"Wei Zhongxian?" Gao Qingyun was stunned when he heard the name. It took him a while to realize that Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch in the late Ming Dynasty.
He never expected the villagers of Dahe Village to ask such a question.
He had considered that the other party might ask about the village's development, how to educate the children, and how to help the children learn and improve.
The only thing I didn't expect was that the other party would ask about history.
He quickly came to his senses and said, "Are you talking about Wei Zhongxian, the notorious traitor during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty?"
"Splash!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Gao Qingyun's brief remark instantly caused the expressions on the faces of everyone in the room to change drastically.
Late Ming Dynasty?
The last dynasty?
What did they hear?
This damned fellow actually said the Ming Dynasty had perished in front of His Majesty the Emperor.
And it was he who brought about the destruction.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
In an instant, all the Imperial Guards in the room drew their Embroidered Spring Blades and aimed them at Gao Qingyun, ready to chop him into mincemeat at a single command.
The eunuch Wang Chengen also shouted sternly, "How dare you! The Emperor's grace is boundless, how dare you utter such treasonous words!"
"Do you know that this is a capital offense?"
"Pfft..." Gao Qingyun couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard Wang Chengen's high-pitched voice.
The grace of Heaven is boundless; to commit such a heinous crime is punishable by death.
Even though he had accepted that the villagers of Dahe Village were stubborn and feudal in their thinking, he couldn't help but chuckle when he heard them say such things again.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I just couldn't help it."
Gao Qingyun quickly stopped and explained, "It's already 2024, 380 years since the Ming Dynasty fell."
"Even the Qing Dynasty, which followed the Ming Dynasty, has been gone for 112 years. Where is there any talk of boundless imperial grace or treason?"
“Now we ordinary people are already in charge of our own affairs and have freedom of speech, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Then, Gao Qingyun got back to the main topic: "You were just asking me about the killing of the treacherous minister Wei Zhongxian in 1627, the year Emperor Chongzhen of the late Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, right?"
"This matter can hardly be called a meritorious deed; it can only be described as a great relief to the people."
"After all, at that time, both ordinary people and civil and military officials had suffered under Wei Zhongxian for a long time."
"But if we're talking about it from a political perspective, I can only say that Emperor Chongzhen did something stupid."
"If he hadn't killed Wei Zhongxian, the Ming Dynasty could have lasted at least another ten years."
"But he did kill them anyway, which led to the accelerated demise of the Ming Dynasty at the end of its reign."
"Splash!"
Gao Qingyun's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar.
Everyone in the room, except for Zhu Youjian and Gao Qingyun, had a look of terror on their faces.
The hands of the Imperial Guards holding their swords were drenched in cold sweat, and they felt as if they could barely hold onto the hilts.
They're crazy, they feel like they must be crazy.
Otherwise, how could we have heard such treasonous words?
This blind man in front of me not only fabricated stories about the fall of the Ming Dynasty, but now he's even calling the first major thing the emperor did after ascending the throne a stupid thing in front of His Majesty the Emperor.
Is there anything more despairing than this?
They know nothing about 2024 or the Qing Dynasty.
They only knew that the emperor was the supreme being, an entity that could not be challenged.
This person actually dares to point his finger at the emperor and call him a fool, saying he is a ruler who will bring about the downfall of his country.
How could he possibly survive?
I'm afraid even those bystanders won't survive.
For a moment, a sense of despair welled up in everyone's heart.
How did I end up here?
At this moment, no one dared to look at Zhu Youjian's expression; they all lowered their heads, awaiting the emperor's command.
As for Zhu Youjian, his heart was in turmoil as he listened to Gao Qingyun's words.
Having witnessed Gao Qingyun's appearance firsthand, he subconsciously labeled Gao Qingyun as an immortal.
In addition, there are the documents that Gao Qingyun produced here, as well as the reign title "Chongzhen" that he directly mentioned.
Keep in mind that he had only recently made the decision and hadn't told anyone yet, so how did Gao Qingyun find out?
Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, but his face did not show the fury that others expected.
Zhu Youjian looked at Gao Qingyun and asked, "Oh? Isn't what Mr. Gao Qingyun said a bit of an exaggeration?"
"In the end, Wei Zhongxian was nothing more than a eunuch."
"You're saying that His Majesty the Emperor killing him would hasten the demise of the Ming Dynasty. How could a mere eunuch possibly have such power?"
Wang Chengen, Luo Yangxing, and the others present were also filled with disbelief when they heard that their emperor was not enraged by Gao Qingyun's words.
Is this still the emperor they know?
They also expressed deep agreement with what Zhu Youjian said.
In the end, Wei Zhongxian was just a eunuch. Even if he had immense power, he could not possibly influence the situation of a dynasty.
To say that killing him would hasten the demise of the Ming Dynasty is simply too sensational.
"Little brother, it's obvious you don't understand politics, is it?" Gao Qingyun ignored what the people in the room were thinking. Hearing that Zhu Youjian's voice was rather immature, he directly addressed him as "little brother."
"It is true that Wei Zhongxian was just a eunuch, but don't forget that he was also the head of the eunuch faction."
"In ancient imperial courts, the most important thing was to maintain a balance."
"What the emperor wants to do is to let his subordinates fight each other, and then he can reap the benefits."
"According to the History of Ming, during the Tianqi period, the two most powerful factions were the eunuch party and the Donglin party."
"Think about it, after Wei Zhongxian died and the eunuch faction was eliminated, wouldn't the Donglin Party then become the only powerful faction?"
"Under such circumstances, there is no faction in the court that can check and balance the Donglin Party."
"Then the situation was that Emperor Chongzhen had to confront the Donglin Party directly."
"However, the emperor is ultimately just one person. How can he possibly deal with the collective cliquishness of an entire bureaucracy?"
"In this way, the imperial power is in a weak position."
"When it comes to any major decision, if they stick together, it's tantamount to forcing someone to abdicate."
"The government will become utterly corrupt."
After listening to Gao Qingyun's analysis, Zhu Youjian was greatly shocked, because when he decided to kill Wei Zhongxian, he had never considered this aspect.
He was thinking about his imminent ascension to the throne and the need to establish his authority and prestige.
It is necessary to demonstrate that the means have resulted in political achievements.
Therefore, he turned his attention to Wei Zhongxian.
Now, after hearing Gao Qingyun's words, he couldn't help but wonder if he had really made a mistake in killing Wei Zhongxian.
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