"Your Majesty, we just found out that the caravan run by the Mao family is called 'Zhonghua Grain Industry'. It mainly deals in grain and has been listed on the stock exchange. I'm afraid it has something to do with the two hundred stones of grain!"
"Should Yong'an Prefecture Magistrate Mao Youfu be arrested?"
Mao Xiang came to ask for instructions.
"Then what are you waiting for? Catch it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a gloomy expression.
"yes!"
Mao Xiang hurriedly retreated.
Soon Mao Youfu, the prefect of Yong'an, was arrested by the Jinyiwei. It is said that Mao Youfu was taken away directly by the Jinyiwei when the prefect's Yamen was settling the case.
"Your Majesty, someone has reported that Guo Zi, the Right Chief Minister of Peking, has good relations with Mao Youfu and Ouyang Lun, and has accepted gifts from them! It is suspected that he is the backstage of this Kaiping grain scandal!"
"It concerns a second-grade official. I dare not be expert in it. Please make your decision, Your Majesty!"
Mao Xiang came to report again.
"Okay! Even the chief envoy is implicated. I really underestimated Ouyang Lun!"
"Catch, I would rather catch the wrong one than let him go!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Mao Xiang slowly retreated and immediately started a new round of arrests.
Like a violent storm, the Jin Yiwei swept through the entire officialdom of Beizhili. Using the traces of two million shi of grain in Kaiping County as an excuse, they arrested nearly a hundred officials, large and small, ranging from the second-rank Peking Right Chief Envoy to Kaiping. The county magistrate, chief registrar, county magistrate, as well as the arrested officials and related personnel totaled hundreds of people!
In order to investigate more clearly, and in order for this food case to give Ming officials enough warning, Zhu Yuanzhang specifically requested that all officials be escorted to the capital for trial, so that they could be beheaded at the same time!
He wanted the world to know that he, Zhu Yuanzhang, would kill anyone who dared to commit corruption, even his own son-in-law or a frontier official.
After arranging things properly, Zhu Yuanzhang hurried back to Nanjing.
...
News of a major corruption case in Peiping quickly spread throughout the capital.
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Hu Weiyong was enjoying the massage and flirting with his lovely wife and concubine in the garden. He looked intoxicated and hummed a tune. After humming, the concubine immediately handed him a glass of wine.
At this time, the housekeeper of the house walked in hurriedly.
"Master Xiang, it's not good!"
Hu Weiyong was a little unhappy at being disturbed. He glanced at the housekeeper and said, "You have followed the truth for so many years. I have grown from a small county magistrate to a one-time prime minister, but you have made no progress at all!"
"If it weren't for your hard work and hard work over the years, I would have fired you long ago!"
"Tell me, what's going on?"
The housekeeper quickly said: "Prime Minister, a major corruption case broke out in Peiping. Two million shi were embezzled in food alone! His Majesty Long Yan was furious and arranged for the Jinyi Guards to arrest all the officials in Peking. Your Majesty is afraid this time It’s time to take action!”
Hu Weiyong was suddenly startled, "But our people were arrested? The truth has long told them to wipe their butts clean, but they didn't listen. Finally something happened!"
The housekeeper shook his head, "Prime Minister, it's not our people who are in trouble this time, but the consort Ouyang Lun!"
"I heard that Ouyang Lun, the consort, embezzled two million shi of grain when he was the county magistrate. His Majesty discovered it, and that triggered this storm!"
"Consort Ouyang Lun?" Hu Weiyong suddenly thought, "I have some impressions of this person. The number one scholar in the ninth year of Hongwu was also favored by Princess Anqing. At that time, I thought he was a person and even visited him personally..."
Speaking of this, Hu Weiyong's eyes flashed with a cold light, as if he thought of some unhappy things, "This guy has a good skin, and the articles he writes are splendid, but he is short-sighted and ignores the glory of the capital." You don’t have the luxury of wealth, but you go to Northern Xinjiang, how stupid you are!”
"I have long forgotten about him, but I never thought that this guy could embezzle two million stones of food. I respect him as a talent, so I will give him a ride this time!"
Since this matter has nothing to do with him, then he, the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, must perform well!
"Go and call Tu Jie and Chen Ning. I have something important to discuss with them!"
Hu Weiyong said hurriedly.
"Yes, Prime Minister!"
The butler handed over his hand and quickly retreated.
Hu Weiyong lay down again, "Let's continue pinching and drinking!"
Zhu Yuanzhang arrested hundreds of officials in Peiping this time. It is foreseeable that after this food crisis, there will be a power vacuum in Peiping, which means that a large amount of benefits will be released. It depends on whether he can capture this benefit. He is as capable as Hu Weiyong.
Ever since Hu Weiyong took over the power of the cabinet, he has been trying to arrange for his own people in Peiping. He has tried hard for so many years, but with little effect. This time is a big opportunity!
Soon, the censor Zhongcheng Tujie, the censor doctor Chen Ning and others gathered at the prime minister's house, and everyone discussed until late at night before leaving.
the next day.
Ming Dynasty morning.
In order to ensure that they attend the morning court on time, the ministers must get up at midnight, get dressed, and rush to the Meridian Gate to gather.
At about three o'clock in the morning, ministers began to arrive outside the Meridian Gate one after another. (In order to make it easier for officials to "wait for leaks" while waiting for the court, the imperial court built multiple court rooms in the imperial city, and officials usually sat in them according to their rank, waiting for the palace door to open.)
The tower above the Meridian Gate is called the "Five Phoenixes" and contains the bells and drums, which are managed by eunuchs from the Bell and Drum Division, one of the four divisions of the inner court. When it's time to go to court, the Bell and Drums Division will beat the drums and ring the bells, and then open the palace door. The Meridian Gate is the main entrance to the Forbidden City. There is a royal passage in the middle, which is not open on weekdays. The two gates on the left and right are for the entry and exit of the generals on duty and the guards holding flags and flags. When officials go to court and enter the palace, they can only go through the left and right gates.
Generally speaking, the general enters first, then the close attendants, then the Prince Consort, then the Fifth Prefecture and the Sixth Ministries, and then in the order of Tianfu and miscellaneous officials in Beijing.
At about five o'clock in the morning, officials began to enter the palace one by one. Civil servants entered through the left Yemen, and military attachés entered through the Right Yemen. After entering the palace, the ministers must first line up according to their rank south of Jinshui Bridge.
After blowing the whip, the ministers crossed the bridge one by one and arrived at Fengtianmen Danqi. They stood facing each other on both sides of the imperial road and waited. Among them, the civilian officials were on the left class and the military attachés were on the right class. This is called "living". During this period, the censor responsible for picketing was also supervising. Anyone who coughed, spitted, was crowded or behaved improperly would be recorded and awaiting reporting for processing.
There is a throne in the middle of the upper corridor of Fengtian Gate, which is called the "Golden Platform". On the left and right side of the steps is the band of the Bell and Drum Division. Between the pillars of the palace door are "generals of the Han Dynasty", wearing full armor. To the left and right of the royal road and behind the civil and military officials are There is a school captain standing with a sword in his hand.
After the emperor arrived at the imperial gate, the Bell and Drum Division began to play music, and the royal guards in golden robes held five umbrella covers and four groups of fans, climbed up the Danqi from the east and west sides, and stood on the left and right behind the throne. There are two people inside, one holding an umbrella cover and standing on the seat, the other holding "weapons" and two fans, standing in the middle behind the seat.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he blew his whip again, and the Honglu Temple "singed" to enter the class. Then the two civil and military classes on the left and right advanced into the royal road in unison. The civil servants "went north to the west" and the military officers "went north to the east", bowed once and kowtowed three times. The ceremony is called "big class". The princes, princes, and uncles form their own group, which is the Xunqi class, and they sit in front of the military attache class and are slightly away.
Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the dragon chair with a gloomy face, looking at the civil and military officials in Fengtian Hall, as if he was always identifying who was a corrupt official and who was a good official!
