Tianshun four years.
summer.
Lu Shangshu secretly hid dragon robes, armor, and bombs, and was suspected of treason.
The first two were framed by Dongchang, but the latter was so well-documented that even the civil and military officials had nothing to say.
Emperor Tianshun personally approved the execution and decided to execute him on a certain day.
Tang Mingyuan knelt outside the palace gate for two days and two nights until he fainted and failed to be summoned by His Majesty.
The twenty-third day of the lunar month.
It's midsummer and the sun is scorching.
There was a long row of prisoners kneeling at Caishikou, with death cards stuck on their backs, and executioners standing beside them.
The whining and crying sounds continued, and the timid ones couldn't help shouting for mercy, and even cursed and insulted Lu Shangshu in an attempt to gain Dongchang's attention.
On the contrary, the younger grandchildren were kneeling on the ground, looking left and right, their dark eyes blinking, wondering what kind of game they were playing.
The surrounding area was crowded with onlookers, waiting to watch the beheading. From time to time, some people threw rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs.
"Behead, behead quickly!"
"The Holy Lord is a benevolent king. If he dares to rebel, he should be punished by the nine tribes!"
"Dongchang has really done something good. If the Lu family rebels, our good life will be over."
"Be careful what you say!"
"We are saying good things about Dongchang, but this is not okay?"
"You can't even mention those two words, it's taboo..."
This was by no means a shill arranged by Dongchang, but the people spontaneously supported Emperor Tianshun and hated the Lu family for their intention to rebel.
Emperor Tianshun set a precedent for the country by accepting eunuchs as cadres.
It is also unprecedented for a chamberlain to serve in the six departments.
For such actions, any other emperor would have been scolded by the court and the people as a coward, but Emperor Tianshun became a benevolent emperor who was praised by everyone.
Geyin's internal ministers, Zhou and Yuan, supervised hundreds of officials, and foreign minister Tang Mingyuan presided over the reform of the dynasty.
The people have felt the tangible benefits, and it is not a big problem for His Majesty to favor the eunuchs and indulge in sexual indulgences.
Therefore, the Lu family rebelled and killed the nine tribes, and the people applauded.
As for whether Lu Shangshu supports the New Deal, the people don't know and are too lazy to investigate. They just want to chop off the head of the official!
among the crowd.
Zhou Yi had a beard on his chin and lips. He put on the gauze clothes that the rich man in the countryside liked to wear. He looked around and finally saw an acquaintance in the corner.
Use the Wandering Dragon Skill to shuttle through the crowd and come to the southeast corner.
The guards pretending to be common people noticed something strange, and four or five people lined up in a row to prevent Zhou Yi from approaching Tang Xiang.
Zhou Yi clasped his hands and said with a smile: "My family and Mr. Tang are old acquaintances."
The word "our family" hit his ears, and the guard's expression changed slightly.
Tang Mingyuan wore a black bamboo hat, looked at Zhou Yi's appearance carefully, and said in surprise: "It's the governor who is here. This outfit is not as imposing as the python robe."
"Master Tang, you don't know. Our family was poor when we were young, and we didn't even have a full meal."
Zhou Yi's figure was like a swimming fish, easily breaking through the guards' obstruction, standing next to Tang Mingyuan, and said in memory.
"At that time, my father was farming for Sun Laocai in the village. He was envious of the clothes he wore. He dreamed of having one in the future. Today, it is a dream come true."
Tang Mingyuan praised: "The Governor has gone from a country boy to today, with power in the government and the public, and he can be regarded as a great person in the world!"
"Mild praise, miraculous praise."
Zhou Yi boasted: "Master Tang, as a son-in-law, is ranked as the elder of the pavilion. It is impossible to say in the history books that he will be recorded as the first son-in-law in ancient and modern times!"
The two of them were talking to each other about business, and it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.
The prison officer was Ning Shilang of the Ministry of Punishment, who also supported the New Deal and had a close relationship with Lu Shangshu. He ordered the soldiers to bring strong drinks to all the prisoners.
This is the liquor made by the distillation method of Tang Xiang. When it first came out, it was said to cost one tael of gold and one tael of wine. Now the price has come down, and ordinary wealthy households cannot afford to drink it.
The prisoner drank a large bowl of liquor and soon became dizzy.
Minister Ning threw down the sign: "Execution!"
The executioner sprayed wine on the ghost-headed sword, rounded the knife, exerted enough strength, and cut off the neck with a click.
His head rolled out a few feet, and the blood in his neck spurted out.
"good!"
When the people saw the executioner's neat chops, they couldn't help but cheer loudly, just like watching a performer on the street.
Tang Mingyuan clenched his fists, his eyes were red under his bamboo hat, and he tried to bite his lips to prevent himself from crying out in grief.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Zhou Yi said faintly: "We don't understand. It's enough for the people to scold Dongchang. How come they also scold Lu Shangshu? He is a good man who wholeheartedly serves the people."
"The people are so ignorant. Fortunately, our family has not been a good person, otherwise we would have been so angry!"
Tang Mingyuan turned his head and stopped looking at the execution ground. His voice was cold and hateful: "Master Governor, is this what you want to see?"
"Master Tang is joking."
Zhou Yi did not deny or admit: "Our family did not feel sorry for the Lu family, we just saw Marquis Enze act and did not stop him."
"We are the admiral of the East Factory, and everyone calls for a castrated dog. Standing back and doing nothing is already doing a good deed!"
"What exactly does the Governor want to do?"
Tang Mingyuan suppressed the anger in his heart, knowing that the root cause was Emperor Tianshun, and Duke Zhou was just following the trend.
Zhou Yi looked up at the palace and murmured to himself: "Our family has a dream..."
Tang Mingyuan raised his eyebrows and almost asked whether it was odd or even.
Zhou Yi did not continue. The dream was too shocking. He changed his tone and said, "Master Tang, do you want to know why our family came to you today?"
Tang Mingyuan said: "The only thing in this world that can impress me is the New Deal, so something went wrong with the New Deal?"
“To speak to a wise man is to be transparent.”
Zhou Yi took out a stack of paper from his sleeve, with densely packed names written on it.
"Lu Shangshu sentenced the Nine Tribes to death, which frightened many people. These officials secretly took refuge in the Six Ministries and would bite Mr. Tang back at any time."
Tang Mingyuan took the list and saw many familiar names.
"Song Jiamao, I regard you as my disciple, and you can pass on the mantle in the future...Wang Su, I have been friends for many years...Shen Geng, my good friend..."
“They are indispensable for the implementation of the New Deal.”
Tang Mingyuan said in a deep voice: "The method of estrangement and frame-up by the governor is well-known in the court, but it is not feasible here!"
"Master Tang has misunderstood our family."
Zhou Yi said: "Every time Dongchang framed someone, it was because of his reputation. Those corrupt officials were really convicted according to the laws of the country, and they were all punishing the nine tribes!"
In order to prevent corrupt officials from harming the country, Emperor Taizu of Daqing stipulated that if the number of corrupt officials exceeds 10,000 taels, the three Yi tribes will be punished if the number exceeds 100,000 taels.
Nowadays, corruption is rampant in official circles, and the law is still there, but no one enforces it anymore.
Therefore, it is difficult to sentence the nine tribes to death based on the crime of corruption alone. Dongchang must go to the corrupt officials' homes to deliver dragon robes and bury armors.
Tang Mingyuan couldn't help but sarcastically said: "So I still want to be grateful to the Governor for fighting corruption for the court?"
"Don't need Mr. Tang's praise for things that are within the scope of Dongchang's duties."
Zhou Yi's face was wrapped in the Nine Layers of True Gang, and he didn't care about the strange yin and yang. He continued: "Every one of our lists has real evidence. Mr. Tang can verify it at will."
Tang Mingyuan was silent for a long time, stuffed the list into his sleeves, and sighed.
"They are all top-notch scholars, well-versed in the interests of their family and country, and have ideals and ambitions. They usually yell at each other for scolding dogs, but now they have turned to the chamberlain."
Zhou Yi pointed to the bloody execution ground and said: "There is great terror between life and death. The Lu family's case is right in front of us. In order to survive, how can we care about etiquette, justice and integrity."
Tang Mingyuan said: "So seeking benevolence and seeking justice are just words?"
"Jiejiejie..."
Zhou Yi laughed a few times and said: "Our family has little education and doesn't understand any big principles, but we understand human nature!"
"People have studied for more than ten years, worked hard to pass the exam, and worked hard to climb up. It can be said that they have worked a thousand times harder than ordinary people."
"I finally got a high-ranking position, why should I risk my life for the common people?"
"If it's our family, let's make money and enjoy it first!"
"Your Majesty, Mr. Tang, previously thought highly of you. Everyone followed Mr. Tang in shouting slogans and relying on the New Deal to gain promotions. Now, His Majesty has other ideas, and they immediately turned their guns!"
Tang Mingyuan has been an official for several years and has seen many weird phenomena in officialdom. He understands that what Zhou Yi said is the truth and will not change in the past, present and future.
"The Governor has said so much, what exactly do you want to do?"
Zhou Yi said: "We just want to tell Mr. Tang that relying on charity from others is not enough. Some things must be held in your hands!"
Tang Mingyuan's mind was spinning, he had some vague guesses, and there was a struggle in his eyes.
On the one hand, he is a good friend who has found a way to meet him, and on the other hand, he has the ideal of making a living for the people. It is difficult to make a choice in a short time.
Muranjian looked up and saw the executioner raising his knife to chop off the head of Lu Shangshu's grandson. His big round eyes were still open until he died.
Perhaps the child's not very bright mind is still wondering why he saw his own back.
Tang Mingyuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, his determination turned into determination and he asked: "The Governor is very scheming. He can force others to go to a dead end without taking action himself!"
Joy flashed in Zhou Yi's eyes, his goal had been achieved, and he said: "Even if our family doesn't indulge, Jiuchang Shi will make a big case, and then Mr. Tang will have no choice."
Tang Mingyuan said: "So it happens to be the Lu family's turn to be unlucky?"
“Every drink and every peck has a cause and effect.”
Zhou Yi mysteriously said: "The Lu family's execution of the nine clans may not necessarily be a disaster, and there is no telling whether there will be generous rewards in the future."
Tang Mingyuan didn't know why and said solemnly: "If things come true in the future, I will overturn the case and avenge the Lu family. All the servants involved in the case will be buried with the Lu family!"
"sure."
Zhou Yi said: "Let's write a list. All the servants involved in the Lu family case will be handed over to Mr. Tang for disposal."
Tang Mingyuan reminded: "Gong Du, don't think of asking someone to blame you. For example, Eunuch Sun, the head of the Superintendent's Department, he will definitely die!"
Eunuch Sun was in charge of the Supervisory Department and had a high position in Dongchang. He was Zhou Yi's right-hand man.
Zhou Yi nodded and said: "Eunuch Sun is at the top of the list."
Tang Mingyuan looked confused, and Zhou Yi explained unhurriedly.
"Who makes him want to be loyal to both our family and Marquis Enze..."
Loyalty is not absolute, that is absolute disloyalty.
Zhou Yi borrowed Tang Mingyuan's help to clean up the internal servants. In the future, only one voice will be allowed in Dongchang. Even if His Majesty comes in person, it will be difficult to give orders.
