Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 88 Overturning the table
"father!"

Li Qi had been guarding outside the palace gate, extremely anxious. In a short period of time, his mouth was blistered due to anxiety.

Seeing his father finally come out, he was overjoyed and hurried to meet him and support his father.

During this period of time, he really experienced what it meant to be extremely worried.

As time went by, his father still didn't come out. He thought of more than ten ways for his father to die, and even decided where to bury him.

"Dad, what's up?"

Li Shanchang got into the carriage with the help of Li Qi.

After sitting down, Li Qi couldn't bear it any longer and asked in a low voice.

When asking this question, Li Qi was still full of expectations, thinking that there was a high possibility that things would have a good outcome.

There are two main bases.

One is that his father got out alive.

Second, when his father came out, it was Eunuch Wang, the eunuch beside the emperor, who brought people to send him out.

Moreover, he was very respectful to his father in his behavior.

If his father hadn't dealt with the emperor, things would not have turned out this way.

Li Shanchang was exhausted. The experience of meeting the emperor just now made him feel like he had walked back and forth to the gate of Hades several times.

Think about this time again. The result of losing blood.

And since his son had repeatedly advised him not to insist on meeting the emperor and to go home quickly to make other arrangements, Li Shanchang didn't want to say anything.

Why do I feel that... this time it is my son who makes the choice?

This made Li Shanchang reluctant to speak.

But seeing his son's anxious eyes, he knew that he was also worried. After thinking for a while, he said again: "It's okay, there is no crisis in our family."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi felt overjoyed.

He is truly worthy of being my father, the Duke of Korea of ​​the Ming Dynasty!
The situation had gotten so bad, but after meeting the emperor, he was able to revive it!

Be able to turn danger into safety!

"Dad, you are wiser! You are right, and I am wrong.

If you had really listened to my child's advice and returned home to make arrangements instead of beating the drum to see the emperor, there would definitely not be the good result now.

Dad, I am still very young in front of you and I need to learn more from you in the future.

Learn more, watch more, and talk less."

Li Qi looked at Li Shanchang and spoke the truth with admiration on his face.

Li Shanchang was already regretting and wanted to slap himself a few times, hating himself for going to beat the drum to report the incident.

Hearing his son's sincere words, his face couldn't help but twitch slightly and felt a little hot.

He wanted to kick his son off the carriage and tell him to get away.

This kind of knife that you admire from the bottom of your heart is the most hurtful.

"That's all, it's okay."

Li Shanchang was too lazy to pay any more attention to his son and responded vaguely.

Perhaps it was because his mood had gone through great ups and downs. He was worried to death before, but now he suddenly landed safely, which made Li Qi less alert than usual in front of his father.

Hearing this, he immediately retorted, "Dad, how can this be just so-so? It's okay, right? This is very good, okay?"

Who can remain safe and sound in such a situation?
It’s just you, Dad!
Dad, you are really too modest!"

"Get off and follow the car! If you don't speak, everyone will think you're dumb!"

Li Shanchang tried to endure it several times, but finally couldn't bear it anymore. He pointed his hand at the car door and started to chase people away.

Li Qi was stunned...

After a while, Li Qi, who was walking along the carriage, couldn't help but scratch the back of his head vigorously.

He had regained some composure and realized that it seemed that his father had suffered a great loss at the hands of the emperor this time.

Otherwise I wouldn't treat myself like this.

But in this situation, even if you suffer some losses, being able to allow your family to safely overcome this crisis is very good and rare.

Not everyone can do this...

However, when he returned home and learned from his father, who had also regained a lot of composure, what price his father had paid, Li Qi was stunned again.

He suddenly understood why his father kicked him off the carriage.

This price... is really too high!

Thinking back, his father had repeatedly assured him that it would be absolutely fine to go against the emperor, and that the emperor would definitely surrender and bow his head.

When Li Qi went to see his father again, he suddenly felt that his father's tall and mighty image had collapsed.

"Dad, then... do we still need to notify Hu Weiyong?"

Li Qi tried hard to suppress the restlessness and dizziness in his heart, and looked at his father and asked.

"Notify the hell!"

Li Shanchang couldn't help but curse.

Li Shanchang cursed a lot tonight.

The whole person seemed very irritable.

"Hu Weiyong is not a good guy either.

I thought about it over and over again, and I felt that this bastard was most likely up to something bad in this matter.

He was the prime minister in charge of the Secretariat, and his nephew was also in charge of part of the public security in Yingtian City.

They must be the first group to get the news.

As a result, when we rushed over, we had already known the news.

Even if we take into account the time this guy spent on the road, we definitely shouldn't be this late."

"Dad, are you saying...Hu Weiyong is deliberately delaying things?"

“It must be so.

This guy is ambitious and wants to climb the social ladder, so it's normal for him to do something like this."

"This bastard!" Li Qi couldn't help but curse out loud.

"I'll find a way to teach this bastard a lesson and make him pay the price!"

Li Shanchang waved his hand and said, "Forget it, don't pay attention to it. If he likes to climb up, then he can continue to climb up.

Climbing too high is not a good thing.

Hu Weiyong is a bold and ambitious guy.

In the past, because your father and I were suppressing him, many things were not obvious.

I won’t suppress your father anymore. This guy can definitely fly to the sky.

Given the current emperor's character, how could he tolerate him?

There's no need for us to intervene, Hu Weiyong will kill himself!"

Maybe it was because Zhu Yuanzhang pinned him to the ground and hit him on the head with a stick tonight, so he was no longer angry.

At this time, Li Shanchang looked at things much calmer.

Li Qi nodded after hearing this and said nothing more.

But he didn't quite believe what his father said.

With his father as a precedent, even if Hu Weiyong becomes more arrogant in the future, how arrogant can he be?
It probably can't reach the level my father said...

……

At the residence of Marquis Chengyi, Liu Bowen was awakened by Liu Lian.

After knowing what happened, I couldn't help but shook my head.

He was not at all surprised at what happened tonight.

Do you really think those in power are so easy to bully and intimidate?
Now you're turning the table?

This guy Li Shanchang didn't listen to my advice, stopped in time, and admitted his mistake to his superiors. Is he obedient now?

"Lian'er, don't open the door tomorrow. We're closed to visitors and won't see anyone until this matter is settled."

Liu Bowen spoke up and explained to Liu Lian.

Liu Lian nodded in agreement and prepared to leave.

But he was still a little worried, so he stopped and looked at Liu Bowen and said:

"Dad, this... His Majesty has caused such a big commotion this time, and so many people are involved. Will... will there be some chaos?"

Liu Bowen shook his head: "Lian'er, don't worry about this.

According to the ability of the superior, since he took action at this time, he must have had a perfect response plan and would never let this situation happen.

Your Majesty is no ordinary person."

Liu Lian nodded in agreement, left Liu Bowen's room, and closed the door for his father.

Liu Bowen sat with his back against the headboard for a while, wondering what he was thinking about.

After a while, he sighed, shook his head, blew out the oil lamp, lay down on the bed and went back to sleep...

……

After daybreak, all the Jinyiwei had returned to their teams, and the mission was completed beautifully.

Thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang's advance arrangements, multiple forces attacked simultaneously.

In addition, Liu Ying strictly screened and controlled the Jinyiwei, and none of the officials who came to Beijing to file taxes had time to destroy the empty stamped documents.

Except for three who resisted fiercely and were executed on the spot, the rest were all arrested and brought to justice.

However, many people in the city were in panic and talked about it.

After all, more than 10,000 Jinyiwei were dispatched last night to multiple locations to search and arrest, so the commotion was naturally quite big.

There hasn't been such a big commotion in the capital for a long time.

People's hearts will naturally be moved by this.

However, this situation did not last long, because soon government officials posted notices everywhere and sent special people to explain the situation to the people.

Not only that, the Daming Daily, which has been published for several months and has become increasingly influential, also published a special supplement today, and the front page talked about this incident.

In such circumstances, news spreads like the wind.

The people, who were originally in a state of panic, became furious when they learned that the officials arrested by the emperor last night had come to the capital with blank account books with seals on them to reconcile the accounts.

If you think about things like this, you will know how big a trick is involved.

These corrupt officials are so bold that they actually run to the emperor's feet to cook the books!

Except for a few people who are unclear about their own identities and easily put themselves on the side of the masters, the majority of the people naturally have a deep hatred for corrupt officials.

After all, they are the most vulnerable to oppression and exploitation by corrupt officials.

Many people in the capital cursed these corrupt officials, and the public outcry was overwhelming.

If the Jinyiwei hadn't done such a great job and moved so quickly that they could finish their work before daybreak, these corrupt officials would have been warmly received by the people...

……

After receiving the feedback, Zhu Yuanzhang showed a smile on his face.

In my previous life, I didn’t publicize the Empty Seal Case enough, so not many people knew the real situation.

As a result, it was later distorted and slandered by many people and was criticized a lot.

This time, I must learn from my mistakes and, while doing my job, I must also carry out necessary publicity so that more people can know the truth of the matter.

Not only oral publicity is needed, but also printed materials such as newspapers and books should be circulated.

The right to public opinion must be firmly grasped in one's own hands!

……

After breakfast, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had only slept for about an hour, was full of energy and went to personally take charge of the trial.

For this reason, he gave all the officials in the capital a holiday today and did not allow them to attend court.

Although last night, the hero Li Shanchang was sent to deal with these heroes.

But when it comes to the actual trial of the case, Zhu Yuanzhang still plans to supervise it personally, which is the safest way.

He is not a person who cares too much about his reputation.

He would not push a minister to the front to do things while he hides behind and makes a fortune quietly to prevent a bad reputation from spreading.

He never hesitates to sacrifice his life when doing great things, and he doesn't mind getting covered in blood as long as he can get things done.

The trial was simple. With solid evidence like the empty account books, these people had no chance to refute or deny.

So they all gave up quickly.

Of course, there is another important reason why he confessed so straightforwardly, besides the solid evidence.

Many people firmly believed that the law does not punish the masses, and the emperor did not dare to really do anything to so many of them. They also firmly believed that the Duke of Han would not ignore them...

Zhu Yuanzhang's thundering actions and sudden attack on so many people not only caused a huge reaction among the people, but also caused a sensation like a landslide in the officialdom.

Many people wake up feeling like the sky is falling.

After all, this money has flowed to many places.

If the emperor really investigates further, or wants to target someone, many people will be implicated through this case!
It was as if the emperor suddenly hung a sword over their heads, ready to drop and kill them at any time.

How could this not make them panic?

……

Many people came to visit the Chengyi Marquis's residence at Liu Junshi Bridge, but without exception, they were all turned away. According to Liu Bowen's eldest son, Liu Lian, his father was not in good health and was still recovering from an illness.

Many people are extremely anxious, but there is nothing they can do.

This is a request for help. You can't just barge in, right?

Some people also came to the Duke of Korea's mansion, wanting to ask for something, but unexpectedly found that the Duke of Korea's mansion was also closed to visitors...

Countless officials spent this extremely agonizing day and night in a state of panic...

……

At five o'clock in the morning, when the sky was just getting light, many officials had already gotten up and gathered towards the imperial city, waiting for the court meeting.

Compared with the past, the officials who came to court today were more energetic than each other.

Even with dark circles under their eyes, many people are still energetic at this time.

There is no way out, the crucial moment of trial is coming.

Who among them dares not to be spirited?
"Master!"

"Master!"

Many worried people arrived at the imperial city and actually saw Duke of Korea Li Shanchang, who had been waiting there a long time ago.

I was suddenly surprised and happy.

They felt like they had found their backbone and came forward to greet Li Shanchang.

You know, this was the first time Li Shanchang attended court since he left the Secretariat a few years ago.

It is clear that South Korea will definitely not ignore such a big thing.

Yesterday, the room was closed and no one was seen. It doesn't mean that Duke Han Guo has given up, but that he is actively thinking of a solution.

How could someone like Duke Hanguo surrender so easily?
Now that Mr. Han is here, there is no need to worry!

When the Korean prince arrived, the day broke!

In response to everyone's greetings, Li Shanchang just nodded slightly at them and ignored them.

These people also tactfully stepped aside and did not disturb Li Shanchang any further.

In their view, it is very normal for the Korean public to have such a reaction.

The emperor suddenly did such a thing, which was equivalent to peeing in the face of Duke Han Guo in public.

Next, it is time for Duke Han to confront the emperor in court.

For Duke Han Guo, this was an extremely important moment, so he naturally had no time to be distracted and say more to them.

A moment later, two more people arrived one after another.

The arrival of these two people was even more eye-catching than that of Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea.

Because these two people were none other than the Minister of Revenue Liu Xin and the Vice Minister Qian Zhong, who hurried to the Ministry of Revenue on the night of the incident and were directly arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Many people think that these two people should be locked up in jail now.

Who would have thought that he would appear in front of them in official uniform and go to court together!

This matter is too surprising!

"Minister Liu, this..." someone looked at Liu Xin and asked.

Liu Xin looked particularly haggard. He was not released until almost three o'clock in the morning.

During this day and night, the Jinyiwei did not torture him. They just invited him to drink tea and kept him supplied with tea.

But how could he remain calm after such a thing happened?

Every moment is torture.

"Your Majesty said that until I am convicted, I will remain the Minister of Revenue. Give me a chance to speak and let me make a good defense at the court meeting."

Liu Xin's voice sounded, dry and a little scary, not like his voice.

Qian Zhong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also nodded, indicating that the situation was the same here.

Hearing this, some people couldn't help but secretly curse the emperor for being shameless.

Now I remember to follow the law. Why didn't you say anything when you sent the Jinyiwei to arrest people directly without going through the Secretariat and the Ministry of Justice?

But despite the scolding, many people still let go of their worries.

Because judging from the emperor's actions, he is still prepared to be reasonable.

It's not about indiscriminate killing without any regard for the consequences.

As long as the emperor is reasonable and prepared to act according to the rules, it doesn't matter much.

Things won't be that bad.

Thinking about the wide range of people involved in this incident and the large number of people, and looking at Duke Hanguo standing there, as well as the Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister who had been released and were standing in front of them in official uniforms, many people felt that the huge stone that was weighing on their hearts was lifted.

There will definitely be people who will be unlucky this time, but it definitely won’t be too many.

All in all, the advantage is still on their side!

Hu Weiyong looked at Li Shanchang and found that Li Shanchang still had no intention of speaking, so he said to Liu Xin, Qian Zhong, and another Minister of Revenue, Li Fang, who had not been arrested:
"Your Majesty's grace is good. When we meet at court later, I must respond appropriately and explain everything that needs to be explained.

The Grand Tutor, the Prime Minister, and all my colleagues will contribute.

We will strive to give him a lenient sentence."

Liu Xin and others quickly responded.

After a while, the palace gate opened. Hu Weiyong greeted all the officials and followed Li Shanchang, half a body length behind Li Shanchang, heading towards the Huagai Palace.

Looking at Li Shanchang who was so close to him, a hint of mockery and coldness flashed in Hu Weiyong's eyes.

This old dog Li Shanchang still dares to walk in front of him. He really doesn't know whether he lives or dies.

After this court meeting, this guy's legs will be completely broken by the emperor.

And I will successfully replace Li Shanchang!

When that time comes, let’s see how this old dog can still act pretentiously in front of me!

The next court meeting is a great opportunity for me to perform well!
Just wait and see how I, in front of that old dog Li Shanchang, will take away the authority that should belong to the Prime Minister and has been occupied by him!

……

In the Huagai Hall, sitting on the gilded dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a dragon robe, had a sullen face.

Beside him stood Crown Prince Zhu Biao, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe.

Beneath the red steps, the three emperors' adult sons, Zhu Chong, Prince of Qin, Zhu Gang, Prince of Jin, and Zhu Di, Prince of Yan, were also dressed in dragon robes and stood in a row in front of all the officials.

These three were specially called over by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The purpose is to broaden their horizons and let them see more of the true faces of these corrupt officials.

"Minister Liu, you are the Minister of Revenue. Please tell me why so many officials who come to the capital to file taxes are carrying these empty documents with them. Why is that?"

In the silence of the entire court, where all the civil and military officials dared not breathe, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice, which was obviously filled with suppressed anger, rang out.

Liu Xin, the Minister of Revenue who was named, knew that his biggest test had come. Whether he would continue to be an official or be dismissed in the future depended on his performance this time!
He bowed earnestly to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, “Your Majesty, I would like to let Your Majesty know that this matter was not initiated by officials of our dynasty, but has been passed down since the Yuan Dynasty.

The officials did not intend to commit crimes through these means.

It’s just that everyone has been doing this since they came into contact with these government affairs, and they are used to it.

Moreover, this practice is not without reason.

When transporting local grain to the capital, it is inevitable that there will be losses due to various reasons.

As a result, the amount of grain transported to the capital was less than when it first set out, and the accounts did not match.

So they simply brought blank account books with them to the capital, so that they could easily fill in the actual money and grain that arrived in the capital.

The imperial court also had strict regulations that local account books must be exactly the same as those of the Ministry of Revenue.

Otherwise, you have to send it back to fill it out again and redo the accounting.

However, our Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, remote areas, and inconvenient transportation.

It takes half a year to go back and forth to those distant places.

If the number doesn't match when I come back, and I have to run back and forth two or three times, a lot of things will be delayed.

So, in order for things to go smoothly, there is this blank seal account book.

With it, any mistakes can be corrected at any time without the hassle of affecting the country's tax collection and delaying important matters."

Liu Xin told Zhu Yuanzhang the reasons he had thought of in front of many civil and military officials.

After hearing what Liu Xin said, many civil officials couldn't help but admire him inwardly, saying that he was worthy of being the Minister of Revenue, as he spoke in an organized manner.

The fact is, it is just as he said.

There is clearly a precedent for this, but the dog emperor insists on finding fault with it.

Now let’s see how the Dog Emperor responds!
Even among the ranks of military generals, many had subtle expressions, as if they were enjoying the fun.

I don't know who he is watching.

Not only them, but even Liu Xin straightened his back a lot after saying these words.

It was as if everything they did was just as he said, all for the country and the people, without any selfish motives.

If the emperor insists that I defend myself at the court meeting, then I will defend myself for him!
Given Zhu Yuanzhang's short-sightedness about money, it would be strange if he didn't get confused by himself.

This was Zhu Yuanzhang's own fault, so he couldn't blame himself.

"Well, well said. It seems you've put a lot of effort into this sophistry!"

Zhu Yuanzhang applauded, then his voice sank: "The Mongols and Yuan Dynasty already had it? Just because the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty had it, it means it's correct?
The Mongols and Yuan Dynasty also had a tax-farming system!

The Mongols even divided people into four classes!

Why didn't you say it?

Now it’s my Great Ming Dynasty, stop trying to fool people with this!
It's just you, pretending to be ignorant even though you know the truth."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will never dare to do this again. We will come up with a new way to resolve this matter."

Liu Xin responded quickly, his body very flexible.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and continued to refute Liu Xin's words.

Living a new life, facing the case of the empty seal, he not only has to convince people with force, but also has to convince them with reason before they die.

Save these bastards from thinking they know nothing about finance and will never admit defeat.

It's a good idea to destroy someone's heart before killing him.

"As for what you said about the accounts not reconciling and it taking half a year to go back and revise them, that's bullshit.

Our Ming Dynasty has established a complete post system. Even in the most remote places, documents can reach the capital within a month by sending them through the post stations.

Leaving aside the tax officials in remote areas, why do they all carry blank-stamped account books when the trip to places under the jurisdiction of the capital only takes a day or two? Places like Changzhou and Suzhou only take a few days too.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze, combined with the words he spoke at this moment, seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

"Well...it's mainly due to following the old routine. Seeing that most people do the same thing, I got lazy and just followed the crowd."

Liu Xin was sweating a little. Why was this damn emperor more difficult to deal with than he thought?
“Also, they said that the grain sent from other places would be lost, so they wrote down the amount in advance. When they arrived in the capital and the number didn’t match, they would bring blank account books and fill in the actual amount delivered.

This is just fooling the devil!
Are all of you accountants fucking idiots?

Don’t they even know how to write a note, write down the actual amount collected, stamp it and let the tax officials take it back for reporting?
If we don't use such a simple method, people will run back and forth, how can we cause so much trouble?
In order to solve this problem, have you suddenly become smarter and figured out the time-saving and labor-saving method of using blank-printed account books?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Liu Xin, Qian Zhong and Li Fang, three senior officials from the Ministry of Revenue, and opened fire at them.

Liu Xin's forehead was sweating, Qian Zhong's hands were shaking, and Li Fang was frightened!

Several people couldn't help but look at each other quietly, and they all saw horror and disbelief in each other's eyes.

The emperor actually knew all the twists and turns here so clearly?!

how can that be!

"Your Majesty, it is truly foolish of us to have not considered this aspect.

Today, I received advice from Your Majesty, which was like an enlightenment.

We should take this as a basis and formulate new measures to fill this loophole in the future."

Liu Xin forced himself to answer.

The left and right assistant ministers of the Ministry of Revenue also responded.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the three people and felt relieved when he saw how they looked after hearing his words.

Speaking of which, many people understand how big a problem the empty seal case was in the previous life.

But what these bastards are best at is turning black into white, and they can make trouble even if it is unreasonable.

They took advantage of my lack of financial knowledge and used their tricks to make it impossible for me to win the argument.

In the end, they were defeated by being unreasonable and overturning the table.

This feeling of knowing clearly that the other party is doing something wrong and is making excuses and forcing a defense, but being unable to win the argument and being unable to find their weak spot with words is so fucking frustrating and uncomfortable!

But this time it was different. This time I had returned from studying abroad in the future.

These bastards still want to do this in front of me. I really want to blind their eyes!
While feeling happy, Zhu Yuanzhang did not stop attacking, but chose to continue attacking to make himself feel even better.

"Stupid? You are not stupid at all! Each of you is extremely smart!

Do not deliberately ignore this method, complicate the matter, and develop it into a blank seal document.

Let the Ministry of Revenue issue a note clearly stating the losses in various places and then account for them. How can you people still ask for money and take it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly increased, and he leaned forward, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over the civil and military officials in the hall, as if he could see through people's hearts.

Many people felt uncomfortable and felt uneasy when being stared at by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Liu Xin's face turned even paler, sweat was pouring out, his lips were trembling, and he could no longer utter a word.

He just kept looking towards the Duke of Korea, Li Shanchang, for help, hoping that the Duke of Korea would help him out as soon as possible...

(End of this chapter)