Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 90: All of them are dead. I am not a cowardly king! (Please read on)
When Zhu Houcong was thinking this, the Prime Minister Liang Chu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Wu Wendi also has a report."

"What did he say?"

Zhu Houcong asked.

"He said these people are no longer scholars, but thieves who are colluding with profiteers!"

"Because these people have received a lot of gifts from this treacherous businessman recently, and they even had open meetings with the girls offered by the treacherous businessman. They are so shameless."

"Some even took on lawsuits for corrupt businessmen, and even used official tickets to kidnap civilians in the name of studying abroad, killing hundreds of civilians!"

"He also assisted unscrupulous merchants in smuggling goods across the border and sold out information about the capital to the bandits. So he is more of a thief than a scholar!"

Liang Chu replied.

Zhu Houcong said: "How abominable!"

"Your Majesty, Wu Wending has reported the sufferings of the victims and relevant evidence, which has been sent to the cabinet by the Ministry of Public Administration."

Liang Chu continued to reply.

Zhu Houcong nodded after hearing this: "What do you think about this matter, Yuan Fu?"

"Return to your majesty!"

"I think that although Wu Wending's punishment was too harsh, it was within the law. After all, the court gave him the power to do what he wanted. And these scholars were indeed morally corrupt and lacked loyalty and righteousness. It is not excessive to kill them. We can not reward them for killing them without teaching them, but we cannot punish them either."

"But as for Shuntian Governor and Chief Censor Liu Da, according to Wu Wending's report, this man took bribes and withheld military pay, and privately accepted money and property from profiteers to help him smuggle and collude with the enemy. He also obstructed the emperor's envoys and slapped close ministers. According to Wu Wending's report, he has shown his intention to deceive the emperor and commit crimes. He should be executed and his property confiscated!"

Liang Chu bowed and said, "Otherwise, it is not enough to rectify the laws of the country and establish the emperor's prestige!"

Zhu Houcong stood up.

"Liu Da has betrayed my kindness. Although I want to be lenient with him, how can the will of the people and the laws of nature allow me to be lenient?"

"Prelude!"

"Order Wu Wending to execute Liu Da directly in front of the suffering Ji and Liao soldiers and civilians as a warning to the public. There is no need to escort him to the capital."

"After we catch that profiteer named Lu Jun, we must conduct a thorough interrogation. We will arrest every one of them!"

"Since those scholars who were killed had it to themselves, they deserved it. And since they had done so many evil things, even though they are dead, their families must be held accountable. Their families will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations for three generations. They can only take the imperial examinations after their family traditions are rectified!"

Zhu Houcong said.

The court officials who had just impeached Wu Wendi all had different expressions on their faces.

Zhang Yu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think you should not listen to Wu Wending's one-sided statement! You should escort him to the capital for trial before making a decision."

"I second the motion. Wu Wending has always been harsh in enforcing the law. There have been many unjust cases and countless tragic deaths under his command. We must be careful."

The Imperial Censor Tao Jizhong followed up.

"I second the proposal!"

Min Cheng, Shaoqing of Dali Temple, and others stood up.

But he wasn't done yet.

Zhu Houcong stood up on the spot and looked at the court officials with a cold gaze, scaring those court officials who wanted to express their opinions into shutting up.

"I don't believe the words of the Yuanfu and the heroes who suppressed the rebellion, so how can I believe yours?"

"Besides, the evidence is irrefutable!"

"Just because you have a few more mouths to feed?"

"I am neither a tyrant nor a weak ruler. No matter how many of you there are, you cannot scare me!"

"It can't seduce me!"

"Since you are speaking for the treacherous ministers and distorting right and wrong, you are undoubtedly their accomplice. All of you should be sent to prison and sentenced to death!"

Zhu Houcong said angrily.

"I am waiting for death!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

These court officials were so shocked that they immediately bowed their heads and apologized.

"Retreat!"

Zhu Houcong left the hall directly.

And these ministers were dragged away and were very frustrated.

Let’s talk.

When Liu Da learned from Wu Wendi that he was sentenced to immediate execution, he was very surprised and could not help but close his eyes.

"You, the disciples of Wang Xue, should not be too happy too soon. If you really dare to help Liang Shunde rectify the salt administration today and even kill scholars, and ask for permission to kill a dignified Chief Censor like me, you will not have a good end in the future!"

Liu Da then laughed and threatened Wu Wendi, gnashing his teeth and saying, "You should know that rectifying the salt administration will not only harm the interests of salt merchants and salt farmers, but also the interests of the enemy invaders, especially the Changlu Salt Field in Shuntian Prefecture. You just wait and see. Once the enemy invades, your reform will not last long!"

"You are a disciple of the emperor and an official appointed by the court. Not only did you betray the emperor for the sake of salt merchants, but you also threatened the invaders. You are indeed disloyal."

Wu Wendi replied.

Liu Da immediately raised his head and said:

"What can I do."

"The salary from the court is so little, the government's expenses are so huge, and there are still so many tributes to be sent to the capital."

"Do you, Wu Wending, only rely on the regular salary to handle official business?!"

"Anyway, there is no chance of survival now."

"Let me say something extremely treasonous. The barbarians brought us profits from business, and the salt merchants gave us respect. If we really want to talk about the parents who provide us with food and clothing, which official's parents of food and clothing are not the barbarians and powerful people?"

Liu Da continued speaking.

Wu Wending laughed in anger: "According to what you said, you have become like this and you still blame the court?"

"Is not it?"

Liu Da asked coldly.

Wu Wendi stood up on the spot and shouted angrily: "You withheld military pay and smuggled official salt. Has the court punished you?!"

"Not only do they not know how to be grateful or ashamed, but they are actually in league with the bandits and profiteers!"

"The court was wrong. The mistake was that it didn't enrich the country and strengthen the army sooner, and didn't reform the system sooner!"

"That's why you disloyal and unjust people have become more rampant. You've relied on your power as a bandit and the wealth of wealthy merchants to challenge the imperial power and national prestige again and again!"

"You have just taken advantage of your Majesty's accession to the throne to demand five million from the treasury, and you have also helped the bandits and profiteers to obstruct national policy and challenge the emperor's authority!"

Wu Wending then asked Lu Qiong, the Imperial Censor of Northern Zhili: "Have the military and civilian representatives arrived? If they do, drag them out and behead them immediately!"

Lu Qiong said: "They are all here."

"Then drag him out and chop him up!"

then.

Liu Da was dragged out.

When Liu Da was dragged out, he turned around and laughed at Wu Wendi: "Mr. Wu, don't be so arrogant. When the enemy invades in large numbers, I'll see how you can protect the capital. You, the governor of Ji and Liao, won't live long. I'll be waiting for you down there, waiting for you!"

"Your Majesty has already come up with a good plan. Let me mobilize the people, and you can rest assured to go to the underworld and apologize to Taizu!"

Click!

After Liu Da was brought before the military and civilians, his head was chopped off with a huge knife on the spot.

A balding head suddenly rolled down in front of the soldiers and civilians.

"it is good!"

The soldiers and civilians couldn't help but cheer.

But some people couldn't help but look gloomy and muttered, "Go out quickly and tell Altan Khan that Shuntian Governor Liu Da was killed. The Ming emperor may really take big action!" "Who told you to enter the restricted area?"

"Are you going to sneak across the border wall to pass on information to the enemy?"

"Take it!"

Soon.

One of the students came to the border wall on horseback with his servants, but was captured by Ye Bushou, a subordinate of Wu Wendi who was hiding there dressed as a woodcutter.

Wu Wendi is here.

Lu Qiong asked Wu Wendi: "Minister, what Liu Da said is true. If we change the system, will the enemy invade us in large numbers?"

"Should we dissuade the imperial court from making changes to avoid unrest in the capital?"

Lu Qiong continued to ask.

"What are you talking about?!"

"If the system is not reformed, will the capital be safe?"

"A century of accumulated problems must be corrected!"

Wu Wendi therefore replied.

……

"A century of accumulated problems must be corrected."

"We need to be determined and make great plans."

"So even if it's difficult, even if it's just to rectify the salt policy, there are treacherous merchants who murder ministers, treacherous ministers who challenge the emperor's power, then it has to be changed."

"You Jinyiwei should also have this understanding."

"However, you, Zhang Tong, didn't know enough this time. You couldn't be ruthless when you should have been."

Zhu Houcong was giving a lecture to Zhang Tong who had just returned to Beijing.

When Zhu Houcong got to this point, he glanced at Zhang Tong who was kneeling on the ground and said, "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I will not protect you?"

"Do you know that if you took a step back, they would take a step forward!"

"Fortunately, Wu Wendi has helped you, the Jinyiwei, maintain your dignity."

When Zhu Houcong said this, Zhang Tong pursed his lips and kowtowed, saying, "I am guilty and have failed the emperor's grace!"

"I can't blame you too much."

"You are loyal, but you just came out of Anlu Palace, so you are inevitably inexperienced in struggles and don't know how to deal with the conspiracies and plots in the court."

"I understand."

"But we can't be lazy and stop learning and making progress."

"Besides, Wu Wendi did this, which is actually a good thing. I will give you a chance to make amends for your crime."

Zhu Houcong said, "Go see a civil servant named Ke Weixiong and tell him that you sympathize with the scholars who were killed and that you disapprove of Wu Wendi's actions. If he hadn't intervened, you would have handled the situation better than Wu Wendi."

"Now that they have no spies around me, they should welcome you. You should get along well with them and keep an eye on them for me."

"For example, if they take 30% of the relief money Zhang Cong brought this time and leave 70% for the victims, I will accept it; if they take 40% and leave only 60% for the victims, I will also accept it; but if they want to take more, I will have to kill them all!"

After Zhu Houcong said this, Zhang Tong kowtowed and agreed.

Zhu Houcong knew that in the area of ​​salt profits, corrupt officials had colluded with unscrupulous businessmen and powerful people, and had formed a tight network of relationships from the central government to the local governments.

Therefore, he had to make some moves and find the weak points to tear apart this network of relationships.

Saying.

Zhang Cong, who was ordered to provide disaster relief, also arrived in Lianghuai.

The officials, gentry and wealthy people in Lianghuai also knew that the court was going to provide disaster relief, and even knew that Zhang Cong had brought 3 million taels of silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue for disaster relief in an effort to completely solve the large-scale famine problem in Lianghuai.

But the officials, gentry and wealthy people in Lianghuai were very disappointed with this.

Because their original thought was that the imperial court could directly exempt taxes for three years, which would be more beneficial to the wealthy landowners.

As a result, the imperial court did not use this method to provide disaster relief.

But they also had a way to deal with it, which was to first bribe the officials in charge of the warehouses in the Ministry of Revenue, saying that the grain reserves were insufficient and they could not provide grain for disaster relief, forcing the court to use silver to buy grain for disaster relief. At the same time, they hoarded grain and drove up the price of rice in order to achieve the goal of swallowing up most of the disaster relief silver.

Three million taels.

In this era, it is a huge sum of money.

Even the richest salt merchants and tycoons would be jealous.

Besides.

In order to get more of the three million taels of silver, these officials, gentry and wealthy people also ordered the local bandits who had connections with them to massacre and plunder the starving people in Lianghuai.

Therefore, when Zhang Cong arrived in Lianghuai, he saw with his own eyes a large number of bandits gathering and killing refugees at will, and some even rode their horses and danced and cheered while holding the heads of the refugees.

"It's really the collapse of etiquette and music!"

Jiang Ruobi, who came with Zhang Cong and assisted Zhang Cong in disaster relief as an imperial censor, couldn't help but say something about this.

Zhang Cong said with a sullen face: "It may not be that simple."

then.

Zhang Cong instructed Jiang Ruobi, "You take people to inquire about the local rice prices first, and I will go to meet with the officials in charge of river transportation and salt administration."

Jiang Ruobi nodded.

Soon.

Zhang Cong arrived in Huai'an.

Li Zun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Waterways, Shen Dong, the Governor of the Grand Canal, and other officials, gentry and wealthy businessmen had already left the city to welcome them.

Zhang Cong entered Huai'an under the welcome of these people, and that night he was secretly invited to a boat by the river official Li Zun. He asked Li Zun: "I see that the bandits along the Grand Canal are rampant and killing people like a child's play. How can we stop them?"

"It's easy to stop it!"

"All this is caused by natural disasters and is also related to man-made disasters."

Li Zun said with a smile.

Zhang Cong asked, "How do you explain it?"

"You are here to provide disaster relief. If you are willing to divide the relief money among the local wise men, I guarantee that the bandits will be wiped out overnight."

Li Zun said.

Zhang Cong asked, "How do the local sages want to divide it?"

"Three million taels of silver, they took two million in interest, paid five hundred thousand to the hungry people to buy food, and distributed the other five hundred thousand to local officials."

Zhang Cong asked angrily: "Why do they want so much?!"

"They only swallowed it all in name. In reality, 500,000 was sent to the capital, 500,000 was sent to Nanjing, and the remaining 500,000 was sent directly back to the Duke of Wenzhou's home. They actually only took 500,000!"

Li Zhan knew that Zhang Cong was a new noble and was not clear about the rules, so he explained them in detail.

Zhang Cong thought for a moment and said, "I won't take it!"

"Publicly, take it!"

"If the public doesn't take it, how can the village elders take it?"

"When the time comes, how will we get the capital's money?"

“How do I get the one from Nanjing?
"Besides, they will feel at ease only if the public gets the most!"

(End of this chapter)