The evidence he had in hand was not comprehensive enough, especially the lack of ironclad evidence, so he could not attack them instantly.
If the officials are notified and go through the so-called normal process, it may not be finalized for a year or so. They will use various reasons to defend their God of Wealth.
Zhu Youxiao had no choice but to make this move. Only by arresting them first could the initiative be in his own hands.
"Daban, what's going on outside now? How are the courtiers reacting?"
His Majesty the Dragon's Imperial Majesty Wang Chao Fu quickly put down the memorial in his hand, walked up the steps and said beside the emperor:
"Back to Lord Long Live, the courtiers were talking a lot. They were all discussing in private to inquire about Lord Long Live's health and the situation in the palace."
"Many officials are willing to spend a lot of money to bribe eunuchs and maids!"
"Although the prohibition and legal system in the palace are strict, people and money are at stake. There are still some people who cannot resist the temptation and are willing to act as the eyes and ears of foreign ministers, providing them with information about the situation in the palace and Long Live the Lord!"
"I have asked my subordinates to pay close attention to their whereabouts. Everything is under control. Please rest assured!"
"Okay, you pass on my oral instructions to all the officials. A great meeting will be held in two days. No one is allowed to be absent. Everyone must come to the Huangji Palace on time!"
Wang Chaofu is so smart. Seeing the emperor's relaxed look, he is about to meet with officials again. How can he not know that the emperor's important affairs have been completed?
He said with a smile on his face:
"Long live the Lord is going to convene a great court meeting. It seems that the affairs in Shanxi have been concluded. Congratulations to the long live Lord and congratulations to the long live Lord!"
Zhu Youxiao stood up and moved his limbs and neck, then looked in the direction of the candlelight and said slowly:
"Okay, now it's just a formal declaration of war. The fun is yet to come. I don't know what will happen at the court meeting in two days. You go to Xuan Wei Zhongxian and Yang Huan to see me in the palace now!"
This year's second imperial meeting was destined to be bloody again. Zhu Youxiao didn't know how many officials in the imperial court had colluded with Shanxi merchants, so he had to make the most comprehensive plan.
This time in the war with them, Zhu Youxiao would not fight them personally as usual.
Wei Zhongxian, as the eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, was naturally the best candidate.
Thanks to Zhu Youxiao's deliberate publicity, the reputation of Dongchang Changgong had already spread throughout the government and the public.
In addition, he was originally a gangster who was born in the market, and he didn't care about morality and reputation at all.
This kind of scoundrel-type villain is undoubtedly the best candidate to deal with those hypocrites who talk about benevolence, justice and morality and serve the country and the people.
When it comes to talking nonsense, Wei Zhongxian may not lose to them, because he is not bound by so-called moral qualities at all. What he thinks in his eyes and heart is always whether it is good for him or not.
Just like in history, he originally wanted to follow Feng Bao and Wang An's example and act as the Donglin Party's spy in the palace, helping them monitor and suppress the emperor.
Unexpectedly, he was rejected by the Donglin Party members who always regarded themselves as gentlemen and high-ranking scholars, and even insulted him several times, which greatly affected his self-esteem.
In order to get rid of the bad breath in their hearts, they can unite with the Five Tigers and Five Biaos to go to prison, arrest a large number of Donglin Party officials, and sentence them to death.
Now he could understand why Emperor Xuanzong wanted to improve the status and power of eunuchs.
No matter how talented you are as an emperor, no matter how mighty and domineering you are, you are still just one person, and you have to fight against the entire officialdom and the big gentry in the country.
After all, a person's power is limited. Even people like Emperor Taizu needed to rely on Jin Yiwei to monitor hundreds of officials in order to take the initiative.
In his later years, he was wary of suppressing the literati and gentry all his life. He just relaxed a little and took a nap, causing decades of hard work to go to waste.
Unless he can completely change the pattern of the times, or kill all the civil servants and gentry in one go.
This is obviously impossible, but it is even more impossible to fight against the middle and high-class people in the world with one person's power. Otherwise, no matter how ruthless he is, it will only be temporary.
Just like Taizu, they described him as a murderous tyrant after his death.
Or, like Xianzong, he was transformed by the devil into a faint king who ignored the government and caused great chaos in the country.
Although Zhu Youxiao was not afraid of becoming a so-called tyrant in the future, it was too tiring to confront them head-on in person.
Such hard work can be left to the people below to do it. You just need to give them enough support and see the tricks.
Of course Zhu Youxiao cannot waste such an excellent candidate as Wei Zhongxian, he must make good use of him and bring out his value.
Zhu Youxiao did not hide anything from his two confidants and told them his worries and thoughts without hesitation.
"These profiteers are just appetizers. Their caravans can pass through the border fortresses silently. They not only bribed the local civil servants and military generals."
"There are definitely not a few officials above the court who collude with them, especially those censors in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Their hush money is definitely not a small amount."
"I want to use these Shanxi merchants to find out all these scoundrels and not let any of them go."
"Yang Huan, if there is more space in Jinyiwei's prison, I will have enough manpower!"
"Send a flying cavalry early tomorrow morning to tell Xu Xianchun that he doesn't have to wait for interrogation in the capital. Let him interrogate as he goes, so that he can get more evidence as soon as possible."
Yang Huan knelt on the ground, cupped his fists and shouted:
"I obey the decree!"
"I will hold a court meeting in two days. Wei Zhongxian, gather your support and sort out all the criminal evidence of the Shanxi merchants. Then I will make a formal announcement in front of all the officials!"
"I guess they will be shocked and ask why."
"Don't let me down then. You must suppress them firmly. On the day of the meeting, I will leave them all to you!"
Wei Zhongxian smiled broadly. He didn't think too much and didn't feel that the emperor was taking advantage of him.
Even if he knew that the emperor was using him, he would still go through fire and water. For close servants like them, what they feared most was to be left alone by the emperor.
The fact that the emperor entrusted him with such an important task showed that he trusted him very much, and he only felt grateful and happy in his heart.
He clearly understands his status. The emperor has never favored any party. Whether it is the West Factory, the East Factory, or the Jin Yiwei, they all have the same status.
But how could Wei Zhongxian be willing to be on the same level as the other two parties?
The only way to stand out and become the emperor's number one confidant is to show greater ability than Xichang and Jinyiwei.
"Long live my lord, don't worry, I will do my best!"