Chongzhen was a little embarrassed about how to punish these nominal ministers. After all, punishing these people severely based only on the contents stated in the heavenly book would very likely lead to boiling resentment.
People are always willing to accept good things that are based on rumors, but on the contrary, they are not so willing to believe them, especially things that may make them lose their heads.
Chongzhen racked his brains to think about how to cut off these scum and avoid damaging his reputation at the same time, and then went to bed at the urging of Concubine Tian.
Since there was no need to go to court the next day, he could sleep in. However, as the revenge had not yet been avenged, Chongzhen, who was worried, did not have much intention to sleep in.
Jiangnan Shilin, headed by Dong Lin, resisted commercial taxes for many years, forcing the imperial court to impose three taxes to meet the urgent needs of border affairs, and also forced a large number of Liangmin to rebel.
If the traitor hadn't given him this heavenly book, Chongzhen would still have thought that Dong Lin and other gangs were just colluding with merchants and would not surrender to the enemy and betray the country or do such shameless things.
Now that everything has come to light, even if these gangs only colluded with merchants, it is an unforgivable crime, because it is very likely that the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed by the Donglu due to lack of tax money.
During the court meeting, they openly opposed the increase in commercial taxes. You can imagine how arrogant and rampant this group of people would be in private, and it is probably not uncommon for them to curse themselves.
Although the hidden worries of the various ministries stationed in Nandu have now been eliminated, they are still unable to gain a firm foothold. These thieves just want to take advantage of their unsteady footing to attack themselves.
Chongzhen knew that he should strike while the iron was hot and keep working hard, but when it came to the specific methods to use to achieve the desired results, Chongzhen was a little embarrassed.
If that traitor is here...
That treacherous son is full of tricks, and he must have a more vicious plan than the traitor!
There is a traitor in the north!
There's a thief around!
Chongzhen really felt that he was born at the wrong time. What a miserable life it was!
When the emperor's brother was still alive, there was still Wei Zhongxian who helped the emperor's brother solve his problems. When it was his turn to govern the world, it became so bleak.
Alas!
etc!
Didn't the traitor give himself a booklet?
By the way, there’s another tip!
Um!
There must be a more insidious and sinister plot of the treacherous son hidden in the brocade bag!
That's for sure!
I was angry with that traitor before, but I never looked at it. Now it's time to put it to use.
If the tips are ineffective against the traitor, you must ridicule the traitor in the letter!
The booklet and the tips bag were always with him. They were carefully guarded and no one was allowed to read them.
There are countless top secrets hidden here. How can they be coveted or even peeked into by others?
Thinking of this, Chongzhen immediately took out his kit and couldn't wait to open it to take a look.
"...Hiss...that's it!"
After finding the part about dealing with thieves, Chongzhen hurriedly browsed through it.
After understanding the meaning expressed by the Nizi, Chongzhen couldn't help but admire him, and then "taught" Nizi from afar!
The treacherous son is indeed extremely cunning, and he is the natural enemy of the thief!
Even if the thieves refused to admit their guilt, they would never have imagined that they had the clever plan in their hands.
Specifically used to deal with these stubborn and ungrateful traitors!
Although it may seem a bit eclectic, as long as it works when implemented.
As long as these rebellious officials and traitors can be dealt with, Chongzhen can now consider some effective methods!
After that, Chongzhen reconsidered the actual situation and felt that this method was feasible, so he summoned the first assistant Qu Shichun, the second assistant Gao Hongtu, the Minister of Punishment Fu Guan, the imperial censor of Zuodu Chen Tailai, and the minister of Dali Temple. Be virtuous.
These five people are enough, but there is no need to expand the scope of the discussion on the trial of the suspect in custody. It will not only waste time, but also leak confidentiality.
Before issuing a formal order, it is necessary to communicate with the two important ministers of the cabinet and inform the chief officer of the Three Law Department at the same time, so that everyone will not be in a hurry and fail to understand the holy intention.
Chongzhen could not show these people what he had in his bag, so he personally drafted a proposal for the trial of the suspect.
This can be regarded as a method I came up with. At the same time, I want to test everyone here's attitude towards this strategy.
Qu Shiqi's first reaction after reading the content was that he was a little surprised. The above-mentioned strategy can be said to be extremely novel.
Could it be that His Majesty came up with this?
Could it be the prince's doing?
But can the prince predict what will happen in Nandu from thousands of miles away?
If there is real immortal power, maybe it can be done!
Qu Shishu did not express his position directly, but after reading it, he gave it to Gao Hongtu.
Lao Gaotou now calls himself "the second most loyal man in the Ming Dynasty"!
Although this "Ming Dynasty's Second Loyalty" was donated through donations...
Gao Hongtu has lived a long life, so naturally he is not a fool from the countryside.
After seeing the above content, I understood the reason for Qu Shiqi's expression of surprise and confusion before.
Rather than saying that His Majesty had thought it over, he preferred to believe that the one from the north had revealed it to his father in advance.
The resumes of the ministers and many scholars came from the Heavenly Book, which was given to the emperor by the prince.
The prince knew about the virtues of Dong Lin and the merchants, but was worried that his father would continue to be bullied after he moved to the southern capital.
More importantly, if the scholars and merchants cannot be suppressed, it will directly affect the huge amount of money and food supplied to Beiting every year.
Therefore, he must take precautions and come up with a way for his father to deal with his ministers, scholars, and merchants.
If you think about it this way, everything makes more sense, and it should be so.
"What do you dear ladies think?"
After the next three people had finished reading, Chongzhen asked.
"Your Majesty is wise, this law is very reasonable and demonstrates your Majesty's fairness and magnanimity. I have no objection!"
Gao Hongtu spoke first to express his position. This was the emperor's intention, and most likely the prince's intention. He was not stupid, so how could he offend both parties?
"I agree with what the Second Assistant said and have no objections!"
The Ministry of Punishment only detains prisoners, and Fu Guan, the Minister of Punishment, only cooperates with the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Dali Temple in the trial of the case, so he will not speak out against it.
"Your Majesty, I believe that if this law is implemented, it can greatly simplify the case trial process and reduce the time required. It is an excellent strategy!"
Chengde, the minister of Dali Temple, is very in favor of this method. Otherwise, even if there is a joint trial of the three law divisions, so many suspects will have to tire them out.
"I have no objection. The terms of this law are clear and the classification is clear. I think it is very appropriate!"
By doing this, the emperor was helping to lighten his burden, and Chen Tailai, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, also strongly agreed.
"...I have no objection!"
The other four people expressed their opinions one after another, and Qu Shiqi, as the first assistant, had no choice but to follow the crowd.
At first glance, this strategy seems fair, but after thinking about it carefully, I feel that there is a mystery inside.
Can Your Majesty come up with such a simple and easy-to-understand yet powerful strategy?
Qu Shishu didn't quite believe it, and began to suspect that the emperor had an expert's guidance behind his back.
If so, who could this person be?
After thinking about it, the chamberlain probably didn't have the brains.
Jisuke's idea?
maybe!
A name flashed through Qu Shiqi's mind, and even he found it a bit incredible.
But when I think about it again, it seems that it is reasonable and reasonable for this person to offer advice.
"In this case, the three judges can use the policy to try the case! There is no need to use torture in the whole process. I want to convince people with reason this time!"
"yes!"
Chen Tailai and Cheng De looked at each other in private and thought to themselves: What a man who convinces people with reason!
This is obviously a big pit, just waiting for the suspect to jump in!
It is not known whether the strategy proposed by the traitor was clever or not, but no one objected to it, which made Chongzhen very happy.
If the ministers didn't agree, Chongzhen planned to let them offer suggestions. He probably wouldn't be able to come up with a good way to punish these suspects.
In contrast, the traitor's strategy is undoubtedly the best one can think of at the moment.
Simple, efficient, feasible, and able to preserve the emperor's reputation to the greatest extent!
Since there is no need for torture, whether the suspect agrees to the content of the plan is entirely up to his own free will!
After this method was implemented, Chongzhen wanted to see who would dare to go against him in the entire Jiangnan area!
The next day, the suspect was tried in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. On the first day, all important prisoners were tried, such as Qian Qianyi, who was given the title of "Second Minister" and others.
Because he was the head of the Hanlin Academy before, and he was the leader of Donglin. In addition, Chongzhen had specifically told these people to give these people a chair to sit on. As a sign of sufficient respect, Qian Qianyi enjoyed this extraordinary treatment.
"Qian Qianyi, I want to ask you, when you were entertaining others at home, did you know that Beiting was besieged and the prince led the army to defend against the enemy?"
Chen Tailai, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, was the chief official in the trial of these important criminals. The two deputy officials were Chengde, the minister of Dali Temple, and Fu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of punishment. The first assistant Qu Shishu and the second assistant Gao Hongtu were in attendance.
"...I know!"
Qian Qianyi didn't expect to answer this kind of question right away. He thought the other party had bad intentions and was obviously trying to take advantage of his previous banquet.
But he didn't know. The siege of Beidu had been in the newspapers for a long time. He was obviously telling lies. Such testimony was very detrimental to him.
If you say you know, but you are worried that Chen Tailai will keep pressing on you, the situation will become more and more passive, which will be difficult to deal with.
In his heart, Qian Qianyi planned to plead guilty, as long as he could save his life.
But the other party's aggressive look doesn't seem like he wants to spare his life?
But for a moment, I agreed. Show your goodwill to the other party first, and then ask for directions.
"Did you know that the Queen and the Prince only eat four dishes per meal and strongly advocate frugality in dining?"
"...Know!"
"Then why is it so luxurious and extravagant?"
"...Firstly, there were a large number of guests at the banquet that day, and secondly, this is the custom in Jiangnan."
Qian Qianyi knew that Qu Shishu was also one of the guests, but it seemed that with the emperor's protection and the title of Zhongliang, he could now distance himself from his relationship.
I thought I would ask this question to other people. I said it was right to follow the crowd, but that was not the case for the wealthy gentry. Who would care about the war in the north?
If this matter is taken as a topic, then Qian Qianyi can only admit defeat. After all, the evidence is irrefutable, the chief assistant is the witness, and he is still a student who can betray his teacher!
"In that case, your family must be quite wealthy to be able to entertain guests like this. Have you ever accepted donations from others before?"
Chen Tailai wrote on the paper. After he stopped writing, he asked a second question, which was much more deadly than the previous one.
"have!"
"Who are they? How many are they?"
"There are no less than a hundred people, and the fields involved are no less than tens of thousands of acres. They are all recorded and must have been confiscated!"
His house had been confiscated by the factory guards, and Qian Qianyi didn't believe that the feudal lord could not find the book that could have cost him his life.
Chen Tailai must have asked this question deliberately. If he denies it, he will be a witness. If he admits it, he will plead guilty.
"The factory guards confiscated a lot of money from your residence. Have you ever accepted money from others?"
"Yes! It is consistent with accepting donations, and they are all recorded or searched!"
Qian Qianyi would admit everything that the other party could find evidence for, and he had no choice but to admit it.
"Your family has so much wealth, and the Ming Dynasty has been at war with the Donglu for more than 20 years. Do you have any donations to help the imperial court fight against the enemy?"
"...Never!"
Qian Qianyi finally figured it out. At the end of the day, he would be judged as a repeat offender who would be punished!
Master Chen, don't you plan to give me a chance to survive next time?
Do you have to push people to death? ? ?
"As the leader of Donglin, you have many students and a wide network of contacts. Can you know in advance that the students will participate in the petition?"
"This move was done by students in private, but I didn't know about it beforehand!"
If he continued to admit it, he might lose his head and body. Qian Qianyi was unwilling to admit that the factory guard had no evidence yet.
"Can you accept the benefits from merchants?"
"...Take it!"
"So he excused businessmen from tax evasion at the court meeting?"
"I thought it had always been like this. It would be okay if I said it. I didn't think much about it at the time."
"What does 'think more' mean?"
"...the businessmen's tax evasion was not considered!"
"Did you know that businessmen evaded taxes?"
"...I know it, but I don't dare to make any accusations without proof or proof!"
It is well known to everyone that businessmen evade taxes, so Qian Qianyi pretended not to know it, but he was trying to hide it.
"So, you are willing to help merchants and confront His Majesty at the court?"
"I am absolutely unwilling to confront Your Majesty. I only speak for merchants. If Your Majesty issues an order, I will obey it!"
Finally, when it came time to plead guilty, Qian Qianyi was already sweating down his spine, otherwise he would have suffered a big loss.
"If His Majesty forgives you and gives you a chance to reform, what should you do?"
"I am determined to change my mind, start a new life, cut off all contacts with merchants, no longer accept donations, give up eating meat, be loyal to Your Majesty, serve the court, and fight against the national calamity!"
With the family property gone, it would be difficult to even eat meat, but as long as one could survive, it would not be a difficult task.
Chen Tailai could ask such a question, Qian Qianyi guessed that Emperor Chongzhen did not intend to put himself to death.
"Yeah! Take it down!"
"..."
What?
Is this the end?
Isn't that too hasty?
You haven’t asked about Erchen yet?
This won't be forgotten, right?
Don't you think about it anymore?
I intend to plead guilty~!
Qian Qianyi still wanted to say something, but Chen Tailai no longer planned to ask any more questions. This was enough.
After being taken down, Qian Qianyi began to feel that Ruan Dacheng was really smart.
The Sanfa Division can indeed punish himself and others severely without using the charges against the other ministers.
If so many fatal questions are answered truthfully, it will be difficult not to die!
The trial strategy given by Emperor Chongzhen was simple and efficient, which was to ask a few questions and then score the prisoner's answers.
You get zero points for not admitting, one point for using excuses to admit, two points for admitting without making excuses, and three points for being willing to report others.
The scores of all questions are summed up, and the ones with high scores can be forgiven. Those who score neither above nor below will be given a warning. If they commit the crime again, they will be punished with the same penalty.
The ones with the lowest score are the stubborn ones. Depending on the specific situation, most of them will be sent to mines or handed over to the prince to deal with, but a very small number can be used as a warning to others!
Isn't it simple?
Simple!
Is it efficient?
Efficient!
Is it easy?
Good job!
This is enough. Using this method, even if you have a hundred ideas and use a hundred mouths to express them, you will eventually be classified into the third category of "candidate" scores.
If you do well in the exam, you can escape unscathed!
On the contrary, it is your own fault!
For "candidates" like Qian Qianyi who are more cooperative, the score will naturally be higher.
How to deal with it depends on the scores of other "candidates".
It would be a shame if everyone else scored higher than Qian Qianyi...
