When Zhu Youxiao arrived at the back of Huangji Palace, those who were anxious just now were able to relax a little.
Just after paying homage to the emperor, an official came forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I heard that your Majesty will personally lead a heavy army to the south in the near future. However, there is nothing happening in our Ming Dynasty. The people live and work in peace and contentment. The south is extremely wealthy. I wonder where your Majesty will lead the army south to conquer and who will be conquered?"
"I dare to ask your Majesty to clarify my doubts!"
"I ask the same question!"
"I also ask the same question!"
All of a sudden, there were five officials questioning him. This battle really made Zhu Youxiao a little impressed. It seemed that his attack was far from enough.
Just the momentum of questioning made them feel like they were criticizing the emperor during the Wanli period.
It seems that it has been a long time since we ransacked homes and killed clan members. These people feel that they are capable again.
Zhu Youxiao did not get angry and said calmly:
"I have already discussed with three pavilion elders and six ministers about leading the army south this time. It is inconvenient to disclose the reasons. I have to keep it secret for a while, and you will know by then!"
This is a big deal. What do you mean by this? What do you mean it is inconvenient to tell us?
All of you here are officials of the dynasty. As the emperor, shouldn't you first discuss with the courtiers before making a decision when something happens?
Just forget it if you don’t trust us. Doesn’t saying this mean to express your rejection of us? You only have a few ministers like the chief minister of the Sixth Cabinet Department, right?
What made them jump the most was not this. The emperor wanted to personally lead the army south. What was Jiangnan doing now? He was preparing to cut off water transportation and start a war with the emperor. This was a critical moment.
They have basically figured out the emperor's temperament. He is a merciless and ruthless master. He can no longer be described as cruel to the literati and gentry. He mainly likes to play dirty tricks, which makes them unable to guard against him.
Moreover, the emperor was very fond of money. He would confiscate thousands of taels of silver when he ransacked his houses, but he still said every day that he had no money.
It was hard to get the emperor to pay for it once, but in the end he had to issue an IOU.
The key is that in addition to the Ministry of Revenue, officials from the other six ministries also signed and pledged the payment on the IOU.
To borrow the words of the emperor, if the treasury has no money, nothing will happen. When the time comes, you can raise your own funds and pay it back to me. Anyway, it is written in black and white, and you can't escape no matter what.
Now he is going to lead the army to the south. This news is no different than the sky is falling.
You must know that most of the officials in the DPRK and Central Government are from the south. Which one in the local area is not showing off their power in a majestic manner?
Which official doesn't have some assets at home? If the emperor seizes the evidence and convicts you, there is a high probability that your home will be confiscated.
"Then I dare to ask your Majesty, what will happen? And where will it happen? The Sixth Section has not received any military reports or urgent reports from various places in the south in recent days. Your Majesty is not trying to follow the old example of Emperor Wuzong, right?"
Before the emperor responded, Wang Chaofu, who was standing next to the throne with his head bowed and serving, shouted in his sharp voice:
"Bold Prince, why are you making such nonsense in front of Long Live Lord? How can you bring up Lord Zhengde wantonly? You are disrespectful to the late Emperor."
"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, even if you have ten heads, it is not enough to behead you, let alone you are in the court today in front of the Long Live Lord and all the civil and military officials."
"Since this is your first offender, I will treat you lightly as appropriate. If someone comes, I will drag you to court for fifty years, remove you from office, and expel you from the capital!"
The guards in the palace secretly glanced at the imperial case. Seeing that the emperor did not stop him, they strode forward with their swords in hand and quickly pulled the official out. Soon, screams could be heard.
Zhu Youxiao did not acquiesce in this matter, but he specifically told Wang Chaofu that as long as someone dared to criticize the late emperor, no matter who he was, he would be dealt with according to Ming law. The authority of the emperor was not allowed to be slighted or insulted by anyone.
But sometimes the emperor's authority cannot completely convince everyone. Even if there are lessons learned from the past, there are still people who will follow suit.
The middle-aged official who had secretly complained about the cabinet bachelor and the six ministers strode forward from an inconspicuous position at the entrance of the palace. When he reached the middle position, he bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, even if Wang Sheng spoke openly and contradicted the late emperor, what he said is indeed true. There is no war in the south. If your Majesty wants to tour the south, you can just say it directly. Why bother to cover up and find these unrealistic things?
Where’s the excuse?”
"I also want to impeach Wang Chaofu, the admiral of Xichang, for interfering in government affairs and endangering loyal ministers and righteous people!"
"The affairs of the government are decided by the monarch and his ministers. When do you need a mere eunuch to come out and give advice?"
"Your Majesty is still young, or you may have been deceived by such traitors. Your Majesty has already allowed Wei Zhongxian to do whatever he wants. Are you going to raise another dynasty assistant to harm our Emperor Ming?"
"I request your Majesty to immediately kill Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chaofu, so as to restore our Ming Dynasty's clean government and benefit the people. Your Majesty, all the people in the world hate these two thieves. Please make an immediate decision. This is the wish of all people in the world!"
Being scolded like this in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, Wang Chao's face turned red and his neck was thick, and the whisk in his hand was about to break.
Zhu Youxiao also didn't expect that a low-ranking and inconspicuous official would be today's supporting role. It seemed that he was too confident.
Most of the officials in the DPRK couldn't help but straighten their backs. These words spoke to their hearts, saying exactly what they wanted to say but didn't dare to say.
Some of the more angry young officials were so happy that they barely even shouted out a good word.
They also reacted extremely quickly. They rushed out of the queue one by one, stood behind the middle-aged official to express their support, and asked Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chaofu to be killed.
But he wasn't done yet after spraying Wang Chaosu. The man continued:
"What I said today was from the bottom of my heart. Even if Your Majesty is not happy, I still want to say it. Your Majesty should know that the current situation in our Ming Dynasty is turbulent and the people of Liao are panic-stricken. It is a good opportunity for Your Majesty to work hard to govern and display your great ambitions. Could it be that Your Majesty
Are you going to ignore the people of Liao?"
"Your Majesty favors traitors and keeps away virtuous ministers. Don't you know that this is an act of harm to the country? Will the old events of the Han and Tang Dynasties be repeated in our Ming Dynasty?"
"I heard that your Majesty likes to study history books. Don't you know that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said that history can be used as a mirror to understand the rise and fall?"
"What's more, the emperor should act openly and above board, rather than blindly caring about his own preferences. Although the old slaves and Mongolia outside the customs were defeated by the Ming Dynasty, they still have some strength. How will the world think of your majesty going south now?"
"Furthermore, even if the ministers agree to His Majesty's southern tour, the ceremonial guards, guards, officials and other things accompanying the southern tour will cost an unknown amount of money. Your Majesty often emphasizes to your ministers that you must be frugal and considerate of the people. Have you forgotten that you
Doesn’t what you say come true?”
"I swear to the death that your Majesty will leave Beijing for a tour to the south. If your Majesty insists on going his own way regardless of the people of the world, please step over my corpse first."