Chapter 152 You can also call people of noble character and lofty ideals serving the country and the people? You are really unworthy of being a scholar!

"As expected of Master Liu, he has made every possible plan and has prepared for both situations."

"But do you understand that this has deviated from serving the country and is only concerned with one's own gains and losses?"

"You are just hoping for the best. After all, if the court doesn't notice, you can still serve as officials in the court with peace of mind, so you won't be able to say these words."

"But if the imperial court finds out, with the last words left by Master Liu, even though many people will die, the Liu family will still be able to preserve a bloodline."

"Master Liu is a founding hero, and he confessed his crime, so naturally, Your Majesty will show leniency."

Faced with Liu Lian's thoughtless response, Zhu Gang's lips curled up into a sneer.

Liu Bowen, the Marquis of Chengyi, was truly well versed in the art of power and understood what it meant to not move forward when there was no room for retreat.

Even though many people will be sacrificed, as long as the imperial court wants to investigate, and conduct a thorough investigation, how can any egg remain intact when the whole nest is destroyed?
So it would be better to let those who are going to die die directly.

This way, the Liu family's bloodline can be preserved. Although the wealth and honor are gone, it is better to live a miserable life than to die.

Then, after another hundred years, the Liu family will be able to return to the court again. After all, the past will fade away with the times.

"Your Highness, after my father found out, the young King Ming was already dead."

"Even if we report this to His Majesty, it will be useless, because the Little Ming King is already dead. This is a fact."

"And with so many court officials dying for a little Ming king, turmoil is bound to arise at the beginning of the founding of the country."

"So for the sake of the country, my father had to keep it secret."

"And from the perspective of legal legitimacy, the Little Ming King was just a separatist regime. It didn't have any legitimacy at all."

"No one would recognize Han Song's partial regime from a legal perspective."

"So once your majesty takes over the Han Song regime, not only will you lose your legitimate and orthodox status, you will also be forced to recognize the orthodox status of the Yuan Dynasty."

"Then today's Northern Yuan Dynasty has legitimacy. After all, its orthodox status cannot be shaken."

"So from the perspective of the country, the young King Ming must indeed die. My father is kind, but he also agrees with this idea."

"After all, it is for the country and the people. From the perspective of putting justice first, the death of the Little Ming King is indeed beneficial to the country and can stabilize the situation."

Liu Lian still raised his head neither humbly nor arrogantly and said in a deep voice.

The politics at the beginning of the country was more complicated than it is now.

Especially the orthodoxy debate.

Therefore, once the Han Song regime of the Little Ming King was recognized, the Ming Dynasty would no longer be legitimate.

The Yuan Dynasty remained the orthodox dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang could only take over the throne from the Yuan Dynasty, rather than the Han Song regime of the Little Ming King.

This is the trend of the times, and it is also the trend of heaven and earth that cannot be defied. How can human power reverse it?

Moreover, if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to continue to use military force on the grassland, he had to deny the legitimacy of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which was also the general trend.

So Liu Bowen did nothing wrong for the country and the people, but why didn't he report it to Zhu Yuanzhang?

To put it bluntly, a peasant is a peasant.

Besides, Zhu Yuanzhang was a stubborn man. If he really wanted to take over the Han Song regime from the Little Ming King, no civil or military officials could stop him.

After all, the greatest contributors to Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the country were almost all nobles from Huaixi.

Because, you can say that Liu Bowen had every plan in mind, but he was always just a counselor.

But have you ever thought that Zhu Yuanzhang had many wise and shrewd advisers under his command?

As for a counselor who does not hold real power, whether to adopt his strategy is still up to the king.

Therefore, the status of counselors has always been awkward, sometimes too high, sometimes too low.

This depends on the degree of trust the king has, which is why Li Shanchang was the first meritorious official in the founding of the country, while Liu Bowen was only an earl.

Moreover, a true counselor is not only one who gives advice, but also one who holds real power, has the authority to make decisions, and can even influence the country's major policies.

Just like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Xiao He, and Li Shanchang, because in addition to their status as counselors, they also have the authority to manage internal affairs.

Therefore, it is their efforts in planning and strategizing in the rear that stabilize the rear for the monarch and ensure the timely arrival of food and supplies that are already a tremendous achievement.

This means that unless Li Shanchang gives advice, nothing others say will be of any use.

Because no matter whether Li Shanchang had ever served as an official in the Yuan Dynasty, it was impossible for him to get involved because of his shrewdness.

What's more, the tense relationship between eastern Zhejiang and Huaixi already represented opposition, and as the eldest brother of the Huaixi nobles, how could Li Shanchang possibly speak for Liu Bowen?
In addition, you can say that Zhu Yuanzhang was a peasant, but you definitely cannot say that Zhu Yuanzhang was not smart.

How can a person who ascends to the throne of emperor by his own efforts not be smart?

If Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, he would definitely notice some clues. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had suffered from the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, would probably be determined to welcome back the little Ming King.

After all, politics comes from the barrel of a gun, so no matter whether it is orthodox or not, it is our Zhu Yuanzhang who is in charge today. As long as he can make the people of the world live a good life, no one can shake his throne.

"Then why didn't you advise His Majesty, but made the decision on your own?"

Zhu Gang looked at Liu Lian with a smile.

"Your Majesty is from Huaixi and has suffered greatly from the war."

"Besides, Qian Gang is so arbitrary that naturally no one dares to advise him."

Liu Lian was speechless for a moment, but still spoke.

In other words, they were finding ways to say that Zhu Yuanzhang was a dictator, and no one dared to offend him.

"Be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, be well-read in poetry and literature, and understand what it means to be loyal to the emperor and love the country."

"And you hid it from His Majesty, and claimed that it was for His Majesty's good, and then killed the Little Ming King."

"You hid behind the scenes, pretending to be innocent from beginning to end, and then you want to suppress your own guilt?"

"You are unworthy of being a scholar!"

Chang Mao really couldn't bear to listen any longer, so he stood up, pointed his finger at Liu Lian and scolded him.

"What the young Duke said is right. If a scholar is not upright, he is not worthy of being a scholar."

"On the one hand, they pretend to be loyal to the emperor and love the country, while on the other hand, they do things that are against the will of heaven and earth. This is really an insult to the word 'scholars'."

"All scholars in the world should be ashamed of you. You only care about your own gains and losses, and completely ignore the laws of the court. As long as you can satisfy your own selfish desires, there is nothing you scholars can't do or say."

"I still remember that they were filled with righteous indignation in the court, listing Liao Yongzhong's crimes, saying that he should be severely punished for killing the young Ming King."

"But I also understand that Liao Yongzhong has made great contributions to the country, so Liao Yongzhong, who should have been one of the founding dukes, was demoted to a marquis."

"The chaos and confusion in the court, including all the good reputation, are all occupied by scholars."

"Only your Majesty has been saddled with countless insults, and Liao Yongzhong, who was devoted to the country, was deceived by you."

"Do you think you are really doing errands for His Majesty? All this is His Majesty's will?"

"You really don't care about it and act as if nothing has happened."

"How can this be possible? How can this be worthy of His Majesty? How can this be worthy of Liao Yongzhong?" "How can this be worthy of Confucius, the great and holy teacher?"

Zhu Gang also slowly stood up, looked at Liu Lian coldly and said, "So you are worthy of calling yourselves scholars? Are you worthy of calling yourselves benevolent and ambitious people?"

"Foreign races invaded, a century of turmoil, the Central Plains was in turmoil, the land of China sank, and blood was shed on Yashan Mountain."

"But it is precisely because of the generations of people with lofty ideals and integrity that we are able to restore the Central Plains and establish the Ming Dynasty today."

"Because the temporary regime has perished, but the inheritance and integrity are immortal, so the dark night can be expected and the mountains and rivers can be restored."

"But are you worthy?"

After a pause, the faint voice sounded again, mixed with a chill. Even with the wind and snow blowing and the weather freezing, there was still a hint of coldness in it.

"I"

Liu Lian opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word of rebuttal. His face looked dejected.

"Master Liu has made great contributions to the country, but if it weren't for Master Liu, the Ming Dynasty and the turbulent Central Plains would still be in our hands."

"You can be called a monarch and a minister, but you are full of selfish thoughts. How can you not feel ashamed?"

"As for the reason, I actually understand it clearly. It is nothing more than that some officials from eastern Zhejiang and southern Zhejiang have served as officials in the Yuan Dynasty."

"And if the Ming Dynasty had not taken over from the Yuan Dynasty, they would not be able to serve as officials peacefully."

"After all, just saying that they once defected to a foreign race and once served as an official under the violent Yuan Dynasty is enough to crush them to death, making it impossible for them to turn over a new leaf forever."

"That's why Master Liu pretended to be deaf and dumb, watching countless insults being thrown at Your Majesty, yet he still stood by and watched coldly."

"Has the word 'morality' been misinterpreted to mean this?"

"As long as the world is corrupt, will this integrity still last?"

"They can also serve as officials with a clear conscience, and keep saying they are loyal to the emperor and patriotic."

"And if you are truly loyal to the emperor and love your country, how could you do such a lowly thing?"

"Even if they did not participate, they cannot escape responsibility and will not be condoned."

Zhu Gang slowly raised his eyes, pointed his finger at Liu Lian, and said in a deep voice: "Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial. However, as a minister of the country and a son of my parents, you are both disloyal and unfilial."

"Father was at fault, and the son concealed and protected him until the truth was revealed and there was no escape. Only then did he reveal everything. This was your father's intention."

"But if you had spoken up earlier, the fact that His Royal Highness Prince Jin and I had not come to your house would have meant that you had justice in your heart. His Majesty would have certainly shown leniency."

Chang Mao also looked at Liu Lian coldly and said in a cold voice: "When this case is made public, the gentlemen of East Zhejiang, the gentry of Jiangnan, and the officials involved will not be able to clear themselves of the charges. You are ashamed of your ancestors and even more ashamed of the people of integrity and ambition."

"Chang Mao, I don't want to endure it anymore."

"Order to bring Jiangxia Hou Zhou Dexing back to the imperial prison for interrogation. His son Zhou Ji has no respect for the royal law and secretly peeped into the palace. He should be beheaded according to the law."

"The twelve guards above, as well as the guards under the Grand Military Governor's Office in the capital, are all under my command. The officials who committed crimes will be arrested according to the law. Even if the court is in turmoil, after this snowstorm, I will sweep away all the snow in the world."

Zhu Gang looked at the falling frost and snow in the courtyard again and said softly, "Master Liu, the Earl of Chengyi, has done favors for the country. Although he may be suspected of shielding someone, he has committed no crime. I will strip him of his title and reduce his sentence as a punishment."

"As for his eldest son Liu Lian, he ignored the emperor's grace, was disloyal and unfilial, and was sentenced to death."

"As for the Liu family, they will move to Lingnan, and for the rest of their lives, generation after generation, they will not be allowed to serve as officials in the court."

"Just think of it as a favor bestowed upon you by me on behalf of Your Majesty."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Gang strode out of the Marquis Chengyi's Mansion.

This night was ultimately a sleepless night.

A large number of Jinyiwei were dispatched, and even all the guards in Beijing blocked the capital, which caused a great shock for a while.

In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had already gone to bed, was now pacing back and forth in the Kunning Palace, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

"father."

It was not until the crown prince Zhu Biao walked into the room that Zhu Yuanzhang hurried forward and grabbed Zhu Biao's hand and said, "What is the third brother doing? He mobilized all the guards in the capital in the middle of the night, put the capital under martial law, and a large number of Jinyiwei arrested officials. What does he want to do?"

It is no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang was so impatient. Rebellion was certainly impossible.

But for such a big action, they should at least be informed, right?

They arrested people and interrogated them quietly, and imposed martial law in the capital.

If this gets out, it would really be considered as a case of him relying on his own strength and disregarding the grace of the emperor.

"More than that, the Jinyiwei was dispatched in three batches, going to eastern Zhejiang, Jiangnan, and arresting officials in the capital."

"Also, the Jinyiwei sent a message that Commander Jiang Li has gone to Jiangxiahou Mansion, and the third brother wants to take action against Zhou Dexing."

"Then according to the current situation, Xiao Mingwang's case has broken out."

Based on the current situation and the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said in a deep voice.

"Then this brat didn't even inform us in advance?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang finally breathed a sigh of relief, but was still angry.

"According to the news sent back by the Imperial Guards, the Third Brother went to the Marquis Chengyi's residence, stripped Master Liu of his title, and ordered the death of Master Liu's eldest son."

"After the Third Brother left Liu's house, the guards in Beijing sealed off the capital, and the Jinyiwei were dispatched in large numbers. Although they did not make it clear, they arrested people according to the book."

Zhu Biao said again.

"So what you mean is that the Third Brother got angry at Liu's house, which is why he took sudden action."

Zhu Yuanzhang also understood what Zhu Biao meant, and spoke.

"Ah."

"You old man, just sleep peacefully. The second son has already passed away. I believe it won't be long before the third son will enter the palace."

"After all, since they caused such a big mess, it's impossible for the Third Brother to hide it from us."

Zhu Biao nodded and spoke to comfort him.

"You should go there in person to put his mind at ease."

"After all, if the palace remains inactive, it won't be good for the Third Brother."

"At least we should make our attitude clear. We not only know what the Third Brother did, but we also approved of it."

"To avoid being caught by someone with ulterior motives and creating a lose-lose situation."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it and gave another order.

Now that the case of Xiao Ming Wang's death has come to light, there is nothing to hide.

But we cannot let Zhu Gang be put in a passive position. Even if we cannot save those officials, it will become a loophole for criticism by accusing Zhu Gang of privately mobilizing troops.

Therefore, there must be a foolproof plan, which is for Crown Prince Zhu Biao to go there in person and make his position clear, then no one would dare to make a fuss about this matter.

(End of this chapter)