Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 103: The Yellow River Punishment, Beheading More Than People, Shocking the World

Zhang Ding was startled and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, who are you going to kill?"

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said, "You stand up first and sit aside. I will call the Jinyiwei here, and you two will go and arrest the man together. You are the governor of Henan, and you should handle the affairs of Henan."

Zhang Ding was even more nervous, as he had just taken office as the governor. He was a man of Duke Chengguo, so of course he belonged to the Queen Mother's party. Before leaving Beijing this time, Duke Chengguo told him a lot.

Among them, the most important thing is to manage the small inner treasury well.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late now. Can we deal with it tomorrow?" he asked tentatively.

"I can't wait." Zhu Qizhen said coldly.

Zhang Ding didn't say anything, so he had to sit quietly aside. After a while, hurried footsteps were heard, and Jinyiwei Zhenfushi Ding Xiu came in with a group of Jinyiwei.

"Your Majesty." They all bowed together.

"Okay, everyone is here." Zhu Qizhen pointed at Zhang Ding and said, "Ding Xiu, follow the governor to arrest people."

Zhang Ding couldn't help but ask, "Who are you arresting?"

Ding Xiu stepped forward, pulled Zhang Ding up and said with a smile: "Governor, I will show you the list on the way, as well as their evidence of guilt."

As he spoke, he dragged Zhang Ding out.

Zhu Qizhen looked at their backs with a cold look. He deliberately asked Zhang Ding to arrest people because they were all members of the Queen Mother's party. The blame for arresting people should be put on Zhang Ding.

"Your Majesty, I will return to the governor's office." Liu Dingzhi came over and bowed. "Kaifeng has started arresting people, and I will start to arrange the entire Henan officialdom."

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "We need to prepare. I will execute them on the Yellow River embankment in Liujia Village. You should make arrangements when you return. I want the people of Kaifeng to watch the execution."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Dingzhi stepped out.

……

Overnight, dozens of officials including the Kaifeng prefect and deputy prefect were thrown into prison. The Kaifeng officialdom was in a state of panic, and the wealthy merchants were even more terrified.

At this moment, the Governor's Office.

As the governor, Zhang Ding was completely panicked and quickly wrote a letter and had it sent back to the capital. With so many officials in Kaifeng being arrested, some things might not be hidden anymore, so he had to warn the capital and ask them to take action.

"Sir, the Governor Liu Dingzhi requests to see you." The subordinate reported.

Zhang Ding calmed down and waved his hand: "Please ask him to come in. I just need to see him for something."

After a while, Liu Dingzhi came in. Zhang Ding greeted him warmly and said, "Master Liu, congratulations. You are already a high-ranking official at such a young age. Your future is limitless."

Liu Dingzhi looked cold and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets the governor."

The official rank of the governor and the provincial governor were both of the second rank, but the governor was the highest administrative officer of a province, coordinating the military and political affairs of the province. Liu Dingzhi called himself a lowly official, not to be modest, but his expression showed that he had bad intentions.

"Dingzhi, why should we be so polite?" Zhang Ding smiled.

"Sir, I am here to interrogate the officials arrested by the Jinyiwei." Liu Dingzhi said, "The trial will start tomorrow, sir, you have to preside over it."

Zhang Ding waved his hand quickly: "Having you as the governor is enough."

Liu Dingzhi said solemnly, "You are in charge of the administration and the criminal justice of a province. Moreover, the people arrested this time are all important officials of the province. If you don't preside over the trial, people who don't know will think you are avoiding suspicion."

Zhang Ding's heart trembled.

Liu Dingzhi came to force me to preside over the trial and convict them, because I am the Queen Mother's man, and they want to use the Queen Mother's man to convict the Queen Mother's man.

Just try them, maybe we can protect them, or delay time and wait for instructions from the capital.

……

Prince Zhou's Mansion.

Zhu Qizhen and Yang Guifang were drinking together. Yang Guifang asked with a puzzled look on her face: "Your Majesty, if you let Zhang Ding preside over the trial, aren't you afraid that nothing will be found out?"

"The Jinyiwei has already established the evidence, what else can he do?" Zhu Qizhen sneered, "I just want him to try and judge, and also create the illusion that he has surrendered to me."

Yang Guifang suddenly realized: "Your Majesty, you want to subdue Zhang Ding?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head and snorted, "This Zhang Ding forced Wan'an to death in Xiangfu County. This man is very scheming and his methods are vicious. He must not be used. I also want him to follow in Wan'an's footsteps."

Yang Guifang understood and bowed: "Your Majesty, I will be a jury tomorrow. With me here, Zhang Ding won't be able to play any tricks."

"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen laughed. "After the interrogation, let Zhang Ding sentence those people to death on the spot. Then, you bring him to see me, and I will treat him to a meal as a token of my favor."

Yang Guifang understood what he meant.

Zhu Qizhen took a sip of wine and said, "I have gained a lot from this trip. It is time for the Ming Dynasty to change. Otherwise, the world will be in chaos in a few years. I have decided to implement a new policy."

Yang Guifang frowned deeply: "But most of the people in the court and the country are the Queen Mother's followers. They will definitely stand up and oppose. Although there are quite a few knowledgeable people, they are still a little short of strength to implement the new policy."

"I want to wait, but I can't." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "So, I decided to start the pilot project in Henan."

Yang Guifang understood and bowed: "So, Your Majesty, you are going to kill a lot of people in Henan, and then use all new people?"

"Not only that!" Zhu Qizhen said loudly, "I also want the people of Henan to see my determination. I want to gain their support. Therefore, I need a severe punishment."

Yang Guifang felt a chill down her spine.

Your Majesty said last time that we don't know when the Yellow River will be clear, but it can be red. Do we have to dye it red with the blood of corrupt officials? How many people would we have to kill?

……

The next day, evening.

Yang Guifang brought Zhang Ding to the palace to pay homage to the Emperor. Zhu Qizhen had already received the news that Zhang Ding personally sentenced 178 people in Henan to death today.

Because the evidence is conclusive, he has to sentence her even if he doesn't want to.

"Lord Zhang, you really lived up to my expectations." Zhu Qizhen praised Zhang Ding who was kneeling, "Today you handled the case impartially, punished corruption with a wave of your hand, and sentenced more than a hundred corrupt officials to behead. You are courageous!"

Zhang Ding felt so bitter in his heart. Today, all the people sentenced were his own people. He didn't know how to explain to Duke Cheng and Prince Qing later. He smiled bitterly and bowed: "Your Majesty, that... is my duty."

Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "It shows that you are sincere in your work. There are so many corrupt officials and all that evidence. You have put so much effort into investigating them one by one."

Zhang Ding felt something was wrong. Aren't these things investigated by the Jinyiwei? What does it have to do with me?
"Your Majesty..." He was about to explain.

However, Yang Guifang stood up and praised: "Mr. Zhang is very righteous and has worked hard to find these corrupt officials. Mr. Zhang is aware of the overall situation and has the overall situation in mind. Your Majesty, I am watching from the side and I admire him secretly."

"Really?" Zhu Qizhen replied, "Then it's a reward! I will issue a special imperial edict to praise your contribution and let all officials see that this is what an official of my Ming Dynasty should be like."

Zhang Ding was annoyed and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not take credit for it, so there is no need to reward me specially." Yang Guifang interrupted again and said, "Your Majesty, your decree should be published throughout the country. This will not only highlight Mr. Zhang's achievements, but also set an example for officials all over the world."

"Yang Guifang, you are right. Let's do it." Zhu Qizhen said immediately.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." Zhang Ding had no choice but to bow again.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ding left the palace. His face instantly turned gloomy and terrible, and he gritted his teeth: "Your Majesty and Yang Guifang, they are treating me like a monkey. Your Majesty rewarded me so much to tell everyone that I surrendered to him. It's over, it's over. I don't know what Duke Chengguo and Prince Qing in the capital will think."

He hurried to the governor's office, began to write a letter, and sent someone to deliver it to the capital.

……

After Zhang Ding left, Yang Guifang came to Zhu Qizhen and asked, "Your Majesty, now that the corrupt officials have been arrested, are you going to prepare for execution?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "It's not enough! Go and urge Zhang Ding tomorrow to arrest all the gentry who participated in the occupation of the people's land. Also, tell Liu Dingzhi to escort all the corrupt officials in other parts of Henan to Kaifeng."

"Your Majesty, isn't this noise too loud?" Yang Guifang asked.

"I want to shock the world." Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice, "In the Qin Dynasty, Shang Jun executed more than 700 people in the Weishui River. Since then, the Qin Dynasty has reformed and become stronger. This time, I want to get the Ming Dynasty back on the right track."

Yang Guifang listened, her eyes burning with anger, and bowed: "I will definitely follow Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly, raised his hand and said: "Before the Yellow River execution, I will wait for someone to arrive, just in case."

"Who?" Yang Guifang asked in surprise.

"Of course it's Shi Heng. It's time for this guy to come to Kaifeng." Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Shi Heng is now the commander-in-chief of Henan and controls the troops in Henan. Zhu Qizhen wants to kill so many people this time, so of course he needs Shi Heng to send troops to calm the situation.

"Your Majesty, now that you have cleaned up the Henan bureaucracy, it will be easier to deal with Liu Dingzhi, the governor," Yang Guifang said, "He can choose someone he likes to take the position."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and smiled: "He is easy to deal with, but it will be more tiring, after all, so many positions are vacant at once. However, I have already informed him, and he is also making preparations."

His goal is to have a clean and controllable officialdom in Henan, so that when the time comes to implement new policies, he can use Henan as a pilot area, which will give him more assurance.

……

Five days later, Shi Heng led his army to Kaifeng.

After entering the city, he went directly to the Zhou Palace to pay respect to the emperor. Zhu Qizhen looked at Shi Heng who was kneeling in the hall and raised his hand: "General Shi, stand up and answer."

Shi Heng stood up, looking very energetic. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have just received urgent news from the border. Yesen defeated Toghtobuha in Mobei. His momentum in Mobei is growing stronger and stronger. There are thousands of miles of Mobei from east to west, and no one dares to resist him."

Zhu Qizhen smiled calmly: "It seems that Yesen will usurp the throne next. He wants to establish himself as the Great Khan of Mobei. The Golden Family will be completely destroyed."

"Your Majesty, we must be on guard." Shi Heng's face was solemn. "If Yesen dominates Mobei, when he goes south again, the Ming Dynasty will face a catastrophe."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

He was a time traveler, so he knew that after Yesen proclaimed himself the Great Khan, he became addicted to wine and women and became more arrogant. The tribes that followed him left one after another. In the end, Yesen was killed by his subordinates and never had the chance to go south in his life.

But is this Ming Dynasty the same Ming Dynasty in history? Or maybe because of his arrival, this Ming Dynasty has changed. Yesen might go south again.

"Is it true that Yu Shaobao already knows about it?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

Shi Heng nodded affirmatively: "Yu Shaobao has been paying attention to Mobei and has sent an envoy to meet with Khan Toghtobuhua."

Zhu Qizhen laughed loudly after hearing this: "That's right, Tuo Tuo Bu Hua is an ally of the Ming Dynasty, and we can lend a helping hand. With Yu Qian, I am relieved. I summoned you this time to solve the Henan issue first."

"I obey your order." Shi Heng bowed.

……

this day.

Kaifeng's bulletin room, bulletin gallery, Shenming Pavilion, Jingshan Pavilion, etc. were all covered with notices. The people gathered in front to read, and someone read aloud: "Kaifeng prefect Chen Shou and others, while in office, did not think about being loyal to the emperor and loving the people, but instead were greedy and unruly. They were extremely corrupt and occupied the people's land, causing public resentment and the wrath of heaven and people. They also deceived the emperor, concealed the truth, and confused the government. Their crimes are extremely serious and they are indeed the pests of the country and the people.

I heard this and was deeply saddened. I vowed to get rid of the treacherous officials and bring peace to the world. According to the law, I will execute Chen Shou and more than 700 other corrupt officials and gentry at noon tomorrow at the Yellow River embankment in Liujia Village as a warning to others. I hope all officials will take this as a warning, be honest and upright, not repeat the same mistakes, and work together to protect the country and bring peace to the people.

Announce it to the world, and the envoys will hear about it. "

The people couldn't believe their ears. Someone shouted excitedly: "Tomorrow at noon, at the Yellow River embankment in Liujia Village, watch your majesty kill the corrupt officials."

Soon, the news spread throughout the city of Kaifeng.

……

The next day.

Shi Heng led his troops to control the surrounding area of ​​the Yellow River embankment in Liujia Village. The more than 700 corrupt officials and evil gentry were taken to the execution ground.

In the middle of the execution ground, on an empty piece of land, a row of tall wooden stakes stood out, looking particularly abrupt. All around, densely packed soldiers holding spears formed an airtight circle, their armor reflecting a cold light in the weak morning light.

The swordsmen, with their burly figures, were already in position. The weapons in their hands gleamed coldly in the morning light, adding a bit of murderous aura.

At this time, countless people poured into the execution ground like a tide. Some stood, some sat, and they filled every corner, their eyes fixed on the corrupt officials and tycoons on the execution ground.

"It's a great relief that they have finally come to this day."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Let's see who dares to be greedy and seize our land in the future."

On the high platform, Zhu Qizhen, who was sitting in the main seat, glanced at Yang Guifang and said in a deep voice: "Execute!"

Yang Guifang walked to the platform and began to read out the prisoners' crimes. After he finished, he glanced at the execution ground and shouted, "The prisoners are lying on the stakes and their identities will be verified."

A voice came from the execution ground: "The prisoner has been identified and no mistake has been missed."

"Blow the drum!"

The majestic drumbeats sounded, as if hitting everyone's heart. The whole place fell silent instantly.

"The executioner is in position."

The executioners, axes in hand, came up behind the prisoners.

"Raise the axe!"

In the blink of an eye, the axe fell, and more than seven hundred heads fell to the ground.

The whole audience was silent for a long time, and then someone suddenly shouted: "Long live His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)