Meeting such an upright minister really opened the eyes of the three chief judges. Even the first assistant Qu Shichun and the second assistant Gao Hongtu looked at him with suspicion.
If you didn't know what this guy did from the heavenly book, you might really be deceived by his righteous appearance.
I thought that by locking many ministers together, they might communicate with each other to prepare for the situation.
But judging from the previous performances of these three people, it was obvious that Qian Qianyi and Cai Yichen seemed to have discussed it in advance, but Li Zhan seemed to have no idea what they were thinking.
Could it be that this guy was excluded by the other two?
Or did the two of them discuss it while Li Zhan was asleep?
In short, this kind of clear-cut answer made it easy for the referee to score, and it must be easy for the Holy Spirit to make the final decision.
Sentencing is originally a matter for the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but Chen Tailai and others do not want to see offending so many people.
So he took advantage of the situation and temporarily lent this special power that could control the life and death of suspects to the emperor for free...
Since Your Majesty has the Book of Heaven in his hand, and His Majesty also plans to rectify the officialdom in Jiangnan, let Your Majesty take care of the thankless task!
No one had any objection to this, because Chen Tailai, the censor of Zuodu of the Duchayuan, Chengde, the minister of Dali Temple, and Fu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of punishment, all thought so.
The answer given by his teacher Qian Qianyi was unexpected but also reasonable.
Qu Shishu didn't know that the teacher was afraid of death before, and he still had doubts about the contents of the heavenly book. This was finally confirmed.
If you cooperate with the trial, you are afraid of death. On the other hand, people like Li Zhan are actively seeking death.
Although his impression of the teacher was greatly reduced, Qu Shichu felt that Qian Qianyi's move was relatively pragmatic. At least it was very likely to save the lives of himself and his family, and he would no longer need to plead with the emperor.
Wen Tianxiang once said a wise saying, "Since ancient times, no one has ever died." But it depends on how you die!
Carrying the name of two ministers, because of harboring profiteers and accepting benefits, he was executed by the Ming Dynasty, which was not destroyed by the Donglu. Is this a big deal?
Not to mention ten or twenty years, even one or two hundred years, there is no hope that the injustice will be redressed. This mountain can crush your whole family to pieces, and no one dares to redress your grievance!
Everyone knows how virtuous Qin Hui is, but Qin Hui saved at least half of Zhao and Song Dynasties. The four generals of Zhongxing only killed Yue Fei, which was considered a disastrous failure.
Today, the Donglu have not yet conquered the northern capital, let alone marched southward in large numbers. People suspected of being traitors have begun to stir up trouble in the rear, colluding with merchants, instigating scholars, and trying to confront the imperial court.
Let’s not mention what the intention was, but this move was extremely destructive to the Ming Dynasty in fighting the invasion of Donglu, and the impact was extremely bad.
The failure of the Southern Court to collect the set amount of tax money will inevitably lead to a tight supply of support for the Northern Court to defend against enemies, and even lead to a more passive situation.
Qu Shishu was determined not to see this happen. When he couldn't take over, the situation in Ming Dynasty was much better than that of Wen Tianxiang's Zhao Song, but the result was as miserable as Zhao Song's.
At present, in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the total number of troops capable of recruiting and fighting is no less than 300,000, which is far from the end of the road.
How could he be defeated by Donglu just because he lacked money and food? Isn't that a great shame?
What is even more ridiculous is that the main reason for the lack of money and food is the unwillingness of southern merchants and gentry to pay taxes!
Although this time, under the leadership of the prince, the king's division tried its best to repel the Donglu army.
But can Huang Taiji give up the idea of knocking off the gate?
Obviously impossible!
Not this year, but next year!
Not next year, but also the year after!
If you can hold on once, it will only be a staged victory. If you fail once, Beidu will fall.
Once the northern capital was lost, the Guanningjin defense line lost its due role, and the Donglu army could march straight in to capture various places in the north.
After that, they can go straight to the Huaihe River defense line, and even go south in a big way, swallowing up thousands of miles of the Ming Dynasty, as described in the Book of Heaven.
This is not alarmist. To put it into perspective, it only took three or four years!
What is different from what is stated in the Heavenly Book is that now that His Majesty has moved to the Southern Capital, even if all the northern areas fall into the hands of Huang Taiji, the Southern Court will not be in a hurry and be leaderless.
However, if you can hold on now, why not?
Do you have to wait until the situation is over before you think of making amends?
Will it really be possible to make up for the leaky defense lines by then?
If most of the king's army was annihilated by the Eastern invaders in the north, would the Southern Court use the Shenzi tribe to patch it up?
Out of his responsibility as the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty and his loyalty to the emperor and his desire to serve the country, Qu Shichun could not allow this to happen!
It is necessary to use extraordinary measures in extraordinary times, otherwise Nanting would really be bullied by this group of scum who eat both inside and outside.
The north is raging with wars and emergencies frequently, but the south is enjoying peace and prosperity, turning a blind eye.
How can such a different Ming Dynasty have any hope of resurgence?
The answers of Tang Shiji, who was subsequently interrogated, were not much better than Li Zhan's. Li Zhan's total answer score was zero, while Tang Shiji's was close to zero.
All in all, in one sentence, I am petitioning for Min, and the crimes he committed are all unwarranted!
If he was good at martial arts, he would call himself the contemporary Yue Fei!
If he could write, he would call himself the contemporary Wen Tianxiang!
In fact, what these scum did is not even comparable to contemporary Jia Sidao!
Next, the answers of Wang Duo, Liang Yungou, and Zhang Weiji were similar to those of Qian Qianyi and Cai Yichen.
The performance of Li Qiao and Qi Fengji was no different from that of Li Zhan and Tang Shiji. It can be said that they are both unreasonable and arrogant!
These four people insisted that they petition for Min. What crime did they commit?
Businessmen evading taxes?
Feel sorry!
I don’t know!
Accept donations yourself?
Feel sorry!
It must be a frame-up!
Search for a book recording the benefits received?
It must have been done by copying my own handwriting, so it doesn’t count!
Family members report and expose?
Xiaoxiao's disciple has been bribed by the factory guard, how can he be used as a witness!
A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water!
You are left helpless!
"General Constitution, this is what is written below. Please read it, General Constitution!"
When it was Ruan Dacheng's turn to be interrogated, he was well prepared and wrote down on paper everything he saw and heard inside, including the whole story of his admonishment to Qian Qianyi and others. Part of the plot was comparable to what was in a newspaper.
"Haha! You are really thoughtful!"
Chen Tailai wrote more than a dozen pages of paper eloquently. After reading it briefly, Chen Tailai handed it to Cheng De.
This Ruan Dacheng is very knowledgeable and knows how to advance and retreat, but he is not like Li Zhan and others who are stubborn and stubborn.
"The General Constitution has given the award!"
Although Ruan Dacheng has never seen his colleagues who have been interrogated, he has already thought clearly in his heart that his popularity in Shilin is not good, so no one will say good things for him, and he must try his best to save himself in order to survive.
How to try your best to save yourself?
It is to report and expose the various words of people in the prison, to show favor to the chief interrogator, and at least to leave a good impression on others, so that I can have a chance to survive.
"Then do you have anything else to say?"
"Back to the General Constitution, I am willing to plead guilty! I petitioned for the merchants before, oh no, it was the profiteers. It was completely greedy that led to temporary confusion. In the prison, I was awakened by Peng Bin and Chen Mingxia, and I suddenly realized that what I had done before This is the wrong path. After some introspection, I regret it endlessly. I only regret that I am stupid and ignorant, and have done wrong things that are harmful to the court and not good for Your Majesty. It is Wan Min's responsibility to pay taxes in full, how can I prevaricate and shirk the responsibility? To collect taxes is to first take it from Min, and to ensure peace in all directions, it is to use it for Min! The profiteers and Diao Min openly resisted the tax, which was a treasonous and unethical act, and truly disgraceful to their ancestors! Officials, wealthy gentry, and others accepted donations, which led to Agricultural taxes have dropped sharply. What they have done is unfaithful and unfilial, and they have no law. They should be severely punished! Both profiteers and Diao Min do not know that when the Ming Dynasty rises, Wan Min will rise! If the Ming Dynasty declines, then Wan Min will fall! If the Ming Dynasty lacks money and food, If he is defeated by the Donglu, the country will be ruined. Not only will Min not be able to make a living, but he will also find it difficult to live as a human being. He will be enslaved by the iron hoof of the Donglu and become a beast worse than a pig or a dog! The current national crisis is at the forefront. As a scholar, not only Instead of sharing His Majesty's worries, he deliberately went against the imperial court, and even indulged in romantic affairs in private, partying and having fun. This must be the shame of a scholar. The melodious music and the graceful dance have no effect in fending off the enemy. It is absolutely impossible to defeat the stubborn enemy and then revive the enemy. Ming Dynasty. Although I am a scholar and have no talent to kill the enemy in battle, I still have the heart to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. I will definitely reflect deeply, change my mind, clean myself up, and do my best to defy the imperial court, insult Your Majesty, and overthrow the scum of the Ming Dynasty. Fight to the end, expose his true face of hypocrisy, loyalty, and hypocrisy, and make it impossible to hide! Your Excellencies can testify that if I violate this statement and are punished, I will definitely have no complaints!"
The time has come when he is about to lose his head. Without some strong medicine, Ruan Dacheng feels that he is doomed, so he said these words.
Especially since it is known that Qian Qianyi and others will also plead guilty, it means that he and his colleagues are in the same position. If there is someone behind Qian Qianyi's back, wouldn't he be left behind?
In this case, there is no doubt that whoever lags behind may be executed or even be punished. Ruan Dacheng does not want to be sentenced to death after pleading guilty.
Although he was a little harsh on himself, as long as he could escape the current disaster, we could talk about the future later.
Surviving is ten thousand times better than being raped!
Not to mention being infamous for eternity, the flesh on his body was cut off piece by piece by the executioner...
"That's quite true!"
After listening to Ruan Dacheng's long speech, Chen Tailai couldn't help but nodded, which saved him from asking questions.
The other party is really willing to cooperate. Not only will he take the initiative to answer, but he will also ask and answer questions for himself. He is actually much smarter than the previous ones.
If these other ministers were like Ruan Dacheng, it would be difficult for him to report them.
The performance of such a guy is very conspicuous, and his Majesty will surely notice it.
Chen Tailai believed that Emperor Chongzhen would not really execute all the suspects with the title of "Second Minister", and he had to keep a few for use.
Because these people know the situation of the scholars in Jiangnan very well, they should be useful against the scholars after being instigated to rebel, and maybe even have miraculous effects.
This trick is called "fighting poison with poison"!
At least judging from Ruan Dacheng's performance, this old man will definitely bite his former colleagues like a mad dog in order to save his life!
As long as the target is a scholar who colludes with profiteers and attempts to profit from it, not only will this move not be reprimanded, but it will also be rewarded to a certain extent.
It seems that the court really lacks such shameless talents. Sometimes, against certain enemies, being upright and honest is not as effective as being shameless...
"My lords, I am reporting that Wu Yingji, Yang Weidou, Shen Shizhu, Wan Tai and others were in jail for slandering the imperial court and insulting His Majesty. This is really an act of treason! Not only that, but Yang Weidou also used Min to petition, It is unreasonable to claim to be a loyal and loyal person in the Ming Dynasty! These thieves once publicly declared in prison that the tax collection by the court was an extortionate tax, and tax evasion by merchants was a matter of course. They were clearly confusing right and wrong and confusing right and wrong! I would like to advise them to abandon the dark side and admit their mistakes. When the thief waited, he became furious and insulted me profusely. He even threatened to kill me and silence me. He also uttered arrogant words, saying that the Ming Dynasty was a violent one and that frequent tax increases made Min miserable. Your Majesty is a tyrant, and he plunders Minzhi at will. Min Gao! Before this, I and Chen Mingxia had two fights with Wei Xuelian and Gong Dingzi because of Zhongliang. Both of them believed that the imperial court's levy of business taxes was a coincidence, and it was reasonable for merchants not to pay taxes. Official To intimidate first and then get angry is really a perverse move. Like Yang Weidou and others, these two people avoid accepting benefits from merchants and accepting contributions from others. They even think that it is natural for them to accept benefits and regard accepting benefits as a human thing. , It’s really shameless, I hope you all will learn from it!”
After Ruan Dacheng was taken away from the left and right, the newly arrived Peng Bin started talking to himself without waiting for Chen Tailai to speak.
"..."
Before I even asked, this guy actually answered quickly? ? ?
It really makes Chen Tailai dumbfounded, but at least part of the content is consistent with what Ruan Dacheng wrote.
"I already know this. Now let's talk about you. You have confessed your crime in court before. What do you want to do now?"
Fortunately, this guy knew how to speak briefly. If he had spoken for half an hour, he would have made Chen Tailai sleepy.
"I have made a big mistake before colluding with others and openly defying the imperial court. I am willing to donate all my family property to do my best. I am also willing to swear allegiance to your majesty and contribute to the imperial court. I will not dare to make the same mistake again. I have made up my mind to tell everything I know, and I can write it down quickly to make known to the public the evil crimes committed by the scum of scholars and many profiteers. It is God's will that Your Highness defeated the Eastern Han army in the Northern Capital. Your Majesty worked hard to govern in the Southern Capital, and then We can revive the Ming Dynasty. If anyone dares to stand in the way of the chariot again, attempts to defy the imperial court, ignores the king's laws, and humiliates His Majesty, he will be destroying himself!"
Peng Bin had to seize this opportunity to show his loyalty. The extravagant talk in prison could only be regarded as a quarrel.
These few people in front of me are the ones who really have the final say, not to mention the first and second assistants who are sitting and listening on both sides.
As long as it's not a capital crime, Peng Bin plans to admit it.
At such a critical moment, of course, saving one's life is the most important thing, and everything else is secondary.
It would be better if His Majesty could be more tolerant, forgive me, and even find a job for himself, especially a position where he can express his opinions directly, such as a censor.
Peng Bin remembered what he had experienced in the imperial edict. When he became the censor, he would have to go to court again and again to scold you and other rebellious ministers and traitors to death!
"Yeah! Not bad! The attitude of confessing is very good! After signing and fingerprinting, you can go down!"
Chen Tailai did not deliberately make things difficult for those who had surrendered to the imperial court, and even gave certain hints.
It's definitely not possible to directly say that you answered better than Li Zhan and others, but it doesn't hurt to say something specious.
"Thank you, General Xian!"
After being praised by the presiding judge, Peng Bin felt somewhat relieved.
Combined with his previous actions at the court meeting, this shows that he can at least come back with his life.
This time Long Yan was furious and his thunderous actions were beyond the past. Peng Bin felt that someone would definitely die.
But as long as it's not you who dies and you don't suffer the consequences alive, then it's completely acceptable.
In recent decades, Emperor Wanli was afraid of merchants going on strike, Emperor Tianqi was also afraid, and Emperor Taichang died without waiting...
Emperor Chongzhen did not dare to provoke merchants when he was in the northern capital, but since he had the prince as an example, when he moved to the southern capital, his behavior was completely different.
Peng Bin has now decided to surrender to the emperor, and there is no turning back anyway.
If the emperor could not bear the pressure, Peng Bin would pack his bags and go north to find the prince.
If you can't survive in Jiangnan, you can still go to Beidu to beg for food.
I think as long as I can fight against those "loyal and good people", I can keep my job!
