jdhmnovel Chapter 756 Stable
Chapter 756 Stable
Chapter 756 Stable
Forbidden City.
Zhu Youjian frowned, inwardly sighing. Wang Wenzhou had never harbored good intentions. He hadn't expected Wang Wenzhou to act so quickly, forming an alliance with the Donglin Party in just a few days. Now he was truly terrified. Fortunately, he had heeded Wang Qiang's advice and planted many spies within the imperial estate; otherwise, he would have been kept in the dark and deposed by Wang Wenzhou and those treacherous Donglin Party officials.
Zhu Youjian looked at Wang Chengen and asked, "Besides the three major camps, how many troops can I mobilize around the capital now?"
Wang Chengen said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, this old servant believes that only the Three Great Camps can be trusted now. According to the information brought by our spies, Hong Chengchou has already sided with Wang Wenzhou. As Your Majesty also knows, most of the troops near the capital are bandit suppression forces under the command of Hong Chengchou."
"Heh!" Zhu Youjian sneered, "I never imagined that I would be so deserted by everyone!"
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. They are just petty scoundrels!" Wang Qiang quickly said.
Zhu Youjian shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "Don't try to comfort me. Besides the Three Great Camps, what other troops can I trust these days?"
Zhu Youjian was really helpless. Although the Donglin Party had little influence in the military, after all, they were all scholars who looked down on the generals who led troops. However, the Ming Dynasty controlled the military with civil officials, and in fact, the generals who could truly command troops were all scholars, and the Donglin Party members made up more than half of them.
The other half of the Ming army was controlled by nobles. Because of the incident at Wang Wenzhou's father's birthday banquet, Zhu Youjian could be said to have become estranged from the nobles.
Wang Chengen said, "Your Majesty need not worry. There are still many loyal and patriotic people in the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Youjian said with a wry smile, "Bo Xin was right. How many people are truly loyal to the emperor and love their country? Most of them are just paying lip service!"
"Alas..." Zhu Youjian sighed and said, "Wang Chengen has drafted an edict that the capital has been suddenly struck by a plague. The city shall be locked down from this day forward. No one shall enter or leave the capital without my decree."
"This old servant obeys the decree!" Wang Chengen nodded. He knew that Zhu Youjian was still using the same idea that Wang Wenzhou had suggested before to deal with the Donglin Party. Although he did not quite agree with it, he also knew that he could not persuade Zhu Youjian.
Zhu Youjian continued, "Because many court officials have been infected with the plague, I have temporarily appointed the ministers of various ministries as follows..."
Wang Chengen shook his head with a wry smile. "Your Majesty, you already know of Wang Wenzhou's disloyal intentions, so why did you still use his bad ideas? Of the people you have temporarily appointed, how many of them are truly loyal to you?"
After Zhu Youjian announced the appointments, he looked at Wang Qiang and said, "Minister Wang, it's time to start the training courses for the sons and nephews of the court officials. You will be in charge of this matter!"
"Your humble servant accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!" Wang Qiang hurriedly accepted the order.
This was Wang Wenzhou's idea. He and Zhu Youjian had planned it this way before: he would torment the ministers inside the imperial estate, making them confess their crimes, while Zhu Youjian would go outside and torment the ministers' sons and nephews, making them confess the crimes of their fathers and brothers. By doing this two-pronged approach, no matter who confessed in the end, they would be able to get the crimes out of them.
Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and then said, "I would like to take advantage of the days of city lockdown to visit Hanshan."
"Huh?" Wang Chengen and Wang Qiang were both stunned. Your Majesty, have you gone mad? Going to Hanshan at this time? Hanshan is Wang Wenzhou's territory. If you go and don't come back, the Ming Dynasty will really be finished!
"No!"
"Please, Your Majesty, take back your order!"
Wang Chengen and Wang Qiang immediately objected.
"Rise!" Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said, "I know you are worried about my safety. But I have to go to Hanshan to see why Bo Xin's wives and concubines can command the people of Hanshan even when Bo Xin is not there."
The people of Hanshan are also the people of the Ming Dynasty. I, as the Emperor, am not even as good as Bo Xin's concubine in their hearts! I truly want to understand! I also want to see with my own eyes how Bo Xin governs Hanshan.”
Zhu Youjian truly couldn't understand it. If Mu Yiyun were replaced by Sheng Lan or Liu Rushi, he could accept it, after all, Wang Wenzhou's two children were extraordinary, each with many loyal students. But Mu Yiyun was not only a Tartar, but she had also not spent much time by Wang Wenzhou's side.
Moreover, Zhu Youjian learned from Cao Huachun what he had seen and heard in Hanshan. Zhu Youjian just couldn't understand how Wang Wenzhou, this lecherous man full of flaws, could be almost a god in the hearts of the people of Hanshan. Many people even had a shrine to Wang Wenzhou in their homes. This was a privilege that only the emperor could enjoy!
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall; Your Majesty, you must not put yourself in danger!"
Wang Qiang and Wang Chengen tried their best to persuade him.
Zhu Youjian said coldly, "Enough! Stop trying to persuade me! My mind is made up!"
……
"Cough cough cough..." Zheng Sanjun coughed a few times and slowly opened his eyes.
Zheng Sanjun looked around, still feeling like he was dreaming. He never imagined that Zhu Youjian, that pig, could be so ruthless!
To actually make these high-ranking officials live in stables! Is this any way to justify it? Even if they are truly guilty, high-ranking officials are not subject to punishment, and scholars can be killed but not humiliated! In any case, Zhu Youjian should not have humiliated them like this.
"Beep beep..." At this moment, a sharp whistle sounded.
Zheng Sanjun shook his head with a wry smile and hurriedly got up to put on his clothes. He dared not be slow, because Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, showed no mercy whatsoever. He said the play had to be convincing; if it wasn't realistic, Zhu Youjian would definitely notice. And if that pig Zhu Youjian acted recklessly, things would get complicated.
In no time, all the civil and military officials in the stable were dressed in their finest attire. Led by Kong Zhenyun, they lined up in neat rows, carrying various farm tools, and jogged all the way to the drill ground.
Wang Wenzhou, holding the baby, had been waiting there for a while.
Wang Wenzhou said irritably, "This is outrageous! Why are you so slow today? I'm punishing you by making you run ten laps around the playground. After that, you'll start doing chores!"
"The student obeys!" Kong Zhenyun answered loudly.
"Pah!" Zheng Sanjun and the others cursed inwardly. "Kong Zhenyun, you shameless old bastard! You're aiding and abetting evil, acting as an accomplice to a tyrant! Don't think we don't know. You even betrothed your granddaughter to Wang Wenzhou to curry favor with him, and that's bad enough. That mad dog Wang Wenzhou is constantly finding ways to torment us, and instead of standing up for us, you're just siding with him!"
Kong Zhenyun led the civil and military officials to run laps around the playground. The expressions on their faces were incredibly grim. It was no wonder they were unhappy; they were all important officials of the court, and now Wang Wenzhou was making a fool of them.
More importantly, the people were starving and cold, and were only given two meals a day. There was no breakfast, and they couldn't even find any meat.
Even so, they still had to perform massive amounts of physical labor, working themselves to the bone every day. Now, several veteran officials have even had enough of life and want to commit suicide. It's truly inhuman torture, so painful!