"Your Majesty, the student is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and sincere to Your Majesty. To draw a conclusion based on this and judge the student to be a traitor is to make false accusations and to accuse the student unjustly!"
Wang Chengen turned himself into a second minister with just a few words. Chen Mingxia was shocked, but of course he would not admit it.
Especially when he was hanged in the end and his son was exiled, he would never believe this experience.
"Your Majesty, student Gu Yanwu has always known Chen Mingxia. Although this person is outspoken, he is by no means a person who helps the emperor to do evil, let alone make a secret move!"
Gu Yanwu also didn't believe that Chen Mingxia would be the second minister, especially after he surrendered twice. If possible, he would be willing to guarantee Chen Mingxia.
"Students second the motion!"
"Students second the motion!"
"Student seconded the motion..."
After Gu Yanwu opened his mouth to excuse Chen Mingxia, other scholars also chose to support Gu Yanwu's words. If they did not help each other, they would definitely be bullied by the emperor.
"Gu Yanwu?"
"Exactly the student!"
"I heard that you failed every time you tried?"
"……yes!"
Suddenly some people's mocking laughter rang out in the hall, which meant that this boy had no talent for studying. If he didn't come from a wealthy family, he was wasting his time and wasting his money and food.
"The book says that in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, your grandfather will die of illness. Two years later, you will donate money to become the imperial eunuch! According to what this heavenly book says, if you don't obey your grandfather, you will be unfilial. Now you have disobeyed the holy will. , that is disloyal. How can such an unfaithful and unfilial person be any better than Chen Mingxia? How can he have the shame to absolve Chen Mingxia of his guilt? I don’t want to punish you because you, when the Qing army went south, If you try your best to resist the enemy and lose your whole family for this, you can be regarded as a loyal and kind person of the Ming Dynasty! I am now granting you a pardon, so you can go home and observe your filial piety immediately. If the book of heaven is not accurate, it will not be too late to come to see you again at that time! My companion, for Its opening certificate for traveling!”
"yes!"
For those who resisted the Qing Dynasty, even if their opinions differed from his own, Chongzhen would more or less be lenient.
Both Gu Yanwu and Chen Zilong participated in the anti-Qing activities in the Jiangnan area, but the former did not die while the latter did. That was the difference.
"...student...thank you for your forgiveness!"
Based on this calculation, my grandfather still has two years to live, which is huge news for the Gu family.
Gu Yanwu thought quickly, and finally, under the pressure of great filial piety, chose to go home as soon as possible to serve his grandfather.
If you are unfilial first and then confront the emperor, you will really become an unfaithful and unfilial person.
As for why Chen Mingxia chose to surrender to the Qing Dynasty while he insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty, Gu Yanwu, who was twenty-six, could not figure it out for the time being.
But no matter when, where, or who participates, resisting the Qing Dynasty is the right thing to do after all, and surrendering to the Qing Dynasty will bear eternal infamy!
Since Gu Yanwu was returning home to fulfill his filial duty, the other people kneeling with him were naturally speechless.
It is impossible to even complain, otherwise you will be scolded by others.
"Xu Fuyuan!"
"Students are here!"
"I ask you, if five years later, the Donglu army enters the Pass, the north of the Huaihe River falls quickly, and the Donglu army immediately moves south, what will you do as a scholar?"
"Students must organize manpower to fight the enemy with all their strength, even if they are shattered to pieces. The population of our Ming Dynasty is a hundred times that of the Donglu. Even if the population is ten times that of the Donglu, the Donglu will not be able to defeat our Ming!"
"It's good to think about it, but the actual situation is that most of them surrender, and very few resist the enemy. If all the territory of Ming Dynasty is occupied by Donglu, what should you do?"
"Your Majesty, students are born as people of the Ming Dynasty and die as the soul of the Ming Dynasty! You will die for our Ming Dynasty, and you will be dead when you die. You will have no regrets or regrets!"
"That's very good, but now someone is trying to reduce my income for the Ming Dynasty, resulting in a sharp reduction in military expenditures. The king's army is short of money and food, and the soldiers are starving. They are unable to resist the invasion of the Eastern invaders, destroy our Ming Dynasty, and occupy our country. What should you do? "
"...Students...must find out the truth. If this is true, they will be incompatible with each other!"
Xu Fuyuan finally understood that the emperor had said a lot of things just because of this last sentence.
But at this point, it’s useless to retreat any further, so we must grit our teeth and move on.
Isn’t it said that Chongzhen is a foolish king?
How can the foolish king be so reasonable?
I don’t know which stupid pig provided such wrong information, causing everyone to make this fallacy!
Even though Xu Fu was more than ten years older than Emperor Chongzhen, he could not gain righteousness at this time, so he could only agree to it submissively.
"The prince has led his troops to defeat the 300,000-strong army of the chief Taiji in the northern capital. The good news has been sent to the southern capital. The imperial court is in urgent need of raising five million taels of silver for the northern imperial army to deploy troops next year. The merchants are desperately resisting. Paying taxes, using the words of some scholars, to denounce the imperial court's exploitation and seize the benefits of Min. Do these merchants want our Ming Dynasty to perish in order to seek refuge with the Eastern Han Dynasty? Can you be a second minister when you are an official, and you can be a second merchant when you are doing business? "
While the fighting is raging in the front, the rear is still struggling to hold back.
Now that the traitor has defeated Huang Taiji, Chongzhen can calm down and deal with these scum!
"...Student...Your Majesty! Did His Highness the Crown Prince really defeat 300,000 Dongpi?"
"Hmph! If I lie to you, what will I gain?"
“…Master Wang’s great victory is indeed a great blessing for the Ming Dynasty!”
Xu Fuyuan found it incredible that the prince could actually defeat the Donglu army that even Sun Chengzong and Lu Xiangsheng could not defeat.
He thought it was fake news, and believed that there was no need for Emperor Chongzhen to lie about the military situation, let alone use such news of defeat to deceive himself.
The 300,000-strong army was defeated by the prince. Is it possible that the prince really returned from a study tour in the fairy world as mentioned in the "Jingshi Daily"? Have you mastered many immortal arts?
Doesn’t that mean that from now on, the Ming Dynasty will no longer be afraid of the Eastern captives?
Can the Ming army turn defeat into victory and regain the lost territory in Liaodong?
"Of course it's very lucky, but the Northern Court has already spent a lot of money and food to defend the enemy this time, and it is in urgent need of support from the Southern Court. Now a group of scholars from the outside world are secretly helping the Donglu. If I regard you as deliberately aiding the enemy, it will destroy us. What do you think of the great Ming Dynasty?"
"...The students would not dare to do this to their death. As long as Master Wang can defeat the Donglu, the students are willing to go bankrupt to use their meager strength!"
No matter what others think of Master Wang, Xu Fuyuan feels that as long as he can win, he can sell the iron.
Even if they can't win, as long as Master Wang keeps fighting and won't take the initiative to beg Donglu for surrender.
The Ming Dynasty has been fighting Donglu for more than twenty years, and it is not afraid of fighting for another twenty years!
It took fifty years to finally regain the lost land in Liaodong and it was worth it!
"I didn't let you go bankrupt. I just want you to know that the profiteers you are shielding are all men with human faces and animal hearts! If Master Wang is defeated due to lack of pay, the country will be ruined and the family will be destroyed. Would you like to meet Gu Yanwu's family? The whole family was wiped out, and his mother was killed by the Donglu? Thousands of families in our Ming Dynasty suffered from this tragedy! The Donglu was the culprit, and those profiteers who evaded taxes were their accomplices! Shanxi merchants collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, Jiangnan Merchants evade taxes, which is equal to crime and harm! If you stand on the side of profiteers, you will be the enemy of Ming Dynasty!"
Chongzhen didn't know whether Gu Yanwu believed what was stated in the Book of Heaven, but as long as his grandfather died "on time", Gu Yanwu would have to believe what might happen next.
"Students dare not! Students swear loyalty to Your Majesty, swear loyalty to the court, swear loyalty to Ming Dynasty! Those who destroy our Ming Dynasty are like cutting off my head. I am willing to die calmly, and I do not want to see my Ming Dynasty die like this! Students are not talented, I would like to swear here that those who destroy our Ming Dynasty will be the old enemies of the students, and the students will not worship them! No matter whether they are Donglu, bandits, profiteers, or corrupt officials, students will treat them like this!"
Xu Fuyuan believes that his desire to serve the country is no worse than that of his classmates and friends. Even if others stand by and watch, he will regard it as his own responsibility.
He has never thought about becoming a second minister, let alone dared to think about it!
Regarding Donglu, as a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, you must rather die than surrender!
At a critical moment, it is best to throw yourself into the water to prevent the Donglu soldiers from catching you.
But since the prince has won the battle, Donglu will inevitably retreat. Does he not have to do this? ? ?
"Who among you knows the Lianghuai salt merchants?"
"...Your Majesty, student Chen Zhenhui knows a thing or two!"
"Are you Chen Zhenhui?"
"The student is none other than Chen Zhenhui!"
"Your Majesty, Chen Yuting, came from Donglin, and served as the censor of Zuodu. Comparatively, your Majesty is on par with Chen Zilong's father."
"Your Majesty is so complimentary!"
"Tell me how you know the Lianghuai salt merchants?"
"The student's ancestral home is Yixing, Nanzhili. Although he is not in Lianghuai, he is not far away. When my father was an official, salt merchants from Lianghuai came to give gifts more than once..."
Speaking of this, Chen Zhenhui suddenly felt something bad, as if she was betraying her father.
But judging from the conversations between Emperor Shicai and Chen Zilong, Gu Yanwu, Xu Fuyuan and others, it seems that he was not a foolish emperor.
Maybe she wouldn't care about my father's acceptance of the salt merchant's gift, but even if she did, Chen Zhenhui would be willing to admit it.
"Don't worry, I'm not a petty person. Since you are willing to tell me, I will let your respect go. I naturally know what the Lianghuai salt merchants are like, and I want to know whether you know it."
"The students don't know whether the salt merchants evade taxes. However, the students know that the salt merchants are indeed lavish and spend money like water. When buying Yangzhou thin horses, they will choose the top quality for a thousand taels of silver. From this point of view, the students do not dare to judge the various industries. Merchants are unprofitable, at least the Lianghuai salt merchants are not short of money, but rich in wealth!"
"Hmm~! Then why did you get involved and oppose the imperial court's increase in business taxes?"
"The students were confused before and were misled by Yao Yan."
Chen Zhenhui and Chen Zilong are both sons of officials, but they are not as fierce as Chen Zilong. Instead, after combining what they learned, they compared it repeatedly in their minds, and finally came to a conclusion that was more convincing to their hearts.
Since you think you are a loyal person, you must uphold justice. On the one hand, the salt merchants spent money like water, but on the other hand, they said they were unprofitable. This is clearly a deception, so why should I defend the salt merchant?
"It's okay to be taught with an open mind. I remember that you have not surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, so I will pardon you and you can go home immediately! 'Four Young Masters of Nandu', one of them surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and the other three went to seclusion!"
"Your Majesty, the students are so brave. I wonder who among the four will surrender?"
This is also an issue that other people are concerned about, but they are just not qualified to interrupt for the time being.
As we all know, the "Four Young Masters of Nandu" are Maoxiang, Chen Zhenhui, Fang Yizhi, and Hou Fangyu.
Who was it that shamelessly surrendered to Donglu? Everyone wanted to know immediately as if they were scratching their hearts.
"I want you to guess!"
"...Your Majesty, please forgive the students for their stupidity and incompetence!"
"Big companion, turn to Hou Fangyu's page, stand by the table, and let the scholars read it for themselves!"
"yes!"
What Wang Chengen said with his mouth was not as impactful as what the scholars saw with their own eyes. Civil servants and military generals all knew it, so there was no need to advertise it widely.
"..."
Seeing what Hou Fangyu did five years later, almost all the people kneeling on the ground were extremely shocked. Some even sat directly on the ground and began to act stupidly.
Not only surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, but also giving advice to the Donglu, suppressing the rebels, and killing millions of people. Is this still considered the work of the Ming Dynasty scholars?
"I know what you want to say, but I want to ask you, Youdao knows people, faces, but not hearts. Who can guarantee that Hou Fangyu will not be able to do such a shocking thing?"
"..."
When the group of people kneeling on the ground heard this, they were immediately speechless, because everyone kneeling on the ground knew something about this young master.
Please invite Hou Fangyu to enjoy the romantic life and change the cup. There is no problem in that.
But if Hou Fangyu abandons his family and career to fight against the Eastern invaders, I'm afraid...
"Hou Fangyu has done more than Chen Mingxia, and the two of them are in the same boat. There is a world of difference from the feats of Xu Fuyuan, Gu Yanwu and others. By the way, I just missed one person. Peng Bin! I also demoted him to the Qing Dynasty as an official! I want to Knowing that you have become a traitor and have been reviled, how can you really be so good as an official of the Qing Dynasty? How can you abandon etiquette, justice, integrity and shame!"
None of the "Four Young Masters of Nandu" resisted resolutely. They had to either hide or surrender.
If more people are surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, they will become the "Four Scums of Nandu"!
"Your Majesty, the students must not surrender to the Qing Dynasty. The students must fight to the end with the Donglu bandits!"
Suddenly hearing that he had become a traitor, Peng Bin was frightened out of his mind and hurriedly defended himself.
Once the emperor really treats him as a traitor, not to mention himself, even the whole family will have no way to survive.
"You will definitely feel unjust if I designate you as a second minister. But if you accept the benefits of a profiteer, you will be able to excuse him. And these profiteers are accomplices of Donglu. If you work for the accomplice, you will be as good as the second minister. !”
If you can't deal with it directly in the name of the second minister, you can deal with it in the name of colluding with profiteers.
No matter what, he must be punished to relieve his hatred.
"Students don't dare! Your Majesty clearly shows you..."
Peng Bin was even more frightened now, because the other minister had no evidence and only relied on the heavenly book. However, he did receive the benefits in private.
"I am not a foolish king, nor a tyrant. I must rely on real evidence to convict you. If you accepted the benefits of a profiteer, it will naturally be verified, and then the two crimes will be unified. If not, I will give him a lighter sentence, and the crime will not lead to death."
Being sent to mine would be a lenient sentence. Chongzhen planned to let these scum mine for the rest of their lives.
Since you have exonerated the profiteers, you must make up for the taxes evaded by the profiteers!
Calculated in this way, the court still suffered a lot.
It's best to get more ministers and send them all to mine!
"Your Majesty, Hou Xun has been captured, and his son Hou Fangyu is on the run!"
"No city gates in Nandu are allowed to be opened without my order, and those who disobey orders will be severely punished!"
As long as the city gate is not open and Hou Fangyu does not have the road certificate, he will be unable to fly and sooner or later he will be caught by the factory guards.
"Your Majesty, everyone knows that Hou Xun is an honest official..."
"I ask you, where did the silver used by Hou Fangyu Fenghuaxueyue come from?"
"this……"
Zhou Maoyuan was choked up immediately. He didn't dare to guarantee Hou Fangyu, he was just afraid of anything unexpected.
"I'm very curious. Since Hou Xun is an upright official, and his son Hou Fangyu lives a life of dissipation and extravagance, aren't the two contradictory?"
"..."
Zhou Maoyuan can't say that now, because the contrast between before and after is huge, and it does seem very contradictory.
Even if you have never thought about this issue before, you have to think about it now.
The origin of Hou Fangyu's money is unknown, which means that his father will not be much better.
The father doesn't accept the money, but pretends to be cool and lets his son collect it. Wouldn't the result be the same?
Hou Xun may not know that Hou Xun is an official in another place, but as an official in the southern capital, how can he not know Hou Fangyu's behavior and virtue?
Is the little money that Hou Fangyu receives from his monthly salary enough to spend all day long?
"I want to know, if Hou Xun didn't accept the money from the merchants, Hou Fangyu didn't accept it either. But Hou Fangyu was able to spend money like water. Did Hou Fangyu accept the money sent by Donglu?"
