Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 91: Death-Free Certificate? No, This Is the King of Hell's Roll Call
The Minister of Revenue Liu Xin had bloodshot eyes and stared at Li Shanchang.

It seemed as if he wanted to tear Li Shanchang apart alive!
"Your Majesty, all the seal-carrying officials in various places can be beheaded, and those who come to file taxes can be beaten with a hundred sticks and exiled three thousand miles away.

Even the guilty minister, the Minister of Revenue, could be torn into pieces by five horses, and all these guilty ministers admitted it.

But I, the guilty minister, request that Li Shanchang be executed!

Over the years, Li Shanchang has been in control of the central government.

Even though he is no longer the prime minister, he still exercises the power of the prime minister in secret.

The case of the empty seal was a heinous crime, and the person who deserved the most punishment was the traitor Li Shanchang!

Before each official tax return, this bastard Li Shanchang would meet with officials from various departments in advance to divide up the shares and share the profits.

The guilty ministers and the people in the Ministry of Revenue all did their work according to the shares allocated by the thief Li Shanchang.

This bastard is the real culprit. I beg you to execute Li Shanchang!"

Liu Xin spoke these words with gnashing teeth, venting all his resentment for the disaster he had suffered on Li Shanchang.

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

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

If the main culprit is not eliminated, we, the ministers, will never be convinced!"

Qian Zhong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Li Fang, the Right Vice Minister, also gritted their teeth and echoed the call to execute Li Shanchang.

How respectful these people were to Li Shanchang and how much they listened to him before, how much they hated him now!

If it weren't for the traitor Li Shanchang, the beast who sold them all out, they might not have had no chance of survival.

Even if he were to die, he would not be subjected to such cruel punishment as being torn apart by five horses!

At this time, they no longer expected to survive.

With their life completely cut off, the only thing they wanted to do was to drag the old dog Li Shanchang to be buried with them!
If they can't drag this fickle old dog to death with them, they will be unwilling to die with anger!
In the past, they would be very respectful to Li Shanchang, but now they are all dying, so why would they care too much?
Li Shanchang must die!
"Your Majesty, I request that Li Shanchang be executed!"

"Your Majesty, I request that Li Shanchang be executed!"

After these three people from the Ministry of Revenue spoke, more people immediately followed suit and asked for the execution of Li Shanchang.

These people were the ones who had previously knelt down with Hu Weiyong, but were unable to stand up after being knocked down by a series of punches from the emperor.

Many of them had been particularly impressed by Li Shanchang before.

Li Shanchang, with his back to these people, listened to the calls for his execution without any change in his expression, but his hands in his sleeves were shaking constantly.

My heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, it hurt so much.

Please kill Li Shanchang!

Please kill Li Shanchang!
If this is the case, who would dare to say a word before?
But now, many people are asking for Li Shanchang to be executed!

Moreover, most of the people who said this were still in front of me, like dogs.

Now, everyone is asking for the execution of Li Shanchang!
Although I have long known that after making such a choice, I will inevitably suffer backlash and face such a result.

But now, these things have really happened, and it still makes him feel uncomfortable and heartbroken.

Hu Weiyong remained in the posture of bowing his head to the ground, motionless.

It's not that he doesn't want to move, but he's afraid that if he moves, people will see his shining eyes and the uncontrollable surprise on his face.

He was genuinely surprised.

He was originally driven to despair by the twists and turns of events.

I feel like I will lose miserably this time.

But who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, things would take such a huge turn.

This bastard Li Shanchang actually meant it!
He really knelt down in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, gave up all resistance, and stabbed his former subordinates frantically.

The effect is naturally immediate.

Look, now those people who used to listen to Li Shanchang have started chasing Li Shanchang and biting him madly?

These calls for the execution of Li Shanchang really make people happy, like drinking the wine of heaven, refreshing!
Is this bastard Li Shanchang going to end up like this?
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the scene in front of him with a dazed expression, and the empty seal case in his memory appeared before his eyes.

They were all empty seal cases, but this time there were many differences from the previous life.

In his previous life, Li Shanchang did not beat the drum to report his crimes, nor was he completely controlled by himself.

There has never been a massacre in the court like today.

I was infuriated by these people's sophistry, but I couldn't win the argument with words, so I ended up overturning the table.

When the Minister of Rites and the two Vice Ministers were beheaded by him, they collapsed on the ground, but it was obvious that they were very dissatisfied and extremely resentful towards him.

After the Empty Seal Case, more officials resented him.

But this time it's different.

This time, all the resentment that was originally directed at himself was now directed at Li Shanchang.

As an emperor, there was not much blood on his body.

Although he didn't mind being splattered with blood when doing this kind of thing, it was also quite good to have Li Shanchang, who came to his doorstep, to protect him in front of him.

What made him feel even more comfortable was that in his previous life, he had used the empty seal case to give Li Shanchang a severe beating and break the leg of his former student and official.

But the break was not too complete, it was the kind that only broke the bones but also the tendons.

Where can you find it like now, where you can just remove it directly?

What made Zhu Yuanzhang most happy was that in his previous life, due to some incomplete arrangements, the secret account books of the Ministry of Revenue were destroyed and he did not get them.

This resulted in the loss of some key evidence, and there was no better way to create greater repercussions.

Over the years, only a very small portion of the huge amount of money that was taken away by these people through the method of empty printing has been recovered, not even a fraction.

But this time it was different, the key evidence was in his hands.

In addition, Li Shanchang, who had previously been in charge of distributing benefits among many people, was now under his control.

Those who have embezzled a lot of benefits should never think of getting away with it so easily again.

You have to give up all the money.

Things have come to this point, and with such crucial evidence in hand, Zhu Yuanzhang believes that many people will be smart enough to voluntarily hand over their money.

As for those who are hoping for luck, he will naturally not be polite. He will severely punish any one he finds, and the worst punishment is beheading.

With such key evidence in hand and Li Shanchang under his control, the Jinyiwei has now begun to take shape.

Let’s see how many people can hide!
After this incident, a large amount of money will be deposited into the account.

Once you have money in your hands, many things will be easier to do!

"My Lord, I have committed heinous crimes and have failed you. I have done something so detrimental to the Ming Dynasty. I have no face to live in this world.

I beg the Highness to execute me and uphold the law of the land!"

Amidst the voices calling for the execution of Li Shanchang, Li Shanchang took a deep breath and knelt down in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

He said this with a sad face and took off his hat and put it on the ground.

He looked ready to do anything.

Such a scene made people like Liu Xin shut up.

The boundless anger and hatred in his eyes were diluted a lot at this moment and replaced by surprise.

This bastard Li Shanchang didn't even struggle at all and just waited to die?

After a moment of surprise, everyone focused their attention on the emperor.

Wait and see what the emperor will do next.

If the emperor only deals with these people but lets the main culprit Li Shanchang go, then even if he is the emperor, he will not have an easy time!
No matter how much you talk about this matter, even if you use imperial power to suppress it, people will not be convinced. The key is reason.

"Li Shanchang's crimes are extremely heinous, and he deserves death! Li Shanchang will be torn into pieces by five horses, and his son Li Qi will also be torn into pieces by five horses!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's answer was clear and concise, with a murderous aura.

Li Shanchang, who was kneeling on the ground, shook uncontrollably but said nothing.

Liu Xin, Qian Zhong, Li Fang and many others were delighted by it.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"

Liu Xin and others kowtowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and shouted from the bottom of their hearts.

This old dog Li Shanchang will eventually be buried with himself and others!

After harming himself and others to this point, this old dog still wants to keep himself out of it. He's dreaming!
The emperor was wise. He not only wanted to dismember Li Shanchang into pieces, but also wanted to dismember his son into pieces.

Good! Really good!

This is karma!
This means that evil people will be punished by evil people!

"The iron certificate of immunity from death can also exempt one death, and the son can also exempt one death. They are allowed to use the iron certificate of immunity from death to atone for their sins."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused and spoke again.

Liu Xin and others, who were overjoyed, were suddenly stunned as if a bucket of ice water was poured over their heads.

No... The emperor actually allowed this bastard to use the iron certificate of immunity from death to atone for his crime?

This is something that many people forget to consider in the heat of the moment.

Li Shanchang finally let go of the worry he had been holding.

Although he had decided to completely side with the emperor and do the dirty work for him at the very beginning, he knew that according to the emperor's temperament, he would not abandon him after he had served his purpose.

Will save your own life.

But when he heard the emperor say in a majestic voice that he and his son would be torn into pieces by five horses, he couldn't help but feel worried and even frightened.

Because the life and death of him and his son really only depends on the emperor's thoughts.

From the emperor's words, he also truly felt the emperor's murderous intent.

This murderous intention did not seem fake; the emperor really wanted to kill him.

At this moment, he was really scared.

Fortunately, the emperor did not actually do so, but chose to let him atone for his crime with an iron certificate of immunity from death.

This made Li Shanchang feel a sense of joy and exhaustion as if he had survived a disaster.

At the same time, there is also a sense of melancholy and a strong sense of crisis.

He once thought that given his status and position, he would never be able to use the iron certificate of immunity from death in his lifetime.

It can be treated as a family heirloom and passed down from generation to generation.

But who could have imagined that in such a short period of time, both his own chance of avoiding two deaths and his son's chance of avoiding one death were used up.

From now on, there will be no more iron certificates of immunity from death that can be used to protect yourself.

He knew that the emperor, to a certain extent, was deliberately using up his certificate of immunity from death.

Firstly, it happened to be the right time, and using the iron certificate of immunity from death was the most convincing way to exempt people from death.

Secondly, it is also a warning to myself, so that I can be honest and behave myself in the future.

If you commit a crime again in the future, you won’t have the iron certificate of immunity from death to save yourself!

There is only one dead end left.

This emperor is really good at tricks and has a cruel heart!

I have already done things to this extent, but he still won't let me go easily!
"Your Majesty! The crimes committed by the scoundrel Li Shanchang are too serious to be atoneed for with an iron certificate of immunity from death!
Please, Your Majesty, take heed and execute Li Shanchang to thank the world and to enforce the law!"

The Minister of Revenue Liu Xin banged his head on the ground, his eyes red and he wept bitterly as he made his plea, determined to kill Li Shanchang.

As soon as he spoke, the two ministers, Qian Zhong and Li Fang, followed suit, excitedly asking the emperor to behead Li Shanchang. However, this time, only these three spoke, and no one else followed suit.

The three of them were destined to die, so naturally they didn't have too many concerns.

But the remaining people all have a way out.

Now that the emperor has expressed his attitude on this matter, no one will force him any further.

If you anger the emperor and he increases the punishment, you will suffer a huge loss.

"We are the ones who issued the certificate of immunity from death. If we say it can atone for the crime, then it can atone for the crime! Why are you guys making such a fuss here? You are being unreasonable.

Where are the guards? Drag these three insects out and execute them!

Following Zhu Yuanzhang's order, the palace guards, as ferocious as wolves and tigers, immediately stepped forward, held down the three men, blocked their mouths, and dragged them out.

This action made many of the generals who had the iron certificate of immunity from death feel their hearts pounding.

It seems that the emperor's strong and overbearing behavior is to maintain the effect of the iron certificate of immunity from death.

This should be great news for those who have the iron certificate of immunity from death.

But in fact, if you think about it a little more, you can see the scary meaning contained in it.

The emperor said in front of all the civil and military officials in the court that he could atone for the crime.

Does the implication mean that if he says it cannot atone for the crime, then this iron certificate cannot atone for the crime?
It seems to be a maintenance of the effect of the iron certificate of immunity from death, but in fact it is a weakening.

It is also an extremely serious warning to those like me who have the iron certificate of immunity from death.

Many people were dissatisfied, but facing the emperor who was killing people everywhere, no one dared to argue with the emperor on this matter.

Zhu Yuanzhang had his considerations on this matter.

The iron certificate of immunity from death is a big loophole.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, it was time to grant fiefs to meritorious officials. Li Shanchang and others proposed giving them iron certificates of immunity from death to commend them and to reassure them.

It is also said that this thing existed in the Tang and Song dynasties and was a very good system.

I didn't expect at that time that these people who fought with me to conquer the world would change so quickly.

Also, this happened in both the Tang and Song dynasties.

So I agreed without thinking too much.

But after experiencing what happened in his previous generation and seeing many things in history books, Zhu Yuanzhang looked back and felt that this move was too hasty.

Although many people in later generations joked that the iron certificate of immunity from death from the Hongwu Dynasty could not save them from death, they could kill anyone who had the iron certificate of immunity from death.

He also called his iron certificate of immunity from death the King of Hell's roll call, and whoever held it would die.

But the key is that those who have the iron certificate of immunity from death believe it.

Many people believe that the iron certificate of immunity from death in their hands can really save them from death.

Many nobles and military officials behaved erratically, not only due to their own personalities and power.
Holding the iron certificate of immunity from death in his hand, he felt that he could really be exempted from death. He felt that he had a talisman with him, so he did not have many concerns. This was also a big reason.

Now, Zhu Yuanzhang said this to tell these people to be more honest in the future.

Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because you have the iron certificate of immunity from death in your hand!
The Iron Certificate of Immunity from Death is issued by the emperor himself. Whether one can be exempted from death is not decided by the certificate itself or the person who holds it.

But it is up to him, the emperor, to have the final say!
With so many people here, I think many people will listen to what I say, and it will take effect for three to five years.

As for the matter of the iron certificate of immunity from death, I will need to find a way to completely resolve it in the future.

The iron certificate of immunity from death that he issued could not be passed down to the dynasties of Biaoer and Xiongying's descendants.

Otherwise, this iron certificate of immunity from death would not save him from death, but it would really save him from death when it came to the next emperor.

After all, those who come after them are used to using their ancestors' methods to make things happen...

Hu Weiyong felt it was a pity and felt a little disappointed.

He himself felt that the emperor would not kill Li Shanchang.

At least not now.

Li Shanchang has done things to this extent. If the emperor still turns a blind eye and kills Li Shanchang without any mercy, how many people will dare to work for the emperor in the future?

But even though he knew it, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when he realized that the emperor would not kill Li Shanchang.

How great it would be if Li Shanchang was really beheaded by the emperor!
"You all should get up now. What happens next depends on you.

The way of life and the way of death are clearly laid out here for you.

If anyone of you insists on going down the path to death, we won't stop you!"

After Liu Xin and the other two were dragged away, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the many people who were kneeling on the ground following Hu Weiyong and spoke.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had been pardoned, and they all stood up to express their gratitude.

Only Hu Weiyong was still kneeling here.

"You too, get up, put on your hat, and get back to work. Don't take your hat off and quit your job so often in the future.

We appointed you as Prime Minister so that you can work for us, not so that you can give up your responsibilities every day!

My patience is limited, please don't push me too far, I'm completely disappointed in you."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Hu Weiyong and said.

With some encouragement and some warnings.

Zhu Yuanzhang will not kill Hu Weiyong now, he will be of great use to you if you keep him.

If Zhu Yuanzhang had not lived his life over again, he would never have believed that Hu Weiyong was so bold after becoming the powerful prime minister.

How dare you rebel against me!
In addition to contacting Lu Zhongheng, Fei Ju and other marquises of the Ming Dynasty, he also secretly contacted Japan and the Northern Yuan Dynasty, inviting them to take action together!
After discovering and crushing Hu Weiyong's conspiracy, he began to abolish the Secretariat and the prime minister system...

The power of the Secretariat was too great, and so was the power of the Prime Minister.

He abolished it in his previous life, and in this life, Zhu Yuanzhang would still make the corresponding choice.

He also wanted to abolish the prime minister system and the Secretariat system.

When I, the founding emperor, was alive, these prime ministers who ruled the world through the Secretariat were still so arrogant and domineering.

If I didn't have it, wouldn't the situation be even more serious?
Having returned from the modern era, he naturally knew that after he abolished the prime minister, the cabinet system emerged and gradually became superior to the six ministries.

To a large extent, it was equivalent to replacing the prime minister who had been abolished by himself.

But in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, even when the cabinet's power was at its peak, it was still far less powerful than the prime minister's power under the existence of the Secretariat today!

The system of three provinces and six ministries was formally perfected in the Sui Dynasty and inherited and developed further in the Tang Dynasty.

The overall structure of the Song Dynasty was still the three-province and six-bureau system, but some changes were made based on its own situation.

But no matter how it is changed, the most basic framework is here, and it is essentially still the three provinces and six ministries system.

Why did three provinces develop?
The fundamental reason is to limit the power of the prime minister, prevent the prime minister's power from being too concentrated, and implement checks and balances.

As a result, this system was completely abolished when it came to the Yuan Dynasty.

These people studied the Chinese system, but only had a superficial understanding of it.

He was so smart that he abolished the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel, leaving only the Secretariat.

Not to mention that the Secretariat was in charge of the six ministries, it also divided the local areas into many provinces, which were called executive Secretariats.

Those who were appointed as the chief of the Executive Secretariat and became provincial governors were all high-ranking officials from the Secretariat, such as the Prime Minister and the Assistant Prime Minister.

This means that in the court, the Secretariat directly combines decision-making, review, and execution, and controls the six ministries.

At the local level, he directly commands the provinces.

And this enormous power was concentrated in the hands of the prime minister through the institution of Zhongshusheng.

Under this kind of system, the prime minister's power is terrifyingly great!

Why did Li Shanchang have students and former officials all over the world?
It is this system that has been passed down from the Yuan Dynasty that has given the prime minister too much power, allowing him to hold all the power in his hands.

After Hu Weiyong became the powerful prime minister, why did he dare to rebel against him?
It was also this chaotic system that gave the prime minister too much power, making him feel that he was capable.

As the saying goes, when you carry a sharp knife, you will naturally have murderous intentions. This is the truth.

If we continue to change this unreasonable and flawed system.

Even if there were no Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, there would be more Hu Shanchang and Li Weiyong in the future.

Therefore, even if it happened again, Zhu Yuanzhang would still take action against the Secretariat.

But many systems have a delayed nature, for example, the Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, the Tang Dynasty inherited the Sui system, and the Song Dynasty inherited the Tang system.

The Ming Dynasty drove out the Yuan Tartars, and because his subordinates, including himself, came from the Yuan Dynasty, when establishing the system, many aspects would naturally inherit the Yuan system.

In other words, the system of the Secretariat was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people at that time and involved the vital interests of countless officials.

It's not too difficult to move this.

This is also why he waited until Hu Weiyong rebelled before seizing the opportunity to abolish the Secretariat and the prime minister system in one fell swoop.

Therefore, just from the perspective of taking action against the Secretariat, a man as bold and courageous as Hu Weiyong had to stay.

Let it play its due role.

However, the Secretariat itself can't move for the time being, but it is still feasible to take advantage of the empty seal case to move the provincial government and weaken the authority of the Secretariat first...

Hu Weiyong didn't know how many thoughts flashed through the emperor's mind in this short period of time.

It is even more impossible to know how much consideration the emperor had in letting him go this time.

He only knew that he had overcome another difficult time and made the right bet again!

He knew that the emperor would not really kill him and would not dare to take away his position as prime minister.

The emperor cannot do without me, and the Secretariat cannot do without me.

Knowing that he is a useful person who is not easily replaced is the greatest confidence that Hu Weiyong has in doing this!
He kowtowed to express his gratitude and said that he would never do that again and would do his job as a prime minister to share the worries of the emperor, the country and the people.

After saying this, he put his official hat back on his head, supported himself on the ground with his hands, and stood up with difficulty.

This is because my legs are numb from kneeling on the ground for a long time.

Hu Weiyong's image was not good at this time. His official robe was full of wrinkles. Because of sweating, a large piece of clothes on his back was stuck to his body, and his hair was a little messy.

Because his legs were numb, he couldn't stand very straight.

But at this time, Hu Weiyong's image became extremely tall in the eyes of many civil and military officials.

Many people look up to him.

Especially compared with Li Shanchang, that bastard who directly betrayed everyone and acted like a dog for the emperor at a critical moment, Hu Weiyong, who dared to confront the emperor for the sake of all the officials, is undoubtedly more trustworthy.

Even more admirable.

It can be said that Hu Weiyong became famous today because of this battle.

Hu Weiyong felt these gazes and the change in atmosphere, but his expression did not change at all.

But I was already very happy in my heart!

It's like eating magpie shit.

Although today's events have had many twists and turns, the final result is still in my favor!
From this moment on, Li Shanchang can no longer ride on his head!
From this moment on, all the power belonging to the Prime Minister will be in his hands!

He successfully replaced Li Shanchang!

I am the real prime minister of the Ming Dynasty!
This time, I am the biggest winner!

Trying hard to suppress the extreme joy in his heart, Hu Weiyong waited for the emperor to announce the adjournment of court.

Everything has been concluded, and today's court meeting should end.

As a result, the emperor's voice rang out: "We are going to abolish the provinces..."

Hu Weiyong: ???!!!
(End of this chapter)