The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 76 Double Standard Dog (Seeking first subscription, ends at 20,000 words per day)

After finishing writing, Lin Yue threw down his pen, feeling utterly exhausted. He called out repeatedly towards the door, "Brother! Help me submit this memorial. If it's delayed, the people of Jiangnan will suffer even more!"

The jailer responded and came to fetch it. Before the jailer had gone far, Lin Yue collapsed onto the straw mat and fell into a deep sleep.

The memorial was delivered to Zhu Di's desk overnight, and he put on his robe and read it.

Looking at the messy handwriting, Emperor Yongle muttered a few words: "This Lin Yue, his memorials are written so messily, he really has no respect for the emperor."

However, the more Zhu Di read the memorials, the more relaxed his brows became, and he smiled at Hou Xian, who was standing to the side.

"Although this madman is arrogant, he does have some talent for flood control."

His investigation into Liu Song and his thorough examination of Fan Jiabang were both insightful and to the point, far superior to those empty-headed Confucian scholars!

When he turned to the "Last Poem" at the end of the text, Zhu Di's smile vanished abruptly, replaced by surprise.

What does this mean? The memorial on flood control was written perfectly well, so why is it suddenly accompanied by such tragic and poignant verses?

Zhu Di: I don't understand~

He pondered for a moment, then went back to read the entire text carefully, and suddenly noticed something amiss.

In the past, whether Lin Yue submitted a memorial or met with the emperor, he would always make sarcastic and pointed remarks. However, this time, every word of his memorial was about flood control, without a single word of attack.

"That's strange." Zhu Di, who hadn't been scolded, felt inexplicably relieved. "Could it be that Lin Yue has really matured after his experience in Jiangnan? He knows how to submit memorials properly and steadily, and no longer speaks out and scolds directly."

It's just a pity that they matured a little too late.

Although Zhu Di found it strange, he did not think too deeply about it, assuming that Lin Yue was concerned about the people and had focused all his attention on flood control, so he put the memorial aside.

The next day, at the court assembly at Fengtian Gate, Zhu Di had just taken his seat when Du Yi, a supervising secretary, eagerly stepped forward.

He bowed and said, “Your Majesty! Your subject has impeached Lin Yue, a Hanlin Academy Reader. His crimes are heinous and he deserves to be executed!”

He arbitrarily killed two magistrates of Wu County and Huating County in Jiangnan, disregarding the laws of the Ming Dynasty. This shows his disrespect for the emperor and father, his defiance of imperial orders, and his refusal to return to the capital. This shows his contempt for the court.

Furthermore, he has been involved in widespread persecution and massacres in the local area, and has privately recruited laborers with ulterior motives, causing widespread panic in the Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures and hindering the great water control project. We earnestly request Your Majesty to punish him severely as a warning to others!

Zhu Di frowned, his face showing displeasure.

It's true that Lin Yue caused a great disturbance in Jiangnan, but he did wipe out a number of deeply entrenched local forces. This is beneficial for him to control the tax-paying lands of Jiangnan. Even if he wanted to deal with Lin Yue, this is not the time.

Just as Emperor Yongle was about to speak and refute, Liu Rui, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, suddenly stepped forward and spoke loudly.

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to submit. I wish to impeach Li Zhigang, the Minister of Rites. He is a notorious traitor to the country, with countless and unforgivable crimes!"

Upon hearing this, the courtiers were in an uproar and all turned their heads in surprise.

What's going on today? Two people have stepped forward to impeach someone all at once. This is explosive!

Li Zhigang's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously took half a step forward, but was stunned into freezing place by Liu Rui's next words.

"Li Zhigang, as Minister of Rites, abused his power for personal gain and treated human life with contempt!"

Liu Rui's voice was booming, each word ringing out: "When the floods first broke out in Jiangnan, the people of Songjiang Prefecture sold their land at rock-bottom prices due to the disaster. Li Zhigang sent his servants to take advantage of the situation and forcibly buy hundreds of acres of fertile polder fields at low prices. Anyone who refused was framed by local officials and thrown into prison. Many people have already died in prison!"

"He embezzled countless amounts and hoarded goods for profit!" Liu Rui continued angrily, "The disaster relief grain allocated by the imperial court was embezzled at every level, with half of it flowing into his private granary, causing the disaster victims in Songjiang Prefecture to have no food to eat and starving corpses to fill the roads."

Your Majesty, I have discovered that he has illegally established more than ten grain shops in Suzhou and Songjiang, taking advantage of the floods to raise rice prices, selling a shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice for three taels of silver, which is more than five times the usual price!

"Even worse, he dared to assassinate the imperial envoy!"

Liu Rui pointed his two fingers like swords at Li Zhigang.

"The imperial envoy Lin Yue was set on fire and assassinated at the post station in Songjiang Prefecture. It was Li Zhigang who, fearing that Lin Yue would find evidence of his crimes of annexing land and withholding grain, secretly instructed his servants to do so!"

He then bribed local officials to cover his tracks, attempting to deceive everyone!

"Furthermore, Li Zhigang also formed cliques for personal gain, manipulated local authorities, and deliberately concealed the extent of the disaster!"

Liu Rui became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "In late April, Jiangnan was hit by torrential rains and disasters. Li Zhigang accepted bribes from local officials and suppressed reports of the disaster for half a month, which prevented the court from allocating relief supplies in time, and the floods spread and expanded."

In addition to the two prefectures of Suzhou and Songjiang, Xiushui, Jiashan, Wucheng, Gui'an and other places were also flooded, which indirectly harmed tens of thousands of people!

I also want to impeach Li Zhigang for colluding with the Prince of Han's faction and secretly participating in the struggle for the throne, attempting to consolidate his own power by taking advantage of the prince's position. His intentions are despicable!

Your Majesty, I urge you to severely punish this scoundrel to set an example for all.

Liu Rui's words were reasonable and well-founded, and the chain of evidence was quite substantial.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhigang turned ashen-faced and trembled all over. He immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and loudly defended himself.

"Your Majesty, please understand! I had absolutely no intention of assassinating the Imperial Envoy!"

When the disaster first appeared in Jiangnan, I did have concerns about verifying the situation, which is why I temporarily delayed reporting it. How could there be any talk of concealment?

The accusation of forming cliques for personal gain is utterly absurd. My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon!

He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the gold bricks with a loud thud.

Li Zhigang knew that arguing with a powerful ruler like the Yongle Emperor was useless.

You should either admit to what you've done and give a good reason, or simply skip over it.

Zhu Di sat upright on his throne, his face ashen, surveying the assembled officials in the hall, his gaze shifting back and forth between Liu Rui and Li Zhigang.

The court assembly was in complete chaos, with both sides sticking to their own arguments about impeachment and defense. It would be difficult to reach a conclusion if the debate continued.

Zhu Di raised his hand, decisively employing a delaying tactic: "This matter is of great importance; we will discuss it later. Court adjourned!"

As was customary, Zhu Di would summon the cabinet for a meeting, but now that Lin Yue had returned to the capital, he remembered the memorial on flood control and simply went directly to the imperial prison.

This way, it can be considered that I've made things clear with Lin Yue, making it easier to carry out the beheading later.

When Zhu Di arrived at the prison gate, he saw Lin Yue curled up on the straw mat, fast asleep. Although his clothes were tattered, he slept soundly and even snored softly.

"This audacious fellow can sleep so soundly even in the imperial prison." Zhu Di shook his head helplessly and instructed Ji Gang, "Wake him up."

Ji Gang stepped forward and bent down, patting Lin Yue's shoulder several times, but the other party did not react at all.

He immediately frowned, reached out to touch Lin Yue's forehead, and said urgently, "Your Majesty! Scholar Lin's body temperature is extremely high; he has likely caught a cold and fainted!"

Zhu Di was greatly alarmed. He scanned his surroundings and paced back and forth.

Looking at Lin Yue, whose face was pale, lips were chapped, and who was unable to move, he suddenly sighed.

"Quickly prepare a sedan chair, move him out of the imperial prison, and send him to a side hall to be well cared for. Summon Dai Sigong, the Imperial Physician, to come and examine him immediately."

Although Lin Yue's methods were extreme, he was ultimately acting for the country and its people, and he shouldn't have died so quietly in prison.

Even if Lin Yue is to die, it must be a just and proper execution.

That's how Zhu Di convinced himself.

In the cell next door, Xie Jin stared in disbelief.

He was imprisoned in the imperial prison for many days, and Zhu Di never set foot to visit him.

Now that Lin Yue has just entered the imperial prison, Emperor Yongle has come to visit him. He discovered that Lin Yue has caught a cold, so he mobilized a large entourage and even moved him out of the imperial prison.

Watching Lin Yue being carefully carried away by the Imperial Guards, Xie Jin's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't utter a sound.

Xie Jin: The Yongle Emperor... he was a hypocrite.

Before long, Dai Sigong, the octogenarian Imperial Physician, rushed over.

Zhu Di exempted him from the kneeling ceremony and said urgently, "Minister Dai, quickly check on him."

Just as they were about to see a doctor, Lin Yue suddenly woke up and slowly opened his eyes.

He felt a splitting headache and the world spinning. Through the blur, he saw a bright yellow figure standing in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Zhu Di!

Lin Yue instantly perked up, shoved Dai Sigong aside, and opened his mouth to scold him, but when he spoke, his voice was very hoarse and weak.

"Zhu Di, you're a damn tyrant!"

"The floods in Jiangnan... are the main problem, but you are caught up in court infighting, unable to distinguish between what is important and what kind of person are you?"

"7

Lin Yue's mind was a complete mess, and he cursed intermittently.

Zhu Di looked at Lin Yue, who was glaring angrily and whose words were mostly illogical, and then at Dai Sigong, who had been pushed aside, and shook his head helplessly.

"This madman, even in his illness, still has a sharp tongue. Imperial Physician Dai, I implore you to treat him carefully and save his life."

.

Dai Si bowed in agreement, took out the pulse pillow, placed his fingertips on Lin Yue's wrist pulse, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then opened his eyelids to check, and then leaned down to smell his scent.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lin's illness is due to overwork and the invasion of external pathogens," Dai Sigong said slowly, his tone grave.

"He worked tirelessly day and night to control the floods, which greatly depleted his vital energy. He was also immersed in the river for a long time, which allowed the evil of wind and cold to enter his body, resulting in a decline of yang and an excess of yin, with cold and heat attacking him at the same time."

The patient's pulse is weak and feeble, her complexion is pale, and her breathing is rapid; this is a serious condition, and I'm afraid...

"What are you afraid of?" Zhu Di frowned.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lin's pulse is weak and feeble, and his internal organs are showing signs of failure. I have prescribed yin-nourishing and fire-reducing remedies, but if they cannot reverse the trend, I fear he does not have much time left!"

Zhu Di was shocked upon hearing this and looked at Lin Yue on his sickbed in disbelief.

Most of the officials in the court were shrewd and opportunistic, but Lin Yue was like a blazing piece of hot iron, dazzling and unstoppable.

In Zhu Di's view, although Lin Yue was reckless, arrogant, and inflexible, he was loyal, upright, and hated evil.

Lin Yue's uprightness in pleading for the people can be described as fearless. Even when he privately recruited laborers in Songjiang Prefecture, Zhu Di saw it as a selfless and fearless act, and his actions were upright and honest, truly embodying the spirit of the nation.

As Emperor Yongle gazed at Lin Yue's youthful face, he suddenly thought that if such a loyal, upright, and righteous minister were to pass away, he would probably never encounter another like him in his lifetime.

Did Lin Yue really work so hard to provide disaster relief and save lives that he was completely exhausted?

Zhu Di felt heavy-hearted, and his anger of the past few days had dissipated considerably.

He stepped forward slowly and said quietly, "You're so young, yet you're leaving us all too soon. What a pity."

Emperor Yongle looked at the dazed Lin Yue, sighed softly, and slowly turned to leave.

Lin Yue panicked as he watched Zhu Di's retreating figure. Damn it, he hadn't even finished cursing him yet, and he was already running away!

His eyes suddenly lit up; the high fever had clouded his mind, but his desire to vomit was rising.

"You fucking stop right there!"

His words were mumbled and hard to understand, so Zhu Di quickly turned around and looked at Lin Yue on the sickbed, his heart suddenly jolted.

Lin Yue's eyes were bloodshot, one hand tightly gripping the quilt, the other weakly raised and pointing forward, his chapped lips moving, his breathing rapid, looking as if his end was near.

Zhu Di was deeply moved and rushed to the sickbed.

"Boyan, is there anything else you want to say? I'm listening."

"In my opinion, you're not much better than Zhu Yunwen."

His voice was broken and intermittent. Lin Yue coughed so hard that his chest heaved and the hoarse sounds rolling from his throat were difficult to hear. It took him a while to continue.

"Moreover, I heard that Emperor Jianwen did not die, but disguised himself as a monk and escaped down the river, supposedly to Korea."

Zhu Di leaned forward abruptly and shouted, "Are you sure you mean it?!"

Emperor Yongle has been deeply shocked for who knows how many times in the past two days.

He had assumed Lin Yue was speaking on his deathbed, nothing more than saying things about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, but instead he blurted out something shocking: the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen.

The saying goes that a dying man's words are good, and coupled with Lin Yue's previously unyielding character, Emperor Yongle believed seven or eight parts of what Lin Yue said from the very beginning.

However, due to his serious illness, Lin Yue's speech sounded illogical to Zhu Di, with various topics jumping around incoherently and frequently including incomprehensible phrases like "grass mud horse" and "fuck squid."

The above content was a rough summary that Zhu Di came up with after going through it in his mind.

Lin Yue shook his head with difficulty.

Shaking his head wasn't a denial, but rather a sign that his mind was foggy; Lin Yue didn't even know what he was saying.

Due to a severe high fever, Lin Yue was essentially talking in his sleep, much like a drunkard.

Lin Yue coughed violently, her brain racing, and her little mouth spouting nonsense.

"And those civil officials of the Ming Dynasty, especially the Huizhou merchants in Jiangnan and the Jin merchants in Shanxi, cannot be trusted at all. They are corrupt officials and merchants... They are rare, they are the lackeys of foreign enemies, and must be strictly guarded."

As he spoke, Lin Yue stared intently at Emperor Yongle and then dropped another bombshell.

"Your Majesty, even your reign title, 'Yongle,' has something fishy about it."

"What's wrong with the reign title Yongle?" Zhu Di frowned slightly.

"Fang La!" Lin Yue whispered.

"Fang La, the rebel leader of the Song Dynasty, also used the Yongle reign title back then. Those civil officials did it on purpose; they were always trying to oppose His Majesty."

The room fell silent instantly. Zhu Di's expression changed drastically, and anger flashed in his eyes.

He spent half his life fighting and was not very familiar with the details of historical records. In particular, the Jingnan Rebellion was a hasty and chaotic process of ascending the throne, and there was no time to investigate many things in detail. He was unaware that the name "Yongle" had been used by rebels.

In Zhu Di's view, he had succeeded in the Jingnan Campaign, so how could he be compared to Fang La, a petty thief who was wiped out after only one year of reigning?

Zhu Di was furious. Did those civil officials really not know when they were deciding on the reign title, or were they deliberately planting a seed of trouble for him?

It was definitely intentional!

What a damn civil official!

Lin Yue was delirious with fever, but as if he had thought of something, he suddenly roared.

"Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts! Those cannibalistic tribes in Liaodong must be wiped out immediately to prevent future troubles, and they must never be given official positions."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di nodded repeatedly: "Good, I will certainly go deep and kill as many as possible."

"Boyan, please continue with the news about Emperor Jianwen."

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Fang Yu