20demayo Page 490
Page 490
The young official's actions inspired the other officials, and several more immediately rushed towards Wang Zhi.
"not good!"
The three elders, seeing that things were not going well, were about to stop them.
next second.
Bang!
The civil official who rushed forward the fastest was kicked away by Wang Zhi and fell to the ground, howling in pain.
The other officials who rushed forward were all kicked away by Wang Zhi, a scene that stunned everyone.
Everyone was shocked.
How dare you lay a hand on me?
How dare you lay a hand on us, you eunuch?
Damn!
The three Grand Secretaries looked at the officials who had fallen to the ground and were groaning in pain and muttered to themselves.
This eunuch is different; he knows kung fu!
Hearing the officials' wails, Wang Zhi remained silent, but his expression clearly became even more pleased.
Their howls were as melodious as the wailing of stray dogs on the roadside.
Chapter 667: Specialization is Key
Wang Zhi's actions surprised most of the civil officials, but they were all furious after they realized what was happening.
"How dare you assault an official appointed by the imperial court?"
An official shouted sternly.
Wang remained expressionless.
"They ran into us on their own; what does it have to do with me?"
After saying that, Wang Zhi looked at the few people lying on the ground groaning.
"The gentlemen have accidentally fallen and injured themselves. Someone, help them down to rest."
Wang Zhi waved his hand, and several agents from the Western Depot who were following behind him came out and grabbed the officials from the ground. It was more like they were being held hostage than helped up.
After bringing these officials with him, Wang Zhi turned to look at the officials.
"I have my own rules and regulations for arresting people. Your gathering here today is already akin to a coup. If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"A coup?"
"When did we force you to abdicate?"
"We came to Your Majesty to impeach your eunuch faction for persecuting ministers. How could we be asking for a coup?"
Upon hearing the words "forced abdication," the officials were enraged and immediately objected.
Wang Zhi rolled his eyes.
“Even if you want to impeach me, you should submit a memorial according to the court’s procedures, instead of gathering here to use the guise of impeachment to actually force me to abdicate.”
With a wave of his hand, a large group of agents from the Western Depot rushed over from afar.
"Get out of here!"
Wang Zhi looked at the officials and shouted sternly.
Upon seeing so many agents from the Western Depot suddenly appear, the officials were instinctively apprehensive, but the next second they became fearless again.
They believed that Wang Zhi would not dare to arrest them in large numbers. If Wang Zhi really arrested them on charges of forcing the emperor to abdicate, it would be an unprecedented miscarriage of justice since the founding of the dynasty, causing a shock throughout the court and the country. Even Zhu Houzhao would not be able to protect him. From then on, Zhu Houzhao would be labeled a tyrant and would never be able to shake it off.
"We're not leaving, what are you going to do about it?"
A young official, with his neck stiff, shouted.
"Not bad!"
"You castrated dog, if you've got the guts, then arrest us."
"You can silence one person, but can you silence the gossip of the world?"
The other civil officials also joined in the clamor.
At this moment, none of the three elders spoke.
Wang Zhi looked at the officials expressionlessly, then suddenly smiled.
"You really think I can't do anything to you?"
Hearing Wang Zhi say this, the officials remained fearless.
Wang Zhi sneered and shouted, "Bring the sign-in book!"
Sign-in book?
Upon hearing these three words, the officials were stunned for a moment, not yet able to react. However, the three Grand Secretaries felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, and they immediately thought of the time during the reign of Emperor Xianzong decades ago.
Several agents from the Western Depot carried stacks of notebooks and placed them at Wang Zhi's feet.
The officials hadn't yet realized what Wang Zhi was about to do, but the three Grand Secretaries' expressions had already changed. They knew that Wang Zhi had done something similar during the Chenghua era.
Wang Zhi flicked his robe, and a servant knelt behind him. Wang Zhi sat on the servant's back, then picked up one of the notebooks, opened it, and said as he flipped through it, "He Zhen, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Works."
Upon hearing his superior call out a name, several guards stepped forward and precisely selected one person from among the officials, bringing him before Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi raised his eyelids slightly, looking at the official with a forced smile.
"Are you He Zhen?"
The official was somewhat flustered, not understanding why Wang Zhi had singled him out from so many people, but he still forced himself to remain calm and said, "So what if it's me?"
"You were a Jinshi in the third year of the Hongzhi reign, and later entered the court as an official. In the tenth year of the Hongzhi reign, you served as a principal officer in the Ministry of Works."
He Zhen raised his head proudly and said, "Not bad."
"I am very curious, since you have been appointed as the principal of the Ministry of Works, why have you only signed in for two months after taking office? There is no sign-in book for you from the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign until now?"
He Zhen's expression changed, and the other officials also changed color.
The so-called sign-in book was the attendance system of the Ming Dynasty. All officials of the Ming Dynasty had to sign in the sign-in book every morning, marking "卯" (mao) to indicate that they were working normally that day. They also had to sign in the sign-in book when they left work. However, what Wang Zhi just said made it clear that He Zhen only signed in for two months after he became the head of the Ministry of Works, and did not sign in for the remaining nearly ten years.
Wang Zhi is holding people accountable.
"I...I..."
He Zhen's expression changed repeatedly; he wanted to speak, but didn't know how to explain.
Wang Zhi was no longer listening to his excuses.
"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, if an official fails to sign in on his or her day of duty, he or she will be treated as absent from work. One day of absence will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane. In serious cases, the official will be fined or demoted, and in even more serious cases, he or she will be imprisoned."
Hearing Wang Zhi casually utter these words, He Zhen's face turned pale. He hurriedly explained, "I have not been absent from work. All my colleagues in the Ministry of Works can testify to this!"
"This governor only looks at the sign-in book."
Wang Zhi laughed: "People can give false testimony, but the sign-in book in my hands cannot."
While flipping through the sign-in book, Wang Zhi said, "Lord He has been in office for nearly ten years, totaling 3,257 days. Excluding holidays, personal leave, and sick leave, you should have signed in for 2,678 days. However, I only see your sign-in record from the tenth year of the Hongzhi reign to the present, and you have only signed in for 63 days."
Wang Zhi closed the book and glanced at He Zhen.
"Lord He, you have been absent for 2,615 days. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, this is a serious offense. Guards, come here."
As soon as Wang Zhi announced the arrival of the men, several agents from the Western Depot made a move to arrest them.
"and many more!"
He Zhen's face turned pale at this moment, and he hurriedly said, "Officials of our Great Ming Dynasty have rarely signed in the attendance book since the third year of Hongzhi. This is the custom. Although I have not signed in, I have never been absent. You cannot arrest me!"
"That's right!"
As soon as He Zhen finished speaking, the other officials echoed his sentiments.
"Not signing in has become the norm,"
He Zhen's case was not an isolated incident, but a widespread phenomenon. Most of the officials present rarely signed in. Although it was not as extreme as He Zhen's case, if Wang Zhi used this charge against them, they would have no way to fight back.
The officials all clamored and tried to exonerate He Zhen.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Wang Zhi raised his eyebrows and shouted.
"The imperial court has its own laws and regulations."
Wang Zhi amplified his internal energy this time, making his voice louder and farther-reaching, so much so that the officials' heads were buzzing and they had no choice but to quiet down.
Wang Zhi looked at them coldly.
"If everything in the world has its established rules, what is the point of the imperial laws?"
Ignoring the clamor of the officials, Wang Zhi simply waved his hand.
"take away."
"Yes."
Several agents from the Western Depot escorted He Zhen away.
"I want to see your Majesty, I want to see your Majesty!"
He Zhen struggled, but was still forcibly taken away.
The officials were in an uproar; they hadn't expected Wang Zhi to actually arrest He Zhen.
"Wait a minute."
At this moment, Grand Secretary Liu spoke up and looked at Wang Zhi.
“Eunuch Wang, even if Chief Clerk He is absent from work, it should be the Cabinet, the Censorate, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of State Ceremonies, and other relevant departments that should be responsible for his punishment. When has it ever been necessary for the Western Depot to make decisions for these departments?”
"That's right!"
As soon as Grand Secretary Liu spoke, all the officials echoed his sentiments.
"Even if we are absent, the department mentioned by the Grand Secretary should be responsible for the punishment. What right does your Western Depot have to handle cases?"
Wang Zhi looked at Grand Secretary Liu and laughed.
"Grand Secretary Liu is right. Originally, this matter should not have been decided by me, but I had already reported the attendance records of the Six Ministries and other government offices to His Majesty. The attendance records of the Six Ministries show serious absenteeism. He Zhen's case is not an isolated incident; it is almost ubiquitous. Even the Censorate is no exception. His Majesty was furious after seeing it and ordered me to handle the matter of absenteeism of court officials with full authority. With the imperial edict here, I can act first and report later. This is a special permission granted by the Emperor. Do the three Grand Secretaries have any further questions?"
Grand Secretary Liu remained silent with a gloomy expression, and the officials were even more speechless.
The other party brought up Zhu Houzhao, so what else can they say?
Seeing that they didn't speak, Wang Zhi didn't stop and picked up another sign-in book.
"Cao Pengcheng".
Soon a young official was brought before him by agents of the Western Depot.
"let me go."
The young official struggled on the way to being arrested.
Wang Zhi looked at him.
"Are you Cao Pengcheng?"
The young official snorted and straightened his clothes.
"It is indeed me, that's right."
Thinking that Wang Zhi was going to use the same charges against him as against He Zhen, Cao Pengcheng then said, "I only entered officialdom this year and have not been absent from work so far. Why have you kidnapped me?"
Cao Pengcheng was very confident and held his head high, but a single sentence from Wang Zhijie left him dumbfounded.
Did you sign in today?
Chapter 668: Are there still experts?