Chapter 55 The silent chief minister
During the criminal investigation, Dou Ding was dragged out of the Meridian Gate and then pushed to the ground by Liang Ze and another sergeant.
Dou Ding looked unwilling and struggled desperately: "I don't want to die! Wuwu! Your Majesty, I was wrong, and I know I was wrong!"
Click!
But Guo Rong didn't hesitate at all. After raising the long knife in his hand, it suddenly cut through the void like a meteor, accurately cutting a bloody mark on Dou Ding's neck that had become two circles, and in the blink of an eye, Then it was cut off, and only gurgling blood spurted out, rushing straight into the blue sky!
During the criminal incident, the lower half of Dou Ding's body was still squirming on the ground, rubbing the white ground outside the Meridian Gate with blood red. On his head, only his mouth opened and closed twice, and there was a dull look in his eyes. There is still a look of surprise.
……
But here at Fengtianmen, when Zhu Houzhao directly ordered Dou Ding from the criminal department to be dragged out and hacked to death, all the officials present showed horror.
Because since Hongzhi, no civil official has been punished in court for eighteen years! Even during the Chenghua period, it was just a rod punishment!
For a while, the civil servants present were still a little unaccustomed to this atmosphere.
Just like that day in front of the Cining Palace, Emperor Zhu Houzhao suddenly ordered that the Li Ke be killed and handed over to Sun Meiling.
However, none of the three cabinet ministers said a word at this time.
Although Liu Jian, the chief assistant of the cabinet, also hoped that Zhu Houzhao would re-examine as Dou Ding said, he also knew that the hope was slim, because the new emperor now controls the inner court and naturally has to re-establish his authority in the outer court.
Li Dongyang, the second assistant to the cabinet, even narrowed his eyes, as if he was about to fall asleep, but in fact, he has now begun to pay attention to Zhu Houzhao again, hoping to find out Zhu Houzhao's true character.
Xie Qian, the third assistant to the cabinet, wanted to help his students, but he noticed Zhu Houzhao's eyes and knew that Zhu Houzhao was now trying to establish his authority, so he gave in and lowered his head.
Ma Wensheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xu Jin, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Jiao Fang, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and others guessed that there would be a bloody storm in the court today when they saw Liu Jin replacing Wang Yue. After all, His Majesty the Emperor has already controlled the inner court. As a young emperor, he would not take a few foreign officials. There is no way to make these foreign court officials fear the monarch's power even if they are operated on.
But it is obvious that Zhu Houzhao's behavior indeed threatened the civil servants and made them feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, many civil servants were very conflicted and even angry about Zhu Houzhao's behavior.
During the criminal investigation, when Dou Ding was dragged out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded on the order of Zhu Houzhao, He Tianqu, the censor who was not afraid of death, stood up again and directly said: "Your Majesty! Dou Ding is a public official. ! If an official is convicted for his words, he may be blocked! Please spare his life and reward his honesty!"
"So, you don't think he is guilty, but I am guilty?"
Zhu Houzhao asked. He was very familiar with He Tianqu and knew that he was the censor who persuaded him to return to the palace that day.
"Wei ministers dare not speak out about the faults of the emperor and father, but the emperor and father have made mistakes. As a censor, we should naturally remonstrate with him. His Majesty's actions are undoubtedly those of a tyrant!"
He Tianqu said with a cold smile, as if he had the guts to do so. In his opinion, officials cannot be killed, otherwise they, the civil servants, would not be able to accuse the emperor and senior officials, and they would not be able to protect their own interests, so he There is no fear. At the same time, He Tianqu also naively thought that he could change the mind of the young emperor Zhu Houzhao if he came out with a few words of stern advice.
Obviously, He Tianqu misunderstood Zhu Houzhao's intentions, or perhaps most of the civil servants in the Ming Dynasty still don't know how to figure out Zhu Houzhao's thoughts.
Therefore, what He Tianqu didn't expect was that Zhu Houzhao ignored him and only sat back on the dragon chair after he spoke.
At this time, Guo Rong had returned to Fengtian Gate: "Your Majesty, the criminal Dou Ding has been executed!"
The civil and military officials present were all surprised when they heard this, and they were also afraid of Zhu Houzhao. They thought that the emperor now didn't know whether he was young and fearless or didn't care about his reputation. He really dared to kill him! Two spokespersons have been killed in a row.
He Tianqu, the censor, also had a look of astonishment. He did not expect that Zhu Houzhao would not take back his decision to kill Dou Ding from the criminal department because of his remonstrance. At the same time, he became a little scared, and his legs went weak and he fell unconsciously. On the ground.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao happened to raise his hand and pointed at He Tianqu: "Drag him down too and chop him down! Conquer his house!"
It was very quiet!
The three ministers of the cabinet and the nine ministers of the six ministries looked at Zhu Houzhao in surprise, and at the same time shrank their heads in fear. They did not expect that the new emperor would kill him when they disagreed with him. He had already killed two officials without saying anything, and now he is still One more person to kill.
Zhu Houzhao had no intention of being polite to the civil officials today, because his purpose today was to establish his own majesty. He had to let these civil and military officials, especially the civil officials present, understand that the emperor was not just a Bodhisattva. He did not just ask for a few words of praise. This sentence can bring you blessings and favors. Sometimes the emperor is also a butcher. Don’t forget the saying “Being with the emperor is like accompanying a tiger.”
At this time, Censor He Tianqu heard that Zhu Houzhao asked Guo Rong to push him out of the Meridian Gate and behead him. He was so frightened that he immediately stood up and knelt in front of Zhu Houzhao:
"Your Majesty, spare your life! I have no other intention. I just feel that I can't kill Yan Guan casually. Of course, if Your Majesty really wants to kill me, you can do it. If you want me to die, I have to die. I am just worried that it will harm your Majesty's future reputation." Ah, I really have no other intentions. I know my sin. Please forgive me!”
Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes helplessly, thinking that this censor's emotional intelligence was really low. He still didn't understand why he killed him. Didn't he know that he killed him because his views were not consistent with his own? Didn't he know that in this At that time, it was said that His Majesty the Emperor's initial understanding was wrong. Did Dou Ding deserve his punishment?
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand: "Drag it down!"
Censor He Tianqu didn't expect that he would mess up. Of course, he didn't expect that Zhu Houzhao would be so ruthless. But now he only knew that he might die, so He Tianqu took advantage of Guo Rong and other sergeants to take advantage of him. In the past, I climbed directly to Liu Jian, the chief assistant of the cabinet:
"Teacher, save the student! Save the student!"
Zhu Houzhao also looked at Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, at this time. He actually wanted to see what Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, would do when he saw this scene.
Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, was in a bad mood at this time, but he also knew that the emperor Zhu Houzhao was now in control of the inner court, which also meant that the army was also controlled by the emperor. Even though he was the chief minister of the cabinet, he could not do anything without the help of the inner court. To contend with the emperor, he, as the old chief minister, became an obstacle to the new emperor's rise to power.
Therefore, Liu Jian knew that Zhu Houzhao was eager to punish him for being disobedient at this time. Even Liu Jian felt that Zhu Houzhao deliberately killed two officials in a row today just to force him to submit.
Therefore, Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, just remained silent when he saw his student He Tianqu asking for help.
(End of chapter)