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

Chapter 81: Officials Terrified, Dare Not Attend Court!

Liu Jin saw that Mou Bin had no intention of acknowledging him, so he turned around awkwardly, a hint of shame and anger flashing in his eyes.

This feeling of being ignored was something he hadn't experienced since he was transferred to the Eastern Depot.

Anyone who entered the Eastern Depot prison, no matter what rank they held outside, Liu Jin had hundreds of ways to make them call him 'Grandfather' inside.

This feeling of being openly disregarded reminded Liu Jin of the days when he was arbitrarily bossed around in the Bell and Drum Division.

How could this not fill Liu Jin's heart with both shame and anger?

But Mou Bin, at this moment, naturally had no need to pay attention to Liu Jin's emotions.

Liu Jin could only vent his anger on those officials who had participated in the poisoning of the late Emperor.

"Men, take down Geng Wenxin and interrogate him severely to find out who his accomplices are!"

Liu Jin glared at Geng Wenxin through gritted teeth, wishing he could swallow him alive.

"Yes!"

At Liu Jin's command, several Eastern Depot agents rushed forward and arrested Geng Wenxin on the spot.

Geng Wenxin, bewildered, shouted his innocence.

"Release me! Release me!"

"What crime have I committed?! I do not confess!"

"You are investigating a crime without evidence; I will appeal to the Emperor!"

"… …"

Liu Jin smiled hideously: "You were the one leading the Central City Military Command on patrol the day the late Emperor passed away!"

"As a result, not only was Liu Wentai not immediately arrested that night, but he also slept soundly at home. You cannot escape the blame!"

"Ah?!"

Geng Wenxin gasped, suddenly losing all strength in his body, and was dragged away like a dead dog by the Eastern Depot agents.

After arresting the man, Liu Jin smiled at the Western Depot agents before leaving.

The Western Depot agents replied politely, neither being intimate nor offending him.

However, in their hearts, they secretly felt somewhat aggrieved.

Tonight, the protagonist of the capital was destined to be the Eastern Depot.

The investigation work they, the Western Depot agents, were doing was merely to cooperate with the Eastern Depot's arrest operation.

This feeling of being reduced to assisting the Eastern Depot made everyone in the Western Depot feel a fire burning in their hearts.

They vowed to make up for it in the future.

After Liu Jin led his men out of the Central City Military Command's yamen, he headed towards the residence of the Investigating Censor of the Provincial Administration Commission.

On the way, he happened to encounter Li Guang, who was heading towards the residence of the Joint Commissioner of the Salt Tax Lifting Commission.

"Eunuch Li, how many have you arrested?"

When Liu Jin saw Li Guang, he walked over quickly with a smile.

In his heart, Li Guang actually disliked Liu Jin, this guy who always smiled but was extremely ruthless in his actions.

Li Guang frowned slightly and responded indifferently: "Not many, only less than twenty people."

"Oh, then Master Li must speed up a bit. I'm afraid we won't be able to arrest all five hundred people by dawn!"

Li Guang appeared calm and unconcerned: "Eunuch Liu doesn't need to worry about this matter. Eunuch Liu should take care of the matters at hand."

"It doesn't matter if you arrest people slowly. The important thing is, don't miss anyone."

Liu Jin smiled: "What Master Li says is true. Then I won't disturb Master Li's investigation."

"Master Li, please!"

"Eunuch Liu, please as well."

Li Guang left with his men, leaving behind Liu Jin with a gloomy face.

Since entering the Eastern Depot, Liu Jin had always lived in Li Guang's shadow.

No matter how excellent Liu Jin performed, no matter how great his contribution to the late Emperor's poisoning case.

In the eyes of Huai En, the Supervising Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, he would never be comparable to even a finger of Li Guang!

There was no way around it; who told Li Guang to be Huai En's adopted son?

Moreover, Liu Jin also knew that Huai En was getting old, and he wouldn't be able to be the Director of the Eastern Depot for much longer.

Huai En was treating Li Guang as the future Director of the Eastern Depot and nurturing him!

"Li Guang, one day, this eunuch will make you lower your head in front of me!"

Liu Jin muttered through gritted teeth in his heart, then turned around with a cold face, preparing to vent the resentment in his heart on the Investigating Censor of the Provincial Administration Commission.

… …

In the capital, a large number of depot guards were moving around everywhere, arresting people everywhere.

The messy footsteps, the miserable wails, and the sound of galloping horses from before had long awakened all the officials and common people in the entire capital.

The common people hid in their homes, closed their doors and windows tightly, and prayed anxiously that nothing major would happen.

Compared to the common people's anxiety, the officials of the capital had long been frightened, their faces pale and devoid of color.

They had experienced the turmoil in the capital many times before.

But none of them had been as big as tonight.

Not to mention the depot guards coming and going outside the window, each passing could scare them half to death.

Just the sound of the galloping horses had pulled them back to that scarlet hell outside the city.

Remembering those broken limbs and arms, remembering those blood and flesh, some officials' legs went weak, and they lost control of their bowels.

Liu Daxia's Residence.

Minister of War Liu Daxia stood in front of his study, watching the back of Wang Zhi, the Director of the Western Depot, slowly leaving.

"Alas… …"

Only after he could no longer see Wang Zhi's back did Liu Daxia let out a long sigh.

After pounding his somewhat numb legs, Liu Daxia slowly walked back to his study.

It wasn't until he sat back on the soft couch and leaned against the backrest that Liu Daxia realized that in this cool autumn night, his cold sweat had already soaked his clothes.

Just now, he had just finished accepting Wang Zhi's investigation.

Recalling Wang Zhi's terrifying and frightening eyes, Liu Daxia felt a chill all over his body.

That kind of expressionless gaze, but one that seemed to place people in a hellish, cold environment.

Only those who had personally killed hundreds or thousands of people could possess it.

"This Minister of War is really not easy to be."

Recalling his predecessor, Ma Wensheng, who was trampled into flesh and mud by ten thousand horses, and whose corpse wasn't even found after his death.

The only thing left was his head, which was sent to the nine border regions as a warning to others.

Liu Daxia felt extremely regretful in his heart: "If I had known this, I shouldn't have come to be this Minister of War!"

Xu Pu's Residence.

Grand Secretary Xu Pu put on a coat and paced back and forth in his study with a worried expression.

Since the sound of galloping horses rang out, he had been unable to sleep anymore.

He was afraid that after he fell asleep, he would never wake up again.

Since he became Zhu Youtang's Grand Secretary, he hadn't had a single peaceful sleep.

"What should I do?" Xu Pu muttered to himself.

It is said that accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger, but where is the tiger that he accompanies?

It is clearly a living Yama!

In just a few months, the capital had been turned upside down, and officials were living in misery.

Being an official under Zhu Youtang's command was even more dangerous than being an official under Emperor Taizu Gao!

If it had been before, Xu Pu would have written his resignation long ago and returned to his hometown to retire.

However, Zhu Youtang did not allow officials to retire at will; all retiring officials had to accept an investigation by the depot guards.

If the depot guards found even the slightest hint of corruption or bribery, it would be the extreme penalty of confiscation of property and decapitation.

And in this entire capital, how many officials were not afraid of the depot guards' thorough investigation?

"Alas… …"

Xu Pu thought back and forth but couldn't think of any effective way.

Finally, Xu Pu took a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of determination, and a resolute look suddenly appeared on his face.

He sat down at his desk and picked up a pen to write.

What he was writing was not something else, but a will!

Besides Liu Daxia and Xu Pu, Wang Shu, Jia Jun, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, and others were all sleepless all night.

Tonight, not many officials could sleep soundly, especially with the court assembly scheduled for the next day.

The officials in the capital felt anxious and uneasy at the thought of attending the imperial court in just two hours.

At the same time, they harbored a deep question in their hearts.

What exactly caused Zhu You樘 to create such a commotion?

The scale of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's actions tonight surpassed all previous operations.

...

Forbidden City.

Hongde Hall.

Zhu You樘 also remained awake all night, staring expressionlessly at the darkness outside the window, as if trying to see something through it.

Huai En tiptoed to Zhu You樘's side and reported respectfully.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Ying, the former Minister of Justice, was also deeply involved in this case, but he passed away not long ago."

"Also, Liu Ji, the mastermind behind this case, was executed by Your Majesty before."

"Your Majesty, what do you think about these two..."

Huai En stopped speaking, held his breath, and waited for Zhu You樘's decree.

Zhu You樘 sneered, "Think they can get away with it by dying?"

"Strip Zhang Ying of his posthumous title and honors, destroy his tomb, exhume his body and desecrate it, and execute his entire clan to the ninth degree!"

"As for Liu Ji, I remember that I only had his immediate family executed last time, and haven't touched his relatives, right?"

"Good, this time, execute his entire clan to the ninth degree as well!"

Huai En was terrified upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, since the Qin Dynasty, there have only been three precedents for executing the nine generations of a family, and Emperor Taizong alone accounts for two of them, leaving a slight stain on his reputation."

"Your Majesty should consider your reputation for future generations, it is not advisable..."

Zhu You樘 turned his head and glanced at Huai En indifferently.

Huai En's heart trembled, as if falling into an ice cave, and he quickly stopped speaking, bowing his head to receive the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhu You樘 turned his head back and gave another instruction.

"Tomorrow's court assembly will be held in front of the Meridian Gate."

"Have all the involved officials been captured?"

Fine sweat appeared on Huai En's forehead: "Reporting to Your Majesty, only a portion have been captured, and they are all being held at the execution grounds, waiting to be executed en masse after dawn."

"Take all the captured officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and have them kneel before the ancestral tablets of the late emperors, awaiting my judgment."

"Tomorrow, I will personally interrogate all the officials!"

The Meridian Gate, located behind the Chengtian Gate, is the main gate of the Forbidden City.

Popular folklore says that beheadings took place at the Meridian Gate, but in reality, the Meridian Gate was never used for beheadings, only occasionally for flogging officials.

However, flogging sometimes resulted in the death of officials, so it became a place of killing.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple is located to the right front of the Meridian Gate; passing through the gate to the right of the temple leads to the Meridian Gate Square.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will go and do it immediately."

After speaking, Huai En quickly retreated from the Hongde Hall, fearing even a moment's delay.

Only after leaving the Hongde Hall did Huai En catch his breath.

When Zhu You樘's gaze fell upon him, Huai En was so frightened that he even forgot to breathe.

Huai En dared not delay and immediately ordered people to convey Zhu You樘's decree to Liu Jin and Li Guang.

After receiving the news, Liu Jin and Li Guang quickly ordered people to transfer the arrested officials from the execution grounds to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

At three quarters past Yin hour, it was time to attend the court assembly.

Some officials were so frightened that they had their servants inform the Ministry of Personnel that they were ill and could not attend the court assembly.

But more officials still obediently put on their official robes, held their tablets, and headed towards the Forbidden City.

Along the way, all the officials attending the court assembly saw the Embroidered Uniform Guards shuttling back and forth in the capital.

The solemn aura emanating from them seemed to make the air in the capital heavy.

When these officials arrived in front of the Chengtian Gate and saw the densely packed, heavily armed Vanguard Battalion outside the Forbidden City,

the emotions of many civil and military officials spiraled out of control!

"What... what... what is His Majesty doing?!"

"With so many Vanguard Battalion troops stationed in the Forbidden City, who is His Majesty defending against?!"

"I'm afraid these Vanguard Battalion troops aren't being used to defend against anyone, but to deal with someone!"

"..."

The civil and military officials of the entire court had personally witnessed the Vanguard Battalion executing corrupt officials outside the city.

That scene of scarlet hell was still vivid in their minds.

Now seeing this group of black-armored, black-horse fiends again, which official's legs wouldn't tremble?

When Xie Qian got out of his carriage, his legs went weak upon seeing the sea of Vanguard Battalion troops outside the Chengtian Gate.

If the coachman hadn't been quick-witted and supported Xie Qian in time, this Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet would have embarrassed himself in front of the Chengtian Gate.

Just as Xie Qian arrived at the Chengtian Gate, Li Dongyang's carriage arrived right after him.

Li Dongyang's performance was not much better than Xie Qian's; after getting out of the carriage, he was so shocked to see the dark mass of Vanguard Battalion troops that he opened his mouth wide and almost cried out.

"Binzhi, you're here."

Xie Qian quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and saluted.

After getting out of the carriage, Li Dongyang also returned the salute: "Yuqiao, congratulations, congratulations!"

Xie Qian was surprised: "This... Binzhi, don't joke around, given the situation tonight... this... what is there to congratulate about?"

Li Dongyang smiled bitterly: "If you and I can still meet here safely tonight, shouldn't we say congratulations?"

Xie Qian was stunned for a moment, then returned a bitter smile: "You, ah, you really are optimistic."

Li Dongyang sighed: "What can we do, whether we're optimistic or not?"

"Yuqiao, to be honest, I actually wanted to claim illness and not attend the court assembly today."

"Last night's commotion was too great, and I'm really scared in my heart."

"But I reckon that with His Majesty's temper, other days would be fine, but if I dared to claim illness and not attend the court assembly today, I'm afraid I would be in deep trouble."

Xie Qian nodded in agreement: "Binzhi is right, His Majesty must have a deep meaning after every period of turmoil."

"Today's court assembly is absolutely not to be missed."

"Moreover, it wasn't just Binzhi who was scared last night; I was scared too."

"I don't know what a tragic scene there will be at today's court assembly."

Speaking of this, Xie Qian closed his eyes with a headache, his face full of pain.

Li Dongyang patted Xie Qian's shoulder and walked with Xie Qian into the Chengtian Gate, passed through the Duan Gate, and arrived at the waiting room next to the Meridian Gate.

Many officials waiting to attend the court assembly were already standing in the waiting room.

Soon, the time reached three quarters past Mao hour, which was the usual time to go to Fengtianmen Square to wait for the emperor to attend the court assembly.

The civil and military officials in the waiting room walked out of the waiting room and headed towards the Meridian Gate.

But unexpectedly, when they arrived at the Meridian Gate, they discovered that the Meridian Gate had not been opened.

Thousands of court officials were forced to crowd in front of the narrow Meridian Gate Square.

The Meridian Gate Square is only half the size of Fengtianmen Square, with the Meridian Gate in front, the Duan Gate behind, and the Six Ministries' direct offices on the left and right sides.

The high walls on all four sides surrounded the civil and military officials, like turtles in a jar.

The four members of the Inner Cabinet walking in the front were puzzled.

The Meridian Gate was not opened during the court assembly, which was the first time in history.

Second chapter on the shelves!