Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 64 Sending People to Shaanxi to Capture Zhang Yu
Zhu Houzhao looked at Liu Jin and Ma Yongcheng, who was on duty and accompanying him, and asked, "Do you think we should show some leniency to Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others?"

Naturally, Liu Jin had no feelings for Liu Jian and others. After all, he had already torn his face with Liu Jian and others, and they were incompatible with each other. When he thought that he would have to see Li Dongyang's face in the court in the future, he was already very uncomfortable. How could he be willing to easily forgive Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others?

Therefore, Liu Jin stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think that we should cut the grass and eradicate it at its roots. Ma Gechen wants to be a bodhisattva, but bodhisattva can't suppress evil spirits except being worshipped by good people!"

Ma Yongcheng, the governor of the East Factory, also thought that Liu Jian and other civil officials were trying to kill his eunuchs. If it weren't for the emperor's desperate efforts to protect him, he would have been beheaded long ago. What reason did he have to let them go so easily? So he also echoed:
"As the emperor said, the death of the previous emperor cannot be left unclear. Even if they are not guilty of regicide, they must fabricate the crime of regicide. Otherwise, it will not be enough to let the officials outside the court understand the consequences of disobeying the king!"

Zhu Houzhao agreed with Ma Yongcheng's remarks. The reason why so many emperors of the Ming Dynasty were drowned was because the civil officials forgot the consequences of being discovered if they killed the emperor. They took the emperor's good temper for granted and only knew how to get along with the emperor after they came to the Qing Dynasty.

"Ma Yongcheng, you are right, but we still have to give face to Ma Wensheng and the others. After all, they are also thinking about us. We still need to have evidence of regicide. Fortunately, I have asked you to make preparations a long time ago. The person in charge is you, Ma Yongcheng. Tell me, what is the whereabouts of Zhang Yu and others who were exiled because of the death of the previous emperor?"

After Zhu Houzhao said this, he looked up and asked Ma Yongcheng.

Ma Yongcheng quickly replied, "Your Majesty has ordered the eunuchs to send people to keep an eye on them before, and they are still keeping an eye on them now, but they haven't taken action to arrest them because they are afraid of alerting the enemy. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, the eunuchs will send people to Shaanxi to bring them back and interrogate them strictly!"

"If the late emperor died a violent death, Zhang Yu is the most likely suspect of being the direct murderer! These people must not be forgiven! Now we have to find a way to capture them and bring them to Beijing for careful interrogation. But we can't do it openly, in case Li Dongyang and others find out in advance and kill them or even do something desperate, such as committing suicide."

Zhu Houzhao said and looked at Ma Yongcheng again: "You are now the governor of the East Factory, and you will be responsible for investigating major cases in the future. What do you think?"

"We need enough manpower to escort these criminals. The eunuchs suggest that we should bring a group of soldiers with us. Moreover, this group of soldiers must be reliable and there must be no possibility of leaking the news. There must also be other reasons to prevent Li Dongyang and others from secretly sending people to kill us and knowing our purpose in advance," said Ma Yongcheng.

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "There is a ready-made reason to send a troop of soldiers to Shaanxi. Wang Shu is from Shaanxi, and now I am preparing to reinstate him as the Minister of Personnel. I have asked the Imperial Household Department to draft an order to send soldiers to escort Wang Shu to Beijing with the ceremony of the Emperor's tutor, on the grounds that Wang Shu is old and respected. The question is which troop of soldiers should be sent?"

"Your Majesty, I think we can send the Juesheng Guard to Shaanxi to arrest Zhang Yu and others in the name of escorting princes to Beijing. The Juesheng Guard is composed of deaf-mute people. They have the least contact with foreign officials, or even no contact with them. They can't hear or speak, so it is undoubtedly safer and there will be no leakage of information. However, the current commander of the Juesheng Guard, Yang Mao, has always been low-key, and most people don't know how to communicate with him using sign language."

Liu Jin stood up and said at this time.

After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao thought it was okay, but he had to admit that he didn't know how to communicate with the deaf and mute people. This Jinyi Army established by the deaf strategist Lu Buxu and the deaf general Yang Zhongkai for Zhu Yuanzhang had often been ignored by most people.

"The emperor arranged for Wang Shouren to study in the Leopard Room. He was originally the head of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War. He studied there specifically to examine the situation of the Juesheng Guard. He also has a good relationship with the current commander Yang Mao. The eunuch boldly suggests that I and Wang Shouren take the Juesheng Guard to Shaanxi together. However, the officers and soldiers of the Juesheng Guard must disguise themselves as the Jinyi Guard in order to get away with it," said Ma Yongcheng.

"Very good!" Zhu Houzhao immediately stood up and instructed Liu Jin and others, "The Imperial Household Department drafts an edict, ordering the Imperial Household Department's eunuch Ma Yongcheng, the chief eunuch, to be the chief eunuch, and Wang Yangming, who was demoted to the position of Imperial Academy Scholar, to be the deputy eunuch, and to lead the Jinyi personal army to escort the prince to the capital, to show that I care about my old ministers and my earnest desire to rule the world!"

Ma Yongcheng hurriedly accepted the order and thanked the emperor. At the same time, he took the imperial edict prepared by the Imperial Household Department and went to the Leopard House to find Wang Yangming.

Zhu Houzhao also summoned Gu Dayong and said, "You are now responsible for interrogating Wang Yue and other traitors. The Jinyiwei Beizhenfu Division will cooperate with you. Remember, no matter what means or punishments you use, you must pry open Wang Yue and others' mouths and force them to tell you the secrets of the sudden death of the previous emperor. But you can't let anyone die, otherwise it will be too easy for these traitors. Do you understand?"

Gu Dayong did not expect that the Emperor Zhu Houzhao would give him the power to interrogate Wang Yue and others. He was very excited for a moment. He saw with his own eyes how Wang Yue threatened Emperor Zhengde to kill them that day. Naturally, he wanted to torture Wang Yue and others to death, so he quickly agreed: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand!"

When Zhu Houzhao saw Gu Dayong leave, he just smiled slightly, and then started thinking again, thinking about how to ensure that he could avenge Emperor Hongzhi.

Now, on the one hand, he sent Ma Yongcheng to Shaanxi to capture the direct murderer who killed Emperor Hongzhi, and on the other hand, he asked Gu Dayong to use torture in the capital to force evidence out of Wang Yue and others. This was a double insurance, ensuring that there was solid evidence that Emperor Hongzhi was killed.

However, Zhu Houzhao was still a little worried that even if he had solid evidence that Emperor Hongzhi was murdered, he might still lose to the civil servants in public opinion. After all, civil servants have always been good at writing, and are particularly good at confusing right and wrong. Zhu Houzhao felt that he had to create a fact that would be convincing and irrefutable to people of that era, and this fact was naturally the fact that Emperor Hongzhi was murdered.

To control public opinion is naturally nothing more than to grasp the right to speak and to use natural phenomena to create rumors. The latter is undoubtedly easier to convince people in this era, especially ordinary people. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao felt that he could take advantage of public opinion and spread the rumor in the capital at the right time that the late emperor was harmed by treacherous officials.

As it happened, the next morning, Xu Jing came to Zhu Houzhao to report on the completion of the equity transfer and the establishment of the Royal Bank and the Taxation Corps. Zhu Houzhao could not help but ask, "Has your sworn brother Tang Bohu arrived in Beijing?"

"Your Majesty, I have already written a letter to him. It will probably take some time for him to arrive in Beijing. My sworn brother has many female confidants all the way north, from Suzhou, Yangzhou, Linqing, Baoding, Tianjin, Tongzhou and even the capital. He has to compensate these confidants for their longing for him one by one!"

Xu Jing replied.

Zhu Houzhao was speechless, thinking that a man was just a man, why bother to speak so elegantly, and could not help but say: "I value him very much, send someone to urge him and tell him that if I don't see him within five days, I will find someone to castrate him!"

Xu Jing had no choice but to obey the order, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart. He thought that if his sworn brother was really castrated, would he be able to get his 20,000 taels of silver back?
Thanks to my book friend bjsshxs for the 500 starting coins reward. Thank you to my book friend Gou Qianhu for the 500 starting coins reward. I have a bad cold, so I updated a little late, sorry.

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(End of this chapter)