Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Amidst the murmur of discussion, the clanging of armor was suddenly heard, and Huang Degong stepped forward once more:

"I have my roots!"

"Tell me about it!"

"In my humble opinion, all those who spread heresies should be imprisoned and a few of those long-tongued filthy bastards should be beheaded. Let's see who dares to gossip then."

Upon hearing this, the beams and pillars of the Wuying Hall trembled with a buzzing sound.

The six officials (censors) clashed their tablets together, producing a chaotic and sharp sound.

The Master of Ceremonies of the Court of State Ceremonies (in charge of court ceremonies) shouted "Silence!" three times to quell the noise.

The clamor had barely subsided when Qian Qianyi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, rushed out of his ranks:

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation! This morning, the tea house staff made reckless remarks about the Crown Prince. If this precedent is followed, wouldn't I also be sentenced to prison?"

The ivory tablet in his hand trembled almost imperceptibly.

No sooner had the words been spoken than Censor Huang Shu stepped forward, his words firm and resolute:

"I object!"

"Your Highness is wise! In the past, King Li of Zhou tried to quell slander, but it ultimately led to his execution by turning him into a pig. It is more difficult to prevent the people from speaking out than to prevent a river from overflowing."

"Rumors are like scabies; if they are clarified in time, they will fall apart on their own."

Upon hearing this, more than a dozen figures in green and red robes stepped forward one after another:

"I second that proposal!"

"I second that opinion!"

Zhu Cilang pressed his knuckles against the gilded dragon head, watching the "waves" formed by the black gauze wings below rise and fall.

How could he not understand—ultimately, he had to prove it himself.

Unfortunately, when he arrived in Huai'an, he was all alone and penniless. Who could testify for him?

His five fingers suddenly tightened in his sleeve, touching the golden book that had been prepared beforehand. This was the moment to break the deadlock.

As the noise subsided, he suddenly raised his chin:

"What you all say makes sense. The rumors must be clarified, and the facts must be ascertained!"

His gaze swept over the assembled officials, finally settling on the left side of the steps:

"Huang Yunshi, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

"Liu Zongzhou, Left Censor-in-Chief!"

"Minister of Justice Xie Xuelong!"

"Your subject is here!"

"Your subject is here!"

"Your subject is here!"

The three responses were crisp and efficient.

The three highest judicial officials stepped forward proudly.

"I am a descendant of the founding emperor, a descendant of all the emperors, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, and the ruler of all under heaven."

As soon as Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Prince Fu, who was in the front row of the left class, suddenly shrank back.

A plain white silk handkerchief slipped from Prince Fu's sleeve and gently fell onto the imperial bricks.

"Now there are treacherous and wicked people who fabricate the heretical claim that 'the crown prince is not of the rightful line,' thus shaking the foundation of the nation."

"They also fabricated the heretical claim of 'the Crown Prince forming a faction' to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers! Their actions are despicable, and their intentions—they deserve to be executed."

Before he finished speaking, a gilded scroll was pulled out from his sleeve, and Han Zanzhou stepped forward to respectfully receive it.

"I have already submitted a petition to the Three Judicial Offices, listing the three major crimes of this treacherous official!"

Zhu Cilang's voice pierced through the palace.

"First, spreading rumors and creating trouble undermines the very foundation of the nation!"

"Second, they fabricate heresies to sow discord between the ruler and his subjects!"

"Third, spreading heretical rumors and endangering the Ming Dynasty!"

His gaze was like a knife, piercing directly at the chief official of the Three Departments, his tone icy:

"If this scoundrel is not eliminated, you three judicial officials—please request to be dismissed."

Han Zanzhou's shrill voice rang out in the court as he read the "Golden Book Complaint".

"...His intentions are treacherous, he has shaken the foundations of the nation, and his crimes are unforgivable..."

Once the scattered words and phrases could be clearly heard, and the last sentence, "...endangering the nation," was uttered, the complaint was submitted to the three judicial authorities.

When the three chief officials received the petition, they formed a triangular formation and exchanged a look of confusion and pressure.

Huang Yunshi, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, suddenly coughed, the muffled sound echoing under the dome.

"Didn't Censor Shen just keep talking about a 'joint trial by the three judicial departments'?"

Zhu Cilang immediately issued a loud order:

"The Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice shall jointly conduct a thorough investigation into the 'seditious speech case'."

"Under no circumstances shall any official leave the palace gates until this case is resolved."

Upon hearing this order, the hall fell into a deathly silence, followed by several suppressed gasps.

His gaze swept over the assembled officials one by one, and he said in a loud voice:

"The assembled officials in the Wuying Hall today all serve as corroborating evidence in this case."

Zhu Cilang was clear-headed, and the Ming Dynasty's judiciary had a long-standing system of "joint trial by three judicial departments."

In all serious cases of treason, the Ministry of Justice presides over the criminal trial, the Court of Judicial Review is responsible for rebuttal and review, and the Censorate oversees the investigation and impeachment.

The separation of the three judicial powers, with each power checking and balancing the others, can both prevent wrongful convictions and eliminate arbitrary decisions, but ultimately they must be submitted to the emperor for judgment.

Now, as the Crown Prince Regent, he personally carries the golden edict to initiate the lawsuit, which is unprecedented in the 276 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness is wise!"

Qian Qianyi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward from the court officials with a "whoosh," bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting.

"A joint trial by the three judicial authorities is unprecedented; there is no precedent for the crown prince to act on his own."

"Even when Wang Zhi established the Western Depot during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, he knew to avoid suspicion. If eunuchs still know to avoid suspicion, how much more so should the Crown Prince?"

Zhu Cilang's piercing gaze swept over Qian Qianyi:

"When Emperor Yingzong was captured and taken north, Emperor Jingtai, as regent, personally investigated the major case of treason! The historical record still shines brightly!"

His tone suddenly turned stern.

"Do you intend to wait until the Jurchens drink from the Yangtze River before investigating the authenticity of my bloodline?"

The words seemed to carry ice shards as they crashed onto the steps.

Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, suddenly coughed and hurriedly covered half of his face with a handkerchief.

The portraits of the six high-ranking officials were nailed to the bronze jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel) on the imperial bricks.

Shi Kefa lowered his eyelids, while Ma Shiying stared intently at the cracks in the official tablet, remaining silent.

Only the wind outside the palace swept across the eaves, carrying a series of clanging sounds like iron horses.

Zhu Cilang looked at his ministers and then said:

"If I were to refrain from asking and instead investigate privately to avoid suspicion, it would only invite more criticism!"

"Have the officials in charge of recording the daily life of the court proceedings! All you gentlemen need to do is observe the Three Judicial Offices—their wisdom is as clear as a mirror."

Under the eaves outside the hall, the historian on duty held his pen and wrote.

The wolf-hair brush meticulously transcribed "the seventeenth year of Chongzhen" on the pages of the "Daily Records of the Emperor's Activities," the vermilion ink slightly blurring with the sounds emanating from the palace.

The difficult problem was thrown to the Three Departments by Zhu Cilang.

Soon, Han Zanzhou flicked his whisk and, accompanied by nine eunuchs in blue robes, set up a black lacquered table below the imperial steps.

The three offices' desks were arranged in a "品" (pin) shape.

On the east side was the Ministry of Justice, on the west side was the Court of Judicial Review, and on the south side was the Censorate. Officials from the three departments sat with their hands on their desks, looking at each other in bewilderment.

His eyes revealed a hint of confusion and bewilderment, and he was unsure how to proceed with the trial.

That's right. How can a trial even begin if there isn't even a defendant?

Minister of Justice Xie Xuelong suddenly stood up and bowed deeply:

"Your Highness, please allow me to inform you that the Ministry of Justice has a rule of 'three no-trials' in its case files: no trial without a first complaint, no trial without supporting evidence, and no trial without..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Cilang had already pressed the gold seal with the dragon-shaped knob onto the complaint.

The four characters "Regency for the Nation" on the seal immediately caught his eye, and Xie Xuelong's throat tightened, swallowing back the words he was about to say.

Huang Yunshi, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, picked up his official tablet and spoke cautiously:

"Your Highness, this case involves a wide range of issues and is extremely complex."

"Your Majesty, I request that this case file be temporarily transferred to the Dali Temple office, using the seals of the Three Judicial Offices as proof."

He straightened his robes.

"When the gong sounds at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), I will personally lead the twelve vice ministers of the court to conduct a thorough investigation. We will have three days to capture the ringleader."

"I second that proposal!"

"I second that proposal!"

Zuo Mao, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Youyu, a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately stepped forward and responded loudly.

Below the imperial court, the officials were engaged in lively discussions.

Many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The veteran ministers' eyes darted among the dragon-carved pillars, and their deeply etched wrinkles clearly betrayed their doubts about the young crown prince's handling of criminal matters.

Newly formed bamboo cannot withstand sudden rain; its fledglings, not yet fully grown, cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery.

The slender needle shadow of the gilded sundial quietly crept half an inch across the imperial bricks.

Zhu Cilang knew he could not give them any chance to delay or evade the issue; if the rumors were confirmed or spread, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He suddenly flicked his sleeve and pointed outside the hall:

"My lords, you should know! These seditious rumors are like wildfire; if they are not extinguished by the third quarter of an hour after dusk, they will surely spread like wildfire."

"I want to see the official document from the Three Judicial Offices before the shadow of the sundial in the Wuying Hall moves more than seven inches."

The imperial court fell silent for a moment.

Everyone was stunned by this almost impossible time requirement.

A gentle breeze swept by, and several pages of the "Great Ming Code" on Huang Yunshi's desk were suddenly turned by the wind, with half a sheet of yellow paper brushing against Xie Xuelong's official robe.

The three judicial officials exchanged glances briefly before quickly looking away.

Zhu Cilang noticed the Three Departments' predicament and paced toward the judge's desk:

"If the three judicial departments still have no clue about this case..."

"May I offer my opinion?"

Huang Yunshi's brows suddenly relaxed, as if he had grasped a straw:

"Your Highness, I wish to hear your wise words and respectfully request your guidance."

"I second that proposal!"

Liu Zongzhou, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Xie Xuelong, the Minister of Justice, immediately agreed in unison.