bullyxtreme Chapter 39 They were afraid, but it was too late!
Chapter 39 They were afraid, but it was too late!
Finally, Cao Zhengchun took his leave and departed from the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Houzhao sat there, falling into a long silence.
Today's events left him mentally and physically exhausted. Only after truly sitting on the throne did he realize that being the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was no easy task.
One's position determines one's perspective; once he became emperor, he was destined to be an enemy of the world.
All the privileged classes were actually taking away the imperial power from his hands.
Imperial power is above all people, but the emperor himself is not.
Whether it was cabinet officials, concubines in the harem, eunuchs in the palace, or gentry from all directions, their goal was to take away as much imperial power as possible from the emperor.
In their minds, a good emperor is one who has no power.
For example, like Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youcheng before him.
Once Zhu Youcheng seizes power, he will no longer be a wise and benevolent ruler, but a tyrant who should die!
Zhu Houzhao felt a pang of emotion; even with systematic assistance, he was still struggling to cope.
Historically, emperors did not have a system, so how did they manage to fight against the people in this vortex of power?
Perhaps we can glimpse the truth of the matter from their seemingly bizarre and absurd behavior?
Zhu Houzhao shook his head, no longer pondering these questions, and instead picked up the two secret letters to compare them.
The contents of the two secret letters were largely the same. After reading them again, Zhu Houzhao had some thoughts in mind.
Perhaps the officials whom Zhu Youcheng did not appoint through the cabinet were the ones truly loyal to the emperor.
For example, Zhou Jing, former Minister of Revenue; Zhu Hui, Duke of Baoguo; and Li Sui, Vice Minister of Works.
These people are definitely Emperor Xiaozong's direct descendants, and Zhu Houzhao should give them more support afterward.
As for Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong, the former Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, needless to say, their entire families were executed.
Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, Zhu Houzhao also needs to kill, but not now.
There is still war going on in Liaodong. Once the war in Liaodong is over, Zhu Houzhao will definitely exterminate his entire clan!
After thinking about the personnel arrangements for a while, Zhu Houzhao lay down on the bed, exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhu Houzhao went to sleep, but that night, far too many people in the capital were unable to sleep.
……
Six doors.
Upon returning to the Six Doors, Zhuge Zhengwo immediately summoned the Four Great Constables: "Ruthless, Iron Hand, Cold Blood, and Life Chaser!"
"Uncle, we're here!"
"His Majesty has ordered the execution of Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong, along with their entire families!"
"Ruthless and Iron Hand, you two will lead teams to arrest Liu Jian and Xie Qian's families in the capital."
"Leng Xue, Zhui Ming, you two lead the team to arrest Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong's relatives back in their hometown. Bring them to the capital and execute them all!"
The four exchanged glances, and each saw shock and fear on the other's face.
His Majesty intends to execute two Grand Secretaries and the entire clan of a Minister in one fell swoop. The sky over the capital is about to fall!
Although the four were shocked, they dared not hesitate and quickly bowed to accept the order.
"Yes, Uncle!"
Zhuge Zhengwo, Wuqing, and Tieshou went to the homes of Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong in the capital.
The constables from the Six Doors violently kicked open their doors and began arresting Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong's family members.
The families of the three men immediately burst into tears and screams, refusing to obey even at the cost of their lives.
They clamored that their father was a Grand Secretary and Minister of the Six Ministries, and that if the Six Doors dared to arrest them, their father would not let the Six Doors off the hook.
Faced with these people's clamor, the Six Doors' response was like a sharp knife, cutting off their heads.
In any case, Zhu Houzhao's order was to exterminate nine generations of a family; no matter who was killed, it wouldn't be a mistake!
Faced with bloodshed and death, these people finally felt fear.
They dared not resist and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, but no one in the Six Doors dared to disobey Zhu Houzhao's orders.
All of Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong's family members were imprisoned in the Six Doors prison.
Inside the dungeon, Liu Jian and Xie Qian, both covered in wounds, showed expressions of terror upon seeing their wives, sons, and daughters.
"What's going on?!"
"How did you all get in here?!"
Liu Jian's son, Liu Jie, was terrified and cried as he said, "Dad, they rushed into our house and tried to take us all away without saying a word."
"My second brother was killed simply for resisting!"
"What?!"
Liu Jian's eyes widened, his heart sank to the bottom, a chill ran down his spine, and he felt a deep sense of fear.
He sat coldly in his wheelchair, watching them with indifference.
"Don't worry, Leng Xue and Zhui Ming have already gone to your hometown and brought your parents and relatives here."
"It won't be long before your whole family is reunited."
"What do you mean?! What exactly do you mean?!"
Xie Qian felt his hands and feet were ice-cold, and all the strength in his body seemed to have been drained away.
Even his breathing became rapid, as if the air itself was drifting away from him.
Ruthless turned his wheelchair around and walked out of the cell.
"His Majesty has decreed the execution of Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and the nine clans of Qin Hong."
"Cherish this time of reunion, for your time is running out."
He left the dungeon without a word, and the dungeon remained silent.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, seemingly still not understanding the meaning behind Wuqing's words.
Execute his entire family?!
His Majesty intends to exterminate their entire clan?!
"How could this be?! How could His Majesty possibly exterminate our entire clan?!"
Xie Qian broke down and shouted, "I don't believe it! This must be a forged imperial edict from the Six Doors!"
"I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty in person!"
"..."
With Xie Qian in the lead, the dungeon was soon filled with cries and pleas for mercy.
Only after hearing the order to exterminate nine generations of their families did Liu Jian and Xie Qian finally feel fear.
But it was too late.
……
When Leng Xue and Zhui Ming, along with constables from the Six Doors, left the city for the hometown of Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Qin Hong.
Pi Xiaotian, the chief of the Eastern Depot, also came to Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's residence on Cao Zhengchun's orders.
The last time Cao Zhengchun led the team, he only managed to arrest Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, which left Cao Zhengchun feeling deeply disappointed.
This time, with Pi Xiaotian leading the team, they were finally able to capture all of Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's families in one fell swoop!
"Arrest them all, don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes, boss!"
At Pi Xiaotian's command, the agents of the Eastern Depot immediately rushed into the Shouning Marquis's residence and arrested Zhang Heling's wife and son.
Subsequently, Pi Xiaotian led his team to the homes of Zhang Yanling, Wang Yuan, and Wang Qing, and rounded up all these relatives of the emperor!
At this moment, the entire capital city was shrouded in the weeping of these relatives and friends.
Officials in the capital were so frightened by the sound of crying coming from outside their rooms that they trembled with fear and could not fall asleep for a long time.