June 14, in the twenty-third year of the reign of Emperor Chongzhen.
Inside the Huangji Hall, the ministers gathered in full force.
Once the ceremonies concluded, Minister of Revenue Huang Jin stepped out from the ranks and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Ding, Zhu Cijiong, and Prince Yong, Zhu Cizhao, have returned to the Capital from Nanjing without an imperial summons. This is a violation of ancestral law. I beg Your Majesty to punish them to uphold the dignity of the court!"
Here it comes!
Emperor Chongzhen had a plan; he was calm and collected.
After slowly scanning the room, he asked, "And how does Minister Huang suggest we deal with this?"
"In my opinion, they should be severely reprimanded and their stipends docked as a warning," Huang Jin proposed, offering a relatively light punishment.
Without waiting for others to weigh in, Emperor Chongzhen spoke first: "A reprimand is too light; it will not teach them a lesson."
Huh?
The entire court of civil and military officials was left bewildered by this remark.
It was one thing for Emperor Chongzhen, as a father, not to protect his own sons, but for him to actually seek heavier punishment?
It was simply… unheard of.
Fan Jingwen, Wang Yanjun, Xie Sanbin, Qiu Yu, and others had already received intelligence, so they were not surprised by Emperor Chongzhen’s words.
They lowered their heads and exchanged glances, reaching a silent consensus: the Emperor must not be allowed to have his way.
Chapter 785