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

Chapter 343: I realized it late, and I was terrified
In the thirteenth year of Hongzhi’s reign, at the end of August.

The autumn rain drops down in Peking, withered yellow leaves can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys, and the streets in the early morning have a lonely and desolate feeling in autumn.

Holding an umbrella, Chen Ce visited the Minister of Revenue Qin Hong and the Minister of Works Xu Guan respectively.

Qin Mansion.

"Open the sea?"

When Qin Hong heard Chen Ce say that he wanted to open the sea, his brows furrowed tightly. He knew that Chen Ce had great ambitions, but opening the sea was a serious matter that involved the ancestral laws. How could it be opened just like that?
Qin Hong was silent for a moment, then said to Chen Ce, "Ever since Emperor Taizu banned sailing into the sea, the court has been very secretive about opening the sea. I wonder how much resistance we will encounter if we want to open the sea. Even if we take a step back, business has just started inland, so what is the purpose of opening the sea? It can't be a thankless task, right?"

Chen Ce nodded, looked up at the dripping autumn rain outside the central hall, and whispered: "Let's talk about the Silk Road."

"The Western Region people in Wusi Zangdusi love the porcelain from the Central Plains very much. An ordinary blue and white porcelain in the Central Plains is sold for one tael of silver, but it can be sold for five taels in the Western Regions, and there is no market for it."

"The same blue and white porcelain, if shipped from Liaodong to Korea, could fetch seven taels of silver or even more."

"The Ministry of Revenue is short of money. Although commerce can bring some tax revenue to the Ministry of Revenue, it is too slow. If the customs ban is lifted, the court can collect more tariffs through the ocean."

"The wealth is there, and we can get it by just going to sea. Why not go and earn this money?"

Qin Hong smiled bitterly and said, "That's true, but you can't do everything at once. Isn't it too hasty to open up the sea before the domestic business is regulated?"

“And there will be many voices against opening the sea, and this is not something that I can do with just a suggestion.”

Chen Ce was silent for a moment, then asked Qin Hong, "Sir Qin, can you give it a try?"

Qin Hong knew that Chen Ce had great ambitions, and he did not want to disappoint Chen Ce, so he said, "Okay! I will mention it at the grand court meeting on the first day of September, but don't hold out too much hope, it's impossible."

Chen Ce nodded. He certainly knew that the possibility was very small. In fact, he could open the sea if he wanted to, but his real purpose was not to lift the sea ban.

Just as Chen Ce and Qin Hong were chatting, a servant came quickly from outside and whispered something in Qin Hong's ear. Qin Hong was immediately shocked.

"I need to go to the palace."

He looked at Chen Ce and said with an unpleasant expression, "Yanshenggong Kong Hongtai was killed."

Chen Ce's face changed slightly, but he soon felt relieved. He was not surprised by this result.

When the two brothers of the Kong family came to Chen Ce's courtyard yesterday, Chen Ce reminded Kong Hongtai to be wary of his elder brother.

He asked Qin Hong calmly, "Was it Kong Hongxu who killed him?"

Qin Hong was surprised and asked: "How do you know?"

Chen Ce told Qin Hong what happened yesterday. Qin Hong understood and said to Chen Ce, "I will not entertain you anymore. Go to the palace first. The Ministry of Justice may question you, but you don't need to worry. Just tell the truth."

Chen Ce said: "Okay!"

……

Duke Yansheng was killed by his brother Kong Hongxu, which shocked the entire court for a time.

This scandal in Confucius' school must be suppressed by the imperial court at all costs. The matter cannot be publicized and can only be handled internally in a low-key manner.

The Ministry of Justice took over the case and summoned Chen Ce for questioning at noon that day. After all, Chen Ce was the only person who had contact with Kong Hongtai before his death. Chen Ce reported some of Kong Hongxu's actions and motives to the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice did not continue to question Chen Ce.

The Ministry of Justice then summoned Yan Gonghong and other witnesses from the Yan residence for questioning, and all the evidence pointed to Kong Hongxu.

This case was not complicated, and the Ministry of Justice quickly gave the results of the investigation. Kong Hongxu had lived in the shadow of Kong Hongtai for a long time due to his personality problems, and he killed his brother in anger.

The Ministry of Justice was in a dilemma as to how to sentence him. Kong Hongxu was a member of the Kong family after all. According to the law, a person who kills someone should pay with his life. However, Kong Hongxu was already over 60 years old, and the Ming Dynasty had a system of reducing the punishment for the elderly. Secondly, Kong Hongxu represented the Kong family, and if the sentence was too heavy, it would cause public opinion. In addition, the victims did not strongly demand Kong Hongxu to pay with his life.

In the end, the Ministry of Justice handed the case file to Emperor Hongzhi, who sentenced Kong Hongxu to exile, and the Duke of Yansheng was inherited by the lineage of Kong Hongtai.

……

The next morning, there was a grand court meeting.

Qin Hong proposed the idea of ​​opening the sea to enrich the national treasury, and the Ministry of Works followed suit.

However, it was fiercely opposed by even more people. They only seized on one sentence: "Not a single piece of wood shall be put into the sea" from Taizu's ancestral precepts, which silenced Qin Hong's suggestion of opening the sea.

This result was within Qin Hong's expectations, and he did not continue to dwell on it.

It was a rainy autumn day, and Chen Ce was cooking medicinal soup at home. Liu Wentai added a few more Chinese medicines for himself. Since the beginning of autumn this year, he could clearly feel that he was coughing up blood more and more frequently.

There was a knock on the door of the courtyard. Chen Ce stared at Qiuyu in a daze. It took a long time for him to react after the knock on the door. Then he went to open the door with an umbrella.

He was slightly stunned when he saw Emperor Hongzhi.

The people from the Ministry of Justice came to find me at this time because of Kong Hongtai’s death?

Yes, Chen Ce doesn’t know yet that the person standing in front of him is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"How are you? Are you feeling better?"

Emperor Hongzhi walked to the central hall with his hands behind his back, and after sitting down, he asked about Chen Ce's health.

Of course he knew that Liu Wentai would report Chen Ce's health condition to Emperor Hongzhi every now and then.

Chen Ce sighed, shook his head and said, "Not very good. Is there something you want to talk to me about? The matter of Duke Yansheng? Didn't I tell the Ministry of Justice about it? Didn't they tell you?"

Emperor Hongzhi said: "Tell me... Well, Kong Hongxu is crying out in injustice in prison, so I came to ask about the situation."

Emperor Hongzhi made up an excuse at random. The Ministry of Justice had already made a judgment on the case of the Kong brothers. Although Kong Hongxu cried out that he was innocent, wasn't it the same for everyone who went to prison?

Chen Ce smiled slightly and said, "Anyone who is arrested will cry out that they are innocent. It can't be..."

Halfway through his words, Chen Ce's expression changed slightly.

Emperor Hongzhi noticed that he looked unhappy and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Ce shook his head bitterly and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking."

Emperor Hongzhi was speechless and said, "You kid, don't keep me in suspense. Why do you only finish half of your sentence?"

Chen Ce pondered for a moment and said, "I was just wondering if it was possible that Duke Yansheng committed suicide."

If this is true... then how cunning must this Duke Yansheng be, and how powerful his methods must be!
Even Chen Ce was deceived.

Emperor Hongzhi: “…”

"Then you really think too much. Why did he commit suicide for no reason?"

Chen Ce said: "In order to let the title of Duke Yansheng fall into the hands of his own lineage, he intervened and arranged all this? Is it possible?"

When these words were spoken, Emperor Hongzhi was suddenly stunned, and he felt a chill all over his body!

(End of this chapter)