"Master Yang, here's the next crime." Zhu Su, who had been silent, said. Yang Xunwen saw that Zhu Su was still looking encouraging, and his face was even more stagnant: Unexpectedly, the fifth prince didn't even open his mouth in person, and his first crime was refuted.
Is he deliberately humiliating me by acting like this?
Unfortunately, Zhu Su really wanted to encourage this old man. But Yang Xunwen obviously didn't think so. He quickly calmed down under the feeling of being humiliated and made plans in his mind.
The so-called "Five Deadly Sins" were actually just big words he made out of desperation. Now that the first sin was refuted by a young man from the Fourth Highness, the next few sins still need to be considered carefully.
Soon he had an idea and continued:
"The second most sinful crime is: exploiting the people through clever words and seduction."
"When His Majesty the Fifth Prince was in Suzhou, he used the name of 'reopening the Silk Road' to exploit grain and grass from the wealthy households in Suzhou."
"Your Majesty, the rich people in Suzhou are also the people of our Ming Dynasty. Your Highness, the Fifth Highness, is talking nonsense and exploiting other people's property. This is ruining the reputation of our Ming Dynasty's royal family and digging into the foundation of our Ming Dynasty!"
"The people of Suzhou originally belonged to Zhang Shicheng, and the remnants of Zhang Shicheng still exist in the past. It can be seen that the Ming Dynasty is still determined to destroy him! If the hearts of the people of Suzhou are lost because of this incident, the remnants of Zhang Shicheng are allowed to resurrect in the land of Susong. It must be me. Another big worry for Ming Dynasty!"
Yang Xunwen talked eloquently, and the more he talked, the smoother his ideas became. What we hate most today is the exploitation of the people, corruption and bribery. In the past, Hu Weiyong's party was rectified, and many people with this reputation were sent to prison.
Now that your son is also guilty of this crime, can you still protect him with words? If so, how can we convince the public?
This crime must have worked, right?
"Fart! Fart!"
Yang Xunwen looked at Lao Zhu and Zhu Di and Zhu Su nervously. Unexpectedly, the father and son had not made any move, but an angry figure emerged from among the civil servants. This man flew up and kicked Yang Xunwen accurately on the waist and eyes.
Yang Xunwen was caught off guard, and with a sound of "ah", he was kicked to the ground without any formality.
Just when he was about to see who was so bold and dared to disobey the king, before he could raise his head, someone was riding on his back and punched him on the back of his head.
"Ah? This... Lord Ru, Lord Ru, please don't do anything." It was the voice of Prince Zhu Biao.
"Where is the censor?"
Following Lao Zhu's low shout, the man on his back was pulled away. Yang Xunwen finally got up, but was surprised to find that the person held by the imperial censor was Ru Taisu, who had previously been dismissed as the river patrol censor.
"Ah? This... Master Ru, why is this?" Yang Xunwen looked in disbelief.
He and Ru Taisu had always been friends, and they often talked freely about poetry and ancient and modern times. They were considered like-minded. Moreover, if Ru Taisu is more serious, she can be regarded as a pure lineage.
Even though there was no friendship before, didn't you, Ru Taisu, still get along with His Majesty the Fifth Highness in the palace before? Shouldn't it be the same as fire and water? Why are you targeting me now?
"Your Majesty, Yang Xunwen is talking nonsense! When the Fifth Highness was in Suzhou, the old minister was by his side the whole time. How can we allow this person to accuse His Highness with unfounded crimes?" Ru Taisu, who was captured by the censor on duty, was still angry and struggling. Incessantly.
Although Yang Xunwen had long known that Ru Taisu had a fiery temperament, he was a well-deserved pioneer among civil servants. But when the fire burned on his head, he couldn't help but feel worried.
Zhu Su looked on, surprised that Ru Taisu could actually jump out, but he also felt a bit like watching a big show.
I had heard that the civil servants in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were all full of martial virtue, but I didn't expect that in the court of Hongwu Year, we could also see such dramas as sexy civil servants and real people showing off.
Could it be this kind of thing, or is it a tradition that has been passed down since the Hongwu Dynasty?
"What exactly is the situation? Tell me." Lao Zhu gestured to Ru Taisu.
Ru Taisu shook off the quarrelsome censor, glared at Yang Xunwen fiercely, and then said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, the Fifth Highness wants merchants to provide food. Not only is it not exploitation, but it is punishing Xiaoxiao and Zhengbenqingyuan!"
"Your Majesty does not know. I arrived in Suzhou before His Majesty the Fifth Highness. Seeing the flood victims in Suzhou, I went ahead to collect grain and grass from Suzhou merchants in my humble name."
"But those merchants were pushy and blocked, saying that there would be no food left in the disaster years. But they just took out a little and paid the bills."
"But after the investigation by His Highness the Fifth Prince, he discovered that hundreds of thousands of stones of food and grass were stored in the merchants' homes!"
"What? Hundreds of thousands?" Prince Zhu Biao originally looked concerned, fearing that Ru Taisu would anger Lao Zhu because of his disobedience. But when he heard this number, his eyes widened in shock.
Lao Zhu already knew about this matter. After all, Zhu Su asked Jin Yiwei to investigate at that time, so his pupils only shrank slightly.
"In the land of Su Song, one year's food tax is only one million dan." Ru Taisu was heartbroken. "These wealthy merchants and gentry have hoarded hundreds of thousands of grain and grain without distributing it. Why is this?"
"It's nothing more than hoarding and enriching the people!"
"Victims are everywhere. This is a man-made disaster, not a natural disaster! If there were no human beings, how could there be food shortages in Suzhou at that time?" Ru Taisu shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty, the Fifth Highness, handed over the food and grass and gave it to the people. This is an act of great benevolence and righteousness! If I follow my old minister, I wish I could raise my butcher's knife and kill all these people!"
"If Yang Xunwen's crime is to be punished, it will be blamed on many unjust merchants and gentry! Please thoroughly investigate such people who bring disaster to the country and the people, as a warning to future generations!" Ru Taisu spoke sternly!
The palace was already as silent as a cicada at this time. Even Yang Xunwen looked horrified at this time and his face was as pale as paper.
Zhu Su stood aside and couldn't help but smile with gloating: Lao Ru, I really have you.
Originally, this guy probably just wanted to make some random accusations against me.
Unexpectedly, Lao Ru's words directly caused Yang Xunwen to poke a hornet's nest that he could never afford to provoke.
At the top, Lao Zhu looked at Ru Taisu and Yang Xunwen below, with a smile slowly appearing on his face like he was watching a movie.
"Yang Qing."
Yang Xunwen was covered in cold sweat, and when he suddenly heard the call, he couldn't help but tremble all over. This title was the most polite title the emperor used for himself during today's court meeting.
But at this moment, Yang Xunwen felt even more like he had fallen into an ice cellar than before.
"I'm here."
"Ru Qing said that your crime is that the officials and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River are suspected of corruption and harming the country."
"Do you think we should continue to investigate the crime you mentioned?"
"..." Yang Xunwen trembled all over, but could no longer make even a single sound.
(End of chapter)
