The ministers, eunuchs, and maids in the Palace of Qianqing didn't know why the emperor was crying so bitterly. Most of them knelt on the ground cautiously, for fear of harming themselves. However, Wang Dehua, Wang Chengen and other high eunuchs could not do like them. I saw them urging me one after another, "Your Majesty, please be careful."
The first assistant of the cabinet, Fan Fucui, and the second assistant, Chen Yan, also knelt on the ground and softly exhorted. Several other people touched their heads to the ground and did not dare to say a word. Even Chen Xinjia did the same.
At this moment, Chen Xinjia felt the most frightened in his heart. He felt faintly uneasy, as if Emperor Chongzhen was like this when he first heard about the disaster of Fu Fan, and he didn't know why he was like this now.
When the intruders were defeated, they fled to the southwest according to Zhang Cheng's tip. They were suspected to be escaping to the Funiu Mountains. However, there is still no trace of the two Xiancao thieves after leaving Sichuan. Could it be that they attacked Xiangyang?
Thinking of this, Chen Xinjia immediately trembled all over, and cold sweat fell down his forehead. His mind was spinning, and he began to think about how to answer in order to deal with it in front of Emperor Chongzhen.
At this moment, everyone in Dongnuan Pavilion suddenly heard Emperor Chongzhen crying and saying: "I never thought of it in my dreams! I never thought of it!"
He then asked again and again: "Yang Sichang... Yang Sichang... what on earth are you doing?"
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Just when everyone was confused, Emperor Chongzhen stopped crying and suddenly asked: "Chen Xinjia, tell me, why did Zhang Xianzhong suddenly attack Xiangyang and kill King Xiangyang?"
"ah!"
Chen Xinjia's head twitched, and he felt his eyes go black for a while. He pressed his hands firmly on the ground to barely support his body, and kowtowed: "Back to the emperor, Yangge reported that he had led his troops out of Sichuan and sent general Zuo Liangyu to counter the traitors. I chased and suppressed the Xian thieves all the way, but how did Xiangyang fall and how did the Xian thieves break into Xiangyang? I really don’t know!"
Because Emperor Chongzhen had stopped crying, Wang Dehua stood up and stepped forward, took Gao Mingheng's secret memorial and passed it on to Fan Fucui, Chen Yan and others for reading.
Gao Mingheng's secret memorial was sent to the palace together with the memorial from Prince Xiang's second son, King Zhu Changcheng of Fuqing. The elders of the various pavilions passed the memorials one by one, and there was silence in Nuan Pavilion.
Wei Zhaocheng read the memorial and handed it to Chen Xinjia. He glanced at Zhang Sizhi slightly and saw that he was shaking his head slightly, clearly implying that it was not appropriate for him to impeach Yang Sichang at this moment.
"I'm tired, please leave!"
Fan Fucui and other cabinet ministers were at a loss for words to persuade the emperor not to be sad. When they heard that the emperor actually told them to retreat, they all felt relieved.
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Seeing that there was no one around, Wei Zhaocheng quietly said to Zhang Sizhi beside him: "Master Zhang, I think it will be difficult for Yang Wenruo to pass the test this time."
Zhang Sizhi walked forward in small steps, minding his own business, and said calmly: "I am very kind to Yang Wenruo now, so I may not punish him."
After taking a few steps forward, he said again: "We have lost two feudal vassals. Yang Wenruo is so ashamed of himself. I'm afraid he will not be able to survive!"
Wei Zhaocheng was stunned and then asked: "Brother Yibai means..."
Zhang Sizhi hurriedly cut off his words and said: "In short, Yang Wenruo's holy family has not declined. You and I are no better than those academic officials. We must not get entangled in this matter. Let's wait and see what happens."
Wei Zhaocheng looked understanding, stopped talking, and ran straight back to his office.
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"Yang Sichang, where are you now?" After everyone left, Emperor Chongzhen asked loudly again.
He stood up suddenly, patted the imperial case, and said sadly in his heart: "Xiang, Luo is the most beautiful place in the world, and Xiangyang is located in the upper reaches of the river, with a high position to the southeast.
King Xiang was the beloved son of Renzong and moved to Xiangyang as a feudal vassal in the upper reaches of the capital. This is quite meaningful. Now that Xiangyang has been captured, the capital must be greatly shaken!"
He sat back on the throne dejectedly. After a while, he felt even more pessimistic and self-hateful. He said in his heart: "I am seeking thief for the world, but unexpectedly, within half a month, I lost the vassal, King Fu and Xiang."
The royal capital fell to thieves.
Could it be that God has abandoned my family and wants to use this to destroy the descendants of my Zhu family? Otherwise, how could the thieves be so rampant!"
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Two days later, Emperor Chongzhen, who was anxiously looking forward to news about Yang Sichang, finally waited for Yang Sichang's supervisor, Dali Youju Wan Yuanji's Eight Hundred Miles Flying Memorial.
The content of the memorial was like a bolt from the blue to Emperor Chongzhen: Commander-in-Chief Yang Sichang died of illness in the governor's camp at Shashikou before dawn on the first day of the first month of the 14th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Ming Dynasty. His edict, seal, and sword were all
It has been properly sealed and is temporarily stored in the Jingzhou treasury.
At the same time as Wan Yuanji's memorial was delivered to the palace, there was also a memorial from Gao Mingheng, the new governor of Henan, saying that Yang Sichang, the governor's assistant minister, "suicided himself by taking poison or hanging himself" in Shashikou. In short, he was not exhausted from state affairs and overworked.
Became ill and died due to illness.
Emperor Chongzhen now hated and pitied Yang Sichang, and he felt even more helpless and powerless as to how to control the military "suppression of thieves" in the future.
After he urgently summoned Chen Xinjia, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, to the palace for discussion, he issued a decree to appoint Ding Qirui, the governor-general of Shaanxi Trilateral Military Affairs with the title of right minister of the Ministry of War, to take over Yang Sichang's position as governor.
Therefore, Ding Qirui was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War and renamed as Superintendent. He was also governor of Huguang, Henan, Sichuan and the armies north and south of the Yangtze River. He was also governor of military affairs on the three sides of Shaanxi. Ding Qirui was also given Shangfang Sword, Feiyu uniform and seals.
Emperor Chongzhen insisted in his heart that although Ding Qirui had some talents, he could never compare with Yang Sichang. However, he looked through the ministers in the court and could not find anyone who could serve as governor on his behalf.
.
In fact, long before the news of Yang Sichang's death reached the capital, some academic officials had filed papers to impeach him, but most of them had no solid evidence, and Emperor Chongzhen ignored them. But now that Yang Sichang's death was quickly reported, the impeachment attack
He wrote more memorials, and new chapters were sent to the palace every day.
Emperor Chongzhen spent millions on Yang Sichang, but failed to suppress the "thieves", which led to the loss of Luoyang and Xiangyang.
The emperor has completed his life. However, his merits cannot be overshadowed by his faults, and his crimes will be heard!"
When the officials and censors saw this edict, they attacked and impeached Yang Sichang more and more fiercely. Some even asked Emperor Chongzhen to cut Yang Sichang's body into a coffin.
But after Emperor Chongzhen's mood calmed down a little, he often remembered what he had said when he gave Yang Sichang a farewell banquet on the platform that if he failed to suppress the thieves, he would "follow them with death", and the lingering sound was still in his ears.
He has always hated the sectarian strife in the imperial court, where the same party opposes different parties, and there is no distinction between right and wrong. This situation has become even more intense now amid the impeachment of Yang Sichang.
Emperor Chongzhen was very angry about this. He ordered the eunuchs to tell the officials of the Six Ministries, Jiuqing, Ke, Dao and others to come to Qianqing palace as soon as possible.