The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Hu Mei only slumped for a moment before crawling on all fours to Zhu Yuanzhang's feet: "Your Majesty, I know my crime, I know my crime. Please punish me."

"I've always believed in you." Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard reported to me that the Marquis of Linchuan and his son had forcibly seized people's land, abducted women, and even caused deaths. I said it was impossible. I said Hu Mei was a member of the imperial family and the father of Consort Shun. He wouldn't do such illegal things."

"And the result?"

Hu Mei kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I will never dare to do it again. I was just confused for a moment."

"Mao Xiang!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted.

Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stepped out from the crowd, his face stern, holding a stack of files in his hands.

"Tell everyone what you found out."

Mao Xiang opened the file and began to read aloud in a deep voice:

"Since the tenth year of the Hongwu reign, Marquis Hu Mei of Linchuan has forcibly purchased seventeen plots of land from the common people around his mansion in order to expand it. If anyone refused to give up their ancestral home, Hu Mei would order his son Hu Fei to lead a group of people to beat them and force them to comply. Even the entire family of four, including Wang Chang, who helped the Marquis's mansion to forcibly purchase the land, were all killed."

"Hu Mei's son, Hu Fei, took a fancy to Qiu Xiang, the wife of a carpenter surnamed Zhao on West Street, and repeatedly tried to seduce her without success. Later, under the pretext of making furniture, he lured the carpenter Zhao to his mansion and killed him. Qiu Xiang went to the mansion to find her husband, but was forcibly taken as a concubine."

Zhu Yuanzhang's forehead veins bulged: "Listen to this, listen to all of you! These are all capital offenses!"

Mao Xiang hadn't finished reading when he turned to another page.

"That's not all. Starting in the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign, Hu Mei and his son took advantage of the tea-horse trade to smuggle tea out of the country and trade horses with the Western Barbarians, making huge profits. In addition, in their hometown of Shouzhou, they forcibly seized more than 3,000 mu of farmland in the name of the Marquis's mansion, forcing tenants to sign death contracts, treating them like servants."

Mao Xiang closed the file and took a step back.

The entire examination hall was completely silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Hu Mei: "Your crimes are numerous, each one serious enough to warrant execution. How dare you?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Hu Mei cried, her face covered in tears. "I am willing to return the house and the fertile land, and I am willing to compensate them."

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head, his gaze cold: "The crime of murder is punishable by death."

Hu Mei trembled all over: "Your Majesty, I have an iron certificate of immunity from death. I will use this certificate to pay for my life."

"An iron certificate of immunity from death?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "So that's how it is. It's because of this iron certificate that you act so recklessly."

Hu Mei kowtowed desperately, saying, "I know I'm guilty. I'll never dare to do it again. I really won't dare to do it again."

"This iron certificate of immunity from death can spare you from execution," Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "but the crimes you've committed far exceed one death sentence! You deserve to die!"

"Spare me, Your Majesty! Spare me!" Hu Mei cried. "Your Majesty, please spare me this time for the sake of Consort Shun."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and glanced at the kneeling civil and military officials: "Tell me, should we spare him or not?"

Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty, although Marquis Linchuan is guilty, please forgive him this time, considering his many years of military exploits and achievements. No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Old Hu knows he was wrong and will definitely correct his ways in the future."

Hu Mei knelt on the ground, giving Lu Zhongheng a grateful look; she was practically ready to kowtow to him.

Duke Fu Youde of Yingguo also stepped forward: "Yes, Your Majesty. After all, the Marquis of Linchuan is the biological father of Consort Shun, and by all accounts, he is a member of the imperial family. If we kill him, it would be a disgrace to the royal family."

Zhu Yuanzhang listened, his face turning terribly grim.

The white-haired Korean prince, Lee Seon-jang, frowned slightly and lowered his head.

This whole thing is just weird from beginning to end.

His Majesty has come today to inspect the Imperial Examination Hall. Normally, after taking a walk around, looking at the buildings, and offering a few words of praise, he should return to the palace.

First, they jumped up and stomped on bricks, then they chopped at pillars with knives. The Imperial Guards even prepared evidence of the Marquis of Linchuan's crimes.

This is all a play!

Why is Your Majesty putting on such a grand show?

"In my opinion, he should be killed!" Duke Tang He of Xinguo said angrily. "Not only should Hu Mei be killed, but his son Hu Fei should be killed even more. Not killing him would not appease public anger."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to another person: "Mr. Lü, what do you think?"

Lu Ben hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Since the Marquis of Linchuan has an iron certificate of immunity from death, according to the laws of the court, he can be spared the death penalty except for the serious crime of treason. He can be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment."

"I believe that he should be ordered to return all the land and houses that were forcibly seized, compensate all the victims, and then stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner. In this way, the laws of the court will be upheld, Your Majesty's benevolence will be demonstrated, and the people will surely be grateful to Your Majesty."

That was a flawless statement, without any faults.

But after hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze turned cold: "Such a serious crime, and you've been spared the death penalty?"

"The iron certificate of immunity from death was personally bestowed by His Majesty," said Lü Ben.

Li Shanchang bowed his head deeply.

They're here, they're here! His Majesty's here for the iron certificate of immunity from death.

"The iron certificate of immunity from death, this thing is harmful. When we bestowed it upon you, it was an honor, a token of our friendship for fighting alongside us to conquer the world. But what did you take this friendship for? You took it as a shield for corruption and bribery! You took it as a get-out-of-jail-free card for disregarding human life!" Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly.

The courtiers dared not utter a sound.

Lu Zhongheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although the Marquis of Linchuan is guilty, since he possesses an ironclad certificate of immunity from death, killing him is indeed against the law. How about we have him hand over the certificate to avoid execution?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned cold.

The situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. He could force the Marquis of Linchuan to die for these crimes, but he couldn't take back all the imperial pardons granted to the nobles.

Just then, Ma Sandao made a move.

He knelt on the ground, moved forward several steps, and moved to the very front, about to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately stopped him with a look.

Ma Sandao opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He's been tricked into not knowing how to do it.

Wait a minute, according to Li Jiujiang's instructions, he should have stepped forward by now and offered to hand over the pardon.

"Your Majesty!" A voice came from the direction of the examination hall gate.

Everyone turned to look and saw Li Jinglong hurrying over from the Dragon Road.

Behind him followed a group of imperial guards, two of whom were escorting a man, one on each side. The man had disheveled hair and was dressed in rags; it was none other than Hu Fei.

Zhu Yuanzhang was secretly pleased to see Li Jinglong approaching.

Hu Mei knelt on the ground, turned her head and saw her son being escorted by the imperial guards. She swayed and almost fell over.

Li Jinglong walked up to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Your Majesty, I caught Hu Fei in Zhiluo Palace. He was embracing Consort Zhuang."

The courtiers were all dumbfounded.

In the harem, were the emperor's women involved?

This is not just a matter of wanting to die, it's a matter of wanting to die for the whole family.

Hu Mei felt a sudden dizziness.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were bloodshot with rage.

The officials hurriedly knelt down and bowed their heads.

The crimes committed by Hu Mei and his son ranged from embezzling from the Imperial Examination Hall to murder to cover up their crimes, and then to their affair with Consort Zhuang. Each crime was bigger than the last, and each one was more fatal than the last.

Li Shanchang knelt on the ground, head bowed, but his mind was racing.

It's all such a coincidence.

His Majesty and Li Jiujiang had already made the arrangements.

Why?

A get-out-of-jail-free card!

His Majesty put on such a grand show today, from the very beginning, it wasn't just for Hu Mei.

What His Majesty wants is to reclaim all the imperial pardons held by nobles.