Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

After Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, the first thing he did was not to deal with the inner palace.

The formal edict of investiture by Empress Dowager Sun and others could only be issued three days later. At this time, Empress Dowager Sun had not yet moved to the palace. Taking action now would cause unnecessary trouble. If Empress Dowager Sun refused to leave, Zhu Qiyu would be helpless.

In that case, the officials could only submit a petition to respectfully request an audience, which ultimately led to an unpleasant ending.

Now, several important departments within the Twelve Directorates are already staffed by his own people. The remaining personnel in the Four Offices and Eight Bureaus need to be replaced. Zhu Qiyu can wait a few days. At most, he can continue to live in the Prince's Mansion for these few days. Moreover, he has a valid reason and evidence, so the court officials probably won't say much.

The matter that Zhu Qiyu urgently needs to deal with right now is Wang Hong and the others. Now that a general amnesty has been granted, Wang Hong and the others have not been sentenced to death, so they should be included in the amnesty. Especially now that the country is in a time of crisis, the chances of being pardoned should be even greater.

Wang Zhi, Yu Qian, and others were also paying attention to this matter. Some even suggested that they should write a memorial to remind His Majesty that if he was put in the imperial prison and forgotten to be dealt with, like Yang Pu, he might be imprisoned for ten years. Who would he complain to then?

However, Wang Zhi and Yu Qian stopped them from doing so. In recent days, Wang Hong and others have not yet punished them, and the two are certain that Zhu Qiyu will let them go and will not forget this matter.

The reason why the court officials were so concerned about the lives of these people was simply to give a final verdict on the Meridian Gate massacre. The execution of all Wang Zhen's cronies proved that the court officials' actions were just. However, Wang Hong and others were still burdened with the responsibility of challenging the imperial power. This matter could be big or small, and it all depended on Zhu Qiyu's decision.

If these individuals are granted a general amnesty, it would mean that Zhu Qiyu tacitly approved their actions that day, and naturally, there would be no question of insubordination. Zhu Qiyu is willing to take the blame, completely forgive the matter, and not pursue it further.

Knowing that the court officials were anxiously awaiting the outcome of this matter, Zhu Qiyu ordered Lu Zhong to bring Wang Hong and the others, along with Gu Xingzu and Li Xian, out of the imperial prison and into the palace to meet the emperor.

There were people outside the palace who had been watching the prison. When they heard that the people had been brought out, they hurriedly informed Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel. Upon hearing this news, Wang Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Whether they lived or died was up to them today, which was better than being left hanging indefinitely.

"Gentlemen, Wang Hong and his entourage have entered the palace to meet the Emperor. We should wait quietly and refrain from any rash actions."

"Here you go!"

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the group had already dressed and were waiting quietly outside.

"Let Wang Hong and the others come in first."

Cheng Jing, following Zhu Qiyu's instructions, hurriedly went to announce it.

Wang Hong and the others were extremely shocked. They never expected that the Prince of Cheng, who had sent them to the imperial prison half a month ago, would now become the emperor. Their lives were truly in the emperor's hands.

Wang Hong and the others were not afraid of death, but they could not die so ignominiously. They were killed after personally killing the treacherous officials, and they felt somewhat resentful.

Fortunately, during the past two weeks in the imperial prison, there were no special interrogations. Most of the time, everyone was made to read books, which were about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and how a subject should behave.

This gave Wang Hong and the others a glimmer of hope; whether they could save their lives depended entirely on this audience with the emperor.

Wang Hong and the others composed themselves, calmly entered, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects!"

Zhu Qiyu sat upright, his expression calm and unreadable. He did not ask Wang Hong and the others to rise, but instead asked indifferently, "Under the Meridian Gate, you assaulted Ma Shun and killed a court official in court, showing no respect for the law and disturbing the court's order. According to the law, you should be executed. However, I am not a bloodthirsty person. Today, I would like to hear your explanation."

Wang Hong seemed to have considered this beforehand, and said, "Your Majesty, I know that I have violated the law by beating a minister in court, and I deserve to be executed. I dare not utter a word of evasion. However, what I did was not out of momentary anger, nor was it for personal revenge."

"In the past, Wang Zhen wreaked havoc on the court, deceived the emperor, and ruined the military and government, causing the collapse of the Tuocheng Project, burying hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the border regions, and nearly destroying the ancestral temples and the state. Ma Shun, as Wang Zhen's confidant, relied on the power of the treacherous party to wreak havoc on the court and oppress all officials. His crimes are too numerous to count."

"On that day at the Meridian Gate, all the officials wept bitterly as the nation fell into peril, and the entire court was filled with grief and indignation. Yet Ma Shun remained arrogant and domineering, showing not a shred of remorse. As a censor, my duty is to investigate the wicked and purify the court. To fail to remove the corrupt officials in power and to fail to fight for the nation in its time of crisis is the greatest dereliction of duty for a censor and a disgrace to the founding emperor. When I took action, my heart was only for the nation, and I had long forgotten my own life and death."

"This humble subject knows that there are laws governing the court, and the execution of a minister should be reported to His Majesty for a decision. This humble subject has overstepped his bounds and disrupted the court's rituals, which is a grave offense. This humble subject is willing to accept any punishment and will die without regret."

Seeing this, the others all pleaded guilty, saying, "We are willing to accept punishment!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu's expression softened considerably. If Wang Hong and the others dared not confess their crimes, then these people could not be allowed to live.

It must be said that the position of Censor became Wang Hong's shield. The core functions of the Six Ministries established by Emperor Taizu were to reject imperial edicts, investigate the administration of the Six Ministries, and impeach officials.

In short, these Censors were figures who defied the heavens. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, countless high-ranking officials fell at their hands, including the later Grand Secretary. This was a sharp sword left behind by the founding emperor.

Zhu Qiyu did not want such a sharp sword to break so easily. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "One must have a strong sense of righteous indignation, but one must not act recklessly. In the incident at the Meridian Gate that day, you had more than enough righteous indignation, but not enough sense of propriety. You overstepped the law with your loyalty and anger, and disrupted the court with your impulsive courage. As the saying goes, 'If you are too rigid and lack propriety, you will cause chaos; if you are too straightforward and lack restraint, you will become biased.' You will be spared the death penalty, but you will be stripped of your posts and sent back to your hometowns to study hard and think about serving the country again."

Upon hearing of this punishment, Wang Hong and the others had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, with only one or two bowing in gratitude.

Wang Hong hesitated, then said somewhat reluctantly, "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Qiyu, seeing the troubled expressions on their faces, assumed they were dissatisfied with the punishment and said coldly, "What? Do you expect me to reinstate you to your original positions or promote you to other posts?"

Wang Hong, trembling with fear, bowed his head and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject would never dare to have such a thought. This humble subject wished to remain in the capital, merely serving as a soldier. Now, with the nation in peril, this humble subject would rather die on the battlefield than return home like this. This humble subject's bravery will not only kill treacherous officials for Your Majesty, but also slay bandits. I beg Your Majesty to understand!"

"Your Majesty, we, your sinful subjects, are willing to take up arms to kill the traitors and die on the battlefield!"

Zhu Qiyu stared at Wang Hong for a moment, and at this moment he had a certain appreciation for this man. Letting a few people go back to their hometowns did not mean that they would never be employed again. They could lie low for a few years and then be put back into service if someone recommended them. This was the safest and most reliable way, and it was acceptable in all aspects.

Wang Hong was unwilling to choose this path at this moment and was preparing to take up his sword and go to the battlefield. Was this to prove that he was no coward, or was it out of his integrity that he wanted to die for his country and fulfill his loyalty?

It must be said that the courage and spirit of the Ming Dynasty's civil officials were rare in all dynasties, otherwise they would not have created so many famous historical scenes.

Looking into their resolute eyes, Zhu Qiyu sighed deeply and said, "So be it. Life and death are left to fate. I will grant your wish and send you to serve at the front lines!"

"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "Go down!"

"Here you go!"

The group hurriedly got up and walked out of the Wenhua Hall, as if they had been transported to another world.

Gu Xingzu looked at the group of people who had entered the imperial prison together and were all safe and sound, and couldn't help but feel envious.

"Gu Xingzu, it's your turn!"

Just as Gu Xingzu was wondering if he would also be safe and sound, Cheng Jing appeared beside him like a ghost.

Gu Xingzu was so frightened he almost flew away!