Wandering the Heavens

"Lord Xuanwu, what crime have we committed?" The Minister of War Wang Ji was the first to lose patience and start to attack.

"It's enough that you are Xu Youzhen's accomplice." Yu Xian didn't even bother to look at him.

"Xuanwu Bo, are you suppressing the court officials in order to dominate the government?"

The Imperial Guards had already entered the hall and held up the people mentioned above, but they still had to struggle to rescue them.

"Your Majesty, we are doing this to recommend you to the throne. Please say something!" Jiang Yuan shouted at Zhu Qizhen while struggling.

Zhu Qizhen stood there without saying a word. With Zhu Qiyu's imperial edict and Empress Dowager Sun's decree in front of him, he no longer had any chips in his hands to shake his son's power.

"Your Majesty, have you been coerced by the traitor? It's a misfortune for the Ming Dynasty and the country!" Chen Xun, who had other thoughts, followed suit and struggled and cried.

"It's not proper for them to cry in the hall. The Imperial Guards will take them all to the imperial prison, and I will interrogate them personally then." Yu Xian waved his hand lazily.

The Jinyiwei were very tactful and blocked the mouths of several people and dragged them out of the hall. All the court officials looked at the ground without saying a word.

"If you have something to say, please report it. If not, please dismiss the court!" Xing'an stood up and sang loudly after receiving Zhu Jianshen's signal.

In this situation, if anyone dares to do anything, they should disperse quickly and go out to breathe. Sooner or later, you will suffocate to death in this Fengtian Hall.

"Ministers, there is nothing to do. Court is dismissed!"

After shouting repeatedly, the ministers hurriedly left the suffocating hall. They had thought that something big would happen today, but they never expected it to be so exciting.

However, they relaxed too early. Over the next few days, their colleagues were taken away by the Jinyiwei one by one, and only then did they realize the seriousness of the matter. However, the current situation is special, and they have no idea where to start even if they want to find out.

After many years, the Forbidden City was subjected to another large-scale purge. Many problematic palace maids and eunuchs were captured by the East Factory, and Zhu Jianshen had no intention of filling the vacancies for palace maids and eunuchs.

Zhu Qizhen moved to a new place to live, but it was more comfortable than Nangong's. He was not treated harshly and basically had everything he wanted except power.

Prince Xiang and the Crown Prince who came to Beijing secretly were secretly controlled. Yu Xian wanted to make a big change in the royal family. Prince Xiang's Mansion was right in the crosshairs, so he used them as a breakthrough point, but now is not the time.

Zhu Qiyu's illness was recurring, and he was sometimes better and sometimes worse, sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. Yu Xian took his pulse and gave him medicine personally, but it was of no avail. It seemed that Zhu Qiyu was really dying. Finally, Zhu Qiyu urgently summoned Zhu Jianshen, Yu Xian, Yu Qian, Wang Zhi, Shang Lu and others in May.

"You are all here."

"Uncle, my nephew and several ministers have arrived." Zhu Jianshen stood at the front and took the lead in saluting.

At this moment, Zhu Qiyu was helped up by a palace maid and leaned against the head of the bed. He looked very energetic and even spoke with full energy. However, Yu Xian knew that this was just a last burst of energy.

"I originally wanted to meet my brother, but forget it." Zhu Qiyu said with a wry smile.

"Uncle, don't worry about it because the situation is urgent. I think father will understand it too." Zhu Jianshen comforted.

"Let's not talk about that." Zhu Qiyu began to call out names: "My child, the Ming Dynasty will be handed over to you in the future. You must be a good emperor. Xuanwu Bo, thank you for protecting my good nephew and teaching him all kinds of principles over the years. You will have to work hard for a while in the future. Yu Shaobao, I ask you to help take care of my nephew in the future. If we encounter any national affairs, Shang Xueshi and Wang Taishi, you can also help give advice."

Everyone knew that Zhu Qiyu was explaining his last wishes. Every time he called a name, that person bowed and clasped his hands in response. Zhu Qiyu did not mention Empress Dowager Sun here. Although he wanted to reconcile with his brother Zhu Qizhen, he did not dare to bet on Empress Dowager Sun's attitude and position, so he simply ignored her.

Among the four civil and military ministers present, Yu Xian has the longest seniority and the greatest power, followed by Yu Qian. Wang Zhi has lost more energy than before as he has grown older. Shang Lu is the youngest and has the least experience. These are the people Zhu Qiyu can think of to entrust his work to.

"Thinking back, I ascended the throne of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in a daze. For a long time, I even thought that the Ming Dynasty was my private property. After all my calculations, I ended up being a lonely man. I have been trembling with fear for so many years, and my heart has not been at peace. Instead, despair, anger, helplessness, and fear have tormented me all the time. Now I am finally free. Child, come here!" Zhu Qiyu pulled Zhu Jianshen over.

"Uncle, you are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and no one can deny that." Zhu Jianshen realized what was about to happen.

"None of this matters. It doesn't matter anymore. Everything I have done over the years will be recorded in history books. It will be up to future generations to judge right from wrong. I won't dwell on whether it's good or evil, right or wrong. Here, take this."

Zhu Qiyu took the treasure box containing the imperial seal from Xing'an, then took Zhu Jianshen's hand and pressed the treasure box into his hand.

"Uncle!" Zhu Jianshen called out anxiously.

But Zhu Qiyu would never hear it. His hands slipped from the treasure box and Zhu Jianshen's little hands and fell weakly to one side. His body, which was originally half-sitting, was now leaning on the bed.

"The Emperor is great!"

Along with Xing'an's voice, the whole hall was filled with crying.

Zhu Qizhen was reading a book in a house at this time, while Queen Qian and the palace maid were embroidering. When the bells began to ring, Zhu Qizhen did not pay attention. However, the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong, so he quickly put down the book and began to count the bells carefully.

"Nine."

……

"Twenty-seven."

……

"Forty-four."

"Forty-five."

"My dear, the bell rang forty-five times in total. Could it be?" Queen Qian came to Zhu Qizhen with the help of a palace maid.

"It's my younger brother who is gone." Zhu Qizhen grabbed Queen Qian's hand and stroked it gently, his voice neither sad nor happy.

On the fourth day of the fifth month of the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, Zhu Qiyu died of illness, and Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Chenghua.

On the tenth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, the Wucheng Bingmasi put the streets on alert early in the morning. At first, everyone thought that some important person was going out, but in the end, what appeared in front of the people were cage cars with prisoners, hundreds of them. All the prisoners were covered with black hoods, and only their height, weight and body shape could be seen, and it was impossible to know who the person was.

Yu Xian resolved all the events that happened from the tenth year of Xuande to the eighth year of Jingtai at one time. He took all these people out of the city and executed them secretly in the name of Xu Youzhen's accomplices. Among them were retired officials, civil and military ministers in the court, local clan gentry and merchants, presidents of academies, and even some envoys from vassal states.

Eunuchs, palace maids and refugees of lower status had already been dealt with, either by exile or execution.

When Xu Youzhen saw the sun again, he squinted his eyes unnaturally, and then saw himself and other prisoners being taken to a flat ground surrounded by high walls, surrounded by Beidou Guards and Jinyi Guards.

On a long square Xingtai, six pillars were erected, two of each holding up a beam. A thick rope with a small loop hung from the beam, swaying gently in the wind.

"You are killing ministers indiscriminately. Aren't you afraid that the court will be shaken?" Chen Xun, who had the highest status, couldn't help but roared when he saw the gallows.

"When you bribed all kinds of monsters and demons to stir up trouble in Beijing, didn't you ever think about the current situation?" Yu Xian shouted angrily, holding a list full of red ticks in his hand.

"We are considering the country and the people, what crime have we committed?" Chen Xun was dissatisfied.

"Chen Xun, it's already this time, can't you be more sincere? You have to act like you're forcing the emperor to rebel. You're embarrassing me."

Xu Youzhen looked down on this person. He never thought that this guy would be his accomplice. How big a mistake did they make to be eliminated by the Duke of Xuanwu in this way?

In addition to Chen Xun, Xu Youzhen also looked down on his real accomplices. Except for Wang Ji, who was a bit polite, Zhang Wei, Shi Heng, and Cao Jixiang all peed their pants. Zhang Wei and Cao Jixiang were fine, but Shi Heng was a military commander who fought on the battlefield! How could someone like him who could fight against the Wala cavalry in the Battle of Beijing be so humiliated?

"Xu Youzhen, it's all your fault that you have implicated all the ministers! Wouldn't it be better to just support Prince Yi to restore his throne? Why do you have to threaten the retired emperor?" Chen Xun is also good at passing the buck.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't you have any idea what evil thing you have done?" Xu Youzhen retorted with disgust.

Apart from the two of them, the other prisoners were also arguing. The execution ground suddenly became as lively as a vegetable market. Yu Xian was too lazy to argue with the dead, so he just stood there and watched quietly.

"My Lord, it's three quarters past noon," the clerk came over and reminded.

"Carry out the execution! Follow the order of the execution list." Yu Xian handed the list to the clerk.

"Follow the order."