In the capital city in May, the scorching sun burned the ground so hot that even the beggars had to retreat. For a while, it seemed like a peaceful and prosperous age.
But the sparse crowds, half-covered shops, and sallow-faced people all point to the crisis.
Wu Zong, the second assistant to the cabinet, was riding in a sedan chair, feeling quite frightened and a little afraid.
Li Zicheng established a palace and a court in Xiangyang, which obviously violated the taboos of the court, and must be eradicated no matter what.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen urged his grandson to pass on the imperial court in an increasingly urgent manner, and forced hundreds of officials to become more prosperous.
As a last resort, under the emperor's tears, he was so worried that he had to step forward to supervise Huguang and destroy the intruders.
But, how easy is this?
Over the past few months, the expected 30,000 elite soldiers have only been replaced by more than 10,000 old, sick and disabled soldiers. Moreover, they have no food and no pay. If nothing else, they will mutiny after walking for dozens of miles.
His life is not guaranteed!
I had previously promised to go out in May, but today I was suddenly ordered to do so. I am afraid it may be dangerous.
"It can take a while, so let's take it for a while!"
After sighing, he suddenly felt the carriage stagnation and couldn't help but ask: "What's going on?"
"Reporting to the master, there is a funeral ahead!"
said the groom.
"Funeral?" Wu Di was stunned and couldn't help but wonder: "How come this happened in the past few days? It happened several times, right?"
"That's right, in recent months, people have died everywhere. We've encountered quite a few of them along the way. It's extremely unlucky."
"Then let's go another way!"
Wu Yan sighed and waved his hands.
Unexpectedly, just after changing the street, there was another funeral procession. After waiting for a while, the carriages and horses passed.
Wu Zong was surprised and asked quickly: "What happened? Do you know?"
"Reporting to the master, I heard that it was a plague that came from Tianjin. In Tianjin, people are almost dying, and the coffin sellers are making a fortune."
The groom sighed with emotion and was a little scared.
"Now it seems to have spread to the capital, and I don't know how many people will die."
"Alas!" Wu Di was silent and shook his head. These are really troubled times.
"Let's go, don't waste time."
"yes!"
Soon, the carriage arrived at the palace.
After some inspection, a eunuch said: "Zhongtang, you are finally here. Your Majesty has been waiting impatiently."
Wu Di nodded, and under the leadership of the eunuch, he quickly walked away and arrived at Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, Wu Cifu is here."
On the desk, a middle-aged man with a haggard face and shabby clothes kept working on memorials, as if he hadn't raised his head for a long time.
The eunuch Wang Chengen, the eunuch Wang Chengen who was serving at the side, bent over and reminded him softly.
The man suddenly understood, raised his head, put the memorial away, and then said: "Let Wu Cifu come in!"
"Password to Wu Cifu——" Wang Chengen shouted.
Immediately, Wu Di hurriedly walked in, raised his hands and bowed: "I am a humble minister, Wu Di, and I would like to see your Majesty."
"Get up!" Emperor Chongzhen said softly, then sat up straight again and said:
"Second Assistant, I summoned you, do you know the reason?"
Wu Di smiled bitterly in his heart, raised his head and glanced at the thin but bright-eyed emperor in front of him. He said helplessly: "Wei Chen should be damned. We really have no soldiers and no pay. As long as we can collect the soldiers' pay, Wei Chen will immediately go south."
"Huh? It's money and food again!" Emperor Chongzhen's eyes changed, and he suddenly roared: "How can there be so much money and food? Why don't you follow Sun Chuanting's example and recruit it yourself? Don't you know the imperial treasury too?"
"I asked Sun Chuanting to go out to hunt down bandits, but you tried to dissuade me. Tell me, what do you want to do?"
Wu Di lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
The emperor asked him to go to Nanjing to recruit soldiers and ask for food, and he also learned from Sun Chuanting. This is the kind of person who hopes that he will die early and his whole family will die!
How could he agree?
"Did you know that Zhou's first assistant (Zhou Yanru) went north to supervise the army and blocked Jian Nu's return north? He left at dawn and dusk, and reported victory twice sooner or later. Do you have half a point compared to him?"
Emperor Chongzhen was angry and refused to fight.
"You promised me that we would go south in May, but now it's halfway through May, and you're still stranded in the capital. I promoted you to Prince Shaobao, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and Minister of the Ministry of War, and Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion. Is that why you are playing monkey here?
"
Hearing this, Wu Di did not dare to raise his head, and Nuonuo was speechless.
Emperor Chongzhen was so angry that he was shaking all over and his chest was heaving. Wang Chengen stepped forward and patted and comforted him until he calmed down.
"Tell me, do you have any explanation?"
Chongzhen pointed at him and asked.
"The sinner knows that his sin is serious and he has failed to bear the divine grace. He will not be able to escape the blame for his death."
Wu Di knelt down, prostrate and sobbed.
"Leave it to the judge to discuss the crime——"
Emperor Chongzhen seemed to have seen a bug, and he waved his hands hurriedly, with a look of disgust on his face.
What he hates most is people who cheat him.
Wu Di was taken away by the guards and sent directly to prison.
"Wang Banban, do you think that these ministers are all bullying the emperor and neglecting their superiors, so there is no good minister at all?"
Emperor Chongzhen sighed with anger on his face.
Wang Chengen moved his lips, but in the end he couldn't say anything.
On May 13th, Zhou Yanru returned to Hajj.
Emperor Chongzhen ordered him not to hand over the imperial edict but to stay to commemorate his meritorious service. He also named him Grand Master, bestowed gold coins on him, and appointed his son as a member of Zhongshushe. Zhou Yanru resigned as Grand Master, and Emperor Chongzhen approved it.
However, on May 14th, Luo Yangxing, the governor of Jinyiwei, and Wang Zhixin, the eunuch of Dongchang, jointly requested the meeting.
"What's the matter with you?"
Emperor Chongzhen's tone was gentle and like a friend, which made the two of them feel at ease.
Duke Zhixin of Dongchangchang hurriedly stepped forward and claimed the credit: "I have received the favor of the emperor, so I should work hard. I jointly investigated with the Jinyiwei and found that the chief assistant Zhou Yanru deceived the emperor, delayed the war, indulged the slaves, and invited the emperor to
I’ll take a look at it.”
With that said, he held up the memorial.
Chongzhen's face was solemn, his eyes swept away, and his expression changed drastically: "How dare you bully me, old man?"
I saw that the memorial stated that the Jinyi Guards had discovered that Zhou Yanru only went to Tongzhou to gather the four generals of King Qin and have fun every day. The Qing army stretched for three hundred miles and only fired artillery to intimidate.
He opened his office every afternoon, accepted bribes, and asked for merit for the general. It can be said that he did not take the emperor seriously at all.
Chongzhen, on the other hand, continuously supplied them with wine, meat, food and grass for them to eat, drink and have fun, and foolishly believed in their good news and rewarded them.
"Damn, damn—"
Emperor Chongzhen was furious. Isn't this a slap in the face?
He shouted: "Jinyiwei——"
"My lord is here!"
"Hurry up and arrest this old guy, don't let him go!"
"I will obey the imperial edict!" Luo Yangxing was overjoyed. After many years, it was finally the turn of the Jin Yiwei to be majestic.
"Wang Banban, please go and pass the decree to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, Dali Temple, and the Sixth Ministry to investigate Zhou Yanru's "deception of the recommendation committee" and other matters, and they must be severely punished!"
"My slave obeys the order!" Wang Chengen responded quickly.
After saying that, Emperor Chongzhen slumped on the dragon chair. There was no good minister in this world. Could it be that the Ming Dynasty was really dead?
After an unknown amount of time, he was woken up by Wang Chengen.
"Your Majesty, it's time for lunch."
"No need!" Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand. He suddenly remembered Sun Chuanting and said with a sullen face: "I have passed the decree to give Sun Chuanting the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, to supervise the military affairs of Jiangxi, Huguang, Guizhou and Jiangnan, and to grant Shangfang the sword——"
"Ah?" Wang Chengen was frightened. This was entrusting the military of the entire south. What kind of power was this!