Chapter 184 You are worthy to be compared with Ouyang Consort! ? (Please subscribe!!)
The "Hu Weiyong Case" killed tens of thousands of people, and the "Guangdong Kongyin Case" is here again!
Zhu Yuanzhang completely lost his patience. He originally asked Li Shanchang and Zhu Biao to be responsible for the investigation and trial, but the result of the handling was not satisfactory to Zhu Yuanzhang, so he directly asked Jin Yiwei to take over, and Jin Yiwei immediately started a bloody storm.
Li Shanchang and Zhu Biao investigated and interrogated, and after all they had evidence before arresting people, and the interrogation methods were relatively gentle. When they arrived at Jinyiwei, they acted upon the news and took down any doubts. The screams in the Jinyiwei prisons in the capital and various places continued day and night, as if It's like hell on earth.
On the streets, whenever they see a royal guard riding a fast horse, the people know that another official is about to suffer.
This storm was not only carried out in Guangdong Province, but also in other provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, Beizhili, which did not use blank printing of documents, was naturally not among them. It was alone in this bloody storm.
Officials below the fifth rank, if the evidence is conclusive, their homes will be confiscated and beheaded on the spot.
Officials of rank five or above were escorted back to the capital by Jinyi guards and executed uniformly.
Capital execution ground.
Hundreds of criminals from the 'Kongyin Case' are kneeling together. Even though these people are wearing prison uniforms and looking miserable, a month ago these were all officials of the Ming Dynasty's fifth rank or above. The presence of chariots and horses and servants sounding gongs to clear the way!
Kneeling at the front were the commander-in-chief of Guangdong Province, Zhu Liangzu, the Marquis of Yongjia, and Zhao Jie, the inspector-general of Guangdong Province. Behind them were Zheng Shiyuan, the inspector-general of Huguang Province, Fang Keqin, the prefect of Jining, and other officials.
The time was getting closer to noon, which meant that the execution time was coming.
Zhu Liangzu shouted at the top of his lungs: "I don't accept it! I, Zhu Liangzu, was the founding hero of the country who followed His Majesty the Emperor to conquer the world. I still have the iron scroll to avoid death, so you can't kill me!"
Snapped! The prison officer slapped the gavel tree hard and yelled loudly: "Criminal Zhu Liangzu, the crime you have committed is not an exaggeration to kill you a hundred times or a thousand times. The iron scroll can only save you three times. When you are about to die, , you still don’t know how to repent!”
Zhu Liangzu's eyes widened, "It's the same corruption. The consort Ouyang Lun can come out of the prison time and time again. Why doesn't Your Majesty let me go! Is it just because Ouyang Lun is the consort!"
Hearing this, the supervising official showed sarcasm in his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Are you worthy of being compared with Ouyang Prince Consort?! If Ouyang Prince Consort hadn't turned the tide this time, you, Zhu Liangzu, and the lawless officials of Guangdong Province would have long been Moving your head, His Majesty will never tolerate you until now! In a sense, you should also thank Prince Consort Ouyang, who allowed you to live for half a year longer!"
"Zhu Liangzu, please stop struggling to your death. The sins you have committed will not be enough for the people to be angry if I don't kill you, and it won't be enough to correct the law if I don't kill you!"
After saying that, the execution officer raised his head and glanced at the sky, "It's noon, execution!"
Then he took out a piece of command arrow and dropped it.
puff--
The executioner who had been prepared spit the strong wine in his mouth onto the blade, and then raised the sword high.
At this moment, even Zhu Liangzu was desperate.
At this moment, a eunuch delivering the order ran over and said, "Save someone under the sword!"
"According to His Majesty's decree, Huguang Inspector Zheng Shiyuan and Jining Magistrate Fang Keqin will be spared from death and demoted to Beizhili. The others will be executed as normal!"
As soon as these words came out, Huguang Inspector Zheng Shiyuan and Jining Magistrate Fang Keqin expressed doubts about the rest of their lives.
"Why should we spare them both!"
"What about us?"
"I don't want to die!"
Zhu Liangzu, who had already resigned himself to his fate in despair, roared crazily, "Why don't you spare me, Your Majesty!"
"Execution!" The supervisor did not hesitate and gave the order again.
click-click-
The sword flashed, and hundreds of heads fell to the ground. For a moment, the execution ground became a river of blood, and the heads rolled around. The scene was extremely bloody.
The eunuch who conveyed the order came to Zheng Shiyuan, the envoy of Huguang, and Fang Keqin, the prefect of Jining, and said, "You two adults are very lucky. Ouyang Prince Consort will personally intercede for you two and save your lives."
Ouyang Prince Consort? ! Zheng Shiyuan and Fang Keqin looked at each other, still confused in their eyes.
Naturally, they knew the name of the most powerful consort in the Ming Dynasty, but the key was that they had no friendship with Ouyang's consort! But no matter what, I finally escaped.
The "Guangdong Kongyin Case" was extremely involved, and the number of people involved should have exceeded 1000. It was even worse than the "Hu Weiyong Case", but most of the people killed were local officials, involving more than 4 county governments in the Ming Dynasty, and even more people were killed in succession. That’s [-] to [-] people! In this catastrophe, the officials were all in danger, and their days were like years.
The most frightening thing is that Jin Yiwei did not stop there, but continued to investigate. From time to time, it was reported that the official was involved in the "empty seal case" and was arrested.
For a time, the officials' fear of Jin Yiwei reached its peak.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Jinyiwei's investigation reports were continuously sent to Zhu Yuanzhang's Dragon Case. The thirteen provinces of Ming Dynasty and Zhili Province, except for Beizhili, which seemed to be fine, none of the others were missed.
Looking at the officials' crimes described in the memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang's face was extremely gloomy, and his eyes were even a little red, giving him a completely murderous look.
Lu Chang and Guo Zi looked at each other and spoke quickly.
"Your Majesty, since the investigation of the Guangdong Air Seal Case has been carried out, more than a thousand officials have been arrested, and tens of thousands of people have been arrested. This has far exceeded expectations. The first offenders Luo Rong, Zhu Liangzu, Zhao Jie and others have also been brought to justice. How about closing the case with the law?!" Guo Zi said cautiously.
"Your Majesty, due to the 'Hu Weiyong Case', our Ming Dynasty has already lost thousands of officials. Coupled with this 'Empty Seal Case', more than [-]% of officials have been captured. County magistrates and prefects in many places have also returned It's vacant." Lu Chang also said: "If the investigation continues, the entire Ming government system may be paralyzed."
Zhu Biao also said: "Father, I think Master Lu and Master Guo are right. Take Guangdong Province, which is the most serious problem. The government is now in a semi-standstill state. The lawless officials have been beheaded. The remaining officials They are also in a state of fear, fearing that they will be next, and there is still time to deal with government affairs. If the local government cannot operate normally, how can Guangdong Province recover?"
"My dear father, please think again!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
After experiencing the purge of the "Hu Weiyong Case", the Ming Dynasty officials were already nervous. Now that the "Empty Seal Case" has become clear again, the "tension" is even greater. As a minister of the DPRK and China, you can clearly notice that there are countless questions every day. Letters were sent to them from all over the country. Officials from all over the country expressed their concerns about the future and hoped that they could help persuade Zhu Yuanzhang.
The prince Zhu Biao was the target of lobbying by officials. Of course, even without the officials' complaints and lobbying, Zhu Biao felt that Zhu Yuanzhang's indefinite investigation was a bit excessive.
That's why today there is a scene where Zhu Biao, together with ministers such as Lu Chang and Guo Zi, persuade Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond immediately to the persuasion of Zhu Biao and others. Instead, he slowly raised his head and stared at his son and ministers in front of him with calm eyes.
God's gaze, questioning, relief and firmness Complex eyes.
This also put great pressure on Zhu Biao and others.
Finally Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, "I will ask Jin Yiwei to suspend the investigation of the empty seal case. In addition, all officials who take the initiative to explain the problem will hand over their illegal gains and everything can be forgotten. For those officials who were not involved in the empty seal case, they will be promoted as appropriate. To make up for the official vacancies!”
"Just do it."
According to Zhu Yuanzhang's temper, it was natural to be thorough, but Zhu Biao and others persuaded him, and Ouyang Lun also wrote a memorial. The content was quite euphemistic, but the summary of the meaning was also very simple, which was to remind him not to kill Hongyan. , it takes two people to recruit him at the same time.
"Your Majesty (father) is wise!"
Zhu Biao and others said quickly.
They also had a look of relief on their faces. It was really not easy. Since the "empty seal case" was launched, the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was like a major earthquake. The officials were trembling with fear. Now the days of fear can finally end.
As Zhu Yuanzhang stated that he would suspend the investigation of the "empty seal case", the atmosphere in the hall significantly relaxed.
"Biao'er, dear friends, do you have anything else to discuss?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
"Your Majesty, I heard from the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs that there are serious vacancies of officials in various places now, especially in Guangdong Province. Not to mention the vacancies of officials in counties and prefectures, even the chief officials of the three departments are also vacancies. Guangdong Province is also experiencing vacancies this time. The source of the epidemic, the post-disaster reconstruction work needs someone to take charge, and your Majesty is also requested to decide on the candidate to head the third department of Guangdong Province as soon as possible!"
Lu Chang said.
"The candidates for the third division of Guangdong Province really need to be determined as soon as possible. Please tell me. What suggestions do you have for the candidates? Who is the most suitable?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
"I believe that the directors of the three departments of Guangdong Province cannot be promoted within Guangdong Province, but should select capable officials from Kyoto officials. I recommend Guo Huan, the Minister of Household Affairs, to be the chief envoy of Guangdong Province, and Yongchang Hou Lanyu to be the chief envoy of Guangdong Province. When the envoys of the capital are sent out to control the Guangdong province, the envoys recommend Zhao Quande, the censor of the right capital of the inspectorate, to be appointed."
"I feel it is inappropriate. Although officials from the capital have sufficient prestige, they go to Guangdong Province to take up posts. After all, they are dealing with local government affairs. I feel that they should be transferred from other provincial officials who are developing well and are less involved in this empty seal case!"
"I think we should send people from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War, so that we can deter those corrupt officials who have not yet been discovered!"
The ministers in the palace started arguing.
Zhu Yuanzhang listened to the recommendations of these ministers and began to think in his heart.
Guangdong Province belongs to the Lingnan region, and its economy is extremely underdeveloped. In the final analysis, it is poor. After Luo Rong and Zhu Liangzu's efforts, it is now even more impoverished. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a poor country, but the importance of Guangdong Province cannot be overstated. Metaphor.
Guangdong Province is connected to the three provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, and Huguang to the north, Guangxi to the west, the sea to the east, and foreign countries to the south. Together with Yunnan and Guangxi, it serves as the southern barrier of the Ming Dynasty. Its strategic position is extremely important and must be developed. .
Moreover, it is necessary to prevent Guangdong Province from repeating the same mistakes. The importance of the three chief officials is self-evident!
Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about it, but saw that Prince Zhu Biao was a little anxious to speak, so he asked: "Biao'er, do you have someone in mind that you want to recommend?"
When the emperor spoke, the ministers naturally became quiet and turned their attention to Zhu Biao.
Zhu Biao quickly said: "Father, I do have a candidate for the Chief Envoy of Guangdong Province in my mind. This person is none other than Ouyang Lun, the Right Chief Envoy of Beizhili and the Prince Consort!"
As soon as these words came out, the ministers in the palace started discussing again.
"Consort Ouyang himself is the chief envoy. Under his governance, Beizhili is the only province that has not been affected by the empty seal case. With Ouyang's ability, it is indeed suitable for him to serve as the chief envoy of Guangdong Province!"
"More than that. Consort Ouyang is now in Guangdong Province. If he is appointed as the Chief Envoy of Guangdong Province, he can take office immediately without waiting."
"Moreover, the epidemic in Guangdong Province was solved by Prince Consort Ouyang. Now he is known as Master Qingtian in the hearts of Guangdong people!"
"From this point of view, Prince Consort Ouyang is really the perfect candidate to be the chief envoy of Guangdong!"
Nowadays, Ouyang Lun's reputation in the court is still very good, especially Ouyang Lun's timely handling of the epidemic in Guangdong, which has reduced the pressure on officials in the court. Moreover, because of Ouyang Lun's actions in Guangdong Province, Zhu Yuanzhang was very friendly to his officials. Officials in Beijing felt this deeply, and they owed Ouyang Lun a small favor.
Looking at the ministers who were still arguing fiercely over the selection issue just now, when Ouyang Lun was mentioned, the ministers were miraculously unified.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face was a little stiff, and he was a little unhappy inside.
To be honest, Zhu Yuanzhang was jealous of Ouyang Lun.
When did Ouyang Lun's staff become so good? "Isn't it appropriate for Ouyang Lun to serve as the chief envoy of Guangdong Province?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.
Zhu Yuanzhang's words were not loud, but they were enough to silence the entire hall.
Including Zhu Biao, all the ministers looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in surprise.
Ouyang Lun. Not even suitable? Isn't it suitable there?
Among other things, Ouyang Lun built Yong'an Mansion from an ordinary state capital into one of the most prosperous towns in the north of the Ming Dynasty. This alone is enough to become the chief envoy of Guangdong Province.
Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was complicated at this moment.
There is indeed nothing to say about Ouyang Lun's ability, but it was precisely because Ouyang Lun was so powerful that Zhu Yuanzhang had an estimate. He had already experienced Ouyang Lun's influence before. In Beizhili and the surrounding four provinces, Ouyang Lun spoke better than him. This emperor is still easy to talk to.
If Ouyang Lun is allowed to serve as the chief envoy to Guangdong, then the southern provinces will probably also listen to Ouyang Lun. Once the north and the south agree, will the Ming Dynasty be named Zhu or Ouyang in the future?
Even Zhu Yuanzhang was a little unsure about this.
Maybe Ouyang Lun himself didn't have this idea, but when the time came to connect the north and the south, wouldn't the group of people standing behind Ouyang Lun think like the Song Dynasty?
Therefore, from Zhu Yuanzhang's perspective, letting Ouyang Lun take charge of Guangdong is a step that involves both danger and benefit! !
(End of this chapter)