Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 10: Civil and Military Officials, All Are Terrified!

Wan An first bowed respectfully, then spoke.

“Your Majesty has been on the throne for several months, and the harem is not yet full. Your Majesty should hold a draft and establish an empress as soon as possible, to lay the foundation for the country!”

Zhu You樘 nodded calmly: “The Empress Dowager Wu has already started preparations for the draft, and it will begin soon.”

Empress Dowager Wu?

Zhu You樘's words caused suspicion among the ministers in the court.

Shouldn't the harem be managed by the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou now?

What's with the deposed Empress Wu?

And when was a deposed empress granted the title of Empress Dowager?

And not just Empress Dowager, but Empress Dowager!

Empress Dowager and Dowager are two different concepts.

Now, the only person in the palace who can be called Empress Dowager is Empress Wang, the Empress of Emperor Xianzong.

These cabinet ministers know the affairs of the emperor's harem like the back of their hands, even more clearly than their own family affairs.

Could it be that some new changes have occurred in the harem?

No one who can be an official under the eyes of the Ming Dynasty emperor is a fool.

The four words “Empress Dowager Wu” alone have already made them feel something was wrong.

The imperial family affairs that they originally knew so well now have changed.

They seemed to have lost control over the palace, which made them feel deeply uneasy.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wan An slowly finished his salute and actually returned to the ranks.

This surprised Zhu You樘.

That's it?

Why didn't he ask朕 why I kept the memorials of the cabinet?

Zhu You樘 originally thought that Wan An would start with the draft issue first, and then move on to the abolition of the Kai Zhong Law.

Unexpectedly, Wan An lightly reported the draft matter and then returned to the ranks.

Zhu You樘 frowned, could it be that Wan An learned about the palace purge last night?

There's no reason!

The palace was under martial law last night, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

Even the carrier pigeon that Wei Xing released to inform Wan Tong of the Jinyiwei was shot down by the East Depot's spies.

Moreover, the cleaning operation was handled by the East Depot's ten thousand spies, and there would be no leaks.

Or is it that the cabinet doesn't want to discuss matters with the emperor at all, and is just waiting to contact the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou of the harem separately after the court session…

If that's the case, Wan An's heart is punishable!

Zhu You樘 looked at the ministers with a blank expression: “Does anyone else have anything to report?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, I have a memorial!”

From the back of the crowd, a loud shout came from a position far away from the Fengtian Gate.

“Granted!”

The man held a tablet and trotted all the way up, kneeling before Zhu You樘.

Zhu You樘 didn't recognize this person, so Huai En whispered in Zhu You樘's ear: “Your Majesty, this person is Zhang Yuan, the Left Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel.”

Zhu You樘 understood, so it was an official of the Censorate.

The Ming Dynasty's officials of the Censorate were divided into the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Six Offices of Scrutiny.

Although their rank was low, their power was great.

Taking the Six Offices of Scrutiny as an example, the last step in the daily processing of various departments was to submit it to the Office of Scrutiny for verification.

After the memorials submitted by the Six Ministries to the cabinet or the emperor were approved, they could not be implemented immediately, but had to be submitted to the Office of Scrutiny for verification.

The Six Offices of Scrutiny also had the power to reject, and could reject the memorials of the Six Ministries and the emperor.

Even if they didn't reject it, they could get stuck here and couldn't push it forward.

Moreover, the original duty of the Six Offices of Scrutiny was to supervise the officials and advise the emperor.

Their daily job was to impeach officials and the emperor in court.

Although Zhang Yuan's position as the Left Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel was only a minor official of the seventh rank.

But the Vice Ministers and Secretaries of the Ministry of Personnel had to be polite to him.

In this system of small controlling the big, what does it matter if the ranks are five or six levels apart?

In short, this is a group of people who can't do anything, scold people all day long, but can also prevent you from doing anything.

Moreover, if the officials of the Censorate collectively impeach an official, even the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet can't stand it, and those with thin skin have to retire and go home.

Zhu You樘 has always been very disgusted with the officials of the Censorate, and he didn't have a good face at the moment.

“Your Majesty, I want to impeach Mou Bin, the Vice Commissioner of the Jinyiwei, for privately arresting important court officials!”

“Mou Bin, in his capacity as the Vice Commissioner of the Jinyiwei, privately arrested Wan Tong, the Commander of the Jinyiwei, and Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi, the Commanders of the Jinyiwei.”

“Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi are relatives of the emperor, and relatives of the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou.”

“Mou Bin's actions are insubordinate and treasonous, please Your Majesty investigate thoroughly!”

So they are people of the Zhou faction.

The Zhou family has been colluding internally and externally since the Xianzong years, causing chaos in the government.

Zhu You樘 was not surprised that there were people of the Zhou faction in the court.

Immediately after Zhang Yuan finished his report, several ministers stood out from the ranks.

“I second the motion!”

“Your Majesty, I also second the motion! Mou Bin of the Jinyiwei must be severely punished, and Wan Tong, Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi must be released!”

“Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi are relatives of the emperor, Mou Bin's crime deserves ten thousand deaths!”

“……”

Last night, the officials of the capital only knew that Mou Bin openly arrested Wan Tong, Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi in the first half of the night, but did not know that the Jinyiwei raided the Qingyun Earl's Mansion and the Changning Earl's Mansion in the second half of the night.

Going to the early court in the Ming Dynasty was very torturous. You had to get up in the middle of the night and wait in the waiting room at Mao time.

When the Jinyiwei raided the house, the officials were already waiting in the palace to go to court.

The officials did not receive any news about the Qingyun Earl and Changning Earl being raided.

Zhang Yuan himself was an official promoted by the Zhou family, and belonged to the Zhou faction.

Since climbing the big tree of the Zhou family, Zhang Yuan knew what it meant to be able to enjoy the shade under a big tree.

In just a few years, he sat in such a powerful position as the Left Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel.

He was naturally loyal to the Zhou family.

After receiving the letter from Qingyun Earl last night, he set off to the palace to go to court, just waiting to impeach Mou Bin in front of the palace.

Zhang Yuan looked at the crowd around and behind him, feeling very relaxed.

Based on past experience, as long as these ministers collectively put pressure on him, the little emperor would panic and agree to all their requests.

But this time, it seemed a little different.

Zhu You樘 did not rush to express his position, but calmly watched Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan did not see Zhu You樘 respond for a long time, and could not help but feel a little uneasy, a drop of sweat quietly slipped from his forehead.

Even the ministers behind him could not give him a sense of security.

Zhu You樘 roughly looked at it, and more than a dozen ministers stood up.

There were officials from the Six Ministries, officials from the Censorate, and personnel from the Five Temples, widely distributed, almost every yamen had them.

Zhu You樘 remained silent, and only after the court meeting fell into a deathly silence did he look around the officials.

“Does anyone else want to impeach Mou Bin?”

The officials bowed their heads and did not answer.

Zhu You樘 sneered: “If not, then summon Mou Bin to come to court.”

The little eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial hurriedly sang: “Summon Mou Bin, the Commander of the Jinyiwei, to come to court!”

Commander of the Jinyiwei?

Zhang Yuan and other civil and military officials, their faces changed dramatically!

The next moment, Mou Bin, covered in blood, had crossed the Jinshui Bridge and arrived at Fengtianmen Square.

He did not come alone.

Behind him, followed a group of fierce Jinyiwei.

Every Jinyiwei either escorted the Zhou family, or carried the heads of the Zhou family.

And the two who were escorted in the front were Qingyun Earl and Changning Earl.