"Even so, the emperor is the monarch of our Ming Dynasty after all, not a military commander, and this is not the beginning of the founding of the country."
"I know that these words are arrogant, but the emperor disregards the world and the foundation that our ancestors have worked hard to create, and puts himself in danger."
"What's more, the emperor still has no heirs. Let me make a bold statement. If something happens to the emperor, wouldn't it be a turmoil for the world?"
"Even if it violates the ancestral system, I must say this."
"Since the emperor came to the throne, he has been extremely harsh on the ministers of cultural relics. He frequently punished the Nine Tribes and the Three Yi Tribes. With such torture, wouldn't the ministers all be in danger?"
"Just like Yang Hong's rebellion, if Your Majesty had not pushed him too hard and used a gentle method, it should have been avoided."
"I also heard that the emperor issued an imperial edict today to kill all the nobles in the capital."
"With all due respect, the Emperor has really done something wrong. Even if Zhu Chunchen and others conspired to rebel, the implications are too wide."
"After all, they were all heroes and advanced and retreated together with the Ming Dynasty. If the emperor killed them all, wouldn't he cut off his own arms?"
"How will the people of the world view the emperor?"
The family dinner, which was originally quite lively, suddenly became quiet as Concubine Liu spoke these words.
A strange silence fell into the Cining Palace. No matter the eunuchs, maids, or concubines and princesses, no one dared to make a sound.
Only Zhu Youxiao was enjoying his meal at this moment, stuffing mouthfuls of wine and meat into his mouth.
I don't know how long it took, but Zhu Youxiao finally spoke after wiping his mouth after eating a similar meal.
"How did the concubine know what happened today?"
Concubine Liu, holding the prayer beads in her hand, replied calmly:
"The emperor's movement is so loud that the sky in the capital is about to collapse. It's hard for me not to know about it."
"They just slaughtered some pigs and dogs. How can you say that the sky is falling?"
"The meaning of those nobles' existence is to lie on the spine of my Emperor Ming, sucking in the few essences and vitality."
"Their ancestors have indeed made meritorious deeds, and the previous emperors have not been ashamed of their meritorious service."
"Glory, wealth, meritorious status, and a name in history are all there."
"But what will happen in the end? The heroes mentioned by the concubine actually united with the Tartars and rebels to kill me."
Concubine Liu knew she was wrong, but she still insisted:
"Those who are disobedient should naturally be killed, but not all of these nobles are traitors. Why would the emperor implicate his anger on them?"
Although she didn't know why Mrs. Liu wanted to protect those nobles, Zhu Youxiao was already feeling faintly angry at this time.
He was always vigilant and cautious, even going to war and cleaning the palace twice.
But now it seems that the results are still not very good. There is still a connection between the inner court and the outer court.
It’s really hard to guard against domestic thieves.
"The harem is not allowed to get involved in politics. This is Taizu's rule. The concubine has violated it many times tonight. Don't talk about it anymore."
Concubine Liu did not dare to say anything when she saw this. After all, she was only a nominal elder. If the emperor did not respect her, she would have to suffer.
After another sip of wine, Zhu Youxiao's eyes finally fell on Zhang Guoji.
Zhang Guoji was on pins and needles. He didn't even understand the situation. He felt that the emperor was staring at him, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
If there wasn't a table blocking it, Zhu Youxiao would definitely be able to see that Zhang Guoji's legs were shaking involuntarily at this moment.
"Kneel down!"
The emperor's sudden roar almost scared Zhang Guoji to death.
He was confused the whole time and immediately knelt down obediently, not even daring to raise his head and trembling all over.
Seeing his embarrassment, Zhu Youxiao's anger only increased.
"You are really my good father-in-law, you really make me proud."
And the other concubines didn't understand why this involved the father-in-law.
Doesn’t Your Majesty love the Queen very much?
Why did he directly attack his father in front of so many people without saving any face?
Zhang Yan saw that the emperor was about to get angry, her heart was in her throat, and her first reaction was to plead for her father.
But who knew that Zhu Youxiao looked at her and said:
"Don't talk."
Then he stood up and walked over. From the corner of his eye, he watched Zhang Guoji getting closer and closer to the emperor. The fear in his heart could no longer be expressed in words.
"As the father-in-law of our emperor, if you don't think about keeping yourself clean, it's okay to practice good character."
"Instead, you hang out with those literati and officials every day, criticize the government, use the name of the father-in-law to buy and sell by force, intimidate and induce. Do you really think that I don't know? Do you really think that I don't dare to do anything to you?"
"You dare to talk nonsense outside, ask for connections everywhere, and write letters to the palace every three days."
"Why, do you think I'm mean and unkind?"
"The gold and silver that I rewarded you with from the Zhang family are not enough to last you a lifetime of glory and wealth?"
"Even if I give you this title, how can you be so virtuous as to grant it to me?"
After all, Zhang Guoji is also a scholar, but I still don't know that the emperor wants to settle a score with him.
Who doesn't know the emperor's temperament? If he wants to attack you, at least his family will be destroyed.
Now he doesn't dare to use his daughter as a source of confidence, and he kowtows repeatedly to beg for mercy.
Hearing that the emperor wanted to punish her father, Zhang Yan became anxious, knelt down and said:
"It's all my fault. It's my fault that I didn't discipline the people in my family well. The fault is all on me. If your Majesty wants to punish me, just punish me."
Zhu Youxiao ignored her. His purpose today was to scare the monkeys, just to show the concubines in the palace, especially Concubine Liu.
So he got off the donkey along the slope, pretended to think about it and said:
"I will give the Queen some face. I hope you will respect yourself and reflect on yourself in the future."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
As soon as he heard that his life was safe, Zhang Guoji breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed to express gratitude.
"Take those trouble-making sons of yours and go back to your hometown. I feel upset just looking at them. Without my order, I won't go even half a step out of Henan."
"Please keep it in mind that I gave the Queen some face today. If you dare to talk nonsense again in the future."
"You are still getting involved with those officials and scholar-bureaucrats. I will not treat you extrajudicially because you are the head of the country."
"I understand, I understand."
With this last sentence, although Zhu Youxiao was warning Zhang Guoji, he was also hitting Concubine Liu and Concubine Fu Yi.
These two people are more or less related to civil servants.
Although it would not harm him, he did not want to see this kind of situation where the outer court colluded with the inner court.
This so-called family banquet finally came to an end as the frightened Zhang Guoji left the palace.
But Zhu Youxiao, who left Cining Palace, felt that this was not enough and was too light. So he ordered Wei Zhongxian:
"There are still some remnants in Cining Palace. You should deal with them as soon as possible."
"Old slave, go right away."
Wei Zhongxian, who was always smart, naturally knew what it meant, and immediately led a few eunuchs and Dongchang's fans and disappeared into the night.