Huangming

Chapter 6: A Blend of Kindness and Sin, a Sword Hanging Over One's Neck

When exactly did the Ming Dynasty fall?
Some believe that the Ming Dynasty fell at Tumu Fortress.

Some believe that the Ming Dynasty fell during the reign of Emperor Jiajing.

Some people believe that the Ming Dynasty fell during the reign of Emperor Wanli.

Others believe that the Ming Dynasty fell due to factionalism.

Some even go so far as to claim that the Ming Dynasty actually ended with Zhu Yuanzhang.

For Zhu Youxiao, the fall of the Ming Dynasty was certainly not caused by a single factor.

This is his first time attending court today, and yet such a thing has happened.

In any case, the demise of the Ming Dynasty was absolutely inseparable from factionalism!
At this moment, Wenhua Hall was in complete chaos. Wei Chao, dressed in eunuch's robes, nudged Wang An, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. The latter coughed but remained silent.

Zhu Youxiao saw this and sneered inwardly.

From the Qianqing Palace to the Wenhua Hall, Wang An still hadn't grasped the situation and wanted to side with the Donglin Party.

On his first day of attending court, he wanted to make the successor emperor aware of the difficulties of the court, and that he could only govern the Ming Dynasty by relying on the Donglin Party members who were "full of upright officials".

snort!
boom!
Zhu Youxiao slammed his young hand hard on the imperial desk. After a dull thud, the Wenhua Hall fell into complete silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the ministers looked at the young heir apparent who had slammed his fist on the table and stood up in the main seat of the hall, their faces showing astonishment.

Zhu Youxiao turned to Wang An and asked, "Wang An, what is the punishment for making a disturbance in front of the palace according to the Great Ming Code?"

Wang An was stunned for a moment, then stammered.

"Your Highness, there is no explicit criminal provision in the Great Ming Code for making noise in front of the palace."

Old man, do you really think I'm that cowardly boy who only knew carpentry and hid in the deep palace?

Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes and turned to Huang Kezuan, the Minister of Justice.

"Is it true that Minister Huang is in charge of criminal matters, as Wang An stated?"

When asked this question by the heir apparent, Huang Kezuan looked up abruptly, somewhat shocked, but inwardly pleased.

He had long been disgusted by the Donglin Party's rampant abuses of power in the court.

Now that His Majesty has passed away, and the successor has just begun his first day of court, this breach of etiquette has occurred. He immediately stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:
"Your Highness, according to the Great Ming Code, making noise in front of the palace is a crime of disrespecting the palace."

What are the punishments for disrespectful behavior in front of the palace?

Under the intense gaze of the successor, Huang Kezuan, the Minister of Justice, lowered his head even further and said, "Your Highness, the usual punishment is a salary deduction or caning in court; in serious cases, demotion or dismissal is necessary."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell even quieter; even the sound of breathing seemed to disappear.

Those who had been making a ruckus earlier all lowered their heads, pretending to be timid.

The saying goes, "A new broom sweeps clean."

It's best to avoid getting burned by these three fires.

However, Zhu Youxiao, who had made prior preparations, was not going to tolerate them. He pointed at them while talking non-stop.

"Zhou Shunchang, Principal of the Henan Provincial Department of Revenue; Li Yingsheng, Supervising Censor of the Censorate; Zuo Guangdou, Supervising Censor of the Censorate; Wei Dazhong, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice; Zhou Zongjian, Principal of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works; Shao Fuzhong, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Justice; Liu Tingyuan, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud; and Gu Tianjun, Assistant Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Justice."

The so-called Khan's grand mobilization of troops.

Fang Congzhe noticed that the direction Zhu Youxiao was pointing in was the same as the name he had mentioned.

This shocked him even more.

On the first day of court, the new emperor seemed to know every single one of his officials so well.

Even the late Emperor Zhu Changluo did not achieve this.

This crown prince is no ordinary person!

Zhu Guozuo and Liu Yijuan exchanged a glance, and both chose to lower their heads and remain silent.

Among the people chosen by the successor, the Donglin Party members and Zhejiang Party officials were evenly split.

It was clearly not something that was read out randomly.

Han Kuang was terrified.

What happened today far exceeded his expectations.

For a moment, I was stunned.

Fortunately, Han Kuang had been an official for many years and had been immersed in the officialdom for decades, which allowed him to quickly regain his composure. He turned to look at Zuo Guangdou in the back row and gave him a meaningful look.

Zuo Guangdou immediately understood the meaning behind that look. He stepped forward, knelt down, and cried out in a very aggrieved tone, "Your Highness, I did not behave improperly just now. I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. It would be a waste of his talent not to participate in The Voice of the Ming Dynasty. However, Zhu Youxiao would not indulge him.

Zhu Youxiao chuckled and said to Zuo Guangdou, "Did the censor really not say anything?"

Zuo Guangdou kowtowed repeatedly, crying out, "I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

Zhu Youxiao closed his eyes and pondered, while Han Kuang, Yang Lian and others were overjoyed to see this.

Today, the new emperor is holding court. A new official should make a big show of his authority. If he fails to establish his authority in this first step, how can he have any dignity?
In the end, we must listen to them!

but.
Zhu Youxiao clearly disappointed them.

Zhu Youxiao slowly said, "I just heard the censor rebuke the Grand Secretary: 'He holds the position of prime minister but is a mere figurehead; he is ambiguous in times of great crisis; he corrupts the court; he appoints petty people; he sucks sores and licks sores; he flatters powerful eunuchs; and his voice was quite loud.' Is that true?"

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Zuo Guangdou felt a chill run through his body.

His Highness heard every single word he said clearly? And was able to repeat it word for word?

Gollum~
Zuo Guangdou swallowed hard, about to speak, but found his throat extremely dry and unable to utter a single word.

Upon seeing this, Han Kuang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Censor-in-Chief was shocked and disoriented upon learning of the late Emperor's passing today. He spoke wildly in the palace today. I beg Your Highness to forgive his disrespect!"

After saying that, she looked at Wang An, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, with pleading eyes, hoping he would smooth things over.

Wang An smiled obsequiously at Zhu Youxiao and said, "Your Highness, the Censor waited for Your Majesty outside the Qianqing Palace for several hours today. He may not have made any great contribution, but he certainly deserves credit for his hard work."

They don't say what they should say, and they say what they shouldn't say.

Zhu Youxiao had no idea what kind of spell the Donglin Party members had cast on Wang An.

How could this eunuch, who climbed up to the position of Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial in the deep palace, be so foolish!
Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Huang Kezuan, the Minister of Justice, and asked, "Minister Huang, according to the Great Ming Code, what is the punishment for the crime of deceiving the emperor?"

Huang Kezuan immediately said, "Your Highness, the lightest punishment is exile, and the heaviest is death and confiscation of property."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Guangdou immediately lost his composure and panicked.

"Your Highness, I am confused and incompetent, and I do not know what I am saying. Please forgive me!"

Are you afraid now?

late!

But he wouldn't actually be exiled or executed.

Zhu Youxiao wanted to make an example of someone!
Instead of completely breaking off relations.

He hasn't even ascended the throne yet!
Zhu Youxiao immediately said, "I will spare your life for your loyalty and dedication to the country. However, you may escape death, but you cannot escape punishment. Take him out, give him thirty strokes of the cane, and dismiss him from his post so he can go home!"

Demotion?

The officials in the hall stood solemnly in awe.

Immediately, the guards outside the Wenhua Hall dragged Zuo Guangdou out and punished him with thirty strokes of the cane.

At first, Zuo Guangdou could endure it, but as he endured it, he couldn't help but scream in agony. The scream was so chilling that it made the officials in the Wenhua Hall dare not act rashly.

Zhu Youxiao then looked at the others.

"Li Yingsheng, Censor of the Censorate, you insulted the Grand Secretary as a dog protecting its master, showing a lack of understanding of righteousness, is that right?"

“Zhou Zongjian, the chief of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, you mocked Fang Congzhe’s cronies as swarming like flies to filth, living in the stench, and making a lot of noise. Is that right?”

"Shao Fuzhong, Director of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, 'Donglin, Donglin, a forest of calamities to the country; full of benevolence and righteousness, but with a belly full of gold and silver.' Was that you who sang that?"

The successor's memory and ability to judge people are simply phenomenal.

Those whose names were called by Zhu Youxiao all knelt on the ground and confessed their crimes.

Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao covered his face and sobbed, saying painfully, "The late emperor has passed away, and you gentlemen do not think of serving the country, but instead engage in factional strife. Is this not tragic? Are you truly subjects of the Ming Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials knelt down and shouted:
"I am guilty!"

Zhu Youxiao covered his face and wept, saying, "I am too young to understand anything. The Red Pill proposal will be jointly tried by the three judicial departments. The matters concerning the imperial title, the mausoleum, and the relocation of the palace will be led by the Grand Secretariat and handled by the heads of the six ministries. I am exhausted, so please disperse!"

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao got up and left.

Until Zhu Youxiao left the Wenhua Hall, not a single official among the assembled officials dared to stand up.

They seemed to sense how the officials of the Sejong era felt.

The successor is young, but his methods are shrewd and experienced, unlike the new ruler.

A combination of kindness and severity is like a sword hanging over one's neck!

From this day forward, who will dare to look down on the heir apparent?
(End of this chapter)