Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 311 Bloodbath in the Ministry of Industry

Wang Qin's body trembled slightly, but he still insisted: "My lord! I really don't know what you are talking about."

"I understand...it might be that Judge Cheng is framing me. He was the one who smuggled out this batch of sulfur!"

Xu Guan said sternly: "He is a Shuntian Prefecture magistrate. How can he be qualified to transport materials from the Ministry of Works warehouse?"

Wang Qin said: "This person is my classmate and fellow townsman. A few days ago, he said he wanted to borrow something from the Ministry of Industry warehouse... It was my mistake at work..."

"You're still talking nonsense?!"

Hong Zhong came over with Cheng Tongpan and said coldly, "Listen, this is your good classmate?"

Cheng Yi's eyes were bloodshot, and he angrily said, "Wang Jingzhi! You are such an ungrateful villain! It was you who said that the boy was blocking the financial path of your Ministry of Industry, so you asked me to cooperate with you to kill him!"

"You said he was just a lowly merchant, no one in the court would pay attention to him, so just kill him."

"You ordered all this!"

"You said that the two officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue would never protect him, and you also said that the two officials are so busy that they would not care about such a small matter. You said that there is no risk at all in killing him!"

Wang Qin pointed at Cheng Yi and said, "You! You are talking nonsense! Slander, sir, this is slander, he slandered me! Your Excellency, please understand!"

Xu Guan said impatiently: "You know I am impatient. If you confess now, the Jinyiwei will not touch you. If you don't confess, I will let the Jinyiwei torture you."

"Do you think you can handle it?"

Wang Qin hurriedly said, "Sir! I am an official appointed by the court. Even if I am guilty, I should be sent to the Ministry of Justice. How can I let the Jinyiwei investigate?"

An indifferent voice came from not far away, and Emperor Hongzhi said in a deep voice: "I decree that the Jinyiwei can torture you?"

The Emperor? The Emperor is here too?

Who is that kid that the emperor has to personally intervene?
"I know that he blocked your path to wealth. I gave you a chance, and I will let bygones be bygones."

"For a project worth 100,000 taels of silver, you should apply to the Ministry of Revenue for a budget of 200,000 taels of silver."

"This is just a small renovation project for Shuntian Prefecture. There are so many large projects in the country, such as mountain and river water conservancy and official road construction. How much have you embezzled? Isn't it enough?"

"I'm letting you off the hook and not wanting to pursue the matter. Isn't that enough?"

"I have been very open with you, but not only are you ungrateful and don't know how to correct your own problems, you are also trying to kill the person who suggested improving the problem?"

"What a great official! Since I can't win your loyalty by being open with you, I will cut open your hearts to see whether they are black or red!"

"go with!"

Wei Wenli walked slowly towards the prison with a dagger in his hand.

The dagger shone coldly under the light. Wang Qin instantly felt a heat under his crotch. He sat down on the ground, squirming back and forth. He said in horror, "Your Majesty, I confess... I confess. Your Majesty, please spare my life, please spare my life!"

"The four officials of the Ministry of Works and the six officials of the three yamen were all part of this conspiracy."

Xu Guan shouted, "Who told you that the person who promoted the commercial reform was Chen Ce?"

This matter must be clarified, otherwise Chen Ce will definitely suspect him and Qin Hong, and then it will be difficult to explain. This incident not only reminded Qin Hong and Xu Guan, but also gave Emperor Hongzhi a blow.

The more things Chen Ce does, the more likely he is to be exposed to the sun, which is definitely not a good thing for Chen Ce.

Will such things happen again in the future? Will Chen Ce still work for the court? Will he lose confidence in the court because of this incident?
Emperor Hongzhi was thinking about these things before he came.

He now finally understood why Chen Ce had been traveling at night in fine clothes, and why, despite having done so many things, he was still unwilling to take credit for himself.

Because he might really be killed by such a group of people!
These are just a few low- and middle-level officials in a yamen of the Ministry of Works. If the matters of Kaizhong and Yanyin were all exposed, Chen Ce would not only have to face this group of small forces!
Wang Qin said hurriedly: "No, no one told me."

"If I have to name one, it should be Li Mengyang, the head of the Ministry of Revenue. Last time when we were drinking, he occasionally mentioned to me that the two ministers often went to see that kid. He also said that the kid was smart and quick-witted, and appeared at the project bidding conference. We guessed that the person who promoted the commercial reform was most likely this kid, so we took action."

Emperor Hongzhi gritted his teeth and said sternly: "Just based on a guess, you dare to set up a trap to kill people?"

"What are the people in your eyes?!"

If he was not Chen Ce, if he was just an ordinary citizen with no power or influence, then wouldn't his body be nowhere to be found by now?
"Bastard!"

Emperor Hongzhi fiercely waved his sleeves and left with a gloomy face. He then pointed at Wei Wenli and said, "No need to go to the Ministry of Justice! Go to the Ministry of Works to arrest people. Arrest all the people he mentioned. I will execute them on the spot in the Jinyiwei tonight. Kill them all!"

"This beast is the Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture. His female relatives are employed as prostitutes by the Jiaofangsi. All males under the age of 60 are exiled to Ningguta!"

Qin Hong and Xu Guan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It will be hard to explain why so many people were killed overnight!"

Emperor Hongzhi said angrily: "How can you make an official statement to the Ministry of Works? You can figure out a solution for me yourself!"

Xu Guan looked embarrassed and sighed, "I obey your order."

……

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Hongzhi sat on the dragon throne with an expressionless face, staring at Qin Hong standing in the hall, and asked: "How can we ensure his safety?"

"Today's incident was the first time. Will there be a second time? A third time?"

Qin Hong was silent for a while, then he said, "Your Majesty, he has done so many things for the country. In my opinion, it is not a good idea to keep doing it in secret. It is better to expose him in the open. In this way, those who are interested will know that his biggest backer is you, Your Majesty. If you want to touch him, you have to consider your own weight!"

Emperor Hongzhi narrowed his eyes. The suggestion proposed by Qin Hong was quite good.

Letting Chen Ce walk in the dark all the time will only put him in more and more danger.

It was fine before when he did less, but now he is involved in more and more court affairs and national decision-making. Although many of these things benefit the country and the people, they are not good for the vested interests.

If what happened today happened again, and if Chen Ce had not carefully discovered the trick, he might have been killed by this group of people.

Emperor Hongzhi nodded secretly, hummed without comment, and then waved his hand and said, "You can go down. Oh, don't forget to explain to him."

"And that Li Mengyang from your Ministry of Revenue, whether it's intentional or unintentional, Chen Ce should be on guard against him."

"As you wish!" Qin Hong bowed and left. He really needed to explain to Chen Ce, otherwise Chen Ce might misunderstand that Minister Qin and Minister Xu had sold him out.

(End of this chapter)