"You won't say it, right?"
After waiting for a while, there was no movement from hundreds of students.
Chongzhen said coldly: "Li Ruolian, arrest these students and give each of them fifty military sticks first. I want to see if these people's spines are as hard as their mouths."
After receiving the order, Li Ruolian waved his hand, and hundreds of Jin Yiwei rushed into the students, and they were in a panic for a while.
"Your Majesty, these are all tribute students. The laws of the Ming Dynasty stipulate that students above the scholar level are not allowed to be tortured!"
"Your Majesty, there is an order in the Ming Dynasty law. If a student makes a mistake, he must notify the local Confucian examination department for punishment."
"Your Majesty, think twice. These are all students of the Imperial College and disciples of the Emperor. This..."
"enough!"
Seeing the ministers come out to plead for mercy, Chongzhen shouted angrily.
"Are you talking to me about the laws of the Ming Dynasty? Are you also talking to me about rules? I want to ask, is this world my world or the world of this group of students?"
"Look at the virtues of each of these scholars?"
"The frontline soldiers at the nine border gates fought bloody battles to resist foreign aggression. How many soldiers died? How much military salary was spent?"
"There was a great disaster in Shaanxi. Didn't you hear the memorial from the Shaanxi censor?
The people were displaced and starved to death for thousands of miles. The victims often used grass roots, tree bark, or even pounded stones to satisfy their hunger, ate "Guanyin soil", and exchanged their children for food. Under such tragic conditions, what were these scholars doing? "
"The imperial court has given them six privileges, and they can also receive a monthly salary. Look at them now, do they care about the lives of the people when they gather to make trouble?"
"At the slightest sign of dissatisfaction, they criticize those in power and scold traffickers and lackeys. They naturally feel superior to others, and their eyes grow to the top of their heads."
"Without the fighting of the frontline soldiers, without the support of the common people, and without the gift of the court, would they have the opportunity to sit here and study?"
“If you don’t cherish the opportunity to study, don’t study the classics of saints, and don’t want to achieve success in your studies and serve the country,
But he only thinks about forming cliques for personal gain and clinging to powerful people. Is this still considered a scholar?
I really feel sad for the soldiers and the people, but what they sacrificed their lives for is such a callous group of people. "
“These people will enter the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty through the imperial examination in the future and become the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty.
But if you look at this group of people, they only speak the words of sages and are full of benevolence and morality, but in fact they are full of male thieves and female prostitutes, and the books of sages have been read into the stomachs of dogs. "
"If these people enter the court, the Ming Dynasty will not be far away."
…
Chongzhen suddenly broke out and scolded the hundreds of students kneeling on the ground bloody.
He was really angry.
Thinking that seventeen years later, nearly half of the people here would be slaves, he could not wait to arrest these people and light lanterns in the sky.
Everyone is very surprised, is this still the emperor?
How could you say such vulgar words?
But these words directly touched the hearts of all the people watching the excitement.
After the anger, Chongzhen once again targeted Qian Rulin: "Qian Rulin, I will give you another chance to tell the person behind this meeting. I will give you a lighter sentence, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
Qian Rulin was silent, his mouth was bitter, but he still had the courage to say: "Your Majesty, this is a student organization. We just want to seek justice for Mr. Qian."
"hehe……"
Chongzhen sneered, and then shouted: "Li Ruolian, led the people to seal down the Jiangnan Guild Hall. Everyone inside should be sent to prison and tortured. If there is any resistance, they will be killed directly."
One sentence made Qian Rulin and the ministers of the Donglin Party present tremble with fear.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"Shut up, I gave you a chance, but it's a pity that you didn't cherish it. Now you want to beg for mercy, but it's too late."
Chongzhen interrupted Qian Rulin directly.
Then he turned around and looked at the Gongsheng students in the Imperial College, then at the hundreds of troublemaking Gongsheng students kneeling on the ground, and then at the people watching in the distance.
"Xiang Su Mao, Meng Shaoyu, come out!"
Su Maoxiang, the Minister of Punishment, and Meng Shaoyu, the Minister of Rites, walked out from the ranks of ministers and stood in front of Chongzhen with a bow.
"Xiang Su Mao, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in charge of the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Meng Shaoyu, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the scholars in the world.
Taizu gave scholars six privileges. What do you two think of Taizu's preferential treatment? "
Su Maoxiang, the Minister of Punishment, immediately said: "Your Majesty, Taizu's move is to allow scholars to study with peace of mind, so that they can serve the country after achieving success in their studies."
"What Mr. Su said is true. Taizu's move elevated the status of scholars and greatly stimulated scholars all over the world. It is a blessing for scholars like us."
Meng Shaoyu, Minister of Rites, echoed.
But neither of them knew why His Majesty was bringing this up at this time.
"Students are exempted from paying food. I heard that some scholars cover up and help others exempt themselves from food and make a fortune. Is this true?"
"Your Majesty, I have heard about this matter."
Su Maoxiang was a little surprised. Where did the young emperor hear about this matter? Do you want him to investigate the matter thoroughly?
"It's groundless. Since you have heard about it, you should start the investigation from the Imperial College first. I allow you to carry out the punishment. Remember, the Northern and Southern Yongs will investigate thoroughly at the same time."
"His Majesty!"
Su Maoxiang's heart tightened, and he immediately said: "The Ming Dynasty law stipulates that if a scholar or above makes a mistake, he must first notify the local Confucian education department.
If you want to use torture, you have to remove their titles first. Should you inform their local area first..."
"No!"
Chongzhen interrupted Su Maoxiang's words and looked at the ministers: "Where is the seal of the palace supervisor? Prepare incense lamps and sacrificial objects immediately. I am going to plead guilty to Taizu and abolish the regulations set by Taizu!"
Chongzhen's fluttering words were like thunder from the nine heavens, resounding in everyone's hearts and making them shocked.
This time, not only were the hundreds of students kneeling on the ground in the assembly, but also the students watching in the Imperial College were full of horror.
After all the ministers were frightened, they all knelt down in an instant.
"Your Majesty, no, this is the ancestral system, how can it be changed at will? Aren't you afraid of Taizu's blame?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, Taizu's move is to relieve scholars from worries. If these privileges are abolished, scholars will be distracted. This will greatly affect their growth and will be detrimental to the cultivation of talents in our Ming Dynasty."
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
All the ministers knelt down.
Chongzhen looked at the kneeling ministers coldly. He knew very well what these people had in mind. They were just thinking about his descendants.
"You also said that it is made by ancestors. That is our own family's business. I will go to the Ancestral Temple to offer incense to Taizu later. Taizu will not care about a descendant like me!"
I'm crazy...
The ministers and the students of the Imperial Academy were speechless for a moment after hearing Chongzhen's words. Why didn't the emperor play his cards according to the routine?
"You keep saying that Taizu's decision was made so that students can relieve their worries and study with peace of mind, but I don't think so.
Look at this group of people, they are still interested in holding rallies and criticizing government affairs, but they are all too full to do anything.
If Taizu had known about it, he would probably have abolished this rule himself. "
"Your Majesty, the students are also here for our Ming Dynasty, and our Ming Dynasty now has 600,000 registered scholars. If this ancestral system is abolished because of the matter of these hundreds of tribute students, which is unfair to other students, please think again, Your Majesty! "
Meng Shaoyu, the Minister of Rites, knelt down and begged. Although he was attached to Wei Zhongxian and belonged to the eunuch party, he was certainly a good person who could join the Donglin party.
But he is a scholar first. If even he agrees with His Majesty's abolition of the ancestral system, then he will be despised by scholars all over the world. It is estimated that the angry scholars will dig up his family's ancestral graves.
He can't carry this pot, and all the courtiers can't carry it. The only one who can carry it is Your Majesty.
Listening to Meng Shaoyu reporting the number of 600,000 scholars, Chongzhen's face changed slightly.
After a moment of silence, Chongzhen said in a deep voice: "Since you say it is unfair to other scholars, then I will take a step back.
Other privileges can be retained, but the legal preferential treatment must be abolished. Princes who break the law are as guilty as the common people, and scholars are no exception. After today, this resolution will be spread throughout the world immediately. "
"Don't give me any more advice. If they abide by the law and practice the way of saints, why should they be afraid of this privilege?"
The scene was extremely quiet, and then cheers erupted like a mountain roar and a tsunami.
Words of praise such as "Long Live Your Majesty, Your Majesty is Holy Ming" soared into the sky among the onlookers, and a smile appeared on Chongzhen's lips.
It’s true that when I feel sleepy, someone will give me a pillow. As soon as I ascend the throne, some students will make trouble.
Take this opportunity to abolish this ancestral system and boost your popularity.
Scholars have to swallow their own hardships.
All the ministers were silent as they listened to the cheers. It was a foregone conclusion that this privilege would be abolished.
After a while, the cheers slowly subsided.
Chongzhen looked at the ministers: "Listen for yourselves, the cheers of the people have said everything. The people of the world have been studying hard for a long time, which shows that my decision is what the people want.
If you, dear friends, still object, be careful of being tricked if you go out at night. "
The people burst into laughter, and the faces of the ministers changed slightly. Those who were barefoot were not afraid of those who wore shoes.
Seeing the ugly expressions on the ministers' faces as if they had eaten dead flies, Chongzhen felt relieved for a while and then changed the topic back.
"Okay, let's go back to the scholar's concealment and cover-up, helping others to avoid food and taking advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune!"
