Upon hearing Zhu Youxiao's question, Wei Zhongxian quickly said, "Yes, Your Majesty. These people are plotting evil and are unworthy of being your subjects! Your Majesty, please have me arrest them all. They should all be put to death!"
Zhu Youxiao watched Wei Zhongxian's indignant speech quietly with no expression on his face.
For Wei Zhongxian, he needed to establish his authority at this time and needed to take action against these people, so he couldn't wait to kill people.
But for Zhu Youxiao, the matter was not that important. Even if someone ran to the Meridian Gate to kneel and remonstrate, it was actually a matter of no consequence. If you want to go, go ahead. It is a good opportunity to let Wei Zhongxian take the lead.
For Zhu Youxiao, things have come to this point and there is no need to beat around the bush anymore.
"Okay, I understand." Zhu Youxiao nodded and waved his hand to signal Wei Zhongxian to leave, obviously not intending to talk to him anymore.
Although he was very unwilling, Wei Zhongxian saw the indifferent look on his emperor's face and knew that he did not want to continue talking to him about this matter. If he continued to talk about it, it would definitely disgust the emperor.
So Wei Zhongxian kowtowed respectfully and walked out with his body bowed.
After Wei Zhongxian left, Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Chen Hong standing to the side and asked in a cold voice, "What exactly is going on?"
Zhu Youxiao would not believe what Wei Zhongxian had just said, as it was mixed with too much of his personal thoughts.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao did not immediately agree to Wei Zhongxian's request to kill people to establish his authority, because he could not do that and absolutely could not let Wei Zhongxian cause trouble now.
"Your Majesty, the news first came out from the Censorate." Seeing Zhu Youxiao asking the question, Chen Hong quickly realized that he could not carry out ulterior motives like Wei Zhongxian, so he answered honestly and recounted the whole story, from Yu Maoheng, Cui Chengxiu, to Li Mao, and told the whole story clearly.
Zhu Youxiao nodded, reaching out and gently tapping the armrest of the dragon throne, his face expressionless. He was thinking, thinking about what he should do.
It was clear that the situation had turned into a dispute between two factions, and was no longer a matter solely for the Donglin Party. Sun Shenxing not only dragged down the emperor himself, but also dragged down many people who were watching the battle from the shore.
At this point, the contradictions had intensified. On one side was the Taizhou School led by Xu Guangqi and others, which was Li Zhi's School of Mind, and on the other side was the traditional Neo-Confucianism school.
Originally, Zhu Youxiao only wanted to take it step by step, first defeat the Donglin Party, and then do other things.
But Sun Shenxing obviously didn't want Zhu Youxiao to do this, so he did something like that to intensify the conflict, dragging in the entire Neo-Confucian school, and even dragging in all the scholars in the world.
Under such circumstances, Xu Guangqi and his men became the target of public criticism and seemed to be somewhat weak.
Zhu Youxiao naturally couldn't sit idly by and do nothing about this. After thinking for a while, he said to Chen Hong, "Tell the Jinyiwei to speed up the process. Why haven't these cases been thoroughly investigated yet?"
Although Zhu Youxiao mentioned several cases, they were actually just one: the Donglin Party corruption case. It involved the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works. Although a group of cases had been dealt with before, there were still a few that had not been dealt with, especially the Ministry of Works.
"Wait a minute, go to the Jinyiwei and ask Luo Sigong to come up with a result quickly." Zhu Youxiao's words were full of disgust. The Jinyiwei's efficiency was really low.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong quickly agreed respectfully.
Chen Hong felt he needed to remind Luo Sigong that he needed to be more proactive in his work style and learn more from Wei Zhongxian. If he continued like this, Luo Sigong's position would be lost.
Zhu Youxiao nodded. He didn't know what Chen Hong was thinking, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter.
"Oh, there's one more thing." Zhu Youxiao thought of something and spoke again, "I remember the Jinyiwei still has some students who caused trouble in custody. Is that true?"
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case," Chen Hong replied.
"Let the Jinyiwei deal with it as well. Release the people, revoke their honors and titles, and send them all to Liaodong as exiles." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand expressionlessly, as if he was shooing away a group of flies.
This surprised Chen Hong a little. Is the punishment so serious?
It would be fine if they were stripped of their honors, but they were all sent to Liaodong as exiles?
However, Chen Hong did not dare to ask more questions. This was not something he could interrupt, so he quickly said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand again and urged, "Alright, do it now!"
As the saying goes, severe punishments are needed in troubled times. At times like this, we must be ruthless, otherwise there is no other way.
Dealing with those students who caused trouble was actually a deterrent to other students in the literati circle so that they would not make trouble again. Otherwise, not only would their academic titles be revoked, but they would also be directly exiled.
Zhu Youxiao didn't think that many of these people did this out of courage and integrity. Most of them did it to gain a reputation, or in the words of later generations, to get some publicity.
As for what he was seeking, it was nothing more than fame and fortune. If someone really wanted to do something for his blood and backbone, then Zhu Youxiao didn't care.
The more courageous and courageous they are, the more Zhu Youxiao wants to punish them. The reason is also very simple. You and I are not the same kind of people. So the more outstanding you are, the more I want to get rid of you. There is nothing strange about that.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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