Shen Li, Yu Jideng, Wen Chun, and Xu Zuo were quickly brought to the Emperor by Zhang Cheng and the Eastern Faction Guards.
Zhao Zhigao and Shen Yicheng were arranged by Zhu Yijun to hide behind the screen behind his throne. They could hide themselves temporarily and watch a good show.
On one hand, Zhu Yijun needed to express his respect and trust for Shen Yicheng. On the other hand, he needed to show his imperial power and intimidate Shen Yicheng.
Zhao Zhigao's words were not completely unreasonable, and they did not enter Zhu Yijun's heart.
Zhu Yijun did not completely trust Shen Yicheng, and it was impossible for him to completely trust him. A person who could openly conspire with his colleagues in front of him for his own position was not a person he could entrust everything to. However, he was a qualified dog.
A dog that could bite people. However, this dog's wolf nature was a little too big, which made Zhu Yijun a little worried.
A dog that could bite people might bite back at its master. Zhu Yijun, who had experienced Zhang Juzheng, was very afraid of a new Zhang Juzheng appearing in the court. Moreover, it was a Shen Yicheng who did not care about the country and the world.
He decided not to promote Shen Yicheng to the position of Grand Secretary. He would let Shen Yicheng be the second Grand Secretary for a while, and let Zhao Zhigao continue to be the symbolic Grand Secretary. This would more or less let Shen Yicheng suppress his temper.
However, for the four people in front of him, Zhu Yijun had no scruples at all.
Shen Li and Yu Jideng were still dressed neatly, but Wen Chun and Xu Zuo looked a little worse for wear. They seemed to be injured, and when they came over, they were trembling all over.
"Wen Chun, Xu Zuo, you two are very good. You broke into the Cabinet in broad daylight, held the Grand Secretary and the second Grand Secretary hostage, and openly attacked the palace. You want an explanation from me. Very good, very good. Now, I will give you a chance to explain. Come, tell me what explanation you want."
The Emperor's tone sounded very calm, but they could all hear the raging waves hidden under this calm surface.
Wen Chun and Xu Zuogang had just been imprisoned in the Imperial Bodyguard prison for a while before they were brought out by the Emperor for interrogation. They knew very well that their operation had failed. Their plan to attack the palace and establish the Imperial Censorate's authority in front of the Emperor had failed.
Now that the outcome had been decided, if they still didn't know what was good for them and continued to play moral coercion, wouldn't that be courting death?
Right now was not the time to care about their reputation, but their lives. The two of them, who were well versed in the principle of putting their own safety before others, knew very well when they could act recklessly and when they needed to be careful.
Once, with Zhang Wei at the front holding the fort, the hundreds of officials working together, everyone working together, they rushed to the front as the vanguard, the Emperor could do nothing.
But now, Shen Yicheng was controlling the court, marginalizing them and forcing them to cooperate with Shen Li, the Minister who had lost power. They didn't know if the Emperor would give them some face.
"Your Majesty, we … we didn't attack the palace, nor did we kidnap the Grand Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. It was … it was Minister Shen who found us and said that Your Majesty insisted on conferring the title of Emperor on Xiao Zhennan, which disobeyed the law. The Grand Secretary and the Deputy Secretary flattered and had no integrity. We were so angry that we … asked Your Majesty to punish us!"
Wen Chun hurriedly sold out his teammates.
Xu Zuogang also followed closely. "Please punish us, Your Majesty!"
Shen Li and Yu Jideng widened their eyes at the two guys who sold out their teammates. Their eyes were full of shock, and they opened their mouths but couldn't say anything.
In the game of politics, it was better to let others die than to let others die. Anyway, it was indeed Shen Li and Yu Jideng who egged us on. We were just telling the truth. This was very normal for mad dogs.
When our lives weren't in danger, we risked our lives. When our lives were in danger, we could only play with you.
Zhu Yijun was indeed angry, but he was also very clear that compared to these mad dogs, the one who manipulated them behind the scenes was the first person to be dealt with. It was enough to beat the dogs with a stick, but it was not easy to deal with the people. If he didn't seize the opportunity, it would not be so easy to deal with them.
It was more important to take advantage of this to cripple Shen Li and Yu Jideng!
As for the Imperial Censorate …
At the moment, perhaps it was better to keep them alive than not to keep them alive?
This idea suddenly occurred to Zhu Yijun.
Once this idea appeared, it could not be eliminated.
If he really cleared all the obstacles for Shen Yicheng, would Shen Yicheng become the next Zhang Juzheng?
Zhu Yijun really couldn't let go of this idea.
Seeing these mad dogs bite people unscrupulously for his sake, it was obvious that it was better to keep them alive than to cripple them.
But first, he had to teach them a lesson.
He didn't keep them alive to let them attack the palace to show off their madness!
The emperor cared about his reputation!
"The title of the emperor, the title of the emperor, in your eyes, I am an immoral emperor who is willing to give up my throne to outsiders, right? Or, do you think that a title of Duke Qin can ruin the Daming Empire? "
A smile appeared on Zhu Yijun's face. "How fragile is my Daming Empire in your eyes? So weak that a titled battle pet warrior would be able to kill him? What? Was it so fragile that a title of Marquess Qin could destroy it?
We are very puzzled. We want to ask you about government affairs, but you talk about the prosperity of the country and the peace of the people every day. We don't ask you about government affairs, but we ask you about military affairs. You say that the four seas of the Great Ming Dynasty respect you, congratulate you from all sides, and that the fate of the country is prosperous. How is it that a title can bury the Great Ming Dynasty?
What on earth is the Daming Empire like? Why the world will be peaceful if I do as you say, but the world will be in turmoil immediately if I do as I say. The world will be in turmoil in just one day. Isn't it a little too fast? Minister Shen, Yu Butang, can you give me an explanation? "
Shen Li and Yu Jideng breathed heavily and kept silent.
In fact, they didn't know what to say.
"Why don't you talk? I want you to talk! "
Zhu Yijun snorted.
They still didn't know what to say.
Their minds were completely in a mess.
Zhu Yijun took a deep breath.
"Master Shen, you really disappoint me."
Shen Li raised his head in astonishment and looked at Zhu Yijun with astonishment.
For a moment, all kinds of emotions surged in his heart, and he almost forgot to breathe.
"Come on, draft the decree."
Zhu Yijun sat back on his throne as if he was very tired.
Zhang Cheng had prepared the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, waiting for Zhu Yijun to speak.
"Shen Li, the assistant minister of the Cabinet, and Yu Jideng, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, slandered the emperor, arbitrarily discussed the state affairs, spread rumors, connived the Imperial Censor to attack the Cabinet, and held the First and Second Secretaries of the Cabinet hostage to attack the Imperial Palace. They made false statements and committed treason. They should be removed from their positions and sent home to reflect on their misdeeds. They are not allowed to step out of their homes without permission.
Wen Chun, the Left Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censor, and Xu Zuo, the Right Imperial Censor and the minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, dared to attack the Cabinet in broad daylight and held the First and Second Secretaries hostage to attack the Imperial Palace. They disrespected the emperor and spoke arrogantly. Since they are not the masterminds, they will not be severely punished.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
