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

Tonight, the capital city of Beijing was in a state of panic.

The families of the one hundred and seventy-six retired officials were wailing and crying.

The mournful screams enveloped the entire capital.

Other officials who had not retired hid in their homes, listening to the cries outside with fear and trepidation, unable to sleep.

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

When did His Majesty's methods become so ruthless?

Both of them recalled Zhu You樘's demeanor when they were still serving as lecturers to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace.

At that time, Zhu You樘 was humble, polite, cautious in his actions, and somewhat weak in character.

But now, with a single thought, Zhu You樘 could bring about the ruin and death of hundreds of families.

With such iron-fisted tactics, where was the slightest trace of his former timidity?

They wondered whether Zhu You樘's transformation was a blessing or a curse for the Ming Dynasty.

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang felt half worried and half gratified.

But in Liu Jian's heart, there was only deep unease.

In the beginning, when Empress Dowager Zhou and the former Grand Secretariat were in power, Liu Jian hoped that Zhu You樘 could be more assertive and reclaim imperial power.

This was because he had not yet entered the cabinet and was still serving in the Ministry of Rites.

As a former official of the Eastern Palace, he could only have a chance to rise if the new emperor completely seized power.

Otherwise, he would always be suppressed by the old cabinet.

Later, after Zhu You樘 used thunderous methods to reclaim imperial power, he indeed promoted him to Minister of Rites and Grand Scholar of the Wuying Hall, allowing him to participate in cabinet affairs.

But after entering the cabinet, he hoped that Zhu You樘 would be weaker, so that he, as a cabinet minister, would have more power.

This is a typical case of thinking being determined by one's position; different positions lead to different interests, and one's stance changes accordingly.

But Zhu You樘 was still so strong, suppressing the cabinet to the point of having no power to resist.

If Zhu You樘's expanding imperial power could not be curbed, then in the future, civil and military officials would truly be reduced to Zhu You樘's household servants.

The civil official group, starting from the reign of Emperor Yingzong at the age of eight, took advantage of the power vacuum during Yingzong's youth.

Through the eras of the Three Yangs (Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu), and then the Jingtai era of Yu Qian, Chen Xun, and Gao Gu.

The civil official group successfully usurped imperial power, and the power of the cabinet began to expand infinitely!

Turning the cabinet from a simple advisory body into a chancellor's office that could restrain imperial power.

During the Jingtai era, Emperor Daizong was nothing more than a puppet of the cabinet.

Even Emperor Daizong had to bribe cabinet ministers with gold and silver to depose or establish an imperial son, which was truly a great joke.

Although Emperor Yingzong desperately tried to regain some power from the cabinet after his restoration.

But the poison of Emperor Daizong was too deep, and the cabinet had firmly pressed down on the emperor's head.

When Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he used the West Depot to attack the civil official group, further consolidating power.

During the Chenghua era, everyone said that the Ming Dynasty court had paper-mache grand secretaries and clay statues of the six ministers.

They mocked the Ming Dynasty's civil officials for holding positions without doing any work, only eating and not working.

That was precisely because Emperor Xianzong used his consummate imperial techniques to return power from the cabinet to the emperor.

Just as the cabinet was on the verge of collapse and imperial power was about to surpass the civil official group again.

Suddenly, Emperor Xianzong passed away unexpectedly, and the cabinet was able to breathe and regain power.

Originally, they thought that with Zhu You樘's weak and sensitive nature, the cabinet could further control power after he ascended the throne.

They could even do what the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty did, arbitrarily deposing and establishing emperors.

But they never expected that Zhu You樘's iron-fisted methods would not involve any imperial scheming or power balancing.

If he was slightly displeased, he would confiscate property and exterminate the family!

Moreover, the two Depots and one Guard were as fierce as wolves and tigers, even stronger than before, leaving the civil official group helpless.

Now, they were also recklessly searching and confiscating the homes of retired officials in the capital, making all civil and military officials feel insecure.

How could this be allowed to continue?

Liu Jian paced back and forth in his study, pondering countermeasures.

Then he sat down at his desk, picked up a pen, and began to write a letter.

Before he could finish the letter, Liu Jian sighed again and burned the letter under the candlelight.

Liu Jian looked at the brightly lit night scene of the capital outside the window.

He sighed leisurely.

...

Junzhou.

Under the cover of night, a group of several hundred people rushed towards Junzhou City.

Junzhou City was an ancient city, with city walls built entirely of blue bricks, making the city structure solid.

The soldiers guarding the city patrolled the watchtowers on the city walls, and immediately became nervous when they saw this group of several hundred people.

"Who goes there? Stop immediately!"

"Junzhou is under curfew, no idlers allowed!"

The group remained unmoved, their speed increasing rather than decreasing, quickly rushing towards the city gate.

The city-guarding general was both shocked and angry, and was about to order his men to fire arrows as a deterrent when the group approached the city walls.

Using the firelight from the watchtowers on the city tower, the city-guarding general finally saw the attire of the person in the lead.

That person wore a pointed hat, white leather boots, a straight uniform, disheveled hair, and a half-mask covering his face, resembling a fierce ghost!

Behind him were hundreds of Jinyiwei in the same attire!

The city-guarding general's pupils dilated, and his eyes trembled with fear.

He was horrified and roared at the soldiers below the city with all his might.

"Open the city gate immediately!!!"

"The West Depot is here!!!"

The soldiers inside the city gate, upon hearing the name of the West Depot, also trembled with fear and opened the gate of Junzhou City as quickly as possible.

Ma Jinzhong did not stop his horse and led hundreds of Jinyiwei into Junzhou City, heading straight for the Ma family of Junzhou.

The Ma family of Junzhou occupied dozens of acres of land, with carved beams and painted pillars, waterside pavilions and singing platforms, pavilions and towers, countless in number.

The entire Ma family mansion was beautifully built, with graceful postures from every angle.

Urgent knocking sounded, and a Ma family servant impatiently came to open the door.

"Who is it? What are you doing coming so late at night, disturbing my sleep..."

Before the Ma family servant could open the door a crack, the Jinyiwei kicked the door open.

Two bright, gleaming sharp knives were pressed against his chest, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

Where had the Ma family servant ever seen such a scene? He looked at the large group of Jinyiwei outside the door, all wearing the same uniforms, holding sharp knives, and looking like fierce demons, and was immediately frightened out of his wits.

Ma Jinzhong walked into the gate, his face ashen, and uttered a hoarse and grating word from under his mask.

"Search!"

"Yes, Chief!"

The Jinyiwei poured into the Ma family like a tide, and the next moment, a lasting and terrifying cry rang out from the Ma family.

The entire Ma family was in chaos!

The Ma family's misfortune alarmed Junzhou City, and the Junzhou Prefect was awakened from his dream by his own servant.

"Lord! Something bad has happened, a large group of people broke into the Ma family and are looting it!"

"What?!"

The Junzhou Prefect hurriedly got out of bed, shocked and angry.

"What kind of bandits are so bold as to dare to target the family of Lord Ma, the Minister of War?"

"What are the soldiers guarding the city doing? How could they let them into the city?"

Ma Wensheng was the current Minister of War. If he knew that his old home in Junzhou had been looted, then his position as the Junzhou Prefect would be over.

"This humble one doesn't know either, they all wear pointed hats, white leather boots, and straight..."

"What?!"

The Junzhou Prefect, who was originally putting on his clothes, stopped his movements and turned around to slap his own servant.

"This official was almost killed by you!"

"How dare you interfere with the West Depot's investigation?!"

"Get back here!"

After scolding, the Junzhou Prefect tremblingly climbed back onto the bed and covered his head with the blanket.