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

The bright moon hung high above the capital, and it was already night.

Huai En was preoccupied with his thoughts, his heart filled with trepidation about the unknown.

The scope of this matter had far exceeded his expectations.

His mood had shifted from initial elation and determination to unease and fear.

At this moment, although the investigation was not yet complete, he could no longer suppress it.

He had to report this matter to His Majesty and let him decide.

...

Hongde Hall.

Zhu Youcheng was reviewing memorials when Huai En walked in and knelt before him.

"This old servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Youcheng glanced at Huai En on the ground, then returned his gaze to the memorial in his hand.

"Rise."

"Your Majesty, this old servant has an important matter to report to Your Majesty for your decision."

Huai En did not rise but instead took out the secret letter from his bosom and held it above his head.

Zhu Youcheng sensed the seriousness in Huai En's tone, even a hint of fear.

Zhu Youcheng put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Huai En.

"Present it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Huai En carefully presented the secret letter to Zhu Youcheng.

After Zhu Youcheng took the letter, he stood respectfully to the side.

Zhu Youcheng opened the secret letter, and the first sentence made him frown deeply.

"In the twenty-third year of Chenghua, Liu Wentai, the Grand Physician of the Imperial Hospital and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Communications, colluded with Grand Secretary Liu Ji of the Grand Secretariat to poison the late Emperor!"

Zhu Youcheng continued reading, becoming more and more alarmed and enraged.

The case involved a large number of people, hundreds in total, both those who had been clearly investigated and those who had not.

Among them, more than twenty or thirty were high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above.

After reading it, Zhu Youcheng was shaken to his core.

The anger in his heart reached its peak, and even the hand holding the secret letter trembled slightly.

"Audacious!!!"

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!!!"

"Treasonous! This is simply deceiving Heaven, deceiving Heaven!!!"

"Huai En, what exactly is going on!!!"

Zhu Youcheng slammed the secret letter on the dragon desk, stood up excitedly, and his chest trembled incessantly with anger.

This was the angriest Zhu Youcheng had ever been.

He never expected the civil official group to be so bold and reckless.

The late Emperor had actually been poisoned!

Zhu Youcheng's anger reached an unbearable level, and the flames of anger in his heart wanted to burn everything.

Huai En was so frightened that he quickly knelt down and kowtowed incessantly.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger, please calm your anger!"

"Your Majesty should value your health and not harm your dragon body."

Zhu Youcheng roared in a low voice: "Enough nonsense, speak! Tell me everything in detail!"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, when the late Emperor passed away, this old servant was still guarding the mausoleum under Zijin Mountain."

"I don't know much about what happened in the court, and I can't say for sure about the things that were investigated later. I can only say that it is speculation."

"Speak!" Zhu Youcheng squeezed the word out from between his teeth.

Zhu Youcheng's patience had reached its limit.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I will speak now."

Huai En composed himself and began to narrate the events leading up to the late Emperor's death.

"In August of the twenty-third year of Chenghua, the late Emperor did not attend court due to illness."

"After recuperating for four days, the late Emperor issued an edict stating that his health had improved."

"However, after drinking the medicinal soup prescribed by Liu Wentai, the Grand Physician of the Imperial Hospital, that evening, he suddenly became critically ill and passed away not long after."

"Shi Qin and Zhong Lan, the main persons in charge of the Imperial Hospital, were demoted to Grand Physicians of the Imperial Hospital, and Ren Yi, Zhang Yuan, and Liu Wentai were demoted to Vice Grand Physicians of the Imperial Hospital."

"Subsequently, the Grand Secretariat issued an edict stating that the case was closed and would not be pursued."

"No one was imprisoned and executed for the late Emperor's death!"

"Then, in October, the 564 officials and 1358 artisans directly appointed by the late Emperor were ordered to retire."

"The vacancies of these five hundred or so officials were quickly filled by people promoted by the Grand Secretariat."

"This matter is extremely suspicious, so since this old servant took over the East Depot, I have been secretly investigating."

"Now there are some clues, basically confirming the fact that the late Emperor was poisoned, but this case involves too much, and there are twenty-three high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above."

"But this does not mean that these twenty-three high-ranking officials participated in the conspiracy."

"The real participants in the conspiracy and those who implemented it will not exceed five people."

"Most of the officials took advantage of the situation after the incident, took advantage of the situation, and fished in troubled waters for their own benefit."

"They watched the late Emperor pass away indifferently, not only did they not avenge the late Emperor, but they also prevented others from thoroughly investigating the case."

"Taking advantage of the power vacuum after the late Emperor's death and before Your Majesty's ascension to the throne, they plundered their own interests!"

"This case, please Your Majesty decide!"

Huai En was in tears as he spoke.

Zhu Youcheng clenched his fists, and the anger in his heart needed to be vented.

When Zhu Youcheng came here, it was already the first year of Hongzhi.

Several months had passed since Zhu Youcheng ascended the throne in September of the twenty-third year of Chenghua.

Although he also had memories before and after his ascension to the throne, he had no way of knowing such secret things.

But now, on closer thought, the late Emperor's death was indeed suspicious.

The most suspicious point is that after the late Emperor's death, why was no one imprisoned and executed?

The second suspicious point is why, immediately after the late Emperor's death and before Zhu Youcheng's ascension to the throne.

The Grand Secretariat quickly dismissed the five hundred or so officials appointed by the late Emperor and replaced them all with their own people.

The so-called appointed officials refer to officials appointed by the Emperor's own decree.

The appointment of these officials does not need to be approved by the Grand Secretariat. The Emperor directly hands the list to the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel appoints them according to the decree.

Correspondingly, there are promoted officials who are appointed only after the Grand Secretariat drafts a list and it is approved by the Emperor.

Because these appointed officials are appointed by the Emperor himself and have no vested interests with the Grand Secretariat, they are not deeply bound.

During the Chenghua period, the late Emperor would appoint a batch of appointed officials every month.

By the end of the Chenghua period, there were as many as hundreds of appointed officials in the court.

After the late Emperor's death, these appointed officials were all ordered to retire.

There must be something fishy about this!

Zhu Youcheng sat back on the dragon chair with a gloomy face.

"Kill."

"Your Majesty?"

Huai En raised his head, he didn't quite hear Zhu Youcheng's words.

"Kill them all for me!!!"

Zhu Youcheng suddenly slammed his palm on the dragon desk in front of him, his emotions agitated.

"The five hundred or so officials replaced by the Grand Secretariat, no need to investigate, immediately arrest them all and execute them collectively!"

"All the officials who have been investigated and those who have not been investigated, no need to investigate them anymore!"

"Anyone involved in the late Emperor's death case, anyone with even a little suspicion, arrest them all and kill them without mercy!"

"Also! Continue to investigate for me! Investigate to the death!"

"Let them bite each other out, I must clean up the traitorous officials in the capital!"

"This group of civil officials dared to poison the late Emperor, they are really rebelling against the heavens!"

"Kill! Go kill them for me now! Not a moment can be delayed!"

"Also, immediately transfer three thousand East Depot henchmen into the palace to strictly guard the Forbidden City, no mistakes allowed!"

"Go and find Gao Shun, Wang Zhi, and Mou Bin for me!"

"You, wait here for orders!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Huai En was terrified by Zhu Youcheng's words.

With such an appointment, the number of people in the capital who would lose their heads would definitely be more than ten thousand.

At the same time, he was deeply shocked by Zhu Youcheng's魄力.