Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 413 The Arrogant House Slave, An Unexpected Discovery!
"Young master, it's him! He is Xie Jin, the very man who was loudly advocating the new policies and new learning in the teahouse!"

Leading the way was a wealthy young man who had just been leisurely enjoying tea in the teahouse, enthusiastically discussing the new policies and new learning with everyone.

At this moment, his face was full of anger, and he pointed at Xie Jin with a gaze that seemed to spew out raging flames, as if he wished he could burn Xie Jin to ashes.

Beside him stood a thin, slender boy, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old.

Upon hearing this, the young man raised his hand and waved it lightly, his voice as cold as frost, devoid of any warmth, and said, "Surround him and do not let him escape."

In an instant, more than a dozen burly men rushed forward like a surging tide, completely surrounding the table where Xie Jin was.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but frown slightly.

But no one knew who this young man was or why he had brought people to besiege Jie Jin.

“Young master, we seem to be complete strangers, are we?” Xie Jin said, bowing respectfully with clasped hands, showing no sign of being intimidated by the other party’s imposing manner, remaining calm and composed.

His two loyal servants had already quickly taken up positions, one on the left and one on the right, firmly protecting their master.

"Hmph, I don't know him!" The young man raised his head, looking arrogant and condescending, and loudly rebuked, "In order to promote the new policies and new learning, you have dared to spread heretical rumors and mislead the people in public, and even falsely claimed that His Majesty supports the new policies and new learning. Such behavior is heinous and intolerable to Heaven!"

He suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Guards! Beat him hard until he never dares to spread the new policies and new learning again!"

At his command, the burly men who had come with the boy rushed towards Xie Jin and his group like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.

However, the next moment.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Several muffled thuds followed in succession.

Before Xie Jin and his two loyal servants could react, the burly men were thrown out one after another like rubber balls.

Without a doubt, it was Zhu Yunwen's guards who made the move.

As an emperor, how could he not secretly arrange guards to ensure his safety when he went on an incognito visit?

It should be noted that Zhu Yunwen was standing right next to Xie Jin at that moment.

The burly men rushed towards Xie Jin, which would undoubtedly affect him as well.

Therefore, without even being given a signal by Zhu Yunwen, the guards all took action to prevent any accidents from happening to the emperor.

Although these burly men were all physically imposing, they were actually just ordinary people.

Faced with well-trained imperial guards, how could they possibly put up any resistance?
In the blink of an eye, they were all knocked to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Who...who exactly are you?" The wealthy young master who had led the way pointed a trembling finger at Zhu Yunwen and the others, his voice filled with disbelief and panic.

Zhu Yunwen seemed not to hear him, and walked straight to the table and sat down in the chair.

He stood at ease, reached for the teapot, and slowly poured himself a cup of tea. Then he sipped it leisurely, as if all the strife around him had nothing to do with him.

He didn't intend to reveal his identity at the market, so he didn't show up in person.

Seeing this, Yang Shiqi stepped forward, his expression cold as he looked at the young man and the rich young master, and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to lead a group to commit violence. Do you have no respect for the law?"

"So what if we hit him?" The leading boy stiffened his neck, his face full of arrogance, still looking like he was invincible.

"Who do you think you are, daring to touch my people? Do you even know who I am?"

“That’s right!” The rich young master was originally terrified by the sudden turn of events, his face pale and his legs weak. But upon hearing the boy’s firm words, he felt as if he had grasped a lifeline and instantly regained some courage. He hurriedly echoed, “This is Master Zhao the Third. You dare to lay a hand on his people? You’re simply asking for trouble!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Shiqi glanced at the young man indifferently.

In the capital, there are countless spoiled brats who rely on their parents' power to act recklessly and tyrannically.

He usually focused on court affairs, and he had never met most of these纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families who indulged in pleasure-seeking).

After all, most wealthy families in this world have many children, and even if he knows his father's generation, he may not know their children and grandchildren.

Judging from his behavior, this arrogant young man in front of me must be some rich family's good-for-nothing.

However, since he has run into His Majesty the Emperor today, he can only blame himself for being too unlucky.

Yang Shiqi was disdainful and too lazy to waste any more words with the rich young master. He immediately ordered, "Take these two away."

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately stepped forward and firmly grasped the boy and the rich young master.

"Stop! How dare you!" The boy struggled desperately, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Do you even know who I am? How dare you capture me! Believe me or not, I'll go back and tell my master to beat all of you blind fools to death!"

The rich young master also shouted in a shrill voice, "Third Master Zhao is a member of the Gu family. If you dare to touch him, you are openly going against the Gu family. Have you considered the consequences?"

Gu family?

Yang Shiqi paused slightly, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face.

He searched his memory frantically, but couldn't recall any high-ranking official or noble family head in the capital with the surname Gu.

However, after thinking for a moment, he felt that there was no need to delve into it further.

No matter how powerful a family is, trying to show off in front of the emperor is tantamount to courting death.

"The Ming Dynasty has its own laws. No matter your status, if you violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you will never escape punishment."

Yang Shiqi said in a cold tone: "I am an Imperial Censor of the Censorate. Today you have fallen into my hands, so your fate has come."

He ordered, "Take this man back to the yamen and interrogate him thoroughly. See if he has committed any other crimes in the past, and deal with them accordingly."

Having reached this point, although Zhu Yunwen's imperial status remains a secret, the current situation inevitably requires an official to step forward and negotiate a proper solution.

Yang Shiqi immediately admitted himself to be a censor of the Censorate.

Of course, there were more than a hundred censors in the Censorate, and he naturally didn't need to reveal who he was or what his name was.

Upon hearing this, everyone present suddenly understood, and their faces showed expressions of realization.

The Censorate's formidable reputation was known to everyone, even ordinary people in the city.

That was an important institution for supervising all officials, wielding immense power.

No matter what rank an official was, even if they were a member of the imperial family, upon hearing the name of the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, they would all feel a sense of trepidation and fear.

After all, those upright censors are impartial and incorruptible, and they will not care about your status or position. As long as you dare to commit a crime, they will not hesitate to submit a memorial to impeach you.

Especially since Yang Shiqi took charge of the Censorate, its power has grown day by day, reaching its zenith.

The number of officials who were investigated and impeached by the Censorate for committing crimes was countless.

There is even a saying among the people: "The poor cannot fight with the rich, the rich cannot fight with officials, and officials cannot fight with censors."

If ordinary people were oppressed by government officials, they could write to the Censorate to report the officials. It is said that this method was always effective and extremely useful.

Normally, those officials would act arrogantly and domineeringly in front of the people, but once they encountered someone from the Censorate, they would become like mice seeing a cat, instantly losing their confidence and trembling with fear.

It turned out that the person in front of him was an imperial censor from the Censorate. No wonder he was fearless and confident in the face of the sons of powerful and wealthy people.

That's true. Xie Jin was a scholar of considerable renown.

Aren't the censors of the Censorate all scholars?

It was perfectly normal for Xie Jin to have friends in the Censorate and know several censors.

Xie Jin's gaze first fell on Yang Shiqi, taking a quick look at him, then swept over the guards beside him, before finally landing on Zhu Yunwen, who was sitting leisurely sipping tea. A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he seemed to be deep in thought.

Just then, the boy suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "So what if you're an Imperial Censor? Why would I be afraid of you, an Imperial Censor!"

After saying that, a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "You probably don't know who this Gu family he's talking about is, do you?"

"To tell you the truth, the Gu family is the current emperor's brother-in-law's family."

"I am the son of the head steward of the Gu family. My father is the most trusted person of the emperor's brother-in-law."

As the boy spoke, he raised his chin, his expression becoming increasingly arrogant.

"I was ordered by the Emperor's brother-in-law to teach a lesson to those who spread the new policies and new learning everywhere."

He glanced sideways at Yang Shiqi and the others, his face full of provocation.

"You censors of the Censorate dare to impeach officials of the court, but do you dare to impeach the current emperor's brother-in-law?"

"If you dare to arrest and punish me, you will be openly making an enemy of the Emperor's brother-in-law!"

At this point, the boy's voice suddenly rose, almost roaring.

"To oppose the Emperor's brother-in-law is to oppose the current Empress. Do you dare?"

"Can you bear the consequences?"

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, and even the usually calm and composed Yang Shiqi was taken aback, his expression changing drastically.

Only then did he suddenly remember that the current empress's surname was Gu, and she did seem to be an older brother. This matter... Yang Shiqi couldn't help but look at His Majesty the Emperor beside him.

Zhu Yunwen could no longer remain seated. He slammed his teacup down on the table with a loud bang, then abruptly stood up, took two quick steps forward, and stared intently at the young man before him. He said, word by word, "You just said that you are from the Imperial Uncle's family. Is that true?"

The Empress's family brought people to the teahouse to commit violence, and it was all about the new policies and laws?
What secrets lie behind this?
Did the Empress know that her family members were so lawless outside?
Did she know that her brother was openly interfering in politics?
Or was it that her brother's actions were instigated by her?

Otherwise, why would the emperor's brother-in-law, a perfectly good man, concern himself with the new policies and laws?
Was the Empress actually the mastermind behind the opposition to the new policies and laws?
A series of questions flooded Zhu Yunwen's mind.

"Of course it's true, how about that, scared now?" The boy's face showed an extremely smug expression, and he threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"If you're scared, then hurry up and let me go!"

"A mere censor dares to be so arrogant in front of me."

"For the emperor's brother-in-law to kill a censor is as simple as crushing an ant."

"You still dare to protect that Xie Jin and be so disrespectful to your grandfather."

"If you don't release them, believe me, I'll tear down the main hall of your Censorate!"

Zhu Yunwen's face instantly darkened, like the sky before a storm, his icy gaze seemingly capable of freezing a person.

He said coldly, "I thought you were some royal relative or descendant of a meritorious official, but it turns out you're just the son of a servant in the Gu family. How dare you be so arrogant and domineering?"

Having said that, he waved his hand sharply and ordered in a booming voice, "Guards, take him to the Yingtian Prefecture government office and investigate him severely!"

Upon hearing the emperor's decree, the guards immediately seized the boy and dragged him outside.

The boy shouted at the top of his lungs, "Stop being so arrogant! Do you really think the Emperor's brother-in-law is some clay Buddha that can be manipulated at will? Do you think you bunch of dog servants can afford to offend him?"

"Let go of your grandpa right now, or you'll be in big trouble, and you'll have nowhere to cry then!"

Zhu Yunwen's face grew increasingly gloomy, like a dark cloud gathering, looking extremely unpleasant.

Yang Shiqi also fell silent.

As an outsider, it was really inconvenient for him to say anything about matters concerning the emperor's family.

Just then, the teahouse owner rushed out from inside.

He first bowed respectfully to the boy, smiling and calling him "Third Master Zhao," his posture extremely humble.

Then, he turned to Zhu Yunwen and Yang Shiqi, nodding and bowing, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, as the saying goes, it is better to resolve enmity than to make it."

"As censors of the Censorate, it is your duty to investigate illegal activities. I know this perfectly well."

"However, this Third Master Zhao, no matter how you look at it, is still a member of the Imperial Brother-in-law's family."

"Even if you don't respect the monk, you should respect the Buddha."

"Gentlemen, please be merciful and stop arguing with Master Zhao."

"In my humble opinion, it would be better to shake hands and make peace here."

"I'll go and persuade Master Zhao to apologize to you two gentlemen. What do you think?"

After saying that, the shopkeeper quickly turned around, took small, quick steps to the boy, leaned close to his ear, lowered his voice, and said in an almost pleading tone, "Third Master Zhao, a wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him."

"Everyone is angry right now, so please calm down and stop arguing. Just bear with it for a moment, apologize to the two censors, and give them a way to save face."

"If there's anything, you can report it to the Imperial Uncle when you get back. He will take care of it for you."

The owner of this teahouse is quite knowledgeable.

He knew that in these kinds of situations, you had to make a big deal out of it and a small deal out of it altogether.

If Master Zhao continues to stubbornly resist, the two censors, constrained by the situation and in front of everyone, will have no choice but to follow the rules and punish him.

If he doesn't weigh the goods, the government can still protect Master Zhao.

Once the scale is on, even if the government wants to protect the person, it is powerless and can only handle the matter officially.

Although the emperor's brother-in-law might retaliate in the future by dismissing the two censors from their posts, that's a matter for the future.

As things stand, this Master Zhao is definitely not going to come out on top by going head-to-head with the two censors.

Most importantly, if Master Zhao suffers a great loss and is punished by the censors, he and his father might turn around and hold him accountable.

He was just a businessman. Although he had some connections and background, he was like an ant in front of such powerful people. He could not afford to offend them!
Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

He could only try his best to reconcile the situation and get through this difficult time.

Whatever happens between them in the future is none of his business.

But Master Zhao was only fourteen or fifteen years old, the age when he was most ignorant of his own limitations. He was used to being arrogant and would not back down. Not only did he ignore the shopkeeper's words, but he also shouted, "You want me to apologize to them? No way!"

"Go ahead and send your grandfather to the yamen, and imprison him for punishment."

“If I, Zhao Sanye, even frown, I cannot be considered a hero.”

"Anyway, you've locked me up in jail today, but you'll have to obediently send me out tomorrow."

……

(End of this chapter)