Chapter 124: The Xuande Emperor, Zhu Zhanji—Something Is Wrong!

"Long live the Great Ancestor, the Eternal Dharma King! May the Great Ming’s path flourish forever!"

The civil officials of the Cabinet bowed respectfully. Such sincere, heart-felt devotion was truly an eye-opener for Zhu Jianshen. Could they be anything but sincere? Ninety-nine percent of these civil officials were worshipping from the bottom of their hearts. From this day forward, they would have to behave themselves, because even if you descended into the underworld, it was still the territory of the Great Ming’s Great Ancestor! Being held accountable even after death—who could possibly endure that?

"You have all been riding on the heads of us Zhu family emperors, defecating at will, and you think a simple kowtow settles the debt? You greedy officials are dreaming!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat high upon the dragon throne, his face grim as he glared at the terrified officials. He let out a cold snort: "All those who conspired with Li Zilong to assassinate the King and seize the throne, step forward yourselves."

Suddenly, thunder rolled through the great hall—a display of extraordinary, divine power!

Peng Shi barked sharply: "Confess everything immediately!"

*What?*

*Why are you doing the eunuchs' jobs now?*

The civil officials were completely bewildered. It seemed that if they didn't step forward, not only would Peng Shi mark them for death, but they would face judgment even after they died!

After a moment of hesitation, seventeen officials from the court stepped forward, filled with dread. They could no longer hold their psychological defenses; they couldn't withstand an investigation, as their corruption was too deep and too poorly concealed. Furthermore, the Great Ancestor had already established himself in the afterlife, and since matters of the living and the dead were now under his jurisdiction, there was simply no way to maneuver.

Zhu Jianshen, watching from behind, felt a chilling coldness in his heart. Those who had come to stir up trouble were all titans of the court, figures whose words and actions could sway the fate of the empire! From the Minister of the Ministry of Rites (a third-rank official) down to the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice (a fifth-rank official), almost half of the factions in the imperial court were involved.

The remaining ministers of the Six Ministries breathed a sigh of relief. While they had not directly participated in the assassination plot, it was obvious they were all aware of it and had secretly given their tacit approval. After all, with the Emperor dead and a seven-year-old crown prince on the throne, there was no scenario more perfect for the Cabinet. They, along with the Six Ministries, were the most direct beneficiaries.

"Excellent! Liu Tao, you beast, you have lost your mind! You dared to assassinate the King and commit the most rebellious act in history. All the gentlemen of this court would like to eat your flesh and drink your blood!"

"You deceived heaven and earth, murdered your father and your sovereign! I am ashamed to be counted among you!"

"Ancestors above, we implore your command to execute these unfilial and disloyal rebels immediately! Nothing less will satisfy the wrath of gods and men!"

The court erupted into chaos. Faces were flushed, voices roared, saliva flew, and many were jumping up and down in their rage. It was a truly spectacular scene—a mix of those who were genuinely ignorant, those who were masking their own guilt, and a few truly loyal, albeit naive, officials, though none of them held ranks higher than a fifth-rank Secretary. In the Ming Dynasty, you couldn't climb to high office without shedding your loyalty and conscience.

*Boom!*

Without even conducting a trial, Zhu Yuanzhang gestured, and a bolt of lightning ground those seventeen men into dust!

There was no way to put them on trial. If they really pressed the investigation, the Chenghua era would see hundreds of thousands executed—rivers of blood and mountains of heads. This wasn't the founding era; if he killed them all, the empire would revolt.

The bickering in the court ceased instantly! The ministers stared, dumbstruck, at the seventeen piles of ash. Their heads were buzzing. Such terrifying lightning—could it be that the Great Ancestor was also the God of Thunder?

Zhu Youjian pondered to himself; as the space-time rift expanded, the power of these supernatural abilities was increasing day by day. Wiping out everyone present would be effortless.

"The Great Ancestor is wise, the Great Ancestor is divine..." The civil officials, dazed and filled with awe, reflexively chanted his praises.

*Only seventeen dead? Not enough.*

The Old Ancestor asked, "Who is in charge of the Ministry of Justice?"

An old man with a bushy beard and a wild appearance hurried forward and bowed: "Reporting to the Great Ancestor, I, Lin Cong, humbly hold the position of Minister of Justice!"

"Exterminate the nine generations of these people," Zhu Yuanzhang said, nodding coldly.

Each of these seventeen men had numerous wives and concubines, extensive marriage ties, and the backing of the Jiangnan gentry. Exterminating the nine generations of even one of them would involve at least a thousand people! No one dared to cut corners when the Great Ancestor commanded an extermination; it was better to kill the innocent than to let a single traitor escape! Tens of thousands would inevitably die.

"As you command!"

Lin Cong glanced at the seventeen piles of ash on the ground, paused to recall who they were, then bowed to accept the decree, preparing to dive into the task with great enthusiasm. He muttered to himself that since the Ministry of Justice’s work could now be linked to the afterlife, perhaps if he did a good job, he could earn an official position down there...

"Jianshen, boy, come up here. I shall listen to the proceedings from the side," Zhu Yuanzhang beckoned.

"Yes, Great Ancestor!"

Zhu Jianshen stepped forward, scanned the increasingly humble crowd of ministers, and spoke without hesitation: "The Civil Service Examination of the Ministry of Personnel shall be reinstated, held every two years. The Western Depot shall oversee all officials. Ministers of the civil and military branches in both capitals may decide for themselves whether to stay or leave!"

*Reinstating the Civil Service Examination!? And the Western Depot is to oversee all officials?*

The ministers were dazed, recalling the fear they had lived under for the past few months, dominated by the Western Depot. Wu Qing, a Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, was imprisoned for using a carriage that exceeded the standard; Jiang Zong, a director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, was imprisoned for taking home two ginseng roots to make soup; Le Zhang, a secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhang Ting, a messenger, were imprisoned for taking a few minor items from the Ministry; even the Censor Wang Ben was imprisoned for accidentally bringing a few sheets of paper home!

*Who the hell can stand this!*

Zhu Jianshen was actually quite humane; he finished by saying that if you couldn't stand it, you were free to leave.

It was truly "humanitarian." Shang Lu and the others were so moved they were almost in tears. Then, the Minister of Personnel, Shang Lu, resigned on the spot before the Great Ancestor; the Vice Minister of Justice, Dong Fang, resigned; the Vice Minister of War, Xue Yuan, resigned... Nearly half of the officials in the court submitted their resignations.

This was a disguised ultimatum to the Emperor right in front of the Great Ancestor. *If you, the Emperor, favor the Western Depot so much, then we won't serve!*

Mostly, they were afraid of being investigated. Who among them didn't have a little blood on their hands?

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care at all. An ultimatum? What a joke. Discontented civil officials from the sixteen dynasties were as numerous as carp crossing a river; who was missing their two cents?

Wang Zhi, waiting to the side, sighed with regret.

"Now that the court is quiet, I can finally entrust you with important responsibilities!" Zhu Jianshen patted his shoulder with satisfaction, then paused and hesitated: "Why didn't you resign?"

The Minister of War, Xiang Zhong, who had been calmly watching the show, was suddenly called out. He pointed at himself in astonishment and hesitated: "Me?"

"Yes," Zhu Jianshen nodded.

In the intelligence provided by Wang Zhi, the Minister of War was ranked first in terms of threat, as he had been in overly frequent contact with frontier generals recently. Those in contact with Xiang Zhong included Earl of Xingning Li Zhen, Jingzhou Garrison Commander Zhuang Rong, and Gansu Assistant Regional Commander Liu Wening. If these people banded together, the consequences would be unimaginable; they certainly could not be kept.

Xiang Zhong hesitated, then wavered: "Then... then this official resigns..."

"Granted," Zhu Jianshen didn't even wait for him to finish before nodding.

"Thank you for the Great Ancestor's immense grace, and the Emperor's immense grace!" Xiang Zhong was on the verge of tears.

*Why be so polite? We're all friends.* Zhu Youjian muttered behind them.

Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder. The Xuande Emperor, Zhu Zhanji, asked with a calm and composed expression: "Youjian, have you brought out my foolish son yet?"