Several days passed, and there was still no news from the palace.
Many officials who were looking forward to it were more or less disappointed and more anxious.
The royalist officials of No. 1 Middle School, headed by Wang Zaijin and Xu Guangqi, slowly began to feel a little lucky.
But on the surface, it looks calm as water, but in fact it is full of undercurrents.
Wang Zaijin, Xu Guangqi and others will naturally not place all their hopes on this slight chance, otherwise they will die without a burial place.
They had unanimously decided that if the emperor died unexpectedly, they would support Zhu Changhao to succeed him as emperor.
There is no other way. He is a supervisor appointed by the emperor and is the emperor's uncle, so he has a certain degree of legitimacy.
Only by supporting Zhu Changhao to succeed the emperor can they achieve the goal of following the dragon and maintain their current status and power.
As the mastermind behind the scenes, Wang Zhong was not firmly on Diaoyutai at this time.
As soon as the assassination was successful, he sent his trusted servants to rush back to Zhejiang day and night to inform the clan about the incident.
As the patriarch of this large family and Wang Zhong's father, Wang He did not blame his son for committing such a major crime of annihilating the nine clans.
On the contrary, he also breathed a sigh of relief and acted calmly.
Now that it is almost three years since the Apocalypse, they all have some understanding of the young emperor's character and temper.
The huge navy ship that came to the area was a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh.
The Wang family mainly relies on smuggling by sea, which can be said to be the foundation of their inheritance.
It is not like the traditional gentry family that only takes the political path.
Although many members of the Wang family are officials, most of them are in the southern Zhili or Zhejiang areas. This is also their deliberate decision.
Therefore, no matter how the emperor killed people or persecuted the gentry and civil servants, it would not have much impact on his powerful Wang family.
Because the killing also involved killing officials in the capital, the local officials were not affected too much. Most of them were transferred or demoted, which was completely acceptable.
Based on his knowledge and speculation about the emperor, this cruel and vicious young emperor would definitely get involved in ocean affairs in the future, and he did not want to see that day.
After Wang He thought about it, he immediately summoned some core figures in the family to discuss it overnight.
Now that something has been done, it must be done to the end.
A whole night passed, and after repeated discussions among more than a dozen people, a plan was finally worked out.
They planned to mobilize the people of their clan who were officials in the government and ask them to go to the officialdom to win over a group of officials with the right to speak.
Then they used various means and channels to open the way with gold and silver to bribe officials in Nanjing.
The gentry and wealthy families who were previously forced to pay taxes by the emperor were also the targets to win over.
In short, they want to unite all the forces that can stand with them to put pressure on the imperial court in the capital.
In order to strive to obtain enough benefits to satisfy themselves in this struggle.
Wang Zhongzhong's letter made it very clear that the emperor's time was short and he had no heirs, so there was plenty of room for maneuver.
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【Perfect Tyrant of Ming Dynasty】【】
How could they pass up such a perfect opportunity?
In addition, they would also send people to big cities such as Nanjing and Yangzhou to spread the news of the emperor's assassination.
You must know that the emperor offended not only the officials and gentry, but also the literati and students, especially the supervisors and tribute members of the Nanjing Imperial College, a considerable number of whom were driven away from the capital by the emperor.
Their resentment and dissatisfaction can naturally be exploited.
All in all, they have only one purpose, and that is to muddy the water. The more chaotic the better.
The effect of this is naturally very significant, especially in Jinling City, which serves as the capital and is also the political and economic center of the Ming Dynasty. The spread of news can be described as terrifying.
And the driving forces behind it are numerous gentry, officials and students.
The six ministries and the government in Nanjing could be said to be the last to learn of the news, and were not prepared at all.
Therefore, in just a few days, the news of the emperor's assassination was already known to everyone.
Cui Chengxiu, the Minister of War who had just taken office, was the most powerful official in Southern Capital and was also an official promoted by the emperor. How could he remain indifferent?
But even though he responded extremely quickly and sent many officers, soldiers and government officials to arrest the people who spread the rumors, he still could not prevent the situation from getting worse.
"Captain, in your opinion, is the incident reported outside credible?"
In the lobby of Fusi Yamen in Nanzhen, Tian Ergeng summoned all the thousands and hundreds of households under his command and strictly ordered them to control the entire city.
But the news has already spread, and everyone is talking about and paying attention to this matter. How can it be stopped?
As for arrest? There are nearly a million people in the entire Jinling City, ranging from high-ranking officials to common people and farmers.
Is it possible that he can still arrest everyone?
When faced with inquiries from his subordinates, he, who had always been vigorous and resolute, could only remain helpless and speechless, unable to answer at all.
After thinking for a long time, Tian Ergen finally replied:
"According to my opinion, this matter is probably not groundless. His Majesty was probably really assassinated in the capital. Otherwise, those who spread rumors behind the scenes would not dare to be so bold."
"It's just that we don't know the specific situation and whether His Majesty's dragon body is in good health."
The handsome man who just asked continued:
"Why doesn't the governor send a fast horse back to Beijing to ask the commander?"
"It just so happens that the Southern Capital is also in turmoil now. What happened in the past few days should be reported to the commander."
After hearing this, Tian Ergen, who frowned, nodded and said:
"You are right, and this governor also has this intention, but the matter is serious and it is not something I can handle."
"You must be vigilant to prevent some people with ulterior motives from using the influence of this matter to cause other troubles."
"I'm going to the Xuanwu Lake Military Camp. You guys are waiting for my news."
"Don't worry, Commander, we will fulfill our duties faithfully."
Tian Ergeng rode fast all the way and finally arrived at the camp of the Nanjing Defense Garrison Corps at dusk.
Since Zhang Shize returned to Beijing and resumed his duties, the more than 30,000 troops have been solely controlled by the chief military officer Li Zhicai, who can be said to have great power.
The purpose of Tian Ergen's trip was naturally to discuss the matter with this general who held military power and was deeply trusted by the emperor, and to jointly report to him on the affairs of the Southern Capital.
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【Perfect Tyrant of Ming Dynasty】【】
Li Zhicai was born in the Xiaoling Guards. His family had been in the military for generations and had hereditary official positions. His younger brother Li Zhilong also put down the Fujian rebellion not long ago, so his loyalty to the royal family goes without saying.
Tian Ergeng quickly made it clear that although Li Zhicai was a military commander, he was not a brainless person.
They also knew that the matter was serious and that it was not theirs to decide. After summarizing the matter, the two immediately wrote a memorial and sent the army's fast horses to rush to the capital day and night.
