Because the Marquis of Huating harbored rebellious intentions, they were unable to respond.
Now that these two have returned, I fear life will not be easy for this Grand Secretary.
Everyone naturally assumed that Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu would certainly enter the imperial court; in terms of scholarship and seniority, not a single official among the civil and military officials in the court could match them.
So it was them." Zhu Ci's tone betrayed no emotion as he simply asked, "The court was in chaos at the time, it had been a long time since I had heard news of those two. How did the Left Censor's family encounter them?
Huang Chunyao immediately said, "It was by chance that I obtained the whereabouts of those two, so I sent people to bring them back to Nanjing."
After finishing speaking, he glanced at Zhu Ci. "It is absolutely not what the Prince of Ning said about harboring Tartars."
Zhu Ci achieved his goal and said calmly, "Then it seems this Prince has misunderstood."
Huang Chunyao was about to demand an explanation when he heard the Emperor ask, "Where are those two now? Prince of Ning, please arrange a place to settle them when you have a moment."
Hmm? Just like that?
Huang Chunyao could not afford to hold the Prince of Ning accountable and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the two former officials of the late Emperors are in their prime. Now that the imperial court is empty, it is exactly the time when talent is needed. Why not let the two of them return to the court?"
Zhu Ci looked at Huang Chunyao and asked, "Is it their wish, or do you think so as well?"
Huang Chunyao had a bad feeling about this, but at this stage, he could only brace himself and say, "I think so as well."
Zhu Ci leaned back and said softly, "Then let us first meet these two former officials of the Late Emperor."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: "Even the Late Emperor's old officials.. The Late Emperor's head has already been fed to the fish by me, so just bury them all as well." Evil kitty uses its hind paws to dig a hole. jpg
Next update at noon
Chapter 146
Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu felt a sense of emotion in their hearts as they entered the hall.
Back when the situation was that dire, they all thought they would never be able to return to Nanjing in this lifetime, but they never expected that they would actually have the chance to come back.
Especially after entering the hall, looking at the Wuying Hall, which felt both familiar and strange, he felt even more the weight of the saying, "A new emperor brings a new set of officials."
But it mattered little; the officials in the hall were sparse now, clearly indicating a dearth of talent.
Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu were even more excited; almost all of their family members, students, subordinates had been preserved, the more vacancies there were, the more it benefited them.
Thinking of this, the two of them felt a bit more confident.
They walked toward the hall with even more composure, exuding the demeanor of veteran officials; by appearances alone, they indeed possessed the air of pillars of society.
Before bowing, the two of them glanced at the unusually handsome Grand Secretary standing at the very front on the left.
Ma Shiying grit his teeth; someone from his younger generation had perished at this man's hands, he hated Fu to his very bones.
Once today is over, he will settle this score sooner or later!
Thinking of this, the two bowed to Zhu Ci. After shouting "Long live!" in unison, they had both already braced themselves, but to their surprise, they received no response, which they found quite strange.
Sitting in the seat of honor, Zhu Ci sneered inwardly; under normal circumstances, Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu would be considered commoners.
Commoners knew that when seeing the Emperor, they were supposed to perform the kowtow ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows, but of course, Zhu Ci generally did not require people to perform such formal rites; a simple greeting would suffice.
But these two had no intention of performing the full ritual from the very beginning; they even had the audacity to look him in the eye before paying their respects.
“How dare you!” Jiang Xueyan stepped forward and said, “How dare anyone in the presence of the Emperor look directly upon his imperial countenance!”
Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu were momentarily stunned. The two of them were quite familiar with Zhu Ci, having met him countless times; why was he not allowed to look?
Given the current situation, they could only plead for mercy.
In the end, the Emperor still did not speak.
Should the Emperor not be comforting this old official? Why does he remain silent?
Standing to the side, Huang Chunyao and Hou Dongzeng exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of foreboding.
After a long time, the Little Emperor on the throne finally spoke slowly, "The two of you have truly.. not seen each other for a long time."
The Emperor finally spoke.
Ma Shiying reacted even faster than Gao Hongtu, he immediately said with tears streaming down his face, "Since our parting back then, I never expected that there would be a day when I could see Your Majesty again. Heaven has not treated me poorly.
He wiped away his tears while stealing a glance at the Little Emperor, feeling a profound sense of emotion in his heart.
In just over a year, the former Crown Prince had become the Emperor; not only had his temperament changed significantly, but even his appearance had begun to show subtle changes.
No one could have imagined that the Crown Prince, who once knew nothing but eating, drinking, playing, actually possessed the ability to lead an army; truly, heroes emerge in times of chaos.
Zhu Ci rubbed the armrest of the dragon throne and spoke slowly, "I feel that Heaven has not been kind to me, for it has allowed you to live, yet you actually dare to come and see me!"
Zhu Ci's voice was not loud, yet after he finished speaking, the entire Wuying Hall had fallen so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
"Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu were both stunned; they hadn't expected the Emperor to take such a stance, which seemed quite different from what Huang Chunyao had previously said." and
Ma Shiying was just about to speak, but Zhu Ci gave him no chance. Slamming the armrest of the dragon throne, he stood up abruptly and began his tirade: 'During the Hongguang Era, as a Grand Secretary, instead of rectifying the imperial administration, you seized control of the court, formed factions, purged your rivals, engaged in corruption. You bled the people dry, leaving them displaced and filled with resentment. When we were in the Southern Capital, you promoted Ruan Dacheng and marginalized loyal officials, turning the imperial court into a den of chaos and even selling official posts, devastating half of Jiangnan. "Officials are as lowly as dogs, commanders roam the streets"—that is exactly what is being said of you! With a great enemy at our gates, instead of focusing on military preparations, you engaged in endless internal strife and framed loyal subjects, standing idly by while the Four Generals of Jiangbei fell into decay. Your negligence has allowed the Qing Army to advance southward, Jinling will fall before long!'
Having finished, Zhu Ci turned and pointed at Gao Hongtu. 'And you.. Gao Hongtu. You pride yourself on being a pure member of the Donglin faction, but in truth, you are nothing but a hypocrite. In the political landscape of the Hongguang Era, you held a high position, yet you cared for nothing but factional strife, prioritizing partisan interests over the fate of the nation. When faced with a crisis, you possessed neither the ability to formulate a strategy nor the courage to speak words that could save the country; instead, you did nothing but shirk responsibility and seek only to protect your own skin. While the people of Jiangnan were displaced and soldiers bled on the battlefield, you 'pure officials' were busy squabbling for prestige and profit in the imperial court, peddling empty talk of righteousness. Your failure to serve the country is no less profound than that of the most corrupt officials. Faced with the Manchu Tartars, you showed no initiative, seeking only to appease them through appeasement, all while masking your cowardice with the lofty phrase, "making peace with the barbarians to quell the rebels."'
"My mother, the Empress Dowager, perished when the city fell. I have spent every waking moment in agony, my hatred for you all burns so fiercely I could devour your very flesh and bone! How dare you show your faces before me!" and
As Zhu Ci spoke, he became increasingly agitated; he turned, snatched the saber from Jiang Xueyan's waist, headed straight for Ma Shiqi and Gao Hongtu.
The officials in the court were instantly struck with alarm, Huang Chunyao hurriedly said, "You mustn't, you mustn't, Your Majesty!"
The other officials were also repeatedly trying to dissuade him, yet none of them dared to step forward.
First, the Little Emperor had quite high combat prowess; he could ride a horse and shoot arrows, his melee combat seemed quite good as well. If they went up, they would just get beaten. Didn't Huang Chunyao and Hou Dongzeng, who had just gone up to intervene, get grabbed by their collars and tossed aside by the Emperor? Not to mention the Little Emperor was also carrying a blade.
Second, the Little Emperor scolded these two men until they were blue in the face, not only was he well-reasoned, but he even brought up the Late Empress at the end. The Emperor wants to avenge the Empress—how could anyone possibly stop him?
Zhu Ci even brought people to block Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu's retreat, fearing that the two of them would escape.
Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu were terrified; they had come to hold office and seek wealth and honor, so how could they face their imminent deaths?
The two of them wanted to run, but they were too old; how could they possibly outrun Zhu Ci?
Fortunately, at this moment, Fu stepped forward and stopped the Little Emperor.
Zhu Ci did not throw people this time; he lifted his chin and said, "Get out of the way!"
Standing up while clutching his waist, Huang Chunyao and Hou Dongzeng instantly felt incredibly aggrieved. The two of them were thrown out just for trying to stop him, yet the Grand Secretary could stop the Emperor simply by approaching him. Was the difference really that great?
And there are even greater differences.
Even the Grand Secretary dared to reach out directly to snatch the knife from the Little Emperor's hands.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Do not let a criminal soil your hands.”
While speaking, Fu gestured to everyone behind their backs with his eyes: That's enough, don't let the first Grand Assembly of the Guanglie Era end in bloodshed.
Only then did Zhu Ci release his grip, letting out a cold snort without saying anything.
Fu returned the blade to Jiang Xueyan, who was following behind him, then turned and said, "Men, take these two traitors to the Heavenly Prison to await interrogation."
Zhu Ci watched the two being led away coldly, then turned to look at Huang Chunyao.
Huang Chunyao's heart instantly leaped into his throat, fearing that the Emperor would scold him just as he had scolded Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu.
However, the Emperor looked at him and said only one sentence: "Huang Chunyao, you have disappointed me deeply."
After speaking, the Emperor flicked his sleeves and turned, walking away as he said, "Dismiss the court!"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I think you all are asking for a beating, take this! *Evil kitty swipes them all away one by one. jpg*
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 147
Huang Chunyao's face turned ashen. Although the Emperor did not punish him on the spot, his meaning was already quite clear.
Anyone who knew the Emperor knew that he rarely addressed court officials by their names; even when discussing others, he rarely used their names unless he was insulting them.
At this time, calling someone by their name was no different from insulting them.
Although the Emperor had left, everyone at the scene stood there, not daring to move, all looking toward Grand Secretary Fu.
Those with sharper minds had already realized that if they ever angered the Emperor again, they should remember to seek leniency from the Grand Secretary.
Fu ignored the gazes of others and turned to walk out, Zhu Ci also followed leisurely behind him.
Hou Dongzeng looked at Huang Chunyao's dejected state, feeling extremely anxious. After calling out twice without receiving a response, he hurried to catch up and said, "Grand Secretary Fu, wait a moment."
Fu had already put on his Sunglasses.
He looked at Hou Dongzeng and asked, "What important matter does Censor Hou have?"
Hou Dongzeng asked trepidatiously, "Does Grand Secretary Fu know how His Majesty will deal with the Left Censor?"
Fu shook his head. "I do not know either."
Hou Dongzeng said in a low, humble voice, "Grand Secretary Fu, for the sake of our being colleagues, please show me a way forward."
Fu's face, mostly obscured by his sunglasses, betrayed no expression; he simply said, "This Marquis is not being perfunctory with you. The reason I said I did not know is because I have never seen His Majesty so enraged. You people.."
Hou Dongzeng's face turned pale. "But.. the Left Censor is devoted to the country.."
“Is he truly acting solely for the sake of the country?” Zhu Ci really could not listen to this anymore. He asked with a cold sneer, “Who do you think Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu are? Does he not know? When His Majesty was forced into seclusion back then, those two were behind it. By bringing them back now, where does that leave His Majesty?”
Hou Dongzeng opened his mouth to speak, but Fu turned his head away, no longer looking at him, simply said softly, "His Majesty hates factionalism most of all. No matter who tries to stir up factional strife, His Majesty will never show leniency. Everyone should go back and reflect on their actions."
After speaking, Fu turned and walked away, ignoring all other sounds.
Zhu Ci snorted and left as well.
By the afternoon, the Grand Secretariat had relayed the Emperor's decree: immediately dispatch men to arrest Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu's relatives and students, strictly monitor everyone related to them while investigating the illegal activities of the two men; anonymous reports were permitted.
Once this order was issued, everyone gasped, realizing that these two ministers, who had held such immense power during the Hongguang Era, had likely reached the end of their road.
Not only them, but their families, students, in-laws and old acquaintances, were all estimated to be unable to escape.
Once this order was issued, it triggered massive backlash, with some even questioning whether the Emperor intended to repeat the tragedy of Fang Xiaoru during the Yongle era.