"Is my judgment fair?" Chongzhen asked the tribute student with narrowed eyes.
The student lowered his head, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty... I know I was wrong."
"Okay, go back and copy the Great Ming Code a hundred times."
"Yes, yes, yes."
The tribute student from the Imperial College ran into the crowd and disappeared as if he had lost his soul.
Scholars solve their problems with books.
A small tribute student from the Imperial College did not interest Chongzhen at all, and he had to use these people when defending the city.
With screams, dozens of heads fell to the ground, and Zhang Jinyan's three clans were wiped out.
The entire Xisi Pailou was filled with blood, and the fishy stench mixed with the smell of rust hit people in the face, making people feel scared but also inexplicably excited.
Chongzhen's eyes fell on Wang Zhengzhi, and he raised his voice and asked, "Wang Zhengzhi, do you plead guilty?"
Wang Zhengzhi was paralyzed by fear.
He collapsed on the ground like a puddle of mud, incontinent, and people nearby were vomiting.
"Your Majesty, I plead guilty and beg for forgiveness!"
"I know I am wrong, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please spare my family for my hard work for the country."
Chongzhen sneered: "If I spare your family, how will the families of those dead soldiers look at me?"
"They are fighting bravely despite the lack of food and pay. What are you doing behind the scenes?"
"You were first the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and later the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. While in office, you were corrupt and embezzled military funds, deceived the emperor, spread rumors and disrupted government, and your crimes are extremely serious!"
"My soldiers did not die at the hands of the enemy, but at the hands of you, the Minister of Revenue!"
"Come here, identify Wang Zhengzhi, behead him in public, and execute his entire clan. Confiscate his property and send it to Shuntian Prefecture to help the people of the capital fight the plague."
After hearing this, Wang Zhengzhi fainted.
After receiving the emperor's order, the executioner immediately carried out the execution.
In an instant, the entire execution ground was splattered with blood and corpses were everywhere.
The officials nearby covered their mouths and noses, and it was impossible to tell whether their expressions showed disgust or fear.
The people around were already boiling with excitement.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Well done! These corrupt officials all deserve to die!"
"Well done! Well done! Well done!"
The people stretched out their right hands, clenched their fists and waved them above their heads.
At that moment, it resounded through the sky!
The soldiers on guard changed color one after another. Faced with such a large number of civilians, they felt terrified.
Fear seemed to be contagious. As the voices of the people grew louder, their hands holding their weapons began to tremble and their bodies swayed.
Chongzhen saw all this and was speechless.
The morale of these soldiers was actually suppressed by the common people, which shows their fighting strength!
He stretched out his hands to signal everyone to be quiet, and the entire Xisi Archway fell silent in an instant.
Chongzhen pointed at the people in the audience and said loudly: "Since I ascended the throne, I have eliminated the eunuch party, defended Liaodong, resisted natural disasters, and fought against bandits. I do not seek merit, but I hope to live up to the people of the Ming Dynasty and this country!"
"The bandits are now strong and heading straight for the capital. The capital is in danger!"
“Why did the court call them thieves?”
"They say they will treat the people well, but when they charge, they put them in front, and when they flee, they let them cover the rear."
"Wherever they went, there was chaos. They held up the banner of equal distribution of land and exemption of grain, forced good people to become bandits, slaughtered children, and even raped, robbed, killed, and burned, committing all kinds of evil."
"Would you like to be bandits?"
The onlookers were stunned at first, not knowing whether they should answer the emperor.
Chongzhen continued, "I could have moved to Nanjing and left, but I couldn't leave the millions of people in the capital. So I decided to stay in the capital and wait for the troops to come to the capital."
"Although the bandits are huge, I have millions of Ming people behind me. Even if the enemy has millions of strong troops, I am not afraid at all."
"If they dare to fight, the city of the capital will be their burial place!"
"I hereby announce in the name of the Emperor that we will recruit soldiers and prepare for war to resist the bandits!"
...
After Chongzhen finished speaking passionately, the entire Xisi Pailou was briefly silent for a moment, and then deafening cheers rang out.
The people were extremely excited and expressed their emotions through roars and exaggerated actions.
They have waited too long for this moment.
Before this they were confused and didn't know who to fight for.
Some even thought that the arrival of the bandits was a good thing, and that they could help them kill all the corrupt officials.
In their hearts, the emperor is a good person and they should be loyal to him.
But this group of people in the court are bad. They bully civilians, exploit the people, take bribes, and commit all kinds of evil.
Didn't the emperor see it? If he saw it, why didn't he do anything about it? Why didn't he do anything about it?
The people were confused.
Chongzhen's words today rekindled the bloodiness in their hearts.
"Recruit soldiers and prepare for war to resist the bandits!"
"Recruit soldiers and prepare for war to resist the bandits!"
The people waved their fists wildly and roared wantonly, venting the bloodiness suppressed in their hearts.
Chongzhen nodded with satisfaction, told Wang Chengen to stay and set up the stall, and he returned to the palace to rest.
As soon as the emperor's carriage left, the eunuchs and palace maids shouted at the top of their voices: "Come and take a look, the royal items are being sold at a low price!"
"Your Majesty's spittoon, writing brush, and eating chopsticks can all be taken home as long as the price is right."
"Don't miss it if you pass by. The first ten people who buy the ticket will be eligible to visit the Imperial City for free!"
"Don't worry if you don't qualify. For one thousand taels of silver, each person can enter the Imperial City for a half-day tour. The products of the royal family must be top-notch, suitable for all ages and fair to all!"
As the hawking sounds began, people nearby who were watching the fun immediately gathered around.
People who were not short of money took out the money they had prepared in advance to buy, while those who were poor stood in front of the stalls and kept observing and touching them.
The soldiers on guard nearby maintained order while also looking inside curiously. After all, ordinary people would never have the opportunity to touch royal items in their lifetime.
Zhang Xin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Ling Xiqu, the Minister of the Dali Temple, and Shi Bangyao, the Right Censor-in-Chief, who were supervising the execution at the scene, looked at each other with different expressions.
Ling Xiqu and Shi Bangyao were worried, fearing that this matter would be disastrous if it got out and would damage the reputation of the royal family.
Zhang Xin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was indifferent but with a hint of teasing.
He was wondering, has there ever been an emperor in history who set up a stall to sell things?
Yes, and most of them are incompetent rulers.
Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Hong; Emperor Shao of the Song Dynasty, Liu Yifeng; and Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao.
With them as role models, what would happen to Chongzhen?
It seems that the Zhu Dynasty is going to go down the old path!
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