So far, Zhu Houzhao really doesn't know who is behind Zou Cheng.
But he knew someone, because he would never be able to achieve such an official position based on his so-called abilities.
So dealing with Zou Cheng in this way is not only to torture him, but also to torture those who are hiding.
This kind of suffering is actually very unbearable, because it is a long-term, invisible fear, and basically not many people can bear it.
Under high pressure, the movements will deform, and then opportunities will appear.
These days he has been reading "Taizong's Records" and "Taizong's Records",
Sixty-four people were knighted in the Hongwu Dynasty of Taizu, and fifty-four people were knighted in the Yongle Dynasty of Emperor Taizong. Most of them did not survive the dynasty that gave them the title. They did not die, but were removed from the title.
Who said these people can't move?
There is really something that can't be moved, and that's because his tail is too big to fall off, so we have to move him!
Back then, Zhu Yuanzhang created Lan Yugu and Hu Weiyong. Since Li Shanchang, the Korean prince, many princes and uncles have lost their heads. In the Yongle Dynasty, Zhu Di also executed Shunchang Bo Wang Zuo and Zhong Bo Rujun. After his death, Qi State Duke Qiu Fu was deprived of his title and moved his family to Lingnan.
The later Emperor Hongxi expelled Wu Cong, the uncle of Guangyi, and ordered him to be exiled to the garrison for his crime;
In the second year of Zhengtong, Li Ying, the Bo of Huining, was convicted and dismissed from the rank of nobility;
During the Jingtai period, Changping Bo Yang Zhen was removed from the title;
In the first year of Tianshun, Xiangbo Guo Deng was convicted and seized the title;
…
These precedents have been set before. Now, when encountering such a righteous emperor, which minister dares to say that the emperor will definitely not deal with him?
Zhu Houzhao himself was still lining up in the palace.
In fact, the so-called emperor and ministers of one dynasty also include ministers of honor.
Under his leadership, even if the Ming Dynasty failed to open up thousands of miles of territory in the end, the Tatars in the north and the Japanese pirates at sea would always fight a few battles. There were wins and losses in the battles, but they would not all be defeated. , after winning the battle, do the generals need to be knighted for their military exploits?
Moreover, the military academies are training general officers one after another.
In the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army, the former ministers who had nothing to do but had no fighting spirit refused to give way. How could the newcomers have a chance?
So he is not afraid of involving any so-called important people. He has 140,000 direct personal guards.
Sitting in the capital, I am still afraid that someone can change the world.
Therefore, one can imagine how flustered those involved in the trouble must be.
Sending people to sneak into the West Garden was actually a mistake.
There is no kindness for women in the court. Since it is harmful, then if you kill him, why bother to say anything to him about taking care of your wife and children?
Advising people to commit suicide was also partially affected by emotional interference, and they felt like they had known each other for many years, but this ridiculous self-impression actually made Zou Cheng greatly alert.
From then on, he was afraid that someone would secretly get rid of him, so he became extremely careful about what he put into his mouth. He would not eat until someone else finished it.
Otherwise, is the dog really scared to death?
The pampered Yameni was both stupid and bad. After failing to succeed, he was forced into desperation, so he began to want to kill Zou Cheng.
It would have been okay to hold it back, but if I really had to hold it back, I wouldn't be stupid.
Mao Yuwen has been keeping an eye on these situations. Sometimes he can't understand why Zou Cheng can survive until now...
Even if it's an assassination, it has to be done once, right?
No matter what the purpose of keeping this person, I won't be reluctant to part with him.
After thinking about it for a few days, one morning, one of his subordinates came directly to his home.
"Boss! The assassin has appeared!"
When Mao Yuwen heard this, he lifted the quilt and rushed out of the door.
"Did you catch it?"
"One died, two ran away, and one is still injured!"
"Are you following?"
"My subordinates have sent people to follow them, but I don't know if they are missing."
"That wound, what kind of wound is it?"
"There was a cut on each arm and leg."
"good!"
It is really convenient now. The Jin Yiwei replaces the Five Cities Military and Horse Division and is responsible for the security of the capital. The location of the West Garden is still within the city, not a place without city walls like outside Zhengyang Gate.
"Send this order to seal the city gates immediately! Search all residences and put up notices so that they can't hide! In addition, find a painter."
"Painter?"
"Give that dead man a portrait! I don't believe it and can't find anyone who knows him!"
After waiting for so long, I finally waited for this day,
As long as he moves, there will be too many clues left behind, and the person being tracked will become even more panicked, and in the panic, it will be easier to make mistakes.
So the best way is to pretend that nothing happened and everything is normal.
Unfortunately, those who can do this are not ordinary people.
At noon, another spy reported the situation to Mao in Chinese:
After the assassination incident in the capital last night, the Nanning Mansion was also in panic.
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Houzhao also had the latest developments. Seeing such a situation, he knew that the truth was close. The method of torture is like being locked up in a small dark room. The horror inside is difficult to imagine unless you experience it yourself.
Morning next day,
The emperor talked about this matter to all the civil and military officials outside Fengtian Gate.
His arm was resting on the dragon chair, and his thumb and index finger were rubbing each other. He had been on the throne for a long time, and now sitting on this chair, even if he didn't have the wrath of thunder, he could still suppress these people.
Everyone knows that underneath the emperor's calm face, he is smart, decisive, tough, and has an iron face.
Zhu Houzhao took the initiative to take up the topic after finishing other things.
"Recently, I have been tracking down an incident. I... have known that there are many abuses in the imperial salt class, and then I just transferred two Huai salt envoys to the capital. Some people were panicking. Last night, there was another assassination incident. , It’s really outrageous. Sometimes I worry about you, you are ruthless, stupid, and greedy. Do you think you still look like important ministers of the Ming Dynasty?”
"Then I thought about it again, these people are really audacious, because this Lianghuai salt envoy is a threat to them, so they want to kill them with a knife. But in fact, the biggest threat is me, and I want to investigate the abuses of the salt class, so I said Are you also going to find a few assassins to kill me?"
The emperor's words were indeed calm.
But as he spoke, there was a loud bang outside Fengtian Gate, and all civil and military officials knelt down!
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
"I'm not angry." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, "I just feel that when this matter has reached this point, some people have gradually lost their minds. It was originally a misdemeanor, but in the end it led to a death penalty. Isn't this not worth the gain? So I am here today. Reminder, I don’t expect everything you say to me to be true, but when it comes to important things, it’s best to be honest.”
"I would like to listen to your Majesty's teachings!"
"Also...Jinyiwei has traced the clues today." Zhu Houzhao squinted his eyes, looked up at the sky slightly, and said, "I wish you good luck."
From the time Zou Cheng entered Beijing and Gu Zuo was imprisoned, it was not until today that the emperor officially mentioned the salt lesson.
This is actually a horn,
As a result, both supporters and opponents submitted memorials one after another. Among them, "The State Uses Are Expensive and There Are Reasons" written in Korean by the Minister of Household Affairs made the most noise.
Since he has the most prominent official position and is a close confidant of the emperor, his words represent the emperor's wishes to some extent.
Secondly, his questions were the most intense.
In his memorial, he said: The disadvantages of private salt are not just one, but private decoction is the beginning of the evil. Later, he directly pointed out the harm of occupying nests, saying, "The traitors occupy the salt of the Central Huaihe River and sell the nests for profit, leaving Shandong, Changlu and other salts with no other options, and the accumulation is useless. It is a loss for the country and it is stored in the wrong side. Don't That’s why.”
The proliferation of private salt directly led to the decrease in the number of official salt, and the salt courses naturally also decreased.
Zhu Houzhao read it out in the Palace of Qianqing, "Lao Ku will be poor and has no money to support the old age. The salt class has its current shortcomings. The frontier is plagued by Tatar troubles. Since ancient times, there has never been a person who has exhausted both public and private wealth to be as poor as he is today!" "
Yes, he, the Minister of Household Affairs, knows best. There are few dynasties as poor as the Ming Dynasty.
After all, Han Guandao has been reading all his life, and it is quite spicy to write an article seriously.
In the evening, Jin Yiwei sent news through Dongchang, and it was finally Liu Jin who submitted it.
"Your Majesty, it has been found out that two honorable ministers are related to each other. One is Yongkang Marquis Xu Qi, and the other is Nanning Bo Maorong."
"Marquis Yongkang..." Zhu Houzhao sighed, "He is the descendant of General Xu Zhong during the Jingnan period, right? At that time, Marquis Yongkang was brave in the face of battle, and he was the first to go in and out of the enemy's formation. In the battle of Baigou River, Taizong The emperor also praised Xu Zhong and said: Xu Zhong is really a strong man. Unexpectedly, a hundred years later, the world will be changed, and he will no longer be as brave as his ancestors."
Liu Jin suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this matter has just begun and has already involved nobles and nobles in the court. Do you really want to investigate them one by one?"
Zhu Houzhao took out the Korean memorial, which he had carried with him for a day, and read it again.
"I lament that there are few good officials in ancient and modern times. It should be noted that there are many miserable people in the world. I am the emperor of tomorrow. After reading such a memorial, why should I not pursue the case?"
