In the face of absolute strength, no matter whether you are a conspiracy or a conspiracy, it is worthless. When it comes to the struggle for power in the political arena, Tang Feng is no match for the adults in front of him, otherwise he would not have ended up as a marginalized and idle prince. But now that he has soldiers in his hands, no matter what identity these people are or how powerful they are, they can't be defeated.
After some interrogation, many officials gave unanimous answers, an answer that made Tang Feng very satisfied. They also believed that Chongzhen's death was closely related to the eunuchs around him. It must be these ambitious people who killed the emperor frantically. After listening to everyone's words, Tang Feng turned his attention to Wen and Tuesday: "Two pavilion elders, since you all think that this matter is related to the eunuchs in the palace, why don't you investigate in detail? What? Is there some ulterior secret between you and these eunuchs? Or are you doing it behind the scenes?"
As soon as these words came out, even though Wen Tiren and the others had experienced many storms, and had reached the point where they could not change their expressions even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of them, their faces were still pale with fear, and the flesh on their cheeks could not stop trembling. After a long while, the two of them argued: "Mr. An Guo, please don't spit on others with your blood. As human ministers, we will never do such a treasonous thing. It was only because we were afraid of damaging the Ming Dynasty that we did not make it public ¡¡±
Before they could finish their words, Tang Feng waved his hands and said, "Even if what you said is reasonable, what is An's intention behind closing the palace door tightly? Are you two trying to do something for your own benefit?"
"We" Under Tang Feng's gaze, neither of them dared to make up lies to excuse themselves. They were indeed determined to establish someone as emperor before the news spread, so that their status in the court would be as stable as Mount Tai. However, everything was obviously impossible to achieve now, and he became Tang Feng's prisoner.
"Hmph, it seems that you two have nothing to say. As a minister of the Ming Dynasty, a cabinet minister who is deeply trusted by His Majesty does not want to serve the country and avenge His Majesty, but only thinks about his own petty profits, like you How can such a person be an official in the court? Come, take away the clothes of these two people and throw them into prison for me. I will not punish them until the matter is found out!" Tang Feng was no longer entangled in the charges of the two men. , immediately ordered.
Immediately, several strong sergeants came forward, picked up the two important officials of the Ming Dynasty, who were inferior to one person and superior to tens of thousands of people, and left. These sergeants had never experienced such a scene before, so the force in their hands was so great that Wen and Tuesday screamed in pain. Now they could not even utter a word of mercy.
With a quick cut of the knot, in just a short moment, Tang Feng captured the two major cabinet ministers of the current dynasty. This gave others a clear signal that Tang Feng was serious this time. Under this situation, even those who were deeply dissatisfied with Tang Feng's actions did not dare to say another word of objection.
Tang Feng was also very satisfied with everyone's silence. He knew that this time he had succeeded in killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, and now it was time to add some weight. He then ordered: "Pass me to order the soldiers guarding the mansions of the great masters to invite all the officials in the capital. I also have something to say."
"Yes!" The people around him immediately turned around and left. After hearing what he said, the faces of the officials present became even more nervous. It turned out that they thought that Tang Feng only had so few troops in his hands, but they fell into his hands. Now it seems that the whole of Beijing has been controlled by him. , which means that his family is also in his hands. Now, those who originally thought about resisting could no longer think about it at all, and only thought about how to protect themselves and their families.
If it were before the Tianqi Dynasty, even if Tang Feng controlled everything now, there would still be people among the many courtiers who would shout and object because of dissatisfaction. However, after experiencing the chaos of the eunuchs, few of the officials who hold real power in the DPRK are selfless and tough guys who are not afraid of death. Most of these courtiers are villains who follow people's influence and seek personal gain with power. For their own wealth, they can be eunuchs today and kill eunuchs tomorrow. This is sad for the entire Ming court, but it is lucky for Tang Feng now.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him respectfully and showing no sign of resistance, Tang Feng sneered in his heart, but his face softened greatly and he ordered: "My lords, please follow me into the court room and sit down for a while. After the others arrive, we will discuss what to do next.¡±
Less than half an hour later, the officials who had been ordered to stay at home entered the palace with anxiety. Today was too unforgettable for them. First, the bad news of the emperor's death came out, and then they were driven home by the cabinet ministers. Before they could figure out the key, the sound of soldiers surrounding them came from outside the house. When they saw the bright swords and guns appearing, these adults wisely chose to cooperate. Then just now, they were "invited" to the palace by those sergeants. Until now, these people still don't know the people behind this?Who?
When they saw Duke An Guo sitting high on the throne, everyone was stunned. They had thought about many possibilities, including the resurgence of the Eunuch Party, but they completely ignored this figure who was once the most famous figure in the Ming Dynasty. But now they have no choice but to accept the reality, if they still want to save their lives.
Looking at the trembling officials in the hall, Tang Feng sneered at the corner of his mouth. These are the so-called officials of the Ming Dynasty. With these people, can the Ming Dynasty achieve long-term peace and stability? However, he had no intention of dealing with them before everything got on track. These people were still useful. Without any pleasantries, Tang Feng said straight to the point: "Unfortunately for my Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty has passed away due to being killed by a traitor. I believe you all know this. I called you here today just to tell you what to do. There are a few things that must be done now." There was no discussion. This was a decision Tang Feng made after considering it. Since everything is under his control, there is no need to say some false words, and there is no need to worry the officials in front of him. Don't take any chances.
The civil and military officials throughout the dynasty dare not say anything. The situation is stronger than others, and their life and death are in the hands of others. Is there any possibility of bargaining? Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Tang Feng nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "His Majesty passed away, the national funeral will be held immediately, and all the adults in the Ministry of Rites will take the lead."
"Don't worry, Duke, I will definitely live up to your high expectations." Han Ri Zan, the Minister of Etiquette, said hurriedly, with a hint of flattery in his words.
Tang Feng glanced at him approvingly, and then said: "Just now, I and all your lords have looked at His Majesty's holy body, and have come to a preliminary conclusion that this injury must have been caused by the servants in the palace. I think so, the palace The palace is heavily guarded, so outsiders cannot easily come in, let alone assassinate His Majesty, so all the servants in the palace must investigate carefully, and no one can be spared."
"The lower officials, together with the Third Division, will definitely get to the bottom of the matter!" Hu Yingtai, the Minister of Punishment, also learned from Han Ri Zan's tricks and hurriedly stepped forward to express his loyalty, which made the officials of Dali Temple curse in their hearts.
Tang Feng glanced at him and said: "Master Hu has such intention, I am very pleased. But this matter is not easy. Just now, I and all the lords saw it. The two lords Wen Tiren and Zhou Yanru may have It is also related to this." In order to establish his authority, Tang Feng had already planned to attack these two big shots in the court, so he brought it up in front of everyone.
"Don't worry, Lord, this matter will be investigated strictly by the lower officials. No matter who he is, it is impossible for him to get away with it."
"Very good. Also, since the matter is related to the palace servants, the people in Dongchang are probably involved. Admiral Bai, your Jin Yiwei has an old relationship with Dongchang. Is there no problem in leaving them to your disposal?" "
Bai Liangfeng stood in the middle, actually feeling very excited. After seeing that Tang Feng had controlled everything, he felt that his day had come. Now that Tang Feng had given him this opportunity to vent his anger, he immediately stepped forward and said: "Please rest assured, my lord and sirs, our Jin Yiwei will definitely There will be no mercy.¡±
"Then go and get the people from Dongchang. Don't let them get away in the chaos!"
"Yes!" After cupping his fists and saluting, Bai Liangfeng left in a hurry. He knew that as Tang Feng's old subordinate and his long-standing loyalty to him, it was now time to reap the rewards. Those families in Dongchang have a lot of money, so they are obviously taking advantage of their Jinyiwei brothers.
Not to mention that the people of Jinyiwei were excitedly going to deal with their old opponents, Tang Feng was still making further arrangements in an orderly manner: "A country cannot be without a king for a day. Although the death of the late emperor has not yet been concluded, I, the Ming Dynasty, need to A sage comes to rule the world, but I don¡¯t know if you have any good candidates?¡±
When everyone heard what Tang Feng said, they were relieved until they were in their throats. What they were most worried about was that Tang Feng took advantage of the chaos and stole the throne. Although he would definitely become the target of public criticism all over the world, and he might not be able to cover up the whole world with one hand, people like them would be at a dead end. If you object, you will be punished with various crimes now, but if you obey him, you will not be able to escape death in the future, and will even be remembered in history books for thousands of years.
But now it seems that Tang Feng has no intention of usurping the throne. Therefore, several people put forward their own opinions, which were consistent with what Wen Tiren and Zhou Yanru said before. They believed that Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Cixuan were the most suitable. One of them is seven years old and the other is six years old. They are already the eldest among the princes.
Tang Feng listened to the officials talking about the reasons for their chosen princes, such as being royally styled and talented, but he just sneered in his heart. How can these two princes behave at the age when they have just entered elementary school? It is obvious that the officials are considering their own interests, either for the future, or because they have received benefits.
Tang Feng didn¡¯t care about such a farce.Although he planned to let them continue, he had no intention of letting these two people inherit the throne. The reason was simple: they were a bit too old.
The reason why Tang Feng took such a big risk this time was to revitalize the Ming Dynasty and protect the future of himself and his family. He has no intention of becoming Wang Mang, because he knows that doing so will make him an enemy of the world. If the reform fails, he will be attacked by a group of people. He just wants to be Cao Cao, holding the emperor hostage to order the princes. As long as the people of the world know that the emperor still belongs to Lao Zhu's family, many excuses will disappear, and he can start to change a series of policies in the name of the emperor.
At this time, Ming Dynasty¡¯s policy has reached the point where it has to be changed, otherwise it will be destroyed. But if you want to change the various ancestral systems that have been entrenched for hundreds of years, it cannot be completed in a few years. And Zhu Cixiang and the others have grown up slowly, and the emperor may be about to resist before he is completely done. So he didn't want to choose these two people. He chose the youngest prince so far, Zhu Cihuan, who was born in the eighth year of Chongzhen. It is a pity that these courtiers did not consider this aspect at all, but just argued between Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Cixuan.
Seeing that no one mentioned him, Tang Feng stopped waiting. He just said softly: "I think the fifth emperor Zhu Cihuan is more like a king than these two princes. What do you think?"
The officials who were arguing in the hall were silent at first, and then they all reacted. They all nodded and said, "What the Duke said is that Zhu Cihuan is the most suitable, and he should wait for Meng Lang." Now they were all complaining. He was not clever enough. It was obvious that Tang Feng wanted to take control of the government. Why hadn't he thought of flattering the youngest prince?
Tang Feng felt a sense of pleasure in his heart. He finally felt the alluring taste of power. What is power? When everyone is entangled in two choices, you suddenly say a third choice, and no one dares to object, but just agrees. This is the embodiment of power. This has the same effect as Zhao Gao's calling a deer a horse.
"Since you all think that Zhu Cihuan is the most suitable, then go with me to welcome him to the throne. I believe that under the protection of the new emperor, I, the Ming Dynasty, will be able to do great things!" Tang Feng stood up and walked out. Other officials followed suit and followed Tang Feng's footsteps to go to the harem to find the emperor's fifth son.
Zhu Cihuan¡¯s mother, Concubine Tian, ??never dreamed that the position of emperor would fall to her son, so she was overjoyed. But after seeing the attitude of the court officials towards Tang Feng, she guessed the key point. As a woman who has been in the harem for so many years, she still has some discernment. But now she couldn't help it. She had no choice but to dress up her infant son, who was only two years old, and let the courtiers take him to Qianqing Palace to ascend the throne.
The original cumbersome etiquette became very simple because of Tang Feng's words: "The emperor is young!" After worshiping heaven, earth and ancestors, the little emperor ascended the throne in the arms of his mother Tian Guifei. throne. As for the year name, Tang Feng didn't have too much involvement. He didn't pay much attention to these frivolous things.
But there were some people in the court who valued these fictitious things the most. After a long quarrel, they finally decided that the new emperor's reign name would be Zhengyuan. Of course, until the New Year, the Ming Dynasty was still the Chongzhen Year, and it would take some time before this year name could be used.
Everything was finally done, and Tang Feng led the ministers out of the palace. In the palace behind him, there was no eunuch anymore, they were all maids. There is nothing that can be done about this. Before Chongzhen's case is brought to an end, these eunuchs must be interrogated one by one. This makes the yin energy in the palace even stronger, because the only man is only two years old. As for the other princes, it was no longer possible for them to stay in the palace, and they were arranged to live in the Tenth Prince's Mansion.
When he walked out of the palace, it was already dusk. Tang Feng did not go back to his homes like the officials. They were worried about the people at home. Tang Feng first came to Beizhen Fusi. As soon as he entered the door, he heard bursts of screams, for which he smiled knowingly. The conflict between Jinyiwei and Dongchang has never been resolved. If they can get such an opportunity to kill Dongchang this time, they will naturally not show mercy.
This time the Jin Yiwei captured Dongchang's people very smoothly. Under the guard of the three battalions of soldiers, Dongchang's superiors and subordinates did not dare to move. It can be said that they captured them all. This reminded Tang Feng of how he led his men to destroy the Dongchang a few years ago. At that time, it took a lot of effort to deal with these eunuch minions, but now it is so easy. He doesn't know whether it is because he is stronger or not. Dongchang is getting weaker, maybe a combination of both.
Among the people in Dongchang, the only one who has not yet been sentenced is Admiral Deng Xishao. The poor guy had only been in power for a few days, and now he was reduced to a prisoner, with all his energy and energy drained from his body.
After Tang Feng came to him, he just?? asked: "Where is the list of personnel that Dongchang has developed over the years?"
Deng Xishao didn¡¯t dare not answer, and honestly handed over all the Dongchang forces, and the newly established Dongchang also disappeared.
Tang Feng came to Beizhen for another purpose. He called Bai Liangfeng and gave instructions: "You will take the brother who knows best about torture to Tianlao, and get me the evidence that Wen and Zhou joined forces with the palace servants to murder the emperor. Confession. I will make it impossible for these two people to stand up again!"
"Yes, I will do it now." Although he didn't know what Tang Feng wanted, he still agreed. In fact, based on his knowledge, it was easy to see that this incident was all planned by Tang Feng, and even the emperor But so what? Now that their brothers are powerful, isn't that what they want to see? As for the new emperor, it is just a symbol to them.
After that, Tang Feng went to see the soldiers of the third camp and encouraged them. These people were the key to his power, so he couldn't wait any longer. After returning home, Tang Feng wrote another letter and sent it directly to Liaodong. Presumably due to his friendship with the Liaodong generals, they would not be his enemies. Maybe after knowing his plan, they will still stand firmly on his side.
It wasn¡¯t until the middle of the night that Tang Feng returned to his house. His wife and children had already gone to bed. They had no idea that so many things had happened in that day. His husband had already taken a crucial step to take control of the entire world.