The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

"Your Majesty, did you see that? Did you see that? The eunuch faction! The eunuch faction! The eunuch faction is about to launch a counterattack!"

Han Kuang was so angry that he blew his beard, glared, and pointed at the other person while his whole body trembled.

The other party, a veteran official, wasn't intimidated and replied with a light snort, "You keep calling me a eunuch faction? You really know how to label people. Does that mean everyone who disagrees with you is a eunuch faction?"

Han Kuang trembled with rage: "You! If you weren't a member of the eunuch faction, why would you be afraid to publish the list?!"

"Hmph, a list? The Emperor has already said that the list will not be released for the time being, but you insist on releasing it! Are you trying to use the treason case as a pretext to attack dissidents and settle personal scores? You feel like you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't destroy them completely?"

"Nonsense! I, Han Kuang, am devoted to public service. You old scoundrel are spouting nonsense..."

"..."

The two sides engaged in a heated exchange, their words clashing and creating a tense atmosphere.

More and more people are getting involved.

The entire courtroom instantly transformed into a courtroom, with multiple people involved, all red-faced and arguing heatedly.

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent on the throne, showing no intention of controlling the situation. He watched helplessly as the entire court gradually turned into a marketplace, and the situation spiraled out of control.

And they showed no sign of stopping; the argument grew more and more heated, even escalating to the point of using vulgar language.

Emperor Chongzhen finally understood what Zhu Ziming meant when he said that all day long, they did nothing but argue and bicker. If they were not stopped and allowed to continue arguing, they could probably argue for a whole day.

No, it should be said that they argued to the bitter end.

"Enough!!!"

Emperor Chongzhen finally spoke, and the court, which had been arguing like a marketplace, quieted down a little. By this time, everyone was red-faced and their necks were thick with anger, and the whole hall was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at him. Even though he was different from before, his emotions were still stirred, and he couldn't help but shout:

"Stop arguing, all you do all day long is argue!"

As he spoke, Chongzhen picked up another memorial and addressed the still-arguing officials, saying, "Here is another memorial, sent from Liaodong. While you were all arguing, a mutiny broke out in Liaodong!"

Has there been a mutiny in Liaodong?

All the ministers turned pale upon hearing this; this was no small matter!

Chongzhen continued, "When the mutiny broke out, Bi Zisu, the governor of Liaodong, was in the yamen trying out a case. Before he could react, he was already tied up like a dumpling and imprisoned. Zhu Mei, the general of Ningyuan, was also arrested with him."

"Why the mutiny? The mutiny was for one thing: money! Why money? Because Liaodong hasn't received its soldiers' pay for four months!"

"With all this arguing, who's going to resolve the issue of military pay?"

As soon as Chongzhen finished speaking, the once noisy court fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Mutiny due to lack of pay is not surprising. After all, soldiers risk their lives in battle, and even if they do, they don't get paid and can't even fill their stomachs. Since they're going to die anyway, they might as well die well.

An army marches on its stomach; without supplies, how can you fight a war?

But where are they supposed to get the military pay? It's not something that can be done just by talking.

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at the silent officials and shouted:

"Weren't you just saying you were serving the emperor and sharing his burdens? Why are you all silent now? When it comes to a problem, you're all so eloquent, quoting classics and speaking with great authority, but when it comes to actually solving the problem, you all become cowards!"

"Now, the Liaodong governor has been arrested; tomorrow, you will be arrested! It will be me!!!"

Emperor Chongzhen pointed at a group of ministers and began to berate them. He was completely immersed in the emotions of his previous life when his country was destroyed, which made him appear even more dignified.

Under the weight of the authority, the ministers lowered their heads even further.

Especially Han Kuang and his group; although they weren't named, they were all long-serving officials with skin thicker than a city wall.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't want to say anything more, because he knew that it would be useless to say anything more.

"Court adjourned!"

Emperor Chongzhen simply waved his hand, dismissing all the civil and military officials...

……

After leaving the court, the officials gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

Clearly, the Emperor's words and actions at the morning court session far exceeded their expectations. Whether it was the Donglin Party, the eunuch party, or officials who were not affiliated with either of the other two parties, they were all shocked and had their own opinions and speculations.

The Donglin Party thought they had the victory in their grasp and had won a great victory. They had eliminated the eunuch faction in one fell swoop and even eliminated those court officials who disagreed with them. From then on, the Donglin Party dominated the court and realized their ideals.

Officials with ties to the eunuch faction lived in constant fear, unsure if they would be on the death list.

Although those neutral officials were observing from the sidelines, they were not able to remain uninvolved. This was because the eunuch faction had grown strong by winning over officials who had been suppressed by the Donglin Party. Once the eunuch faction was destroyed, the Donglin Party would inevitably become the dominant force, and the eunuchs would inevitably become the targets of the Donglin Party's suppression.

But now, everything has changed because of the Emperor.

The Emperor had always sided with the Donglin Party, which is why the eunuch faction was swiftly eliminated. However, at the crucial moment of completely eradicating the eunuch faction, the Emperor suddenly changed his mind.

Why?

What exactly happened to the Emperor, or who slandered him?

No one was thinking about the military pay; instead, everyone was speculating why the Emperor, who had been so ruthless in dealing with the eunuch faction, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free, had suddenly become lenient.

No one can figure it out.

Two days later.

The imperial edict officially concluded the major case of the traitors, and the number of criminals, the list of criminals, the types of crimes, and the sentencing standards were all personally determined by the emperor, consistent with the results announced in the court.

Apart from the severe punishment of the leader of the eunuch faction, his accomplices, and the "Five Tigers" and "Five Fiends," the identities of the others were not disclosed.

This led to polarized reactions from the court officials.

The Donglin Party members were very dissatisfied, while others exclaimed that the Emperor was wise.

However, what followed was even more shocking news.

Cao Huachun succeeded Wei Zhongxian as the supervisor of the Eastern Depot, taking over its management.

This means that although Wei Zhongxian was removed, the structure of the Eastern Depot was not dissolved.

The reason why Chongzhen chose Cao Huachun was because Cao Huachun was one of the eunuchs he trusted, and the other was Wang Chengen, whom he wanted to keep by his side.

Cao Huachun was not the villain portrayed in later films and television dramas. On the contrary, he was loyal to the Ming Dynasty from beginning to end and did not commit any other major evil deeds. In the end, he was slandered by scholars and falsely accused of "opening the city gates to let the rebels in." "He was blindly loyal to the country and disregarded his own life. Who is the one who made this baseless accusation? He has been living at home for six years and is still slandered. They even believe that what they said before was not true."

At this point, the Donglin Party members became truly anxious. Han Kuang, Qian Longxi, Qian Qianyi, and several others were about to enter the palace that very day to meet with the emperor and offer their advice.

However, upon entering the palace, they were told that the emperor had left the palace again.

Has he left the palace again?

The men were so angry that their faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and they sighed repeatedly.