Early the next morning, Liu Shimin led more than a hundred imperial guardsmen to launch a large-scale arrest in the imperial city.
Nearly a hundred eunuchs were questioned by the emperor because of the fire and burning of the treasury.
Before they understood what was going on, they were dragged outside the city and beheaded by fierce guards.
At the same time as the beheading, Liu Shimin also gathered many eunuchs and maids to this temporary execution ground and were forced to watch the execution live.
Zhu Youxiao wanted to use bloody knives and rolling heads to tell them to do their job well and not to think about other evil ways.
Although they were eunuchs, Zhu Youxiao had never regarded them as his own.
Those who say that eunuchs and emperors are one and the same, sharing weal and woe, do have a certain truth, but they are not entirely correct.
In this world, no one is ever dependent on anyone, only interests are always there.
The same is true for eunuchs. Although they are the emperor's servants, they are not completely dependent on the emperor.
To be more precise, it is the power attached to the emperor. The sum of the emperor and power can determine their status and power.
The first point is that the emperor has enough power. When the emperor's power cannot satisfy their inner interests, they will immediately abandon this stumbling block.
Just like the great eunuch Feng Bao, is his relationship with Emperor Wanli strong enough?
But what happened in the end? Did Feng Bao collude with Zhang Juzheng to restrict and control the young emperor and prevent him from taking charge of the powers that originally belonged to him?
The reason why Feng Bao did this was because of the power in Zhang Juzheng's hands. Although Zhang Juzheng was only a minister, his power was considerable.
Although he does not have the name of Prime Minister, he has the reality of being Prime Minister. His power is even greater than that of some emperors. This is why he can reform and implement the one-whip method.
Only such a powerful person who controls the world can satisfy Feng Bao's ambitions and desires.
And the deposed Emperor Wanli was naturally the best person to express his loyalty to this invisible master.
The emperor is a lonely man. This sentence is not wrong at all. Zhu Youzhan knew this very well, so he punished him severely both internally and externally.
Moreover, it is easier to deal with eunuchs than civil servants. Only by showing them the authority of the emperor from time to time can they be afraid from the bottom of their hearts.
Although Liu Shimin didn't know these little eunuchs who were trembling with fear and breaking out in cold sweats, he felt sorry and sympathized with them from the bottom of his heart.
These people chose to commit suicide because they could no longer survive and entered the palace to gamble. However, due to greed, their bodies and heads were separated.
At the command of the commander of the Royal Forest Army Banner, the guards cut off their necks with the sharp long knives in one fell swoop.
Then he rinsed them directly in the moat, wiped the water stains with a dry cloth, put the sword back into its scabbard, and returned to the palace in neat rows.
Their task was only to behead people. As for collecting the corpses, that was the job of the eunuchs.
When Liu Shimin saw all this happening, he just sighed slightly, then looked at the frightened eunuchs and said:
"We have all seen that anyone who violates the palace's prohibition and is disloyal to Lord Long Live will be punished like this. You must remember this firmly for our family. Don't take any chances, and don't think about doing things that are not good for Lord Long Live!
"
"Otherwise, someone else will come to see you next time, and our family doesn't want that to happen a second time!"
The panicked eunuchs responded one after another. Some of the older eunuchs who had been in the palace for a long time also secretly thought that the emperor was really cruel.
"Okay, don't watch the tricks anymore, tidy up and clean this place!"
"Sew their heads and bodies with needlework, take them outside and bury them properly!"
Liu Shimin still had the last trace of kindness in his heart. If it were anyone else, let alone sewing up his head, he might not even bury it, but just throw it outside to feed the dogs.
…………
The imperial city was full of people, and in a temporary military camp only twenty miles away from the capital, screams could be heard endlessly.
"Ah~~~!"
When a piece of red-hot iron is burned on a person's belly, smoke instantly rises, followed by the aroma of cooked meat.
Xu Xianchun, the commander of the Jin Yiwei, watched this scene quietly without blinking his eyelids. He was obviously used to it.
"Waking him up and continuing the interrogation!"
A Tiqi immediately picked up a ladle of water from the bucket and poured it directly on the unconscious prisoner.
December in the north is the coldest season. Although it is already quite freezing, when a ladle of icy cold water is sprinkled on the body, the biting feeling instantly overwhelms the pain just now.
Fan Yongdou, who was hung on a wooden pillar, covered in scars and blood, opened his eyes in a daze.
Seeing that he was awake enough, Xu Xianchun stepped forward and asked slowly:
"This governor will ask you one last time whether you want to recruit someone or not!"
Fan Yongdou raised his hoarse voice and replied feebly:
"You falsely conveyed the imperial edict, deceived the emperor, and now you are abusing lynching. The officials and ministers of the entire dynasty will not let you go!"
"The emperor will not condone such a random act of yours. When the news of our arrests reaches the capital, we will see how many days you dogs can still run!"
"At that time, the suffering I have suffered today will definitely be repaid a hundred times a thousand times!"
Until now, young Fan Yongdou still hopes that after the news reaches the capital, his protective umbrella will come to save him.
As everyone knows, the emperor has already arranged everything, and many of his protective shields have already been sent to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, and the remaining ones are also aware of the current affairs and have become cowards.
Xu Xianchun sneered twice. He had heard countless threats like these. Basically, he only had to interrogate those civil servants to hear these contents.
"It's a good idea, but it's a pity that you don't have that time anymore. Let alone those Confucian scholars in the court who are greedy for life and afraid of death. Even if the King of Heaven comes, I can't save you unscrupulous profiteers!"
Then he shouted angrily:
"Continue the trial until he confesses!"
Two Tiqi in charge of execution and interrogation immediately stepped forward with a special clamp. One was responsible for lifting his feet, and the other pointed the clamp at his nails, and then pulled them out hard, and the nail of one toe was removed.
It was pulled out alive.
Fan Yongdou, who had not eaten food for two days and was tortured for one day, had no extra energy to shout loudly. Xu Xianchun only saw his painful expression.
At the same time, screams and heart-wrenching cries could be heard from time to time in the tents next door.
Among these voices, there are men and women. As the saying goes, if men and women work together, the work will not be tiring. The sergeants of Jinyiwei and Yulin Army are also men, and men will think about that!