Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 234 History Fails to Repeat Itself (V)
"Your Highness, the whole story has been revealed. Wang Wenyan is the core figure in this case. His main role is to link the eunuchs in the palace and the Donglin Party members in the outer court. According to Wang Wenyan's account, the Donglin Party members transferred a total of 70,000 taels of silver to Wang Wenyan through Qian Qianyi. Wang Wenyan gave 20,000 taels of silver to Li Feng, the former imperial eunuch of Ciqing Palace, in advance, and promised to replenish 50,000 taels at a time. Now the bill for the 50,000 taels of silver has been found.
Wang Feng, the former chef of the Ciqing Palace, was originally named Li Feng and was the adopted son of Wang An. After he was transferred to Xinghua Palace, due to the change of his duties, although he was still working in the kitchen of Xinghua Palace, he was only responsible for counting and checking the purchase accounts and lost the power to go out to purchase in person, so his income dropped sharply and he could not make ends meet. This person then transferred his resentment to His Highness...
Wang Le, the former attendant of Ciqing Palace , was originally named Zhang Le. He was the adopted grandson of Wang An and the adopted son of Wang Feng. After he was transferred to Xinghua Palace, he was responsible for sweeping the bedroom of His Highness. It was this person who added Gelsemium elegans poison to His Highness's food.
On the outer court side, Qian Qianyi was the matchmaker, and Zhao Nanxing was the one in control. His representative in Beijing was the outer house steward who had not been replaced in the Zhao family for decades. In addition, more than 30 Japanese pirates were involved in this matter. It was said that they took the initiative to contact Qian Qianyi after sneaking into Beijing... and ..."
"And what?"
"According to Qian Qianyi's instructions, Liu Yirong, the current vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Wang Huazhen, who won the imperial examination last year, have successively gone to Henghai Guard to contact Zu Dashou, the captain of the 3rd Thousand Household Office."
"Dang~!" Zhu Youdong angrily threw a tea bowl to the ground.
In recent years, he knew that he had deeply offended some civil officials, especially those with backgrounds of small and medium-sized landlords and mid-level businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and there was absolutely no possibility of reconciliation between the two sides - the political representatives of this group of people were the Donglin Party.
Therefore, although it was abominable, it was understandable that the Donglin Party colluded with the Imperial Household to assassinate those who were dissatisfied with them. However, the officers of Henghaiwei kept silent after knowing this! This was something he could not accept!
Zhu Youdong, as a time traveler, knew that some people in this plane had done many dirty things in the historical plane. However, he always held a principle: he would not actively promote such people, but he would not discriminate against them either.
Therefore, when Li Chengliang paired Xiong Tingbi with Li Yongfang, he just smiled faintly after knowing it, and wrote a letter to Xiong Tingbi, asking him to use Li Yongfang carefully and keep her by his side. He did not say much else - after the Battle of Sarhu, he did not give Li Yongfang any shortfall in rewards or anything like that.
Qian Qianyi was too cold. Although Zhu Youdong hated him very much before he traveled through time, he did not target Qian Qianyi after he returned to the court after mourning. In short, Zhu Youdong knew that he was the crown prince and the future king. He could have his own likes and dislikes in employing people, but such likes and dislikes must not be too obvious. He could not target some historical figures just because something had not happened in the future. This was not the bearing of a king.
Therefore, even when , he did not say anything and was still appointed as a thousand-householder. All his salaries and other benefits were no different from those of other officers of the same rank.
"I have worked so hard against Henghaiwei, and I have given my all, but surprisingly, surprisingly..."
"I deserve death!" Cao Wenzhao, who was standing next to Tian Ergeng, immediately changed his expression when he heard that Zu Dashou was also involved in this matter. After hearing Zhu Youdong's angry and disappointed words, he simply half-knelt down and said, "Your Highness, Henghaiwei is still and will always be your most loyal sword! The hesitation and even betrayal of some shameless people have tarnished this army. However, I dare to guarantee with my family's lives that the soldiers of Henghaiwei will never obey Zu Ni's chaotic orders!"
Amid the sound of armor colliding, a sturdy man half-knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I, Man Gui, request that I, with Your Highness's handwritten letter, ride alone into Zu Ni's camp and capture him in front of his soldiers! Please wait and see, as long as we have Your Highness's handwritten order, Zu Ni's soldiers will only enthusiastically support me in capturing Zu Ni. Then, we can prove that Henghaiwei is by no means anyone's private army, but only Your Highness's most loyal tool!"
"Hmm." After calming down a bit, Zhu Youdong said, "The idea of a thousand households does make some sense. Let's arrange it this way. Take my warrant and go!"
"I obey your command!"
"Cao Wenzhao."
"I am here."
"The first, second, and fourth thousand-household units of Henghai Guard are mobilized, and Jinyiwei and Dongchang cooperate to arrest all the ministers and their families involved in the case!"
"I obey your command!"
"Wei Zhongxian!"
"The servant is here."
"The cleansing of the Imperial Palace, especially the Ciqing Palace and Xinghua Palace, is now handed over to you. Do your job well and do it ruthlessly. If you make a big fuss, I will support you!"
"Yes, please rest assured, I will cleanse the two palaces thoroughly. I would rather kill ten thousand people by mistake than let anyone go!"
"That's it."
Everyone left one by one to do their work. Zhu Youdong looked at Wang Chengen who was still kneeling on the ground, walked over and kicked him: "You guy, you are still blaming yourself here! Are you done yet? Do you still need me to comfort you? Get up and follow me to see Grandpa Huang."
"Young Master, since I have been following you, I have only seen that you reward those who have done good deeds and punish those who have done wrong. As the head of Xinghua Palace, I have made such a big mistake. If I am not punished at all, I am afraid that the people below will not only be dissatisfied, but also look down on you."
"Hmm... you do have a point. Okay, tomorrow I will order you to go to Nanjing to guard Taizu's mausoleum."
"Yes, I must have kept a close eye on my wallet in Nanjing."
"You are so smart. Before you leave, recommend a replacement to me."
"Master, I already have a candidate. Fang Zhenghua is a man of boldness yet meticulousness, well versed in poetry and martial arts, and extremely interested in military affairs. Most importantly, this guy admires you very much, so there is no need to worry about his loyalty. In the more than one year since I returned to Beijing, he has always been by my side helping me. Therefore, I dare to guarantee with my whole family's lives that he can be used and is sufficient for me!"
"Okay, let's arrange it this way first. Now get up and follow me to see Grandpa Huang."
Xinghua Palace was not far from Qianqing Palace, and Zhu Youdong was walking very fast. He looked almost 14 years old, and was already 1.6 meters tall, so his steps were not small. Coupled with such a high speed, Zhu Youdong saw Wanli in just 20 minutes.
"Dong'er!"
"Grandpa Emperor!"
"How cruel! These idiots are so cruel! Over the years, no matter how badly I have been scolded by these ministers, at most I have been beaten with a stick in the court, but never killed! These shameless people actually did such a thing! They are going to destroy the foundation of my Ming Dynasty!"
"Grandpa Emperor, this time I'm going to kill a lot of people!"
"Hmm? What are you going to do?"
"Any ministers involved, no matter who they are, will have their entire clan exterminated! Any relatives of the eunuchs involved will have their entire clan exterminated! Anyone who knows about this but doesn't report it will be beheaded! Their wives and daughters will be sent to the Jiaofang Bureau!"
"Yes, I was really too kind to them in the past. Humph! I didn't expect these guys to be so bold. Ah, speaking of which, Emperor Wuzong could personally take up his sword and fight in battle. He was the most physically fit emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty after Emperor Chengzu, but he died young. I wonder if there is something fishy going on here."
Hey! It's not just Wuzong. In the historical perspective, Guangzong and Xizong also died in unclear circumstances.
After Emperor Guangzong came to power, he directly stopped the mining tax, which caused many eunuchs in the palace to suddenly lose their jobs. In addition, Concubine Zheng was extremely powerful in the palace at that time, so it is still unclear who sent the red pill.
As for Xizong, it was almost certain that the ministers in the outer court were causing trouble.
These civil officials, for their own selfish reasons, were willing to kill the emperor, and they did it more than once! The country's hope was completely extinguished because of the sudden death of these two young emperors...
What a pity, you met me, a time traveler who is immune to all poisons! History will never repeat itself!
