Zhu Biao walked up steadily and bowed to his father: "My son, please see my father. A thorough investigation of the prison of the Ministry of Punishment has been completed. Yan Donglai, the minister of Dali Temple, is finishing the work. The memorial will be handed in tomorrow."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and his expression softened a little and asked him to stand up. After Zhu Biao got up, he said: "This matter came from the Ministry of Justice and the former Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Now the people involved should be arrested as soon as possible, especially Li Nanhai, who is currently the prefect of Baoding. If he gets It would be difficult to handle if the news leaks overseas."
This is not without precedent. The prefect of Huai'an colluded with the Japanese pirates to flee overseas. Baoding is not far from the sea. If you had prepared in advance, you would have had the opportunity. It is not such a fluke for someone to be the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. His fortune and life depended on not being discovered.
Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice: "When we received the news, we asked Mao Xiang to capture him personally, and also sent people to inform Jinghai Marquis Wu Zhen to pay attention to the containment. If he can't escape, we will execute him Ling Chi!"
Hu Weiyong, who was kneeling on the ground, immediately said: "Li Nanhai has the audacity to commit a heinous crime. It can be said that the crime cannot be punished, and he must be sentenced to death to serve as a warning to others!"
Wang Guangyang didn't even raise his head: "I think so too. Not only Li Nanhai, but also the Minister of Punishment and all the people involved in the case should be executed. Otherwise, how can we rectify the people's hearts and disciplines if the law is not correct!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while before asking: "Let me ask for the last time in front of the prince whether you were involved in this matter. If you are, if you tell me now, we can still think of giving you a lighter punishment because of our friendship for many years. If you don't admit it, you will be punished in the end." But if it’s found out, you won’t be able to escape the death penalty!”
Xu Da was the first to answer: "I know nothing about this matter, and I have nothing to hide from my superiors. I would like to ask the Holy One for clear guidance."
Wang Guangyang also hurriedly replied: "The same is true for me. How could I know this not long after I returned to Beijing? However, as the left prime minister of the dynasty, I cannot escape the crime of lax governance. I also asked the Holy Lord to remove me from office to shock the officials."
Hu Weiyong's routine was the same. Now he was showing his loyalty and then asking for punishment. Zhu Biao knew clearly that if he said Xu Da and Wang Guangyang didn't know about it, he would believe it, but it would be a joke to say that Hu Weiyong didn't know about it.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang promoted Wang Guangyang and suppressed Hu Weiyong's limelight, and the Minister of Civil Affairs had the intention to establish his own business, Hu Weiyong was still the first person in the dynasty. Not only the nobles of Huaixi supported him, but also the Zhongshu Province was his Yiyantang, the Sixth Department belongs to the lower level of Zhongshu Province, how could the punishment department's activities escape Hu Weiyong's eyes.
There were too many people in the Six Ministries and they were too mixed. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel wanted to gather the Six Ministries to take advantage of Wang Guangyang's opposition to Hu Weiyong, but the other ministers did not necessarily think so. At least Zhu Biao knew about the relationship between the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Hu Weiyong and Hu Weiyong. Deeply implicated.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the left and right prime ministers who had resigned at the same time. By this time, Wang Guangyang's role was no longer significant. Once the Minister of Civil Affairs was overthrown, the others would inevitably hug Hu Weiyong tightly to protect themselves. By then, Zhongshu Province would add six yamen. The real Prime Minister Zuo, not to mention someone must take the blame this time.
The father and son looked at each other and had a tacit understanding. Although it was a few months earlier than expected, it had nothing to do with the overall situation. Hu Weiyong would be on stage sooner or later. If he didn't come on stage, who would sing the big show?
There was another noise outside, and the nobles who had been slapped came back again. Listening to the joy, they knew that the people below did not beat them hard. After all, the law does not punish the public, and so many princes and princes dared to offend them. .
Zhu Yuanzhang announced that all the officials had entered the palace. Zhu Biao walked up the imperial steps and stood below the emperor, looking down at the officials who came in. The civilian officials looked pale, and the generals were so well-behaved that even the censor could not find fault.
Everyone knelt down to plead guilty. Zhu Yuanzhang looked at them coldly and said in a cold voice: "I still say the same thing. If you make a mistake, then stand up. You all have dignity. Don't call me your father and mother again in the end. I don't want to look!"
While he was talking, the Minister of Justice, who was still in a coma, was carried in and thrown directly on the ground. If someone had stood up, he would have said something degrading to politeness, but now no one wants to plead for someone who is bound to die. If he is implicated, his whole family will die.
The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel took a deep breath, stood up, walked to the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and knelt down next to him. Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his Tianguan of the Ministry of Personnel indifferently, and then turned his eyes to other officials, and immediately shouted that he was wronged and had to abandon others. Voices clearing up the relationship kept coming and going.
But no one is still standing up. The idea of luck is really magical. It can make so many people who know deep down that they will not escape death be so miserable. Zhu Yuanzhang really can't understand it.
Time passed so quickly. Every official tried their best to express their loyalty and flattery, but the emperor always looked at him indifferently, with ridicule in his eyes, but they could not give up. Once they gave up, there would be nothing.
It was not until the people below were talking that their expressions were sluggish and their voices were hoarse. Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak, and he directly announced his resignation without punishing anyone. The civil servants seemed to have survived the desperate situation, but no one dared to be overly happy. They just knelt for too long. There was too much talking and too many people could not stand up.
Zhu Biao looked at their trembling bodies and didn't say anything. He turned around and left. The nobles who were holding their buttocks and watching the joke were confused. What the hell? I got the imperial stick just to see these things that I like to hear and see. Why is there no more?
Tang Shengzong, the Marquis of Yan'an, stood up and stamped his feet and said: "The superior will not lift it up high and put it down gently. Then we are not convinced. Such a big thing is just over?"
Xu Da stood up and looked at the delighted civil servants with pity and turned around to leave. Song Guogong and others looked at each other and left. The rest of the nobles were furious, "Good guys, if we do something wrong, we would like to be hacked to death." Isn't anyone taking care of these stupid things?
The higher the status, the clearer who Zhu Yuanzhang is. How could he let such a thing go, and the civil servants gradually came to their senses. Emperors of other dynasties might have estimated that the situation in the court was stable, and that major issues would be reduced to trivial matters. But what kind of character is it now...
It took a while for the civil servants to stand up with support. They almost fainted from their knees. It was no joke to kneel on the hard floor like this for several hours. How could their delicate and expensive officials bear it? What's more? The psychological pressure they have endured is even more tiring. Now they are exhausted both physically and mentally, and they just want to go home and rest.
Zhu Biao followed his father and said, "It would be easier for them if they committed suicide directly after returning home."
Lao Zhu smiled and said: "If they still have the face, it doesn't matter if they commit suicide. It's not that we look down on them. These people are determined not to give up until they reach the Yellow River. They always think about luck. We must cure their bad smell." Something wrong."
"Biao'er, you have to remember that sometimes people can withstand severe torture, but they may not be able to withstand repeated fear and anxiety. The most severe punishment for corrupt officials and hypocritical gentlemen is this!"
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