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

Chapter 75: Slamming the dung bucket over Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong's heads!
"Fuck!"

The cloth was torn and then hung from the roof beam!
Tu Jie slowly inserted his neck into the simple ring, his face deathly pale.

He's dead!
He offended the Empress, and even "impeached" her in front of all the civil and military officials. Although Tu Jie had no intention of targeting the Empress, he still did it!

If you did it, you deserve to die!

For Tu Jie, death was even a relief!
Suicide out of fear of punishment might prevent him from implicating his family!

"I don't want to die!"

Tu Jie's hands were trembling. He was not a man of strong character, and of course he was not as generous as the loyal and righteous who would die for their country.

but.
When Tu Jie thought of the Empress and the four words "Take care of yourself" sent by Li Shanchang, despair filled his eyes!

He has no way out!

With a push of both legs,

The tattered cloth instantly tightened around his neck, and the feeling of constriction that started at the neck quickly turned into a suffocating sensation in his chest.

Immediately afterwards, I felt nothing but pain.

"Teacher, Tu Jie has committed suicide!"

Inside the Secretariat, a servant handed over a slip of paper. Hu Weiyong glanced at it and immediately reported to Li Shanchang.

This was the outcome they had anticipated.

Even if Tu Jie did not commit suicide, they could not let him live any longer!

It's better for one person to die than for a whole group to die.

Li Shanchang nodded slowly with a solemn expression and said, "Find out the evidence of Tu Jie's wrongdoing, then discuss the punishment within the Secretariat and hand it over to the Ministry of Justice."

"Remember, confiscating property and exile are both acceptable, but not the extermination of the entire clan."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong's face turned extremely ugly, and he stammered, "Teacher, this is not a good idea!"

"Tu Jie is working for us; everyone in the court knows this!"

"Now that Tu Jie is dead, if we continue to act in this way, it will discourage our subordinates and alienate those indecisive officials from us completely!"

"This move was a mistake!"

What Hu Weiyong said was the truth.

He didn't really care about Tu Jie's family. Tu Jie was already dead, so what use was a large family of orphans and widows? He wouldn't even feel sorry for them if he killed them!

But Tu Jie is Hu Weiyong's adopted son!
He worked for Hu Weiyong and now he has committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Instead of trying to save himself, Hu Weiyong kicked him when he was down. What are others going to think?
This move will inevitably make it difficult for Hu Weiyong to win over his subordinates in the future!
"It can't be wrong, and it can't be cured!"

Li Shanchang shook his head, looking as if he had aged several years in despair: "We are not kicking someone when they're down, but rather saving Tu Jie's entire family!"

"Don't you realize that Tu Jie has offended the Empress? If the Empress finds out, she will surely be furious!"

"A superior may be broad-minded when it comes to the country, but narrow-minded when it comes to his family! If Tu Jie had done something wrong, even if he had offended his superior, it would only mean execution! How could I make such a despicable decision?"

"But this matter concerns Her Majesty the Empress! If you, Tu Jie, are thinking of rising to power, since you have insulted the Empress who has risen to power, then you, Tu Jie, should also die along with your wife and children!"

"Our move not only tells those in power that we've made a difference, but it also protects the Tu family."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong suddenly understood and admired his teacher even more!
With such a deep understanding of those in power, it's no wonder that my teacher, a civil official, was able to stand firm among this group of arrogant and fierce generals!

"But... if we do this, our colleagues will lose heart, this..."

Hu Weiyong hesitated slightly.

Even though the intention was good, the result was ugly!

So what if I'm heartbroken?

"If you don't want to be held accountable by your superiors, you have to do this!"

"Your Highness, this is like throwing this stinking latrine right onto our heads. Whether you want to catch it or not, you have no choice but to!"

Li Shanchang slammed his hand on the table and said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong was immediately taken aback: "Teacher, what does this matter have to do with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Her Majesty the Empress has already issued an imperial decree, wishing to repent for his crimes. No matter how favored His Highness the Crown Prince is, it's impossible for Her Majesty the Empress to go to such lengths, is it?"

Li Shanchang gave Hu Weiyong a deep look and sighed: "Think about it carefully. Tu Jie made his memorial in court, and the Empress's decree arrived shortly after!"

"Everyone inside and outside the Fengtian Hall is this prince's man! If it wasn't His Highness the Crown Prince who sent someone to inform us, then who was it?"

"This is clearly a case of using someone else to do the dirty work! They used the Empress's name to kill Tu Jie and forced us into this situation!"

"Most importantly, this prince's methods are so skillful that no one else can see through them at all!"

Li Shanchang spoke these words with extreme exhaustion.

Even a cunning old fox like him felt a chill run down his spine when he carefully recalled this incident!

He finally understood why Zhu Xiong Ying had ordered Tu Jie to "die by crashing into a pillar in remonstrance"!
Firstly, it buys time while awaiting the Empress's decree.

Secondly, it served to intimidate the court officials.

The third one is Zhu Xiong Ying, who completely absolved himself of any involvement in this matter!

Even the civil and military officials in the court, after returning home and reflecting on the day's events, would think that this Crown Prince was truly filial, and would not offer any explanation, but would wholeheartedly try to cover for the Empress!
Killing three birds with one stone—his intentions were so profound that even Li Shanchang had to feel a sense of awe!
"hiss!"

Hu Weiyong couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with shock.

"Go and get it done!"

"This matter absolutely cannot wait for His Highness the Crown Prince's decree, or even an imperial edict from the Emperor!"

"We can only submit our proposal after reviewing it!" "If the pot is broken, we'll mend it; if we don't mend it in time, the fire will leak food!"

Li Shanchang urged him on, then rubbed his temples.

He now only hoped for one thing: that the Empress would never again mention 'self-reproach,' otherwise...
How much blood can be shed when the emperor is enraged!

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong also hurriedly went out.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Xiong Ying listened to the news of Tu Jie's death, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Was this coerced by Li Shanchang or Hu Weiyong?"

Yu Huatian shook his head and said, "Your Highness, Li Shanchang only sent someone to deliver the words 'Take care of yourself,' and no one else entered the Tu family mansion or spoke to the Tu family members again."

Upon hearing this report, Zhu Xiong Ying secretly thought to himself, "Old fox."

Li Shanchang's methods are all things that, if put into practice, would be difficult to criticize.

Tu Jie's suicide out of fear of punishment was indeed a bit hasty, but it didn't really have much to do with anything.

After all, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't expect to use Tu Jie's connection to completely eradicate Hu Weiyong, or even Li Shanchang.

The title of adopted son and the fact that something actually happened only involved the Empress Dowager; it was impossible for the Prime Minister to be the one to be killed.

"Alright, let's leave it at that regarding Tu Jie. We'll just have to wait for Li Shanchang and the others to give us an explanation."

"It won't be easy to get past the Emperor. If they want to pass, the officials' eyes will definitely be suspicious."

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled faintly, clearly having a very clear understanding of the situation.

With Tu Jie dead, there was no longer a scapegoat for the Emperor's grandmother, and the Emperor himself became the one to hold the Secretariat and the Censorate accountable.

Putting aside the Censorate, how could the Emperor's own Imperial Guards, with their intelligence gathering abilities, not know that Tu Jie was actually connected to the Secretariat?

In this way, the Emperor and the Secretariat became adversaries.

To please the Emperor, it must be because the officials look down on the Secretariat.

But if the Emperor is not satisfied, the officials might not even see the Secretariat again.

"Yes!"

Yu Huatian respectfully agreed, silently abandoning the idea of ​​killing Tu Jie's entire family.

After all, His Highness has spoken, hasn't he?

As for Tu Jie's suicide out of fear of punishment?

From the moment he 'advised' his own prince in the Fengtian Hall, he was already on the path to his death! If he hadn't committed suicide, the methods of the Western Depot would have allowed him to 'enjoy' the ultimate!

"Report!"

Just then, a spy from the Western Depot entered the Wenhua Hall and respectfully bowed, saying:

"Your Highness, the messenger sent to Beiping Prefecture has returned with a message. They are currently five li outside Yingtian Prefecture and will soon enter the city!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying was slightly taken aback, and then her eyes lit up with surprise!

came back?
"Yuhuatian."

"Chen is here!"

"Prepare carriages and horses, and accompany me out of the city to greet me!"

Zhu Xiong Ying stood up abruptly and even walked directly out of the hall.

"Yes!"

Yu Huatian respectfully accepted the order and began preparing the carriages and horses.

Dust billowed on the official road outside Yingtian Prefecture.

With the imperial edict from His Highness the Crown Prince and the waist token of the Western Depot, they traveled without hindrance.

"What is Yingtian Prefecture like, Father?"

On the carriage, a child asked a question.

It was Zhang Fu who had directly struck the butcher's corpse twice that day.

Despite his young age, his decisiveness and temperament were highly praised even by the hawk-like spies of the Western Depot.

"I don't know, Father has never been there."

Zhang Yu shook his head, his brows indeed deeply furrowed.

He lifted the curtain and looked at the three carriages behind him, his eyes filled with deep worry.

When he stopped to rest along the way, he saw the people in the three carriages, all of whom were burly and fierce warriors!
He had even heard of one of them.

Commander of a thousand men, Chen Heng!

This Yuan Dynasty Yangzhou commander was stationed in Dongchang after General Xu Da's northern expedition, and was later transferred to Beiping Prefecture.

How could I, a mere farmer from the mountains, be able to travel to Yingtian with such a person?
And
Why does His Highness the Crown Prince know about me?
A series of mysteries kept churning in Zhang Yu's mind.

"Father, look! Yingtian Prefecture!"

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out. Through the carriage window, Zhang Fu saw the majestic city towering in the distance!

The capital of the Ming Dynasty, Yingtian!
Like a ferocious beast, it lay prostrate on this land of Kyushu, its eyes glaring menacingly in all directions!
Zhang Yu looked in the direction his son was looking, and in just one glance, his pupils shrank dramatically!

Outside the city gate of Yingtian Prefecture, a carriage was parked, surrounded by guards holding knives.

And what was stuck on the carriage?
The Yellow Dragon Banner of the Ming Dynasty!
(End of this chapter)