Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 124 Tyrant? I will first sentence gentry to death
After a while, the food was served.

The two sat opposite each other and ate in silence. The Queen Mother still ate elegantly with small bites. Her hair was simply tied up without any makeup, with a few strands of hair hanging naturally. Her eyes were clear and elegant, less cold and dignified than before.

The setting sun fell from the window, shining on them, adding a little warmth. Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes and asked softly: "Mother, you have looked a little haggard recently. Are you worried about something?"

A hint of weakness flashed across the queen mother's beautiful eyes, and she shook her head: "It's just that I didn't sleep well."

Empty, lonely and cold.

Zhu Qizhen complained in his heart, but his face was full of concern: "You still need to move around more on weekdays, and don't worry about troubles. Whether it's the Queen Mother or the mother, you have done enough."

"Oh." The Queen Mother raised her eyes and said, "Maybe I am too lonely."

When their eyes met, the Queen Mother dodged quickly, looking a little flustered. Zhu Qizhen was a little confused. How could he say that? He blinked: "Oh."

The Queen Mother waited for him to continue, but he buried his head in his food. She took a few bites in a row, losing her previous elegance, and asked coldly: "What are you going to do about Jiangnan? There is so much resistance."

"I have a way!" Zhu Qizhen snorted, "I don't care even if I have to bear a bad reputation, as long as the new policy can be implemented. During the Qin Dynasty, Ying Quliang and Shang Yang were both criticized for their reforms. I am dedicated to the Ming Dynasty and the people."

The Queen Mother heard this, and her beautiful eyes became softer than before: "When you need me, just tell me! I can't control the situation now, but I can still scare people."

"Oh." Zhu Qizhen buried his head in eating.

The Queen Mother gritted her teeth in anger and said, "I really want to help you, and you just say 'oh'?"
"Mother, I'm full and I have to go to Wenhua Palace." Zhu Qizhen stood up, bowed, and turned away.

The Queen Mother looked at his back and pursed her lips.

No, he didn't care about his reputation and would rather bear the infamy, and it was my son who was harmed. Later history books scolded the orthodox emperor Zhu Qizhen.

……

Spring has begun.

Spring ploughing and sowing began in all parts of the Ming Dynasty, and the scene was full of vitality. Zhu Qizhen, who was sitting in the Qianqing Palace, was tired of reviewing memorials. He looked up at the spring scenery outside the window and felt much better.

"Your Majesty, this is an urgent matter from Jiangnan. It was delivered directly to the Imperial Household Department early this morning." Cao Jixiang came up holding a memorial.

Zhu Qizhen quickly took it and glanced over it.

It turned out that the gentry in Jiangnan organized 3,000 candidates to go to the Sage Temple to cry and curse Xu Youzhen, but in fact the target was the New Deal. The local gentry was still uniting to make a bigger noise and alarm the court.

"Go and call all the cabinet ministers." He waved his hand.

Cao Jixiang hurried to invite them, and soon, all the cabinet ministers came. Zhu Qizhen handed them the memorial from Jiangnan, but the reaction of the chief minister Wang Zhi was: "Why did you send it directly to the Silijian?"

According to the normal process, the ministers' memorials must first go to the cabinet, and after the cabinet has voted on them, they will be sent to the Silijian. Recently, some of the memorials submitted by the Jiangnan Four have been sent directly to the cabinet.

"Look at the content!" Zhu Qizhen's voice was cold.

Wang Zhi was startled, and he could tell that His Majesty was angry, so he quickly read the contents. After reading it, his face changed drastically, and he handed it to Shang Lu who was standing beside him. Zhu Qizhen sat on the throne, his face terribly gloomy.

"Your Majesty, three thousand candidates are crying in the temple. This is a big deal." Shang Lu frowned, "I think we should send an imperial envoy to appease them."

Wang Zhi thought about it and said with a worried look on his face: "Yes, Your Majesty. Jiangnan is the place with the most scholars. Once it spreads, it will definitely cause other scholars to follow suit, which will seriously affect the authority of the court."

The two bigwigs in the cabinet advocated appeasement, and everyone else agreed. Only Yang Guifang stood up and said, "If the court appeases, then they will fall into their trap. This matter is obviously instigated by the gentry, and the purpose is to obstruct the new policy."

"Yes!" Zhu Qizhen shouted coldly, "They are gathering a crowd to violate the law, thinking that the law does not punish the masses? Send an order to Xu Youzhen to immediately revoke the titles of the three thousand scholars who cried in the temple."

Wang Zhi and Shang Lu were both shocked and were about to persuade him. Zhu Qizhen waved his hand to interrupt them and said coldly: "Tell Xu Youzhen to implement the new policy and collect taxes from the gentry. If anyone gathers people to resist, they will be arrested, their property will be confiscated, and they will be exiled to Lingnan."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yang Guifang bowed.

……

Yangzhou.

The three thousand candidates had wanted to see Governor Xu Youzhen make a fool of himself and wait for him to be dismissed by the court. But when they heard the news that they themselves had been dismissed, they were stunned on the spot.

Some of them studied hard for decades before passing the imperial examination. Overnight, they became commoners. Not to mention passing the imperial examination, they no longer had the qualifications to take the examination.

At this time, someone stood up, filled with indignation:
"Xu Youzhen is a cruel official! We must continue to make a big fuss about this matter, let the court know, and let the court restore our status as juren."

"Yes, yes, let's make a scene."

"Let's surround the governor's office and stop him!"

They were so angry that they went to the governor's office in a mighty procession. When they arrived at the governor's office, they shouted and cursed, demanding to see the governor Xu Youzhen and ask him to give an explanation.

Xu Youzhen would definitely not show up at this time. The candidates became even more angry, and some of them began to throw stones at the governor's office, crackling and even breaking the gate of the office.

Then, someone started to light a fire. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and thousands of soldiers rushed over and surrounded the people. The leading soldier was obviously a Mongolian general, holding a cold knife in his hand: "Capture them all!"

The scholars did not dare to move, and some even trembled in fear, because they had heard that the Mongols killed people without blinking an eye.

Soon, the news that the three thousand scholars had been arrested reached the Shen family mansion.

Shen Yihuan, who was drinking tea in the backyard, dropped the cup in his hand in shock, his face solemn: "Dare to arrest people directly? Xu Youzhen doesn't have the courage! It seems that the emperor in the capital is determined!"

Sitting next to him was the governor Ren Chang'an, who smiled and said, "Fourth Master, this is just right. The matter has become a big deal. I want to see how he will deal with these three thousand candidates."

At this moment, the Governor's Office.

Xu Youzhen was indeed very anxious and panicked. He had captured 3,000 people at once, and he certainly didn't know how to deal with them. However, according to His Majesty's wishes, he had to capture people first.

"Send the memorial directly to the Imperial Household Department at an urgent speed of eight hundred miles." He took out a memorial and gave the order.

……

Zhu Qizhen rarely had a chance to take a half day off.

He took the concubines to enjoy the flowers in the imperial garden, which was a feast for the eyes. The queen was a lady from a noble family with a dignified temperament; Concubine Zhou was elegant; Concubine Yang An and Concubine Gao Shu were both royal sisters; the new Concubine Zhang Jingshu was elegant, and Concubine De Sun Zhenzhen was bright and charming.

Looking at these beauties in the harem, Zhu Qizhen felt that his trip as emperor was not in vain. The imperial garden was full of spring colors, and the concubines were playing among the flowers, and the people were more beautiful than the flowers.

Zhu Qizhen was drinking tea in the pavilion, with only the queen by his side. The queen sighed: "Your Majesty, the ministers want you to depose me, so just agree. I am happy to have some peace and quiet and live a few days of ordinary life."

"It's not that time yet." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "If that day comes, I will not treat you unfairly. You and I share weal and woe, as husband and wife, even though the days ahead are long, being able to be together is enough."

The queen pursed her red lips, with tears in the corners of her eyes, which was intoxicating. Zhu Qizhen reached out and held her soft hands, saying: "Your life and mine are tied together. There are some things that don't need to be said. I understand them all, and I hope you understand them too."

"Yeah." The queen couldn't help biting her lips, tears welling up in her eyes.

At this time, the eunuch Cao Jixiang came running over with a letter and bowed: "Your Majesty, it's urgent to travel 800 miles to Jiangnan!"

Zhu Qizhen stood up and frowned, "Xu Youzhen is getting more and more unreasonable. Eight hundred miles in an emergency? Does he think we are going to fight? Let's go back to the palace and I will see what's going on."

He winked at the queen and took Cao Jixiang out of the Imperial Garden. The reason why he didn't open it directly in the Imperial Garden was because there were many gossipers and he was afraid that it would be spread out.

Eight hundred miles of express delivery, that must mean something big has happened. He knew Xu Youzhen well enough, and he would not be so anxious unless he encountered a big problem. On his way back to the Qianqing Palace, he opened the memorial and quickly scanned it.

"Go to Wenhua Hall." He said after reading it.

……

Wenhua Hall.

After reading the memorial, the cabinet ministers were all numb.

"This...Xu Youzhen really arrested 3,000 candidates?" Wang Zhi was shocked. "Won't this be a big deal?"

Shang Lu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you must immediately issue an order to have Xu Youzhen release the three thousand candidates. Then send ministers to appease the local candidates and go to the temple to worship the saint. Your Majesty, you must not lose the hearts of the scholars in the world."

Snapped!
Zhu Qizhen slammed the table angrily, his eyes blazing with fire: "You're compromising just like that? This group of people surrounded the governor's office, smashed and set fire, and openly defied the government. How can this be tolerated? If we let them go now, it would be indulgence. They will be even more daring in the future! Not only will I not compromise, I will also punish them severely and directly sentence them to death!"

Bang, bang, bang!

All the cabinet ministers knelt down, including Yang Guifang.

If Your Majesty orders the death of 3,000 candidates, it will definitely chill the hearts of scholars all over the world, and no one will want to serve in the government anymore. Wang Zhi said anxiously: "Your Majesty, think twice. In all dynasties, the emperors have been able to govern the country without scholars."

Zhu Qizhen certainly understood this truth. However, he also remembered a saying of Emperor Taizu: Civil officials and scholars can be used but not befriended; they can be used but not trusted.

A bloody massacre? That's not the time yet.

Zhu Qizhen was just impulsive and blurted out, he raised his hand and said: "I can spare their lives, but 'the death penalty can be pardoned, but the living crime cannot be pardoned', pass the order, exile these 3,000 people to Lingnan."

"Your Majesty..." Shang Lu said anxiously, "Your Majesty, please think twice. If you do this, I am worried that Your Majesty will be cursed."

Zhu Qizhen said coldly: "Tyrant, huh? I don't care! I have made up my mind, no need to discuss it."

After saying that, he swept his sleeves and left.

Wang Zhi and Shang Lu looked at each other with worried faces, and their eyes fell on Yang Guifang. Yang Guifang took a step back and waved her hand: "Don't look at me like that, I'm just a small scholar of Wenhua Palace, I can't persuade Your Majesty at all."

"You are the emperor's closest minister. You must go to advise him this time." Wang Zhi blew his beard and glared, "Otherwise, I will find your father in the underworld and ask him to come back and teach you a lesson."

Yang Guifang was very upset. This Lord Wang was really angry.

(End of this chapter)