From the Jingnan Campaign of Prince Yan Zhu Di to Emperor Xuanzong of Ming using a large cauldron to steam Prince Han.
The relationship between the uncles and nephews in the Zhu family has never been good.
It's understandable that Zhu Youjian had no feelings for Prince Fu.
Cao Huachun quickly came to terms with this idea.
He also began to value Zhu Youjian more.
"In any case, His Majesty is, after all, a descendant of the founding emperor, even though he is still somewhat immature."
"But with Master Gao's guidance, he will probably mature sooner or later."
"I can't try to be clever anymore!"
Thinking of this, Cao Huachun's gaze towards Zhu Youjian became more respectful and less affectionate.
This, however, puzzled Zhu Youjian.
"Old Cao, why are you looking at me like that?"
In front of Gao Qingyun, they all addressed each other by aliases.
Cao Huachun quickly shook his head: "Village Chief Zhu, I've always thought of you that way."
Zhu Youjian scratched his head but didn't press the matter further.
At this moment, Gao Qingyun laughed and said to Zhu Youjian:
"By the way, Xiao Zhu, when can you send me the second batch of students from your village?"
"These first batch of six students are not enough for me to teach."
Even without considering Gao Qingyun, one must teach a hundred students to restore their sight.
Looking at the number of students in this one class, it is indeed too small.
"I can teach thirty or fifty people without any problem."
Gao Qingyun sighed.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian quickly assured him, "Master Gao, don't worry, I'll go and urge them on this matter immediately."
Gao Qingyun nodded: "In that case, I'll wait for your good news."
Zhu Youjian was afraid that Gao Qingyun would make any other demands, so he did not stay long.
He winked at Cao Huachun, signaling him to continue trying to extract information, and then left.
After leaving the island in the middle of the lake, the emperor quickly returned to the main hall and summoned his ministers.
"Gentlemen, as Wei Zhongxian continued his investigation, I have come to realize that there are indeed quite a few corrupt officials in our court!"
Zhu Youjian spoke calmly, but what he said terrified many ministers.
He gently placed the memorial detailing the results of the confiscation of his property on the table.
Although the technique was gentle, the sound was deafening.
This caused many ministers to break out in a sweat.
“Even a random minister’s family has hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.”
"Heh heh, now I finally know where all the money of my Great Ming Dynasty has gone! Why is it that my mighty Ming Dynasty cannot afford to pay its soldiers and can only increase taxes on the people!"
Zhu Youjian's tone remained unchanged, but many ministers felt that the atmosphere in the hall instantly turned cold, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Even Wei Zhongxian and Qian Qianyi, who were on Zhu Youjian's side, felt a sense of lingering fear.
"How come the young emperor's power has increased so much in just a few days?"
Unbeknownst to them, Zhu Youjian, with Gao Qingyun's help, already knew exactly what he should do in the coming years.
When you have confidence, you speak with conviction.
This will enhance a person's overall presence.
After exchanging a glance, the two quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
"There are indeed many treacherous officials in our court, and we need to investigate them carefully!"
The Donglin officials felt even more uncomfortable upon hearing this.
What exactly is going on?
"Isn't Qian Qianyi one of our men? How come he's investigating cases with Wei Zhongxian, yet he always targets our loyal ministers from the Donglin Party?"
They quickly began to mutter to themselves.
"Besides, the hundreds of thousands of taels in those unlucky guys' families are nothing."
"Which of our Ming Dynasty officials doesn't have several hundred thousand taels of silver in their household?"
"What everyone does is not illegal or disorderly conduct."
"Wei Zhongxian took the opportunity to escalate the situation and provoke us, the Donglin Party, to attack us!"
At this point, they even felt a sense of righteous indignation.
"Wei Zhongxian is indeed a treacherous minister! He actually dared to call for the destruction of my Donglin scholars over such a trivial mistake!"
"That young emperor is also incompetent! He can only see the little bit of silver we embezzled, but he can't see our contributions to the Ming Dynasty!"
After exchanging a glance, they quickly gave Qian Qianyi a meaningful look.
They hoped that their "leader of the Donglin Party" would speak up for them.
Qian Qianyi was prepared; he stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "Minister Qian, please speak freely."
"My suggestion is to request the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate to hold a joint trial to investigate all court officials."
"Severely punish corrupt officials in the court!"
"This is some consolation for those good officials who don't embezzle."
Upon hearing this, the Donglin officials were immediately relieved.
"Lord Qian is indeed on our side!"
"With him making this suggestion, our Donglin Party is in a very secure position!"
They even wanted to celebrate their victory.
One of the strongholds of the Donglin Party was the Censorate.
There are also many powerful forces within the Dali Temple.
"If a joint trial by the three judicial departments is really organized, our Donglin Party will definitely get through easily."
"In that case, it will actually demonstrate the integrity of our Donglin Academy... Oh no, our Donglin Academy is inherently incorruptible, so we're not afraid even if outsiders come to investigate!"
At this point, they completely forgot that not long ago, several members of the Donglin Party had been exposed and brought down.
They started to pat themselves on the back.
Zhu Youjian took in their expressions.
"Hehe, let them have a few last few days of fun!"
Zhu Youjian sneered inwardly.
"Qian Qianyi's suggestion was definitely not that simple; it was probably a feint to cover up the real situation while secretly advancing his own."
"On the surface, it was to reassure the Donglin Party and make them obediently accept the investigation."
"But what happens next will probably be beyond the expectations of the Donglin Party!"
He didn't say much, but simply nodded calmly.
"Since the ministers all agree, let's proceed according to Lord Qian's suggestion."
After the court session, Wei Zhongxian stopped Qian Qianyi.
"Hehe, I never expected that you, Lord Qian, would be such a formidable character."
"For his own future, he actually sold out the entire Donglin Party."
Wei Zhongxian started speaking in a sarcastic tone.
Qian Qianyi was instantly furious, but quickly suppressed his anger.
"I was merely being loyal to His Majesty; how could I be considered a ruthless character?"
"If you have nothing else, Lord Wei, then I shall take my leave."
Watching Qian Qianyi's figure disappear into the distance, Wei Zhongxian suddenly spat.
"Pah! Who do you think you are?!"
"How dare you say such things in front of me!"
He stomped his feet in anger.
Actually, his anger wasn't because of Qian Qianyi's contempt, but because of what he gleaned from that contempt.
"That Qian Qianyi must have guessed something... no, he must have received instructions from the young emperor!"
"The young emperor definitely promised him that after dealing with the Donglin Party, it would be time to deal with me."
"So Qian Qianyi just treated me like I was dead, that's why he didn't hold a grudge against me!"
Wei Zhongxian started to have wild thoughts, but he accidentally hit the nail on the head.
Once the Donglin Party is destroyed, the emperor will indeed take action against him.
Wei Zhongxian's face turned grim.
"In that case, it seems I need to speed up my arrangements!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com