After crossing over, he has no taboos among the zombies.

Chapter 517

Wei Zhongliang is dead.

Like Aqinna, he died due to the emperor's suspicion.

The difference is that Aqina had a clear conscience, while Wei Zhongliang deserved to die.

But no matter whether one is loyal or treacherous, once the emperor suspects one, the fate is similar; the only difference is how one dies.

Just like a melon, when you doubt whether it is raw, it is no longer ripe.

Because it doesn’t matter whether it is a raw melon or not. What matters is that you are afraid that it is a raw melon.

It is the same with emperors. When the emperor suspects you, it doesn’t matter whether you are loyal or treacherous. What matters is that the emperor is afraid of you.

There is no way. The profession of emperor has been high-risk since ancient times. There is conclusive evidence that almost half of the emperors were assassinated, and a small half died in unclear circumstances. There are very few who have a good beginning and a good end.

There is only one stone of poison in the world, and the imperial palace alone has eight dou.

What does it mean to be alone? This is what it means to be alone. Trust requires you to gamble with your life.

Since ancient times, emperors have been ruthless. Killing brothers, fathers, sons, and wives is not uncommon, let alone the bureaucrats.

After Wei Zhongliang's death, the emperor was furious and issued two imperial edicts ordering the Feiyu Guard to solve the case as soon as possible.

The Feiyu Guards immediately detained all the monks of Guangyuan Temple for investigation.

After a search, the problem was actually found.

A few months ago, Guangyuan Temple took in two monks from Liao. They also found items with Di characters and an empty bottle of poison that had not been destroyed in time from their personal belongings.

This is called catching the person red-handed.

After interrogation, the two monks not only admitted their crimes, but also revealed their identities - they were shadow spies of the Eight Tribes of the Di Kingdom, whose main mission in going south was to ambush and assassinate important figures of the Dali Kingdom.

So in less than half a day, Feiyuwei closed the case.

The witnesses, evidence and confessions are all there, and the case is as solid as a rock.

When the emperor learned of the result of solving the case, he immediately ordered the execution department to execute the Di Lu spy by slow slicing, and all the monks of Guangyuan Temple were exiled to the border. He also orally instructed the Hanlin Academy to write a biography for Wei Zhongliang and bury him with great honor.

Overall, Chongzheng's action to eliminate Wei Zhongliang was extremely successful.

As soon as Liu Chang'an's memorial appeared, he quickly handed Liu Chang'an over to Wei Zhongliang to show his appeasement and trust. After temporarily stabilizing Wei Zhongliang, he decisively poisoned Wei Zhongliang through the Feiyu secret guards.

But Chongzheng overlooked one thing: the eunuch party was the only political force that could suppress the Donglin Party, and the survival of the eunuch party depended entirely on Wei Zhongliang.

With Wei Zhongliang's death, the eunuch party lost its backbone.

The only one who still had some prestige was the Minister of War Cui Chengxiu. However, before Cui Chengxiu could stabilize the morale of the army, the Donglin Party members beat him to death during the morning court session the next day.

That's right, a group of civil servants who were too weak to do anything actually beat a second-rank official to death during court.

Their actions are no different from a gang fight.

Chongzheng was shocked upon hearing the news and immediately ordered the arrest of several officials involved in the fight.

However, he still did not realize the seriousness of the matter and did not use it to suppress the Donglin Party's support for the eunuch party or other factions. Instead, amid the Donglin Party's cheers, he raised the board high and dropped it lightly, only fining the arrested officials three months' salary.

After the Donglin officials who were arrested were released, they not only did not feel ashamed, but also proudly regarded themselves as "heroes who killed the eunuchs."

From then on, the balance of power in the Dali court was completely unbalanced, and a vigorous purge of the eunuch party was inevitable.

On the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, Yan Wenzhong, the left vice-minister of the Ministry of Revenue, enumerated thirty crimes of Wei Zhongliang and his eunuch gang and requested their execution.

On the 19th day of the eighth lunar month, the Minister of Personnel signed a petition with 23 other officials requesting a thorough investigation of Wei Zhongliang.

On the 20th day of the eighth lunar month, 76 officials from both the government and the public once again jointly requested a thorough investigation of the Five Tigers and Five Beasts, including Wei Zhongliang, Cui Chengxiu, Tian Ergeng, and Xu Xianchun.

For several days thereafter, all kinds of negative information about the eunuch party flew onto Chongzheng's desk like snowflakes, and the calls for the execution of the eunuch party became louder and louder, so that the morning court could not discuss anything at all.

Because no matter what was reported, it would always be linked to the issue of overthrowing eunuchs in a few words, and then it would be one-sided criticism.

Seeing that the wind was not turning against them, the weak Southern Party, Xuan Party, Qi Party and Northern Party joined the crusade to avoid being implicated.

As for the eunuch party, their doomsday was approaching. Some turned against the party to protect themselves and became guides, some carried boxes of gold and silver to try to bribe the Donglin bosses, and some simply resigned and ran away.

The only bit of resistance was drowned in the tide of saliva.

With the help of the eunuch party who turned against them, Donglin became even more powerful, and each case was supported by conclusive evidence.

Even if Di Renjie were alive, he wouldn't be able to say anything.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes it, and when the drum breaks, everyone beats it.

Chongzheng sensed something was amiss, but seeing the tense situation in the court and the country, and out of fear for the remnants of the eunuch party, he ordered the three judicial departments to question the eunuch party.

Be careful with your wording and ask questions.

However, no matter whether it is the eunuch party or the Donglin party, who can withstand questioning?

The only difference is who asks and who answers.

Just two days.

Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng, two of the Five Tigers of the Eunuch Party, committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

The Donglin Party took advantage of the breakthrough point they had opened to pursue and attack, constantly attacking and finally encircling the entire eunuch party.

More than half a month later, all the eunuchs in Beijing, both civil and military, were imprisoned, and dozens of imperial edicts were sent across the country to capture the remaining eunuchs.

All vacancies were filled by the opposition Donglin Party.

People call it "the court is full of righteousness."

He respected justice and followed good advice, and restored order. He was hailed as the "Sage King of Restoration" by the court and the public and was praised widely.

Then, in mid-September, an important event that determined the fate of Dali came.

The Minister of Revenue, together with more than 30 officials, requested the abolition of the factory supervisors and that the Ministry of Revenue send people to collect commercial taxes in Jiangnan instead. They also listed 20 crimes of the factory supervisors.

The Donglin clan solemnly guaranteed that the Ministry of Revenue would send people to collect commercial taxes instead, which would increase tax revenue by 5 million taels of silver each year, eliminate the malpractices of factory supervisors who amassed wealth and enriched themselves, and calm the anger of the people in the south of the Yangtze River.

Chongzheng was immersed in the praise of "the holy monarch of the restoration" and did not understand why, so he continued to "follow the good advice". An imperial edict was sent to the south of the Yangtze River, and all the factory supervisors and grain inspection teams totaling more than 5,000 people who were used by Wei Zhongliang to extort money and grain were dismissed.

From now on, let Donglin collect "its own" taxes and grain.

On the day the imperial edict arrived in the Southern Capital, the landlords, powerful people and wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River celebrated and shouted "Long live the north". Then they led their servants and guards to burn, kill and loot the silver warehouses, granaries and fleets of the factory supervisors and the grain inspectors, seeking revenge for their grievances and revenge for their grudges.

More than 5,000 factory supervisors and grain inspectors suffered countless casualties, and the rest fled into the mountains and disappeared.

It was on that day that the golden dragon of fortune that hovered above the imperial palace suddenly became ethereal and gloomy, and only its dragon shape could be vaguely identified.

This scene shocked the Divine Calculation King so much that he gasped and exclaimed, "Dali is finished!"