Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 86: It is up to you, Li Shanchang, to execute all the corrupt officials who pay taxes!
"No mistake, the one arrested is you, the Minister of Revenue!"

A voice sounded, and a person stepped out from the shadows.

The military boots stepped on the cobblestone road, making dull sounds again and again.

The flickering torch gradually illuminated his face, and it was none other than Liu Ying, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with a cold face and a serious expression.

Liu Xin's pupils couldn't help but shrink.

He knew too well the weight of Liu Ying, the dead-faced man, in front of Zhu Yuanzhang!

"Commander Liu, what have I done wrong to deserve my arrest?
After all, I am the Minister of Finance of the Ming Dynasty."

He took a deep breath, looked at Liu Ying and questioned.

"Many officials who came to the capital to file taxes were arrested overnight. You, the Minister of Revenue, stayed up all night and rushed all the way here. And you still ask me what crime you have committed?

You know what mistakes you made!

It's time to stop pretending to be ignorant."

"I don't understand what Commander Liu is saying. Don't say I didn't make any mistakes. Even if I did, you have no right to treat me like this!"

Liu Ying ignored him and waved his hand, saying, "Take him away. Please have some tea, Minister Liu!"

Liu Xin was extremely annoyed and panicked. Being an official for Zhu Yuanzhang was not a pleasant experience at all. He was the Minister of Revenue, but he was arrested just like that.

Not to mention that the emperor of the Song Dynasty and the literati shared the world, and the literati were not subject to punishment.

Even the Yuan Dynasty was far inferior to it!

God is blind. How could such a great Yuan Dynasty be defeated?

How could Zhu Yuanzhang, a beggar who knew nothing, treated high officials harshly, and had no respect for scholars, become the emperor?!

However, there was endless annoyance, resentment, confusion and bewilderment in my heart.

But in the end he shut up and didn't say anything more to Liu Ying.

On the one hand, it was because he knew that at this point, there was no point in saying more to Liu Ying.

On the other hand, Liu Ying's dead face is really scary.

He was worried that if he argued too much, Liu Ying and the other soldiers would be rude to him.

After a while, Liu Xin was taken into a room.

Looking at the pot of steaming tea that was brought in immediately, he seemed a little dazed for a moment.

When Liu Ying talked about drinking tea, she meant that there was really tea available!
Of course Liu Xin did not go to drink tea. How could he be in the mood to drink it at this time?

He is now filled with regret.

I regretted why I lost my composure and why I made up my mind to take this brave step and come here.

Otherwise, I can still try to make some other arrangements outside.

So as not to fall into a trap and be controlled by others, and lose a lot of room to maneuver.

Just as I was thinking this in panic and self-blame, I heard a faint noise outside, as if someone was coming again.

Not long after, a voice gradually became clearer.

"Let me go! I'm the Minister of Revenue! What qualifications do you have to arrest me?"

Liu Xin immediately knew who the visitor was; it was Qian Zhong.

What does it mean that great minds think alike? This is what great minds think alike.

After realizing that something was wrong, the first people to rush here were not only himself but also Qian Zhong.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang, the dog emperor, was not a human being. He sent Liu Ying to guard here early and captured everyone who came...

I’m afraid that if things go wrong with my Ministry of Revenue this time, there will be a disaster!
This is a very frightening thing.

However, for some reason, after hearing the noise and learning that Qian Zhong had been arrested like himself, his panic suddenly subsided a lot.

He hoped that the Jinyiwei soldiers would lock Qian Zhong in the room where he was, so that the two of them could talk and discuss this emergency and the counter-flow.

But unfortunately, his wish will never be fulfilled.

Qian Zhong was locked up in another room by the Jinyiwei.

Moreover, the house where they were imprisoned was guarded by armored Jinyiwei.

After waiting for a while, Liu Xin finally gave up this fantasy and began to think hard about how to break the deadlock.

After a while, he gradually gained confidence.

It wasn't just that he had thought of some ways to deal with it.

There was another bigger reason, which was that he thought of Li Shanchang, Duke of Korea.

This time, it was obvious that the matter was aimed at the lifeblood of Duke Han Guo.

It would be more accurate to say that the incident was caused by Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea, rather than by himself and others.

In such a situation, how could the Korean prince sit still?
I will definitely try my best to turn this situation around.

According to the status and position of Duke Han Guo, he also has the ability.

As long as he tries his best, it shouldn't be a problem for him to protect himself and others.

What's more, there are so many people involved this time, all over the country, and even the emperor would not dare to do anything excessive.

Otherwise, the serious consequences would be something Zhu Yuanzhang would not be able to bear!

This time, it's definitely more of a case of much ado about nothing.

The emperor did this with great fanfare only to break Li Shanchang's previous tactics and force Li Shanchang to admit defeat.

Both sides will stop at a certain point and won't really get into a big fight.

Otherwise, the consequences will be too serious and will definitely cause major unrest across the country.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear it!
……

"Dad, how about... let's go back first?"

In front of the palace gate, Li Qi, who was sweating all over and felt cold when the wind blew, looked at his father and asked tentatively.

Li Shanchang ignored him and continued to bang on the palace gate with his hands.

"Open the door! Open the door! I want to see the superior! Open the door to me!"

Li Shanchang's behavior is what is known as knocking on the door in the legend.

This is the first time this has happened since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

"Duke Hanguo, please go back. His Majesty has gone to bed."

Someone responded through the heavy palace gate. It was the eunuch Wang Gonggong who was standing before the emperor.

"Don't lie to me, Eunuch Wang. I probably know how many hours the emperor sleeps a day.

Such a big thing happened tonight, how could he possibly go to sleep?
Open the door! Open the door for me right now!!!"

Li Shanchang banged the door so hard that it sounded like he was smashing the door.

There was no response from inside the door.

But Eunuch Wang stamped his feet hard on the ground, sighed secretly, and turned to head towards Wuying Palace...

Li Shanchang's guess was absolutely correct, Zhu Yuanzhang did not sleep.

He has an unusual amount of energy and has been patient for many days. Now that the net has finally been closed, how can he sleep?

"Still knocking on the door?
We will be driven away!

Don't fucking break our door!"

After hearing Eunuch Wang's report, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and gave orders with disgust, as if he was driving away an annoying fly.

In my previous life, I got the chance to launch the Empty Seal Case, but it was more than half a year later than now.

At that time, the arrangements were not as thorough as they are now, so Li Shanchang did not come to knock on the door.

Instead, he was thinking of other ways and trying his best to move around.

This time, he directly ordered Li Shanda to come and knock on the door in the middle of the night.

It can be seen that his actions this time were far more thorough than those in his previous life, and directly hit Li Shanchang's weak spot.

Li Shanchang was completely anxious.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wang immediately left Wuying Palace to convey the emperor's order.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were cold.

Things have come to this point. What were you doing thinking about coming to see me?
Crown Prince Zhu Biao moved his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Because at this time, his father's desk was already piled with tax return documents, a total of one thousand and thirty-seven.

Without exception, these documents are blank documents stamped with the seal of the local chief seal officer!

This is because some of the Jinyiwei who went to arrest the suspects have not returned yet and have not yet handed over the search results.

Otherwise there will be more!

There are now a total of 1,346 prefectures and counties in the country, which means that basically every official who comes to the capital to file taxes carries this blank document stamped with the seal of the chief official!

So many people came together to cook the books!
How arrogant and domineering this is!
How horrifying!
Moreover, it is now the autumn of the eighth year of Hongwu. Counting from the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this kind of thing has been going on for a full eight years!

If we start counting from the time when my father was conferred the title of King of Wu, then it would be even more!

This is such a huge amount of people’s money!

Faced with this shocking situation, no matter how soft-hearted Zhu Biao was, he could not say any words of pleading.

"Biao'er, we're just getting started. As far as we know, there are two sets of accounts in the local area.

One is for their own use, recording the actual income and expenditure transactions.

The other one is this one, specifically used to fool the court."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and looked at Zhu Biao and said.

Now, the huge corruption case involving all parts of the country, typified by the empty seal, has been exposed by his own hands.

It is naturally necessary at this time to make good use of this good opportunity to teach Biaoer more things and let Biaoer think more about things.

Let Biaoer see the good side of this world, and also let him see the evil side.

Biaoer's reaction now is much better than when he encountered the empty seal case in his previous life.

This made Zhu Yuanzhang very pleased.

Because this proves that after I started over, the education and guidance I gave to Biaoer played a positive role, which was better than in my previous life.

"These people are extremely evil!"

Zhu Biao, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

The words he said were very different from the gentle and polite impression many people had of him. They were filled with strong anger and pain.

By this time, Zhu Biao completely understood why his father was so calm and not at all panicked when facing Li Shanchang's practice of gathering officials from all over the country to put pressure on the court.

I'm afraid that my father already knew all these things by that time.

And he began to make preparations everywhere, ready to give Li Shanchang a big blow.

Just like what happened in Zhongdu City.

After learning about the beastly things done by Li Shanchang and others, his father did not get angry immediately.

Instead, he secretly sent several of his younger brothers over and secretly prepared a deadly move for Li Shanchang and others that they could not resist at all.

This time he is also playing the long game to catch a big fish. He is forbearing and not attacking, while making many preparations in secret.

When Li Shanchang and others were at their most arrogant, they suddenly attacked.

One fatal move!
If this matter is handled well, it will not only destroy the super power in Li Shanchang's hands, but also make him unable to call the wind and rain.

It can also clean up the financial problems that have existed in the Ming Dynasty for many years.

It can also be an opportunity to reorganize the local bureaucracy of the Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that it kills three birds with one stone!
He is truly worthy of being the father emperor, he is resourceful and courageous!
While Zhu Biao was filled with emotion, he also kept all of this in mind.

These are the precious treasures passed down to me by my father himself. Many of them cannot be learned from books, and teachers cannot teach me.

There were many things in this that conflicted greatly with the words and deeds of Confucian sages that he had learned from Mr. Song since he was a child, which made him feel a little conflicted...

At the same time, I am still a little confused. Are the Jinyiwei really that useful?
It's only been established for such a short time, and they've already investigated the fact that so many officials tacitly colluded to deceive the emperor and falsify the accounts?
……

"Grand Master, go back. His Majesty will not see you."

Eunuch Wang spoke through the door.

When I said this, my mind was in a trance for a moment.

The scene before me is so similar to what happened in Zhongdu City before.

At that time, Duke Han ignored the severe cold and disregarded any dignity. He knelt in front of the palace gate with a whip on his back, admitted his mistake to His Majesty and begged for His Majesty's forgiveness.

I originally thought that if I could encounter such a scene once, it would be an eye-opener.

Who would have thought that it would come again in just half a year!
Duke Hanguo once again knelt in front of the palace gate, and it seemed that he fell even harder this time.

He shook his head vigorously to get rid of the trance in his heart. Eunuch Wang just felt that Duke Han Guo was a little confused due to his old age.

With such a high status and such wealth and glory, instead of enjoying it, you have to go against Your Majesty!
After suffering such a great loss in Zhongdu City, they have not learned their lesson and are even more aggressive, opposing Your Majesty.

He really doesn't know whether he lives or dies.

Are you being honest now?

"Open the door! I want to see the superior! I must see the superior!"

Li Shanchang, who was outside the palace, heard this and knocked on the palace gate again. Eunuch Wang's face darkened when he heard this and said through the door, "Grand Master, you are of high status, please don't make things difficult for a humble servant like me.

Please go back, Grand Master, and be respectful."

Although Li Shanchang was in a high position and had great power, even at this time, he was not someone that ordinary people could afford to provoke, and he was unwilling to offend him.

But isn’t there a conflict between Li Shanchang and Your Majesty now?
Isn't he just in this position and needs to face this situation?

So there is no need to think too much about what choice to make.

He can still tell what is important and what is not.

When necessary, Li Shanchang had no choice but to offend.

"Dad, let's go back."

Li Qi spoke out to persuade him again.

The emperor clearly won't see his father anymore, so it would be futile to do this.

Instead of wasting time, you might as well go back and make some other arrangements.

The last time in Zhongdu City, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince helped to speak well of the Emperor, and only then did the Emperor meet his father.

But not long after that, his father caused another scene.

Even if the prince has a good temper, I'm afraid he won't say good things about his father anymore.

Li Shanchang stopped knocking on the door and stopped shouting.

After pausing for a moment, he struggled to stand up by supporting himself on the ground.

Li Qi felt relieved when he saw this and hurried to support his father.

Helped his father to get up and walked away.

Eunuch Wang, who was inside the door, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he learned that Li Shanchang had finally left.

If that bastard Li Shanchang doesn't leave, he'll have to follow His Majesty's orders and use some drastic measures...

……

"Dad, we have to go back from here."

Li Qi supported Li Shanchang and reminded him carefully.

"Who said I'm going back?"

Li Qi was stunned for a moment. The news from the emperor was very clear: he would not see his father.

His father also stood up and left the palace gate.

If he says he doesn’t want to go back now, what does his father want to do?

“Tonight, the superior must see me!

He can see it whether he wants to or not!"

There was a hint of hysterical madness in Li Shanchang's hoarse voice.

Li Qi was shocked and became more and more confused.

No... now that things have come to this, what else can his father do to get the emperor to see him?
Thinking of this, Tu's heart suddenly shook, and a bold idea came to his mind.

My father is not going to...

"I'm going to beat the Dengwen drum!

When the drum for reporting was sounded, the emperor had to stop immediately no matter what he was doing and meet the person who beat the drum!

This is the rule set by the emperor himself, he must abide by it!"

Li Shanchang's voice was almost like a low roar.

Li Qi had never seen his father have such a reaction.

Normally, if his father spoke in a slightly harsher tone or frowned, Li Qi would immediately shut up and not say anything more.

Never contradict your father.

But this time it's different.

Li Qi suppressed some of the fear in his heart, took a deep breath and said: "Dad, how about... let's go back. Things have come to this point. Even if you meet the emperor, what can you do?

It was obvious that the emperor had seized the opportunity and wanted to take ruthless action.

Even if you go there, the emperor will not stop.

Let’s go back and think of other ways to deal with it.”

"You do not understand."

Li Shanchang shook his head and continued walking towards the Dengwen Drum.

“The root of this matter lies with the emperor.

Your father's weak spot has been found.

At this time, any other method will have little effect.

If you want to get through this safely, you have to get the emperor to give in.

As long as the emperor lets go, I, your father, will have to bear some losses this time, but I won't really lose everything.

This incident caused a particularly big stir and involved a lot of people.

The emperor couldn't really just ignore it.

He is using the same method I used before to force me to bow my head..."

As he said this, Li Shanchang's voice was filled with endless fatigue.

More than an hour ago, he was still full of ease, joy and complacency.

I feel like I have achieved a huge victory.

Who could have thought that in just the blink of an eye, the situation would change so drastically and become like this.

Zhu Yuanzhang was really cruel!

Li Qi wanted to persuade her again, but he didn't know what to say.

Because when he thought about it carefully, he felt that what his father said was absolutely right.

The emperor's attitude is the key to this matter.

If his father went to see the emperor at this time and quickly admitted defeat, he might be able to resolve the matter privately before the dust settled.

Although it was a bit embarrassing, it was much more decent than the emperor's subsequent public handling of the matter.

Think about how obsessed your father was with rebuilding the capital.

Look at this time, how his father made such a decision in a very short time.

Li Qi, who just felt that his father was thrown into disarray by the emperor, suddenly felt that there was a huge gap between himself and his father, who had come through the years of war.

This gap is not just a mental gap, but more importantly, it is a lack of a rare ruthlessness.

This kind of cruelty is not only towards others, but also towards oneself.

This kind of ruthless emperor existed in his own father and in Hu Weiyong.

Many dukes, marquises, and others have it.

……

"Dong dong dong..."

Li Shanchang held the drumstick in his hand, gritted his teeth and smashed it hard on the Dengwen drum.

It was as if he wanted to release all the accumulated and pent-up emotions in his heart in this way.

It was as if the one being beaten was not a drum, but the emperor.

The thick cowhide trembled, and the dull sound of drums echoed in the night, as if it wanted to shatter the heavy night into pieces.

The Dengwen Drum, which had not been sounded for several years, was struck tonight. It was like salt being sprinkled into a frying pan, and the imperial city exploded in an instant.

The person guarding the drum tried his best to report to the inside.

At the same time, someone inside was taken aback for a moment. After confirming that it was indeed the Dengwen Drum, they desperately ran towards it...

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment when he heard the faint sound of drums, and then his face darkened.

This old guy actually went to beat the drum to report the incident!

It’s really true that he won’t cry until he sees the coffin!

Do you really think that I will stop doing those things to him now that he sees me?
"Biao'er, let this bastard get out of here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and spoke to Zhu Biao, who had stood up and looked at him inquiringly.

Zhu Biao nodded and immediately walked out of Wuying Hall.

In the Wuying Hall, where only one person was left, Zhu Yuanzhang had a blank expression on his face, tapping the table in front of him with his right middle finger.

The sound that came out seemed empty and distant in this Wuying Palace, and it made people feel panicky and breathless...

……

"I, the guilty minister Li Shanchang, kowtow to the Highness and ask for His Majesty's well-being."

Li Shanchang bowed all the way and followed Crown Prince Zhu Biao to the Wuying Palace. As soon as he stepped over the threshold of the Wuying Palace, he knocked his head to the ground.

The attitude was very respectful.

Even compared to his status and past behavior, this was not just respectful, it was simply humble.

Zhu Biao walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's side and stood still. He turned around and looked at Li Shanchang, who was kneeling on the ground and curled up in a ball, with the same expressionless face.

In the past, he might have felt that it was inappropriate for Li Shanchang, a duke and the greatest meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty, to be treated like this.

But now, Zhu Biao just felt that Li Shanchang deserved it.

This guy deserves it!
Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak, but sat in the same position, tapping rhythmically on the table in front of him with his right index finger.

Hearing Li Shanchang's heartbeat, his heartbeat involuntarily accelerated, getting faster and faster.

In this cool night, I soon broke out in a sweat.

He tried his best to slow down his breathing and calm himself down to withstand the pressure from the emperor.

As time went on, the atmosphere became more and more depressing. When even Zhu Biao, who was standing aside, could not bear it anymore, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped knocking on the table.

Before Li Shanchang could catch his breath, Zhu Yuanzhang's oppressive voice rang out.

"Li Shanchang, why are you eating our food and smashing our pot?!"

Li Shanchang, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled a little. This crime was quite serious.

"I dare not. I have never thought of doing so, let alone do it."

Li Shanchang rested his head on the ground with his butt raised high. When answering Zhu Yuanzhang, he didn't even dare to raise his head.

"Don't dare? Didn't you command all the government officials to oppose the imperial court and control us?
The tax revenue was divided up in advance, and the tax officials from all over the country came to the capital with empty seals and documents to collectively cook the books. Wasn't that what you did?
You're about to smash the pot on me, and you still say you don't dare?"

“Sir, I really don’t dare.

I acted in that way before just to persuade you, my Lord, to resume the construction of the capital city after you ascend the throne.

I really didn't mean to ruin the situation.

I, a humble official, have also made some modest contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

All my glory, all my wealth and splendor belong to the Ming Dynasty. How could I possibly ruin it?
If you, my lord, had just hinted at your intentions, wouldn't I have immediately given up all resistance and obediently come to the...capital?
As for the division of shares and the matter of the empty seal document, you are really wronging me.

This practice has a long history.

This was done as early as the Yuan Dynasty.

We are just following the old routine and not thinking too much about it, so we just keep doing it.

This is indeed the negligence of me and others.

We will change it immediately and come up with a more reasonable solution that suits the situation of our Ming Dynasty and your wishes."

Li Shanchang was very frank at this time and directly expressed his true thoughts.

Since you have admitted defeat, admit it thoroughly.

Li Shanchang looked down upon the behavior of those who clearly admitted defeat but still insisted on being proud and caring about face, and thought it was extremely stupid.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with his current situation and the fact that the person he is facing is the emperor.

"You're a bachelor, yet you're so eloquent that you can even make a dead frog piss."

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone slowed down.

"Since you've said so, we've been king and subject for so many years, so I can't really deny you, Old Li, a chance to live."

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang felt overjoyed.

You bet right!
I really made the right bet!
In this situation where you are bound to lose, don't think about fighting the emperor to the end. That will only really anger the emperor and make him beat you to death.

When things go wrong, the most correct choice is to admit defeat promptly and completely.

Even in such a desperate situation, I found a way out!
When it comes to understanding the emperor and decisiveness in making choices, Qi'er is still far behind me.

He immediately pricked up his ears, waiting to hear what Zhu Yuanzhang would do next.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Shanchang and said slowly:

"Let you, Old Li, supervise the execution of these corrupt officials who come to Beijing to file taxes!"

(End of this chapter)