Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 594 Military Remonstrance? A Three-fold Increase in Crime!
Zhu Su said leisurely, "I have heard many things along the way. Your Majesty's inspection tour of the north is ostensibly for inspection purposes, but in reality, it is a sword hanging over your head."

"When His Majesty inspected the disaster situation in Henan, he uncovered a shocking case."

"Throughout Henan, most officials were implicated, and countless people were dismissed from their posts, had their homes confiscated, or were executed."

"After arriving in Shandong, he dismissed hundreds of officials in the Shandong judicial system because of the case of murder over dowry."

"In addition, His Majesty issued several decrees along the way, ordering the State Affairs Department to formulate more provisions to punish corrupt and unscrupulous officials, which seemed to be a purge of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom."

"In the Ming Dynasty's officialdom today, everyone is in danger and the atmosphere is tense."

"Does Your Excellency truly believe that all the generals who held the reins of Wu Ding were completely incorruptible and without any flaws?"

Wang Shoulian's pupils contracted slightly.

"The officialdom has always been corrupt, and people are not in control of their own destiny." Zhu Su's voice was full of temptation. "If Your Excellency issues orders merely in the name of the Imperial Inspector, they may outwardly comply but inwardly defy you."

"We would never agree to let them stage a coup against His Majesty."

"But what if the adults have evidence of their corruption and abuse of power, and use it to blackmail them into obeying orders?"

"At that time, in order to protect themselves, they will have no choice but to obey your arrangements, sir?"

"Shut up!" Wang Shoulian's expression changed drastically. He stood up abruptly, his beard and hair trembling slightly. He pointed at Zhu Su and said sternly, "In my life, what I hate most are parasites like these!"

"Now, in order to accomplish great things, you are actually going to collude with these people, coercing them on one hand and allowing their corruption and illegal activities on the other?"

"If word gets out, how will the world view me, Wang Shoulian?"

"How is this any different from those treacherous officials who abuse their power for personal gain?"

Zhu Su neither dodged nor avoided, calmly facing Wang Shoulian's anger, shaking his head and saying softly, "My lord, what is great, and what is small?"

"In the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang committed bloodshed at Xuanwu Gate, murdering his brother and imprisoning his father. In terms of 'minor matters,' he was utterly devoid of humanity."

"However, he later ushered in the Zhenguan era, when all nations came to pay tribute. In terms of 'righteousness,' he was a great emperor for all ages."

"Later historical records praise his great talent and strategy, but who criticizes his methods back then?"

He stood up, looked directly at Wang Shoulian's chest heaving with anger, and said in a resounding voice:

"What Your Excellency is planning today is to restore order and establish a foundation for the continued existence of the Great Way of the Sage for all ages."

"Compared to such a monumental achievement, what are the minor flaws in our methods at this moment?"

Wang Shoulian remained silent, his expression shifting. After a long while, he said, "Sir, your plan is good, but if you need to blackmail someone, you must have leverage over them."

"People will curse that 'nine out of ten officials are corrupt,' but how do they know that corrupt officials are not so easy to find?"

"The imperial court has a system in place; without solid evidence, no one can be arrested."

"Speculation alone is of no use."

"Otherwise, the world would have been in chaos long ago."

"Although I am the Shandong Provincial Inspector, I have the power to investigate, but not the ability of a detective."

“Those parasites are all cunning and have multiple burrows. Their accounts are flawless, and their actions are airtight. Without overwhelming evidence, how can we deliver a fatal blow to them?”

“If they are caught committing minor offenses, the punishment will be nothing more than a salary deduction and a reprimand, which is not enough to force them to do such a heinous thing.”

Zhu Su smiled faintly and said, "If you investigate step by step, it will naturally be difficult."

"Besides, with the festival just around the corner, there's absolutely no time to slowly gather dirt on those people."

"Why don't you try a different approach, sir?"

Zhu Su's tone shifted slightly: "To deal with a gentleman, one must use the benevolent way; but to deal with a wicked person, sometimes all it takes is..."

He paused, then softly uttered two words: "Deception."

A hint of doubt flashed in Wang Shoulian's eyes.

Zhu Su explained, "Your Excellency is the provincial inspector, wielding great power of oversight."

"You only need to secretly summon those generals of Wu Ding one by one under the pretext of 'investigating corruption and bribery'."

"There's no need to list the crimes. Just be vague and to the point, and then use the force of thunder to say that you have received the Emperor's will to conduct a thorough investigation in secret."

"Think about it, those who have no guilty conscience will naturally speak with righteous indignation and be fearless."

"Those with a guilty conscience will only think that when their secret is exposed, under the wrath of the powerful, how can they not bow down, confess, and beg for their lives?"

"At that time, they will confess without being asked, and with solid evidence in hand, won't they be completely at the mercy of the adults?"

A light, a mixture of amazement and sudden enlightenment, flashed in Wang Shoulian's eyes.

He was an extremely conservative Confucian believer who acted in accordance with the "righteous" way throughout his life and emphasized evidence-based investigations. However, he never thought that power itself could also be transformed into an invisible blade that could pierce the most vulnerable parts of people's hearts.

As the Shandong Provincial Inspector, he was in charge of investigating and punishing corrupt officials in the province, which was his duty.

It is our duty to speak to them privately and issue verbal warnings.

The brilliance lies in the fact that even if the other party is an honest official who believes he has not committed any wrongdoing, being warned by him is not a problem.

As long as he knows when to stop and knows when to stop, that's fine.

With the imperial inspector's reminder and warning, who can say he's wrong?

Those who were tricked out can then be easily manipulated.

"I never imagined... I never imagined that you, a mere physician, would possess such profound talent!" Wang Shoulian stroked his beard and praised, "If you succeed this time, I will certainly recommend you for a position in the court to govern the country and benefit the people!"

Zhu Su quickly stood up and humbly declined, saying, "You flatter me, sir. I have never held an official position; I am merely a theorist and a complete novice when it comes to officialdom."

Wang Shoulian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "When one is in a high position in the government, one should govern the country and save lives; when one is far away in the countryside, one should still practice medicine and save lives."

"This is precisely the way a gentleman conducts himself."

"You have been a doctor for many years and saved countless lives. It is time for you to enter the halls of power and save this great Ming Dynasty."

“I recommend you not for your own sake, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. So please do not decline.”

Zhu Su could only thank him repeatedly.

He couldn't let Wang Shoulian know what he really wanted to do.

Wang Shoulian's expression quickly turned serious again:
“I can agree to this matter. We will trick some of Wu Ding’s generals into following us and staging a military coup against His Majesty.”

"But there are some things I need to say upfront."

Wang Shoulian stood up, his expression even more solemn, and said in a loud voice: "Firstly, this action is to 'purge the emperor's inner circle and set the record straight,' not to plot rebellion. In any case, we must ensure His Majesty's health and safety, and that there is no possibility of any harm to him!"

"Secondly, 'forced remonstrance' is not the way of a subject. It is only done when there is no other choice. After the matter is accomplished, we must immediately lay down our arms, confess our crimes, and beg Your Majesty to die in order to uphold the integrity of a subject!"

Zhu Su lowered his eyes, concealing the sarcasm in them.

"Apologize? How adorably pedantic." He thought to himself, "Once the weapons are at hand and the imperial robe is in sight, the desires of the human heart will be like tigers released from their cages. How can a few words of 'benevolence and righteousness' from you, old Confucian scholar, restrain them?"

"At that time, it will probably be you, Wang Shoulian, who will be swept along."

"Besides, who would commit such an act as confiscating property and exterminating an entire clan, and then voluntarily request death?"

"You're determined to die, but others won't think the same way." "Everyone still wants to live. At that time, even just to survive, we could only keep moving forward."

"Let alone military officers and soldiers, even most of the scholars who are remonstrating with you, an old Confucian, will change their minds."

Despite his thoughts, Zhu Su's face remained composed as he solemnly agreed, "Your Excellency is truly virtuous!"

"We are doing this extraordinary thing in order to uphold the sacred way."

"If, after the deed is accomplished, our deaths can bring His Majesty back to his senses and restore the glory of our sacred learning, then our deaths will have been worthwhile, and we have nothing to fear!"

Wang Shoulian was finally relieved and nodded, saying, "Alright, then let's proceed according to the plan."

Zhu Su's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

Although Wang Shoulian appears to be the mastermind, his speech always reveals a scholar's stubbornness and naiveté.

The mastermind behind the act of offering advice to the Ming emperor under the guise of a sacrificial ceremony at the Confucius Temple was probably someone else entirely.

This person's status and position should be higher than Wang Shoulian's!

However, he did not ask any further questions.

If the other party hasn't said anything, asking them now will only arouse suspicion.

Once the fish has taken the bait, the line hidden underwater will eventually be exposed.

After the two had reached an agreement, Zhu Su got up to take his leave.

……

The journey from Shanxian to Qufu was not far, and although Zhu Yunwen traveled with many stops along the way, it only took a few days.

The emperor's carriage, with banners obscuring the sun, slowly drove into Qufu, the hometown of the sage.

However, the imperial carriage did not go directly to the Confucius Temple, but stayed at a temporary residence in the city, citing the need to "fast and bathe, and choose an auspicious day" as the reason for postponing the sacrificial ceremony.

There are two reasons for this. First, one of the purposes of his sacrificial ceremony was to establish the new learning as the orthodox Confucianism and to completely overthrow the original Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

Therefore, he specially summoned influential modern scholars of the time, including Fang Xiaoru, to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Through sacrificial rites, the new learning was formally proclaimed to the world as the orthodox Confucianism, and had already gained the approval of the "sage."

These people have come from all over the country to Qufu, and it will take some time.

We have to wait until they all arrive before we can perform the sacrifice.

Another reason is that Zhu Yunwen elevated the status of the sage in order to maintain his imperial power and to promote the "culture" of the Ming Dynasty overseas. More importantly, the sage had been dead for more than a thousand years, and the dead cannot speak.

This means that the sage can freely interpret the scriptures.

This was also the key to Zhu Yunwen's sacrifices and the elevation of the status of Confucianism.

Anyway, whatever interpretation you have is in your own hands, so you can freely "take the essence and discard the dross".

But there is a problem: although the sage is dead, his descendants are still alive.

They have occupied Qufu for hundreds of years and have long since become a behemoth.

They hold more than half of the land in Qufu.

There are also large amounts of land in other parts of Shandong.

The direct descendants of the sages were always granted the title of "Duke Yansheng" in every dynasty, holding the highest rank of official position and being the head of the civil officials, symbolizing the orthodox inheritance of Confucianism.

He could even set up his own government office at home and hold court to try cases.

In the Qufu area, it is no exaggeration to say that he wielded immense power.

But living people are not as easy to control as dead people.

Humans make mistakes, especially since the Duke Yansheng held a high position and wielded great power, making him virtually untouchable in Shandong.

The Kong family is large, and it is inevitable that there are both good and bad members.

Among them are those who are strict with themselves, charitable, and kind to others.

Some, relying on their status as descendants of saints, run rampant in the countryside, oppressing the good and kind.

Local officials often dared not take action.

Relying on the family of a sage to handle matters internally makes it impossible to achieve true fairness and impartiality, as it will always be subject to various personal relationships and practical constraints.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, many members of the Kong family were already a malignant tumor that needed to be eradicated.

He can continue to elevate the status of the sage, but he must strictly restrain his descendants.

The best approach would be to send them overseas, just like the Ming imperial family.

Spreading the teachings of the sages overseas and enlightening barbarians is, in essence, the duty of the descendants of the sages.

"The blessings of a virtuous man last for five generations and then end." How could Zhu Yunwen allow his descendants to lie forever on the merits of their ancestors and tarnish his holy name?
This sacrificial ceremony signifies that the Ming Dynasty court is further elevating the status of the sage.

But before that, it is necessary to resolve the issue of the descendants of the sage.

Before arriving here, Zhu Yunwen had already received a lot of information from the intelligence bureau about the crimes committed by the descendants of the sage's family. He then specially sent officials to investigate secretly and further consolidate the evidence to ensure that nothing went wrong.

The day after the Emperor's arrival, the Duke Yansheng of the time, Kong Ne, dressed in the official robes of a first-rank official, led dozens of core members of the Kong clan to respectfully welcome the Emperor in front of the guesthouse.

Everyone's face was filled with a joyful expression of pride.

The Confucius family was overjoyed at the emperor's arrival.

Just as Kong Ne was about to lead the crowd in bowing and praising the emperor's virtuous rule of respecting Confucius and Confucianism, a censor from the Censorate suddenly stepped forward, holding a memorial in his hand, and loudly announced: "Your subject has a memorial to present!"

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach seven members of the Yansheng Duke's clan, including Kong Zhang and Kong De, for their heinous crimes of running rampant in Qufu, seizing farmland, and oppressing the good people. I beg Your Majesty to make a wise judgment!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked!

Kong Ne's smile froze instantly, and the faces of the clansmen behind him who had their names called turned ashen.

Zhu Yunwen remained expressionless, only saying calmly, "Has anything been found out?"

The censor then read aloud the charges against the officials, along with the witnesses and evidence he had secretly verified.

All the evidence is irrefutable and irrefutable.

The accused descendants of Confucius were already drenched in cold sweat, prostrate on the ground, having lost even the courage to argue, and could only kowtow and confess their guilt.

A grand welcome instantly turned into a humiliating trial before the emperor.

Kong Ne felt utterly humiliated and hated these troublemakers to the extreme, wishing he could kill them with his own hands.

Zhu Yunwen's gaze did not fall on the Kong clan members who were prostrating themselves in apology, but rather passed over them and calmly turned to the Duke Yansheng, whose face had turned from red to green, and then from green to white: "Duke Yansheng, these are all members of the Kong clan. In your opinion, what crime should they be punished for?"

Kong Ne trembled and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "As descendants of the Kong family, they should be role models for others, but they have broken the law and committed such acts of oppressing the good and kind, which is outrageous to both gods and men and disgraceful to the Kong family. They should be punished severely according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, with their crimes increased by three degrees!"

……

(End of this chapter)