From the Hongzhi period to the present, how many years have the Zhang brothers been arrogant and domineering?
Although they were frightened by Fang Muxian's incident last year, they have been fine for such a long time. They kept a low profile outside, but not inside the house.
Even more brutal.
This day also happens to be the first day of December, the first day of the lunar month, and the Zhang Heling brothers will also participate.
The servants in the mansion risked being beaten to death for breaking the rules late at night to escape from the Hou Mansion. The news quickly spread to the court councilors and relatives.
At the court meeting, Yang Tinghe was "filled with righteous indignation" and put a big hat on him.
"At this time when the new law is to be implemented to enrich the country and strengthen the country, His Majesty has made it clear that the new law was only implemented in Guangdong five years ago during the Jiajing period. Who is stirring up trouble? I would like to ask your Majesty to issue an order to order the Third Law Division and Jin Yiwei to investigate the case strictly and decide We must find out the person behind the scenes who disrupts the law and harms the country!"
The Zhang brothers were trembling all over.
The matter is getting bigger and bigger, and now this small matter is related to the new law.
The emperor's face on the throne was as dark as water.
Yang Tinghe made an impassioned speech: "Last year, the traitor Fang Muxianye has found out the truth. The thief just hid in the prince's mansion and took advantage of the relatives of the country to bring trouble to the Ming Dynasty. Who is causing trouble in this small dispute over land? Shouning The Marquis and Marquis of Jianchang were not strict with their subordinates and caused many injustices. They must be investigated strictly and the people will be angry. The people behind the scenes are taking advantage of things to cause chaos, aiming at the success or failure of the new law and the favor of the clan. They are even more deserving of punishment!"
Instead, the emperor asked: "Mr. Yang Ge, are you exaggerating?"
"Otherwise!" Yang Tinghe said resolutely, "His Majesty has issued a decree that if a relative violates the law, the Three Law Divisions can first determine the punishment and then submit it to His Majesty for judgment. This case has been widely known in the capital. If the three judges do not judge the case impartially, where will the prestige of the new law be implemented by the ministers? Your Majesty has decreed that if you forgive, the new laws will still be unable to restrain the relatives, and punishing the crime will damage the kindness of the relatives. It is obvious that the culprits have evil intentions. "
Wang Qiong looked at him with admiration.
So brave. It may be His Majesty who took action. Are you venting your grievances by talking about a thief?
The emperor's face was really ugly.
After a long time, I glanced at the Zhang brothers, with expressions of hatred on their faces.
"Then we will conduct a strict investigation first! After the dynasty is over, we will take part in the discussions in the imperial study!"
So the Zhang brothers, who had just dispersed from the dynasty, were first detained on suspicion of previous murders, last night's murders in the mansion, cursing the emperor, and practicing witchcraft. When they were taken to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, they saw the man kneeling outside Chengtian Gate. Si Cong.
The scene seemed familiar, and Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's faces turned earthy.
Why the hell do you want to learn from Fang Muxian? You, the commander of the Imperial Guard with thick eyebrows and big eyes, is actually a traitor?
Si Cong was too exaggerated.
Never forget the past and be the guide for the future, the news quickly spread to the imperial study room.
It's still the door of the Royal Study, and it's still the place where Fang Muxian knelt.
After Si Cong kowtowed, he said: "I know I am guilty! It is a crime for me to make money by borrowing money on behalf of the Marquis of Jianchang. Now I heard that Marquis Shouning and Marquis Jianchang dared to force their servants to death when the people were full of resentment. It is a sin." I am afraid that the person who ordered me to kill Cao Zu in prison in the Cao Zu case in the past may really have an inside story. The guilty minister does not dare to neglect, but dares to tell the truth and ask your majesty to punish him."
Yang Tinghe's expression changed: In the past, Cao Zu reported the Zhang brothers on charges of conspiracy.
At that time, no real evidence was ultimately found. Cao Zu sued the Zhang brothers only because his son was a servant in the Hou Mansion and did not take good care of his father.
But Cao Zu died in Jinyiwei's prison, and it was Sicong who acted on the orders of the Zhang brothers?
The emperor's face turned livid: "Take him to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment and let me find out everything!"
The advisers looked at the emperor and felt uneasy: Could it be that they didn't expect that more and more things would be involved?
There was the Cao Zu case in the past, and the Rijingmen assassination case last year. The two emperors before and after were "swayed" by those two idiots. Can the emperor still be "merciful" at the last moment and control the direction of things?
Si Cong was taken away.
He could get fifteen thousand taels, but Wang Zuo was afraid.
This time he jumped into this quagmire, and Si Cong didn't know whether he would live or die, even though Wang Zuo told him that nothing would happen.
He didn't know that if he hadn't surrendered in advance, he would have been forced to death by Zhang Yanling in another time and space, or he would have had his son burn him to death himself.
This incident also became the beginning of Zhang Yanling's eventual imprisonment and imprisonment until death.
No matter what, Si Cong has now become the last straw for the Zhang brothers.
The atmosphere in the imperial study room was depressing, and the advisers didn't understand why they had to touch these two people now.
Even if it's for money, it's not like that, it's not like...
No matter how hard you squeeze, collect or move money, you still have it.
Everyone looked at Cui Yuan.
Sun Jiao went to Guangdong, and Cui Yuan had the most special status. Why not ask the emperor what to do now? What's the plan?
Cui Yuan also felt that he had to ask, but before he could speak, he heard a very pitiful wailing sound coming from behind the imperial study room.
Everyone's expressions changed.
That place is Kunning Palace, and this wail... sounds a bit like Queen Mother Zhang.
The voice became louder and louder, although the full content could not be heard clearly: "...forgive...please...knock..."
"Go and see what happened." Zhu Houcong's face turned even more ugly.
Huang Jin went there for a walk, and when he came back, he was a little confused: "Your Majesty, it's better to go there."
Zhu Houcong stood up and said, "Cui Yuan, you are coming with me."
Cui Yuan's heart trembled and he quickly stood up.
He is the "brother-in-law" of Empress Dowager Zhang, and as a relative of the country, he could have served as a clan official.
When he arrived outside Kunning Palace, he first stood at the door of the palace and lowered his head to avoid seeing something he shouldn't see after entering.
He couldn't see it, but what he heard already frightened him.
"Queen, I beg you, please advise the emperor to spare our family of orphans. We are already in power, why should we kill them all? I kowtow to you..."
Zhu Houcong strode into the palace gate and saw Sun Ming standing there helpless, while Queen Mother Zhang, wearing a pair of shabby clothes, knelt in front of her and hugged her legs, crying.
Sun Ming burst into tears when she saw Zhu Houcong coming in.
She really came to cause trouble.
She is the Queen Mother!
An old woman in her fifties was acting mean to a teenage girl. How had Sun Ming ever seen such a battle?
"Your Majesty is here!"
In fact, Huang Jin had already shouted, but Queen Mother Zhang seemed not to have heard her. When Huang Jin shouted a second time, she lay on the ground, and as if she had no other way out, she knelt in front of Zhu Houcong and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please do well. Your Majesty, no matter what you say, I am also your royal aunt..."
Zhu Houcong and Cui Yuan outside the palace gate both moved away.
Although it was only the palace maids and eunuchs who were in the public eye, the Queen Mother was a dignified person, and without the emperor's will, no one could step forward to stop her - what if something went wrong?
"Empress Dowager, you'd better get up first. What's wrong with this?" Cui Yuan said.
The emperor asked him to come, isn't it because he is also an elder of the clan?
Empress Dowager Zhang has been feeling aggrieved and resentful for more than a year. Now that she is out of control, where can she take care of this?
She knelt down and just cried: "Didn't Your Majesty make your promise? It's a trivial matter, a few untouchables, why can't we spare our orphans? The spirit of Xiaomiao in heaven is still watching! You are also the one who gave me the decree The one who ordered all the officials to immediately persuade him to come in and ascend the throne!"
Cui Yuan suddenly changed her color. Is she really crazy?
Are you going to throw the favor of selection at the emperor and accuse him of killing everyone regardless of his kindness?
Sun Ming's mood was also close to collapse. She didn't know if this was the consequence of taking that trouble.
When I went to Renshou Palace in the morning, I told her that I had mentioned it to the emperor.
As a result, he suddenly came here to cause trouble.
Now the eunuchs and maids inside and outside the Qianqing Palace were kneeling on the ground and trembling, hating themselves for looking like they had eyes and ears.
Zhu Houcong finally spoke: "Uncle Huang's spirit in heaven? Okay, please follow me to the Fengxian Hall, Empress Dowager Cishou!"
He stared at Queen Mother Zhang with cold eyes: "Auntie, do you want to get up and go there by yourself, or do you need to carry a carriage?"
"...I have no choice but to plead like this. I will go to my ancestors to plead guilty to the crime of indecency."
Queen Mother Zhang actually nodded and got up on her own.
She only said that she was guilty of misconduct.
Zhu Houcong nodded: "Cui Yuan, let the counselors go to work first. What to do with the case will be submitted to me for decision after review."
"...I obey the decree."
He just watched the emperor and the queen mother go east from the door next to Kunning Palace, and walked one after another toward Fengxian Palace in the southeast.
"Your Majesty!" Cui Yuan caught up and said, "Control your anger..."
He was already quite familiar with the emperor. When Si Cong appeared, the emperor's face was ugly, perhaps for show, but now he was really angry.
The Queen Mother acted so shamelessly regardless of her face, but as a junior, he couldn't really use the knife on the elders of his relatives. After all, she is a young person. No matter how calm she is, it is too difficult to suppress the anger caused by the inheritance of the throne.
"I have my own sense of proportion."
Zhu Houcong's voice was calm and indifferent, and he didn't look back.
Queen Mother Zhang was walking in front of him and suddenly felt like a light on her back.
For some reason, there was a sense of fear that he was being taken to the execution ground.
…
Fengxian Hall is the Xiao Taimiao, the family temple in the palace.
In the Imperial Ancestral Temple outside the palace, when to offer sacrifices, who to offer sacrifices to, and what the process is, are all customized.
In the Fengxian Hall, apart from some specific ceremonies, the emperor could come to pay homage to his ancestors whenever he wanted.
In addition to the emperor himself, according to the rules, the only person who can enter the palace to offer sacrifices is the empress of the palace.
Although Empress Dowager Jiang has been given the title of Empress Dowager, and although King Xingxian has also pursued the title of Emperor, Zhu Houcong did not think about these "special favors" and allowed the Lord Xiandi to enter the Fengxian Hall so that Empress Dowager Jiang could also come to offer sacrifices. bye.
Now, there is only one pavilion in Qingning Palace dedicated to the God of Emperor Xian.
These are the rules of this era. After all, Emperor Xian had never really been an emperor and had no other merits for the Ming Dynasty.
Although some people speculated that welcoming Emperor Jing into the temple was the next step, Zhu Houcong actually had no such plan.
Now, both Zhu Houcong and Empress Dowager Zhang entered Fengxian Hall, and the door of the hall was closed.
In front of us, starting from Zhu Yuanzhang's direct ancestors, to Zhu Yuanzhang, to Zhu Di, to Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Jianshen, Zhu Youtang, Zhu Houzhao...
Their portraits and tablets are placed one by one in the Fengxian Hall.
Zhu Houcong knelt down and worshiped, and Queen Mother Zhang also knelt down and worshiped.
There was no one else inside and outside the palace, and Zhu Houcong asked them all to stay a hundred steps away - the eunuchs and maids in charge of chores here were relieved.
The flames of everlasting lamps swayed, and the incense smoke lingered on the incense burner.
Queen Mother Zhang was kneeling on the mat and mumbling something, but it was difficult to hear what she was mumbling.
"Taizu and Taizong are above us, and all our ancestors and ancestors are above us. The unfilial sons and grandsons are thick and arrogant. Today's words will be learned by the spirits of our ancestors and ancestors in heaven."
After Zhu Houcong finished speaking, he stood up and turned to one side: "Mr. Zhang is the emperor of Xiaomiao, and since today I said that Xiaomiao is the spirit of heaven, I will speak out in front of the god of Xiaomiao."
The name Zhang made Empress Dowager Zhang suddenly pause, and she turned her head to stare at him angrily without concealing her gaze.
Zhu Houcong looked down from a high position with cold eyes: "For your sin today, I am not afraid to stand in front of the ancestors and clan spirits and kill you with my own hands!"
Queen Mother Zhang looked at him in disbelief with a horrified face.
This is the Fengxian Palace!
She is the main queen of Xiaomiao, his biological aunt!
kill? Kill with your own hands?
It was not that Empress Dowager Zhang didn't know that he had already killed someone in Fengtian Palace, but she really never expected that he would tell her personally that he wanted to kill her personally, or in front of the ancestor's soul.
"What crime am I guilty of! You are only allowed to force my family to death, and you are not allowed to ask for mercy?" Empress Dowager Zhang screamed out.
"What's your crime? My ancestors are above me, so I'm going to tell you about your sins. Do you think I'm lying?"
Zhu Houcong's voice was not loud, but he took a step forward and looked down at her.
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at him with a look of hatred on her face and pursed her lips.
"Relying on favor and arrogance, being domineering in the harem and ignoring the importance of the country has caused the harem of the Xiaomiao Temple to be deserted and the heirs to be in trouble! This is the first crime!"
"The emperor's brother succeeded to the throne as a young man, but you did not give full support to your mother's family. Instead, you allowed your mother's family to corrupt the country's laws, oppress the good people, and commit all kinds of evil. You made trouble for the courtiers and alienated the mother and son because of the evil of the mother's family. You controlled the harem and made the emperor hate the palace to the point where he died. Having no heirs is the second crime!”
"The emperor's brother has passed away and there is no successor to the throne. According to the family law and the ancestral teachings, I should take the throne. You deceived me when I was young and didn't understand the palace rules. As soon as I became the successor, you ordered the maid to lure me into bathing, and then You sent your ministers to the outside to pre-select ladies to ruin my reputation. At that time, the emperor's brother had not yet taken action, so what was your intention? You claimed that you had been favored by the selection, and you wanted to continue to control the harem, and even made me have to rely on you. This crime three!"
"Your brother has no knowledge of people. The traitor is hiding in the prince's mansion. If you don't have the help of your brother, and if your brother doesn't rely on your servants in the palace, how can you raise a fire thorn at the Rijing Gate ten days after I ascend the throne?" Driving? This is the fourth crime!"
"Now that I want to change the law and become stronger, the gentry in the world are restless. Many evil deeds of the Zhang brothers have aroused public anger. You don't want to punish your mother's family. Instead, when I was discussing state affairs with the court officials, you used the dignity of the Queen Mother to bully the Queen. To corrupt human relations and tarnish my reputation in history, how is killing one's heart different from killing one's body? This is the fifth crime!"
Zhu Houcong's voice became more and more severe, and he mentioned the five major sins in one breath. He paused for a moment before continuing to say coldly: "Since you have entered the harem, you are the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family! There is nothing wrong with you caring about your mother's family, but why do you have Zhu in your heart?" Home? When the emperor's brother was seriously ill, you never visited him once. Where is the affection between mother and son? Although I did not inherit the heir under the Xiaomiao Temple, after entering the palace, I looked at it in the morning and dusk. How could you keep it in your heart? I chose the heir in the name of the emperor's brother. How have you ever cared about the emperor's sister-in-law so that she would not be afraid of serious illness? If the emperor's sister-in-law marries into your Zhang family, you will be prosperous and you will be devastated!"
"How can Marquis Shouning stay out of the Rijingmen assassination case? Can I seize his title and punish him? I have tried my best to persuade you with my golden words, but have you ever been considerate? So what if I am the son who succeeded Xiaomiao? I am today The situation you are in is exactly the situation that the emperor was in in the past!"
"Even though Xiaomiao had a deep love for you back then, how could you ever show consideration to Xiaomiao? How heroic Xianmiao is, and how merciful Xiaomiao is because you are jealous and tyrannical? Your own brother wore a royal crown and raped a palace maid. For such crimes, if Taizu and Taizong were here, they would have been killed on the spot!"
Zhu Houcong exposed Zhu Youtang's shortcomings here without any psychological pressure, no matter how their ancestors were spewing fragrance in the underworld chat group.
But after Zhu Houcong said so many things, Queen Mother Zhang finally understood that the "kill" he said was not a bluff.
Then she turned pale.
"Now that I have succeeded to the throne, why is everything so difficult? The unfilial descendants boldly tell all their ancestors that the emperor and his brothers were all harmed by this woman when they were in power! The reason behind this is that the foolish woman does not understand, but the ancestors and ancestors should take responsibility for themselves. Mingjian!"
Zhu Houcong glanced at Queen Mother Zhang contemptuously.
Emperor Hongzhi pampered her to the point of being henpecked. The Zhang brothers were so domineering that no one could rule them over. The civil servants of the Hongzhi Dynasty used all kinds of rhetoric in the face of such a weak-minded and cowardly emperor, so much so that there was a large-scale disappearance of the population and land. Hongzhi ZTE.
When the power of civil servants gradually became stronger, when Emperor Zhengde ascended the throne, his relatives had already fawned over and imitated the Zhang brothers, and they were too bad to be useful. Zhu Houzhao reused eunuchs and adopted sons to find a way out, but the effect was very limited.
Zhu Houcong's current words are indeed his inner view: the Ming Dynasty he inherited is almost on the road to death, partly because of the idiot in front of him.
Although he exaggerated a bit when he said it.
"Now I want to change the law to become stronger and rebuild the Ming Dynasty. The guilt of your two brothers has not been judged by the Three Laws Division first. In the end, it will be judged by my Holy Saint. You are so anxious that you act like this to force me to think of you. Do you want to spare them their status? Do you still have the Ming Dynasty and the country in your heart? Do you really hope that I will leave a reputation in the eyes of my subjects for not knowing right and wrong and persecuting the elders? If you want to destroy my majesty, why do you mention the temple of filial piety, which is watched by the spirit of heaven? "
Zhu Houcong gritted his teeth and continued to tell the point where he really went berserk: "A little thing? A few untouchables? How did Taizu conquer the country? Relying on the support of the untouchables in your mouth! The evil done by your two brothers is countless, and a little spark can Is this a trivial matter that caused a lot of resentment among the people in the capital? Wearing the royal crown when you were in the Xiaomiao Temple, Cao Zu accused you of treason when your brother was still alive, and after I succeeded to the throne, the Rijing Sect assassinated you. Which of these things has nothing to do with your Zhang family?"
"While the emperors of the three dynasties were on the throne, your Zhang family did not deliberately rebel. You were so arrogant and domineering that you almost considered yourself a royal family! In front of your ancestors, you should tell me whether I should kill you? Do you dare to kill you?"
After Empress Dowager Zhang became the crown prince, especially after becoming the empress, no one had ever dared to say such arrogant words to her, and every word showed that they wanted to kill her.
And this man is the current emperor, he thought, he can do it too.
Empress Dowager Zhang now understands why she came to Fengxian Hall today.
She thought it was her ancestors who reiterated their "golden words" in front of them to reassure her, but she didn't expect that she had to tell her ancestors first to make it clear.
In the past, Empress Dowager Zhang could succeed as long as she acted like a spoiled brat, and her whole body was cold, her face was earth-colored, and she was trembling.
"I originally thought that I promised you not to punish the Zhang brothers for their crimes last year. You were correcting your mistakes by chanting Buddha's name in Renshou Palace. I originally wanted the three judges to go to court first. If the crimes were true, I would only fine you some money and take away at most. It's just a title. Will the Zhang family starve to death, or have I already said that I will confiscate the family and exterminate the family? Since you don't know right from wrong and don't want dignity, I won't give you dignity. The death of the Zhang brothers is really thanks to you! I will cure the crimes that are inconvenient and incurable for your uncle and brother!"
Queen Mother Zhang suddenly collapsed and cried loudly: "You heartless..."
Zhu Houcong grabbed her collar: "In front of our ancestors, it doesn't matter if you don't understand! I tell you clearly that I will implement new laws to gain the benefits of the gentry in the world. I know very well what my reputation will be in a hundred years." , I don’t care! I only want the Ming Dynasty to be prosperous and strong. If you continue to rely on your status, I am not afraid of your reputation becoming even dirtier. If it weren’t for the emperor’s uncle and brother’s face, I would definitely kill you here! If you don’t care about my kindness, I will!”
A biting coldness flowed from his eyes and teeth, which were so close. Although Queen Mother Zhang knew that he would not kill her now, it was a real death warning.
Turning around and opening the palace door, Zhu Houcong shouted: "Huang Jin!"
Huang Jin from a distance ran over quickly and said tremblingly: "My slave is here!"
"The Empress Dowager Zhaosheng and Cisheng is ill and has been sent to Xiyuan Wanshou Palace for rest!"
"...This slave accepts the order!"
Zhu Houcong was not worried that she would commit suicide. This crazy woman cherished her life, and she could survive better than the Empress Dowager Chiang.
When they returned to Qianqing Palace, they saw Yang Ting and the others still waiting there anxiously.
Etiquette and reputation were extremely solemn in their minds, and they were worried about what the emperor would do next.
Returning to the imperial study room again, Zhu Houcong simply said: "The Empress Dowager Cishou is extremely ashamed and ill. I have ordered her to be sent to Xiyuan Wanshou Palace for rest."
Everyone's faces changed color: this was almost expulsion from the palace, even though there was an excuse to recuperate.
However, as the Queen Mother, she actually did something stupid like bullying the Queen in the palace. What is the difference between being imprisoned in the palace and "recuperating" in Xiyuan?
"It's for the sake of the emperor's brother and heir. Queen Zhuang Su was so frightened last year that she lived with the Queen Mother Cishou in Renshou Palace. She might become seriously ill again." Zhu Houcong said calmly, "When the renovation of Prince Rui's Mansion is completed, Queen Zhuang Su moves to Hengzhou. , I will take Empress Dowager Cishou back to Renshou Palace."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't take long. It really seemed like they had changed to a better environment to "recuperate".
But this news will still fall into the hearts of many people and be speculated and interpreted.
Now to touch the Zhang brothers, what is the emperor trying to do? Is it just for the "new party" to take a more decisive step forward?
No... some unwilling people have one more excuse in mind. Some vassals will feel that they have greater hope of relying on the power of the old party, right?
Next year, it will be time for the new monarch to mourn Emperor Zhengde in his palace within twenty-seven months after he ascends the throne.
Zhu Houcong looked at them and said calmly: "If the new law is to be realized, you and others need to work hard. If the new law is completed, you and others will be the heroes who re-opened the Ming Dynasty and will be famous in history for centuries. I will only be seventeen next year, and there is no one like you who has made great achievements. Worry, my generous mind can accommodate you."
With the word "profit" in sight, how can the new law only lead to some nervousness?
How can it be fertile without flesh and blood?
The leaders of the new party and the old party are all "our own people", so in the dragnet constantly laid by the emperor, can they accurately complete this round of killings?
At this moment, Yang Tinghe finally had no luck anymore. The monarch and his ministers had performed so many dramas to the outside world, and it was only at this moment that the real murderous intention was revealed.
"I understand."
Everyone knows that although the new law was only implemented in Guangdong five years ago, starting from the second year of Jiajing, there will still be various reasons for the other provinces to fall one after another. officials, wealthy households, and even vassal kings who jumped out in advance.
A five-year agreement is just a dull knife.
Is it radical to touch the Zhang brothers at this time?
No, it all depends on how these knife-wielders act.
"In three days, I will inspect the capital camp!"
Zhu Houcong reassured them and let them go back to work.
Everyone looked at the emperor's back as he walked towards Kunning Palace, and thought of what he said last year.
The foundation of the country, the capital camp, and the new law.
At that time, these were only three things that the emperor made clear he cared about.
But starting from the second year of Jiajing one month later, these three things will become the three things that all policymakers are most concerned about.
The emperor always had a way out, and they didn't have any.
"I'm going to the Ministry of Punishment," Li Chongsi said.
"I'm going to check on the payment of wages for the Beijing camp this year." Wang Xian said.
"I'll go back to the Ministry of Rites to see how the discussion about Emperor Jing's entry into the temple went," Zhang Zilin said.
Yang Tinghe watched them leave one by one and looked back at Qianqing Palace.
When Emperor Zhengde passed away, he felt that a heavy responsibility lay on his shoulders.
(End of chapter)
