"Your Majesty, Prince Jin and his family are all dead!"
"died?"
Chongzhen, whose butt was still hot from sitting, stood up in shock when he heard the news, and said hurriedly: "How did you die?"
Li Ruolian described what happened and his guesses, and then took out the letter from King Jin wrapped in animal skin.
When Chongzhen was about to receive it, Li Ruolian said quickly: "Your Majesty, in view of the death of King Jin, I think it is best for your Majesty not to touch this letter. I will open it for you!"
After hearing what Li Ruolian said, Chongzhen stretched out his hand and stopped in mid-air, then nodded.
Li Ruolian placed the letter on the table, opened the envelope with a dagger, slowly picked out the letter inside, and finally laid it flat on the table.
"read!"
"Your Majesty, I have committed the grave crime of killing the nine tribes. Even though you are a vassal king, you will not escape death. I have a few words for your Majesty.
Why did the Mongolian tribes and Jiannu become so powerful that they dared to attack our Ming Dynasty? Are we really supporting them by selling prohibited items?
No, the reason is that there is something wrong with Ming Dynasty itself.
Shenzong did not go to court for nearly thirty years, and Guangzong only reigned for one month. Three cases were disputed, the party's troubles were getting worse, he was greedy for beauty, and he had no talent, no virtue, and no backbone;
Xi Zong had a good nature as a carpenter, but he appointed Tai'a to be an eunuch, and he was raised by a prostitute, and the world collapsed beyond control.
With the Three Emperors like this, do the people of Ming Dynasty still have hope for Ming Dynasty? If we lose the support of the people, the Ming Dynasty will be over.
I am a first-level vassal king. You know the Ming Dynasty’s attitude towards the vassal king best. I can only make preparations in my own way.
Whether your Majesty believes it or not, since I am already dead, how can I care about what happens after my death?
I only hope that Your Majesty can open up a wider space for speech..."
The middle hall became quiet. Chongzhen put his hands behind his back, his face was calm, but his heart was a little ups and downs.
This letter can be regarded as an exhortation before death, and it also gives a thorough understanding of the entire situation in the Ming Dynasty.
Judging from King Jin's series of operations, King Jin is a rather complicated person.
Judging from the analysis of the situation of the Mongolian tribes and the Ming Dynasty, he has excellent strategic vision and overall view, knows how to be patient, has a deep city, and is courageous!
Judging from Cao Bianjiao's report, he is quite good at training troops.
If such people were born into the families of ordinary people or gentry, they might not be able to achieve great success.
If used well, it may also be a big help for him, becoming a cooperating existence like Yongzheng and Prince Yi Yinxiang in history.
It's a pity that he was born into the Zhu family of the emperor who treated the vassal king like a pig.
Perhaps in the future, the vassal king's strategy can adopt the historical strategy after Kangxi of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
Of course, there are still many systems that need to be designed on how to operate it, and it is still a bit early to talk about it now.
Regardless of whether what King Jin said in this letter is true or false, it is meaningless. If he is dead, what else can he say?
It can only be said that when a person is about to die, his words are good!
"Li Ruolian, bury Zhu Qiugui and his family members outside the tomb of Prince Jin in Dongshan, Taiyuan! At the same time, check the property of Prince Jin's house!"
"As for the other members of the Jin Palace and the clans under their jurisdiction, notify the Inspectorate and the Ministry of Punishment to send people to coordinate with the Jinyi Guards to conduct a thorough investigation and deal with them according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"
"Let's drag the eight families to the streets first, and they will be executed at noon tomorrow!"
Li Ruolian responded and left.
Less than half an hour later, a huge convoy of prison cars started moving in Taiyuan City.
"After a thorough investigation by the Jin Yiwei, it was found that eight major families, including the Jiexiu Fan family, Datong Jin family, etc., had liaison with Jiannu and Mongolian tribes, and sold materials embargoed by the imperial court for several years. They confessed to the evidence.
Your Majesty has decreed that the homes of all nine clans will be ransacked, the entire eight clans and three clans will be executed, and the direct descendants of the remaining six clans will be executed. The remaining ones will be thoroughly investigated by the Inspectorate, Dali Temple, and Jinyiwei...;
King Zhu Qiugui of Jin provided protection to the eight families and raised thousands of private soldiers with the intention of rebelling. Now he has committed suicide in fear of crime. His Majesty has an intention to deal with the Jin Palace...according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty! "
Several Jin Yiwei rode fast horses and shouted in the streets of Taiyuan City, while the Jin Yiwei behind them posted notices at intervals.
The convoy of more than 100 prison cars that had just entered the city also began to parade through the streets of Taiyuan City.
When the people heard the news, they were shocked and disbelieving at first, and then the discussion resounded throughout Taiyuan City, and the crowd became angry.
"What a bastard. I thought I had offended His Majesty, but I didn't expect that I was betraying my country."
"Let me tell you, these eight companies didn't start too early. How could they accumulate such a huge wealth in such a short period of time? It turns out to be smuggling. It's not surprising!"
"It's my fault that I took them as my goal. Thinking about it now is simply a shame!"
"Prince Jin's Mansion is also involved in smuggling? How is this possible? Although Prince Jin's Mansion also has bad people, its reputation is generally pretty good."
"Yes, Prince Jin's Mansion has built many roads and bridges over the years! How could this, this... be involved in smuggling? Is it a mistake?"
"What you mean by this is that His Majesty deliberately used this as an excuse to mess with Prince Jin?"
"Cao Ni Ma, do you know how to talk properly? I have any grudge against you. You are going to kill my whole family if you say that! I will support you even if I die!"
"Hmph, you know people's faces but not their hearts. People's hearts are separated from each other. As the old saying goes, flowers and plants depend on their roots, but making friends depends on their hearts!"
"This is easy to understand. There is no big evil. What is the purpose of building bridges, paving roads, and helping neighbors?
He just earned a good reputation and made us think that he was a wise king who would consider the people.
If one day we start a rebellion, with this reputation, there will be a large number of responders! "
"Well, your explanation seems to make sense. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world!"
"His Majesty did not punish the Nine Tribes for serious crimes such as treason and conspiracy. It is simply too merciful!"
…
Looking at the long queue of prison cars, the people talked a lot, and then the scene of the Jin family parading through the streets of Datong City was staged.
It took a full hour or two for the prison car team to circle the streets of Taiyuan City.
At noon the next day, more than a hundred prison carts were pushed outside the southern gate of Taiyuan City.
The reason why I chose to kill him here was because of Hou Xi's suggestion.
Hou Lu said that Taiyuan City has irregular city walls, curved streets, and staggered buildings, just like a phoenix soaring in the sky.
The phoenix is the main fire star, and its star is in the south. The south gate is the mouth of the phoenix, which is where the fire energy gathers.
Thousands of people died and resentment arose, which was solved by the fire of the South Gate.
When Chongzhen heard this statement, he almost laughed if it wasn't for the wrong occasion.
However, it is understandable. After all, this is a feudal society, and this kind of Feng Shui superstition is still very heavy.
The reason why beheadings are done at Caishikou is to suppress them with the help of huge living human yang energy.
At this moment, nearly half of the people in Taiyuan City gathered outside the South Gate. In order to see the traitor being executed, the people used various methods.
With stools, tables, stilts, people standing on top of each other, and even scaffolding on site, the scene was a weird one.
"Dear fellow villagers, it is impossible to meet you on such an occasion!"
Chongzhen stood on the temporary stage, looked at the people watching, and said something in a very calm voice, which was transmitted through the human body microphone.
"The only thing today is to kill the traitors. Their crimes have been thoroughly investigated by the Jinyi Guards!
I am not a murderous person, but I have zero tolerance for traitors. Those who dare to commit treason will be killed without mercy! "
"If we don't kill them, we will be sorry for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died in Liaodong."
Chongzhen's voice was very calm, without the slightest hint of anger. Since the matter had already happened, being angry would not help.
"Bring Fan Yongdou, Jin Liangyu and others up!"
