pappabearbooks Chapter 36 The Truth Behind the Emperor's Death!
Chapter 36 The Truth Behind the Emperor's Death!
Forbidden City.
Qianqing Palace.
Liu Jin bowed and approached Zhu Houzhao respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, Cao Zhengchun requests an audience."
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A moment later, Cao Zhengchun, feeling uneasy, came before Zhu Houzhao.
"This old servant greets Your Majesty."
Get up.
Zhu Houzhao was reviewing the memorials, speaking without looking up.
But after waiting for a while, Zhu Houzhao did not hear any reaction from Cao Zhengchun, and he raised his head in confusion.
To their astonishment, they discovered that Cao Zhengchun was still lying on the ground, not moving at all.
"I told you to get up, why are you still kneeling on the ground?"
Cao Zhengchun, still dazed, knelt on the ground and said humbly, "This old servant dares not rise. Please allow this old servant to report while kneeling."
Zhu Houzhao roughly guessed what Cao Zhengchun wanted to report and asked, "Is it about the late emperor's edict?"
"Old servant...old servant..."
Cao Zhengchun thought for a moment, but really didn't know how to start, so he simply took out the secret memorial from his bosom and held it up respectfully.
"This old servant doesn't know how to report this; please, Your Majesty, see for yourself!"
Seeing Cao Zhengchun's alarmed expression, Zhu Houzhao's heart sank.
"Bring it here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Liu Jin took the secret letter from Cao Zhengchun and presented it to Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao picked up the secret letter and unfolded it to read.
This secret letter contained no summary of the Eastern Depot's arguments, only a series of cold, hard facts.
In March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Empress Dowager Zhou, the Consort of Emperor Yingzong of Ming (Zhu Qizhen), the birth mother of Emperor Xianzong of Ming (Zhu Jianshen), the grandmother of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming (Zhu Youcheng), passed away.
In May of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Qin Hong, the Minister of Revenue who was in charge of military affairs in the Northwest, was transferred back to the capital.
In June of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, a sudden fire broke out at the Juji Granary in Shanzhou. The fire was reported to the imperial court, resulting in the loss of more than 499,000 shi of grain and fodder.
Meanwhile, the Tatar prince Dayan Khan invaded the border, and Emperor Xiaozong dispatched 30,000 troops from the capital to the northwest. When selecting the commander-in-chief, Grand Secretary Liu Jian and Vice Minister of War Liu Daxia strongly opposed the plan.
Emperor Xiaozong bypassed the cabinet and urgently recalled Li Sui, Vice Minister of Works, Wu Yiguan, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Cong Lan, Councilor of the Court of Transmission, to the capital, ordering the three to accompany the army to the northwest.
At the same time, he appointed Zhu Hui, the Duke of Baoguo, as the commander-in-chief, with Shen Ying as the governor and Li Jun as the left and right adjutants, to lead the army to the northwest.
In July of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong dispatched 137 imperial inspectors and garrison eunuchs to various regions.
In August of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Ma Wensheng, Minister of War, Liu Daxia, Vice Minister of War, and Qin Hong, Minister of Revenue, submitted a petition to retire, but Emperor Xiaozong refused.
In October of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Han Zhi, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, impeached Zhang Heling, Marquis of Shouning, Zhang Yanling, Earl of Jianchang, Zhou Shou, Marquis of Qingyun, and Zhou Yu, Earl of Changning, for undermining the imperial salt laws.
In January of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong ordered the Ministry of Personnel, together with the Censorate, to examine officials throughout the country, and ultimately ordered 1836 officials to retire.
In February of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Li Mengyang, a principal clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, impeached Marquis Ning, Zhang Heling, and Earl Jianchang, Zhang Yanling.
In March of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Xie Qian, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Qin Hong, Minister of Revenue, Wang Yan, Vice Minister of Revenue, and Zhang Da, Vice Minister of Works, once again requested to retire, but Emperor Xiaozong refused.
At the same time, Emperor Xiaozong intended to reinstate Zhou Jing, the former Minister of Revenue, and have him return to the capital to take up his post.
In April of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong caught a cold. Liu Wentai, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and Gao Tinghe, the imperial physician, prepared a prescription for him. After taking the medicine, Emperor Xiaozong felt unwell and had to stay in bed.
In May of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong's health improved, and he prepared to attend court. Shi Qin, the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy, and Fang Shuhe, the Chief Physician, prepared a dose of medicine for Emperor Xiaozong. After taking the medicine, Emperor Xiaozong passed away the next day.
In May of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Liu Wentai, Shi Qin, Gao Tinghe, and Fang Shuhe were imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and sentenced to death!
In May of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Liu Wentai, Shi Qin, Gao Tinghe, and Fang Shuhe were reassigned to border exile and sent out of the capital!
After reading it, Zhu Houzhao was so shocked that his hands trembled: "This...this...this is all real?!"
Cao Zhengchun trembled all over, his head bowed deeply to the ground, not daring to raise his head: "Your Majesty, every word I have spoken is true, not a single lie!"
"You bastard!"
"Damn it!"
"They all deserve to die!"
Enraged, Zhu Houzhao slammed the secret letter on the table and stood up.
"This is outrageous! They've completely defied the heavens!"
Zhu Houzhao's anger soared to the heavens. He trembled with rage, his heart pounded violently, and his hair stood on end in fury. He wished he could kill all the officials in the world to vent his anger!
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Take care of your health..."
Liu Jin was startled by Zhu Houzhao's angry appearance and quickly tried to comfort him.
"Calm down?!"
Zhu Houzhao sneered repeatedly in anger: "Do you even know what good deeds they've done that you're telling me to calm down?!"
"All of you, get out of here!"
"Yes, yes."
The palace maids and eunuchs in the room dared not disobey and quickly left the room.
In the blink of an eye, only the furious Zhu Houzhao and the trembling Cao Zhengchun remained in the room.
Zhu Houzhao stared at the secret letter in his hand, his chest heaving rapidly, his killing intent churning within him!
From these events, Zhu Houzhao had already sketched out the complete cause and effect of this matter.
Before March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youcheng was regarded as a wise and virtuous ruler by officials and relatives of the emperor.
However, just one year after March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Zhu Youcheng, this wise and virtuous ruler, passed away.
The key point is that Zhu Youcheng's grandmother passed away in March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign.
In other words, Zhu Youcheng truly began to wield power in March of the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign.
After Zhu Youcheng came to power, the first thing he did was to recall Qin Hong, the Minister of Revenue, who was in the Northwest.
What are they doing?
This is to reclaim the power to control the nation's finances and grain; this is to investigate the accounts in the Northwest!
Just as they were about to check the accounts, the grain depot in the Northwest caught fire.
Upon checking the accounts, it was discovered that the Tatars from the north had begun raiding the border.
What a coincidence! What an incredible coincidence!
When selecting a head coach, the cabinet did everything it could to obstruct the process. What was its purpose? Wasn't it to send its own people to the Northwest?
What if Emperor Xiaozong's men go to the Northwest and find out something?!
At the same time, Emperor Xiaozong sent imperial inspectors and eunuchs to various places to control local finances and grain.
The results of it?
As a result, Ma Wensheng, Liu Daxia, Qin Hong, and others no longer dared to stay in the capital; they wanted to run away!
Emperor Xiaozong forbade them to escape!
At the same time, Emperor Xiaozong assessed officials across the country and dealt with more than 1,800 officials at once. Wasn't this precisely to rectify officialdom and eliminate corruption?
The consequence was that the cabinet ministers and other officials once again requested to retire, as they began to fear Emperor Hyojong!
Emperor Xiaozong was no longer the wise and benevolent ruler they had seen; he had become a tyrant!
Subsequently, Han Zhi and Liu Dongyang impeached the relatives of the empress, which shows that Emperor Xiaozong not only wanted to rectify the officials, but also to deal with these relatives of the empress!
The consequence of Emperor Xiaozong's simultaneous crackdown on officials and his maternal relatives was that he was sent to his death by two bowls of medicine from the Imperial Medical Academy just a few months later!
And none of the imperial physicians who carried out the attack died; not one of them actually died!
They've all left the capital to live a good life!