As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao looked at Li Huan and said, "Li Aiqing did the right thing, just like Luo Wenxiang. Corrupt officials like Du Wen should have their reputations ruined and be infamy for thousands of years."
Li Huan bowed and said: "I thank Your Majesty for not blaming me for being expert!"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but sneered: "Jin Yiwei has the right to monitor, arrest, and interrogate officials. You are just exercising the power of Jin Yiwei. How can you be so good at it?"
His eyes fell on Li Huan, and there was a faint look of determination in Zhu Houzhao's eyes as he said: "Today, I grant the Qing family the right to kill first and then report. Anyone who the Qing family suspects, from high-ranking officials to peddlers and lackeys, the Qing family has the right to do so."
Arrest, interrogate, and anyone who dares to obstruct us will be prosecuted for resisting the order!"
Ma Yongcheng, Zhang Yong, and the servants and palace maids all looked horrified when they heard this, and then looked at Li Huan with great envy.
What kind of authority is this? How could he be given such great authority unless he had the trust of the Emperor?
Behead first and report later, the imperial power grants this kind of authority. Even if we look at the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years, there are only a few people with such authority and honor.
Zhang Yong remembered that Zhu Houzhao had once jokingly told Li Huan that he had the right to kill first and then report later, but at that time he just mentioned it casually, fearing that no one would take it to heart.
But this time it was different. Just looking at Zhu Houzhao's solemn and serious face, you knew that Zhu Houzhao was serious.
Li Huan immediately bowed to Zhu Houzhao and said in a solemn voice: "Your Majesty, Li Huan, will obey the holy orders and will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust."
Zhu Houzhao showed a smile on his face, accepted Li Huan's gift, stepped forward and helped Li Huan up and said: "I trust your family, I hope that you and I, the emperor and my ministers, will work together to make our Ming Dynasty prosperous!"
In front of the palace gate, the officials gradually regained their composure under the leadership of the cabinet elders, and were arranged neatly by rank, waiting for the emperor's summons.
As time passed, all the officials present were full of expectations. They were thinking about how impassioned Li Huan would be impeached and what charges he would be punished for when they had an audience with the emperor. This was very critical.
If we don't think clearly in advance now, when we actually meet the emperor later, if we let our colleagues take the lead, won't we lose the opportunity to appear in front of the emperor, the cabinet and all our colleagues?
With a creak, the closed palace door slowly opened, and everyone's eyes turned towards the open palace door.
I saw the little eunuch who originally went to Tongbing running over panting, and behind him, the palace door closed again.
Xie Qian stared at the little eunuch and said in a deep voice: "What is your Majesty's decree? When will you summon us?"
The little eunuch calmed down a little now, calmed down his mind, glanced at Xie Qian and others, and said slowly: "Your Majesty said that you will not see anyone today!"
"What!"
With an exclamation, Xie Qian, Liu Jian and others all had expressions of disbelief in their eyes. It was just that they were turned away from the palace yesterday.
But today they came with most of the officials in the court, plus the cabinet, and they mobilized so many troops. Let alone Xiu Mu, even if there was a big thing, as long as the emperor could still take a step, it would not be possible.
Will not see them.
Not only Liu Jian and Xie Qian, but all the officials present also had disbelief on their faces. Naturally, they were not qualified to meet the emperor at will. But looking at hundreds of colleagues and such a lineup, what could your majesty do?
You may not see them.
After they came to their senses, all the officials with disbelieving faces looked at the elders of the cabinet. Guo Wen stepped forward to face Xie Qian, and Li Dongyang and others saluted: "Sir, your majesty actually refused to let me out of the palace gate."
, what should we do!"
Xie Qian snorted coldly, glanced at all the officials, and immediately shouted in a deep voice: "Everyone, your Majesty must be bewitched by a traitor now, that's why he refuses to see us. We will read the books of the saints, receive the teachings of the saints, and report to the king.
, to care for all the people, at this time, what should we do?"
As soon as these words came out, all the officials present who were depressed after being rejected by the emperor suddenly became excited again as if they had been given a shot of chicken blood.
Guo Wen saw the opportunity and said loudly: "Please ask Mr. Ge to lead us to plead for the people!"
Seeing this, the officials all around bowed to Xie Qian and others, and said with impassioned and righteous expressions: "Please lead me, Mr. Ge, and ask for your life for the people!"
Xie Qian stroked his beard, laughed loudly and said: "Okay, okay, the Ming Dynasty has all the princes, it is really a blessing for all the people in the world!"
Xie Qian then turned to Li Dongyang and said: "Brother Bin, since His Majesty refuses to see us, today we will follow the example of our sages. Even if we have to kneel and die in front of this palace gate, we will make His Majesty change his mind and summon us."
As he spoke, Xie Qian didn't care what Li Dongyang's reaction was. He strode to the palace gate, lifted up his purple robe, and knelt down straight towards the palace gate.
Liu Jian stroked his beard and couldn't help laughing and said: "Okay, how can such a grand event be without me!"
Then Liu Jian, who had gray hair and was thin, knelt down following Xie Qian.
Li Dongyang couldn't help but froze when he saw this, and subconsciously looked at Yang Tinghe. Yang Tinghe had a look of helplessness in his eyes. Under the gaze of all the officials, he slowly stepped forward and knelt down with Xie Qian.
With a secret sigh in his heart, Li Dongyang took a step forward and knelt there as well. As the elders knelt down, the officials around him were all so excited that they fell to their knees in the blink of an eye.
I have to say that this scene was really terrifying. Hundreds of people dressed in official uniforms of various grades just knelt down in front of the palace gate. Anyone who saw this situation would be shocked.
The few young eunuchs guarding the palace gate were frightened and looked at the officials in front of them in total astonishment.
Since early in the morning, a large number of officials gathered in front of the palace gate, and those in the capital who had been paying attention to the progress of yesterday's Li Huanna incident have all turned their attention.
In the restaurant closest to the palace gate, in a side room by the window, several luxuriously dressed and noble people were gathering in the side room.
If any courtiers saw the old man sitting by the window, they would definitely be surprised, because this old man is the contemporary British Duke of the Ming Dynasty, who inherited the title of British Duke, has been in charge of the Beijing camp for decades, and has assisted several generations of kings.
Zhang Mao.
Apart from the royal family, the British Duke can definitely be regarded as one of the most noble people in the Ming Dynasty. Obviously, there are no ordinary people who can be in the same room with him.
The Duke of Cheng, Zhu Fu, the Duke of Ding, Xu Guangzha, the Marquis of Ningyang, Chen Jizu, and the Marquis of Fengcheng, Li Xi, came to this restaurant early in the morning. Needless to say, the purpose was to watch hundreds of officials kowtow at the palace.
How did the emperor react?
As the leader of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts line, the British Duke Zhang Mao was obviously the most respected person among the people present, and the others were also the backbone of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts line.
It's a pity that a large number of nobles and nobles died on the battlefield in the Ming Dynasty Tumu Fort. Since then, the power of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts has been declining. The original situation of civil servants and martial arts checking and balancing each other in the Ming Dynasty was suddenly changed.
Since then, civil servants have overwhelmingly gained the upper hand, and the situation in which the civil servant group is dominated by one family has emerged.
After Wu Xun lost his right to speak in the court, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty had to support eunuchs to fight against the civil service group in order to fight for power. It became the norm for the ceremonial supervisor to hold the power.
To be honest, as the existence of Wu Xun and Guo Tongxiu, others may be afraid of the overwhelming power of Jinyiwei, but they are not very afraid.
Putting aside the fact that at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang took great pride in cleaning up the court, a large number of nobles were captured by the Jin Yiwei. Since then, few Jin Yiwei have come to trouble Wu Xun's line, especially after the battle of Tumubao.
, Wu Xun has completely lost his power, even the emperor has no hope for the Wu Xun Group, and the Jin Yiwei will not keep an eye on the Wu Xun Group.
Although the relationship between the Wu Xun family and the Civil Service Group can be considered harmonious nowadays, after all, the main rival of the Civil Service Group has changed from the Wu Xun Group in the past to the eunuch group today. This does not mean that the Wu Xun Family and the Civil Service Group are in a harmonious relationship.
Got a friend.
If they could see the civil service group being unlucky, Wu Xun and his family would definitely applaud.
Therefore, Wu Xun, headed by the British Duke Zhang Mao, came here to see the jokes of the civil servant group. No matter what the result is today, even if the emperor is forced by the pressure of the civil servant group to remove Li Huan, the civil servant group will not be able to do so because of Luo Wenxiang and Du.
However, the face lost due to the establishment of Han Fuli will never be regained. It can be imagined that this will definitely be a big stain on the civil service group for a long time to come.
Zhang Mao put down the telescope in his hand and said with a bit of a smile on his face: "Not to mention, this thing coming from the barbarian country is really interesting. The name of clairvoyance is well-deserved. It can actually see the situation several miles away."
It’s so clear.”
Cheng Guo Gong Zhu Fu also put down the telescope in his hand and said with a smile: "Just now we saw Xie Qian, Liu Jian and others all kneeling down. Good guy, it seems that Your Majesty is not prepared to see them!"
Li Xi, the Marquis of Fengcheng, heard this and said, "Is it possible that your Majesty really wants to protect Li Huan to the death?"
To what extent has the power of the civil servant group expanded in recent years? If others don't know, can they still not know?
Although their martial arts line has lost the right to speak in the court, the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies is still in their hands and they still have some influence in the army. In addition, their families are doing business and their families are prosperous.
thriving.
Naturally, there are many channels to understand what the civil servant group is doing in the capital and even locally.
In the northern frontier area, there are many caravans smuggling various materials. In the southeast coastal area, thousands of sails compete on the sea, and a large number of fleets go out to sea one after another, bringing back endless benefits.
There are officials who collude with each other and corruption is common. There are officials who accept bribes and shield suspects. There are countless unjust, false and wrong cases. There are also officials who wantonly kill people, one after another, one by one. I am afraid that except for the emperor, anyone with a heart will be aware of it.
I know a thing or two.
The power of the civil service group is such that they, who are independent from the country, do not dare to collide with it. A mere Jin Yiwei town governor would be crushed to pieces by the civil service group in a matter of seconds.
It can be said that no one was optimistic about Li Huan from the beginning. These days, the Jin Yiwei cannot scare people. It is no longer what it used to be when the name Jin Yiwei was used to stop children from crying at night.
Unexpectedly, after Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne, he showed his intention to reorganize the Jinyiwei army several times. Up and down the Jinyiwei, no one dared to take this responsibility. Do they really think they don't want to hold power? The key is that as Jinyiwei, they
He is more aware of the terrifying power of the civil servant group, so he would rather betray the emperor than risk his own life.
Chen Jizu, the Marquis of Ningyang, took a sip of tea and said with a slight smile: "In my opinion, Li Huan is probably just a stupid young man. Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Think about it, he is only eighteen years old. He suddenly grasped the palm of his hand."
With such authority, he is so arrogant that he can do anything, but it is probably short-lived and cannot escape this disaster."
The views of Marquis Ningyang can be said to represent the views of most people. After Ningyang Marquis said, Fengcheng Marquis Li Xi and Ding Guogong Xu Guangzha also nodded slightly.
However, a few people looked at the old and strong British Duke Zhang Mao.
"Old Duke, please tell me, is this Li Huan a fool, or is he acting with a plan, and you are sure that your majesty will protect him?"
Zhu Fu was a little confused at this moment. After all, the emperor refused to see the cabinet yesterday, and now he has even kept all officials out of the palace. It is clear that he wants to protect Li Huan.
Zhang Mao, who had gray hair and was accustomed to all kinds of ups and downs after several dynasties, looked at everyone with a calm expression and said slowly: "I have served four generations of emperors: Yingzong, Daizong, Xianzong, and Xiaozong. Up to now, Your Majesty has served
He is an emperor of the fifth generation, but it is difficult for me to grasp what kind of temperament your Majesty has today."
Everyone nodded slightly. Zhu Houzhao was young and had not been on the throne for a long time. It was not surprising that he could not see what kind of temperament Zhu Houzhao was.
However, Zhang Mao stroked his gray beard, and a gleam of wisdom flashed in his eyes filled with vicissitudes of life. He smiled slightly and said: "But Wang Zhi has appeared. It depends on whether your majesty will protect Li Huan like the Emperor Xianzong in the past."
Already."
After looking at a few people, Zhang Mao said slowly: "I hope that your majesty can be like Emperor Xianzong back then."
Several people were stunned, and then realized that Emperor Xianzong, Zhu Jianshen, ignored the opposition of the civil servant group, impeached and re-appointed the eunuch Wang Zhi, and even set up another West Factory, practiced martial arts, and re-employed military generals in order to fight against the civil servant group. It can be said that
The strength of the Wuxun Group finally stopped its decline during the Xianzong period and regained some of its strength.
It is a pity that after Emperor Xiaozong succeeded to the throne, the good days of the Wuxun Group came to an end. Although they did not target the Wuxun Group, the power of the civil servant group expanded again, making it difficult to control the current situation.
Zhu Fu, Li Xi, Chen Jizu, and Xu Guangzha looked at each other. Thinking of the glory of their Wuxun Group during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, they couldn't help but subconsciously look in the direction of the Forbidden City.
If they were just watching the excitement before, now they are full of expectations for Zhu Houzhao's decision on Li Huan.
After all, this is very likely to be related to the attitude that their noble family needs to maintain when facing the emperor in the next few decades.
While he was talking, there was suddenly the sound of a horse galloping downstairs, and soon a figure was seen coming up the stairs panting.
The man entered the wing and bowed to the princes present, and then said to Zhang Mao: "My lord, all the officials asked to see the emperor but were rejected by the emperor. Now, under the leadership of the elders of the cabinet, all the officials are kneeling in the palace.
In front of the door, I beg the emperor for permission to see you!"
Although they had seen hundreds of officials kneeling in the telescope before, when they heard the news from the people they sent, the princes couldn't help but look at each other.
Zhang Mao waved his hand and said: "Continue to explore!"
As the spy went downstairs, the room became a little quiet for a while, and the expressions on several people's faces were quite strange.
Zhang Mao drank tea and chuckled: "Look, hundreds of officials are forcing the palace. This kind of drama has not been performed for many years!"
With a sigh, Zhu Fu looked in the direction of the imperial city and said: "They are bullying His Majesty when he is young. Xie Qian, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, they are old men. The late Emperor treated them so kindly, and this is how they repay the late Emperor."
?"
Fengcheng Hou Li Xi said with a bit of ridicule: "These old guys are really not afraid of angering His Majesty. They don't even think about it. If they make such a fuss, His Majesty's young mind is such that even if he doesn't want to protect Li Huan, he is afraid that he will die to protect Li Huan."
Already."
Chen Jizu, the Marquis of Ningyang, said calmly: "Maybe His Majesty can't bear the pressure and will hand over Li Huan to the civilian officials. If that is the case, it will be easier for them to handle His Majesty."
Xu Guangzha suddenly said: "By the way, what about that old guy Liu Jin? Ordinarily, Liu Jin can't just sit back and watch at this time. If Xie Qian, Liu Jian and others succeed in suppressing His Majesty this time, except for
Li Huan, Liu Jin will be operated on by all the officials next, and by then Liu Jin will probably not be famous for long!"
When several princes suddenly mentioned Liu Jin, Liu Jin was actually in a teahouse not far away.
Jiao Fang, Liu Yu, Zhang Cai and other core members of Liu Jin's party are almost all gathered here, just like Zhang Mao and other Wu Xun, they are also paying attention to the changes in front of the palace gate.
A young eunuch hurriedly ran into the room and said: "Master Manager, Your Majesty did not summon the officials. At this moment, a group of officials in the cabinet cabinet, led by Lao Xie Qian and Liu Jian, knelt in front of the palace gate and begged Your Majesty to see you.
.”
Liu Jin almost instinctively clapped his hands and praised: "Okay, Your Majesty should punish these people, make them kneel down, and kneel them to death!"
However, the expressions of Jiao Fang, Liu Yu, and Zhang Cai changed drastically, and Jiao Fang shouted: "No, they are using the power of hundreds of officials to force His Majesty!"
Zhang Cai couldn't help but sigh: "Jiang is still old and hot. This statement is true. Xie Qian, Liu Jian and others used the power of hundreds of officials to force His Majesty, and even put His Majesty on fire."
Liu Jin noticed that Jiao Fang and others looked strange and couldn't help but said doubtfully: "Isn't this their usual method? It's just that this time the officials are forcing His Majesty, it's no big deal."
Seeing that Liu Jin didn't seem to realize the seriousness of the matter, Jiao Fang took a deep breath and looked at Liu Jin and said: "The manager's words are wrong. This time is different from the past. If Xie Qian and the others are really successful in forcing the palace, they will not
Li Huan alone will die, I'm afraid your life is in danger too!"
Liu Jin was stunned for a moment, blinked, looked at Jiao Fang, then at Liu Yu and Zhang Cai, but Liu Yu and Zhang Cai nodded solemnly towards him.
At this moment, Liu Jin jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on and screamed: "What a Xie Qian, Liu Jin, they are so vicious. They even plotted against me. How could I let their conspiracy succeed?"
After saying this, Liu Jin stood up and said: "I will go into the palace to meet with Your Majesty and explain the stakes. I will never let Your Majesty bow to the officials."