Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Mao Xiang noticed the change in Ouyang Lun's aura next to him. He was silent for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking frankly. When you cut yourself with a horizontal knife, you must not be merciful. Otherwise, the muscles and veins will be broken, and your death will be more serious." pain."

"Thank you, Commander Mao." Ouyang Lun glanced at Mao Xiang, with a grateful smile on his face, his heart skipped a beat, and he touched the sword in his hand.

A stream of bright red blood splashed out.

Mao Xiang knelt down, silently picked up the blood-stained sword in Ouyang Lun's hand, turned and walked outside the Ancestral Temple.

The backyard of the Imperial Ancestral Temple is paved with light-colored stone bricks, and there are more than 20 Huaixi veterans standing on the left and right.

Ouyang Lun was about to go to the Ancestral Temple to commit suicide. At this time, they all stood up wherever they could still sit.

Only Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the audience.

Since it was a gathering of the Huaixi brothers, he was only wearing regular clothes.

But even so, he was sitting casually on the chair, lower than the Huaixi generals standing around him, but his aura was as if he was sitting at the top of the world, looking down at the thousands of subjects at his feet.

Zhu Yuanzhang was drinking tea and waiting for the results from the Ancestral Temple.

Not long after, Mao Xiang returned to the yard holding a blood-stained sword.

"Your Majesty, Ouyang Lun has committed suicide. Your Majesty, please test the sword."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the sword and glanced at everyone present.

The majestic and cold eyes made all the generals in Huaixi feel scared.

The next moment, the emperor's majestic voice sounded in front of the Ancestral Temple.

"We also made some mistakes in Ouyang Lun's crime. After learning from it, I just want to say the last words to you. The imperial court gave you wealth, salary, and rules. It gave you expectations, but the imperial court gave you Without your conscience, I can’t give you a good night!"

"Whether you can think about it, change your past, and live in peace depends on you."

"Mao Xiang!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Under Mao Xiang's command, a large cauldron and a bronze gui were quickly brought up.

"I know what some of you are thinking. You think it's no big deal if you make any mistakes. Anyway, there is a death-free iron coupon that can save your lives. I really didn't expect that my good intentions at the time actually harmed you."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the big cauldron and said: "This is the big cauldron for worshiping heaven. We have collected your death-free iron coupons for God. Tomorrow morning before the court, this big cauldron will be ignited. If you want to hand it over, you will be free from death." Those who hold the iron coupons can come over and throw the iron coupons in. It is up to you to decide whether to hand it over or not."

Hearing this, Lan Yu, Fei Ju and others' expressions changed drastically.

Fortunately, the scope of the impact is not too large. After all, with so many Huaixi military generals present, only a few can possess death-free iron coupons.

But before Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he pointed to the copper gui next to the big tripod and said, "Everyone knows it, right? This is the copper gui we Huaixi people use to worship our ancestors."

"I will place it in front of the Ancestral Temple just like the Heaven Sacrifice Cauldron. Tomorrow morning also before the court, if any brothers want to return to their hometown, I will put all your resignations in the copper gui. Anyone who takes the initiative Those who return to their care will not be held responsible by the imperial court. Their titles will be preserved and their salaries will be doubled to protect their descendants."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the scabbard, inserted the sword into it again, and said: "Of course, if you don't want to be raised, you can just do it yourself."

"It's getting late. You must have a lot to do tonight. Let's have one last cup of Kuding tea."

Zhu Yuanzhang said as he picked up the tea bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

The taste of tonight's tea really came out after drinking it until now.

Then he left first without looking back.

If you want to scare the lawless monkeys like Huaixi Xungui, then the chicken you kill must have weight, and Ouyang Lun's weight is just right.

Tonight is Zhu Yuanzhang's last chance for this group of people.

This deadline is until tomorrow morning.

This night, many people are destined to have trouble sleeping.

The next day, the fourth watch.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even take off his clothes. He just sat on a chair and closed his eyes to meditate.

"Mao Xiang, is there any new news from the Imperial Ancestral Temple?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.

"Your Majesty, it's still the same as before." Mao Xiang replied.

After listening to Mao Xiang's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned ashen.

It seems that some people will not shed tears until they see the coffin.

Once things like power, wealth and salary are given to others. It's like flesh growing on someone's body. If you want to cut it back, you have to use a knife to cut the flesh, which will bleed.

Not everyone has this courage and determination.

Unless it’s really a matter of life and death, many people won’t do this.

Because people always take chances.

"Change." Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes and said.

He didn't want to wait any longer.

The opportunity has been given, whether they succeed or not is their own business.

Five watch.

Early morning, Fengtian Palace.

"Blessings to your majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on a high dragon chair, looked at the ministers below, and said in a deep voice: "Zhu Liangzu!"

"Bring Zhu Liangzu to the palace!"

in the chamberlain's shrill chorus.

Zhu Liangzu, who was handcuffed and shackled, walked into the hall under the escort of two imperial guards.

"The last general, Zhu Liangzu, comes to see Your Majesty!" Zhu Liangzu knelt in the main hall and said.

"Zhu Liangzu, your majesty treats you well. When you are assigned to guard a certain area, it cannot be said that you are not reused. There is a limit to everything. Sometimes you are greedy for pleasure. As long as it is not illegal, it is nothing. But the things you have done over the years are worthy of it. Is the imperial court worthy of your Majesty?!" Zhu Biao shouted at Zhu Liangzu on behalf of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Liangzu knelt in the main hall, straightened his body, and said: "The last general will realize his mistake, and the last general will regret it. I hope that your majesty will take care of the last general, who has spent half his life in the army, and is loyal, and release the last general, return to his hometown, and change his mind." This is the rest of my life.”

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer, but picked up a book and threw it directly in front of Zhu Liangzu.

"The crimes listed above are just the crimes you committed in Guangdong in the past two years. There are seven major crimes and 32 minor crimes. Each one is clearly recorded."

"Zhu Liangzu, see for yourself whether there is any wrongdoing against you." These days, one of the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang did not rush to deal with Zhu Liangzu was to use this time to collect evidence of Zhu Liangzu's crimes.

He wants to make this case the biggest since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Since killing the chicken is useless, then just kill the monkey, and it must be a big horse monkey among the monkeys.

Zhu Liangzu didn't look.

Because he knew in his heart that he would only commit more sins than those above.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Liangzu, his face full of disappointment, and said: "It is said that Wang Hua, the prefect of Guangzhou, has passed away."

"It is reported that Wang Hua, the prefect of Guangzhou, is going to the palace."

Soon, Wang Hua walked to the main hall with a worried look on his face.

"Wang Hua."

"I'm here." Wang Hua immediately knelt down.

"As the prefect of Guangzhou, you should have put the country first and the well-being of the people there as your own responsibility. But you, you only care about protecting your own life and act according to the wind. You don't even distinguish between right and wrong, allowing local ruffians to bully the court officials. , which brought the court into disrepute." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"I know that I am guilty, but I also have difficulties. I hope your Majesty will understand." Wang Hua kowtowed three times and said.

"What's your problem?"

"How can I not know what Zhu Liangzu did, which brought disaster to the people of Guangzhou. But Zhu Liangzu is a marquis with a distinguished position and is in charge of the local army and horse department. How can a humble minister disobey him? Your Majesty only knows that I am the governor of the Yamen. The yamen servant was taken to the Military and Horse Division by Zhu Liangzu's men and imprisoned at will, but he didn't know that Zhu Liangzu once directly led his soldiers to break into my mansion at night and put a knife to my neck."

Wang Hua cried and cried: "This time, the case of the consort Ouyang Lun and Wang Hua was also the first one to write a memorial and report it to His Majesty. Only then can their evil deeds be finally made public to the world. If I go against Zhu Liangzu, I am afraid it will be too bad." I won’t survive this day.”

Wang Hua's words made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh angrily.

"You mean we still have to thank you?!"

"Do I need to give you a higher rank?"

Wang Hua kowtowed repeatedly and said he didn't dare.

"No, that's not what I meant. I am guilty. I just hope that your majesty can understand my difficulties."

"Wang Hua, Wang Hua, you are really good at acting." Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at His Highness Wang Hua and said. "What you say is flawless, and what you do is all-rounded. The memorial you gave me was not entirely true, just for this moment. No matter how you quibble, you have always stood with Zhu Liangzu throughout the whole process."

"Together with Zhu Liangzu, he deceived the officials of the Ministry of Justice who came down to investigate, resulting in the unjust imprisonment of Dao Tong, the head of the Guangzhou Shipping Department. If you had come forward directly at that time, things would not have evolved to the point where they are now."

"As an official of the Ming Dynasty, you are the magistrate of a state. All you think about is the black gauze hat on your head, and you think about yourself. Have you ever thought about the humiliated subordinates in your government office? Those suffering people?!"

"I don't believe that Zhu Liangzu dares to kill you, a high-ranking magistrate!"

"Everything you do is just to keep your official position. People like you just want to keep your official position, but I won't let you be an official."

"Somebody come!"

The words have not yet fallen.

Immediately, two Ouchi guards came in.

"exist!"

"Pull him down, he will have a fifty-fifty imperial staff, he will be exiled to Hainan, and he will not be allowed to be employed for life."

The main reason why Wang Hua was able to save his life in the end was because he was not involved in the Ouyang Lun case. If he had been involved, he would not have written the memorial. As Zhu Yuanzhang said, everything he did was just to protect his position.

Therefore, after serving as the prefect of Guangzhou for so many years, he has not committed any major corruption or illegal crimes. The occasional violation of laws was only in minor matters.

But if an official only thinks about himself and turns a blind eye to illegal and criminal behavior, he himself is an accomplice while condoning the crime.

You must know that he is not a common person, but an official.

As the prefect of a state, his silence regarding Zhu Liangzu's series of actions that preyed on the common people represented his acquiescence.

Why did those young government officials in Guangzhou choose to stand up? Because they did not want to be such "silent accomplices", so they chose to speak out.

Even at the cost of his own life!

If all local officials in the Ming Dynasty were like Wang Hua, then the Ming Dynasty would be over sooner or later.

"Thank you for not killing me. Thank you for not killing me."

When Wang Hua heard that he didn't have to die, a smile appeared on his face, and he kowtowed to thank God for his grace, while being carried out by the Ouchi guards.

"Zhu Liangzu, what else do you have to say?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Liangzu who was kneeling in the hall again and said.

"Your Majesty, seeing that the general has done something wrong in the end, he will spare the offender once." Zhu Liangzu said.

Still the same argument.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked ugly and said in a deep voice: "I knew you would say this. It is true that you are my honorable minister. When you pacified Fang Guozhen, crusaded against Guangdong and Guangxi, and attacked Sichuan, you did make military exploits. But after the founding of the People's Republic of China, you also made great achievements. However, you are arrogant and arrogant, and you want to dominate the country. You send people to various places to collect women for your pleasure. What's more, the women you don't want are thrown into wells. Moreover, Ouyang Lun smuggles most of them. They all passed through Guangzhou Prefecture, and among the nobles, you were the one who was most deeply involved in this matter."

"Is this all because of your great military exploits?!"

Zhu Liangzu was speechless by Zhu Yuanzhang, and could only reply: "I will regret it endlessly, I will be obsessed with it, and I will deserve death!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Zhu Liangzu and said, "We know you only regret it. You regret it because of the exposed incident, not because you feel guilty about what you did."

"I know that you also understand that what you have done is worthy of death, but you always think that your merits are so great that you can make up for the crime. Maybe you think that you have the military power in your hands to suppress one side. I will not do it to you. You attack easily."

"That's true. Some people say that Zhu Yuanzhang only dared to catch corrupt officials, and he never took action against the founding heroes and the veterans of Huaixi. Maybe it's because of this that you are so unscrupulous."

"Well, I will let everyone in the world know today that anyone who violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty, no matter ministers or generals, no matter how big or small they are, no matter what their relationship with me, I will not condone!"

"Your Majesty, in order to protect your consort, you have me stabbed?!" Zhu Liangzu raised his head, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with red eyes, and said in a deep voice.

Just like when he was captured.

It's just that Zhu Liangzu didn't notice the reaction of the other ministers in the hall when he said this.

It can be said that the air in the entire Fengtian Temple is solid.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Liangzu and smiled: "I said, no matter who it is, I will not tolerate it. You can go down and ask Ouyang Lun personally."

After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Liangzu panicked for the first time.

His subconscious reaction was not to believe it, but when he looked at the other ministers in the hall, he found the answer he least wanted on their faces.

Zhu Liangzu never imagined that Monk Zhu would be so cruel, so cruel that he would even kill his own uncle at the request of him.

This is to make your daughter a widow! (End of chapter)