Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 87 We don’t want the capital anymore, let’s go back to Haozhou City and conquer the world again!
Li Shanchang looked up in shock, his face filled with an expression that was beyond words.

The feelings in my heart are even more complicated.

At this moment, he really wanted to curse!

The joy of doing the right thing and gaining a way out that had just risen in my heart has disappeared at this moment!
Is the emperor speaking human language?
Is this an idea that a human could come up with?

Is this a way to survive?

This is clearly a dead end where one cannot die any further!
Why was he so anxious this time, even if it meant beating the drum to report to the emperor, that he had to see him tonight?
Why did he become so humble after meeting the emperor?

Isn't it just that you want the emperor to raise his hand and stop taking this matter so seriously, so as to find a way out for those many tax officials?

He wants to retain as much influence as possible among officials throughout the country.

But now, the emperor asked him to supervise the execution of these officials!
It is equivalent to isolating oneself from all officials and cutting off one's own hands and feet!
If I really do what the emperor says, how can I face the officials in the future and how can those officials listen to me?

The consequences were even more serious than if he did nothing and just watched the emperor arrest and execute all the local officials who filed tax returns!

Zhu Yuanzhang is really vicious!
I have two legs, one is the nobles of Huaixi, and the other is my disciples and former officials all over the world.

In the matter of Zhongdu City, the emperor has already crippled the leg of the Huaixi nobles.

Now he has to cripple his other leg!

And the methods are even more vicious. It is no longer just about crippling the person, but directly chopping off the root!
Zhu Yuanzhang met Li Shanchang's gaze calmly, with no expression on his face.

Letting heroes do heroic things and good men do good men is a good idea.

I have already given Li Shanchang a way to survive. Does he dare to accept it?

“My Lord, these… these people’s crimes do not deserve the death penalty!
If so many people were executed at once, it would be difficult to convince the people and would cause a lot of unrest, which would be detrimental to the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

If taxes are collected in the future, there might be even bigger problems.”

Li Shanchang was stunned for a while, and then he managed to calm himself down. He kowtowed to the ground again and spoke with a heavy heart.

He spoke so sincerely that one might have thought he was a loyal minister and general who was wholeheartedly concerned about the Ming Dynasty.

"Are you threatening us with taxes again?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was flat, but one could feel the endless anger contained in it.

“Sir, I dare not, I am only speaking on the facts.

Officials are not leeks, after one crop is harvested, another crop will come.

Especially for officials involved in taxation, the requirements are higher. They need to be able to write and calculate, and know all the ins and outs involved.

If the authorities were to execute so many officials in charge of accounting and tax collection at once, where would so many people be able to fill the gaps in such a short period of time?

Once the gap is not filled, the subsequent tax collection will inevitably be affected.

The harm caused will be even greater than it is now.”

Li Shanchang explained.

"There's a saying that goes 'while you're still looking for a good replacement,' so until good replacements emerge, we might as well keep using them.

Wait until good replacements appear, and then replace them step by step.

This way, we can get things done while minimizing the impact as much as possible.

The throne is up, the country is newly established, stability is above all else! "

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Shanchang and sneered in his heart.

With the knife at your neck, you suddenly become smart and realize that stability is more important than anything else?

Sure enough, many of these people did not know how to do things, but for their own interests, they deliberately pretended to be confused and deliberately took the path of harming the Ming Dynasty.

"Corrupt officials are guilty of unforgivable crimes! Don't take them too seriously!
Without Zhang the butcher, we can’t eat hairy pigs anyway!”

Zhu Yuanzhang had been patient for so long. Wasn't his biggest purpose to take the opportunity to tidy up the place and completely break Li Shanchang's leg?

How could one possibly agree with Li Shanchang's statements?
There is a big poisonous sore in the area. If you want to cure it, you can't just use gentle means. You need to be ruthless and cut out all the rotten flesh.

"Your Majesty, I know you are angry, but since this involves a matter of national importance, please think twice before acting.

Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. You cannot use too much force or act too hastily.

Otherwise, it is easy to be impatient and fail to eat the hot tofu, and break the small fish.

It's not beautiful.

Regarding the empty seal incident, these people did go too far, but the fault does not lie with them at all..."

"Then it's on us?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's ferocious words frightened Li Shanchang so much that he stopped talking and explained:

“Of course, it’s not on the superior, but on the guilty minister.

It was the former prime minister, a traitor who had been in charge of the central government for many years, who did not pay attention to this point, which led to such a big loophole.

This problem is easy to solve. As long as clear regulations are made and people are not allowed to do this again, such things can be stopped.

Simply killing people without changing policies will not solve the problem."

"A dog will always eat shit. These people who have been spoiled by the Yuan Dynasty's inaction will not change so easily.

Wouldn't it be better if we killed them all and then established clear rules to serve as a warning to those who come after us?

This matter requires bloodshed. If there is no bloodshed, there will always be a large number of people who will take chances.

No matter how good the rules are, they will only give you big holes and small eyes!

Li Shanchang, just tell me, do you accept this mission or not?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was too lazy to argue with Li Shanchang any further, so he looked at Li Shanchang and asked the original question.

Li Shanchang was silent for a moment, then spoke, but still did not answer the question directly.

"Sir, the Ming Dynasty is so vast, there are so many places that need to be governed.

Because of the many remnants of the Yuan Tartar tax-farming system, the imperial court's control over many places was not as smooth as its own.

To reach this level today, officials from all over the country have made great efforts.

Numerous local officials are the key to the court's connection with various places.

They are the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty.

If the higher-ups were to really take action against them on a large scale, they would undoubtedly be destroying their own foundation, and would only bring pain to their loved ones and joy to their enemies."

"The cornerstone of Qiu!

They are responsible for collecting taxes for us, but they can't even collect a single tax. Not only do they deceive their superiors and subordinates, how much of the people's money have they embezzled?

We'll keep them for a good use!

Let me tell you today that the cornerstone of our Ming Dynasty has never been these corrupt officials, but the numerous common people who are ignored by you!
Corrupt officials are unforgivable!
Those who brought empty seals into the capital to deceive us, as well as those local officials who are in charge of the seals, will not survive!"

"Sir, you really can't do this. This will definitely cause unrest in the world and chill the hearts of all officials!"

Li Shanchang kowtowed again, extremely sincerely and with full of grief and indignation.

He was telling the truth, but he also intended to threaten Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Then let them feel disappointed!

If you feel uncomfortable, then stand up and rebel against us!

At worst, we can just give up this capital city!
Let's go back to Haozhou City and conquer the world again!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, holding the Emperor's Sword at his waist with one hand, his back straight, looking down at the world with incomparable determination.

Li Shanchang, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly shook his body, and the words he was about to say were blocked in his heart.

He raised his head in astonishment again and looked at the emperor.

In an instant, it seemed as if a huge wave was surging in my chest!

It was as if thunder and lightning suddenly struck, striking him and making his whole body tremble.

Li Shanchang only felt that his soul was trembling!
What did he hear?
The emperor actually said that at worst he would give up the capital, return to Haozhou City, and conquer the world all over again?!

How could the Emperor say such words?!

How could he think like that?

This kingdom belongs to the emperor. He conquered it with his own hands. How could he just give it up?!
Countless extremely intense thoughts surged wildly in his mind, making Li Shanchang's head buzz uncontrollably.

After a while, he suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly.

It turns out that I and many people in this world were wrong!
Everyone felt that it was extremely difficult for the emperor to go from being a beggar with nothing to where he was today.

Throughout history, it is impossible to find a person whose origin is lower than that of the current emperor.

Because he had suffered poverty before, now that he sits on this position, he will care more about the emperor's throne and will be careful in everything, fearing that it will be bumped into.

Therefore, it is very effective to use the general situation of the world to coerce the emperor and talk to him.

But it was not until now that I suddenly realized that the reality is not so.

The emperor didn't care about these numerous bottles and jars at all, and was not afraid of them getting bumped or scratched.

I even have the idea and determination to take off my shoes again, go back to being barefoot, smash all of this to pieces, and reshape the world again!

Faced with such a founding emperor, who could threaten him?
Who can use the world situation to coerce him?
Who can force him to bow his head?

Those previous thoughts and practices were really ridiculous!
I have followed the emperor for so many years, and I have always felt that I have a special understanding of the emperor and can accurately grasp the emperor's temper.

I feel that there are not many people in the world who understand the emperor better than me.

But now, he suddenly realized that he didn't know anything about the emperor!
If I had known that the emperor had such courage and determination, and still maintained the mentality of a beggar, I would never have done these things!
Not only Li Shanchang, but even Zhu Biao who was standing next to Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked by what his father said.

But at the same time as he was shocked, there was also something indescribable and inexplicable that enveloped him, making him shocked and admired from the bottom of his heart!

He is worthy of being my father, the emperor, and the one who has fought his way up from the bottom step by step. He has the confidence to say this.

This kind of courage is probably something I will never be able to learn in my lifetime.

This is also something that people like Mr. Song will never be able to teach me!
Inside the Wuying Palace, there was a moment of silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was not ready to let Li Shanchang go. He took a step forward, holding the Emperor's Sword in his hand, looked at Li Shanchang and spoke again:

"We're going back to Haozhou City and conquer the world all over again. Old Li, do you want to go with us or not?"

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang was only planning to handle this major case himself, and take the opportunity to clean up the place and cut off the connection between Li Shanchang and his descendants.

I didn't intend to let Li Shanchang do these things.

But who made Li Shanchang come knocking on the door in the middle of the night?
I asked someone to chase him away and tell him to stop bothering me here.

But this guy actually beat the drum to report the incident, forcing me to meet him.

Since the news has been sounded and he has to come to my door, it would be a shame if I don't give him some surprises.

They are all unworthy of Li Shanchang's painstaking efforts.

His head was buzzing and Li Shanchang was frightened by what Zhu Yuanzhang had said before. His mind was in a mess and his body trembled again when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

The whole person is not well.

It was like being pierced directly through the soul by an invisible sword.

I thought what I had heard before about returning to Haozhou City and conquering the world again was shocking enough.

Who would have thought that the emperor would say something even more shocking at this time!

He actually asked me directly in person whether I should follow him or not!
Isn't this just pushing yourself into a corner?

It seems to be just a question of whether to follow or not, but in fact, there are so many things behind this seemingly simple question!
It is a question about one's own future, or even whether there is a future at all.

Things have come to this point, and the emperor has spoken to his face.

If he didn't follow, it would mean that there would be no room for easing the situation between him and the emperor.

This crack will never be healed in this lifetime.

Even depending on the emperor's performance at this time, it is not impossible for him to catch all the criminals in one fell swoop and solve the problem at once with the help of the major case that is about to be launched.

Why was I so confident in the past and dared to challenge the emperor like this?

They just feel that they have made great contributions, have seniority, and have enough power in their hands.

Even if the emperor disliked me, he had to endure it and didn't dare to do anything to me.

But now, with the Zhongdu City and the empty-stamped account books that were being processed, two consecutive cases had directly destroyed most of the power that he was most proud of.

Feeling the emperor's momentum at this time, Li Shanchang was really panicked.

I really think the emperor might kill me!
But if you choose to follow the emperor, it means that you need to cut off many things.

Not to mention the long-term consequences, just the current major case of empty printing is unavoidable.

We must act according to what the emperor said before.

Take action yourself and deal with these local officials!

Once such a thing is done, it will mean cutting oneself off from the world!
Who would still follow me on a business trip to Korea? It was impossible for me to be as powerful as before, to have such a high status and influence the world.

This is to force himself onto the path of a pure minister.

The emperor is so cruel!
What a good trick, what a good plan!
He had known in the past that this uneducated emperor was not easy to deal with, but now he realized that his previous feeling was totally wrong.

How could this emperor be difficult to deal with? He was clearly extremely difficult to deal with!

I really don't look good enough in front of him!

Especially when I think about it, I didn’t have to fall into such a dilemma.

Li Shanchang felt even more depressed after facing this desperate situation, which was caused by himself beating the drum to report the incident.

I just want to slap myself hard in the face until my face breaks!

What does it mean to get what you deserve?

Drops of sweat flowed down Li Shanchang's beard, and in an instant, all of Li Shanchang's clothes were soaked with sweat.

The whole person looks like he was fished out of the water.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes never left Li Shanchang, he just looked at him quietly.

Looking at Xiao He, who has followed him since Dingyuan City, what choice will he make?

At that time, Guo Zixing brought Guo Tianxu to take over his troops. He waited for Li Shanchang, his most trusted strategist at the time, for a whole night, but he never came to see him.

Instead, he followed Guo Zixing and the others...

Zhu Biao couldn't help but swallow his saliva secretly, trying not to make any noise, and continued to watch the confrontation between his father and Li Shanchang...

A gust of night wind blew by, and Li Shanchang couldn't help shivering, feeling cold all over.

He woke up instantly, and it felt like several years had passed.

"My Lord, I will certainly follow you!
When I was in Dingyuan, I was sure that the one who came to the throne was a heroic ruler.

We have come this far step by step, how can we not follow?

I am where I am today because of you, my Lord.

If I had not been promoted to a higher position, I would have been nothing more than an ordinary failed scholar in the chaotic late Yuan Dynasty.

Maybe he died in the chaos of war.

As long as the superior does not mind that I am old and useless, I will serve you at all times and do my best to give it my all!
Even if I die, I will have no regrets!"

Li Shanchang raised his head, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and spoke.

At the beginning, his voice was hoarse, but as he spoke later, it became firm, like an old man reminiscing about his youthful vigor.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, a smile appeared on his face.

As his smile appeared, the oppressive and almost suffocating atmosphere in the entire Wuying Hall disappeared in an instant.

"Haha, I knew you, Old Li, wouldn't let me down. Your edges and corners haven't been smoothed out yet.

You, Old Li, are our Lian Po, who can eat a bowl of rice and ten pounds of meat, and wear armor and ride a horse! "

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed happily, and his hand naturally moved away from the Emperor's Sword at his waist. He took a few steps forward and personally helped Li Shanchang up from the ground.

It was so warm.

It was as if everything that had just happened in Wuying Palace was fake.

Li Shanchang also smiled: "My lord, I was previously blinded by things and my heart was blinded by lard.

Fortunately, you, the Lord, helped me wipe it off.

Otherwise, I will make the same mistake again and again!

When it comes to lofty ambitions and broad minds, I am far behind you!
The establishment of the Ming Dynasty did not mean that things were over. There would be many more battles to fight in the future.

Sixty-two is not considered old. I can still work hard to succeed my superiors, do something for the Ming Dynasty, and do something for myself.

You can’t just focus on the petty intrigues and the petty tricks, you should also see other things.”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, then reached out and slapped Li Shanchang's shoulders hard several times.

Li Shanchang gritted his teeth in pain.

"Hahaha, great! Old Li from Dingyuan City, the one who rode his donkey past us, is back again!"

Then he changed the subject and looked at Li Shanchang and said, "What do you think of these people who came to the capital with empty seals and documents and falsified accounts with the Ministry of Revenue? Old Li?"

Li Shanchang gritted his teeth and said righteously, "Although the matter of the empty seal has a long history, they all know what is going on.

This is a case of knowingly committing a crime and pretending to be ignorant, deliberately using such methods to embezzle the people's money.

I feel that there should be absolutely no tolerance for such behavior.

Only severe punishment can stop it and deter people!

If we let them off lightly, these people who have been soaked in the big dye vat of the late Yuan Dynasty and have been emitting a rotten smell from the bones will not only not be grateful, but will soon continue to make small moves.

Therefore, I believe that any local tax officials who bring empty sealed account books into the capital should be beaten with a hundred sticks and exiled three thousand miles away!

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, but he had no intention of letting Li Shanchang go.

"What about the local seal officials? How should we deal with them?"

Li Shanchang's heart skipped a beat, but his expression became even more righteous:
"In order to prevent corruption, our local account books of the Ming Dynasty actually have multiple layers of arrangements.

There are special people who are responsible for recording every financial transaction in a special account book. After the local authorities have verified that it is correct, the chief seal officer will stamp it with the official seal.

Then, the tax return will be submitted to the next higher level for review and examination...

These things are handled by different people in order to prevent corruption.

Among them, the local seal-writing official is the most important link in preventing fraud.

If there is a problem in the account book, the account cannot be processed unless the chief sealer stamps it.

As a result, now, all the local seal-writing officials have become mere figures, colluding with the rest of the people.

He just stamped his seal on a blank account book and had someone bring it to the capital to fill it out casually.

Even if you use a saddle seal, what's the point? It's just for show.

This is the most serious dereliction of duty, favoritism, corruption, and abuse of power, a heinous crime!"

As he said this, he took a deep breath and spoke word by word, full of murderous intent:
"Any local official who does this should be executed without mercy! This will serve as a warning to others!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, obviously very satisfied with Li Shanchang's answer.

However, he still did not let Li Shanchang go.

"What should we do with those officials from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Li Shanchang's heart ached suddenly, but he said without any hesitation:

"The Ministry of Revenue was responsible for the final review, but it ended up colluding with local tax officials and watching as local officials filled out the account books with blank seals.

Not only did they not report it, and ignored it, but they even stamped their seal on it, colluding with local officials to deceive the court and embezzle the people's money. Their crimes are extremely heinous!"

As he spoke, he secretly steeled his mind and said, "I think the Minister of Revenue and the two Vice Ministers should be torn into pieces by five horses!"

Li Shanchang, who was in charge of allocating shares to each party, knew everything about the empty seal.

"Okay! Lao Li, your suggestion is good, I am very satisfied.

This time the incident is quite big. The number of people involved and the wide area involved are simply horrifying.

It is impossible for ordinary people to handle such a big case.

It would be easier to handle this if someone with sufficient prestige, high enough status, and the ability to handle it is in place."

Li Shanchang immediately pleaded, "My Lord, who else can do this except me?

I have been ordered to do this, and I will bring these vile creatures to justice!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then hesitated and said, "This is an offensive job. I'm bound to be cursed by many people, and you, Old Li, care about the reputation of the people.

At such an old age, this... I'm afraid it might not be a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang almost vomited blood.

The dog emperor is still so inhuman! He kills people and destroys their hearts!

“Sir, this mere fame is nothing to me.

As long as I can make some contribution to the throne and the Ming Dynasty, what does it matter if people curse my ancestors for eighteen generations?"

The more Zhu Yuanzhang persuaded him, the more resolute Li Shanchang became in his attitude towards this matter.

"Seeing there's no sign, this is a loyal minister of our Ming Dynasty!

There aren't many loyal ministers like Lao Li in the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head to look at Zhu Biao and sighed sincerely.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who had already been stunned, was awakened by Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

He hurriedly said, "Yes, the Grand Tutor is truly a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is truly fortunate to have the Grand Tutor.

I will never forget the great contribution that the Grand Tutor has made to our Ming Dynasty.

I will never forget the Grand Master's contribution to the Ming Dynasty!"

As he said this, he bowed very solemnly to Li Shanchang.

But to be honest, Crown Prince Zhu Biao is still a little confused.

The development of the matter was completely beyond his expectations.

After learning that Li Shanchang had gone to the trouble of beating the drum to report his actions in order to see his father, he had been worried that after seeing Li Shanchang, his father would not be able to hold back and stab Li Shanchang to death with a sword.

But who could have imagined that the final result would be like this!

Even though he was watching the whole process from the side, Zhu Biao still couldn't believe that things could be done this way!

Even though he had witnessed the changing faces of various people in officialdom, he was still shocked by what his father and Li Shanchang did tonight.

I just feel like my eyes have been opened and I have gained more knowledge!
My father is truly worthy of being my father!

Duke Hanguo, an old fox who had come through troubled times, had no ability to resist his father.

Han Guogong's behavior of putting everything aside to do something once he makes up his mind is also admirable...

"Okay, this is settled, Lao Li, you should go back and have a rest.

Go to bed early, take good care of your spirit and body, we are ready to let you shine more for our Ming Dynasty!"

After the matter was settled, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and ordered Li Shanchang to expel him.

How can I still sleep after something like this happened?
Li Shanchang secretly cursed the emperor for being unkind, but his face was full of gratitude for the emperor's care.

After paying his respects to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, he retreated from the Wuying Hall.

After walking out of Wuying Palace, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

After stabilizing himself, he paused for a moment before continuing forward with his weakened legs...

……

Tonight, the Jinyiwei Prison is even more lively than the most popular restaurant on the Qinhuai River.

Many people were sent here for detention, making the prison packed to the brim.

Later, under the order of Jinyiwei commander Liu Ying, many rooms for storing miscellaneous items and stables were vacated to detain these people.

Many of these arrested local officials were very panicked at first.

But when I got here, I saw that so many people had been arrested.

I immediately felt relieved.

Some people who are more open-minded can't help but sneer inwardly.

Do you understand what it means that the law does not hold everyone responsible?

If the dog emperor had only arrested some of them, he could have gotten the job done, but those who were arrested would not have had a good ending.

But now that all the people who came to Beijing to file taxes have been arrested, it will not be easy to convict them.

Even if he is convicted, it will not be a serious crime.

Even the current emperor wouldn't dare to take such heavy-handed action against so many people at once!

Besides, apart from the principle that the law does not punish the masses, they also have the Duke of Korea to rely on.

If something like this happens, the Korean public will definitely not sit idly by.

We will definitely do everything we can to rescue him!

(End of this chapter)