in rebelling against the emperor?
In the end, it all comes down to nothing more than self-interest.

Since Emperor Tianqi ascended the throne, the political landscape of the court has changed dramatically.

Although Duke Dingguo Xu Xigao was one of the "Three Dukes of Jingnan", his hereditary honor could not hide his gradual decline.

As a descendant of a noble family personally appointed by Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), Xu Xigao outwardly still enjoyed the highest rank, always sitting at the head of the court officials during grand ceremonies. However, the hand beneath that gilded court tablet had long since lost its grip on real power.

The new emperor was determined to reform, using the secret police and imperial guards as his henchmen and the imperial faction as his confidants, thus completely marginalizing the nobles.

Xu Xigao was nominally in charge of the Five Military Commands and had the authority to command a portion of the Beijing Garrison troops. However, the civil officials of the Ministry of War held the power of deployment, and the supervising eunuchs held the position of oversight. He was merely a figurehead commander and had no right to even look at the military pay books.

Now the emperor wants to abolish the empty salary of the Beijing garrison and even uproot this empty title. If even the title of 'commander of troops' is stripped away, how much say will the Duke of Dingguo's mansion have left in the court?

If it were merely a matter of having a voice, then he could simply swallow his pride and bear the loss.

The crux of the problem lies not in the power of discourse, but in one word: money!

The expenses of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion were like a gluttonous beast: the monthly wages of thousands of servants, the cosmetics and jewelry of the various concubines, the maintenance of the mansion and gardens, and the lavish gifts exchanged during festivals...

These were all sustained by the empty salaries of the Beijing garrison and the annual income from the estates.

The emperor dispatched Hong Chengchou to survey the land in Beizhili, directly targeting the hidden private properties of meritorious officials.

Xu Xigao had secretly annexed thousands of acres of military farmland. If this were discovered, he would not only have to pay back taxes, but he would also lose face.

On one hand, he was facing a desperate situation of no pay and no income, and on the other hand, he was facing exorbitant expenses to maintain the dignity of the aristocracy. How could he sit idly by and wait for his death?

The candlelight flickered in the secret room. Xu Xigao stared at the distorted face of Duke Cheng, Zhu Chunchen, as if he were seeing the old shadow of the Prince of Yan's iron cavalry trampling Nanjing a hundred years ago.

He suddenly realized that the genes flowing in his veins were those of Xu Da's son, Xu Zengshou, who was "supporting the emperor"!

Back then, our ancestors dared to risk their lives for Emperor Chengzu, so why doesn't he dare to take that gamble again today?
The words "purge the emperor's inner circle" rolled in his throat, turning into a desperate roar: "That's right! This land originally belonged to us, the meritorious nobles of the Jingnan Campaign!"

Marquis Huaining Sun Chengmeng and Marquis Wu'an Zheng Weixiao exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with ruthlessness. They said in deep voices, "The two dukes are right. Rather than being fish on a chopping board, we might as well fight!"

Duke Dingguo, Xu Xigao, stared at Zhu Chunchen with eyes like a hungry wolf, his voice low and hoarse: "Duke Chengguo, since you're going to make a scene, how do you plan to proceed?"

Seeing that the three had made up their minds, Zhu Chunchen felt much more at ease. A cold smile appeared on his lips as he slowly said, "I will take a two-pronged approach—first, assassination! Second, causing trouble!"

Upon hearing this, the air in the sealed room suddenly froze.

"Assassination? Assassinate whom?" Xu Xigao's eyes were burning, and his voice carried a hint of urgency.

Zhu Chunchen sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light: "We are 'loyal subjects,' so naturally we would never assassinate His Majesty."

He deliberately emphasized the word "loyal minister," his sarcasm evident in his words.

"But those lackeys who serve His Majesty—Duke of Yingguo Zhang Weixian, Vice Minister of War Yuan Keli, Hong Chengchou who surveyed the land, and the eunuch faction of Wei Zhongxian, Wei Chao, and Wang Tiqian—not one of them can be spared!"

He paused, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "As long as we eliminate these henchmen, His Majesty will be left with no one to rely on. At that time, the court will be in turmoil, and we can then join forces with the old guard of the capital garrison to cause trouble and force him to make concessions!"

In fact, Zhu Chunchen did not want to assassinate the emperor directly, but the palace was heavily guarded, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot deployed in layers of defense. To attempt an assassination rashly would be tantamount to courting death.

Moreover, if the emperor were assassinated, the whole country would be shaken, and these nobles would inevitably become the target of public criticism. At that time, they would not only be unable to protect their interests, but might also face the calamity of extermination.

"Assassinating court officials is risky, but it is advantageous because it is done in secrecy."

Zhu Chunchen analyzed in a low voice: "Zhang Weixian and Hong Chengchou are usually guarded when they go out, but there are always times when they are not. As long as we find the right opportunity, we can kill them in one fell swoop and then frame the bandits or Jurchen spies. The court will have no way to investigate!"

A glint of cunning flashed in Xu Xigao's eyes, and he added sinisterly, "If His Majesty's trusted confidants die one after another, the court and the public will surely be in a state of panic. At that time, we can incite a mutiny in the capital garrison and force him to retract his order!" "Good!"

Sun Chengmeng slammed his fist on the table and stood up, sneering, "If we're going to do it, we'll do it cleanly and efficiently! We absolutely cannot let the court find any fault with us!"

Zhu Chunchen nodded in satisfaction, then lowered his voice and began to make detailed arrangements: "This matter must be carried out in secrecy. Each family must select assassins, and their loyalty must be ensured. The assassination target, the timing, and the escape route must all be meticulously planned, leaving absolutely no trace!"

Xu Xigao's gaze was intense as he said in a deep voice, "Regarding the assassination, we will each arrange our own assassins, but as for causing trouble—how should we cause trouble? How can we shake up the court and the public to force His Majesty to back down?"

Zhu Chunchen sneered, a cold glint in his eyes, and slowly said, "The hardest thing about causing trouble is not that no one dares to cause trouble, but that no one dares to be the first to cause trouble!"

He looked around at the crowd, his voice low and inflammatory: "How many nobles and civil officials in the court are dissatisfied with His Majesty's reorganization of the capital garrison and land survey? They are not just a few of us. They are just afraid of the secret police and dare not be the first to speak out!"

"So what we need to do is to light this fire first!"

"Three days later, we, together with other nobles and civil officials, will submit a joint memorial, requesting Your Majesty to postpone the reorganization of the capital garrison on the grounds that 'the laws of our ancestors cannot be lightly abolished.' This will create the illusion that 'the anger of the masses is difficult to defy!'"

"Moreover, many of our former subordinates are still in the Beijing garrison."

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhu Chunchen's eyes.

"With just a little instigation, causing some soldiers to riot for unpaid wages and mutiny, and spreading rumors that the court intends to disband the Beijing Garrison and cut off their livelihood, the morale of the army will be unstable, and His Majesty will be hesitant to act rashly!"

"in addition."

"The upright civil officials in the court hate the rampant activities of the secret police and the eunuch faction and their monopolization of power the most."

Zhu Chunchen sneered, "We only need to spread the word that after His Majesty reorganizes the Beijing Garrison, the next step will be to purge the civil officials, and they will definitely not sit still! At that time, the Six Ministries' censors and the Censors of the Censorate will surely submit memorials to impeach the secret police and oppose the new policies!"

Zhu Chunchen had made thorough preparations for this day, and continued speaking eloquently:
"Furthermore, the land survey in Beizhili affected not only nobles but also local powerful families."

"We secretly sent people to incite the tenants to riot, then framed the new policies of the court, causing widespread resentment among the people. If Your Majesty does not want to provoke a popular uprising, you will have no choice but to postpone the land survey!"

A glint of light flashed in Xu Xigao's eyes, and he sneered, "Brilliant plan! In this way, the nobles, civil officials, the army, and the common people will all be in chaos. Even if His Majesty has extraordinary abilities, he will find it difficult to withstand the wrath of the masses!"

Zhu Chunchen was not blindly optimistic. Although the plan was good, there were many things to pay attention to when implementing it!
"Things are not yet settled, so don't slack off."

Zhu Chunchen lowered his voice, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, and said, "This matter must be dealt with swiftly and decisively; there can be no delay! The Imperial Guards have many eyes and ears; if His Majesty discovers this, we will surely die a horrible death!"

"Assassinate him within three days, and then launch a riot within three days!"

"Assassination targets—Zhang Weixian, Hong Chengchou, Wei Zhongxian, and others—must be killed in one fell swoop, leaving His Majesty with no one to rely on!"

"Troublemaking—petitions by nobles, mutiny by the capital garrison, impeachments by civil officials, and popular unrest—are all working together to force His Majesty to compromise!"

Sun Chengmeng slammed his fist on the table and stood up, saying fiercely, "Fine! If we're going to do it, let's do it thoroughly! Let His Majesty know that he doesn't have the final say in this world!"

Zheng Weixiao gave a sinister smile: "Heh, let's see if he dares to go his own way when all the civil and military officials and gentry in the country oppose him!"

The flickering candlelight illuminated the four menacing faces.

They knew that if this plan succeeded, the emperor would be forced to concede; if it failed, their entire family would be executed and they would be doomed forever!

However, tempted by profit and power, they had no other choice but to either succeed and continue to enjoy wealth and honor, or be exposed and their entire clan would be wiped out!

Meanwhile, Zhu Chengzong, the heir of the Duke of Cheng, who witnessed the conspiracy unfold, was nearly scared to death.

He was unsure.

opposite?
Is it really possible to succeed?

(End of this chapter)