noveltune Chapter 11 Establishing Authority in the Golden Hall: Those Who Disobey Will Be Executed!
Chapter 11 Establishing Authority in the Golden Hall: Those Who Disobey Will Be Executed!
As dawn broke, the morning light shone upon the Forbidden City.
In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The civil and military officials, who had been kneeling all night, finally stood up.
Their legs and feet were numb, their minds were in a daze, and the terrifying palace coup of the previous night was still echoing in their minds.
The new morning court session began in this eerie atmosphere.
Zhu Zaiyi was still dressed in a simple gray robe, sitting on the dragon throne.
He was thin and seemed out of place on the throne that symbolized supreme power, but no one dared to show the slightest disrespect.
Zhu Di did not attend court; he seemed utterly uninterested in these tedious formalities. But everyone knew that the ruthless ruler was in the back hall, listening to everything that was happening.
The Jiajing Emperor was like a puppet, ordered to stand below the throne with his hands at his sides.
The redness and swelling on his face had not yet subsided, and his eyes were empty, like a shell from which his soul had been ripped away.
The officials were trembling with fear, heads bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly.
"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned," the eunuch beside him shouted, his voice trembling.
The main hall was deathly silent.
Who dares to speak at this time? What would they say? Praise His Highness the Regent for burning down the Western Garden? Or impeach the remnants of the Yan faction who were arrested last night?
In the midst of this suffocating silence, an untimely voice rang out.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Zhong, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, walking out of the queue with a jade tablet in his hand.
Zhang Chong was a member of the Iron-Willed Yan faction and a notorious tough guy. Relying on the power of censors to report on rumors, he dared to openly contradict even the Grand Secretary.
Xu Jie and Gao Gong felt a chill run down their spines, realizing the situation was dire. Jumping out at this moment was tantamount to suicide.
Zhang Chong walked to the center of the hall, first bowing to Zhu Zaiyi on the dragon throne, then raising his head and saying loudly, "Your Highness, the Regent, I have a few questions and would appreciate your clarification!"
Zhu Zaiyi didn't even lift his eyelids, simply uttering a single word: "Speak."
"Firstly!" Zhang Zhong's voice suddenly rose, "According to the ancestral rules of our Great Ming Dynasty, the change of the throne requires the joint discussion of the imperial family, the cabinet, and all officials, and must be announced to the world. Last night's events were too hasty. Although Your Highness is the eldest grandson of the emperor, after all..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: your status as the eldest grandson of the emperor has not yet been officially recognized, and your position as regent is illegitimate!
"Secondly! The Emperor Emeritus's miraculous appearance is an unprecedented event. However, this matter concerns the foundation of the nation and we must be extremely cautious. What if it is a demon or evil spirit using the name of our ancestors to carry out political chaos? As subjects of the Ming Dynasty, how can we sit idly by?"
These words were even more infuriating! He dared to imply in public that Zhu Di and Zhu Zaiyi were sorcerers!
A collective gasp filled the hall. A glimmer of hope rekindled in the eyes of many remnants of Yan's faction, and they prepared to step forward and echo his sentiments.
Xu Jie's palms were sweating with anxiety. Had Zhang Zhong gone mad?
Zhu Zai Rui finally slowly raised his head, looking at him calmly, as if he were looking at a dead man.
"Are you done talking?"
Zhang Chong felt a chill run down his spine from the look in his eyes, but since things had come to this point, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, I have finished speaking! Everything I have said is for the sake of the country and its people; I beg Your Majesty to consider it carefully!"
"Well said." Zhu Zaiyi nodded, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
Just as Zhang Chong thought he had the upper hand in terms of law and reason and was about to continue his impassioned speech, a powerful voice came from the back hall.
"My grandson, do you need to acknowledge him?"
Zhu Di's tall figure appeared behind the screen. He didn't come out, but his palpable killing intent already enveloped the entire hall.
Zhang Zhong's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. But emboldened, he stubbornly shouted, "It's not that I don't acknowledge it, but everything must adhere to ancestral rules! Ancestral rules cannot be abolished!"
"Ancestor rule?" Zhu Di sneered.
At that moment, Zhu Zaiyi made a move.
He remained seated on the dragon throne, but flicked his finger lightly in Zhang Zhong's direction.
An invisible burst of energy instantly traversed a distance of tens of feet and struck Zhang Zhong precisely on the top of his head.
With a soft "poof" sound.
The black gauze hat on Zhang Chong's head, symbolizing his status as an imperial censor, instantly turned into dust and fell down.
His hair and scalp were completely unharmed.
The entire hall looked as if it were dead.
This is no longer martial arts. This is divine magic!
Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but this method of crushing your dignity and your official prestige into powder in front of you, while leaving you unscathed, is a thousand times more terrifying than killing him directly!
Zhu Zaiyi then spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"I don't like it when people talk to me while wearing hats."
"Now you can continue."
Zhang Zhong stood there blankly, reaching out to touch his bald head.
"what!"
He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his crotch quickly becoming wet, and a foul, fishy smell filled the air.
"A monster...a demon...it's a monster..." he cried incoherently, trying to crawl backwards on his hands and feet.
Zhu Zaiyi didn't even bother to look at him again.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard".
Zhu Xixiao immediately rushed in from outside the hall and knelt on one knee: "Your subject is here!"
"Spreading heresies and disrupting the court." Zhu Zaiyi's voice was icy cold. "Drag him out and execute him."
"Hang your head on the Meridian Gate so everyone can see what ancestral rules are."
"As you command!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Xixiao called over two of his men, who dragged the delirious Zhang Zhong away like a dead dog.
Inside the main hall, no one dared to utter a sound.
Zhu Zaiyi's gaze slowly swept over the trembling officials below, finally landing on Zhu Xixiao.
"Why haven't the troops that raided Yan Song's property returned yet?"
His tone was calm, as if he were asking about something trivial.
"Was it because you were picking up gold ingots on the way that you were delayed?"