Zhu Youxiao saw that these literati were already dead pigs and were not afraid of boiling water. They knew in their hearts that they did not go south just for fun. Once their flaws were exposed and they got the evidence, they would be in trouble.
They are not stupid either. Everyone is dead. It is better to stop things before they happen. As long as they succeed, these people and the interest groups behind them can still sit back and relax.
Zhu Youxiao had already used his best weapon to win against civil servants, but things did not turn around.
After all, there are nearly a hundred court officials. It's good that you have evidence of their crimes, so you can punish them and convict them openly.
And in the absence of evidence of their crimes, not to mention Zhu Youxiao, even Zhu Yuanzhang here would not dare to take away so many court officials at once. This would not only bring bad reputation, but also cause turmoil in the country.
Unless you really want to be a tyrannical king who is reviled by thousands of people.
He just hates that he doesn't have enough time now. If he is given three to five months, he will definitely be able to investigate the details and privacy of these civil servants.
No matter how strong a person's ability is, no matter how powerful the power in his hands is, he is still just one person. He is too weak. It is really difficult to fight against such a huge group.
But as a die-hard supporter of the emperor, Wang Zaijin began to speak out.
"I support your Majesty. Since Emperor Xuanzong of our Ming Dynasty, no emperor has ever visited the south for more than two hundred years. Your Majesty wants to take a good look at the country of our Ming Dynasty."
"The emperor should concentrate on political affairs, but he should also visit the thousands of people and feel the sufferings of the people. After returning to Beijing, he will definitely be able to prescribe the right medicine and eliminate the evils."
Zhu Youxiao's efforts and layout in the past year have not been in vain. Most of the officials he promoted and appointed expressed support for the emperor to leave Beijing, just like Wang Zaijin.
The lineup of supporters is much stronger than that of the opposition. Basically, there is no one lower than the fifth rank, and the leaders are still the first-class rank of Six Ministers and Ministers. Even Xu Guangqi has clearly expressed his support.
There were quite a few people there, nearly forty people.
In fact, speaking of it, only a few people such as Wang Zaijin, Wang Shaohui, and Song Yingxing actively and willingly supported the emperor.
But because their official status is too high, even though they are extremely low-key and don't make friends, they inevitably have a group of people attached to them.
This was a change in the officialdom environment in the late Ming Dynasty. Even Zhu Youxiao, as the emperor, had to abide by this rule.
Among the opposition, except for a small number of officials, the others were all minor officials of the sixth or seventh rank. They could be said to be completely out of the ordinary in this court.
In today's court meeting, it can be said that the factions in the capital's officialdom were clearly divided. It was clear at a glance who were loyal to the emperor and who were against him.
Those centrist officials who were not involved in both sides stood calmly on the spot, making no movement or making a sound, as if today's events had nothing to do with them.
Zhu Youxiao took a brief look around and found that most of these officials were from the northwest and Liaodong. The matter discussed today indeed had nothing to do with them.
They are weak and have no background in the government. They usually behave with their tail between their legs, let alone expect them to express their stance at this time.
They did not dare to offend the officials in the south, and they did not have the courage to go against the emperor, so they simply became deaf-mute.
This was exactly what Zhu Youxiao wanted. With the support of dozens of officials from the middle and lower levels, he became more confident.
Originally, he was worried that it would arouse opposition from the Manchu officials, which would be detrimental to his plan for the southern expedition. He was afraid that they would make some small moves to undermine him after he left Beijing.
Although several of the chief officials of the Sixth Department of the Cabinet are his, it would still be very troublesome if the grassroots officials collectively object and do not cooperate. After all, they cannot handle everything by themselves. Even if they have the intention, they do not have the energy.
.
With the support of grassroots officials, it means that there are people to handle things. Although there are not many, as long as there are no major problems, it can ensure that the normal government affairs can run normally.
This time Zhu Youxiao no longer had any worries. It was useless to talk about these people and could only suppress them with severe means.
At this time, Li Changwen, the chief of the Taiyuan Hospital, hurriedly came to report that the censor who hit the pillar was no longer seriously injured after treatment, but he was still unconscious.
The opposition officials all showed a trace of bitterness when they heard this. How could they still not be killed?
They still want to use this matter to make a big fuss and force the emperor. What should they do now?
Zhu Youxiao looked at their constipated expressions and suddenly felt extremely happy. The situation was completely reversed.
He immediately ordered the cabinet to draft a decree on the spot, and all officials who had the main administrative power and service power would be dismissed from their posts, or transferred to other idle departments to take up empty posts.
These people were basically the most important force in the opposition. He would not be at ease if he left them and kept them in important positions.
As for those who complained like the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the officials of the Hanlin Academy, he was all punished with a three-year salary fine. In serious cases, the punishment was reduced by two to three levels, and all of them were sentenced to prison, which was equivalent to temporary imprisonment.
Free prisoner.
But this was not enough, so he selected more than thirty officials from among these people and ordered them to accompany him on his journey south.
These people are the officials who have the most serious objections. They are not from the same group as him and there is no need to live in the world anymore. It is a good time to deal with them all during this southward trip.
Before the decree was completed, these officials started shouting. They were not losing their temper, but going crazy.
How could they accept such a level of punishment? Even if they could accept it, it would cost them half their lives.
"Is your Majesty really going to do such a foolish thing? Has your Majesty forgotten the instructions of Emperor Taizu?"
Zhu Youxiao immediately said angrily:
"That's enough. You have the nerve to mention Taizu. If Taizu comes to power today, won't you be cut into pieces?"
"When you forced my grandfather back then, did you ever think about what happened today? The emperor's power, do you ministers dare to challenge it beyond your own capabilities? It seems that the imperial court has been too good to you!"
"The matter of traveling south has been decided. Anyone who dares to continue to cause trouble will be punished as a deceitful person!"
"Retreat!"
After Zhu Youxiao said something angrily, he swung his sleeves and robe and walked straight out of the palace. The guards and guards in the palace had already touched the handle of the knife. If there was anyone who was ignorant, they would be hacked to death on the spot in Huangji Palace. .
When the officials saw this, no one dared to move, so they could only scream in the palace, saying that the Ming Dynasty was coming to an end, and that the foolish king would come to the world.
Wang Xiangqian, the deputy minister of the cabinet, did not say a word from beginning to end. After the emperor left, he just sighed and shook his head, and then left.
As a Jinshi during the Longqing period, he had seen this kind of fact too much. He knew that the emperor was very vindictive. He had seen the scene when hundreds of officials complained against the Wanli Emperor.