The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 125 The Empty Seal Case Closed, a Catastrophe for the Civil Service Group
Zhu Xiong Ying arrived at the court and was somewhat surprised to see so many people there. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the people present were none other than Marquis Yongjia, Zhu Liangzu, and his entourage.

These people have been staying at home, drinking and making merry every day since Zhu Yuanzhang stripped them of their military power.

Unless there's something special, they definitely won't be here.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered and quickly understood why these people were here.

It must be that these people found out about what happened on Zhu Yuanzhang's side and wanted to settle the matter in court.

Zhu Xiong Ying snorted coldly; things were not as simple as they imagined.

The morning assembly had just begun when Hu Weiyong eagerly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the complete list of people involved in this Empty Seal case is here. Many have already been apprehended, and the final decisions regarding the families involved are also on it. Please review it, Your Highness!"

Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand and handed the memorial directly to Yu Hua Tian, ​​who was standing to the side.

Yu Huatian read the contents of the document aloud.

The ministers in the court frowned as they listened to the contents of the document, and many of them gritted their teeth in hatred.

The content here basically involves many families.

The various families in Jiangnan, in particular, were dealt with extremely severely.

If handled according to the above methods, the network of connections that the civil service group has worked so hard to build will likely suffer heavy losses again.

Everyone shuddered at the sight of Hu Weiyong. Who would have thought that this guy would be so ruthless as to do such a thing?

At this moment, an official from the Hanlin Academy stepped forward and said angrily.

"Your Highness, I request that Hu Weiyong be executed swiftly. This man is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If we follow his methods, the foundation of our court of scholars will be exhausted!"

"Many families involved here have not been convicted. If all of them were to be dealt with according to the methods outlined here, it would be going too far. I urge Your Highness to investigate thoroughly!"

These words were like igniting a powder keg, and many officials in the court began to verbally and in writing criticize Hu Weiyong.

Hu Weiyong was portrayed as a representative of those who brought disaster to the country and its people.

Hu Weiyong stood there without saying a word. He was gambling, gambling with his lifelong reputation.

He knew very well that Zhu Xiong Ying had no intention of letting him go. If he didn't handle this matter properly and become a tool in Zhu Xiong Ying's hands, he might never have a chance to turn his life around.

Now that he has offended all the scholars in the court, perhaps only then will Zhu Xiong Ying trust him enough.

"I only ask, is the information presented here true? Has anyone been wrongly accused?"

Hu Weiyong pulled out a stack of papers from his pocket, with densely written words on the bottom.

"Your Majesty, I have evidence. The records above are all evidence of these people's crimes. Not a single person has been wrongly accused. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed as she looked at the contents of the document.

"I never imagined that there would be so many corrupt officials within the borders of my Great Ming Dynasty. It truly breaks my heart!"

"I thought these people were originally talented individuals of my Great Ming Dynasty. Who would have thought they would do such shocking things? They have truly let me down and let down the people of the world!"

"In that case, let's proceed with the punishment as described above!"

The civil and military officials in the court were startled when they heard this.

Originally, it was thought that Zhu Xiong Ying would try to exempt some people from their crimes and then deal with them, but who would have thought that Zhu Xiong Ying would be so ruthless as to have all of them beheaded.

Among these are many aristocratic families with a history spanning thousands of years. If something were to happen to them, it could be detrimental to them. A civil official stepped forward and hurriedly spoke up.

“Your Highness, the practice of using blank seals has existed since the previous dynasty, and there are certainly more than just a few people who have done things in this way. It would be too cruel to punish all of them indiscriminately!”

“Some of these families have been passed down for thousands of years. Their hard-earned reputation should not be lost so easily. I beg Your Highness to be lenient!”

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Many of these people are loyal to our Great Ming. If we were to deal with them all, wouldn't that break the hearts of our meritorious officials? Who would be willing to serve our Great Ming then? I beg Your Highness to spare their lives!"

"Your Highness, please spare their lives!"

All the officials in the court stood up.

Almost all of the civil officials who stepped forward today are now in office.

They were well aware that if Zhu Xiong Ying treated these people so harshly this time, they would likely be dealt with in the same way if they committed crimes in the future, which would be extremely disadvantageous for them.

From the Song Dynasty onwards, the rule of "no punishment for officials" meant that the scholar-officials were truly in their paradise.

Therefore, they are determined to restore that system.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at these officials and sneered.

"You are all subjects of my Great Ming Dynasty. Do you not know that the law of the land is merciless? If everyone talks about their merits and their past deeds, then there are many people in my Great Ming Dynasty who deserve to die!"

"These scoundrels should have considered the consequences when they did these things. I have never implicated anyone, nor have I let anyone who deserved to die go free!"

"Do you all perhaps wish to be on this list as well?!"

At this moment, the official from the Hanlin Academy stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Highness, if you continue to refuse to heed my advice, I am willing to die in this court to prove my resolve!"

The official was neither servile nor arrogant, which commanded the respect of everyone else.

A warrior who is willing to sacrifice his life for his honor is truly rare.

"This lord is quite remarkable. He remains pure even when jade is shattered, and upright even when bamboo is burned. Someone like him should not lie on the pillar of shame alongside these corrupt officials!"

"I have already decided to erect a pillar of shame in the capital, on which all officials involved in this matter will be recorded and condemned for eternity. I wonder which lord would be willing to go with me?"

Everyone shuddered upon hearing this; the Crown Prince's plan was truly ruthless.

By directly placing these people's deeds on the pillar of shame, no matter how much time has passed, everyone will remember these officials, thus leaving them with eternal infamy.

Upon thinking of this, the official from the Hanlin Academy shuddered and withdrew his foot that had just stepped out.

Although he wants fame, it's definitely not in this way.

If my name were written on it, how could I possibly have the face to remain in this imperial court?

The officials in the court who had pleaded for leniency immediately lowered their heads and remained silent.

This startled the nobles from Huaixi who were standing nearby.

The Crown Prince is truly ruthless.

(End of this chapter)