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

Chapter 5: Address His Majesty, Zhou!

Zhu Youcheng sat in the Qianqing Palace, calmly watching the scene outside.

The air grew increasingly stuffy, yet the rain was slow to fall, causing irritation.

At that moment, several muffled thunderclaps echoed in the sky, heralding the impending rain.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager Zhou has decreed that you are to go to the Cining Palace to pay your respects.”

Huai En hurried forward, whispering in Zhu Youcheng's ear.

“I will not go. Tell her to come to the Qianqing Palace to see me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Soon, the news of Zhu Youcheng's refusal to go to the Cining Palace to pay his respects was relayed back to the Cining Palace.

Upon hearing Zhu Youcheng's reply, the Empress Dowager Zhou angrily smashed the teacup in her hand.

“Insolent wretch!”

“How can someone so unfilial govern the empire?”

“Has he forgotten all the principles I taught him?”

“Unfilial descendant! Unfilial descendant!”

The Empress Dowager Zhou was both angry and anxious, pacing back and forth within the Cining Palace.

The atmosphere within the Cining Palace seemed to have dropped, and all the palace maids and eunuchs around her knelt on the ground, trembling.

Grand Eunuch Wei Xing, the director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, rushed in anxiously and whispered into the Empress Dowager Zhou's ear.

“Your Majesty, the palace has been placed under sudden martial law, and this old servant's men cannot get out.”

“However, this old servant has already released the Embroidered Uniform Guard's carrier pigeons, and the message has been successfully sent out.”

“But the wind blowing through the palace seems a bit off; Your Majesty must be careful.”

The Empress Dowager Zhou sneered, “What? Within this imperial palace, am I to act according to what little Cheng'er wants?”

“Cheng'er grew up watching me; does he dare to rebel against me?”

No one dared to answer the Empress Dowager Zhou's words. After a moment of thought, she asked Wei Xing again, “Are the men from the Eastern Depot ready?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, a total of three hundred Eastern Depot agents within the palace are near the Cining Palace.”

The Empress Dowager Zhou felt a sense of security and immediately walked towards the palace entrance.

“Very well, does Cheng'er want me to go see him?”

“Then I shall go see him!”

“Prepare the imperial carriage for the Qianqing Palace!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

…

Qianqing Palace.

The little eunuch's announcement echoed outside the palace: “The Empress Dowager has arrived!”

Finally, she's here!

Zhu Youcheng put down the memorial in his hand and slowly walked towards the palace entrance.

Before he could leave the palace, he encountered the Empress Dowager Zhou, who was full of anger, at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace.

Before Zhu Youcheng could even offer his greetings, the Empress Dowager Zhou sternly questioned him.

“Cheng'er, you must give me an explanation for this!”

“Why did you shelve the memorials I sent people to deliver?”

Zhu Youcheng's tone was indifferent: “I believe that although the open-salt system has many inconveniences, the cash-levy system is even more inappropriate. I will not allow the ancestral system to be abolished.”

“Furthermore, endorsing and stamping are my prerogatives. The Empress Dowager bypassed me and communicated with the Grand Secretariat in private, which is a major violation of the rule against interference in politics by the women in the inner palace!”

A trace of panic flashed across the Empress Dowager Zhou's face, but she quickly calmed down.

“Cheng'er, you are still young and do not understand politics.”

“I am merely handling government affairs on your behalf. If you have the intention to rule personally, then you should learn diligently from me.”

“But why did you kill Liang Fang without authorization?!”

Outside the palace, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by several muffled thunderclaps.

Zhu Youcheng was expressionless: “Can I not kill a mere eunuch?”

“An ordinary eunuch would be fine, but you clearly know that Liang Fang is my man.”

Zhu Youcheng glared at the Empress Dowager Zhou: “What do you mean, your man?”

“I only know that under this heaven, all eunuchs, all officials, all commoners, are my people!”

The Empress Dowager Zhou was momentarily speechless, then her face darkened: “Cheng'er, are you defying my orders?!”

“This empire is mine! I am the sovereign! My orders are imperial decrees! How can there be any talk of defying orders?”

The Empress Dowager Zhou exclaimed, “Cheng'er…”

Zhu Youcheng roared: “Address His Majesty, Zhou!”

“Crack!”

A thunderclap resounded, and the long-awaited downpour finally began!

The Empress Dowager Zhou's face looked even paler in the lightning's reflection.

She looked at Zhu Youcheng in front of her and felt a sense of fear.

It was a fear of losing power.

The Empress Dowager Zhou's body trembled slightly: “Disrespectful and unfilial, disrespectful and unfilial! This is an act of utter rebellion!”

“From today onward, I sentence you to confinement. Without my permission, you are not allowed to step out of the Qianqing Palace!”

“Guards! Secure the Qianqing Palace for me!”

After the Empress Dowager Zhou gave the order, everything remained quiet, and no one rushed in.

Zhu Youcheng stood where he was, sneering repeatedly.

“Where are they? Where are my people?”

Seeing no one come forward, the Empress Dowager Zhou also felt a trace of panic.

Wei Xing was also covered in sweat: “Chief! Why don't you quickly bring your men out? Do you dare to disobey Her Majesty's orders?”

In the pouring rain outside the palace, someone finally walked out slowly.

But it was Huai En who came, and he seemed to have some blood on him.

Huai En respectfully saluted Zhu Youcheng: “Your Majesty, all the men have been eliminated, three hundred in total.”

Huai En waved his hand behind him, and hundreds of Eastern Depot agents, holding cold blades and covered in blood, walked out of the rainy night.

Each person had one or two still-dripping heads hanging from their waist.

“Ahhhhh!!!”

Among the people brought by the Empress Dowager Zhou, some had already been frightened out of their wits and collapsed on the ground, trembling.

The Empress Dowager Zhou and Wei Xing were also pale.

He didn't understand when Zhu Youcheng had cultivated such a huge force in the palace.

But he still had hope, he still had the Embroidered Uniform Guard…

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Mu Bin requests an audience!”

“Summon him.”

Mu Bin came forward with a tray in his hands, also covered with a white cloth.

“This subject, Mu Bin, pays respects to Your Majesty!”

Zhu Youcheng waved his hand: “Present the items to the Empress Dowager.”

“Yes!”

Mu Bin stepped forward and placed the tray in front of the Empress Dowager Zhou.

Zhu Youcheng smiled: “Empress Dowager, were you waiting for this?”

“Open it and take a look.”

The Empress Dowager Zhou trembled as she reached out and lifted the bloodstained white cloth.

Under the white cloth, the heads of Wan Tong, Zhou Ping, and Zhou Yi stared at her!

“Crack!”

Another muffled thunderclap echoed, and the lightning illuminated the bloody heads, shattering the Empress Dowager Zhou's psychological defenses.

“Wan Tong, Ping'er, Yi'er…”

The Empress Dowager Zhou staggered back a few steps, finally falling to the ground, staring blankly at the three heads in front of her.

With Wan Tong's death, the Empress Dowager Zhou understood that the confidants he had placed in the Embroidered Uniform Guard had also been uprooted by Zhu Youcheng.

Having lost the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she had completely lost control of the inner palace.

Moreover, Zhou Ping and Zhou Yi had also been executed by Zhu Youcheng, so what next…

The Empress Dowager Zhou dared not think further, and fear spread deep within her heart.

Wei Xing had already knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Please calm your anger!”

Zhu Youcheng looked up at the sky, his tone indifferent: “Listen to the decree.”

Eastern Depot Director Huai En and Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Mu Bin straightened their expressions and knelt down to listen to the decree.

“This old servant Huai En, this subject Mu Bin, respectfully listen to the imperial decree.”

“The Empress Dowager Zhou, violating ancestral precepts, colluding with the Grand Secretariat, and disrupting the affairs of the court, is hereby stripped of her title and reduced to commoner status!”

“Effective immediately, she is to be confined to the Qingning Palace. Without my permission, no one is allowed to enter or leave the Qingning Palace!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

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