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

Chapter 222 Bowen avoids suspicion and climbs over the wall into the Earl's mansion.
"Issue my order: have the Western Depot intervene in this matter, and all officials involved must be punished!"

"Those who embezzle or accept bribes of enormous amounts, or those who are the masterminds, shall, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, have their entire family exterminated. Accomplices shall be beheaded or exiled. Those whose circumstances are less serious or who were forced to join shall be demoted to the border regions but retained for future use, to observe their conduct!"

The officials in the court were extremely panicked, but no one could say anything. Zhu Xiong Ying's approach was not as drastic as Zhu Yuan Zhang's; instead, it divided these officials.

These officials are not of one mind these days, so they can't cause any trouble even if they wanted to.

Many officials in the court are now deeply involved in this matter; some are ashen-faced, while others are secretly relieved.

Before the court session had even ended, Zhu Xiong Ying dropped another bombshell.

"The salary standards set by my Imperial Grandfather were because at the beginning of the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty, the people were so poor that they simply did not have enough money!"

"Thanks to the loyal ministers and capable generals in the court, the country is now stable and the national strength of our Great Ming is rising day by day. Even the Ministry of Revenue has some surplus funds. Therefore, from now on, the salaries of our Great Ming officials will be increased by 30%, and those who are poor and have elderly people or young children to support can have their salaries increased by another 10% as appropriate!"

Minister of Revenue Yang Siyi felt somewhat aggrieved, his beard trembling incessantly.

Taking money from him was more painful than taking his life, but since this matter had been discussed with His Highness the Crown Prince beforehand, he didn't say much.

The ministers in the court were immediately impressed. The current salaries were indeed too low, and not even enough to support their families.

Zhu Xiong Ying has now increased their salaries and benefits, which is undoubtedly a boon for officials in the court, especially those from humble backgrounds.

Many children from impoverished families knelt down in gratitude before Zhu Xiong Ying.

"We thank Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Grandson!"

Some officials felt extremely helpless. Now, Zhu Xiong Ying had given them a hard time and a sweet treat, directly dividing the power in the court into many factions.

Most of the commoners in the court now support Zhu Xiong Ying. Among these aristocratic families, the Jiangnan families dare not show their faces because of what happened before, and the northern families will also suffer heavy losses after what happened in Shanxi and Henan.

Those who commit serious acts of clandestine misconduct in the granary will inevitably be punished.

Those with minor offenses keep a low profile and dare not stand out.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was extremely satisfied. As expected of his son, Zhu Xiong Ying had now mastered the art of balancing power in the court.

Suppress some, kill some, and win over others.

After the tide receded, Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who hadn't said a word, and was extremely curious.

"Father, shouldn't you say something at this time?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao remained calm and quietly slipped the military tally back into his hand.

Thinking how close I came to taking out the military tally, I realized that if I had actually taken it out, it would have been too late.

Zhu Biao feigned composure and said, "What is there to say? There's nothing to say. I've seen far more than you have. This is just a trivial matter!"

"However, you did a good job with this matter at U.A.!"

Zhu Biao's words surprised Zhu Xiong Ying.

“Father, although this time there was no large-scale involvement, there will definitely be many officials involved. I'm afraid the whole world will condemn me for being cruel and heartless. Shouldn't you do something to stop it?”

Crown Prince Zhu Biao shook his head.

“If it were anything else, I would actually stop you, but this is different. These people are corrupt and lawless. Their actions will harm countless people. That grain is life-saving grain. What if the border is in danger or a disaster occurs in the area!”

"The imperial court might assume there's grain in the area and allow them to open their granaries. What do you think the local officials would do?" "Where would they find grain to open their granaries? In the end, it's the common people who suffer. No amount of killing officials like these would be too much!"

"After this incident, your reputation will likely suffer. Many civil officials will target you. Be careful, though scholars may not use knives, their methods can be sharper than knives!"

"As an emperor, reputation is very important, but sometimes one should not be burdened by it!"

Zhu Xiong Ying snorted coldly.

"Father, rest assured, I am never afraid of those who come looking for death. If they dare to come looking for death, then I will grant their wish!"

"Perhaps in the hearts of these powerful families and corrupt officials, I am a cruel person, but I believe that the people of the world have a scale in their hearts, and they will understand the difficulties I have in doing these things!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sighed.

"Your father understands what you're saying, but you must know that only a minority of the people in the world are aware of the laws and regulations of the imperial court!"

"This time I will accompany your imperial grandfather on his journey south."

Do you know what we saw?

"The people are afraid of the imperial court, and many are even worried about not being able to pay the heavy taxes of the previous dynasty. They know nothing about the new agricultural tax of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Although our Great Ming Dynasty has promulgated the Great Ming Code, these common people have no idea what the Great Ming Code is, and the officials turn a blind eye to it. It's really hateful!"

At that moment, Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly seemed to have an idea, and her eyes lit up.

"Father, I do have a solution to this matter. Please wait and see!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao remained silent, utterly bewildered, still very curious about what method Zhu Xiong Ying had mentioned. Meanwhile, at the Cheng Yi Earl's residence, Liu Bowen hurriedly returned to his mansion after court and ordered his men to close the gates immediately.

Seeing this, Liu Bowen's wife was very curious: "Master, why did you close the door so quickly in broad daylight? Did something happen outside?" Liu Bowen nodded.

"Something has indeed happened outside, and it's a big one, but it doesn't have much to do with our family!"

"Let me tell you, no matter who comes to our house for help, we cannot get involved in this matter, and no matter who comes to visit us, we must not open the door!"

Liu Bowen's wife also knew that this matter was probably not simple, so she immediately ordered her men to close the gate tightly.

When Zhu Xiong Ying and the others arrived at Liu Bowen's residence, they found the gate tightly closed.

Liu Bowen was extremely puzzled and ordered his men to knock on the door.

But no matter how much they knocked, no one answered the door.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Yu Hua Tian.

"Is Lord Liu not at home?"

Yu Huatian shook his head.

"My men reported that Liu Bowen didn't go anywhere else after court; he went straight home. He's definitely at home now!"

Zhu Xiong Ying pointed at several agents from the West Depot and ordered, "Select a few skilled men to scale the wall and see what's going on inside!"

(End of this chapter)