Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 191 Heads rolling, corrupt officials being beheaded to protect the new policy!
As a rule, a successor should not overturn the decisions of his predecessor.

Because everyone will step down and become the previous one.

Therefore, to overturn the opinions of the previous person means to break the implicit rule of "Xiao rules and Cao follows".

Jiang Mian didn't want to break this rule and completely break with Liang Chu, who still had the emperor's favor.

What's more, he is now pleading for these corrupt officials only to test Your Majesty, not really insisting on pleading for them.

Therefore, Jiang Mian had no choice but to reply: "Your Majesty, I think that Yuan Fu is right. I am guilty of not caring about the people. Your Majesty should punish me!"

Jiang Mian knelt down as he spoke.

"You are the Prime Minister now!"

Zhu Houcong reminded Jiang Mian.

He kept Liang Chu's memorial until Jiang Mian came to plead for the corrupt officials, and also intended to intimidate Jiang Mian.

Now, Zhu Houcong had achieved his goal, so he waved his hand and said, "The punishment will be waived!"

talking.

Zhu Houcong stood up and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back.

"Leaving the Ninth Heaven to answer the destiny, how can I bear it;"

"I rule the world and pity the people, and my heart is broken."

"If there is anything I am determined to stick to, it is only because I love the people!"

"So, Prime Minister! I hope you understand that you should not forget the common people just because you are in a high position."

"We must clearly distinguish between civilians and thieves."

Zhu Houcong said this and turned around to look at Jiang Mian.

"Yes!"

Jiang Mian looked very embarrassed for a moment.

The first time he made a solo report as the Prime Minister, he was accused in front of the Emperor of "not knowing who are the people and who are the thieves in the temple", which made him quite ashamed and angry.

In short, not only did he fail to test the emperor as to whether he really wanted to end the reform, maintain the status quo, and be lenient with the civil servants from then on, he also allowed the emperor to pretend to be powerful and establish a persona of loving the people.

After Jiang Mian returned to the cabinet, Zhao Huang, the Minister of Works, came to see Jiang Mian because his nephew Zhao Wenkui was also on the list of people to be executed, and asked:
"How about the Prime Minister? Does Your Majesty want to show mercy?"

Jiang Mian shook his head and sighed, "Liang Shunde has already submitted a petition, requesting that the officials who committed the crime be sentenced to death. There is no hope for my nephew to survive!"

Zhao Huang was stunned after hearing this.

Subsequently.

Zhao Huang couldn't help but stamp his feet and sigh: "Why is Liang Shunde like this!"

Zhao Wenkui, Lin Tingxian, Ni Shouzun and other corrupt officials were then taken to the execution ground at Xishi Pailou and beheaded.

On the way to being taken away, Zhao Wenkui, Lin Tingxian, Ni Shouzun and others were all crying.

They really didn't expect this day to come.

When Zhao Huang was seeing them off, he couldn't help but shed tears when he saw this scene.

Click!

Click!

As heads fell to the ground one by one, these people were beheaded in the city one after another.

"Don't mess around with any new policies in the future, or you'll really get beheaded!"

"That's right. I thought that Mr. Zhao was the nephew of the Minister of Works and would show some leniency, but it seems that he won't."

Ordinary officials began to discuss this, and many of them began to have a stronger respect for the court's laws, at least for the time being.

When these corrupt officials were executed, Tang Yin also went to Beijing on imperial orders.

Zhu Houcong specially met him at Yuntai Gate with Yuan Zonggao and Liang Chu.

Tang Yin didn't expect that the emperor would summon him.

Although he had never met the current emperor, he had heard a lot about him.

In his opinion, the current emperor should be a good emperor who is keen on reform.

For this reason, he was also happy to work for Zhu Houcong.

When Zhu Houcong appointed him as a Hanlin attendant and asked him to paint portraits of Yuan Zonggao and Liang Chu, he gladly agreed.

After their portraits were painted, Yuan Zonggao and Liang Chu formally requested to meet the emperor and then returned home.

Zhu Houcong met them and ordered Yuan Zonggao to retire with the title of Minister of Rites and return home by express post, and doubled his monthly stipend and annual salary.

Liang Chu was promoted to Taifu and retired to his hometown by express train. He was also given double the monthly allowance and annual salary.

Besides.

Zhu Houcong also granted each of them the permission to open a money shop, and allocated each of them a low-interest loan of 200,000 silver dollars with an annual interest rate of one thirty, as funds for them to return home and help the people. At the same time, he also hoped that they would help the court distribute the money and take the lead in reducing interest rates in their hometowns.

Zhu Houcong did not give them silver directly because he was afraid that they would save the silver coins if he did so.

The two of them also knew the emperor's hidden intention, so they thanked him without much hesitation.

However, Yuan Zonggao suddenly asked to meet Zhu Houcong alone at this time.

Zhu Houcong and Yuan Zonggao entered the side hall and asked, "Is it about the list?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yuan Zonggao replied and handed the list to Zhu Houcong.

It turned out that Zhu Houcong thought that there might be spies infiltrating the selection of concubines, so he asked Yuan Zonggao to develop some girls from among the reliable people who could serve as the emperor's spies.

These girls are either military orphans or adopted orphans. In any case, they are reliable.

However, because the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Household Department and even the two Empress Dowagers did not know the true origins of these girls, many of them were randomly arranged to be female maids, concubines, or even eliminated.

Only after Zhu Houcong gave Yuan Zonggao the list of new personnel in various parts of the palace handed over by the Internal Affairs Bureau for comparison, did Yuan Zonggao know which of these people stayed in the palace, where they were, and what their identities were.

Zhu Houcong took it, unfolded it and took a look. After seeing the name of a girl named "Wu Dongqin" in the column of Princess Yongfu's Mansion, he closed the list and put it in his sleeve.

Next.

Zhu Houcong and Yuan Zonggao left the side hall.

At this time, Yuan Zonggao and Liang Chu also began to bid farewell to Zhu Houcong and left.

When Zhu Houcong and the other two were about to turn around and leave, he smiled and said, "The mountains are high and the waters are long. Please take your time, gentlemen."

They both said yes with tears in their eyes.

Liang Chu was even more moved, because he did not expect that His Majesty also regarded him as a teacher.

They all knew that once they left, they would never see each other again.

So, when the two of them were leaving the palace, they couldn't help but look back at the palace.

For the two of them, from the time they first came in to take part in the palace examination, to the time when the Honglu called out their names, to the time when they met the emperor, it seemed as if all their memories came flooding back at this moment.

It was a good idea to return home by boat, as Liang Chu was from Guangdong and Yuan Zonggao was from Huguang, and they were going the same way, so they returned together by the canal.

It is a joy to return home in splendor, and the happiest thing for the two at this time is naturally to accompany a young emperor in his later years and do many things that they only dared to think about when they were young.

For them, this naturally does not mean that their lives have been wasted.

Zhu Houcong wanted to go back to his hometown in Huguang to have a look, but it was too early for him. He had to be the emperor in the Forbidden City. This time, he confiscated so many Jiangnan gentry in the name of suppressing the rebellion and obtained tens of millions of silver dollars worth of goods. For Zhu Houcong, his purpose was not to save the money, but to dig a cellar and bury the silver and gold like the local rich people.

His goal was to collect these properties and then distribute them in the form of silver dollars, allowing them to flow among all classes and promote economic prosperity.

After all, if silver does not flow, it is just a precious metal. Only when it flows does it have value.

Zhu Houcong knew this truth. In fact, the big landlords and bureaucrats of that era were not stupid either. They also understood the whole truth. Some of them even had more experience in manipulating silver for profit than Zhu Houcong.

Otherwise, they would not have tried every possible means to prevent Zhu Houcong from implicated the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

Even now, they are unwilling to accept that so much money has fallen into the hands of the emperor, and they are even more unwilling to see the emperor use this wealth to manipulate the financial power of the world and make the people's lives so easy that they are unwilling to be their slaves.

The gale started at the end of Qingping.

Zhu Houcong began to feel that someone in the outer court was setting his sights on his wealth when he saw Princess Yongfu submit a petition asking for 500,000 silver dollars.

This made Zhu Houcong sneer, and he couldn't help but think of the list Yuan Zonggao gave him, so he took out the list from his sleeve.

"Wu Dongqin!"

Zhu Houcong looked at the list, read out a name, and then instructed Huang Jin:

"Call Lu Bing, ask him to bring his people and go to the princess's residence with me. Don't notify anyone!"

"Also, send someone to inform my sister, my aunt, and my uncle that I will be hosting a banquet at Qingning Palace."

"Yes!"

Princess Yongfu's Mansion.

The female historian Duan Yuhong was standing at the entrance of the princess's residence. She smiled and said to the consort Shen Xueli, "Our prince has fallen asleep. Please go back to your own courtyard, my lord consort."

Shen Xueli was stunned and said, "But didn't His Highness order me to come and see you?"

"That was a bad-hearted servant of mine. She falsely conveyed the master's orders and has been arrested. My Lord, please go back."

Duan Yuhong replied with a smile.

As the female historian of the princess's mansion, according to the ancestral system of the inner court, she is in charge of everything in the princess's mansion and is also responsible for educating and guiding the princess.

Shen Xueli also knew that the female historian in the princess's mansion had great power and responsibilities. If he forced his way in, it would be breaking the rules, so he had no choice but to agree.

After Shen Xueli left, Duan Yuhong frowned, walked into the mansion, and ordered the servants assigned to the princess' mansion, "Kill that messenger immediately!"

"Tell everyone in this palace that this is the fate of those who, without informing me first, spread the Lord's orders and ruin His Highness's reputation!"

then.

Duan Yuhong shouted again, then walked towards Princess Yongfu's warm room.

"what!"

At this time, a scream was heard outside.

Duan Yuhong ignored him and just twitched her nose seriously.

Because she smelled a strong scent of water rouge.

Suddenly.

Duan Yuhong saw Princess Yongfu coming towards her.

Duan Yuhong immediately frowned and said, "Your Highness has no self-respect. You put on such a fragrant rouge. Are you imitating those unruly women outside?"

"Madam, I put some on because I'm going to the palace for a banquet."

After Princess Yongfu came back, she asked, "Has the Prince Consort arrived?"

Duan Yuhong turned around and told a servant, "Go and invite the prince consort!"

"Your Highness, save me!"

At this time, Princess Yongfu heard the screams of a palace maid outside, and immediately realized that the person was the maid Wu Dongqin whom she had sent out.

Princess Yongfu couldn't help but ask Duan Yuhong: "Why did Madam hit her?"

"She deserves to be beaten! How dare she disobey the Lord's orders!"

Duan Yuhong replied.

"Madam, please let her go! I was the one who let her go, so it's not considered as a free pass."

Princess Yongfu said hurriedly.

Duan Yuhong said seriously, "She didn't tell me first, which means she was spreading rumors without permission. Not only should she be punished, but you, Your Highness, should be punished as well."

"Why didn't you let someone tell me first if there was anything?!"

then.

Duan Yuhong asked about Princess Yongfu very sternly.

"Don't forget, Your Highness, I have the authority to teach you!"

Duan Yuhong said.

Princess Yongfu couldn't help but lower her head: "I forgot about it for a moment, and didn't think it was a big deal."

"forget?"

"Then I asked Your Highness to ask His Majesty in person for another 500,000 silver coins instead of just submitting the book. Have you forgotten?"

Duan Yuhong asked.

Princess Yongfu did not answer, but turned around and left with some fear.

Duan Yuhong held her back, and suddenly pinched Princess Yongfu's arm hard, gnashing her teeth and saying, "Is that so?!"

"what!"

Princess Yongfu also screamed, and then couldn't help but burst into tears, and said aggrievedly: "No!"

"Since you haven't forgotten, why don't you say it?"

"You are not unaware of the increasing expenses of the Princess's Mansion."

"You also like to collect famous paintings and calligraphy."

Duan Yuhong began to teach Princess Yongfu a lesson, and seeing that Princess Yongfu remained silent again, she could not help but put her hands on her hips and said:

"I am so unlucky that I have to teach a wooden prince like you. You are the emperor's sister, but you dare not ask for anything. You are the emperor's younger sister, but you dare to ask the emperor for this and that every day. If you dare to ask for anything, will the emperor not give it to you?"

"what!"

"Your Highness, save me!"

At this time, Wu Dongqin's cry for help was heard from outside again.

Princess Yongfu was quite anxious and could not help but said, "I know. I will go to His Majesty tonight and ask him if Madam can release Dongqin first. She was chosen to enter the palace and she didn't know about this! This is all my negligence. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

"Okay! I'll give you face."

"But I hope Your Highness can really ask the Emperor for it tonight. Otherwise, Wu Dongqin will not survive tomorrow even if she survives today!"

Duan Yuhong threatened Princess Yongfu.

"Who won't survive tomorrow?!"

At this time, Zhu Houcong suddenly appeared behind Duan Yuhong and asked in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)