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

Chapter 83: The Late Emperor's Poisoning!

More than five hundred officials cried with tears streaming down their faces, as miserable as could be.

It was truly a sight that saddened the beholder and brought tears to the listener.

Even Wang Shu, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang, and others felt a little pity in their hearts.

After all, feigning illness to request leave was a serious offense, but it didn't warrant death!

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but sigh again.

Zhu You樘 had indeed grown tired of the wailing and pleading of these officials.

"Silence!"

"Imperial Guards, listen to my command!"

Immediately, the Imperial Guards behind these officials feigning illness knelt to receive the imperial decree.

They awaited Zhu You樘's decision on the punishment of these officials!

Zhu You樘 looked at the five hundred officials kneeling before the Meridian Gate and said coldly.

"Those who feigned illness and failed to attend court today will receive twenty strokes of the court staff and have their salaries suspended for half a year."

"The Imperial Guards will carry out the punishment immediately."

Upon hearing Zhu You樘's punishment, the hearts of the five hundred officials instantly died halfway.

Don't underestimate the twenty strokes of the court staff; if they were carried out with full force, the lightest consequence would be hemiplegia, and the heaviest would be immediate death!

The court staff punishment in the Ming Dynasty was extremely particular, and regardless of the number of strokes, it could determine a person's life or death.

Because the executioners were mostly from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, some experienced ones had long developed the skill of wielding the court staff.

If the emperor wanted the official to live, then after the court staff punishment, the official would be beaten until their skin was torn and bloody, looking extremely miserable.

But these were only superficial injuries; they could return to bed and recover in a few days.

If the emperor wanted the official to die, then a single strike would target the spine, bones, and nerves.

After the beating, not a drop of blood would flow, but all the bones and nerves inside the body would be necrotic, and the official would be crippled even if they didn't die.

The officials' life or death depended entirely on the emperor's will.

Mou Bin, unsure of Zhu You樘's intentions, boldly asked.

"Your Majesty, should the court staff be applied 'really' or 'with care'?"

Applying 'really' and 'with care' was the secret code between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot.

Applying 'really' meant life, while applying 'with care' meant death.

Zhu You樘's ultimate goal today was not to deal with these officials who claimed illness and failed to attend court, so he did not intend to take their lives.

"Don't beat them to death."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Mou Bin accepted the order and left, exiting the Meridian Gate and standing before the officials.

The scene of more than five hundred officials being punished with the court staff at the same time was indeed quite grand.

The Imperial Guards responsible for the execution also brought the court staff specifically used for punishment.

This kind of court staff was made of hard chestnut wood, and the striking end was shaped like a mallet, making it very painful to be hit.

Mou Bin spread his feet apart, toes pointing outward, and loudly ordered: "Twenty strokes of the court staff, execute immediately!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards immediately prepared to carry out the punishment.

At the same time, the Imperial Guards also noticed the posture in which Mou Bin was standing.

He was standing with his feet apart and his toes pointing outward, which meant that His Majesty wanted them to apply it 'really' and spare their lives.

If he had stood with his feet together and his toes pointing inward, then His Majesty would have wanted them to apply it 'with care,' and they could have prepared for the aftermath that night.

The Imperial Guards pressed the officials to the ground and then raised the court staff high, striking them on their buttocks.

Immediately, a chorus of screams echoed across the Meridian Gate Square.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Spare me! Your Majesty, spare me ahhh!!!"

"Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Majesty! I dare not do it again! I dare not do it again!"

"Spare me, Your Majesty!!!"

"..."

The tragic cries made the civil and military officials in the court unable to bear to hear them.

After a few strikes, the buttocks of many officials had been beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding profusely.

Wang Shu, Liu Jian, Liu Daxia, and others all closed their eyes and sighed deeply.

The officials feigned illness and failed to attend court, and His Majesty's punishment was justified, so even they couldn't say much.

The officials who were being punished were even more regretful.

If they had known this would happen, they would have crawled to court this morning even if they had to!

The physical pain, coupled with the regret in their hearts and the fear of death, completely broke these officials!

Each of them cried incessantly, making the officials in the court feel cold and weak in their legs, and they retreated a few steps, wanting to be as far away from the execution ground as possible.

Twenty strokes of the court staff was neither too much nor too little.

When the last Imperial Guard put away the court staff, the court staff punishment of these five hundred officials also came to an end.

The officials who were lying on the ground wailing were shocked to find that they had not died after receiving twenty strokes of the court staff!

Not only were they shocked, but even the civil and military officials behind them widened their eyes in shock when they saw these officials who could still breathe after being punished.

They really didn't die!

His Majesty actually spared their lives?!

The previous impression of Zhu You樘, who often ordered the execution of officials' entire families, had been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the civil and military officials.

At this time, Zhu You樘 suddenly spared these officials' lives, which immediately made the officials overjoyed and praised Zhu You樘 as a benevolent ruler of all time!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing our lives! Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing our lives! Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence surpasses Emperor Renzong of the previous dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler of the ages, and your reputation for kindness and generosity should be passed down through the generations! Praised for all eternity!"

"Your Majesty wields the Vajra's means but harbors the Bodhisattva's heart. To have such a benevolent ruler is truly the great fortune of the Ming Dynasty!"

"..."

The officials who had survived the disaster, disregarding the pain on their bodies, repeatedly praised Zhu You樘.

The flattery was like it didn't cost any money, racking their brains to spout it out, almost blowing Zhu You樘 into an emperor of all time.

Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen of the Song Dynasty was careful in his dealings with people throughout his life, worked diligently, endured a lifetime of grievances, and did good deeds all his life, only to earn the title of a benevolent ruler.

But when it came to Zhu You樘, he was called a benevolent ruler of all time just for beating these officials who feigned illness and failed to attend court twenty times and not killing them.

This may be the legendary case of laying down the butcher knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot.

Zhao Zhen had to be a benevolent ruler for a lifetime to be called a benevolent ruler.

And Zhu You樘 was only called a benevolent ruler for not massacring officials once in a while.

In this light, pens and tongues are not important.

As long as people feel that saying the wrong thing will really lead to death, then there will naturally be great scholars to defend the emperor's actions.

These officials felt that they would really die, so they didn't care about face and just wanted to save their lives.

After all, they were timid and not courageous literati.

The flattery made all the civil and military officials blush.

Wang Shu trembled with anger and cursed in a low voice: "Shameless!"

Li Dongyang and Xie Qian turned away in disgust: "Treacherous villains, it is truly a disgrace to be associated with them."

"Without pride, without integrity, ashamed to be officials!"

Liu Jian was also quite speechless, regretting sympathizing with them before, sympathizing with them too early, it was simply a waste of his feelings.

Huai En listened in secret shock, sighing that he still had to study more.

Looking at these civil officials, the way they praised the emperor was really good to hear.

Their flattery skills were unmatched even by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot.

Zhu You樘 waved his hand in annoyance, and the officials under the Meridian Gate stopped talking.

"Alright, the foreplay is over, now it's time for the main event."

Zhu You樘's words stunned the civil and military officials present.

Publicly punishing more than five hundred officials with the court staff could only be called foreplay by Zhu You樘?

What would it take to be called the main event by Zhu You樘?

Could it be like the time outside the city before, when one hundred and ninety-one corrupt officials were trampled into minced meat in public to be considered the main event?

Considering the changes in the capital last night, coupled with the densely packed Battalion of the Brave outside Chengtian Gate,

the hearts of the civil and military officials couldn't help but beat faster. Their backs and foreheads inexplicably began to sweat, and their faces gradually lost color.

Indeed!

Indeed!

His Majesty's sudden change of the court meeting to be held at Meridian Gate today was indeed meaningful!

Zhu You樘 stood up from the dragon throne, put his hands behind his back, took two steps forward, and stood in front of the railing on the Meridian Gate tower.

He glanced at the civil and military officials in front of the Meridian Gate and frowned slightly.

The five hundred or so officials who were lying in front of the Meridian Gate, having just received their caning, occupied the best position.

"Drag them all to the side!"

"Bring the people involved in the late Emperor's poisoning case to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot eunuchs took their orders at the same time, and then acted quickly!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot eunuchs acted separately, without any delay.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard dragged all the punished officials who were still lying on the Meridian Gate Square, unable to move, to the Six Ministries' duty rooms on both sides of the Meridian Gate.

This group of officials had just been punished, and with such tossing and turning, the newly inflicted wounds began to throb violently again.

But this time, no one dared to cry out.

The punished officials tightly covered their mouths, their eyes staring in horror at Zhu You樘 on the Meridian Gate.

At the same time, the Eastern Depot eunuchs who had been waiting in the Imperial Ancestral Temple stepped forward and grabbed the officials kneeling outside the temple, bringing them from the right gate of the temple to the Meridian Gate Square.

Then, they escorted all these officials, suspected of being involved in the late Emperor's poisoning case, to Zhu You樘.

At this moment, all the officials on the Meridian Gate Square were shocked, their eyes widened, and they fell into a daze.

What case did His Majesty just say?

The late Emperor's poisoning case?!

The late Emperor was poisoned?!

At this moment, all the civil and military officials felt their scalps tingle, cold sweat pouring down, and a huge fear arose in their hearts.

If this case is confirmed, given Zhu You樘's temperament, how many people in the entire capital will be buried with the late Emperor!

Cold sweat dripped from the corners of the officials' foreheads, but no one bothered to wipe it away.

Everyone tightly gripped the笏 tablets in their hands, forcing themselves to stand up straight, not to fall down midway.

At this moment, the entire Meridian Gate Square, a place where thousands of people gathered, was suddenly deathly silent.

Only the sound of the Eastern Depot eunuchs escorting the officials could be heard.

One after another, officials suspected of being involved in the late Emperor's poisoning case were escorted to the Meridian Gate.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Min Gui, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Wang Ji, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Yang Qiao…

The heads of the Three Judicial Offices were all present!

In addition to the Three Judicial Offices, there were also members of the Six Ministries, the Imperial Hospital, the Five City Patrol Divisions, the Six Secretariats, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices…

The number of people involved in this case, the breadth of the departments involved, and the high rank of the officials involved were truly rare.

Soon, the space in front of the Meridian Gate Square was already crowded.

The court officials, led by Xu Pu and Wang Shu, had to step back several steps again to create enough space.

Zhu You樘 looked at the officials kneeling densely under the Meridian Gate, and the anger that had gradually subsided rose to his heart once again.

Zhu You樘 really didn't understand why the Ming Dynasty's civil officials were so unscrupulous that they dared to poison even the emperor.

If he didn't have the 130,000 loyal Embroidered Uniform Guard and army in his hands, wouldn't the next emperor to "suddenly" die be himself?

"Since I ascended the throne, every time I think about the days before and after the late Emperor's death, I feel that there are many strange things."

"But I never expected that you civil officials would be so bold as to dare to poison the late Emperor!"

"Outrageous!!!"

Zhu You樘 roared at the court officials, and all the civil and military officials were horrified and pale.

Xu Pu, Liu Jian, Wang Shu, Liu Daxia and others were shocked and quickly led the officials to kneel and kowtow.

"Your Majesty, we are terrified! We dare not!"

"You dare to kill even the emperor, what else is there that you dare not do?!"

"The Three Judicial Offices!"

Zhu You樘 shouted angrily, and all the officials below trembled in fear.

As the chief and deputy officials of the Three Judicial Offices, Min Gui, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Ji, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Yang Qiao, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, were filled with fear.

"Your Majesty, we are here, we kowtow to Your Majesty!"

Among these three, Wang Ji was the highest official of the Court of Judicial Review, in charge of the entire Court of Judicial Review.

Min Gui and Yang Qiao were both deputy officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, respectively in charge of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, regarding matters of criminal trial.

After the late Emperor's death, the Three Judicial Offices not only failed to investigate to the end, but also arbitrarily closed the case, released the officials of the Imperial Hospital, and did not hold anyone accountable.

On this point alone, this group of people from the Three Judicial Offices is unforgivable!

"I ask you, after the late Emperor's death, why didn't you thoroughly investigate to the end, but instead released Liu Wentai of the Imperial Hospital and did not hold anyone accountable!"

Wang Ji, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I was also acting on orders!"

"Grand Secretary Liu Ji of the Grand Secretariat instructed us that the late Emperor's death was completely accidental and had nothing to do with the Imperial Hospital, and told us not to implicate the innocent!"

"I wanted to investigate to the end, but the Grand Secretariat ordered it, and I had to obey!"

"Preposterous!" Zhu You樘 roared: "Is this world the world of the Grand Secretariat, or the world of the Zhu family emperor?!"

"Are you officials of the Ming Emperor, or officials of the Grand Secretariat?!"

"The Grand Secretariat told you not to investigate, and you didn't investigate. When did the Grand Secretariat's words become more effective than the Emperor's words?!"

"This…"

Wang Ji was terrified and speechless, only kowtowing.

"Your Majesty! I was confused for a moment! I am guilty! I am guilty!"

Min Gui also hurriedly spoke, clearing his responsibility.

"Your Majesty, I am only the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. It was Zhang Ying, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice at the time, who ordered the Ministry of Justice not to intervene."

"I was also powerless and it has nothing to do with me!"

Zhu You樘's anger was hard to dissipate: "I will certainly punish that old thief Zhang Ying. Don't think that he is dead and this debt will be written off!"

"And you, who are in charge of criminal trial, failed to fulfill your duties, and you are also guilty!"

Finally, Zhu You樘 looked at Yang Qiao again: "The Censorate supervises all officials and has the responsibility to supervise the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review."

"If they don't investigate, does your Censorate also follow suit and not investigate?"

Yang Qiao was panicked and uneasy, and did not defend himself, but just kept kowtowing.

"This guilty official is terrified! This guilty official is terrified!"

The three of them were really regretful to the extreme. If they had known this, they would never have acted like this before!

Then, Zhu You樘 looked at the Five City Patrol Divisions: "What were the Five City Patrol Divisions doing the night the late Emperor died?"

"Not arresting a single person, not catching a single person, and even letting Liu Wentai sleep soundly in his own home for a night?!"

Geng Wenxin, the commander of the Central City Patrol Division, opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.

"And you!"

Zhu You樘 turned his gaze and looked at the civil and military officials behind.

"The late Emperor died so strangely, but none of the civil and military officials dared to speak out!"

"Is this how you act as subjects?!"

Chapter 4 on the shelves!