In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 763 Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free
Time flies, and two more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Although all four gates of the capital city have been opened, allowing merchants and ordinary people to enter and exit,
However, the inspections were extremely strict; anyone found to be slightly off was forbidden from entering or leaving the city.

This also resulted in a somber atmosphere in the city.
There were even occasional scenes of imperial guards arresting people.

Those arrested were either rich or powerful.
The people looked at each other, bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

The powerful and wealthy in the city lived in constant fear, wondering when they would be affected.

In early July, the sun shone brightly, its rays still scorching and relentlessly pouring down, baking the entire city of Yingtian until it was distorted.

On Shangxing Street in the city, the smooth bluestone pavement was scorching hot from the sun.

The gates of each mansion were solemn, their vermilion doors tightly shut.

This street, once home to the powerful and wealthy, was now particularly deserted and lifeless.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from the east-west street.
Squads of soldiers clad in black armor swarmed in, numbering at least two thousand at a rough estimate.

They stopped at the gates of various mansions along the upper street.

His back was ramrod straight, and the spear in his hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Behind each imposing gate, the gatekeeper witnessed this scene.
I felt my body go limp, and I fell to the ground, unable to move.

They're here, they're here to arrest people.

Upon witnessing this scene, each of the wealthy gentlemen turned ashen-faced.

For some reason, I felt a sense of relief; it's finally here.
The wait these past few days has been agonizing and agonizing.

On the main street, over a thousand soldiers stood guard at the entrances of various mansions, their faces solemn.
As members of the Imperial Guard, they were already very familiar with doing such things.

"Da da da"

The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and more than ten people came from the east side of the street.

Lu Yunyi, clad in armor, squinted at everything before him, his heart now completely undisturbed.

"Sir, who are you going to arrest?"

When the commander of the Imperial Guards saw him coming, he stepped forward, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Which people?"

Lu Yunyi's expression was somewhat strange as he spoke loudly:
"All 2,455 people from the 43 prefectures of Shangxing Street have been taken away and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison for rigorous interrogation!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards froze, his lips felt dry, and a sense of fear filled his heart.

This is already the fourth street. Ever since this young adult started arresting people...
They've already arrested people from four whole blocks.
Men, women, children, servants, and laborers—not a single one was spared.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was somewhat afraid. The man before him had powerful backing, but he himself did not.
He'll be the first to suffer when things come to a head.

After a moment's hesitation, the commander of the Imperial Guards spoke softly:
"My lord, should we investigate a couple of them? The Ministry of Justice's prisons are already overflowing."

"That's a matter for the Ministry of Justice, not for you or me. Arrest them!"

Lu Yunyi's eyes turned cold as he stared straight at him.

The commander of the Imperial Guards felt as if he were being targeted by wolves and tigers.
His body stiffened slightly, he sighed helplessly, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Arrests!"

"Yes!"

"Bang bang bang, open the door! Open the door!"

One by one, the soldiers who were already prepared went forward and knocked on the door.

If they knock on the door three times and no one answers, they will break down the door and make a serious note on the document that they resisted arrest!
The once quiet Shangxing Street suddenly became chaotic and complicated.

The sounds of banging on doors, shouting, and crying filled the air, and the world suddenly became noisy.

In less than a quarter of an hour, soldiers had already dragged the man out.

It was left outside on the scorching hot bluestone pavement.

As always, it has men, women, young and old.

The wealthy and powerful men looked ashen-faced, while the women and children wept bitterly.
Some people were still gazing longingly at the luxurious mansion, their faces showing regret.

Seeing this scene, even Feng Yunfang, who had killed countless people on the battlefield, was somewhat afraid.

He leaned closer and tentatively spoke in a low voice:
"Sir, if we do this, we'll become cruel officials."

Lu Yunyi looked at him with some surprise after hearing this.
"Not bad, you even know about cruel officials?"

Feng Yunfang's face immediately turned even more ashen than if he were about to cry, and he whispered:
"My lord, I've heard people say these days..."
Doing this would offend too many people.
Even those who have nothing to do with this will hold a grudge against the adults.

"So what? Since I've taken on this task, there's no reason not to do it well."

Lu Yunyi's expression was calm and indifferent.

"Sir, you decide who to arrest."
But you didn't need to come in person. It's too dangerous for you to be so visible."

"It doesn't matter."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:

Sometimes having more enemies isn't a bad thing.
Don't worry, arresting a few people who have fallen from power won't cause any major problems.

That being said, he didn't want to do something that would offend people, but he was forced by the circumstances.

He was given two large boxes of documents.

Tens of thousands of people will be screened to identify those with connections.

They've only arrested people from four whole streets so far.
It's already as little as it can possibly be.

Nowadays, many people in the capital are taking advantage of this opportunity to arrest people indiscriminately and then extort money from them.

Compared to them, Lu Yunyi considered himself to have been much more generous.

At least ordinary merchants and common people were not implicated; those arrested were all powerful figures who colluded with officials and businessmen.

As for those innocent wives, daughters, and family members,
Although the Ming Dynasty does not practice collective punishment today...

But since they have enjoyed the benefits, they should be punished accordingly.

As more and more people were arrested ahead, Lu Yunyi remained calm.

"General, we are innocent! We have never done anything to harm the people!"

A beautiful woman wept, her face streaked with tears.

Her light blue long dress trailed on the ground, now stained with mud.

"Sir, sir, please have mercy! I have money here. Please show me mercy and give me half of my fortune!"

A wealthy man in his forties, dressed in a luxurious robe, wept bitterly, his face filled with anxiety.
He pleaded with the surrounding soldiers one by one, but no one paid him any attention.

"Father, Mother, what have you done?"

"Quickly tell your uncle to come and rescue us!"

"Let me go, let me go!"
My elder brother is a principal officer in the Ministry of Rites; if you dare arrest me, you'll be in trouble.”

The cries for mercy and the sounds of struggling grew louder.
Lu Yunyi remained unmoved.
He just wanted to get the person to the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible, so that Yang Jing would have a good headache.

Just as the ransacking was in full swing, a simple horse-drawn carriage slowly drove up to the entrance of Shangxing Street.

An aged hand lifted the curtain.

Half of his angular, strong, and cold face was revealed.

He turned his gaze to the upstairs street, and when he saw the group of people wailing and howling,
His eyes grew colder, and he let out a cold snort:
"They feasted heartily when they were oppressing the people, but when their homes were raided, they cried and howled like ghosts, claiming to be more wronged than anyone else."

An elderly man sitting beside him showed respect:
"My lord, there are countless people in the capital who rely on their power to oppress the people."

They routinely repair bridges and pave roads, and have even earned a reputation for good deeds.
The common people are too foolish to distinguish between good and evil, so the magistrate has to play the villain.

The person sitting in the carriage was none other than Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty.

He watched quietly outside until the carriage slowly drove away from Shangxing Street before he lowered the curtains.

He glanced at the old eunuch Wen Cheng opposite him and let out a cold laugh:
“Your Divine Palace Supervisory Office only focuses on the inner palace, which is not good. You must also pay attention to both inside and outside Yingtian City.”

How can the imperial court know the suffering of the people based solely on the words of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Wen Cheng quickly lowered his head, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

If the Imperial Palace Supervisors could investigate both inside and outside the Imperial City, just like the Embroidered Uniform Guards, then his power would increase greatly.

"Sir, you are right."
I will definitely handle this matter properly after I return.
"So that the master can know the most truthful things happening in the capital."

"Don't try to outsmart Mao Xiang; what he did can't fool us," Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly.

"Master, my life belongs to you, so why would I lie to you?"

The family has many sons and nephews, all of whom are loyal to their master and dare not have any disloyal thoughts.

"During this turmoil, many people are vying to do things for the master, hoping to share his burdens," Wen Cheng said hurriedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a soft hum, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth:
They are lying to you.
They just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make more money.
These wealthy people have a lot of money to be made.

Wen Cheng smiled slightly, unhurried:

"My lord, the money they've amassed will eventually be brought home, and once it's home, it'll all be your money." Zhu Yuanzhang gave a forced smile.

"This is unnecessary."

Look outside, people are busy ransacking homes, some are happy and some are sad.

If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Wen Cheng lowered his head slightly and said softly:

"Sir, some people won't be afraid unless the knife is at their throat."

The people were delighted with the confiscation of their property, cheering and praising Emperor Hongwu's wisdom.

"only."

Wen Cheng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"But what?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Your Majesty, while this action is very gratifying, there are many people among them who have been wronged."

"They gathered outside government offices in various places, crying and pleading for justice, which damaged the dignity of the imperial court," Wen Cheng said.

The carriage swayed and rocked. Zhu Yuanzhang used his finger to lift the curtain and looked towards the east street of the prefecture.
As far as the eye could see, besides the people queuing up at Yingtian Trading Company,

Those who knelt and cried out for justice at the entrance of the government office.

They were in large groups, and at a rough estimate, there were probably several hundred people.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned cold, and he forcefully ripped the curtain down:
"Is there really a grievance?"

Wen Cheng lowered his head gently, his voice as calm as possible:

"Reporting to your master, there are many injustices."

Even after the final trial by the three judicial authorities, which cleared his name,
In the process, they will be severely exploited, suffering countless losses in money and reputation.

Even worse, some would openly solicit bribes during the raids.
This old servant has heard one saying
A thousand taels of silver, and you'll have good food and drink; a hundred taels, and you'll be unshackled; ten taels for a commoner, and you'll be spared death; one tael, and you'll be severely tortured.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright in the carriage, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, half-covered by white eyebrows.
The temperature inside the carriage seemed to drop significantly all of a sudden.

"Write down the list, and we'll calculate it later. Who arrested the most people these past few days?"

"Reporting to Master, it is Lord Lu Yunyi."

"Judging from the roster, he has already arrested over 11,300 people in the capital, all of whom have been sent to the Ministry of Justice prison," Wen Cheng replied.

How much did it cost?

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression remained completely calm, as if he were talking about something he didn't care about.

Wen Cheng hesitated again, and after a long while, he slowly spoke:
"Master, this old servant has investigated carefully and found no evidence of any demand for money."

"No money? Then why is he going to all this trouble?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Wen Cheng pursed his lips, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead, feeling somewhat embarrassed to speak.

"Speak your mind." Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a cold glance, which startled Wen Cheng, who quickly bowed and whispered:

"It seems that Lord Lu is trying to make things difficult for Lord Yang of the Ministry of Justice."

At the very beginning of the confiscation of his property, Lord Lu had already made a statement at the Ministry of Justice.

Those he arrested were all people with ties to the rebel party.

"Let the Ministry of Justice investigate thoroughly; the Governor's Office will come to collect the case files daily."

"In the Ministry of Justice, some people who had connections with the rebels but were not close to them were released after only a couple of questions."

Even due to staff shortages, records may not be kept.
Only those who are truly involved will be thoroughly questioned and investigated.
Lord Lu's actions have put the Ministry of Justice in a difficult position.

I heard that Lord Yang was furious and smashed his favorite inkstone in his office, accusing Lord Lu of causing trouble.

A gentle and soft-spoken explanation.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled dryly twice, his eyes filled with an unreadable expression:
"Yang Jing offended many people when he became Minister of Revenue."

Now that he's become the Minister of Justice, he shouldn't blame others for causing him trouble; he brought this upon himself.

Upon hearing this, Wen Cheng respectfully lowered his head and wisely refrained from replying.
This matter concerns the ministers of the Six Ministries; it's not something a mere eunuch like him can interfere with.

The carriage swayed and rocked, quickly leaving Yingtian Central City and arriving at the Lower City.

Upon arriving here, one can clearly feel that the ground has become uneven.

The carriage swayed and rocked as it moved along.

It's nowhere near as smooth as the cobblestone streets of Midtown.

Wen Cheng, sitting in the carriage, gripped the armrest tightly and whispered a reminder:
"Sir, the cement made in the workshops outside the city is excellent for paving roads."
The items are inexpensive, and can be used three days after application.

Some people in the city were complaining about the imperial court.
Why only repair the roads outside the city, and not the roads inside the city?

"If we're going to repair any roads in the city, we'll have to repair them all."

Otherwise, if they fix one thing but not another, there will be more arguments and disputes in the court.

"If we could repair everything, where would the imperial court get the money?"

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, then chuckled softly, his eyes lowered:

"Let's fix it after things have calmed down."

Wen Cheng immediately bowed deeply:
“My lord, the people will surely sing your praises.”

"When the imperial court has money, it should spend it quickly; if it is held in its hands, it cannot be turned into weapons or supplies."

"How much silver will we find this time? Tell me," Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Uh"

Wen Cheng paused for a moment, thought carefully for a long time, and then slowly spoke:
"Sir, the roster contains nearly 100,000 people."
But ultimately, only about 20% to 30% of them will be convicted.

If each of them were wealthy, their combined land and property would likely amount to tens of millions of taels of silver.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment upon hearing this number, and sighed with some emotion:
"Ten million taels! The entire imperial court only has a surplus of eight million."

Wen Cheng,
You said
"Do the remaining households in this land have a combined total of ten million taels of silver?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
He felt the hairs on his body stand on end and quickly said:

"My lord, there are countless people in our dynasty who are wealthy, so there must be some."

"Fuck."

Zhu Yuanzhang's words were concise and to the point.

"Back when I was in my hometown, the entire Guzhuang Village in Taiping Township..."

Only the households of Masters Liu De and Master Liu Jizu had some money and grain; the other hundred or so households were lucky if they didn't fall into debt.

The Ming Dynasty put an end to war with its people, promoted water conservancy and built canals, and appeared to be a peaceful and prosperous era. However, the people did not have much money in their hands.

Look at the eight counties surrounding the capital; if it weren't for the merchants leading them to earn money...
So many villages are about to be abandoned; asking them for even ten coins would be enough to kill them.

Unfortunately, I cannot make enemies of the entire nation, nor can I plunder all the wealth of those powerful families.
Otherwise, the cost of controlling the Yellow River would be no more than ten million taels of silver.
"Simply squeezing money from all the wealthy households in Kaifeng would suffice; why should the imperial court have to pay?"

Wen Cheng knelt down in the carriage with a thud, trembling.

The initial thrill of being able to travel secretly with His Majesty vanished without a trace.

Hearing such thoughts from His Majesty made him tense.
If this news gets out, the whole world will be thrown into chaos again.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and snorted coldly:
"Get up, we've arrived."

Wen Cheng quickly got up, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Is the wedding gift money ready?"

"Reporting to your master, everything is ready."

Wen Cheng took a small wooden box from under the car seat and held it in his hands.

"Um"

The carriage slowly drove into Xintian Street in the lower town.
This place is very close to Jubao Gate, and it is the first place where merchants from other places come to the capital to sell their goods.

Upon entering, you'll see a dense array of shops.
It has everything needed for daily use, including pots, pans, bowls, fruits, and vegetables.
Many merchants would come here to buy things and then bring them back to the Middle Town and Upper Town to sell, making a profit from the price difference.

The carriage swayed and rocked; Zhu Yuanzhang lifted the window.

Looking at the bustling crowd around him, his hardened face softened little by little.

Soon, he saw a storefront not far away, where several huge flower baskets were displayed, covered with red paper scraps.

A dozen or so people stood at the entrance, bustling about and greeting guests, and a festive atmosphere began to spread.

Once the carriage came to a stop, Zhu Yuanzhang straightened his clothes, got up, and stepped down.

As the curtains were drawn back, a cacophony of noise flooded into my ears.

He looked up and saw a large red flower hanging on the plaque, with the words "Li's Brokerage" standing out prominently.

(End of this chapter)