pappabearbooks Chapter 38 A bloodbath!
Chapter 38 A bloodbath!
Through this second secret letter, Zhu Houzhao realized that the late emperor and empress dowager did not love each other as deeply as he had imagined.
It turns out that Emperor Xiaozong's refusal to take concubines was not simply because he deeply loved Empress Dowager Zhang.
The bigger reason was the collective obstruction by Empress Zhang and the cabinet.
The one who contributed the most was Xie Qian, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
The official who petitioned Emperor Xiaozong to take a concubine was dismissed from his post, and his superior was also imprisoned and punished.
Empress Dowager Zhang truly held absolute power in the palace, completely controlling Emperor Xiaozong.
In the inner palace, Emperor Xiaozong did not only have Empress Dowager Zhang as his only woman; he also had palace maids who served him in bed.
However, due to Empress Zhang's obstruction, these palace maids could serve Emperor Xiaozong in bed, but they had no official status.
The fact that Empress Zhang and Emperor Xiaozong had been married for four years but still hadn't conceived a prince suggests there must be some hidden reason behind it.
If what Zheng Wang said is true, that he was born to Zheng Wang's daughter, then it is not incomprehensible that Empress Zhang would take action against him.
Empress Dowager Zhang could even ruthlessly kill her own husband, so she would be even less merciful when it came to killing her godson.
What Zhu Houzhao could not understand was that even if Empress Zhang succeeded in killing him, he still had no children. Who should inherit the throne?
Should we adopt one from a vassal king?
Just like Zhu Houcong in later generations, who supported another young emperor?
Thinking of this, Zhu Houzhao trembled with anger.
"Besides you, who else knows about this?"
Zhu Houzhao's sharp eyes were fixed on Cao Zhengchun.
Cao Zhengchun was startled and quickly said, "Only fourteen Eastern Depot agents who are investigating this matter know about it."
"Give them a proper burial, give each of their family members a pension of one thousand taels, promote them all to hereditary commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and select one of their relatives to serve in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless; this old servant thanks Your Majesty on their behalf!"
Just then, Liu Jin cautiously returned to the palace and reported to Zhu Houzhao.
"Your Majesty, Zhuge Zhengwo from the Six Doors requests an audience."
Zhu Houzhao held the secret letter in his hand to the candle flame and burned it to ashes.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Soon, Zhuge Zhengwo entered the main hall.
He saw Cao Zhengchun kneeling in front of Zhu Houzhao, his back soaked with cold sweat.
Zhuge Zhengwo felt a slight panic in his heart, but his face remained calm.
"Your Majesty, I have a confidential memorial to present to you. Please open it personally!"
Zhuge Zhengwo knelt before Zhu Houzhao and took out a secret letter from his bosom.
"Oh? You also have secret reports to submit to me?"
Zhu Houzhao took the secret letter from Zhuge Zhengwo's hand and unfolded it to read it.
The contents of the secret letter were found to be highly similar to the contents of the first secret letter that Cao Zhengchun had given him.
The records document the various events that Emperor Xiaozong did in the year before his death.
Zhu Houzhao put down the secret letter, looked at Zhuge Zhengwo, and after a moment's thought, he understood Zhuge Zhengwo's intention.
"You mean, that imperial edict was forged by the cabinet in collusion with the empress dowager, is that right?"
Zhuge Zhengwo was quite surprised, not expecting Zhu Houzhao to understand his intention so quickly.
He nodded firmly: "Your Majesty, that is precisely my intention."
"No matter how hard the Six Doors investigated, they couldn't find any record of the late emperor leaving behind a will."
"The late emperor passed away very suddenly, without having time to leave a single word."
"Moreover, the edict that Liu Jian produced contained content that was completely contrary to the late emperor's actions before his death."
Logically speaking, it is unlikely to be the late emperor's intention.
"Although I have not yet obtained any substantial evidence, I am certain that this edict is a forgery!"
"And only the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager working together could have done this so cleanly, leaving no trace."
Zhuge Zheng, I'm right. In his will, Zhu Youcheng instructed him to be close to civil officials, treat his relatives well, and dismiss the eunuchs stationed in various regions.
Zhu Youcheng did indeed do these things before March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign.
At that time, Zhu Youcheng listened to all the advice of the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, and did whatever the Cabinet asked him to do.
At the same time, the emperor was particularly lenient with Zhang Heling and other relatives of the emperor, not only tolerating their wrongdoings but also frequently increasing their salaries, granting them land, and even bestowing upon them imperial estates.
Furthermore, he never dispatched any censors or eunuchs to various parts of the Ming Dynasty, nor did he ever inquire about any local financial or grain affairs.
But everything changed after March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign.
Zhu Youcheng began to audit the accounts, began to bypass the cabinet to command the army, began to assess the administration of officials, and began to seize power from the civil officials!
At the same time, he repeatedly instructed censors to impeach the imperial relatives, take back the privileges held by them, and seriously investigate their mistakes.
Subsequently, a large number of censors and eunuchs were dispatched to various parts of the Ming Dynasty to monitor the flow of money and grain.
Would a ruler like Zhu Youcheng, after his death, completely deny all the efforts he made during his lifetime and make his crown prince obediently listen to the cabinet?
This imperial edict, without a doubt, was forged by the empress dowager in collusion with the cabinet!
His intentions are despicable!
Moreover, Zhuge Zhengwo's last words also served as a reminder to Zhu Houzhao.
Yes, in the harem, it is certainly not the case that an empress can control everything.
Whether it was the poisoning of the late emperor or the forgery of the imperial edict, Empress Dowager Wang was certainly involved.
After all, the late emperor wasn't her biological son.
Zhuge Zhengwo originally thought that Zhu Houzhao would be furious after learning this news.
Unexpectedly, although Zhu Houzhao appeared very tired, he remained calm.
This made Zhuge Zhengwo admire Zhu Houzhao even more.
What he didn't know was that after learning about Empress Zhang's secrets, Zhu Houzhao had already had a premonition about this news.
Empress Dowager Zhang even had the audacity to assassinate the emperor, but it was just a matter of forging an imperial edict; she probably didn't even take such a trivial matter to heart.
The truth behind all the cases was revealed on the same day, and the sheer volume of information left Zhu Houzhao exhausted.
First, they learned that the late emperor had been murdered by the harem and the cabinet.
He also learned that Empress Dowager Zhang might not be his biological mother.
Finally, he learned that the cabinet and the harem had conspired to forge an imperial edict, forcing him to abdicate and attempting to make him submit.
With power in his hands, Zhu Houzhao's enemy was the entire rentier class of the Ming Dynasty.
Now that they had made their move, Zhu Houzhao had no more concerns.
Since we're going to kill, let's kill until the world is turned upside down, until the heavens and earth are turned upside down!
"Zhuge Zhengwo!"
"Your subject is here!"
"Liu Jian and Xie Qian, their entire families shall be executed!"
"Qin Hong, Liu Wentai, Shi Qin, and others, their entire families shall be exterminated!"
"Publicly execute him, behead him, and display his body in the marketplace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Go."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave!"
After Zhuge Zhengwo took his leave, Zhu Houzhao looked at Cao Zhengchun.
"Cao Zhengchun".
"This old servant is here."
"Zhang Heling, Zhang Yanling, Wang Yuan, and Wang Qing—their entire families shall be executed!"
"The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager were both my closest relatives. I am deeply saddened by their sudden passing."
"I will suspend court for three days. Let the Ministry of Rites handle my funeral arrangements."
Cao Zhengchun was taken aback at first, then lowered his head in fear: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand: "Go."