Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 74: Kill him and pin the blame on the King of Qin (Please continue reading)
Zhu Cunshu waited quietly.

They wanted to see what other tricks the emperor could pull.

However, it was only the first day that the imperial entourage arrived in Xi'an.

Apart from this minor audience with the emperor, nothing else noteworthy happened.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning.

Zhu Youjian issued a very simple decree: slaughter all the officials and gentry in Xi'an Prefecture and distribute the surrounding land equally among the people.

The soldiers were well prepared for this.

After receiving His Majesty's decree, a large group of people poured out of the government office and galloped on horseback through the main streets of the prefectural city.

No further lockdown orders were issued today.

As a result, many onlookers gathered on both sides of the street.

All the people saw was a group of imposing knights rushing into the residence of the officials in the mansion, and then they heard a chilling scream coming from inside.

then.

These knights then stormed into the mansions of those familiar to the city's populace, including "Master So-and-so," "Great Philanthropist So-and-so," and "Gentleman So-and-so."

Then, the mansion, where ordinary people would be scolded by the gatekeeper for even glancing at it a few times, was filled with continuous screams, which shocked everyone.

The entire morning.

The cries and screams within the city of Xi'an never ceased.

Blood flowed into the street, and crowds stood on both sides, staring blankly at the dragon banner that symbolized imperial power, their hearts filled with a mixture of shock, fear, and joy.

But then several Imperial Guards responsible for delivering the imperial edict rode through the streets, shouting orders.

All the emotions in everyone's hearts were swept away, leaving only ecstasy.

"His Majesty's decree: All officials in the prefectural city who colluded with gentry and wealthy families to disrupt the people's livelihood shall be executed, and all their land shall be distributed equally among the people!"

An indescribable excitement quickly spread through the hearts of the people.

slowly.

This excitement gradually transformed into a collective frenzy as the dragon banners fluttered in the wind.

These past two days, various events have been making a great stir in Xi'an, and people have heard some rumors.

But no amount of gossip can compare to the impact of experiencing something firsthand.

When the emperor allocated land to them, they genuinely regarded him as the Son of Heaven.

The people knelt on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" incessantly.

The commotion was immense.

This startled Zhu Cunshu, who was lying in the Qin Prince's mansion enjoying the attentive service of his maids.

Zhu Cunshu was only slightly startled by the shouts.

He had long been prepared for the methods employed by that person in the palace; now everything was simply unfolding as he had predicted.

The emperor's men could kill ordinary wealthy families, but trying to break into his palace would come at a terrible price.

As for those lowly people who were howling madly, Zhu Cunshu didn't take them seriously at all.

The emperor could not incite them to turn against him, because that would be a great challenge and threat to the dignity of the royal family.

It doesn't make sense from either a legal or ancestral perspective.

Moreover.

The fear of royalty among the common people is ingrained in their very bones.

Now that those untouchables have been allocated land, they are even less likely to be easily instigated.

Therefore, Zhu Cunxu can be said to have nothing to worry about.

He also wanted to thank his younger brother properly.

The various factions within Xi'an Prefecture were intertwined, and even he had found it quite troublesome to try and eliminate them.

But now there's no need for that concern anymore; the emperor has already taken care of everything for him.

After the emperor left or died.

Xi'an Prefecture will fall completely into his hands, and then slowly the entire Shaanxi province will follow.

However, when that time actually comes, he will treat his lowly subjects a little better.

After all, they were his most precious assets back then.

Think of this.

Zhu Cunshu couldn't help but burst into laughter, his fat body jiggling with his movements.

Zhu Youjian, you are truly a lucky star for my Qin Prince lineage!
now.

On one side was Zhu Youjian, who was preparing to rebuild the Ming Dynasty, and on the other side was the Prince of Qin, who was waiting to reap the benefits.

Both sides were thinking about how to make better use of each other's lives.

Under this strange balance, apart from the continuous cheers of the people who received their share of land, nothing else major happened within the prefectural city.

Until it was nearly evening.

A burst of drumbeats brought the city to life once again.

The drumbeats came from the "Grievance Drum" at the entrance of the government office.

The reason why this drumbeat would attract the attention of the people is that

The main problem is that this thing has been sitting at the entrance of the government office for many years, and officials have come and gone, causing havoc in Shaanxi several times, but it has never gone off.

After all, who would dare to have a grievance?

I reckon the grievance drum has suddenly sounded.

Someone must have seen His Majesty as a wise ruler who can stand up for the people, and came to lodge a complaint.

The people gathered in front of the government office, eager to see what the drummer had to say.

As more and more people gathered, the drummer burst into tears after finishing striking the drum.

"Your Majesty! I beg you to have mercy and do justice for this humble subject!"

"Huang Si, the steward of the Prince of Qin's mansion, forcibly seized all of my family's farmland a year ago."

"Moreover, he not only cut off the villain's livelihood, but also kidnapped all of the villain's wives and daughters to rape and play with. The villain's wives and daughters could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide by jumping into a well."

"I have been wandering around and barely surviving until now, just so that one day I can avenge this irreconcilable hatred."

"Now that I have heard that Your Majesty has personally come to Shaanxi, I dare to come and beg Your Majesty to seek justice for my family who have died!"

This person gave a passionate speech, and he was so moved that he was in tears.

But did what he said actually happen?

It's highly likely to be true, but he's definitely not the main character.

He was merely one of the methods put forward by Qiao Yingjia and his group of officials to delay the emperor's journey to Yan'an Prefecture.

after all.

People have come to petition the emperor in public; surely the emperor can't just sit idly by and do nothing?

The surrounding crowd, who had been discussing the matter, fell silent the moment they saw that it involved members of the royal family.

They had just received land from the emperor.

At this moment, someone filed a complaint against the Prince of Qin's mansion, and no one dared to say anything, regardless of the reason.

soon.

The news reached Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes as he listened to his subordinate's report.

This was one of the activities he had prepared to incite public opinion.

But he hasn't let things begin yet.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian immediately noticed it.

This is very likely the work of those high-ranking Shaanxi officials who went to Yan'an Prefecture, hoping to use this incident to delay his progress.

However, Zhu Youjian did not care about this.

Because the King of Qin wouldn't last more than a few days before he died.

Everything he's doing now is simply to make the King of Qin's death more meaningful.

At Zhu Youjian's instruction, the man who had been beating the drum was brought into the government office.

Seeing that no one was dispersing them, the onlookers silently stood guard at the entrance, wanting to see how things would unfold.

Not long after.

The man who had been beating the drum was brought out, his face showing barely suppressed excitement.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards loudly proclaimed that His Majesty was aware of the matter, was extremely angry, and would certainly seek justice for this person.

They will be taken to a nearby inn to rest for now, and the trial will continue tomorrow.

Upon hearing this, the people were once again stirred with emotion.

The emperor not only allocated land to them, but also personally took charge of matters for commoners like them!

In an instant, there was another round of cheers and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

Not long after.

After settling the person who had complained about his grievances, the Imperial Guards returned to the government office to report back.

"Your Majesty, the man has been settled as you instructed, and guards have been deployed near the inn. What should we do with him next?"

"Kill him and pin the blame on the King of Qin," Zhu Youjian said calmly.

　My book has dropped off the new release list and isn't getting much traffic, so please help me read this week's chapters. It'll be on Sanjiang on Sunday, and I'd also like to ask for a monthly ticket or two.
　　This book should be available for purchase soon, and after that, the author will update more frequently (aiming for 10,000 words per day!).

　　Go for it! You can do it!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)