Although the Jiading Uncle Mansion is lively, the Meridian Gate is actually more lively.
Just where officials usually beat their imperial sticks, hundreds of civil and military officials had gathered. They are not bored, but they are ordered to watch here.
In the open space where they were watching, several people were already being escorted by Dongchang officers.
Wang Dehua, the former chief eunuch of the ceremonial department and the governor of the East Factory, Wang Zhixin, the former royal horse supervisor, the eunuch Wang Zhixin, and Luo Yangxing, the former commander of the Jinyiwei.
Just ten days ago, these three people were the most powerful ministers in the Ming Dynasty, but now, they were about to be executed in public.
Looking at the three people kneeling here, the civil and military officials were quite shocked to be honest.
Among them, Luo Yangxing was going to be killed with a stick, which they could understand. Who asked him to assassinate the refugee resettlement envoy in Gyeonggi Province? The most important thing is that the assassination was not successful and the evidence was caught on the spot. He really deserved it!
But for Wang Dehua and Wang Zhixin, they were very surprised.
They had heard before that Wang Dehua had been arrested and Wang Chengen had been replaced. This made them miss the time when Wang Dehua was the Chief of Ceremonies, the Eunuch, and the Admiral of the East Factory. How harmonious that time was!
Therefore, they have not thought about why Wang Dehua was arrested and whether there is any possibility of being re-employed. If possible, they wouldn't mind saying a few nice words for him and calling out his grievances.
However, no matter whether it is Wang Dehua or Wang Zhixin, no matter how powerful they are, they are just the emperor's domestic slaves. If the emperor shouts and kills them, they, the foreign ministers, have no way to do anything.
It was not until this moment that a eunuch was reading loudly the charges against the three people in front of him. Only then did all the civil and military officials understand why Wang Dehua and Wang Zhixin were killed!
To sum it up, it can be summed up in eight words: Corruption harms the country and the people!
Listening to the eunuch reading what Wang Dehua (Wang Zhixin) did on a certain day of a certain year, many civil and military officials became uneasy.
Although many of Wang Dehua's bribes were not made public, most of the civil servants present, those with high enough status, had given gifts to the eunuch, eunuch and governor of the East Factory. They were afraid that the emperor would find out about them.
And those generals were also worried, because Wang Zhixin's main crime was being free from pay and embezzling military expenses. Among the generals, including the nobles in charge of the army, there were several who had never done this.
In this regard, they can only comfort themselves secretly. Don't be afraid, there are so many corrupt people in the court who live on free money, it's not all okay. Now the emperor is dealing with just a few domestic slaves, it's okay, it's okay!
"The power struggle in the palace seems to be very fierce, and it has reached the point of death."
"Yes, it seems that Wang Chengen had a reason for his arrogance. He actually eliminated his opponents without giving them any chance to make a comeback!"
"I heard that the person who succeeded the eunuch in charge of the Royal Horse Supervisor is Fang Zhenghua. I don't know it at ordinary times. It seems that this person is already very powerful in the palace. This person can bring down the king's heart outside, tsk tsk!"
"..."
There is actually a reason for this understanding.
The power struggle in the outer court, also known as party struggle, was actually very fierce. During the Chongzhen Dynasty, the top officials of the Ming Dynasty were killed, not only as a result of party struggles, but also as a result of physical destruction, without giving them a chance to recover.
Otherwise, there will be the possibility of resurrecting just like Zhou Yanru, and suddenly becoming the chief assistant again. Of course, now he is the former chief assistant again.
Thinking this way, they began to slowly calm down.
The struggle for power inside and outside the palace is normal to them. If you fail in the struggle and are killed, it certainly does not mean that you have failed in the struggle for power. There will always be high-sounding reasons for killing. As a result, the three people in front of them can only be said to be very poor.
While they were whispering about this, suddenly there was another noise in the distance. They heard the sound and looked around, only to see another group of Dongchang officers coming over. Apparently, they were escorting one person.
When they got closer and took a closer look, they couldn't help but be shocked.
Zhou Bian, the younger brother of the current queen and the uncle of the prince, was used to running rampant in the capital, so of course they recognized him.
It was precisely because of this that they never expected that even Zhou Bian would be captured.
"What's going on? Even if he is arrested, will he also be beheaded?"
"Does the queen know this? Does the prince know?"
"By the way, I haven't seen the prince for several days. Didn't you say that the prince is going to tour the south and take a boat to Tianjin? Why is there no news yet?"
"..."
If Wang Dehua and Wang Zhixin were going to be killed before, which had shocked them, now they were really shocked to see Zhou Bian being taken into custody, together with Wang Dehua and the others, and obviously about to be executed.
Therefore, even if the prince has not seen such a big event for a few days, only some people are surprised. More people are paying attention to this matter in front of them.
Even people who were dying like Wang Dehua and Wang Zhixin were shocked. That they were to be killed should be the result of a failed power struggle. However, Zhou Bian is also going to be killed. He is just a relative. What does it have to do with the power struggle?
At this time, Zhou Bian had already arrived, and the eunuch beside him began to read out Zhou Bian's charges. All the civil and military officials heard that Zhou Bian usually bullies men and dominates women, runs rampant in the capital, and does evil things.
In fact, many of these officials know these things. There are even some things that are instigated by certain people. With Zhou Kui and his son standing in front, they would have no scruples in doing similar things.
To be honest, Zhou Kui and his son went from being ordinary people to what they are now, and finally ended up like this. Those who instigated them definitely have a big responsibility.
At this time, they never expected that the emperor would actually kill his brother-in-law! Does the emperor really want to severely punish corruption and illegal activities? Otherwise, if it is just about party struggle, the killing of Zhou Bian will not be justified.
While they were talking in low voices in fear, the eunuch who read out the charges had already retired, and the newly appointed eunuch Wang Erbiao, the eunuch who was responsible for the ceremony, said loudly to these officials: "Your Majesty's decree..."
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials immediately stopped talking and accepted the order first.
"When a prince breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as the common people. No matter who he is, as long as he dares to break the law and cause harm to the Ming Dynasty, I will never tolerate it! I will watch to see who else wants to be like them!"
After Wang Erbiao finished speaking, he ordered the Dongchang officers to carry out the execution.
So, a team of Dongchang servants waited on one of them, and they all started to play the game.
Hitting them one at a time, one after another, will lead to death. However, Wang Erbiao was also ordered not to beat him to death at once, but to beat him several times.
No matter what, the effect of killing chickens and frightening monkeys must be maximized.
