Chongzhen's decision was not a hasty decision on a whim, but he had planned it for a long time. The wedding of the traitor gave Chongzhen a god-given opportunity.
After moving to the southern capital, although Chongzhen also imitated many characteristics of the northern court, combining the personal followers he brought with him and local officials, he stabilized the southern court and suppressed profiteers.
If there had been no floods, we would have been able to harvest roughly seven to eight million taels of silver and the same amount of rice every year, which is considered a great achievement.
However, Fujian was under the control of Zheng Zhilong, Yunnan seemed to be Mu Tianbo's territory, and Guizhou and other places were completely ruled by the chieftains. The territory that Chongzhen could directly control was greatly reduced.
Even in the face of the rogue bandits entrenched in the Dabie Mountains, they still had to rely on the troops led by Hong Chengchou to suppress them. Not to mention suppressing the rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River, it was Hong Chengchou who sent troops to assist the Southern Court to solve the problem.
After hearing the news that the traitor led his army to successfully defend the capital, the Battle of Liaodong Peninsula, and the great victory at Luanhe, Chongzhen felt even more uncomfortable.
If he could lead a personal expedition and lead hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, wouldn't he be able to defeat the bluffing Donglu?
The reason why the Ming Dynasty King's army suffered repeated defeats in battles before is not my fault, but the generals' greed for life and fear of death, the soldiers fleeing in despair, and the lack of food and pay, which led to such a predicament!
But things are not what they used to be. If the imperial court had enough money and food, if all the troops in the king's division had strong troops and horses, and if he personally led the expedition, how could he be defeated by the Emperor Taiji again?
Chongzhen believed that the treacherous son only made his fortune by confiscating the property, and won over some people who were unjust and unjust, and used the name of Emperor Gao, the ancestor of the immortal world, to confuse people and be manipulated by him.
If I had acted this way, I would have succeeded. I was so soft-hearted and had just made a big mistake. The traitor took advantage of me to win people's hearts.
Instead, he forced his father, who had worked hard for many years, to go to Nandu and do such a treasonous and unjust thing. How could Chongzhen swallow this easily?
As long as he finds a suitable opportunity, Chongzhen will recover it with interest, and make the traitor never stand up again!
The position of prince was not specially set up for Zhu Cixiang, and many of his younger brothers had the opportunity to get involved.
Zhu Cixiang had wolf ambitions, so Chongzhen wanted to use thunderous means to eliminate this scourge!
Whether they are civil servants or military generals, they can use silver to appease them, and the same goes for the soldiers below.
Using the traitor's money to appease his troops, isn't this what the traitor has always been good at?
"Feng Aiqing's loyalty is a lesson, and I am very pleased. In addition to a thousand taels of silver, I also gave Aiqing six beauties!"
The other ministers didn't say anything, but for someone who quickly surrendered, Chongzhen certainly wanted to use Feng Quan as a model to serve as a demonstration.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I don't know about such a big event. Does Your Majesty want to summon officials to announce it at the court meeting, or directly publish it in a newspaper to inform the world?"
Feng Quan knew this man's temperament and could only go along with it, not against it.
"Your Majesty's words make sense. Please summon your consort Gong Yonggu immediately. This matter must be reported to the public. A court meeting will be held tomorrow morning to inform the ministers of this matter!"
Chongzhen felt that since the current situation was very good, if he accepted it completely, he could completely defeat the Donglu, regain the lost territory, and revive the Ming Dynasty's long-cherished wish.
"yes!"
Feng Quan agreed graciously. It was perfect for him to do this kind of errand work.
"Your Majesty, deposing the queen and deposing the prince is a matter of disturbing the foundation of the Yao Kingdom! If this matter is widely publicized, it will definitely shock the world. I hope your majesty will think twice before taking action!"
Zhang Guowei, the Minister of Industry, saw that Xue Guoguan was still weighing the pros and cons, so he expressed his opinion directly. Someone must speak out to stop the emperor's foolish move.
"Zhang Aiqing, do you know why I want to abolish both the queen and the prince?"
"I really don't know, I hope your Majesty will tell you frankly!"
"Hmph! When the current Queen Zhou Yufeng secretly communicated with Wuchang, she ruined the reputation of the royal family. This is one of the reasons. She improperly taught her son, which made the prince Zhu Cixi act arbitrarily and extort money. This is the second reason. Playing cards and listening to songs all day long in the rear residence, not wanting to make progress. This is one of the reasons. Thirdly. If the three crimes fall into one, can’t I depose her as queen?”
"...This...Your Majesty, this matter is related to the Queen's reputation. You must not..."
Zhang Guowei felt that his scalp was numb when he heard this. This kind of thing should not be said casually. Even if the emperor did not have real evidence in his hand, it would have a very bad impact.
"What a shame, are you? Could it be that I can still deceive my dear ones? If the matter hadn't already come to this, I wouldn't have told all my dear ones about this kind of family scandal!"
Chongzhen now felt that this man was good to mother and son. The mother did not have the demeanor of a mother of the country, and the son did not have the rules of a prince. If he did not depose these two, there would be no king's law.
"I hope your Majesty will think twice!"
Du Yinxi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, also stood up to oppose this kind of disturbing the foundation of Yao. It is unknown whether Zhou Hou and Wuchang had any feelings for each other.
The prince has made outstanding achievements since he took charge of the country, and the Ming Dynasty's national power is still gradually recovering. It would be too far-fetched to depose him in the name of excessive taxation.
"Stop talking about it! Just before I summoned all my dear friends, the prince openly attempted to regicide and usurp the throne with a short blunderbuss. I have already suppressed him! He acted so boldly in the Qianqing Palace. How could I not know how to behave outside? If I hadn't handled it properly , I am still dead at this time! If we don’t depose such traitors, how can we be worthy of the bright world!"
Chongzhen said something that was beneficial to him. As long as the officials did not understand the situation at the time, they would naturally not make rational judgments.
"Huh? Usurping the throne?"
Neither Zhang Guowei nor Du Yinxi expected that the prince would act like this, which was very contrary to common sense.
The prince is already the regent and is in charge of all affairs in Beidu. There is absolutely no need to usurp the throne at this time.
As long as you think about it for a moment, you will understand that it is difficult to convince the ministers based on the emperor's words alone.
"Exactly! I survived the catastrophe and have detained the queen and the prince in Qianqing Palace. This is the imperial decree of the deposed queen and the prince. All my dear friends, please take a look!"
The content of the imperial edict was not long. Wang Chengen wrote it quickly under Chongzhen's dictation. By the time the ministers came to see it, the ink on it had already dried.
"..."
Xue Guoguan took the lead to receive the imperial edict, read it carefully, and then circulated it one by one. No one believed that the prince would do such a ridiculous thing.
"If you all have no objections to this, please sign the imperial edict!"
Chongzhen had an idea and used the trick that the treacherous son used to trick the officials into eating dinner. With real evidence, he was not afraid that these people would not admit their guilt afterwards.
"this……"
Xue Guoguan began to hesitate. Not signing would obviously make the emperor angry, and signing was afraid that the prince would not be able to explain it well.
"Is the chief assistant in trouble?"
"Your Majesty, I think it is only appropriate to meet His Highness the Crown Prince first!"
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal..."
"I am the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the supreme emperor of the Nine Five Years. The evidence related to the mother and son is conclusive. I have made my decision. How can I allow it to be changed?"
"Your Majesty, after all, the prince has won the hearts of the people, and there are hundreds of thousands of people supporting him inside and outside the capital. I'm afraid..."
Wang Jiayan, the Minister of War, felt that the matter was not that simple. Even if the contents of the imperial edict were only announced, it would cause an uproar.
Even those of them who had seen strong winds and waves were stunned, let alone the ordinary people outside who listened to the wind and heard the rain.
"All the people in each department are the king's masters. Since they are the king's masters, they must obey my holy orders. Otherwise, they will commit rebellion and be punished for their crimes!"
It's not that Chongzhen hasn't thought about this problem, it's just that the main force among these people is the East Palace Guards formed by the traitor.
This force happens to be led by Zhou Yuji, who he promoted to the general of the Yongwei Camp. Zhou Yuji will not act rashly because of his old friendship.
The three fierce generals of the Yongwei Battalion - Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, and Sun Yingyuan - now all lead a group of troops. In addition, Zhang Yilong, the former deputy general of the Yongwei Battalion, is also in charge of the current Guards Battalion.
It seemed that Nizi had many men and horses under his command and was arrogant, but in fact the leaders of these men and horses were all Chongzhen's old troops.
As long as you understand them with reason and lure them with benefits, you will not be afraid that they will not obey you.
In addition to the money, beautiful women, and houses used to win over people's hearts, Chongzhen was also willing to give the title of earl to these generals with military power.
All generals at the rank of commander-in-chief can be designated as counts. Zheng Zhilong has made great contributions. He was promoted from Zhenhaihou to Zhenhaigong, which was the same level as Xu Da in the early days of the dynasty, so he would not be dissatisfied.
Officials will be rewarded with two months' salary, and merchants will be exempted from taxes and fees for two months. Those officials who were previously assigned to the mines by the traitor will be pardoned.
Chongzhen believed that after using these methods, the traitor would have no way out!
"Your Majesty~! It's not good!"
"Why are you so alarmed?"
"His Royal Highness the Prince's troops have invaded Qianqing Palace!"
"Ah? How about it?"
"Your Highness and the Queen have been rescued by soldiers and horses!"
"this……"
Happiness comes quickly and leaves suddenly.
So much so that Chongzhen had not fully enjoyed the benefits of being a winner, as if everything had slipped away from his hands.
How long has it been?
How could the villain's minions react so quickly?
Wasn’t news strictly blocked before?
Why is Feng Sheng walking so fast?
If it weren't for his trusted servant who came to report the news, Chongzhen would never believe such strange things.
"How can you break into the Emperor's Palace without permission!"
"Go away! Get lost!"
"Your Majesty~! There are evil people..."
"Your Majesty, my Crown Prince, please come to the East Palace to discuss important matters!"
Yi Bangcai led a platoon of special forces into the Huangji Palace and treated them rudely.
"Who...are you? How dare you be so presumptuous!"
"I am a Bancai, serving under the Crown Prince!"
"Do you know that all the land in the world is the land of the king, and all the people on the shores of the land are the king's ministers?"
"The general only knows that you, a foolish king, used a revolver to injure the crown prince, and then deposed the crown prince and the queen. It is truly an act that cannot be justified by nature!"
"..."
After hearing what Yi Bangcai said, the officials immediately became uproar. Is what this guy said true?
"Shut up! This place is a stronghold for military aircraft. You fool, why don't you retreat quickly?"
Chongzhen could not argue with the other party on this matter, so he pretended to be superior in an attempt to scare the other party away.
"The Crown Prince is injured in his leg and it is difficult to get out of bed. I will ask Your Majesty to move to the East Palace. You may also go and visit to see what is going on!"
The country of Yi is farting like an emperor, but this guy is not qualified to be an emperor, and he is even more incompetent to be a father.
"Don't try to lie to me! I am the king of a country and I will never listen to a reckless man like you!"
Chongzhen was determined not to go to the East Palace, and was even more worried that the group would kill him on the way.
"Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for the general, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what? I'm here. I'm sorry you don't dare to be rude to me!"
"superior!"
Yi Bangcai didn't intend to draw his gun, but this foolish king was an important target, almost as good as the Tatar general who tied up his dog on the battlefield.
With a wink, they swarmed up from left and right, knocking the waiter to the ground with three punches and two kicks.
Wang Chengen stood in front of Chongzhen and wanted to protect his master.
But he was far from a match for the specially trained special forces. He was captured before he could make it through a single round.
"How dare you... Oh my!"
Chongzhen wanted to continue to say cruel words, but his hands were already locked by handcuffs. Because of the rough movements of the other party, the emperor screamed in pain.
"Everyone, please!"
These civil servants who had just gone to the opposite side of Yi State had not had much contact with each other, so naturally they were not afraid of offending anyone. As long as the prince was well, he could continue to enjoy good food, drink hot food, and have fun!
"Your Majesty, if you continue to struggle, you will fall to the ground!"
"you……"
Chongzhen, who was lifted over his head like a pig, felt a little scared after hearing Yi Bangcai's threat. After all, falling down would be very painful.
"Is what General B said true?"
"Xue Shoufu is the prince's father-in-law. What's the use of lying to you?"
"...That's true!"
Xue Guoguan didn't believe what Yi Bangcai said, but for the current plan, he could only go to the East Palace to find out.
When everyone arrived at the East Palace room, they saw basins of blood and water being brought out, and Wu Youxing was concentrating on applying medicine to the prince's injured leg.
The visual impact of that kind of bloody scene made Xue Guoguan and others feel horrified. Wang Jiayan, the Minister of War, had seen it before and could withstand it now.
If he hadn't taken the Mongolian sweat medicine, a certain prince would have been pained to death. He is still unconscious, which is convenient for Dean Wu's surgical operation.
Queen Zhou, who was unwilling to leave, was so frightened that her face turned pale and she fainted several times. However, she insisted on staying, not wanting her eldest son to make any mistakes again.
"Queen, I have already finished treating your highness's wound. The bullet penetrated the leg and did not stay in the leg. You can rest assured, your highness will recover after resting for two hundred days. I will visit you again tomorrow morning."
It would take a hundred days to break the muscles and bones, but the prince had a body weighing ten thousand pounds. If he wanted to recover, Wu Youxing didn't dare to guarantee it, so he simply doubled the date.
"Thank you, Dean Wu!"
After sending Wu Youxing away and seeing Chongzhen being escorted by special forces, Zhou Yufeng didn't even want to say a word to such a cold-blooded person.
The officials were not blind. After seeing the tragic situation of the prince, and looking at the unscathed Chongzhen, combined with the current situation and the status of father, son and ministers, no one believed that the prince could commit regicide and usurp the throne.
"Have you ever met the Crown Prince with your own eyes?"
Yi Bang just broke the silence in the room, and soon everyone was staying here, including the Hunjun. They all asked to leave, so as not to disturb the prince's rest.
Including Yi Bangcai, in the minds of the generals, the imperial court did not allocate funds to the Ministry of War and allowed the soldiers to starve and even sell their wives and children. That was the emperor's incompetence!
Do they still need to risk their lives to protect the Ming Dynasty?
Bullshit!
Such a foolish king will abdicate in favor of a wise man!
The prince is kind-hearted and has no problem keeping his soldiers well-fed and clothed, and providing for his family. He is a great and wise king, and he should ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor!
If the dark father retreats and the bright son advances, this decision is definitely not a usurpation of the throne!
