After finally leaving the palace, Zhu Houzhao felt unlucky to encounter such a thing.
Even the ministers who received the order to enter the palace were surprised. The emperor had obviously announced a three-day absence from court, so why was there an imperial edict before the first day had passed?
However, there was a lot of commotion outside the Zhengyang Gate of the capital. Since Wu Dinghou heard the news and rushed over, it means that some ministers also received the news. Not to mention the rest, it should be related to the emperor's patrol incognito.
A spy chief like Mao Yuwen who has a good grasp of the dynamics of the capital can respond even more quickly.
Zhu Houzhao opened the door curtain of Xiaozhulou and saw him leading his troops to worship along the street.
"Mao Yuwen, deputy envoy of Weichen Jinyi Guards, is here to escort you!"
Zhu Houzhao was stunned for a moment, and then he saw that the street was already empty, and even the guests among the bright water and clouds were gone.
It was Jin Yiwei and Dongchang again, so the movement was still a bit loud.
"It just so happens that you arrived just in time. You should lead people now to capture all the members of the Xu Gang, the Hammer Gang, and the Bai Gang who can be called gang leaders, hall leaders, or whatever! I missed one, and I only have you. It’s a question!”
"Wei Chen takes the edict!" Mao Yuwen was familiar with this matter, and he didn't ask why.
However, Liu Jin reminded from the side, "Your Majesty, today's matter does not need to be tonight. Everyone in the government and the public will know about it. Tomorrow, everyone will hear about it. If you arrest someone, wouldn't it be better to have a charge? Originally, it was also There will be officials who will make noises, saying that His Majesty is incognito..."
Liu Jin was worried that the officials who dared not speak out about this resolute emperor turned their guns and shot him, the eunuch.
Zhu Houzhao pondered for a moment. What he was thinking about was not Yan Guan, but the future.
"...It makes some sense. Then the crime of these people is to gather people to form gangs and wantonly disrupt government!"
These eight words made Liu Jin's heart tremble. If it was a crime of 'oppressing the people', to be honest, as long as there were no serious circumstances, it would mean a few years in prison, or at most, exile, but it would not cost his life.
But what is the nature of "gathering people into gangs and wantonly disrupting government"!
Liu Jin did not dare to say anything. As a eunuch, he would not care about these human lives. He was just a little surprised that the emperor was so angry about this matter.
Mao didn't know much about the Chinese language. Not to mention killing a few people, he also cut off the heads of so many officials, so what?
But when it came to the discussion in the Qianqing Palace, several ministers expressed different opinions, thinking that this was too heavy a killing, especially since the Zhengde reign had just been used for the first year, and it was only March.
The kind of spring that the ancients valued was the time when all things revived. So many beheadings... was really not good.
"...Moreover, not all gangs are bad people. There are those who oppress the people, and there are also those who are chivalrous and righteous. Even if the court wants to kill people, they should distinguish between black and white and right from wrong. Only in this way can they serve the people and bring peace to them."
With Min Shangshu's personality, even if the emperor turned his back and didn't want to listen, he would still say what he should say.
However, Zhu Houzhao is also a very individual person. If he doesn't listen, he should or should not listen. "There are helpers at the foot of the imperial city. Min Shangshu, do you know what helpers mean?"
Min Gui said nothing.
If there are tens of thousands of people in this gang, and they resolutely obey one so-called gang leader, then the emperor's words will no longer be as useful as a gang leader in the capital. What is this called?
To put it more extreme, once these people cooperate with the enemy inside and outside, what kind of defense can the Ming Dynasty's capital do that will be effective?
Zhu Houzhao looked away with a slightly stern look, "I know all the things in the world, including Mao Ni. But there are some things that I can tolerate, and there are some that I can't tolerate. The person who does this must also know which things can be tolerated. Do, and what cannot be done. The Ming Dynasty has a territory of thousands of miles, and there are tens of thousands of gangs. The imperial court has never said anything about this."
"So you may think that I am making a fuss out of a molehill, or even get angry out of shame, so you are using the topic to play off the topic. This is too underestimated. The key point I am referring to is gathering people to help. I don't allow this, and the court doesn't allow it! If you do it like you As I said, the imperial court will carefully distinguish and let go those who do good deeds and kill those who do evil deeds. Then without the Xu Gang, there will still be the Li Gang and the Wang Gang tomorrow. By then it will be endless."
"Furthermore, they are not unjust at all for the charge of wanton chaos. The city that never sleeps is the main government of the imperial court, right? The price of labor in it, whether it is 30 yuan or 20 yuan a day, is clearly marked by the government. , now they are messing around here at will, is this chaos in government?"
The Minister of Household Zuo and the Young Master, Gu Zuo, were still kneeling beside each other without saying a word. If we really want to find someone to take responsibility for today's matter, then he must be the most important one, and he can't even run away. .
"But your majesty... the emperor took so many lives just for a moment. I'm afraid I have harmed my saintliness..." Min Gui said without giving up.
"Just this group of people, the common people hate them so much. I don't believe it. How can killing them harm my virtue?" Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, "Okay, Min Shangshu, I have made up my mind on this issue. You know that I If I can listen to your temper, I have already listened to you."
This sentence was meant to silence Min Gui.
If you keep talking, you're just asking for trouble.
So Min Gui was helpless. As the Minister of Punishment, he could only follow the order and try the case.
The emperor obviously wanted to eradicate this issue.
As the Ministry of Punishment, he and Zhao Shen were actually fine with each other.
The trouble is with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War.
One is directly in charge of the construction of the city that never sleeps, and the other is in charge of arresting thieves in the capital.
As a result, the emperor secretly committed the crime.
Han Wen and Gu Zuo from the Ministry of Hubu and Wang Bing from the Ministry of War were the test for them.
Of course, there was also Wu Dinghou who kept kneeling and his legs were shaking.
In addition, there are actually some people who should have come but have not come.
Zhu Houzhao's gaze fell on his head, "Wu Dinghou, come forward."
"Yes Yes!"
Now whenever the emperor called his name, his heart would be in his throat, so his speech would be a little shaky.
】
He didn't even dare to get up.
The emperor has given these people such serious offenses, and he still doesn't know what will happen to his life.
"Let me ask you, what does this Xu Chen have to do with you?"
"Back...back to Your Majesty, this person is one of my servants."
"House slave, the other gangs have nothing to do with you, right?"
"No, no! I swear to God, absolutely no."
Zhu Houzhao sneered, "That's what I'm saying. It shouldn't be only the Wuding Hou Mansion that has done this. The other gentlemen in the capital didn't even think of reaching out when they saw this money? Gu Liqing, I have been waiting for your reply!"
Logically speaking, Gu Zuo should know this no matter what.
Gu Zuo's back tightened when he heard the emperor read his name, "The key to this scandal in the imperial court lies in the negligence of my duty. After hearing this, I was extremely ashamed and heartbroken. Your Majesty loves and serves the people, but he doesn't want to be fat." I have stolen other people's pockets. However, I also have a few words of loyalty that I have to say."
"you say."
"Yes. Regarding the fact that the poor people recruited by the imperial court gathered to form a gang, I have indeed heard about it. However, it is a common thing for people to gather. The small ones have the same clan and the big ones have the same hometown. Therefore, I did not think that this matter would be a big deal at first. I will make His Majesty angry, otherwise I will definitely put this matter to rest in the bud.”
Zhu Houliang understood what he meant,
Gu Zuo knew it all, and of course he also knew that the people couldn't get the thirty coins they were supposed to get.
But this matter is normal in his concept. Don't say thirty coins, if you can get twenty coins, it means that these officials are doing good governance.
This kind of thing is all based on comparison. Now the government is corrupt and even the soldiers of the frontier army have been deducted from their salaries. If these common people can still get their wages, what's the problem?
"Secondly, as His Majesty said, the Ming Dynasty has a territory of thousands of miles. If the court today destroys these three gangs for the crime of gathering people to form gangs, will the other gangs be destroyed or not?"
boom!
While Gu Zuo was talking, Xie Pi and Yan Song entered the attendant room at the entrance. He didn't know what was wrong with them. It seemed that Xie Piwei had stepped down, and he bumped into Yan Song, and he steadied himself unsteadily. , as a result, Yan Song fell down without holding on to the things in his hands, and even the memorials were scattered on the floor.
Liu Jin's eyeballs were cracked. Why did he make such a low-level mistake at this time?
"Ouch! You said you don't work more carefully!"
The old eunuch picked up the clothes and ran over to help him pick them up.
Xie Pi and Yan Song were also frightened and knelt in front of the king, "I have lost my temper, please forgive me!"
Not only Zhu Houzhao, but also all the officials looked sideways at him from the corner of their eyes.
At this time, it’s easy to wonder if something like this happened on purpose.
The emperor touched his nose and said, "Yan Song, please answer Young Situ's question. If the answer is correct, I will spare you as you requested."
Yan Song was horrified, and he also hated Xie Pi.
He even wondered crazily if Xie Pi did it on purpose.
"Your Majesty. I don't know, what did Young Situ ask?"
Gu Zuo turned around and repeated, "The Ming Dynasty has a territory of thousands of miles. If the imperial court destroys these three kingdoms today, will the other gangs be destroyed or not?"
Big beads of sweat began to fall from Yan Song's forehead.
This question certainly cannot be said to be immortal, because the answer incidentally refutes the emperor's thinking. He, Yan Song, would not do such stupid things.
But you can't just say it's gone without caring about anything, because then you just need to ask how to kill it, and that's the end of it.
Because there are indeed tens of thousands of gang members, including tens of millions of civilians, it is impossible to kill them all, and it is easy to cause trouble. The emperor doesn't like officials who are pragmatic. They either don't say what they say, but do what they say. He is always around, so of course he knows. He absolutely did not want to ruin his future career because of one issue.
So at that moment, Yan Song felt like heaven and man were at war in his heart, and he also used a small opportunity to scold Xie Pi again.
Fortunately, no one in Qianqing Palace rushed him immediately, but gave him a few breaths of thinking time.
After that, he answered directly to his scalp: "...Wei Chen thinks that when it needs to be destroyed, it will be destroyed."
Zhu Houzhao, who was sitting on the dragon throne, showed an imperceptible smile. This was the qualification of the chief assistant who would be in charge of the pavilion for more than ten years.
When it needs to be destroyed, it will be destroyed.
How spot on.
This is also the most fundamental reason why he insists on the crime of gathering people to help. If I use it and put it here, whether it is right for you to use it is another matter, but I want it. When I need to use it, I will use it.
Instead of pursuing this matter with a light and soft charge of 'oppressing the people'. The next time something happens, you have to look for evidence to see how you oppressed the people.
Why so much trouble?
But it was the emperor who said such words... At least in this moral environment, it was not good to say such sinister words.
It can be said that Yan Song's words shocked the whole room, and no one in the room could say anything.
It's okay if people don't say it, but when they say it, it's the standard "emperor's mind".
What else is there to talk about?
Seeing that the ministers and the emperor were silent, Yan Song thought that something had gone wrong, so he bravely asked, "Young Situ, I wonder if I am satisfied with my subordinate's answer?"
Gu Zuo felt helpless in his heart. He turned to face Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."
"Just understand."
"I have a third point to make to Your Majesty."
"you say."
"The reason why this matter was not reported to the public is that I underestimated its seriousness, and secondly, its implications are very wide. In the construction of the city that never sleeps, not to mention the workers' wages, but also the source, price, style of the materials...etc. How to determine all these, which one to use, which one to use, which one to use, which one to use, and which one to use? There are already countless people who come to greet me, so I don't dare to show it openly for the sake of the overall situation!"
After saying this, it was even scarier than what Yan Song had just said.
Zhu Houzhao was also slightly shocked and was speechless for several breaths.
Wu Dinghou was frightened, "Your Majesty! Wei Chen was indeed blind and greedy this time, but except for a domestic slave, Wei Chen acted randomly, and Wei Chen did not participate in the rest of the matter! I am also willing to cooperate with him. Shao Situ confronts me in court! I hope your Majesty will understand clearly!"
Zhu Houzhao raised his head but still did not speak.
He closed his eyes slightly.
should have come to mind.
The country has reached this level, and it is impossible for one government order to be executed perfectly.
Even Ma Zheng doesn't know how many tricks there are in it.
Is all the one million taels allocated to the northwest used for complex condoms really used for practical purposes?
It's impossible. If you think so, it's unrealistic utopianism and will eventually cause problems.
From this point of view, it is absolutely normal for something like this to happen in the city that never sleeps at this time.
so,
First, he had to accept this mentally.
Secondly, excellent political leaders can turn disadvantages into advantages.
The ministers didn't know how long they waited, but after a while, the emperor suddenly spoke.
"I know about this matter. Da Sima."
"The guilty minister is here." Wang Bing remained silent, but he was actually worried.
"You can go back and deal with the problem of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division yourself. When you have sorted it out, you will report it to me."
There are five yamen in the Wucheng Bingma Division, but none of them are effective now.
Zhu Houzhao wanted to take this opportunity to promote another thing.
"May I ask, Your Majesty, how...to make it clear?"
The emperor directly ignored the problem, "Several gang members are acting openly at the foot of the capital and the imperial city. This makes it difficult for me to believe that the people of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division are doing their jobs carefully. You always say that the factory guards cause endless harm, and I also want to What is the name of a government office like Wucheng Bingmasi? Should it be called Baiwuyiyong? You don’t need to give any reasons. No matter how many reasons you give, the result is already like this."
"Bring the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division back to rectify it. The security maintenance of the capital will be temporarily handed over to the Jinyiwei and the East Factory. If there is not enough manpower, just recruit more. We will do a special rectification for the capital and the things here in the Nightless City. All those who commit crimes and crimes have been caught this time! Including those who are greedy for money... No matter they are high-ranking officials or nobles, I don't believe it. I can't find a single one, two or three in this matter! The Ming Dynasty is not the sky They, it’s me! They stabbed me and that’s what caused the world to turn upside down!”
"His Majesty!
"All the officials were panicked. This movement was too big.
But Zhu Houzhao was determined. He had just thought clearly, "I have made up my mind! Your majesty, the Ming Dynasty, can't purge even this part of the capital, so how can we talk about purging the world?"
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