I'm really not doing business

Chapter 866: For whom does the death knell of the Land Return Order toll?
Zhu Yijun has always believed in one thing, that is, there is no case in the world without reason, and all actions have reasons, purposes and costs.

Yuan Keli was implicated because he didn't know which book box Xiong Tingbi took, so he smuggled two book boxes with him.

The reason why Liang Shoujian did this was because his grandson was going to take part in the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination. This was also the reason and purpose for Liang Shoujian to do this. His grandson passed the examination successfully and the whole family was rejoicing. Then the metropolitan examination came, and he had to pay more to allow his grandson to continue to pass the examination and become a Jinshi.

Once they succeed, their family will become a family of officials from then on.

There are so many benefits to becoming a Jinshi that it is completely worth the risk. Zhang Juzheng did not provide such benefits, and if Liang Shoujian needed it, someone would naturally contact him.

From the investigation of the Northern Pacification Division, we can clearly see how Liang Shoujian walked into the trap step by step.

It all started with a fellow villager named Xu Wu, who was from Jingzhou Prefecture and a fellow villager of Liang Shoujian. Xu Wu's original surname was Sun, and he sailed down to Songjiang Prefecture to make a living. He became a servant in Xu Jie's house and changed his surname to Xu Wu.

After Xu Jie's downfall, Xu Wu followed his new employer to start a miscellaneous newspaper in the capital. By a very "accidental" chance, Xu Wu and Liang Shoujian met again after many years.

They suddenly met in a foreign land, drank and talked happily, talked heart to heart for months, told the truth about their troubles after drinking, spread slander in their ears, held a grudge against each other for having the same fate but different destiny, were at a loss what to do and introduced a noble person, who was all-powerful and solved their worries. The Liang family had been farmers, workers, slaves and servants for generations, and finally a scholar was born in their family.

According to Xu Wu's agreement, Liang Shoujian should have committed suicide on the ninth day of the second lunar month, the day before the imperial examination, when Xiong Tingbi and Yuan Keli left the Quan Chu Guild Hall. The poisoned wine had been prepared, and Liang Shoujian only needed to drink the poisoned wine and leave a suicide note, saying that they were all human beings with different fates, but Xiong Tingbi had a smooth life while his grandson had a hard time, and he was resentful and did this.

Of course no one believed this suicide note, but as long as Liang Shoujian was dead, there would be a long period of time, at least three to six months, for investigation, and this was the opportunity.

The noble person who provided help to Liang Shoujian needed these three to six months.

It would be best for the emperor to fly into a rage, mobilize the Beijing troops, and make the people panic. As long as the emperor loses support, he as a person is actually very easy to deal with.

The Beijing Army is certainly powerful, but once the struggle and reform quickly slide towards extremism, the despicable Confucian scholars will have ample stage to let violence escape from the emperor's control. They don't even need to do it. They can just label people as "rebels" and expand the scale and intensity of the struggle. Three to six months is enough time for fermentation.

Even if the emperor was not furious, he absolutely could not accept that Xiong Tingbi, whom he had high hopes for, would miss the imperial examination again. Last time, the issue of age had already held Xiong Tingbi back. As long as the emperor made any move to interfere with the imperial examination, the struggle would come.

The imperial examination was the most important territory for traditional Confucian scholars. Once the emperor intervened, the contradiction between the imperial power and the power of the ministers would intensify.

Even if the emperor did not lose his temper and did not allow Xiong Tingbi to continue taking the exam, Xiong Tingbi, Zhang Juzheng's last disciple, would have to bear the crime of cheating in the imperial examination for the rest of his life. This would have achieved the purpose.

As long as there is such a major flaw in Xiong Tingbi's resume, Xiong Tingbi's growth will be restricted in every way, and it will be easy to defeat him in the future.

When Wang Qian was taking the imperial examination, Wang Chonggu did something stupid, and every step Wang Qian took was very difficult.

During this period from March to June, we had to clean up all traces and avoid being discovered by the Imperial Guards. However, I had planned everything but missed two things: one was Feng Bao and the other was Luo Sigong.

Feng Bao was so bold that he stopped the emperor and resolved the matter on the grounds that he "felt sorry for the scholars who were subjected to the search and ruined their lives". Xiong Tingbi, Yuan Keli, Xia Zongyao and more than a dozen others were able to return to the examination room with full justification. From the 17th year of Wanli, there was no more cheating.

The most important thing is that under the leadership of Feng Bao, the emperor won the hearts of scholars all over the world by cracking down on imperial examination fraud in the capital. Even if they failed to pass the imperial examination, these 6,000 candidates could not say anything bad about the emperor when they returned to their hometowns. They had suffered a lot of grievances in the capital, and His Majesty avenged them through public trials.

Each of these candidates also received gifts from the emperor, including Confucian robes, book boxes, four treasures of the study and more than a dozen books.

The humble scholar also forgot to take Luo Sigong into account. Luo Sigong was a favorite in front of the emperor, but among the court officials, Luo Sigong was a transparent person. He had always been in the Quan Chu Guild Hall and did not participate in anything on weekdays, so no one cared about him.

Liang Shoujian did not regret it or want to die. Instead, after drinking the poisoned wine, he was discovered by Luo Sigong, who was extremely meticulous and determined to carry out the imperial orders. After drinking three bowls of soapberry water, the poisonous wine was vomited out before it reached his intestines.

Luo Sigong sent Liang Shoujian to the hospital for treatment. Liang Shoujian was alive and the case was solved at the fastest speed because he was the key witness.

It was not a coincidence that Luo Sigong saved Liang Shoujian. Over the past year, every time he saw Liang Shoujian, he could sense that Liang Shoujian was uneasy, and it was getting worse and worse, until he became absent-minded, so Luo Sigong arranged for someone to follow him.

In Luo Sigong's view, the lives of all the people in the Chu Guild Hall belong to His Majesty, and they must not die unless His Majesty allows them to.

Liang Shoujian is dead, so we have to carefully investigate everyone who may have come into contact with the book box, and we have to interrogate and verify them carefully. We have to investigate everyone Liang Shoujian came into contact with, so that we can make a profile of Liang Shoujian's life and find possible evidence.

"It's my fault. I didn't let people be promoted based on seniority. Instead, I called Shen Shixing, Wang Jiaping and Shen Yikuan back to the capital. I also let Shen Shixing and Wang Jiaping preside over the crucial imperial examination, which made people resentful." Zhu Yijun looked at the prisoners kneeling on the execution platform with cold eyes.

Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "That is based on seniority. It is not their turn. Tian Yijun and others have never been appointed outside, so they cannot become the six ministers and cabinet ministers."

"Yuanfu is right!" Zhang Xueyan immediately responded.

The emperor cannot be wrong. When such a rebellion occurred, it cannot be said that the emperor's decision was wrong. The team of Shen Shixing, Wang Jiaping, Shen Yikuan, and Wang Yi'e was decided by the court. If the emperor was wrong, it meant that all the court officials were wrong.

If you want to oppose, do it in Wenhua Hall. Even if a fight breaks out inside the palace, you cannot go out and disobey the order.

Tian Yijun, who was kneeling on the execution platform, was the Right Vice Minister of Rites. He was sitting in the Wenhua Hall. He did not say anything when the decision was made, but after the decision was made, he walked out of the hall and started making trouble. That made him a traitor.

If he is simply a traitor, that means he has a different path. But if he is both a traitor and a traitor, that is even more hateful.

Zhang Juzheng had never held an office outside the capital, which was the biggest pain in his years in power. During his years as prime minister, every time he encountered a difficult conflict at the local level, he would listen carefully to local opinions and occasionally consult with Wang Chonggu.

Since he had never been an official in a local area, he really didn't know the local situation. For example, Zhang Juzheng couldn't understand Shen Shixing's plan to confiscate all bookstores, eliminate thieves' nests, and promote the Ming Dynasty-centered theory. Only after learning the details of the situation did he reluctantly agree.

The reason why Tian Yijun held a grudge was very simple. He was supposed to preside over the imperial examination, but he only got to be a co-examiner. He was not even the chief or deputy examiner. Without power, there would be no benefits. How many fewer students would he have to accept?
"Sir, do you think opening the sea will be useful?" Zhu Yijun took out a memorial from his sleeve. It was a memorial copied from Tian Yijun's home and had never been submitted. It was written in the ninth year of Wanli. The content was against opening the sea, on the grounds that it was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

The Ming Dynasty's massive maritime expansion brought back a large amount of silver, but this silver was controlled by a few people.

A large amount of silver flowed in, and imported inflation began. Merchants took the silver and began to lend money, forcing farmers into bankruptcy, and then bought land at extremely low prices. This is the question asked in the examination: How can we argue that opening the sea hurts farmers and merchants seize land?
In addition to merchants seizing land, there was a large outflow of population. In addition to the outflow, farmers also moved into workshops. The land lacked labor and began to be abandoned. The reduction in land production was the root cause of all troubles.

Tian Yijun wrote thousands of words in a very eloquent manner, but for various reasons, he did not send the memorial to the court.

Although Zhu Yijun did not see this memorial, Shen Shixing mentioned this issue after returning to Beijing from Songjiang Prefecture, which led to the question in the imperial examination.

After reading the memorial, Zhang Xueyan immediately sneered and said, "This is simply nonsense. Who are people like Tian Yijun and Xu Jie? Big landlords!"

"He said that he was so angry because he lost his slaves in his own manor. It seems to make sense. Your Majesty, I have only one question. If the sea is not opened and there is no large amount of silver flowing in, will the local gentry and powerful people not annex it?!"

"On the contrary, it is precisely because of the abundance of industry and the increase in profitable businesses that the income from land has begun to decrease due to government orders such as returning land to the land, reducing rents, building farms, and granaries. The income from merchants' annexation of land has been greatly reduced. Who would still want to annex land?"

"Some people do business that will get them killed, but no one does business that will lose money. The opening of the sea curbed the trend of annexation. If farming could make money, it would not be the farmers' turn. It was precisely because of the opening of the sea during the Wanli Restoration that the contradiction between people and land was eased, rather than intensified."

"It seems like reasonable nonsense, but in fact it is just running for one's own interests."

Zhang Xueyan was the Minister of Revenue and cabinet minister who had returned from Liaodong. He was well aware of Tian Yijun's nonsense, because there were also many people in the Ming Dynasty who spoke such nonsense.

When Liaodong was unsafe, why didn't these big landowners go and annex it, but instead had to annex it in the heartland of Ming Dynasty?

"Your Majesty, there was a slave uprising in Jiangnan." Zhang Xueyan added his own evidence. He noticed the time of this memorial. It was the ninth year of Wanli. That year, the emperor issued a decree to abolish the slave system, and various places began to implement it steadily. By the thirteenth year of Wanli, the slave system was completely abolished in the Ming Dynasty.

For example, in this case, Liang Shoujian's fellow villager and Xu Jie's servant Xu Wu, whose original surname was Sun, kept his surname Xu after his slave status was abolished. That was because he was of low status and did not change back to his original surname.

Tian Yijun was from Fujian. When he was six years old, he followed his father to study in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. In fact, he was a student in Zhejiang.

Regarding the Jiangnan slave rebellion, we need to have a clear understanding of four issues.

Who were the numerous slaves in Jiangnan? Where did they come from?

These slaves were originally good people. They were local bankrupt farmers who had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery because of loss of land, debts, etc. They were unable to escape from slavery for generations and depended on the local gentry and powerful to survive. However, because the Ming Dynasty prohibited slavery, they could only change their surnames to "family members" to avoid legal risks.

Why did Jiangnan produce so many slaves?
Because there are many people and little land in the south of the Yangtze River, the contradiction between population and land is acute. For a long time, a large number of farmers had to sell their land at low prices due to various natural and man-made disasters. The most recent one was the large-scale Japanese invasion in the southeast. In order to raise money for migration and escape, the poor and coolies had to sell their land at low prices. The trend of land annexation lasted from the Hongwu period to the Wanli period.

Who are the masters of these slaves?

Xu Jie, Dong Qichang, Wang Xijue, Tian Yijun and a large number of other landlord bureaucrats have long relied on annexation to establish strong personal dependence relationships. Land annexation has never been done by any great benefactors or kind-hearted people. Every natural disaster is accompanied by man-made disasters, and these man-made disasters are the local gentry who tried to annex land and were determined to become powerful.

In the families of scholars and officials in Jiangnan, there were many servants. Once one was admitted to the officialdom, it was considered an advancement in one's career. Once one became a Jinshi, it was like a meteoric rise to fame.

What was the industry run by slaveholders?
The bureaucratic gentry class controlled planting, breeding, textiles, workshops, transportation, etc. The landlord bureaucratic class represented by Xu Jie was a big bureaucrat, a big landlord, and also a big capitalist. They owned a variety of huge industries. Xu Jie's 400,000 acres, and the Happy Stele Forest could not accommodate the stele of Xu Jie's corruption, so it had to be engraved in the Western Hills.

Only by fully understanding these four issues of the Jiangnan Slave Rebellion can we figure out why Tian Yijun said such nonsense.

Because the abolition of slavery seriously damaged their interests, the Wanli Reform and the opening of the sea were in full swing, the traditional production relations were destroyed, and the path they were accustomed to was no longer feasible. While others were thriving on the new path, they were unable to expand reproduction due to the lack of slaves.

If you can't make money yourself, but still watch others make a lot of money, it would be fake if you don't hate them.

During the Wanli period, any expanded reproduction required a large amount of labor. The old landlords were still playing the game of selling one's body indentures, while the emerging bourgeoisie were playing the game of body shares.

His Majesty the Emperor's Wanli Reform destroyed the old production relations, which, in the eyes of the lowly Confucian scholars, was the root of all disasters.

"Your Majesty once said that the contradiction between the emerging bourgeoisie and the old landlords is irreconcilable. This is a fundamental contradiction caused by production relations. It is a life-and-death struggle for survival. Once manual workshops and machine workshops are the main production methods and large-scale free employment production relations are established, it will be a disaster for the old landlords."

"The implementation of the Zhejiang Land Return Order was a death knell for these old landlords whose main business was mergers and acquisitions, and Hou Yuzhao simply regarded them as enemies."

Zhang Juzheng quoted a passage the emperor had said. The emperor went to the Quanchu Guild Hall not to look for the Persian beauty, but to discuss with Zhang Juzheng the various contradictions of the Ming Dynasty and to analyze the various classes of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng continued, "Tian Yijun is very determined to make the Wanli Reform fail. They can't wait any longer. They can't wait for the minister to die, for the world to change, or for the power they want. If they wait any longer, they will die. They can only subvert in this way. The court's decision is correct. Tian Yijun is guilty of the unforgivable crime of treason."

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng, on behalf of the court, made a characterization of the case and reported it to the emperor.

When it comes to irreconcilable conflicts, one can only choose one side and give up the other, or even eliminate that side. There is no possibility of tolerating each other for the sake of the country. Anything that can be tolerated for the sake of the country is a trivial matter.

The order to return the land was the death knell, and Hou Yuzhao was the executioner.

"Feng Daban has made great contributions. When I heard about Xiong Tingbi's affairs, I was so angry that I wanted to mobilize the troops." Zhu Yijun reflected on his behavior in front of all his ministers and admitted that his behavior was a bit extreme. As his authority increased, he felt that the imperial power was seriously challenged.

"It's my job." Feng Bao said hurriedly.

Zhang Juzheng immediately said: "You can't expect people to remain calm when they are extremely angry. They need someone to provide solutions to the problem so that they can calm down and think about the problem."

Zhang Juzheng did not think that the emperor was being rash or radical. On the contrary, this was a very clear choice.

Those who are in a superior position must never be vague, because if they are vague here, a large area below will be vague, and they will not know what to do.

If one day comes when the differences become so great that a choice must be made, and when the struggle becomes so intense that it is difficult to handle, Your Majesty will, as always, choose the people. Your Majesty's thundering wrath is the final political responsibility and determination of the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty is the greatest confidence of the Wanli Reform.

This is not a fault; this is the emperor's duty. If you don't even have this kind of decisiveness, you shouldn't be an emperor. If you don't even have the courage to overturn the table, don't blame the ministers for taking advantage of you.

The power conflict between the monarch and his subjects had lasted for more than 3,500 years. The Shang king and the fortune teller even had a conflict over the interpretation of the cracks in the tortoise shell. In the late Shang Dynasty, the Shang king said that good luck would lead to forgiveness, which meant good luck. The fortune teller had to interpret it according to the Shang king's meaning, because if he did not, he would be used as a Qiang person.

If the court officials objected to the appointment of a crown prince, he would not do it? He shut himself up and cried, saying, "I can't even decide who the crown prince is"? How can he be an emperor? He might as well just be a punching bag.

The emperor and his ministers of the Ming Dynasty looked at the execution platform. The trial of the case had reached the final stage.

Wang Chonggu had already shown all the witnesses and evidence. He slammed the gavel in his hand, looked at Tian Yijun and asked sternly: "Tian Yijun, do you admit your guilt?"

Tian Yijun knelt on the ground with shackles on his body, raised his eyelids, looked at Wang Chonggu with some disdain and said, "What crime have I committed? Is it my fault that I framed your Majesty's Xiong Da? If I am guilty, then Wang Ci Fu, shouldn't you commit suicide too?"

"Back then, Tan Lun didn't allow your lackey to bully the Beijing camp and blocked your promotion list at the Ministry of War. You found someone to frame Tan Lun for coughing at the Chaori Altar and submitted a series of memorials to the emperor. Isn't that more abominable than my behavior?"

"Your nephew Zhang Siwei assassinated the emperor twice, and each time the crime was pinned on Gao Gong. He was killed along with his entire family. How come you are still alive?"

"I helped Liang Shoujian's grandson Liang Ruibang and Dong Qichang get the juren jinshi degree. Didn't you also find someone to take the exam for Wang Qian?"

"If I am a sinner, who are you, Wang Chonggu, to say that I am guilty?"

Tian Yijun's last sentence was almost shouted out. He did it, and Wang Chonggu also did it. How could it be Wang Chonggu who was judging him? It was simply outrageous!

Wang Chonggu closed the file and said with a smile: "I am guilty, but His Majesty pardoned my crime and only cut off a lock of my hair. Do you know why His Majesty pardoned me?"

"I don't know." Tian Yijun said with a frown.

Wang Chonggu said calmly: "When I was fighting the Japanese pirates in Yangzhou, and fighting Altan Khan and the northern barbarians in Xuanda, I was protecting the land and wealth of you landowners."

"I fought for the Ming Dynasty and shed blood for it, so His Majesty pardoned me because of my past meritorious service. As for why I am now the deputy minister, it is because of the Labour Party."

"What about you? Besides drinking the blood of the people of the Ming Dynasty, what else have you done? It's not enough to be a termite, you have to be the biggest termite."

Wang Chonggu admitted more than once that he was a traitor in the past, and he did not shy away from it because he had figured out that those things were done before Your Majesty came to power. When the ruler is young and the country is in doubt, everyone is a tyrant.

What was the situation then and what is the situation now?
No matter what, Wang Chonggu was at most disloyal to the late emperor, but not to Your Majesty.

"I don't plead guilty. You, Wang Chonggu, are not qualified to judge me." As he spoke, Tian Yijun stood up and looked towards the Wufeng Tower of Huangji Gate. He hated the emperor and his ministers sitting under the Wufeng Tower.

"You are making a fuss and telling lies with open eyes. Bring Xu Wu up." Wang Chonggu was not angry and asked someone to bring Xu Wu up.

Xu Wu, Xu Jie's old lackey, is now Tian Yijun's lackey. Xu Wu is responsible for many things. In Tian Yijun's view, Xu Wu, a stray dog, is the most useful. Once the matter is exposed, Xu Wu will be thrown out as a scapegoat.

It was all done by Xu Wu, just like Cao Daye bribed Feng Bao's cousin. Did Zeng Xingwu instigate it? Was Cao Daye bribing for his own promotion, or for Zeng Xingwu? The investigation showed that Zeng Xingwu did not do it, and Cao Daye bribed for himself, but it is hard to say what the truth is.

"I, a humble commoner, greet the Grand Justice." Xu Wu did not hesitate and knelt on the ground.

Wang Chonggu said calmly: "Tell me about it."

Xu Wu bowed again and said loudly: "I don't know what to say. I have handed over all the written evidence to the Grand Secretary of Justice. They are all original letters from Tian Yijun."

"What?" Tian Yijun's face changed drastically. He was thinking of selling out Xu Wu to take the blame, but Xu Wu sold him out completely.

Xu Wu had the key evidence in his hands and traded for a decent opportunity from Wang Chonggu. Xu Wu was taken to the interrogation yard and took a look around. When he saw Zhang Siwei all over the room, he immediately left and handed the most crucial documentary evidence to Wang Chonggu, asking only for a quick death.

Xu Wu clearly felt the brutality deep in the Emperor's heart.

Tian Yijun's body shook unconsciously and he said loudly: "I have never given you my letters. You are simply accusing me of something and you are always looking for excuses!"

"You gave the letter to your son and asked him to find someone he could trust. That person was me. I kept your letter, made a copy and sent it out." Xu Wu answered the question immediately.

He practiced calligraphy under Xu Jie, a unique skill he had never shown before. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't recognize it at all. He had to have something good, no matter how desperate it was, to prevent himself from becoming a scapegoat.

"How is this possible? How is this possible?" Tian Yijun asked in disbelief.

Xu Wu said with a complicated expression: "Your son smokes opium, and I am the only one in the mansion who can get it. In his eyes, I am the most caring person, and no one is more trustworthy than me."

"Minister Tian, ​​I won't touch opium."

In Tian Yijun's eyes, Xu Wu was a discarded child, and Xu Wu knew it very well, but in the eyes of Tian Yijun's son, Xu Wu was a timely help.

Wang Chonggu then opened a letter box on the table and said, "These letters reveal the connection between you and your accomplices, as well as your purpose. Otherwise, do you think that the imperial guards are all gods? They can catch all of your students, former officials, and accomplices and sort them out clearly in twelve days? These are your own handwritten letters."

"So, this was not a criminal case from the beginning to the end, but a political case."

"I, Wang Chonggu, am indeed not a gentleman, but I have not betrayed the Ming Dynasty or His Majesty. So, do you understand now why your crime is rebellion?"

If it was just a letter, it would be fine. They were fully prepared and had already put it into action. Everything was ready. They were just waiting for the emperor to lose his temper. They were ready to be "loyal subjects."

Once the emperor did something out of line in anger, they would immediately take up the banner of respecting the emperor's authority and power, and in the name of loyalty, they would stir up a lot of noise, labeling all suspicious people as rebels, and then punish them, committing rebellious acts in the name of loyalty.

Some loyal ministers are indeed loyal ministers, loyal to the people, loyal to the Ming Dynasty, loyal to the court, and loyal to His Majesty, but what they do is not liked by the emperor, such as Hai Rui;

But we need to be wary of some loyal ministers, as their loyalty is just a cover that muddies the waters, expands the scope of the struggle, and leads the Wanli Reform to complete extremism.

At that moment, even the emperor and Zhang Juzheng were powerless.

"Your students are planning to form a regiment in Zhejiang, and they have also formed a secret society with 400 members, preparing to respond to Hou Yuzhao's order to return the land, and label all the local gentry as rebels. Those who don't return the land are rebels, and those who return the land are also rebels. In short, they are all rebels."

"It is not enough to kill the king in Renhe County. We will not stop until the new policy is completely destroyed." After showing the letter, Wang Chonggu put it back into the box.

Times, the old trick.

If the emperor wants to return the land, he will turn all the local gentry into enemies, and after causing widespread opposition and doubts, the decree will be destroyed.

Tian Yijun collapsed to the ground. He knew exactly what was written inside.

Wang Chonggu was already old. He stroked his white beard and asked calmly, "Do you think that with Liang Shoujian dead, the court would not be able to track down Xu Wu and you so quickly? Do you still think that it was just bad luck? If you were lucky, Liang Shoujian would be dead, and there would be three to five months to track down, which would be enough time for you to clean up your hands, such as killing Xu Wu."

Tian Yijun's face changed, obviously what he was thinking hit the nail on the head. Even at this point, he still felt that he was unlucky. Liang Shoujian drank the poisoned wine but did not die, which really caught him off guard.

Wang Chonggu looked at Tian Yijun's face and knew he was right. He said with emotion: "At the beginning, Zhang Siwei also thought so. I also thought so. How come it was just one move behind? Was it really just one move behind?"

"In fact, it's not that we are one step behind. It's that the country has not yet been corrupted to the point where the insects can show their abilities."

"Your biggest problem is that you never treat people as human beings. You treat tenants and servants in this way, and you treat Xu Wu in the same way. You should think it through on your way to the underworld."

Wang Chonggu used to think that he, Yang Bo, and Gao Gong together lost to Zhang Juzheng. As time went on, he realized that he did not lose to Zhang Juzheng, but to the consensus and people's hearts that the Ming Dynasty wanted to reform and get rid of the dangerous situation. The same was true for Tan Lun, Wang Guoguang, and even Wan Shihe.

The case was tried and all the criminals, including Tian Yijun, Liang Shoujian, Xu Wu, and Tian Yijun's accomplices, were beheaded in public. Tian Yijun's family was exiled to Chonggu Castle, and the families of other criminals were exiled to Jinchi Governor's Office.

(End of this chapter)