Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"

The Duke of Cheng, Zhu Chunchen, and the Duke of Ding, Xu Yunzhen, who were standing in front, hurriedly knelt down!

"Your Majesty! The eunuch faction has slandered us!" Marquis Yongkang, Xu Xideng, shouted at Wang Dehua, who was kneeling in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dehua did not offer any explanation, but simply bowed even lower... He understood that when the emperor handed him the confession obtained from Wu Daozheng's interrogation and the Eastern Depot's reports on its investigations in Henan, Beizhili, and Shandong provinces, he had no choice but to either go down a dark path or die!

Now all he hopes is that the emperor won't abandon him!

The assembled officials were all discussing how the entire court resembled a marketplace! First, nearly twenty censors and officials were flogged in court, then their hearsay reports were cancelled! The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was dismissed!

The death of Li Wen, the director of the Eastern Depot, at the stake further exposed the rebellion of hundreds of officials!

"Issue an imperial decree: Cao Bianjiao! Martial law in the capital!"

"Promote the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Send them to various locations to arrest the aforementioned officials!"

"General Liu Guoneng! Sun Xianzhu! Zuo Guangxian! Ma Ke! Lead 50,000 new troops to various locations to assist in the arrest!"

"Your Majesty, you must not believe the one-sided story of the eunuch faction! Such a statement would chill the hearts of the people!" Marquis Yongkang, Xu Xideng, exclaimed loudly.

"Your Majesty's heavy reliance on eunuchs is a sign of the country's downfall!" shouted Duke Dingguo, Xu Yunzhen.

Prosecutor Zhu waved his hand: "Take him away!"

Subsequently, dozens of eunuchs from the Eastern Depot stepped forward and dragged the two dukes and four marquises away!

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We are innocent! We did not plot a rebellion!" Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng shouted as he was being dragged away.

As the voices of injustice faded, the court gradually returned to silence. Everyone lowered their heads, lost in thought...

Two dukes, four marquises, hundreds of officials from three provinces—all were condemned based solely on a single impeachment and the death of a director of the Eastern Depot…

After a moment, Minister of Military and Political Affairs Li Banghua slowly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I report that this matter involves many local areas! What should be done if local resistance is encountered?"

"Those who resist are guilty of treason! Their entire families should be executed!"

"As you command!"

"Your Majesty! I believe that many officials in various regions are involved, and it is unclear how to select a successor?" asked Xue Guoguan, the Grand Secretary.

Originally, the cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel made recommendations, which were then approved and appointed by the emperor. Now, this power is ambiguous, requiring prior consultation with the emperor. No one dares to overstep their authority now...

"The three officials are the chief officials of the prefectures and counties! They are recommended by the local governors! The county officials are selected from the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) by the Military and Political Bureau and dispatched to local areas! The Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel assist in the process!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xue Guoguan then returned to the ranks.

"Do any of you gentlemen have anything else to report?" Zhu Jian asked, glancing at the assembled officials.

At this point, who would dare to submit a memorial? A single misstep could mean death and the extermination of their entire clan!

After a long silence, Zhu Jian finally spoke up: "Let the court adjourn!"

Having said that, he got up and left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, heading towards the Hall of Martial Valor.

Today, following Wei Zhongxian, another eunuch faction has emerged, which makes the court officials feel like they have a bone stuck in their throats... Everyone can see that the emperor intends to support the eunuch faction. In the eyes of the civil officials, Wang Dehua, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, is the second Wei Zhongxian.

But what they didn't know was that there was another invisible knife in the eunuch faction, namely the Inner Depot headed by Wang Huamin!

When Zhu Jian arrived at the Wuying Hall, the military and political ministers Sun Chengzong, Li Banghua, Sun Chuanting, and Lu Xiangshan, along with the Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan, cabinet members Zhang Zhifa, and Cheng Guoxiang, were already waiting inside...

"Your Majesty! I have some thoughts on the case of Xun Gui!" Sun Chengzong stepped forward and said.

Sun Chengzong, Li Banghua, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangshan, and Cheng Guoxiang all stood in opposition to the eunuch faction, belonging to the anti-eunuch group. Xue Guoguan and Zhang Zhifa, on the other hand, stood behind the eunuch faction. While they didn't belong to the faction itself, they shared common interests with it, especially Xue Guoguan. If he could remove Sun Chengzong from office and enter the military and political bureaus, he would retain the position of Grand Secretary and Minister of Military and Political Affairs, remaining the head of the civil service...

"Gentlemen, please take your seats. Let's discuss this calmly!" Zhu Jian waved his hand, then slowly walked to the head seat and sat down. "Serve tea to all of you!"

Sun Chengzong slowly began, "I believe it is somewhat inappropriate for all the censors to be placed under the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

Today, the impeachment of Feng Ying, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, by the Six Censors revealed that these individuals belonged to the Directorate of Ceremonial and were members of the eunuch faction!

"The Supervising Secretary is a minister of the Ming Dynasty, not a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial! Grand Secretary Sun, please do not have any doubts!"

Before Zhu Jian could finish speaking, Sun Chuanting cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty! Is it inappropriate for the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial to impeach two dukes, four marquises, and hundreds of officials from the three ministries? This could lead to local unrest and a temporary standstill in government affairs!"

Sun Chuanting was part of the anti-eunuch faction and originally had conflicts with Yang Sichang. However, now that Yang Sichang was serving as the second-in-command of the cabinet and the governor of Southern Zhili, he was in charge of the Jiangnan region. The two were in the south and the north respectively, and there was no longer any interaction between them, so there was no conflict. But now that the eunuch faction has reappeared, he has to be vigilant!

Zhu Jian waved his hand: "There's no turmoil! The Military and Political Bureau has issued an order! All proceeds from the confiscation of property belonging to prefectural and county magistrates must be kept locally for disaster relief! Li Banghua, dispatch the accounting clerks from the Statistics Department to various localities to complete the accounting and statistics!"

None of these local officials were entirely clean, which is exactly what it means to take from the people and use it for the people! Zhu Jian's original intention was to use the death of Li Wen, the director of the Eastern Depot, to expand the scope of the purge. The Ming Dynasty was never short of wealth; it was just that this wealth was not in the hands of the imperial court!

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Banghua stood up and said.

"Your Majesty ascended the throne with swift and decisive action, eliminating the eunuch faction led by Wei Zhongxian. Now, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is showing signs of resurgence! I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!" Minister of Military and Political Affairs Sun Chengzong stated bluntly. In his view, the increasingly favorable political situation was about to be ruined by the emperor's creation of the eunuch faction...

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jian smiled and said, "Grand Secretary Sun is overthinking it! Wang Dehua is Wang Dehua! Wei Zhongxian is Wei Zhongxian!"

In Zhu Jian's mind, if it weren't for the eunuch clique headed by Wang Dehua, who would handle those shady dealings? Could people like Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua have done it?

Sun Chengzong sighed deeply and said nothing more.

Xue Guoguan and Zhang Zhifa exchanged a glance. Xue Guoguan then spoke, "There are many vacant official positions in the court, such as the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison, and the Five Military Commands. I wonder how these positions will be filled?"

Upon hearing Xue Guoguan's words, everyone's ears perked up. These were all important positions in the court; whoever's people were promoted would wield more power. Xue Guoguan and Zhang Zhifa wanted to bring them into the cabinet's fold to increase its influence...

Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua were more concerned about who was sent up...

"The position of Director of the Imperial Clan Court will be filled by Liu Wenbing, the Earl of Xinle! The position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review will be temporarily filled by the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

"The Five Military Commands will not appoint anyone for the time being!"

"Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Chuanting are responsible for disbanding the entire Beijing Garrison!"

Liu Wenbing was Emperor Chongzhen's cousin and also a member of the nobility. After the city fell in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign, he and his entire family of forty-two died for their country. He was a man of principle among the nobility, unlike the spineless Zhu Chunchen...

The Beijing Garrison has always been under the jurisdiction of the Five Military Commissions, and most of its officials are from noble families. There are many vacancies. If it weren't for the obstacles caused by noble families, Zhu Jian would have abolished it long ago. Now that he has taken down the two dukes and four marquises, who are the most influential people in the Five Military Commissions and the Beijing Garrison, there is no need for the Beijing Garrison to remain!