In the previous case of treason by nobles, Emperor Chongzhen went to arrest people with six ministers, including the interrogation, all of which were watched by six ministers. The evidence that he was motivated to kill the prince because of money and wanted to intimidate the emperor is solid.
Although Cheng Guogong and others did not actually want to change the dynasty, it was not only the change of dynasty that was considered treason. Therefore, when Emperor Chongzhen wielded his treasonous stick, no one dared to say anything. It can only be said that the descendants of these founding heroes are seeking death themselves!
Now, in Wang Dengku's view, just because of something as common as hoarding food, the emperor would label it as treason. This is a big joke. How can there be such treason? If the emperor really takes treason as a daily routine in the future and accuses others of treason at every turn, then no matter who it is, except the emperor himself, everyone else will worry that one day they hate the emperor, and the label of treason will be Put it on your head. That is a serious crime of confiscating a family and exterminating a clan. No one can afford it, and no one can afford to bet that he will not be guilty of such a crime.
Therefore, generally speaking, no one would be happy for the emperor to label him as treason. Once the emperor uses the label of treason at will, everyone will be in danger and will join together to oppose it. That's why Wang Dengku asked this question.
After hearing this, Liu Meicai still nodded anxiously and said: "It is true that some colleagues have raised doubts with the emperor, but no matter what, the matter will be finalized, and that is not now. In my opinion, it is best for you to avoid the limelight. It’s time to go back to Shanxi.”
Wang Denku nodded quickly after hearing this. He didn't dare to take any risks. One of those grain shops was under his name, and some were owned by other Shanxi merchants, but they all did so after following his instructions.
Liu Meicai saw that he was almost dressed, so she told him what she had heard: "I heard from some colleagues, and it seems that there was also a reply from the palace, saying that the factory guards had noticed that the grain stores in the previous They are already buying grains on a large scale, hoarding countless grains but not selling them, just to cause famine in the capital and in the capital. Are they creating opportunities for bandits or for rebels? Such sinister intentions are not treason. "
When he said this, Wang Denku suddenly stiffened, as if someone had tapped his acupuncture points, and he could not move.
Liu Meicai didn't notice and kept nagging: "Although there is no such thing, the emperor is being alarmist and probably frightened. Maybe the food was hoarded by the powerful people in the capital. After all, At this age, the price of food is always fluctuating, and everyone wants to have more food on hand to not panic..."
Wang Denku came to his senses at this time and couldn't help but secretly complain. You don’t know that the food around the capital, including the neighboring provinces, was purchased by us. If the emperor really found out, wouldn't it mean that he would be accused of treason?
Fortunately, it seems that the emperor does not have real evidence yet, and is only conducting internal investigations in the capital. It seems that the food stored in various places must be transferred out as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the crime of treason is confirmed, it will be the crime of confiscating the family and exterminating the clan!
No matter what, neither Wang Dengku nor those Shanxi merchants thought that one day he would wander beyond the Great Wall or Liaodong. For them, of course their hometown is the best.
Hearing Liu Meicai still nagging, Wang Dengku finished putting on his clothes and walked out immediately. At the same time, he asked Liu Meicai: "Is martial law in the capital now?"
"Not yet, but it will probably be soon!" Liu Meicai heard this, thought for a moment, and answered him, "Once the factory guards report the results of the interrogation, they might be under martial law and arrest people."
At this point, he looked at Wang Dengku's appearance and asked hurriedly: "Sir, are you going to leave the city? This is best. As long as you leave the capital, you will be safe. Let's talk about other things later. I believe that the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty can't do anything. If the emperor is responsible for the serious crime of rebellion by grain merchants, as long as there is time, things will definitely turn around."
After Wang Dengku heard this, he nodded repeatedly. After leaving the door, he directly called his guards to leave the city.
"Master, you haven't eaten yet!" The guard guarding the door quickly reminded him when he heard this.
Wang Denku was not in the mood to eat at this time. The most important thing was to escape from the capital before martial law was imposed.
Seeing him leaving in a hurry with his guards, Liu Meicai went out immediately without staying in the house. This case of grain merchants' rebellion must be opposed and must not be decided by the emperor.
No matter Wang Dengku or Liu Meicai, they didn't know that there were a few pairs of eyes watching in the dark. After they all left, these people went to the city gate to verify the situation of Wang Dengku leaving the city, and then quickly rushed back to the Jinyiwei Yamen.
At this time, the seizure of grain merchants that started yesterday evening and the seizure of grain merchants had become a big deal. Many courtiers rushed to the Forbidden City to inquire about the news, or handed the hastily written memorials to the General Affairs Department. No matter what the purpose, everyone submitted their own letters.
To be honest, the grain merchants' hoarding and raising grain prices did not actually have much impact on them. Because they all have surplus food in their respective houses, those who have the greatest impact are currently unable to speak out.
What these officials were concerned about was that, as Liu Meicai and Wang Denku said, the emperor actually labeled him as a treason again. In just a few days, there was a second conspiracy case, which was not bad. If the emperor is so willful, will the case of Fan Ji Bank colluding with the palace also be determined as treason? If this is the case, will other matters involving communication with the palace also be classified as treason?
It has to be said that they were very worried, so they thought of ways to see the emperor, reason with the emperor, and ask the emperor for an explanation.
Even Xue Guoguan, known as Xue Manzi, was very cautious about such a major treason case. Once the case is finalized, the whole family will be executed, implicating the nine clans, which is the most serious crime in the history of the dynasties.
Under the fierce public sentiment, Emperor Chongzhen's decree came down, and matters were discussed in the Wenhua Hall.
After hearing this, all the civil and military officials rushed to the Wenhua Palace. But on the way, something happened that surprised them very much.
Originally, outside the palace, standing at various strategic points were tall and long-armed generals, showing their majesty and royal dignity. But this time, they suddenly discovered that many Han generals had been replaced. They were all missing arms or had obvious scars on their faces. In short, they were all disabled. How is this going?
However, they also noticed one thing. The previous Han generals were more like the angry-eyed King Kong in the temple. They looked really majestic, but in fact they were just clay Bodhisattvas. But now, although these disabled generals of the Han Dynasty are not very good in shape, they have a kind of spirit that makes people know they are different at a glance. The stares of these people were like knives that could penetrate people's hearts. Just one look at it can immediately remind people of where this place is, forcing them to be alert and pay attention to their appearance.
There are even some generals who can see the invisible murderous aura in these disabled Han generals. This person has definitely been on the battlefield and seen blood, and looks at people in a completely different way.
Contacting the previous rumors, many people immediately understood that these disabled generals of the Han Dynasty should have been injured and disabled in the previous battle with King Qin. I didn’t expect that the emperor would really fulfill his promise and let these people serve as generals of the Han Dynasty!
Of course, not all Han generals have been replaced. Generally speaking, the ratio of these big Han generals currently standing guard is one to one. However, closer to the Wenhua Palace, there were more disabled Han generals. Obviously, the emperor should pay more attention to these disabled Han generals.
But no matter what, this is just a small episode. For these civil and military officials, the affairs of the Han general are at best a curiosity. At this time, what they are most concerned about is the case of the grain merchant's rebellion.
When we arrived at the Wenhua Hall, there were already many officials here. The emperor hadn't arrived yet, and everyone was whispering to each other.
"Those grain merchants buy low and sell high, which is originally a profit-making behavior. How does this have anything to do with treason?"
"Yes, the emperor doesn't know what he thinks. It's not like this has happened before! Generally speaking, grain merchants buy grain at low prices in good years, and sell it at high prices in bad years. It's normal! "
"Even if those people hoard the food and don't sell it, it can be said to be evil-hearted, but it doesn't mean they are treasonous, right?"
"Could it be that you were bewitched by the factory owner of Dongchang? After such a big case, wouldn't you have to let the factory guards run wild again?"
"No, I must advise the Emperor on this matter, and don't listen to what the traitor says!"
"..."
While some officials were talking, they turned to look at the chief minister standing in front of them, and said to Xue Guoguan: "Chief Assistant, treason is a serious matter. If this mere grain merchant's hoarding of strange things can be regarded as treason, Will there be a way for us to survive as ministers in the future?"
"That's right, Chief Assistant, let's not talk about other things. You are the Chief Assistant of the Dynasty, but you must ask the Emperor for an explanation on this matter!"
"..."
Xue Guoguan frowned and remained silent, but his expression also showed that he was worried.
While they were discussing in low voices, Emperor Chongzhen arrived.
So, these ministers looked at each other and gave reminders with their eyes. After the ceremony, they all looked at Xue Guoguan, the chief minister.
Emperor Chongzhen sat on the throne, looked down, frowned and asked: "Didn't all the ministers ask to see me? Why, when they saw me, they all stopped talking?"
Xue Guoguan naturally understood that the ministers wanted him, the leader of the officials, to speak first.
In desperation, he had no choice but to cough, stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, I am very puzzled by the fact that the grain merchants are being accused of treason for hoarding grain. I don't know if there are other things, but Is this something I don’t know about?”
Once he opens his mouth, it will be easier to handle. Yang Sichang, who was standing behind him, also followed suit and said: "Your Majesty, the whole capital is now in panic. If we don't give the people an explanation, I'm afraid there will be misunderstandings!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yushi Liu Meicai also hurriedly came out to agree, "I don't know if the factory guards framed these grain merchants, but we have to be cautious. If the factory guards want to turn the matter into conspiracy, give me If these grain merchants leave thirteen pieces of armor or something, or hide a dragon robe or something in their house, they can really make people die unjustly. Wei Chen suggested that such a major matter can be reviewed by the three law divisions, with the factory guards observing, so Only then can we be fair and demonstrate the justice of the court!"
"..."
Other ministers also followed suit and started to report. Anyway, their views were similar. They don't think that they are just grain merchants and have the ability to rebel. At the same time, they were worried that the factory guards would give in and give in, or throw something disobedient at the grain merchant's house, thereby convicting the grain merchant of treason.
A trick like this is actually very possible in the eyes of these officials. It's not like factory guards never did this before. Although it does not necessarily have to be a major treason case, some cases of bribery and bribery, cases of forming cliques for personal gain, etc. have all been framed by factory guards in this way.
On the contrary, the grain merchants are plotting rebellion. For them, this is simply impossible.
Seeing the courtiers below coming out to question one by one, Cao Huachun, who was in the eunuch queue, had a very ugly look on his face. He knew that since he stood on the opposite side of the civil servants, these civil servants became rogue and would throw any shit at his head.
However, when he looked sideways at Emperor Chongzhen and saw that Emperor Chongzhen's expression did not change, he felt relieved. This matter was done entirely in accordance with the order, and even the charge of treason was approved by Emperor Chrysostom. If you civil servants want to rely on our family, you are afraid that your efforts will be in vain.
Cao Huachun was thinking this, but he was actually a little confused. Why did the emperor label these food deals as treason from the beginning?
Emperor Chongzhen, who was sitting on the throne, just let the officials below talk. When they had finished speaking, he said coldly: "I can tell you clearly here that these grain merchants and the people behind them are treason! My factory guards absolutely do not, and there is no need to slander them. As for the evidence, I will show it to you soon."
"Your Majesty, this is the evidence. What if the factory guard forged it?" Liu Meicai became anxious when she heard this. Regardless of the boss standing in front of her, she quickly asked, "What if it was forged?"
If the case is moved to the Three Laws Division, it cannot be settled by the emperor's words. Therefore, he strongly emphasized the possibility of factory guards fabricating evidence. After hearing this, other censors also agreed. After all, they are all officials, and they can say whatever they want.
However, they did not expect that after hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen sneered and said confidently: "I have already said it just now, so I will say it again. The evidence this time cannot be forged by factory guards. After I find out, you will know."
After finishing speaking, he asked with a cold face: "Besides, what else is there? If not, the hungry people outside are crying for food, and the places ravaged by the rebels are in urgent need of post-war reconstruction. I am too busy, you guys But do you have leisure time?"
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