Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 90 Li Shanchang sold everyone out?! All the officials were stunned

Duke of Korea Li Shanchang took action at a moment when countless people were panicking and dared not even breathe.

For those whose lives were suddenly grasped by the emperor, it was a blessing from heaven!
Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was useless, but he looked quite brave. He dared to speak for everyone at such a moment and refused to give in to the emperor.

The result was that the emperor came and dealt a fatal blow to everyone indiscriminately.

Now, the Korean prince who has never spoken has become their only hope.

I believe that it is because of Duke Hanguo's intelligence, prestige, merits, and understanding of the emperor.

If you dare to take action at this moment, you must be quite confident that you can prevent the emperor from going too far in the future!

As expected, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was still too inexperienced in front of Duke Han Guo.

At the critical moment, we still have to look to the Korean public!

Xu Da, who was at the head of the military generals, frowned slightly after seeing this scene. The look in his eyes when he looked at Li Shanchang was no longer as elegant and easy-going as before.

This old dog Li Shanchang really doesn’t know how to write the word death!

Hu Weiyong secretly resents him.

He even took off his official hat in public today and made a sure-win attack, but was slapped to the ground by the emperor.

I'm going to be a stepping stone for that bastard Li Shanchang again!
This feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.

Is it possible that I will never be able to escape the clutches of this bastard Li Shanchang in this lifetime?

Do you want to be Li Shanchang's dog for the rest of your life?

He was unwilling to accept it, he really was unwilling to accept it!

With a heart full of resentment and frustration, Hu Weiyong gritted his teeth and waited for Li Shanchang to speak.

He just couldn't believe it. He was so far inferior to Li Shanchang!

In this situation, what else can Li Shanchang say to control the situation!
Under the watchful eyes of all officials, Li Shanchang saluted the emperor respectfully.

Then he said: "Superior, what these people did was indeed wrong. They were corrupt and abused their power. After being caught, they refused to admit their mistakes and made all kinds of excuses.

But considering that these things are indeed caused by their own reasons, I ask for a lenient sentence."

"What you said makes sense, so I'll do as you say and give you a lighter sentence.

What kind of punishment do you think is best?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and followed suit.

Such a scene completely confused Hu Weiyong.

It was even more shocking than the excuse he thought would succeed, as the emperor slapped him hard on the ground, leaving him unable to get up.

No... Is this okay?

Do you agree to give me a lighter sentence?
What did Li Shanchang say?
It was just a casual remark, but it was a world of difference compared to the words I had carefully thought of!

As a result, the emperor agreed to give a lighter sentence?

Is this possible?

What is the emperor doing?
Could you please stop teasing me like this?!

Is the gap between people really that big?

Compared to Hu Weiyong's bewilderment, the many officials kneeling on the ground felt like they were blessed with joy.

The look he gave Li Shanchang was full of admiration and eagerness, even more than seeing his own father!
It has to be a Korean male! It's just extraordinary!
The Minister of Revenue Liu Xin, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong and others were all very talkative, but in the end they all fell into the trap of the emperor.

Before he knew it, he had implicated so many innocent people.

Now that Duke Han has stepped in, and with just a few casual words, the emperor immediately agrees to give him a lighter sentence!

What is the face of the card? This is the face of the card!
A Korean prince will always be a Korean prince and cannot be replaced by anyone else.

"I think those who brought empty seal account books to the capital to falsify accounts should be caned 100 times, exiled 3,000 miles, and their property confiscated."

Li Shanchang spoke with a righteous look on his face.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the Huagai Palace suddenly became stagnant.

No... this punishment is not that light at all!
If he is beaten with a stick a hundred times, wouldn't he be beaten to death?

Even if they cannot be killed, they will be exiled three thousand miles away to a poor place. After this, how many people will be left alive?

However, someone soon realized why Han Guogong did this.

This incident has caused such a big stir that it is impossible for the emperor to easily cover it up.

Even if the emperor agreed to give him a lighter sentence, Duke Hanguo did not dare to go too lightly.

Otherwise, the emperor would certainly refuse and would miss the opportunity.

These people brought empty seals to Beijing to do accounting, and the evidence was irrefutable. Given the emperor's temper, it was not impossible for him to behead them all.

At this time, South Korea publicly sentenced the criminal to 100 strokes of the cane and exile 3,000 miles, which was considered a lenient sentence.

Besides, only by first convicting some people of serious crimes can we give lighter sentences to the rest.

Otherwise, if everyone makes it very light, the emperor is not a fool, how could he agree?
What Han Guogong did was truly brilliant.

If you want everything, you will end up with nothing.

Only by making certain trade-offs can you truly gain something.

Let's wait and see. After these people have been dealt with severely, when it comes to the rest of the people, Duke Han will be able to show real leniency.

"The local seal officials neglected their duties, stamping blank paper for people to fill in at will, completely failing to fulfill their supervisory role.

It caused huge losses of money and grain, and the impact was extremely bad.

I believe that all these people should be beheaded and their property confiscated to enforce the law and strengthen the government!"

Li Shanchang had a resolute face and spoke meticulously.

With a buzzing sound, many people felt as if their heads were hit by a heavy hammer, buzzing.

Many people are wondering if they heard it wrong.

Some people were so shocked that they forgot about etiquette and concerns, and stood up to look at Li Shanchang with disbelief on their faces.

This...what is the Korean prince saying?

Did you get kicked in the head by a donkey?
Is this what he should say as a Korean prince?
Officials from all over the country, all following the call of Duke Han, began to neglect their duties and go against the imperial court.

Then the emperor held a grudge against him, and today's incident happened.

So, as the leader, after causing such a big mess, shouldn't he try his best to rescue these people?

What is the current practice?

The previous proposal to punish those who carry documents with empty seals with 100 strokes of the cane and exile them 3,000 miles away is understandable.

But now, right after that, all the local seal officials were beheaded and their properties were confiscated. This is really incomprehensible and unacceptable!

What Han Guogong did was a betrayal!

This is pure betrayal, treating many local officials as fools!
It is to cut oneself off from the world!
Doesn’t he know that he can command the world because there are many local officials who are willing to listen to him and follow him?

Now that he has suddenly done this, isn't this simply destroying his own foundation?
Is Li Shanchang crazy?

Hu Weiyong was also stunned. Even though he was always scheming and sinister, he was completely stunned by Li Shanchang's completely unexpected behavior!
Before this, no matter how he thought about it, he could never have imagined that Li Shanchang would actually say such words in front of civil and military officials!

Is this dog crazy?

Is it time to live?
Is this what you call leniency?

It can't be any stricter than this, right?

This was not just an attack on three or five people, but the direct killing of more than a thousand local seal officials!
How dare he say such things?
Ignoring the strange change in the atmosphere in the Huagai Hall, and suppressing the heartache that felt like a knife cutting through his heart, Li Shanchang continued to fire at full force.

Bringing even greater shock to these people.

"The Minister of Revenue Liu Xin, the Assistant Minister Qian Zhong, and Li Fang, three high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Revenue, knew that this was an act of embezzling a huge amount of money and grain, but they were so cruel and insane that they refused to stop it.

Instead, they colluded with these people, took advantage of them and devoured them.

As a superior department responsible for supervision and audit, it is outrageous that they do such things!
I suggest that these three extremely evil thieves be torn into pieces by five horses as a warning to others!"

Li Shanchang turned around and pointed at Liu Xin, Qian Zhong and Li Fang, who were already stunned, and shouted at them angrily.

His face was full of majesty and he looked inviolable.

What a ruthless and impartial man who is devoted to his country.

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was silent.

Liu Xin was trembling, Qian Zhong was sweating profusely, and Li Fang collapsed to the ground.

Among the many other civil servants who knelt down with Hu Weiyong, more of them looked up and looked at Li Shanchang in astonishment.

It was such an unexpected, complicated and thrilling thing.

Is this... really a Korean prince?

Is he really the Korean prince who convinced them that as long as they were under his leadership, he would definitely help them withstand and resolve any problems that occurred?

Why is today so strange?

Even the great general Xu Da's expression changed. He was stunned at first, then he looked at the superior who had already sat back on the dragon throne, and showed a thoughtful look.

He had already realized that Li Shanchang's completely unexpected action was definitely not something he did willingly.

The superiors must have used some means to make Li Shanchang submit obediently. Such a shocking move occurred in the court today.

But it was precisely because he realized this that Xu Da became more confused and shocked.

I can't understand what means the people in power used to turn Li Shanchang, this bastard, into what he is now.

If Li Shanchang does this now, he will never have the authority he had before.

He would completely offend all those people who originally followed his lead!

I can’t figure it out. I really can’t figure it out.

But precisely because he couldn't figure it out, Xu Da felt that the superior was unfathomable and worthy of respect.

No wonder he said before taking office that as long as he could control his troops, he didn’t need to worry about the rest.

It turns out that you don’t have to worry about anything else.

People like Li Shanchang who think they are big shots, gathered the power of officials from all over the world to challenge the higher-ups, but weren't they also manipulated at will by those higher-ups?
The difference is too big!
Hu Weiyong couldn't help but blink his eyes, and was shocked by Li Shanchang again.

In front of all the civil and military officials in the court, he said that he wanted to dismember the Minister of Revenue and two Vice Ministers?

Is he serious?

However, after being extremely shocked, he also realized where things went wrong.

The night before yesterday, after the incident happened, Li Shanchang rushed to see the emperor that night and even sounded the drum to see the emperor.

Originally, even he himself thought that Li Shanchang would be able to discuss some things with the emperor after meeting him.

After all, Li Shanchang walked out of the palace alive.

Especially after Li Shanchang told the emperor that he would give him a lighter sentence and the emperor nodded in agreement, Hu Weiyong became even more convinced that some deal had been reached between Li Shanchang and the emperor.

This made him extremely upset and even desperate.

Things have come to this point, and this bastard Li Shanchang has found a way to escape?
But now, he doesn't think so.

How could Li Shanchang find a way to survive?
It was obvious that the emperor took the opportunity to break his spine, turning him into a dog with a broken spine!
Although he couldn't figure out what means the emperor used to make Li Shanchang become like this after meeting him.

But judging from the current results, it is undoubtedly gratifying.

Li Shanchang's current performance has completely destroyed all his efforts of nearly twenty years.

From today onwards, I will no longer be able to command the world.

As the prime minister, I can naturally gather these forces.

Although I caused some trouble today, the overall situation is not serious.

At least compared with Li Shanchang, my performance as the prime minister today is still remarkable.

For the benefit of many officials, he dared to confront the emperor!

What is a surprise? This is a surprise!

Hu Weiyong instantly felt that he was capable again.

In this strange and panic-stricken atmosphere, many anxious officials also felt that the matter should end here.

After all, from those who came to the capital to file taxes, to the local seal-holders, to the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Revenue, all those involved in the empty seal incident were dealt with.

Moreover, the methods used were extremely cruel, and the scope of involvement was so wide that it was simply horrifying!
With so many heads of noble people here, this matter can be explained well.

But then, Li Shanchang used his actual actions to tell the people present that what you thought was just what you thought.

Where is this?
It's far from over!
"The incident of the empty seal has had a terrible impact, involving many people, not just those we are dealing with now. There are many more who have sunk beneath the surface, and who have also gained ill-gotten gains from this incident.

These people cannot be let off!
We can follow the clues and get to the bottom of it using the account books we found!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked!

There were even three or four people who couldn't help but gasp.

Li Shanchang, this bastard, is going too far!

This is going to make everyone's head move!

How many years has it been going on to secretly gain benefits by using empty seals?

How many people have benefited from this?

How widespread is the involvement?

If we really follow what Li Shanchang said today, not to mention other places, more than half of those who come to court are involved!

Li Shanchang, this old dog!

Just because he can't live his life, does that mean everyone else can't live their lives?

Even among the military generals, some who had originally been watching the fun and hoping that things would get bigger, with a non-concerned attitude, were now frightened and no longer found the fun interesting.

What the hell, how come the fire suddenly burned my butt?
What on earth is this old dog Han Guogong doing?
How dare you say such things?

If we really do as Li Shanchang said, what will happen?
Hu Weiyong was shocked again. What Li Shanchang said was really outrageous.

So many people have been implicated, but he still feels it is not enough and wants to continue pursuing the matter.

If we investigate thoroughly, how many people are involved? !

wrong! Something is wrong!
As his mind raced, an idea suddenly popped up in his head, which made him overturn his previous conclusion that Li Shanchang had his spine broken by the emperor and would only obey the emperor.

This bastard Li Shanchang is deliberately trying to exaggerate things!

Don’t you, the emperor, want to take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble and overturn the table to punish more people?
Then I'll do as you wish and let you kill a bunch of them!
It's not enough to just deal with those who are openly involved in the empty seal case, but more people must be implicated so that you can investigate and handle it thoroughly!
Now, more than half of the officials in the court are involved in this. Let’s see how you, the emperor, can handle this!

If we really insist on doing this, there will definitely be chaos in the world!
In this case, the emperor would have no way to proceed and would have to give in.

Then, the punishment for many people will not be so severe.

What a great move to turn retreat into advance!

What a good trick to use the world's situation to threaten!
Master!

This is the master!
This bastard Li Shanchang is still quite powerful!
Even I only realized now what this bastard was doing.

Just based on Li Shanchang's character, how could he honestly attack his own foundation?

It turns out that it was being prepared here!
Compared with what that bastard Li Shanchang was doing at this moment, all the efforts he had made before were really far inferior.

This bastard Li Shanchang is really hard to deal with. He is so damn courageous!

At this time, Hu Weiyong was not the only one who gradually recovered from his shock and realized what Li Shanchang really wanted to do.

There were also many others such as Xu Da and Liu Xin.

Reactions vary.

Xu Da was furious and wanted to kill people in court, and he looked down on Li Shanchang even more.

Liu Xin and others who had just fallen into despair were both surprised and happy.

It is impossible for the Korean public to really ignore everyone and push everyone into the fire pit.

It turned out that all those previous things were just deliberate sarcasm to make things worse.

As expected of a Korean prince, his methods are tough!
He then put the emperor on the fire!

Now the emperor was in trouble.

Let’s see how the emperor responds next. Does he dare to investigate thoroughly? Does he dare to take direct action against so many officials?
The way out for myself and others is here again!
Many people were secretly glancing at the emperor's reaction and found that he was just sitting upright on the dragon throne with an expressionless face.

Many people sneered secretly when they saw this, with a sinister look in their eyes.

The dog emperor is still pretending, let's see how long he can keep it up.

Today's matter will not be resolved so easily.

The emperor must make concessions in public today!

When countless people were thinking rapidly, they heard Li Shanchang's voice again.

"I believe that all those involved in this case must be severely punished according to the law. If necessary, their homes must be confiscated, and if necessary, their heads must be beheaded. There will be no leniency!"

There was a strong murderous aura in the voice, and it was not polite at all.

But at this time, more people had come to their senses from Li Shanchang's completely unusual behavior.

He knew that Duke Han was speaking in a sarcastic way in order to force the emperor to do so.

So after hearing Li Shanchang's words, which were full of murderous intent, he did not feel panicked.

Everyone was waiting to see what the emperor's next reaction would be.

I don’t believe that the emperor really dares to do what Duke Han Guo said!

Amidst everyone's anticipation, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke with an expressionless face.

"Mr. Han is right. We cannot show any leniency to these people.

We think Mr. Han’s proposal is very appropriate.

Anyone who brought an empty seal account book into the capital was punished with 100 strokes of the cane, exiled 3,000 miles, and his property confiscated. All local seal officials were arrested and brought to the capital for trial and execution. Their property was confiscated.

One minister and two vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue will be torn apart by five horses, their property will be confiscated, and they will be executed today!

This matter does not end here and is worth further investigation.

Next, we need to follow the clues we have found and get to the bottom of this matter!"

As soon as these words were spoken, countless people were stunned again.

No...the dog emperor actually accepted it all?
The emperor actually accepted such a shocking proposal?!

Does he know what he is talking about?

Do you know how serious the consequences will be if you do this?

He doesn't want this world anymore, right?!

Senseless!

Completely confused!

The development of events today has left those who thought they were smart confused and unable to think straight.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, giving these people some time to think, and then continued: "Many of you have dirty butts.

We've been looking at the account book all night and there are big problems with it.

There are many people involved and a lot of money involved.

If we continue to investigate, more people will be involved.

According to the law, countless people could not escape the sword!

You guys are really making us proud!
We, damn it, hate corrupt officials the most!
According to my temper, all the bastards involved in this matter should be skinned, chopped up and fed to the dogs!
It was the Queen and the Crown Prince who tried to persuade us.

It is said that many of you have worked hard and made great contributions and have done a lot for the Ming Dynasty.

It would be bad to kill them all like this.

We have to give face to our sister and Biaoer.

Since they have said so much and begged me so much, I will give them some concessions!"

After hearing the emperor's words, some people who were originally frightened and worried suddenly felt relieved.

Just tell me, how could the emperor really dare to take action against so many officials?
Isn't it time to give in now?
Haha, so what even if it’s Zhu Yuanzhang?
You have to give in when you have to, you can't be too tough!

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored what these people thought and continued to talk about his decision.

"Next, I'll give you two months to voluntarily hand over all the ill-gotten gains you've obtained through the Empty Seal Case over the years.

We will let those who do this go unpunished.

Whatever official position you hold now and whatever job you do will continue to be yours in the future.

If you do a good job and have outstanding political achievements in the future, you will be promoted.

But if someone is still hoping for luck and doesn't turn himself in after two months and doesn't hand over the stolen money obtained from the empty seal, then don't blame us for being rude!

It's because you didn't cherish the opportunity and didn't take our sister and Biao'er's kindness seriously. You are asking for trouble and you can't blame others!
Two months later, those who still resist stubbornly will be punished even more severely!
Those who deserve to be beaten will be beheaded, and those who deserve to be beheaded will have their entire family killed!

The entire Yi clan should be killed!

The three tribes of the Yi people will be killed along with all nine generations of their clan!

The grace period we give you is already big enough!
If you don't believe it and think you are so powerful and hiding well that we can't catch you, you can just remain indifferent and ignore what I say.

Let's see who's better at hiding, or who's better at tracking you down. Can we find you?"

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, his voice was like a loud bell, which made many people dizzy.

There seemed to be an indelible smell of blood that suddenly appeared at this moment, filling everyone's nostrils.

Inside the Huagai Palace, many officials looked as if they had been hit on the head with many sticks, with their heads covered with bruises.

Especially those who heard the emperor say that he decided to give him more time because of the empress and the prince's pleading, secretly sneered, knowing that the emperor had already surrendered and did not dare to really do anything to them, were even more confused and panicked at this time.

No... this bastard Zhu Yuanzhang actually means it?
Over the years, a major source of income for many people has come from sharing profits from Kongyin.

How painful is it to spit out something you have eaten?

It's even more painful than having my parents killed by Zhu Yuanzhang!

But if they really refused to admit it and didn't take the initiative to confess and pay the money, many people would not have the courage to do so. Few people would dare to gamble with Zhu Yuanzhang on this matter...

In this depressing and panic-stricken atmosphere, Crown Prince Zhu Biao couldn't help but blink.

He glanced at his father without leaving any trace.

When did my mother and I plead with my father about this matter?
I also look down upon the actions of these people.

Of course, Zhu Biao would not say these words. On the contrary, he was deeply moved.

My father is always like this. When facing the court officials, he always plays the bad guy and lets my mother and myself play the good guys.

In order to smoothly seize power in the future, ascend the throne, and gain the trust of all officials, he really spared no effort.

Throughout history, I am definitely the only prince who can receive such treatment!
There was silence in the Huagai Hall, and no one in the court dared to say a word at this moment.

But soon, someone broke the dead silence.

“Your Majesty is benevolent, the Queen is benevolent, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is benevolent.

In such cases, we are willing to show leniency and give many officials who have made mistakes a chance to reform themselves."

Li Shanchang spoke with a sincere look on his face, and knelt directly on the ground, prostrating himself.

Zhu Biao was deeply touched by what he saw. Li Shanchang was so cruel!
By the way, my father didn't think about what to do with these officials at the beginning.

It was purely because of Hu Weiyong's sophistry, saying that the Ming Dynasty had no corresponding laws regarding empty seals, and trying to help those who carried documents with empty seals get away with it, that caused the emperor to become angry.

Directly in the court, those who were hiding under the surface were also implicated.

In other words, his father had never communicated with Li Shanchang about how to punish these people before.

What Li Shanchang said were all his own ideas.

Although he knew that things had come to this point, whether Li Shanchang did this or not, his reputation among officials and the power he had worked hard to build would be irreparable, it would be better for him to follow his father to the end.

Li Shanchang's current approach is the most correct and in line with his interests.

But knowing is one thing, but how many people can really change their attitude completely in a very short period of time like Li Shanchang and do these things in public without any hesitation?
As Li Shanchang spoke in agreement, those who had always had great expectations of Li Shanchang and felt that Duke Hanguo would never abandon them were now completely confused and desperate.

It turned out that what that bastard Li Shanchang said before was not what they thought, but was meant to deliberately make things worse so as to give them a chance to get a lighter sentence.

Instead, he actually betrayed them, stood with the emperor, and killed those who loyally supported him!

This old dog Li Shanchang will not die a good death!
At this moment, countless people felt their hearts were broken and that their sincerity had been wasted.

This time, the disaster ultimately came about because everyone followed Li Shanchang's call and opposed the emperor, which led to this disaster.

As a result, the matter really got out of hand, but Li Shanchang, the leader, got scared.

Not only did he not care about their life or death, but in order to please the emperor, he sold them out!
How abominable!

"Your Majesty, I, the guilty minister, request the execution of Li Shanchang!!!"

In the Huagai Palace, a voice filled with endless anger and deep hatred was heard.

(End of this chapter)