Chaos of Ming 1628

Emperor Chongzhen's actions ultimately frightened Wei Zhongxian.

Sun Qing's gaze fell on Cui Chengxiu once again.

The purge of the eunuch faction began with Choi Seong-soo. Even if he resigned and committed suicide, what difference would it make? His corpse would still be dug up and whipped.

Sun Qing did not directly answer Wei Zhongxian's question, but instead turned to Cui Chengxiu: "And you? Do you want to live?"

"What?" Cui Chengxiu could hardly believe his ears. He sneered, "Insolence! I am a senior official of the court. His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and this is precisely the time when he relies on old ministers and the eunuch faction to consolidate the court. How can you talk about whether he lives or dies?"

These words sound more like an attempt to oppose Choi Seong-soo.

Sun Qing was not in a hurry to defend himself, and instead asked Wei Zhongxian, "Does he also want to take on contracts?"

Wei Zhongxian's expression was somewhat complicated, and his voice was heavy: "That depends on him."

The first thing he said wasn't whether Sun Qing was capable of doing it, but rather he was thinking about Cui Chengxiu's own problems.

Don't be fooled by Wei Zhongxian's calm demeanor; in reality, he was in a state of utter panic.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be Sun Qing's place to point fingers at him.

And the current answer clearly shows that the only thing he wants to protect is himself.

Human nature is inherently selfish, and besides, Cui Chengxiu and Wei Zhongxian each had their own motives at the beginning.

His gaze fell on Cui Chengxiu's face again. His face was gloomy. After a moment of silence, he sneered, "I can't even protect my own life. What makes you think you can?"

"Just a young punk!"

Someone whom even Wei Zhongxian valued would not be rejected by Cui Chengxiu based on personal preference. The key point is that he dared to say he would commit suicide before.

"There's no need for such a fuss." Cui Chengxiu said lazily and arrogantly, "It's just a minor disturbance. As long as Lord Wei is here, my actions will be as secure as Mount Tai."

"It's really unnecessary to go to such lengths and be so anxious just because of some unfounded speculations."

Cui Chengxiu didn't care at all.

He held immense power in the Ministry of War and the Censorate, and had Wen Zhongxian backing him up. For a few lowly civil officials to impeach him was utterly suicidal.

Furthermore, Yang Suoxiu was merely using the "mourning period" as a pretext, nothing more than a minor test among civil officials. To want his life for this reason is utterly laughable.

He was certain that Sun Qing would continue to persuade him, so he spoke first: "It's also a good opportunity to show some of those pretentious people who dare to mess with me in the Ming Dynasty!"

Sun Qing smiled slightly, saying that since Minister Cui doesn't need it, then please excuse yourself.

"Damn it!" Choi Seong-soo's anger surged instantly.

This Sun Qing really has a lot of nerve, daring to act so pretentiously.

It was just a minor impeachment, which conveniently confirmed what he had said. As for the person who was impeached, Cui Chengxiu had already made up his mind. He would just have to teach him a lesson to make an example of him, and he could also use this incident to warn the restless civil officials in the court.

"Since Young Master Sun has already spoken, you may leave now," Wei Zhongxian said calmly.

Cui Chengxiu's eyes were full of astonishment, but he didn't dare to say another word. His eyes were full of resentment, but he could only lower his head and leave silently.

Inside the secret room, only the three of them remained, along with a candle that was about to burn out.

With candle wax dripping, Wei Zhongxian said in a deep voice, "I still trust Minister Cui very much."

These words, though seemingly inexplicable, were actually quite profound. Sun Qing knew they came from the heart, after all, Cui Chengxiu was a key figure in the eunuch faction.

Eighty percent of the evil deeds Wei Zhongxian committed were orchestrated by Cui Chengxiu. If he didn't trust this person, would he have granted him such extensive authority?

Sun Qing remained noncommittal: "Trust and risking one's life are two different things. Just because you trust him doesn't mean he'll harm you."

"What do you mean by that?" Wei Zhongxian asked.

As a pillar of the eunuch faction in the court, Cui Chengxiu was impeached and dismissed from office. All the officials rose up to attack him, and the eunuch faction collapsed.

The evidence against him led to Wei Zhongxian, and without any external support, he was left helpless and could only fall into the deadly trap set by Emperor Chongzhen, ultimately ending up committing suicide.

But Sun Qing couldn't say these things aloud. He smiled mysteriously and said, "When a branch rots, the main trunk will fall first!"

Wei Zhongxian was illiterate and had no knowledge of the language; how could he understand such words? Yang Qingqing, however, trembled slightly and whispered in Wei Zhongxian's ear.

A moment later, Wei Zhongxian's face was completely drained of color. He slammed his hand on the table, and everything on it fell to the ground and shattered.

Looking at Sun Qing again, fear was also on his face: "You predicted he would commit suicide, and you really did!"

Sun Qing nodded: "It was his own choice, and I will not go against the will of heaven for someone who doesn't want to live."

Fear filled Wei Zhongxian's eyes. From the moment Zhu Youjian entered the palace, he hadn't had a single restful night's sleep. Every little disturbance thereafter made Wei Zhongxian extremely anxious. Especially when Madam Ke was driven out of the palace, Wei Zhongxian even had a feeling that his days were numbered.

"Tell me in detail," Wei Zhongxian said.

Sun Qing was pondering how to explain Wei Zhongxian's current predicament in a way that would gain his complete trust, perhaps even surpassing Cui Chengxiu's level of trust in him.

Sun Qing hesitated for a moment, then sighed: "If you want to survive, you must make sure the Emperor is unwilling to touch you."

"Given your current situation, there are countless reasons to convict you." Sun Qing paused slightly. "Therefore, we have no choice but to strike first."

"That's utterly childish!" Wei Zhongxian sneered. Upon hearing this, he realized it was indeed the nonsense spouted by some ignorant child outside.

Even though the current emperor doesn't have much power, he is still the emperor. Only with the emperor can there be the Eastern Depot and Wei Zhongxian.

"Without an outsider, there is no power. Eunuch, what danger do you think you pose to the Emperor?" Sun Qing pointed out the crux of the matter.

Wei Zhongxian's face paled even more: "What about our assets?"

Sun Qing smiled faintly: "If you want to live, there is only one way, and that is to put on a good show for His Majesty."

"Our family doesn't practice shamanism," Wei Zhongxian reminded them.

With a faint smile, Sun Qing said clearly, word by word, "You have no other choice."

"Therefore, from now on, there is no need to continue to obstruct the impeachment of Choi Seong-soo; just submit them."

"You love to cry so much, this time, you must cry to the extreme."

Neither of these two points was difficult for Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian remained relaxed, seemingly unconcerned by these words. He did indeed enjoy crying, and he knew a variety of ways to cry; this was his trump card, one he rarely used.

Sun Qing knew he was careless. Historical records show that it was Wei Zhongxian's disgusting crying that made Chongzhen hate him even more, thus hastening Wei Zhongxian's demise.

Sun Qing composed himself, and finally his tone became serious: "You must remember what I'm about to say."

"Go to the Emperor. No matter how much you cry and plead, you must let him know your loyalty."

Wei Zhongxian chuckled: "In your opinion, how should it be expressed?"

"With one life!" Sun Qing's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Even Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but tremble: "The Emperor is so suspicious; let alone one life, even dozens would be of no use!"

"That depends on what you say," Sun Qing laughed.

Wei Zhongxian frowned: "What?"

"Naturally, we should tell him exactly what you did to Ms. Ke?"