Chapter 125: Is It Truly Impossible to Avoid the Western Depot?

He’s actually brought him out!

Wait, that’s not...

Damn it!

Where is he?

Zhu Youjian was stunned. He immediately locked onto the anchor point, only to see a wild, unrestrained figure, clutching two "virtue plaques," sprinting through the inner palace of the Chenghua era.

His target...

He was charging straight for the Renshou Palace!

Zhu Youjian blurted out, "This is bad, my ancestor is heading to the Renshou Palace!"

"Don't panic."

Emperor Xuanzong, Zhu Zhanji, pondered for a moment and said, "We’ll capture him later."

Zhu Youjian paused, then reluctantly nodded.

He felt no pity for Empress Dowager Zhou. After all, her methods were incredibly shameless. In the fourth year of the Chenghua era, after she caused the death of Empress Qian, she had vehemently opposed the late Emperor Zhu Qizhen’s final edict, refusing to let Empress Qian be buried with him.

Although the Empress was eventually buried with the late Emperor thanks to the desperate efforts of the ministers, Empress Dowager Zhou had ordered the passageway between their two tombs to be blocked.

She, instead, had herself buried even closer to him.

Zhu Qizhen didn't like her, and she didn't like him; she was simply jealous of the deep love between the couple. Everything she did was specifically designed to spite them, refusing to let them rest in peace even after death.

With such a narrow-minded spirit, it was only fitting that she receive a few "virtue plaques" to the face.

"I shouldn't have opened my mouth. This ancestor of mine has a temper that is anything but ordinary!" Zhu Youjian muttered, while simultaneously wielding the thunderous penalty to strike down the imperial guards who dared to block the "Fortress Emperor's" mad dash.

The inner palace was the most heavily guarded forbidden area. If not for his help from the shadows, the Fortress Emperor would have been captured before he could run a hundred meters.

...

As the resigned officials departed, the remaining courtiers looked on in terror. They hadn't lined their pockets enough yet; once they returned home, they wouldn't have enough money to indulge themselves!

But to remain in the court meant being constrained by the Western Depot!

The men exchanged glances for a moment, deciding to gamble one last time.

The Minister of Works, Zhang Wenzhi, stepped forward to bow before the Founding Emperor, pleading earnestly:

"Reporting to the Founding Emperor, the current Emperor is indulgent toward eunuchs, allowing the power-hungry eunuch Wang Zhi to interfere in government affairs, causing officials across the realm to struggle to survive! This is a harbinger of disaster, violating the ancestral precepts of our Great Ming regarding eunuchs not meddling in state affairs. You must not easily consent to this!"

He then turned to the Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, and said pointedly, "Your Majesty, in the past, the Cao Qin Rebellion was caused entirely by eunuchs. This minister believes that if Wang Zhi is not removed, the peace of the world cannot be guaranteed!"

The Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, felt his gaze turn sharp. In front of the Founding Emperor, you spineless cur still dare to bully me!?

What the Cao Qin Rebellion was, the officials knew, the Emperor knew even better, and only the Founding Emperor did not.

The implication of these words was a veiled threat to Zhu Jianshen, for the Cao Qin Rebellion was a mutiny that occurred when the Yingzong Emperor relied heavily on Lu Gao, whose power grew until the Cabinet joined forces with Empress Dowager Sun in the inner palace!

Zhang Wenzhi was stating quite bluntly: if you let Wang Zhi continue this chaos, the civil and military officials will rebel; at worst, we will all perish together and the world will fall into turmoil!

You may have the protection of your ancestors' spirits, but no matter how miraculous the Founding Emperor is, can he stop the world from rebelling?

Wan An, having recovered his wits, flew into a rage: "Audacious Zhang Wenzhi! Your words and actions are akin to forcing the Emperor's hand. Are you attempting treason!"

He was an official from the Emperor's faction, usually styling himself as a distant nephew of Noble Consort Wan (Noble Consort Wan was forty-three, he was fifty-six), though in reality, the two had no connection whatsoever.

In the Ming Dynasty, one had to be shameless to have a chance at becoming a high-ranking official. Zhu Jianshen discovered this teammate and immediately promoted him both openly and covertly, until he reached the position of Minister of Rites!

Today, Wan An had come to the hall with the other ministers intending to muddy the waters, never expecting that "our side" would suddenly gain such overwhelming strength! Before he could even rejoice, he had been knocked to the ground just by curiously touching his teammate's ultimate move.

Once these words were spoken, the faces of Zhang Wenzhi and the others turned deathly pale. This was truly throwing them into the fire!

Everyone turned their eyes to their current big brother, the Senior Grand Secretary, Peng Shi.

Peng Shi remained silent. He had just been saved by the Founding Emperor, and at this moment, he didn't want to make a sound. There is a terrifying chill between life and death; no one could understand his current state of mind.

He cupped his hands: "This minister is unwell. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire!"

Resigning and retiring meant leaving with a large sum of silver, which was exactly why people like Shang Lu were so eager to quit.

After half a lifetime of scraping wealth from the court, now that they could collect a fortune while avoiding the risk of losing their heads, it was a bargain by any calculation!

Moreover, with the Founding Emperor in the court, they were forced to work diligently like beasts of burden; where was the leisure of high court officials? To the civil officials, their titles seemed useless now!

"Granted."

"I hereby appoint Wan An as Senior Grand Secretary!"

The Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, nodded. It was just as well that a thorn in his side like Peng Shi was leaving; by replacing the Cabinet with his own people, he could finally act without restraint.

"Your will be done!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace!"

Wan An and Peng Shi bowed respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhang Wenzhi and waved his hand dismissively: "Offending the throne—behead him!"

???

"Wait, Founding Emperor, Your Majesty..."

Zhang Wenzhi was stunned, his expression panicked, babbling incoherently as he tried to explain.

The Western Depot guards moved faster than his words. They dragged him out of the hall, and without even the necessary procedures, they simply lopped off his head.

As the screaming outside came to an abrupt end...

The hundred officials were completely cowed. They stopped mentioning Wang Zhi or anyone else. No matter what decree the Chenghua Emperor issued, their only response was:

"The Founding Emperor is wise, and the Emperor is brilliant."

A Minister of Works of the second rank was killed just like that, without any judicial process, without a joint trial by the three ministries...

Who would dare show their head now?

Show your head, and the Founding Emperor would instantly vaporize you!

With a look from Zhu Jianshen, the officials of the Emperor's faction stepped forward.

The officials of the Censorate and the Six Offices of Scrutiny began to impeach the Minister of War, Xiang Zhong, who had just left:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, upon investigation, the position of Jiangxi Regional Commander was sold by the former Minister of War, Xiang Zhong, and the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Huang Ci, who accepted bribes!"

Jiangxi Regional Commander was a second-rank military post!

The Minister of War, Xiang Zhong, filed the report, and the eunuch Huang Ci approved the slip.

That was how the official was appointed.

Zhu Jianshen nodded: "Strip Xiang Zhong of his rank and turn him into a commoner. Demote Huang Ci to Nanjing. Order the Three Judicial Offices to work with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate this matter thoroughly, and have the Western Depot oversee it."

He did not touch Huai En, the head eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial; that was the man the Founding Emperor had specifically named to be flayed.

"Your will be done!"

Wang Zhi waved his hand, and several Western Depot guards immediately retreated.

Xiang Zhong hadn't even made it out of the palace gates before he was bewilderedly apprehended.

Subsequently, the Ministry of War official Yao Guang, who had impeached Wang Zhi, was stripped of his rank for investigation, as was Xiang Zhong's son, a thousand-man commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Military power was instantly reclaimed by the Emperor.

The Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, looked at old Zhu: "Great-grandfather?"

"All of you, get out." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

"We take our leave!"

The hundred officials felt as if they had been granted amnesty. They had come with fierce momentum, been electrocuted by the Thunder Penalty King, and now departed in a state of "satisfaction."

"With Jianshen's handling of this, the Cabinet is replaced with his own people, military power is back in his hands, the Directorate of Ceremonial has been purged, and the Western Depot—that sharp blade—is firmly in his grip. His centralization of imperial power far exceeds that of Hongxi and Xuande..."

Old Zhu Di smiled faintly, not forgetting to take a jab at his "fat son" and "good holy grandson" in the end.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at old Zhu Di and asked in a deep voice: "Jianshen, lad, tell me: these Western and Eastern Depots, these agencies controlled by eunuchs—is it really necessary to keep them?"