Chapter 155 The ancients attached great importance to integrity, so if the king wanted his subjects to die, they could only thank the emperor for his grace.

"Your Highness, I know too many secrets. What do you think will be my fate in the future?"

In response to Zhu Gang's question, Mao Xiang asked back.

"According to your Majesty's temperament, you will not be able to escape death anyway."

Zhu Gang said without even thinking.

"Yeah, we're going to die anyway, so we might as well enjoy ourselves."

Mao Xiang smiled and nodded.

"So you colluded with Hu Weiyong just to enjoy yourself?"

Zhu Gang was not very satisfied with this answer, so he continued to ask: "Have you ever thought of resisting?"

"Your Highness, you are worrying too much. Your Majesty is so powerful, how dare I have such thoughts?"

"Moreover, I will not tell Hu Weiyong the truth, nor will I tell him that Your Majesty is going to take action against him."

"I can only help him solve some troublesome matters and the Jinyiwei in the mansion, but even this little bit of favor can be exchanged for endless wealth and glory."

"Prime Minister Hu is indeed generous and has offered a price that I cannot refuse, so I am willing to provide him with some information."

"But Prime Minister Hu must die, because this is the decision of His Majesty, and no one has the power to resist."

"That is what is called a mutually beneficial exchange. Prime Minister Hu gives me what I want, and I give Prime Minister Hu the information he wants."

"Besides this, the only one who took action was Xue Wenzhi."

"Besides, it is a price that I cannot refuse. 50,000 strings of Ming Dynasty treasure notes, just to buy it without my knowledge. I am afraid of poverty, so of course I am willing."

"Your Highness should know by now that Xue Wenzhi has met Prime Minister Hu, but this piece of news has been concealed by this humble official."

Mao Xiang shook his head slightly and said.

Revolt?

You might as well be frank and just rebel against Zhu Yuanzhang.

Mao Xiang didn't know whether others had this idea, but he was frightened when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang. How could he possibly rebel?

This is no longer overestimating one's own capabilities, but rather a case of throwing an egg against a rock.

It's like Zhu Yuanzhang, who was still begging, suddenly declared war on the Yuan Dynasty at its peak. Isn't this courting death?
So from the very beginning, Mao Xiang just wanted to make some extra money. After all, the salary given by Zhu Yuanzhang was so high that even a dog would shake his head.

"You really haven't thought about it?"

Zhu Gang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your Highness, I will speak frankly."

"I, Mao Xiang, am not afraid of death, because from the beginning, I was destined to die."

"From the day I became a censor, and the day I was valued by His Majesty, I already knew my fate."

"But what kind of a man is Your Majesty?"

"A cowherd boy founded the Ming Dynasty step by step. How domineering is this?"

"Who dares to rebel?"

"So I just want to enjoy myself before I die. I want to be a romantic ghost and a rich ghost when I die."

"After all, the salary given by His Majesty is not enough to afford a few drinks."

"But I don't want to die so soon, because I haven't enjoyed myself enough. Only when others die can I feel at ease."

"And even if you don't find out, after a few years, when Hu Weiyong is removed, I will be of no value."

"I will definitely be a scapegoat by then. After all, Hu Weiyong is too involved to be involved in this matter. I dare not go along with him and can only provide some obscure information."

"The number of officials who died because of Hu Weiyong, or the people who were implicated, must be tens of thousands. If we want to quell the turmoil and unrest in the court, someone must stand up. There should be no one else who can be that person except me."

"So I live a clear life. There is nothing to be afraid of when dying. A man will die anyway. The only difference is whether he dies early or late."

"And when that day comes, I will confess to Your Majesty and only ask for an intact body and not die in too much pain."

"After all, I have used so many tortures. I really can't bear these punishments inflicted on me."

Mao Xiang simply sat cross-legged on the ground and smiled very freely.

Mao Xiang was loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang.

But there is greed too.

But Mao Xiang is smart enough and won't be too clever for his own good.

Rebellion, it is impossible to rebel.

Because no one could defeat Zhu Yuanzhang. Even someone as strong as Chen Youliang was still defeated, right?
Therefore, in the eyes of that person, the officials in this world are always divided into only three categories.

One type is those who are worried but do not want to move because of friendship.

One type is people who are valuable and can be reused.

As for the remaining category, they are people who are valuable and can be used, but must die.

Obviously, both Mao Xiang and Hu Weiyong belong to the third category.

“It’s really a transparent life.”

"I didn't leak any secrets of the imperial court. Hu Weiyong was just a means for you to make money."

"On this point, you are smarter than Hu Weiyong."

"He thought he was using you, but he didn't know that you were not afraid of death at all."

"Because you have sentenced yourself to death, so how can you be afraid?"

"Thinking about it carefully, Hu Weiyong is really pathetic. Not only did he never win, but he also lost miserably."

"Even the chess pieces that I think I have in my hands are just my own thoughts. Interesting, interesting, really interesting."

"You are truly a rare talent. Even I am reluctant to kill you."

Facing this wonder in front of him, Zhu Gang clapped his hands lightly and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Even Zhu Chong, who was standing by, had a look of helplessness in his eyes.

When a man is about to die, his words are good, but you can't be so good, right?

And they could clearly feel that Mao Xiang was not lying.

This is outrageous!
After all, this kind of weird thing is rare.

Think about it, knowing that he was going to die, the only difference was whether he died early or late, he never thought about saving his own life at all, because he knew Zhu Yuanzhang too well, so he understood that he could not save his own life.

But the salary given by the court was not enough to support his life of drinking and prostitution, so this guy colluded with Hu Weiyong directly, and then leaked some information in exchange for a huge reward.

Wow, this wave of operations is so awesome that there are so many people showing off.

For a moment, even Zhu Gang didn't know how to deal with this clown in front of him. Even his original intention to kill someone was wiped out by this clown.

how to say?

This is a talented person, and he can be considered an alternative kind of loyalist and patriotic. After all, people who never resist until death just want to enjoy themselves?

How can you say he is not loyal to the emperor and patriotic?
But it is also true that he committed corruption, accepted bribes and leaked information.

But most of this news is irrelevant.

To the greatest extent, it was Xue Wenzhi who was responsible, and Mao Xiang did not do it personally, he just concealed the news.

So how should we deal with this funny guy? Zhu Gang was also a little amused.

"So, Your Highness, please give me a quick and painless death, and don't let me suffer too much."

"Every word I said is true. No matter how you check, this is all the information you can find."

"What a pity, I haven't been to Yihong Courtyard enough, and I haven't found a wife, let alone a son." Mao Xiang complained casually, but he didn't care too much and continued to speak in a nonchalant manner.

At this moment, Mao Xiang felt very happy. At least he didn't have to hide anything anymore, and his guilt was not so strong anymore.

To be honest, compared to those corrupt scholars and intellectuals who were dirty and filthy behind the scenes, although Mao Xiang was greedy, he would not slander Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even until the moment of his death, Mao Xiang never said a word of slander, but was willing to die.

"Are you willing to die?"

The corner of Zhu Gang's mouth twitched slightly, and he asked again.

"Your Highness, look at what you said, who can be willing to accept it?"

“Who doesn’t want to live?”

"Who wants to die in vain?"

"Isn't it that if the king wants his subjects to die, the subjects have to die?"

"I have done so many dirty things and killed so many people. Do you believe that Your Majesty will let me go?"

"Oh, and I, Mao Xiang, have been deeply favored by the Emperor, and His Majesty has treated me well, so even though I am unwilling to die, I will still thank Him for His Majesty's grace."

Mao Xiang raised his hands above his head and bowed solemnly.

The ancients always attached great importance to integrity, especially Zhu Yuanzhang, who was very kind to Mao Xiang. Even if the king wanted his subject to die, he had no regrets.

"You're making it difficult for me like this?"

"Can't you be a little more selfish?"

"Can't you be afraid of death?"

Looking at Mao Xiang, whose face was full of loyalty to the emperor, Zhu Gang felt a little helpless, but he still endured it and only complained a few words in his heart.

"Did Hu Weiyong ask you anything else?"

Afterwards, Zhu Gang adjusted his mentality and asked again.

"I asked him if the court had any action. I told him that everything was fine and he should do his job well for the court."

Mao Xiang thought about it and blurted out.

"What action?"

Zhu Gang frowned slightly and asked, "Did Hu Weiyong notice something?"

"It's not that he didn't notice it. Even Hu Weiyong himself felt that the court was too peaceful. It was so peaceful that it felt weird to him, as if something big was about to happen."

"So he came to me, but I really didn't know anything, so I told him that everything was fine. Even if there was any action, it was aimed at others, not him. Then I told him to do his job with peace of mind and not to think too much."

Mao Xiang thought about it again before looking at Zhu Gang and said.

"The court has been a little too quiet lately. It does seem a little weird."

Zhu Gang nodded thoughtfully, then turned to look at Jiang Lin and said, "Send someone to tell the Jinyiwei about the commotion in Zhejiang East. Make it bigger, and it would be best if it reaches Hu Weiyong, so that Hu Weiyong knows that the court is investigating the death of the Little Ming King."

"As ordered."

Jiang Li clasped his fists heavily.

"You want to use this to appease Hu Weiyong?"

Zhu Chong raised his head and asked.

"He will know sooner or later. It's just a matter of time."

"But rather than letting him feel uneasy, it is better to calm him down and let him do his job well without any unexpected changes."

"After all, the court is short of silver. I also want to issue a second set of Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes, which will require more reserve gold and silver to prevent the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes from depreciating."

"So the faster he moves, the richer the court will be."

Zhu Gang nodded.

The Ming Baochao now corresponds to the silver standard, but the Ming Dynasty's current silver reserves have already reached saturation.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty’s treasure notes could definitely not be issued again, and if they wanted to issue them again, they had to expand their gold and silver reserves.

At the same time, the second transformation was initiated, and the Ming Dynasty treasure notes were further expanded.

After all, at this stage, the people have already recognized the Ming Treasure Notes, and there is very little gold, silver and copper circulating in the market, which proves that the value of the Ming Treasure Notes is far more than that.

"I understand what you mean. I will also send someone to tell my cousin to keep an eye on the accounts."

"This time, even if Hu Weiyong wants to make some moves, he has to ask my eldest cousin whether he agrees."

Zhu Chong also nodded with a smile.

"Mao Xiang, from now on your salary will be raised to 2,000 strings of banknotes. As for the proceeds from corruption, all of them will be confiscated. Don't even think about keeping a single cent."

"And the death penalty can be avoided, but the punishment of life imprisonment cannot be avoided. The punishment is as heavy as fifty strokes of the cane to serve as a warning to others."

"You will be allowed to make meritorious contributions despite your crimes, and all the secrets of the Imperial Guard will be released to you, but there is one condition: you must keep Hu Weiyong and his followers stable."

"Don't let them realize that the court will take action against them. After all, the court still needs these people for the time being, so they can't die."

Zhu Gang turned around again, kicked Mao Xiang hard, and left the Zhenfu Division without looking back.

This incident made Mao Xiang a little confused?
"Don't kill me?"

Mao Xiang was somewhat incredulous.

He committed an unforgivable crime, so he was given fifty lashes? As a punishment?
Stop making trouble!

Not to mention that Mao Xiang didn't believe it, even Jiang Li didn't dare to believe it. Is this still their decisive and ruthless Prince of Jin?

Such a serious sin, can it be forgiven just like that?
Could it be that he wanted to kill Mao Xiang?

Tsk tsk, Mao Xiang is really miserable!
Even if you die, you will suffer inhuman torture. If you continue to use it, won’t you still die after it is used up?
"If you really want to die?"

"I can actually satisfy you. After all, even if you die, the news won't get out."

"Hu Weiyong will not notice anything. After all, he is not in the capital, and you are not his. He cannot control you at all."

"As for his minions, they are probably not qualified to talk to you directly."

As a biological brother, Zhu Chong certainly understood Zhu Gang, so he spoke with a smile.

"Your humble servant, I just can't believe it."

Mao Xiang was stuttering at this time, and his eyes were still full of disbelief.

"You are still a member of the Imperial Guard. Life and death are only a matter of a thought."

"The power may seem great, but the one at the helm of the Jinyiwei is me."

"So even if you have second thoughts, it won't cause any waves."

"As for why King Jin let you off the hook, it's more interesting to keep you alive than to kill you, such a living treasure."

"Do your job well for the court in the future. As long as you don't break the law, you won't die, and no one will use you as a scapegoat."

"Your Majesty is no exception, so I am being lenient today."

“To put it bluntly, you are also a meritorious official, and you also know the limits, so I was able to save your life. Otherwise, you would have died today.”

"So you saved yourself. Go down and accept your punishment."

Zhu Chong didn't want to explain at first, but he was afraid that Mao Xiang would do something bad, so he explained patiently.

This made Mao Xiang suddenly realize something, and his body softened. He didn't want to try this feeling of escaping death a second time.

In fact, Zhu Chong did not explain the straightforward meaning, which is that from beginning to end, Mao Xiang could not influence the overall situation. He was still a controllable chess piece in his hands. Life or death was all Mao Xiang's own fate.

This is also to set a good example for the Jinyiwei, and to let the Jinyiwei understand that they have never been scapegoats. As long as they focus on handling cases for the court and do their own jobs well, the court will not let them down, and neither will His Majesty.

(End of this chapter)