Chapter 87: Be honest with me! I will serve you with sincerity!
Fengtian Temple.

"I will pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"Long live your Majesty, long live, long live your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, and all the civil and military officials hurriedly leaned over, their voices like a loud bell, shaking the Fengtian Hall.

"Flat body."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand calmly, and the ministers thanked him and stood up.

"Your Majesty! I would like to report to the nobles of Huaixi!"

At that time, Hu Weiyong stepped out of the queue and bowed to make a report.

After these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked!
But the Huaixi nobles, who had already been reprimanded in the imperial study, did not take it seriously. After all, they knew what was going on.

And Hu Weiyong is just a puppet pushed forward by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, in order to clean up the mess for the Huaixi nobles, so there is no need to care about him at all.

But compared with the Huaixi nobles, the Censorate and other ministers all frowned, completely unable to understand Hu Weiyong's actions.

He had previously offended the Jiangnan civil service group, and he himself had grievances with the gentlemen in eastern Zhejiang. Now he had offended his own backers, the Huaixi meritorious officials?
What on earth is Hu Weiyong thinking?
Do you want to be a lone minister?
Even Tu Jie and Chen Ning, who were in Hu Weiyong's party, looked at Hu Weiyong who had stepped out of the line with some confusion.

Lone minister.

He was isolated and helpless in the court, had no power behind him, and had to rely entirely on his own power, or the imperial power.

But Hu Weiyong was the right prime minister, the head of the Secretariat, and the most powerful minister among all the officials.

With such pinnacle power, if one were to be a lone minister, who could check and balance the imperial power?
And this doesn’t fit Hu Weiyong’s character, right?
What do you mean?
Chen Ning and Tu Jie still remember clearly the words that Hu Weiyong often said.

The struggle between imperial power and prime ministerial power has never stopped since ancient times, and the struggle between the emperor and his ministers in the Ming Dynasty reached its peak.

why?
Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, I am originally a commoner from Huaiyou, what can the world do for me?

This is enough to show that both the imperial power and the prime minister's power have reached their peak.

So why did Hu Weiyong retreat?

"Ok?"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand gently, and Wang Jinghong beside him shouted loudly: "Play!"

"Your Majesty, I have ordered people to conduct a secret investigation, and there is indeed evidence that some nobles used their power to conceal their land and underreport the number of acres of land during the land inventory in an attempt to evade taxes."

"Even worse, some even embezzled the food and money that should have been handed over to the state treasury. Such behavior not only harmed the interests of the court, but also increased the burden on the people, causing widespread complaints."

Hu Weiyong bowed even deeper and replied in a loud voice.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bolt from the blue, shaking the entire Fengtian Hall. Many ministers among the civil servants in Jiangnan and the gentlemen in Zhejiang East turned pale instantly. Their reaction was even more intense than Zhu Yuanzhang's.

Regardless of whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang sitting on the dragon throne above, or Zhu Biao and Zhu Gang below, they all looked at the scene in front of them coldly, with a sneer in their hearts.

Naturally, the changes in the civil servants in Jiangnan and the gentlemen in Zhejiang East did not escape their eyes, and now it seems that the dirty deeds hidden in them are even worse than they imagined.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly turned pale, and his anger spread even more. He then suddenly stood up, waved his sleeves, and the jade seal on the table jumped with a heavy sound.

"Prime Minister Hu."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Hu Weiyong coldly and said, "Tell us, who is involved in this?"

His voice was deep and powerful, and when he finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze, as if it was heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Start your Majesty."

"According to my investigation, there are many other marquises, including Lu Zhongheng, Marquis of Ji'an, Gu Shi, Marquis of Jining, Zhu Liangzu, Marquis of Yongjia, Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, and Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongchang."

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, who looked sullen, Hu Weiyong stepped forward calmly, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, reporting one by one in a clear voice: "They were all involved in the land survey, either directly involved or knowingly concealed it. Their situation is terrible and has far-reaching consequences."

"Guo Xing."

In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was fixed on Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongchang.

"Reporting to the Supreme"

Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongchang, took a deep breath and was about to speak when his body suddenly stiffened, as if he felt the chilling power of the emperor. Even the movement of raising his head became extremely difficult and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice had penetrated the palace like ice, and every word was as hard as iron, interrupting him without question: "Your Majesty!"

These three words exploded in the Fengtian Hall like thunder, not only shaking the body of Gongchang Hou Guo Xing, but also making all the Huaixi nobles present feel as if they were struck by lightning. Their hearts were shocked, and disbelief and deep horror suddenly filled their eyes!
Since the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, they have followed Zhu Yuanzhang until today. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are "brothers in life and death". Therefore, apart from the grand court meetings, even in the morning court meetings, they sometimes call Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty!"

Rather than: Your Majesty!
Because this is the supreme honor that belongs exclusively to the nobles of Huaixi, and even Mr. Liu Ji and Liu Bowen of Qingtian never shouted "ascension" throughout their entire lives!
But today, Zhu Yuanzhang actually asked them to call him: Your Majesty!
It is obvious that Zhu Yuanzhang's anger is evident today, so why is he still scolding them in the imperial study?

Suddenly, many Huaixi nobles who were involved in the incident were shocked again!
Scolding is scolding, saving your life is saving your life!
However, the case involved such a wide range of issues that even Zhu Yuanzhang could not protect Huaixi during his reign, and Zhu Yuanzhang also had to give an explanation to the court and the people of the world!
Therefore, if the Huaixi nobles are not killed today, they will have to be skinned alive before this case can be truly solved. After all, they still have a trump card in their hands that can be used to save their lives.

What the hell are you thinking about? Kneel down now!

Then, all the meritorious officials whose names Hu Weiyong called out knelt down and kowtowed, not even daring to look at Zhu Yuanzhang.

The expressions of the Jiangnan civil service group and some of the teachers in eastern Zhejiang who were watching this scene were like adding insult to injury.

Judging from the situation, Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to severely punish Huaixi, and if this was the case for the meritorious officials, how should they, the civil officials who had not made any outstanding contributions, deal with themselves?
After all, with their intelligence, it is not difficult to see that once the matter of land survey was exposed, the court would definitely survey the land again, and in a more stringent manner.

Wouldn't it be more disadvantageous to them if the punishment on Huaixi was heavier?
After much deliberation, this group of ministers with different thoughts suddenly had the same idea at the same time, that is, pleading for Huaixi was equivalent to pleading for themselves.

"hehe."

Zhu Gang patted Zhu Chong's shoulder gently, with a meaningful sneer on his lips.

"Ah."

Zhu Chong nodded slightly, with a cold look in his eyes.

How could they not see what these bastards were thinking?
Huaixi must be punished!
However, they have made contributions to the country and have the iron certificate of immunity from death. They can be exempted from the death penalty but cannot escape living punishment. Moreover, the company can take advantage of the situation to take back the iron certificate of immunity from death of these convicted meritorious officials, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

As for these civil servants in the south of the Yangtze River, they have done nothing for the country and are ministers who are parasitic on the country, so their death is not a pity.

But this knife can only be used to a certain extent, and the killing cannot be excessive, otherwise the country will be unstable.

At least we can't give people an excuse to say that the nobles in Huaixi who broke the law can be pardoned, but the literati in the south of the Yangtze River and the gentlemen in eastern Zhejiang who broke the law should be implicated?
That would inevitably lead to verbal criticism from scholars and literati, and the current Ming Dynasty could not afford it.

Therefore, the main purpose is to destroy the reputation of Jiangnan and Zhejiang East, so that the scholars and talents of the world, and even the common people, can understand how filthy the private conduct of these self-proclaimed noble and incorruptible scholars is.

He took advantage of the situation to implement the system of equalizing the land tax, and required officials and gentry to pay taxes together, thus reducing taxes for the people of the world and gaining a lot of reputation.

Let the people of the world understand that although there was a river of blood in the Fengtian Palace, the Ming Dynasty was prospering!

"Reporting to your majesty, all the officials kneeling in the queue are involved in this case without exception. They have not covered up anything at all. Your majesty, please punish them!"

Afterwards, Gongchang Marquis Guo Xing took a deep breath and then knelt down and kowtowed.

As soon as Guo Xing finished speaking, the nobles behind him all leaned forward, kowtowed, and said in a deep voice: "This old minister pleads guilty, and is willing to receive your majesty's judgment to calm the people, stabilize the country, and rectify the government!"

As soon as the words fell, the ministers took a deep breath, and a hint of stupidity flashed in their eyes.

Brother, Hu Weiyong said what Hu Weiyong said, you can say what you said? Are you really not going to defend yourself at all?
Aren't you usually quite arrogant and domineering? Why are you so weak today?

And they are all so stupid? Just plead guilty? How can we plead for mercy?

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became even more gloomy, and his eyes were as sharp as a blade as he looked at the kneeling officials of Huaixi.

"You guys, do you still remember why you followed me to rise up against the tyrannical Yuan?"

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke softly.

"Your Majesty, I can't survive and I don't have enough food to eat."

Hearing this, all the nobles trembled again, and Guo Xing took the lead and kowtowed.

Why did they rise up against the tyrannical Yuan Dynasty?
If you don't have enough food, you can't survive. These two points are enough.

"Yes. If people can have enough food to eat, if they can survive, if there are no heavy taxes, how can there be a Zhu Yuanzhang in this world?"

As he spoke, a hint of sadness flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes again.

The bleak tone in his words was like an autumn breeze blowing through the air, adding a bit of chill to the already heavy and dry atmosphere.

"In the early years of the founding of the country, you occupied the people's land, and we forgave you."

"Because you have made great contributions to the country, you will not care about life or death and follow me to conquer the world and establish the Ming Dynasty."

"But today, how can you ask me to forgive you?"

"Where do you place the Great Ming Law! Where do you place us?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were suddenly filled with complex emotions, including anger at his son's lack of fighting spirit, and also a hint of reluctance to forgive his old relationship. He sighed and waved his hand.

In this regard, the Huaixi nobles involved in the case and the ministers who had suffered hardships all had mixed feelings.

They lowered their heads, their cheeks burning, and what surged in their hearts was not only fear, but more of an indescribable shame.

Once upon a time, they shared weal and woe with Zhu Yuanzhang, but now, due to their own selfishness, they have put Zhu Yuanzhang into such a dilemma. They are really ashamed of their former comrades and the emperor's grace.

For a moment, this shame was like a heavy stone pressing on the chest, making it difficult for every noble present to breathe, and even the atmosphere was so heavy that it froze.

Let’s put it this way, if Zhu Yuanzhang’s sigh alone is not enough to win back these Huaixi nobles, then they are really not worthy of being called brothers by Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty, please punish me!"

After a while, the Huaixi nobles clenched their fists again, and then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said in a deep voice: "Don't embarrass Your Majesty. This is our own fault. We are willing to die to thank God for our sins and to rectify the government!"

Are the Huaixi nobles afraid of death?
Don't be afraid!
Having spent half my life in the military, why fear death?
But in the face of this friendship, as long as Zhu Yuanzhang still remembers it and can still be in a dilemma, then it is enough for them!

You are frank with me, and I will serve you with sincerity.
So they must not put Zhu Yuanzhang in a dilemma no matter what!
In this case, the ruler and his subjects are open and honest, so why should they fear death?
Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes again, and he seemed to have lost all his strength. He could not even sit still, and it was obvious that he did not want to severely punish the Huaixi ministers.

"Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"

However, in response to this, the meritorious officials involved in the case kowtowed in unison.

"you."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with reluctance, but he sighed and said, "Issue an order to deprive the meritorious officials involved in the case of their titles and hand them over to the three courts and the Jinyiwei for a joint investigation. Find out the root cause and punish them according to the law."

As soon as these words were spoken, Huaixi closed his eyes and sighed, his face full of regret, and the ministers were even more shocked!

Could Zhu Yuanzhang really have the heart to deal with the Huaixi nobles?

After all, the crime of concealing the land is equivalent to undermining the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and eroding the lifeblood of the country. According to the law, although it has not been stated, it can only be a death penalty, which is unforgivable.

"Your Majesty, considering the past merits of the ministers, who fought hard for the Ming Dynasty, and made great contributions, we beg Your Majesty to be merciful and give them a chance to repent."

The Minister of Revenue, Qie Si, stepped forward first and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was taking action, and pleaded for the nobles of Huaixi.

"Your Majesty, I am not trying to excuse corruption, but to govern the country, you should use both leniency and severity. The meritorious officials who sacrificed their lives for the country in the past must have made great contributions."

"So I beg Your Majesty to give a lenient punishment, rather than rushing to deprive him of his title, so as not to discourage the meritorious officials and shake the foundation of the country."

Imperial Censor Chen Ning followed closely, took a few steps forward, bowed, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the meritorious minister has committed a crime, and the punishment is appropriate, but we also remember his past merits. Rather than cutting him off, it is better to guide him to the right path. I hope Your Majesty will grant him a chance to turn things around, and show him grace and power to stabilize the country and win the hearts of the people."

The Minister of War, Shan Anren, walked forward slowly, performed the salute, and bowed in a gentle tone.

Upon seeing this, other ministers also agreed, some knelt down or bowed their heads. In the Fengtian Hall, there was a chorus of requests for forgiveness for Huaixi.

"Crown Prince, Prince Jin, what do you think?"

However, in the face of many ministers' pleas, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned to Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao.

"Your Majesty, if there is no punishment, it will not be enough to rectify the government."

"But right and wrong, merit and demerit, how can we confuse them? That is why I ask for your approval to punish them severely. Not killing them is not enough to appease the people's anger! Not killing them is not enough to shock the world!"

Zhu Gang took the lead and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, then he bowed and said coldly: "Furthermore, I would like to ask for your permission to re-inspect the land area of ​​the whole country!"

His words revealed a cruel and ruthless tone!
When the court officials heard this, they took another breath of cold air and were horrified!

　"Cultivating Immortality for a Long Life: Start from Managing the Marketplace!" is a novel idea. You can get rewards by killing enemies, and you can also get rewards by discovering female cultivators who are sparring in bed. At the beginning, the former wife of the market owner is pushed, and there is a happy +1 three-person tour later. The protagonist kills decisively, and the plot is full of excitement.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)