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

Chapter 56 I Really Want to Kill Him

Mid-November, early morning, winter solstice, light snow.

Mrs. Wu was wearing a Tibetan cotton jacket and a white apron. She was holding a winnowing basket filled with neatly arranged dumplings. She stood in front of the courtyard kitchen and asked Chen Ce, "There are too many dumplings. Do you want to eat some?"

Chen Ce smiled and said, "Thank you, I'll pack it myself too."

Madam Wu seemed to be thinking about something, and said to Chen Ce: "By the way, I will be able to return the ten taels of silver I owe you in a few days."

Chen Ce thought about it and said, "I'm not in a hurry. Just do your best."

"Ah."

After eating hot dumplings for breakfast, Chen Ce moved his small stool to a dead willow tree in the backyard. Everything on the Tongji Canal was quiet except for the river water ruffled by the wind.

Chen Ce held the scroll in one hand and the fishing rod in the other, sitting quietly under the dead willow on the lake.

I don’t know when, there was a fisherman nearby.

Chen Ce glanced sideways. He was young, but mature beyond his years, with gray hair on the temples, and looked elegant and dignified.

He was wearing a blue shirt, was tall and thin, and looked intimidating even without being angry.

"The lake is moved by the wind, but the death of a person cannot move your heart?"

Emperor Hongzhi also grabbed a fishing rod and threw the hook down.

"Yesterday, a son of the Shuntian Prefecture died in your courtyard. Today, you can still fish leisurely. Is your disregard for life related to your childhood experience?"

Chen Ce was silent for a short while, then asked, "Whatever you want to ask, I will answer it in full."

Emperor Hongzhi took a look at Chen Ce: he was a man of shrewd mind and scheming, not inferior to most officials in the court. If he were not well-read, he would have realized the true meaning of life; if he were not about to die, he would be indifferent to everything.

The four-word evaluation he gave to Chen Ce was very accurate: ghost and demon.

"Did you kill Lin Mianzhi? Are you pushing the blame onto the two Zhang uncles?"

Chen Ce was silent for a moment. He did not answer the question of Emperor Hongzhi, but asked in return: "Why don't you investigate the death of the tenant farmer in Kuihua Township? The death of an old woman and two children?"

"Give them justice and I'll tell you the truth."

"Can you... do this?"

Emperor Hongzhi's expression turned slightly colder. He is threatening me!

He knew that no matter who it was, no one would seek justice for Kuihua Township and the death of an old woman and two children, as there were too many people and things involved.

The son of a small Shuntian prefectural official could commit murder and arson in the capital without any scruples. How powerful were the civil servants?

Why, after the incident happened, the Ministry of Justice went to Emperor Hongzhi but did not mention a word about this criminal case? Because if they traced the source, the final result could only be a comprehensive purge of the civil servants in the capital. With such chaos under the emperor's feet, how many people would Hongzhi have to target before he could clear up the chaos in the capital?

How many core interests of civil servants would be affected by that?

Zhu Youtang was not an unwise emperor. On the contrary, he was very smart. He knew that he could not completely control the civil servants of the Hongzhi Dynasty, so he would selectively compromise and give in on many things. At the same time, he would also exchange certain civil servants' compromise on power with the imperial power.

This achieved a delicate balance between imperial power and civil power.

Unlike other dynasties of the Ming Dynasty, some emperors could use powerful eunuchs, some could use treacherous people, in short, there were lackeys and cunning rabbits vying to serve the emperor as swords and charge into battle. However, the Hongzhi Dynasty did not have this condition and could only rely on the emperor himself.

Chen Ce looked at the Tongji Canal in front of him and said calmly, "Who can know what is happening under the calm surface of the lake?"

"It looks peaceful, but who knows if there are undercurrents surging underneath?"

A flash of shock flashed across Emperor Hongzhi's calm face.

He really didn't expect that there could be such a hidden talent in a shabby alley or courtyard!

He has already gotten the answer he wanted. This kid must have killed the man!
Just as he said, who will investigate the death of the tenant farmer and the old woman and two children in Kuihua Township? Then who will investigate who killed Lin Mianzhi? The Hongzhi Emperor was silent for a long time, and then asked again: "What do you think is the undercurrent of the current governance of the country?"

Chen Ce glanced at him sideways and shook his head, "This is not a question you should think about, nor is it a question I can answer."

Deep down, Chen Ce only thought that the person in front of him was an official, perhaps from the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, or the Censorate, and never thought that he was the Emperor Hongzhi.

There were still many people living on the banks of the Tongji Canal. If the emperor had really come here privately, this place would have been cleared out long ago. Even after Zhu Houzhao arrived at Huaihua Hutong, there were fewer idle people here.

However, Chen Ce still underestimated the courage of Emperor Hongzhi.

Even though the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot had made such arrangements, Hongzhi refused. When dealing with a smart person, any slight flaw would be figured out by the other party.

What he has to do is be smarter than the other party.

"Being smart!"

Emperor Hongzhi snorted and said somewhat displeasedly: "You only see the current crisis of the country, but have not considered the price paid by the higher-ups to balance this situation."

Chen Ce still said calmly: "Can I understand why you are saying that the higher-ups are not courageous enough?"

"There is no construction without destruction. How can it be possible to maintain the status quo while exploring and advancing at the same time?"

Hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi's face twitched slightly.

This kid's mouth was like a knife, and every word he said stabbed into Emperor Hongzhi's chest.

I want you to say?

I reflect on myself every day. It is easy to say that there is no construction without destruction. If you don't manage the household, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Why don't you try to be the emperor?
Who can't make decisions by showing off one's eloquence?

Emperor Hongzhi was displeased and said, "You are talking nonsense!"

Chen Ce blinked, looked at Emperor Hongzhi with clear eyes, and said innocently, "What's wrong?"

"Did we say anything?"

"Look at you, why are you so angry after just a few words?"

"I think you are not in good health and you may die young. It's freezing cold so you should go back early."

Emperor Hongzhi stood up in anger and pointed at Chen Ce and said, "You!"

He wanted to say something bold and outrageous, but he restrained himself. Otherwise, the other party might know who he was with just one sentence.

This guy looks harmless, but he is very scheming and extremely smart.

"I'm just giving you a friendly reminder, you don't mind, do you?"

Holding back his anger, Emperor Hongzhi sat down to fish again and sneered, "Yes, yes, I won't mind even if I'm anxious, haha!"

"I see your eyes are dull and lifeless, I'm afraid you won't live long, you don't mind, right?"

Chen Ce just nodded slightly: "Well, I don't mind, you are right."

This greatly disappointed Emperor Hongzhi. He thought the other party would refute it, but he didn't expect that he would accept it so calmly. My scheming is actually not as good as that of a mere kid?
"Let's get back to the point. Your Excellency has not answered me yet. Can you seek justice for the death of the tenant farmer and the old woman and two children in Sunflower Township?"

Seeing that Emperor Hongzhi did not answer for a long time, Chen Ce showed a trace of contempt on his face, and then muttered: "I thought I met a big shot, but it turns out that he is just showing off."

"Me! You!" Emperor Hongzhi's arms holding the fishing rod were shaking violently.

He really wanted the emperor to get angry and chop off this little bastard who looked down on others!

(End of this chapter)