Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 546 Shameless to the extreme! Confess!

Wu Dezhang looked around and asked loudly, "Everyone, tell me, aren't they all the same?!"

"Of course! We are all sworn to serve the court and His Majesty to the death!" the officials inside the tent responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.

One official, his neck turning red with excitement, exclaimed, "Anyone who dares to show the slightest disrespect to His Majesty the Emperor, I'll immediately twist his head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

Another official, with tears in his eyes, said with utmost "sincerity," "Even if we were to be shattered to pieces, we could never repay even a fraction of His Majesty's kindness!"

He spoke with such sincerity that he seemed genuinely moved to tears by the Emperor's grace.

Hearing these corrupt officials' sycophantic praises, Zhu Yunwen felt his cheeks flush red. He had actually become the "most wise," "most brilliant," and "good emperor" in their eyes!

Upon closer examination, this is indeed the case.

Without his new policies and the initiation of industrialization, commercialization, and financialization reforms, the Ming Dynasty would still be stuck in its original agricultural society, and the national treasury would not have such abundant wealth.

Similarly, no matter how greedy these corrupt officials are, they could never amass such an astronomical sum of money.

It is truly thanks to their own "reforms" that they have such an excellent opportunity to make a fortune today.

No wonder these corrupt officials are so grateful to him, regarding him as a "god of wealth."

For a moment, Zhu Yunwen felt somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

This absurd scene left him with extremely mixed feelings.

Zhu Yunwen turned his gaze and saw Xu Miaojin's bright and beautiful eyes staring fiercely at him.

It turns out that the shameless remarks of these corrupt officials had angered the young woman so much that she also harbored resentment towards Zhu Yunwen, as if he were also part of this corrupt bureaucratic system.

Zhu Yunwen coughed twice, ignoring Xu Miaojin's angry gaze, and turned to Wu Dezhang, asking in a calm tone, "You just said that no matter which girl I fancy, you can get her for me. What kind of method is that?"

"We can't just label that young girl a thief, can we?"

"This is simply too absurd."

"Why not?" Wu Dezhang smiled sinisterly: "If a man is charged with a crime, it's arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds; if a woman is charged with a crime, it's swindling, deception, and bewitching people!"

He looked confident: "Anyway, these are special times, so we should use special methods. Let's arrest them by force first."

"If she obediently submits to Big Brother, then she will belong to him from now on, and everything will be fine and everyone will be happy!"

"If they refuse, there's no need for trial; just take them to the execution ground and behead them!"

Wu Dezhang retorted smugly, "Brother, do you think she dares to disobey?!"

"Besides, even if she disregards her own life, shouldn't she at least consider the lives of her parents and family?!"

"If she dares to disobey, her whole family will be treated as bandits."

He waved his hand dismissively and said, "These are all trivial matters, not worth mentioning."

"Brother, I say who I want, and I'll take them. It'll be a piece of cake!"

Zhu Yunwen sighed softly and said, "Excellent method! Truly excellent method!"

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in those emaciated female refugees."

"I understand! Brother, you truly have exceptional taste!" Wu Dezhang immediately responded loudly, flattering, "Brother, your ideal woman must be a daughter of an official's family; only she would be worthy of your noble status!"

"Brother, you are so young, yet you hold such a high position and serve His Majesty. Your future is limitless!"

"No matter what kind of official family's daughter she is, marrying my elder brother is a great honor, a blessing earned over several lifetimes!"

Then, Wu Dezhang continued, "I have a younger sister. Although she was not born to my stepmother, my father has always regarded her as the apple of his eye. She has been well-read since childhood and is sensible and reasonable."

"She is only sixteen years old, just the right age to get married, and she has grown into a very beautiful and pretty woman."

"If you don't mind, elder brother, you can take my younger sister into your room and have her serve you!"

"She is not the legitimate daughter, but the daughter of a concubine. Even if she becomes the eldest brother's concubine, it is a blessing she has earned through three lifetimes of good deeds!"

Zhu Yunwen was once again deeply shocked by Wu Dezhang's words.

He couldn't believe his ears.

This Wu Dezhang not only embezzled money and disregarded human life, but he even offered his own sister to others at will, using her as a tool to curry favor with the powerful.

Although it was extremely common for officials to take concubines in this era, it was almost a customary practice.

However, because the status of a concubine was so lowly, not only would the daughters of officials and noble families not agree to their daughters becoming someone else's concubine, but even ordinary people with a little bit of face would never agree to their daughters becoming someone else's concubine.

Unless one is truly desperate and driven to the brink of despair.

The concubines that officials married were mostly people of extremely low social status.

However, Wu Dezhang was a high-ranking official, the Deputy Commissioner of the Henan Provincial Surveillance Commission, a fourth-rank official.

Even if his sister was born to a concubine, there was absolutely no reason for her to become someone else's concubine.

But in order to curry favor with Zhu Yunwen, the "bodyguard by the emperor's side," he actually "threw out" his own sister as a bargaining chip.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's expression turn somewhat unpleasant, Wu Dezhang assumed that he was disgusted that his younger sister was born to a concubine and that her bloodline was impure. He hurriedly explained, "Brother, please don't misunderstand. I would never have allowed a daughter born to a concubine to humiliate you. I would never dare to!"

"However, my younger sister is indeed extremely beautiful, with a beauty that far surpasses that of ordinary women, which is why I dared to have the idea of ​​offering her to you, sir."

Fearing that Zhu Yunwen would be dissatisfied, Wu Dezhang added, "If Your Excellency is interested, I have another younger sister, born to my stepmother, who is my half-sister and of noble status."

"To be honest, she really wasn't as pretty as the younger sister born to that concubine."

“If you care about the status of the legitimate daughter, then I, your own sister, can also be offered to you as well, and you can do with me as you please!”

Snapped!
No sooner had Wu Dezhang finished speaking than Xu Miaojin suddenly raised her hand and delivered a crisp and loud slap to Wu Dezhang's face!
This corrupt official, who embezzled, killed indiscriminately, and committed all sorts of evil deeds, even dared to try to seduce His Majesty the Emperor with his own sister, using such despicable means to "seduce" his "brother"!
Xu Miaojin's anger reached its peak instantly, and she could no longer bear it!

This sudden slap completely stunned the officials inside the tent.

The smiles on their faces froze instantly, replaced by blankness and astonishment.

Wu Dezhang was also stunned for a moment. He touched his burning cheek with trembling hands, looked at Xu Miaojin with complicated eyes, and then quickly turned to Zhu Yunwen, as if trying to find an explanation on his face.

"These corrupt officials, worse than beasts, dare to deceive the emperor and tempt His Majesty with their clever words!"

“People like you who are utterly wicked deserve to be torn to pieces and have their entire families exterminated!”

Xu Miaojin's voice was icy cold, like a poisoned blade, every word carrying extreme anger and killing intent.

Deceiving the emperor?

His Majesty?

The officials were even more bewildered.

Aren't they the guards of the Tian Shu Division?
Why is His Majesty being brought up again? This sudden and drastic change left their minds blank, unable to comprehend the situation before them.

Xu Miaojin offered no further explanation and coldly shouted, "What are you all standing there for?! Quickly seize all of these corrupt officials who have committed heinous crimes!"

The guards had been on high alert and waiting for a long time.

Upon hearing the Imperial Concubine's order, they immediately took action.

Like a tiger pouncing on its prey, they swiftly and precisely pinned down Wu Dezhang and all the other officials.

“We are officials appointed by the imperial court… Even if you are the imperial guards of the Tian Shu Division, you have no right to arrest us without authorization!” an official shouted hoarsely.

An official panicked and shouted, "Help! Help!" hoping to summon soldiers outside to come to his rescue.

"Can't I even punish a corrupt official like you?" Zhu Yunwen's voice rang out calmly.

It wasn't loud, yet it exploded like thunder from the heavens.

It instantly resonated with everyone present.

The officials were stunned again, staring blankly at Zhu Yunwen, their expressions of shock quickly spreading and enveloping everyone.

"You...you...aren't you the head of the Tian Shu Division's guards? How...how did you become the emperor?!" An official stammered, his voice trembling.

“It’s the Emperor…he…he is the Emperor!” Another official pointed at Zhu Yunwen, his voice filled with extreme fear and despair.

From the time Zhu Yunwen seized power until he ascended the throne, countless officials had seen him in person.

Unlike some emperors, Zhu Yunwen did not stay in seclusion all day, hiding in the deep palace and unwilling to meet with his ministers.

When local officials travel to Beijing to report on their work, they usually have the opportunity to meet the emperor.

However, this so-called "meeting with the emperor" often involves hundreds or even thousands of people paying homage at the same time.

The officials respectfully kowtowed to the emperor several times, and the emperor then gave a brief speech and instruction, thus concluding the entire process.

These officials who came to "pay homage" only glanced at the emperor from a great distance.

Not only were they far from His Majesty, but they also dared not look at him too closely due to etiquette and rules.

After all, looking directly at the emperor is a great disrespect and a serious crime.

Among the officials inside the tent, quite a few had indeed seen Zhu Yunwen in such collective audiences.

But if I had to pick out something that left a deep impression, I would probably only remember the strict rules of the palace and the grand scene when His Majesty summoned me.

As for what the emperor actually looked like, they dared not look closely, so they couldn't really say for sure.

Even if you bump into them by chance on the street, you definitely won't recognize them.

However, human memory is a very strange thing.

Once someone gives a clear hint, those vague impressions will immediately become clear.

Before anyone pointed it out, none of them could recognize Zhu Yunwen's true identity.

But once someone clearly points out that the person in front of them is the emperor's daughter, the originally vague impression immediately overlaps with the image in their mind and quickly becomes crystal clear.

Yes!

This is clearly the Emperor!
Even the tone of his voice was exactly the same as I remembered!
I remember everything!

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!" The officials were terrified and hurriedly knelt down, bowing in unison.

While worshipping, he was so frightened that he was limp and could barely straighten his knees.

He is the Emperor, so all our words and actions just now were seen and heard by the Emperor himself!

Ruined.

This time it's completely over!

Wu Dezhang stood there frozen, his face ashen, as if his soul had left his body.

He stared blankly at Zhu Yunwen in front of him, and the scene of his worship in the Golden Palace suddenly flashed into his mind.

I clearly saw it with my own eyes back then.

Although the distance was great and the face was not clearly visible, the scene of meeting the emperor was extremely profound and memorable for a lifetime.

But just now, he didn't recognize him at all.

He even spoke recklessly before the emperor, revealing how he embezzled the court's funds and harmed the people.

This is truly courting death!

The yamen runners and soldiers who rushed in after being called by the official were stunned when they saw the official kneeling in the tent.

They originally thought it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard coming, but they never expected that it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard protecting His Majesty the Emperor, who personally came here incognito!

The soldiers immediately knelt down and remained prostrate on the ground.

Zhu Yunwen's cold gaze swept over the corrupt officials kneeling on the ground, then turned to Wu Dezhang and said, "Come, Wu Dezhang, continue to tell me how you have been corrupt, oppressed the people, and treated human life like dirt."

The calm tone concealed a chilling undercurrent.

Wu Dezhang panicked and kowtowed frantically, his forehead slamming heavily against the ground with a dull thud.

He cried out, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"Your Majesty! I...I was just talking nonsense while drunk, just bragging, it's not true!"

"Those things I mentioned, I didn't actually do!"

Even at this point, he was still trying to deny it, attributing all his crimes to drunkenness and lies.

"What? You dare to deny it in front of me?"

Zhu Yunwen's voice grew increasingly cold, its chill penetrating to the bone: "What goes around comes around!"

"Shouldn't you think this through before you reply?"

Wu Dezhang was suddenly stunned, and his mind instantly cleared.

If it were any other official, they could certainly deny it to the death, as long as the other party couldn't find any conclusive evidence.

But now, in front of the emperor, he has completely revealed his secrets. If he were to deny it now, it would be to treat the emperor as a fool, which is even more unforgivable than admitting his crimes!
"Your Majesty, I...I...I confess my guilt! Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! I deserve to die!" Wu Dezhang finally gave up struggling and cried out loud.

……

(End of this chapter)