August 21st is destined to be an extraordinary day in Beijing.
It is said that military generals conquer the world and civil servants rule the world. This is not just because civil servants put gold on their faces.
After the discussion in Jiyi Hall ended, the sophisticated and huge civil service machine of the Ming Dynasty quickly started to move.
That night, all the government offices in the imperial court were brightly lit.
…………
Wu Dayong is an official in the Yamen of Dali Temple. He is usually responsible for copying case files and recording confessions.
That night, he left the Yamen on time as usual. As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by the concierge.
"Brother Wu, today the eldest minister of the temple has an order. All the officials and clerks of the yamen will stay in the yamen until the eldest son comes back before they can go back."
Wu Dayong frowned, doubts rising in his heart.
Dali Temple is one of the most powerful yamen in the capital. When official duties are busy, it is common to stay in the yamen all night.
But since the emperor left the capital, this situation has not happened for a long time.
You must know that the master of the Dali Temple is in charge of the prison and is responsible for the review of various important cases. Those who come to them are basically major cases of murder and arson.
However, these serious crimes involving exile and beheading needed to be reported to Emperor Zhu for approval.
Now that the emperor is not in the capital, Dali Temple approved it and waited for the emperor to return to the capital before handling it, so it simply shelved it.
Therefore, for more than a month, there has been no stay in the Yamen.
However, Wu Dayong had a good relationship with the concierge. Since he couldn't leave, he pulled up a stool and sat down and asked.
"Third son, tell the truth to your brother, is something wrong?"
Since a few days ago, the nine gates of the capital have been inexplicably closed for a little while.
In every government office in the capital, rumors spread very loudly.
After a while, they said that the emperor had won a great victory, but he had to be captured alive first.
After a while, they said that the imperial court was defeated and the entire army was wiped out.
It was also said that there were important figures in the imperial court who wanted to take advantage of the emperor's absence in the capital to have evil intentions.
It’s so vivid!
The big men at the top naturally reprimanded the people below severely and prohibited any random comments.
But how can we stop this kind of thing?
And others don’t know it, but Wu Dayong knows it.
The imperial court must have been defeated!
Just two days ago, his wife's nephew had escaped from Juyong Pass. It was said that the imperial court had hundreds of thousands of troops and was defeated so miserably that even the emperor was nowhere to be found...
Wu Dayong didn't believe it at all. How could it be possible that the Ming Dynasty had dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops and could not defeat even a mere bandit?
But looking at the posture now, I’m afraid it’s not true, right?
The porter shrank his neck, looked around, and whispered.
"I don't know about this, but the order to stay in the Yamen was just given by the Master of the Temple when he left. Not to mention us, even the senior men in the hall also stayed! Let's just wait..."
Wu Dayong couldn't find out any information, so he had to get up and go back to the squad room.
This wait lasted until late at night...
Wu Dayong couldn't hold on any longer, so he lay down in front of the desk and fell asleep.
When I was in a daze, I felt my head being patted.
"Old Wu, don't sleep. The eldest master is back. He is in the main hall and is asking everyone to come over!"
Rubbing his eyes, Wu Da followed the two scribes with one foot deep and one foot shallow, and walked to the courtyard in front of the lobby.
Unlike usual, there were many more torches in the yard.
Wu Dayong shook his head, sobered up and took a look.
I saw the eldest master of the temple sitting in the hall with his eyes closed. Below him were a group of young lords, ministers, and ministers.
In the courtyard, there were mostly scribes and minor officials like them.
If it were normal, so many people would gather together, there would be a lot of excitement and discussion.
But now the courtyard was as quiet as anything, and no one spoke.
As for the reason...
Wu Dayong looked around at the twenty or thirty officers and soldiers holding torches, and his heart began to pound.
He vaguely felt that something big was about to happen.
It was almost time to wait for the people to arrive. When Wu Dayong saw the temple minister standing up, he took out a well-sealed piece of paper from his sleeve and said.
"For the past few days, there have been a lot of rumors in the capital. The first thing is that tonight I was ordered to enter the palace and have received detailed military reports. Our Ming army was trapped by the enemy in Tumubao. The army suffered numerous casualties and the emperor was kidnapped by thieves.
…”
Before he finished speaking, Wu Dayong heard a buzz around him, and several people jumped up.
The elders in the hall were even more astonished. The Shaoqing and the temple ministers, who were usually unsmiling and dignified in front of them, were furious, some were crying, and some were trying to hit the pillars directly to death.
The surrounding officials were even more panic-stricken. Although Wu Dayong had heard the news from the niece who had fled, but now that the news was coming from the elder's mouth, he still couldn't help feeling panicked.
Was the imperial court really defeated?
Has the emperor been captured?
Then...then if it's so powerful first, what should the capital do?
For a moment, Wu Dayong was so confused that he subconsciously started to cry along with the crowd.
But not long after, he heard the heavy sound of the gavel in the hall.
The old man from the temple looked serious and said coldly.
"You gentlemen have agreed that Prince Tan will be in charge and hold on to the capital. We, the government and the public, will work together to keep the capital. As officials of the Ming Dynasty, you are responsible for the grace of God and for the people. You must not panic or take the opportunity to cause chaos.
"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone below raised questions.
"Master Si Qing, hundreds of thousands of troops have been defeated. Can we really defend the capital? Why not report to the court and evacuate to Nanjing quickly..."
The person who spoke was Mr. Si Cheng. As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of agreement from below.
From a distance, Wu Dayong could see that the face of the temple minister was not very good, and he said.
"The imperial court has its own decision on such matters. We have never had such a defeat in the 100 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Now is the time to work hard to kill the thieves and serve the Ming Dynasty. There is no need to mention the retreat!"
There was a lot of discussion below, and Yu Shiyue spoke again.
"In order to defend the capital, the imperial court has issued an order, starting from now on..."
"The nine gates will be strengthened for security and inspection, and people entering and exiting must use the road to guide them."
"Any court officials who dare to take advantage of the opportunity to disturb the people's hearts and cause chaos will be held accountable."
…………
A series of bans were announced, which made Wu Dayong really realize that this was probably not a joke, and the court was going to take serious action.
Looking around at his colleagues who were still extremely nervous and frowning, Wu Dayong felt panic in his heart.
…………
The same scene appeared in various government offices in the capital.
All night long, all the government offices were brightly lit, and the sounds of quarrels, discussions, and even crying could be heard endlessly.
Among the nine gates of the capital, there are countless more officers and soldiers patrolling.
The personnel of Shuntian Mansion Office and the Five Cities Military and Horse Department were also busy all night long...
The news spread like the wind in all directions early in the morning.
There are young men who are filled with indignation and clamoring to kill the thief, there are also old men who are sighing and worrying about the future, and there are also young gangsters who are mixed in the crowd with their eyes dripping and rolling...
All kinds of people and all kinds of news are everywhere.
There was a depressing and frightening atmosphere in the capital for a while...
This chapter has been completed!