Chapter 121: It Is Time for Us Old Ancestors to Get to Work!

Emperor Wuzong, Zhu Houzhao, went on a southern inspection tour and fell into the water! Emperor Shizong, the Jiajing Emperor, went on a southern inspection tour and was plagued by fires all along the way! These events all occurred outside the imperial palace. But for Emperor Xianzong to be ambushed while holding court inside the palace—this was an earth-shattering event! The bastards had actually brought the killing to his very doorstep! The nature of this offense was vile in the extreme. Furthermore, Huai En, as the Director of Ceremonial, had actually dared to press his hands on the Emperor's shoulders during the court session. This signaled that both the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Eastern Depot—which the Director of Ceremonial commanded—could no longer be trusted.

Zhu Jianshen reacted with lightning speed, issuing a decree immediately: "Convey my imperial order: Let Marquis Dingxi, Jiang Wan, serve as the chief envoy, and Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Hall, Wan An, serve as the deputy envoy to confer upon Lady Wan the title of Imperial Noble Consort!"

"As you command!" A eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial took the decree and withdrew.

The Ming Dynasty had many noble consorts, but Lady Wan was the first to be officially recognized and invested as an Imperial Noble Consort! Her status soared instantly. In the past, official functions were usually attended by the Emperor and the Empress, but after this investiture, the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort would stand on the Emperor's left and right.

However, Zhu Jianshen did not go to such great lengths to establish an Imperial Noble Consort for the sake of mere ceremony. It was because, just as appointing an Empress allowed for the granting of favors to her family, the same should naturally apply to an Imperial Noble Consort. Thus, Xianzong seized the opportunity to purge and reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Lady Wan’s brother, Wan Tong, was promoted to Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; her brother Wan Da was promoted to Thousand-Household of the Guard; and her brother Wan Xi was made Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. By placing the Guard under the control of his relatives, the influence of Xianzong and Lady Wan grew once again.

Moreover, using the case of the sorcerer Li Zilong as a pretext, the civil officials of the Cabinet could only stand by and watch. There was no way they could even offer remonstrance! If you let someone murder their way to the palace gates and then deny the Emperor the right to act, do you really take the Emperor for a mere paperweight? If the Emperor truly decided to flip the table, the civil officials would all be doomed, and their families would not escape either; at most, the gentry groups of the Jiangnan region behind them might survive.

"It is only natural for the Emperor to vent his frustration." The civil officials of the Cabinet fell silent. Although the contact who had linked Li Zilong to the plot had died suddenly, turning a human witness into physical evidence and essentially severing that lead, the civil officials knew that if the Emperor was truly determined to investigate, he would not need evidence. To save themselves the trouble, they simply let the Emperor do as he pleased. At the very least, if court wasn't held, they could have a couple of days off!

Zhu Jianshen, however, was not content with merely controlling the Embroidered Uniform Guard; he also set his sights on the Eastern Depot. Huai En, the Director of Ceremonial, was a man with serious problems. History books of the Ming Dynasty were generally negative toward eunuchs, yet Huai En was one of the few to receive a positive assessment. In the twenty-first year of the Chenghua reign, Huai En had helped the Cabinet prevent Xianzong from deposing Zhu Youtang and replacing him with Zhu Youhang as Crown Prince, for which he was banished to Fengyang to guard the ancestral tombs of the Zhu family. This proved that he was in league with the Cabinet!

The matter of deposing and replacing the Crown Prince was not written in the *Veritable Records of Xianzong*, but it was recorded in the *Guoque*. This was because the *Veritable Records* were compiled entirely under the supervision of Zhu Youtang himself; he could not possibly allow the record of his late father's attempt to depose him to be included, lest it cast doubt on the legitimacy of his own succession!

"Your Majesty, let Wang Zhi perform a total purge of the Eastern Depot; at this point, there is no better way," Lady Wan suggested after long deliberation. Wang Zhi, his face still boyish and cold as frost, looked at Zhu Jianshen and Wan Zhen'er with eyes full of intimacy. He had been raised in the Zhaode Palace since childhood, a trusted confidant cultivated by Lady Wan herself.

"Too slow!" Zhu Jianshen shook his head. "I intend to start anew. I will establish the Western Depot, with all powers and functions matching those of the Eastern Depot, and appoint Wang Zhi to command it."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Lady Wan was stunned for a moment, then her eyes crinkled into a smile. Wang Zhi’s posture became even more respectful. As the Director of the Directorate of Imperial Horses, he already controlled the Forbidden Guard of the Imperial City—he had real military power in his hands! Commanding the Western Depot would surely be a hundred times more powerful than the Eastern Depot. He wouldn't just have an office; he would have an army!

Soon, the decree was issued! The Western Depot was established, and although the civil officials in the Cabinet were uneasy, they took no action.

Four months passed. Wang Zhi was let loose, completely unrestrained. In those days, he entered the Nine Frontier garrisons, prince’s mansions, and regional commander’s offices as if they were empty ground! He arrested the Left Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang—a high-ranking official of the third grade—without even requesting permission, as easily as reaching into a bag! For a time, everyone in the court felt endangered, and the officials lived in constant fear.

Soon, Wang Zhi handled a sensational case! He raided the family of Yang Rong, one of the "Three Yangs" of the Hongxi and Xuande reigns, who had served as Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Hall! Yang Rong’s grandson, Yang Tai, was beheaded, and his great-grandson, Yang Ye, was tortured to death in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s prison—he never even made it out alive! Yang Rong was one of the founders of the Cabinet and a representative figure of the civil official class!

The reason the Yang family was raided was their corruption and lack of moral standing. During the Jingtai reign, while the Jingtai Emperor’s authority was weak, Yang Tai had used his influence to establish for himself the post of Vice Commander of the Jianning Right Guard in his hometown of Fujian! That was a third-grade military rank—already an incredibly high position! By the Chenghua reign, Yang Ye had inherited this post and had since run rampant in his hometown, committing countless evils and leaving bodies in his wake—dozens had died! And that was only the number officially recorded!

The reality must have been even more brutal; the people were truly suffering. Moreover, the Yang family acted as a law unto themselves in the province, and victims had no path to seek justice, left only to be bullied! Wang Zhi had eliminated these villains, yet because he punished the wicked and served justice, causing the corrupt officials to live in fear, he was instead branded a villain who would stink for a thousand years. Meanwhile, these animals who had made the lives of the people a misery were portrayed as pitiful, wronged victims...

The removal of a pillar of the civil service like Yang Rong had unimaginable consequences. Wang Zhi had to die!!! The civil officials of the Cabinet could take no more; furious, they openly turned against the Emperor, jointly impeaching Wang Zhi and demanding that the Emperor abolish the Western Depot!

"They're anxious now; look at them, they're anxious!" Zhu Jianshen was very satisfied, chatting away with Lady Wan with a smile. Lady Wan smiled faintly, showing no concern at all. For they both knew that their ancestors were right behind them. Setting aside any supernatural powers, even if just the eight emperors—Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, Jingtai, and Chongzhen—were to personally appear in court, they would be enough to scare this bunch of wretches into submission.

Starting from the Hongxi reign, the civil service examinations were very difficult, and it was rare for an official to reach the top in one step. Those in the front ranks of the court were basically veteran officials who had spent decades clawing their way up. For instance, Shang Lu was born in the twelfth year of the Yongle reign; in other dynasties, being a three-dynasty veteran was an incredible feat, but if one counted from his birth, Shang Lu could be considered a seven-dynasty veteran! It was insane! But that was what happened when Ming emperors died young.

"Gentlemen, follow me into the palace to see the Emperor! Today, we must insist on an explanation!" Led by Shang Lu, the Cabinet officials marched aggressively through the Meridian Gate, passed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and broke directly into the Fengtian Gate, completely disregarding all etiquette! It was tantamount to a coup, and in reality, that is exactly what it was.

In the small world: "It is time for us ancestors to do our part," Zhu Yuanzhang’s resonant voice rang out.

"As you command, Great Ancestor!" The group of Ming emperors and crown princes, who had spent hours watching television, were now all eager and ready, rolling up their sleeves in anticipation (literally).