Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 183 Kill more corrupt officials and mad intellectuals, and we'll bear the infamy!
The moment the word "rebellion" was uttered, Wu Bozong, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled violently.

His face turned pale.

The word "rebellion" carries a very heavy weight!
It's gotten to a point where he simply can't afford to be involved, and absolutely doesn't want to be involved at all!
Who wants to rebel, and who dares to rebel?

He never imagined that one day someone would use the word "rebellion" to describe him!

Moreover, the person who said this was none other than Crown Prince Zhu Biao!
This surprised and terrified him.

At the same time, she felt extremely wronged.

Your Highness, how can you speak of yourself in such a way?
Wouldn't this chill the hearts of loyal and righteous officials?
I have always been loyal, dutiful, and hardworking to His Highness the Crown Prince.

How could he treat himself like that?
Now, they are even using the spirit of rebellion on themselves.

Is this appropriate?

"Your Highness, this humble subject has absolutely no such intention!"

Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I would never dare to do such a thing!

This humble subject is utterly loyal to Your Highness, although in some matters I have not done well enough and have not met Your Highness's expectations.

They did make some mistakes.

But I would never dare to rebel!

Zhu Biao's attitude, especially his words, threw Wu Bozong into a state of great turmoil.

For a moment, I was somewhat incoherent.

"They dare not rebel?"

You say you don't dare to rebel?

The Imperial Academy is the culmination of the Emperor's efforts and is a vital institution for recruiting talent for the nation!
The talents selected from the Imperial Academy have proven to be very useful.

The Emperor wanted to ensure that the officials selected were not those who could only read books but were incapable of handling government affairs and unaware of the hardships of the people.

Specialized departments were established for mathematics, agronomy, physics, etc.

Its importance and necessity have been emphasized more than once.

But what did you do?

You have joined forces to force Song Ne to retire!

You should replace the Imperial Academy with your people!
Destroy the Imperial Academy!
This has rendered the Imperial Academy, which had finally gotten back on track and was able to select talents for the country, incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities once again!
Every sentence is detrimental to the northerners, and every sentence is inseparable from the interests of the southerners.

To achieve these goals, they did not hesitate to engage in large-scale collusion!

They even planned to incite students to strike!
In an attempt to incite student anger, various distortions of imperial policies and the rules of the Imperial Academy were made.

They implemented it even more rigorously.

They instigated and lured the students of the Imperial Academy to their deaths!
The crimes committed are too numerous to list!
After doing something like this, you still dare to tell me you don't want to rebel?

What are you trying to do if not rebel?!

Zhu Biao was no longer his usual gentle self; his face was filled with a murderous aura.

The language was extremely impolite.

"Your Highness, these were all done by those lawless madmen."

The Imperial Academy is none of my business.

"I have been serving in the Eastern Palace..."

He frantically tried to explain himself, attempting to exonerate himself.

"None of your business?"

Look at what's written here, and you call this none of your business?!

As Zhu Biao spoke, he took out a stack of papers from his pocket and threw them at Wu Bozong's face.

Wu Bozong disregarded everything else and knelt on the ground to open and examine it.

After only a few glances, his expression changed drastically.

Jin Wenzheng was truly that stupid!
They actually revealed all of this?!

No wonder Zhu Biao was furious; no wonder Zhu Biao had such an attitude towards me at this moment.

That's it!

That's it!

He suppressed the urge to tear Jin Wenzheng to pieces.

He continued looking down.

When they saw Jin Wenzheng, they not only mentioned the Minister of Personnel, but also Wu Zhuangyuan (the top scholar in the imperial examination).

They said it was a major backer for them.

My eyes were practically popping out of their sockets, and my heart was trembling!
How stupid must this idiot be to tell such things to others!

Thinking this, he kowtowed to the ground.

"Your Highness, these are treacherous villains who are making baseless accusations."

These are all slanders perpetrated by thieves and are not to be taken seriously.

Your Highness, such a despicable person is an enemy I will never forgive!

Such slander is absolutely intolerable to me!
Your Highness, I don't know where you got these from.

This...I'm afraid..."

You should never admit to something like this, no matter what.

His words clearly meant two things: first, to distance himself from the situation.

That wasn't enough; they then began to doubt whether the intelligence Zhu Biao had obtained was genuine.

This is the most fundamental solution.

As long as we reject Zhu Biao's intelligence report.

Therefore, his collusion with Jin Wenzheng and others could not be genuine.

This is the best way to extricate yourself from the situation.

Zhu Biao could easily understand what he was thinking.

"Ha ha……"

He sneered in anger.

This person is truly incorrigible.

They've already made themselves so clear, yet they're still trying to argue their way out of it.

Denying it!

That shows absolutely no courage or willingness to take responsibility.

He doesn't live up to his words of taking responsibility and being accountable in his daily life.

"My third brother entered the Imperial Academy a year ago, first as a student and later as an assistant instructor."

When Jin Wenzheng asked people to sign the joint petition, he called my third brother.

And this is what Jin Wenzheng and my third brother talked about.

Weren't you planning to ask me who the person I personally ordered to be promoted to Vice Director of the Imperial Academy was?
Now I'll tell you, he is my third brother!

Are you satisfied now?

With a loud bang, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded in my mind.

In just one moment, he was so shocked that his face turned pale!
How could... how could it be like this?
Doesn't this mean that from the beginning until now, the words and actions of ourselves and many others have all fallen into the eyes of His Highness the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor?
How... how could this happen?
He had no way to defend himself anymore.

At the same time, I understood why His Highness the Crown Prince had suddenly become so furious with me!
This is how I'll treat myself!
The emperor and his ilk have nothing better to do than send Zhu Laosan there to study and serve as a teaching assistant!

Isn't this blatantly a scam?

We've been really screwed over!

"Your Highness, I was wrong, Your Highness..."

Wu Bozong was completely at a loss.

After a moment of stunned silence, he hurriedly kowtowed to Zhu Biao repeatedly.

He apologized while in tears.

This time, his kowtowing was different from the previous ones.

Although the kowtow was quite loud and made a lot of noise, it was also quite loud.

But he held back his strength.

It only made his forehead a little red.

When you kowtow at this moment, each kowtow is a genuine act of kowtowing.

It was hit with particularly force.

In just a few blows, his forehead was already broken and blood spurted out.

But he seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing to kowtow forcefully.

His usual refined literary style, the pride of a scholar, the charisma of the first top scholar in the founding of the Ming Dynasty—all of that was gone at this moment.

His reaction as the top scholar was no different from that of many others who knew they were about to face a great calamity.

He had considered tearing up or swallowing the intelligence report Zhu Biao had thrown in his face, leaving no way to prove anything.

But he dismissed this thought as soon as it crossed his mind.

He could use this tactic against other people.

But at this moment, they were facing someone like Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao has already seen all of this. If he dares to do these things in front of Zhu Biao, it will not only fail to achieve the desired effect, but also be completely ineffective.

Moreover, this would anger Zhu Biao.

To make one's sins even greater!

"Okay, stop banging your head."

After observing for a while, Zhu Biao spoke up.

His voice carried a hint of indifference.

Upon hearing this, Wu Bozong stopped kowtowing.

She raised her head and looked at Zhu Biao.

His face was covered in blood, and his head was bleeding profusely; he looked extremely pitiful.

But deep down, I felt a slight sense of relief.

His self-inflicted suffering still worked.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao is indeed soft-hearted.

It's impossible to truly destroy oneself.

This incident was truly bad; Jin Wenzheng and the others were incredibly stupid.

However, since he actively admitted his mistake and showed such an attitude, Zhu Biao wouldn't really punish him too severely.

His mind had become active.

If His Highness the Crown Prince were truly prepared to punish me severely, he wouldn't have invited me here for a meal.

We talked about these things after we had eaten.

They should be stricter.

Besides, I am one of Zhu Biao's people.

He was also the first top scholar in the imperial examination since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, possessing a special status and extraordinary position.

To a large extent, it can be said that it represents the Ming Dynasty and the face of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Putting everything else aside, this one point alone is enough to make Zhu Biao and his men go easy on me. They won't dare to escalate things too much!

Judging from Zhu Biao's attitude and his own status.

This time, there's a high chance I'll be punished by Zhu Biao.

I can continue working alongside Zhu Biao in the future.

The worst outcome was that Zhu Biao demoted himself and was expelled from the government.

However, thanks to his talent, status, and the many colleagues and patriots he had, he was able to achieve great things.

I can't stay here for too long either.

They will be able to rise again in the future.

Moreover, they can rise to a high position!
Do you think I'm soft-hearted?
Do you think you have a high status?

Do you think that even though you, Wu Zhuangyuan, have done all these things, you can still rise again in the future?
"So, these punishments are nothing more than a minor inconvenience?"

Zhu Biao's voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Wu Bozong's heart trembled violently.

No... Could this prince be a tapeworm in my stomach?
He actually blurted out all his thoughts?

"No, Your Highness, I have no fault!"
How dare this disgraced subject think such a thing?

Wu Bozong repeatedly rejected the proposal.

"Wu Bozong! You have disappointed me greatly!"

Not just you, but many of you have disappointed me greatly!

I now understand how my father felt.

Could it be that Father Emperor was not interested in your Confucianism from the very beginning?
Is this how you treat people?
No!

My father was initially very interested in Confucianism and praised it highly.

They wanted to govern the world using Confucianism.

It is you who have disappointed Father time and time again!
They went too far.

This is what gradually changed my father's attitude towards you.

From a young age, I was taught Confucian classics by Song Shi and others.

They can be said to be members of the same Confucian school.

I also have a great fondness for you all and for Confucianism.

I think Confucianism is really good.

He once felt that his father's treatment of Confucianism was indeed inappropriate.

Confucianism is a very good field of study.

Those who study Confucianism are also all great talents.

Confucian scholars should be given important positions.

But now, my thoughts have also changed a lot.

It's you guys who keep doing so many ridiculous and awful things!

You have disappointed me time and time again!

It is you who have repeatedly ruined my goodwill towards you!

I have seen your sanctimonious facade and your hypocrisy!
I have seen your true colors!

How many of you speak of doing this for the country, for the people, for Confucianism, for Confucius?

But in his heart, he was already making his own calculations.

It's all about personal interests; where is the sense of national duty or the teachings of sages?

These are all just things you talk about to deceive yourselves and the world, and to gain profit!

Even with my father and I alive, this is still the case.

If Father Emperor is no longer here, and I am no longer here, what will become of you?

Wu Bozong, don't blame your father!
Don't blame me!

It is all yourselves who have brought this situation to this point!

Zhu Biao's voice was cold, but his eyes revealed a hint of heartache.

He indeed had a deep affection for Confucianism, just as he said.

But now, as I've come into contact with more and more things, I've witnessed the shameless methods these people use.

The goodwill that has been built up over a long period of time towards Confucianism has been gradually eroding.

The conflict between his ideals and reality caused him great pain.

Wu Bozong was deeply shaken when he heard what Zhu Biao said.

This is a situation he doesn't want to see, and it's the one he finds most unacceptable!

"Your Highness, Your Highness, this humble subject was wrong!"
Confucianism is an excellent discipline, and governance cannot be separated from it.

This humble servant was confused for a moment, and will never dare to do it again.

Throughout history, Confucianism has produced countless virtuous and ambitious individuals.

Furthermore, Confucius and Mencius, two sages, offered countless principles for conduct and interpersonal relationships.

For thousands of years, Confucianism has devoted countless efforts to the continuation of Chinese civilization.

Confucianism is indispensable for governing a country…

Wu Bozong was really anxious; he hadn't expected the matter to be so serious.

This was even more painful for him than being killed!
He hurriedly spoke up to try and salvage the situation, lest Crown Prince Zhu Biao develop an aversion to Confucianism as a result.

That was absolutely disastrous for them!

"Confucianism is indeed a good field of study, and Confucius and Mencius are naturally good as well."

However, over the years, the words of Confucius and Mencius have long been distorted into who knows how.

They have raised countless lawless scoundrels like you, who use the names of Confucius and Mencius to deceive and swindle!
Do you, who read the books of sages and worthies, truly remember them in your hearts?

Are we truly acting in accordance with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius?
Examine your conscience; do you still have any conscience at all?
Furthermore, Confucianism was not recognized as the orthodox school of thought until the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Before this, Confucianism did not hold a dominant position, and our Chinese nation still existed and remained powerful!

It's not that we can't live without anyone in this world.

It can function perfectly well even without anyone!
Even now, you still think that the emperor and the scholar-officials should share the world?

Now I'm telling you plainly, keep dreaming!
How can a country be governed well if we share the world with you despicable insects?!

Zhu Biao unleashed his full power, venting all his pent-up frustrations at this moment.

Wu Bozong was deeply shaken by Zhu Biao's series of words!
How could Zhu Biao say such a thing?

How could he say such a thing?

Is this still Zhu Biao?

How can you distort the truth like this?
How can you treat the teachings of sages and scholars in such a way?!

"Your Highness!"

He slammed his head on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down his face, his voice like an old ape weeping for its young.

I want to say something more.

But Zhu Biao didn't want to say anything more to him.

"Drag this hypocrite out and execute him by dismemberment and public execution!"

Wu Bozong's words, which were about to come out, were instantly stuck in his throat.

Trembling all over, he looked up at Zhu Biao, his face full of disbelief.

What did he hear?!

Zhu Biao... he actually wants to be dismembered and executed in the marketplace?!

This...is this something Zhu Biao would say?
Is this something that Zhu Biao, the usually benevolent crown prince, would do?
I am the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty!

It was personally selected by Zhu Yuanzhang!
He was always highly trusted by Zhu Biao.

Even if there were some mistakes, it doesn't warrant this!

Why is Zhu Biao becoming more and more brutal?

Is he starting to resemble the tyrant Zhu Yuanzhang more and more?

"Your Highness, no, Your Highness!"
This incident was caused by the wicked minister and the petty men like Jin Wenzheng in a moment of confusion. It has nothing to do with them, let alone Confucianism.

Your Highness!

Confucianism is the right path, Your Highness!

"Your Highness, we must hold the imperial examinations!!!"

He shouted repeatedly.

At the crucial moment, he did not beg for his life.

However, he soon couldn't say the rest of his words.

Because he had already been pinned to the ground and gagged by the guards of the Crown Prince's residence.

Drag it away.

"Take my warrant and arrest Yu Xi, the Minister of Personnel!"

After taking a deep breath and calming himself down, Zhu Biao gave orders to the people in the Crown Prince's residence.

If it were any other crown prince, and it involved a high-ranking official like the Minister of Personnel, it wouldn't be possible for someone to just take it away.

It was necessary to report to the emperor first.

However, Zhu Biao dared to give the order himself to do this.

It's not that he was arrogant and domineering, but rather that he knew how his father, the emperor, treated him.

She also knew that her father, the emperor, would not feel threatened by her behavior; on the contrary, he would be delighted and feel that she had grown up.

I feel like I'm becoming more like him.

And he also wanted to use his actions to tell those like Wu Bozong to stop daydreaming!
The people from the Crown Prince's residence obeyed the order and left, but returned after a while.

The information that was given surprised Zhu Biao.

They did not arrest Yu Xi.

Because the Embroidered Uniform Guard acted first, they had already captured Yu Xi.

Zhu Biao nodded upon hearing this.

He immediately left the Eastern Palace and went to his father's side.

……

"Father, let me order the execution of Yu Xi, Jin Wenzheng, and the like!"

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and spoke.

His voice was filled with resentment.

This time, it was Wu Bozong, Jin Wenzheng, Wei Chao and others who did this.

It really enraged him.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were filled with joy and undisguised admiration.

But he shook his head.

"Biao'er, let us do it. Let us kill more corrupt officials and arrogant scholars, and let us bear the infamy!"

(End of this chapter)