The Ming Dynasty: Starting with Emperor Chongzhen's crackdown on factionalism

The air in the Qianqing Palace seemed to freeze.

Zhu Youjian sat behind his desk, with seventeen memorials laid out in front of him.

Each of the titles had similar content written on it.

"Impeaching Chen Zhiyuan, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, for making alarmist remarks and misleading the emperor."

"A memorial on the severe punishment of Chen Zhiyuan for spreading heretical rumors and misleading the public".

"Please Your Majesty, do not believe the slanderous words."

Seventeen copies.

From Censor of the Censorate to Supervising Secretary of the Six Ministries, from Vice Minister of Rites to Principal of the Ministry of War, his rank rose from the fourth rank to the seventh rank, and his hometown changed from Southern Zhili to Shanxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang.

As if by prior arrangement, they impeached the same person on the same day, using the same reasons.

Zhu Youjian's fingers slowly traced across the memorial, his knuckles turning white from the force.

yesterday.

Right here in the Qianqing Palace, Chen Zhiyuan had just finished saying, "The court is already like a sieve."

yesterday.

Inside the hall, only a few people heard that conversation.

yesterday.

Chen Zhiyuan said, "If this conversation between Your Majesty and me today were to be leaked, the pool of potential leakers would be narrowed."

today.

The impeachment memorial arrived.

Seventeen copies.

Zhu Youjian closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes again, all that remained was coldness.

"Wang Chengen".

"This servant is here."

"Besides you and Chen Zhiyuan, who else was on duty in the palace yesterday?"

Wang Chengen's voice trembled slightly.

"Your Majesty, there are four eunuchs serving in the palace: Zhang Yu, Li Jinzhong, Liu Fu, and Zhao Quan."

"One Hanlin scholar was in charge of recording: Compiler Sun Zhixie. Eight Jinyiwei guards were on duty outside the gate."

"Good, very good."

Zhu Youjian smiled, but there was no warmth in his smile.

He picked up a vermilion pen and wrote swiftly on a blank imperial edict.

The handwriting was sharp and ruthless.

"Imperial edict to Luo Yangxing, Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard: Arrest the following persons immediately and imprison them in the Imperial Prison for rigorous interrogation."

He read out a name, and the pen tip fell.

"Liu Zongzhou, Censor of the Censorate".

"The military department will give you money for the incident."

"Sun Zhixie, a Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites"

"Zheng Sanjun, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Studs."

"Zhang Jimeng, Assistant Minister of War."

Hou Xun, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue.

One, one, and another.

Seventeen names filled the entire sheet of paper.

"The list of eunuchs Zhang Yu, Li Jinzhong, Liu Fu, and Zhao Quan of the Qianqing Palace; and eight guards on duty outside the gate, provided by Wang Chengen."

After Zhu Youjian finished writing the last stroke, he slammed the imperial edict heavily on the table.

"Tell Luo Yangxing, I don't care what methods he uses. Within three days, I want to know how these people usually buy and sell information!"

"Who sent it? Who received it? How did the chain of command work? Investigate every single detail for me!"

Wang Chengen received the imperial edict with both hands, his fingertips icy cold.

"This servant... obeys the decree."

When Wang Chengen bowed and left the Qianqing Palace, the midday sun was blazing.

But he only felt cold.

Imperial Prison and Punishment Room

Luo Yangxing stood at the door of the torture chamber, looking at everything inside.

He was the son of Luo Sigong, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

His father was dismissed during the Tianqi reign for not siding with the eunuch faction. He is only twenty-five years old this year and has been in office for less than a year.

He had been to the imperial prison many times, but today was different.

The Emperor personally issued an edict to arrest seventeen officials, four eunuchs, and eight strongmen.

The decree clearly states: interrogate thoroughly, sparing no means.

Luo Yangxing knew what this meant.

He waved.

The captains dragged the first person in.

It was Zhang Yu, a eunuch in the Qianqing Palace.

He was in his forties, with a fair complexion and no beard, but now his face was ashen.

"Eunuch Zhang," Luo Yangxing said calmly.

"His Majesty wants to investigate how the information was leaked. You were one of the four people serving in the palace yesterday. Speak, who asked you to buy the letter? How much did it cost? How was it delivered?"

Zhang Yu knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

"Lord Luo...this servant is innocent...this servant knows nothing..."

Luo Yangxing nodded.

A captain stepped forward, holding a cowhide whip in his hand.

The whip had been soaked in salt water, and the tip had barbs.

"Snapped!"

The first lash struck Zhang Yu's back, instantly tearing his silk eunuch robes and leaving his skin ripped open.

Zhang Yu screamed in agony.

"Speak," Luo Yangxing said, uttering only one word.

"This servant...this servant really..."

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Three lashes followed, and blood splattered everywhere.

Zhang Yu collapsed to the ground, his back a bloody mess.

The captain dragged him up and pressed him against the wall.

Another captain brought over a basin of charcoal and used tongs to pick up a red-hot branding iron.

The branding iron slowly approached Zhang Yu's face.

The heat made my skin ache.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Zhang Yu broke down, tears and snot mixed together.

"It was...it was Liu, the censor...Liu Hai...He gives me ten taels of silver every month...I...I told him what I heard..."

"How was it transmitted?"

"He...he has a nephew who runs a teahouse outside the palace...Every ten days when I go out of the palace to buy things...I write the news on a slip of paper and slip it under the third brick in the backyard of the teahouse..."

Luo Yangxing made a lasting impression.

Then he waved.

The captain pressed the branding iron onto Zhang Yu's shoulder.

"ah--!"

The smell of burning wafted through the air.

Zhang Yu fainted.

"Splash him awake." Luo Yangxing said without changing his expression.

When cold water was poured on him, Zhang Yu woke up convulsing.

"Who else?" Luo Yangxing asked.

Zhang Yu's eyes were unfocused, and he uttered a few more names intermittently.

Li Jinzhong accepted money from a secretary in the Ministry of War; Liu Fu had dealings with an censor in the Censorate; Zhao Quan…

All four eunuchs were present.

Luo Yangxing made them sign the document.

Then, there was Sun Zhixie.

When this official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was dragged in, he still maintained the dignity of a scholar-official.

"Luo Yangxing! How dare you torture an official of the imperial court? I will submit a memorial impeaching you!"

Luo Yangxing looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Lord Sun, His Majesty takes the matter of the leaked information very seriously."

Sun Zhixie's expression changed.

"His Majesty instructed me to ask Lord Sun a question: To whom did Lord Sun relay the conversation that took place in the Qianqing Palace yesterday?"

"I...I didn't leak any information!"

Luo Yangxing nodded, "Okay."

He pointed to the instruments of torture on the wall.

That was a "pipa stool".

The stool surface is covered with iron nails, with the nail tips pointing upwards.

The prisoner sat on the bench, and the nails pierced his buttocks and legs. Then someone shook the bench, and the nails stirred inside his flesh.

"Please, Lord Sun, take a seat."

Sun Zhixie's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

"I'll talk... I'll talk..."

Sun Zhixie trembled as he uttered a few names.

Luo Yangxing made sure everyone wrote it down.

Then, he had someone press Sun Zhixie down onto the pipa stool.

The screams lasted for about fifteen minutes.

Sun Zhixie fainted three times and was revived each time by being splashed with water.

In the end, he said everything.

It's not just about yesterday.

Since he became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he has sold news seventeen times in three years.

The price varies each time, depending on the importance of the information.

The Emperor's attitude toward a certain matter, ten taels.

The content of the conversation between the Emperor and a certain minister, worth twenty taels.

The Emperor's outburst of temper at the court assembly cost five taels.

He also introduced other officials to Zhang Yu.

They act as intermediaries and take a cut.

A net slowly emerges from the water.

Hanlin Academy, Direct Office

Chen Zhiyuan sat in his seat, organizing historical manuscripts.

The room was very quiet.

The other editors kept their distance from him; no one spoke to him, and no one even looked at him.

Huang Daozhou sat opposite him, hesitant to speak, but ultimately lowered his head and continued writing.

Chen Zhiyuan knew that he was completely isolated.

But he doesn't care.