Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

"Ouyang Lun, what qualifications do you have to impeach me?"

"I have been following the Emperor since the beginning, and you were not even here at that time! You are just a smart guy, but you are so rude!"

Li Shanchang was so angry at Ouyang Lun's impeachment that he started to roar.

He tried to drive Ouyang Lun away in this way.

But Li Shanchang also underestimated Ouyang Lun. Facing Li Shanchang's hysterical words, Ouyang Lun did not feel any fear, but rather found it somewhat amusing. "Wow! The Duke of Korea is really a senior figure! He was the emperor from the very beginning, and then what?"

"Besides proving that you are a qualified foreigner, is there anything else?"

"Or does Lord Han mean that you can commit crimes without fear because you have seniority?!"

"The Emperor has also taken great care of you, the founding father, and has even awarded you with a gold medal of immunity from death. Naturally, you think you are superior to others and are above all others. When faced with impeachment by others, you do not reflect on yourself first, but instead threaten the person who impeached you."

"Duke Hanguo, is this how you, a founding father, should behave?!"

"We have reason and evidence to impeach you. The emperor has also said that the civil and military officials at the scene are witnesses. What else do you have to say?"

"As a cabinet minister, instead of thinking about how to improve the relationship between the central court and the various vassal kings, you are trying to sow discord. How can you be happy if the court and the vassal kings really break up?!"

"In that case, do you still dare to say that you are not guilty?"

Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Li Shanchang was so angry that he jumped up and down. "Ouyang Lun, stop talking nonsense. I have just admitted my mistake to the Emperor and His Majesty. You are still harping on this trivial matter. What are you thinking and what are you plotting?!"

"What am I planning? Of course I want to impeach you!"

Ouyang Lun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, since the Duke of Korea Li Shanchang has confessed his guilt, please punish him according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Although I am not the Minister of Justice, I know that defaming the princes and sowing discord among the royal family will only result in a three-level demotion and thirty strokes of the cane!"

hiss--

When Ouyang Lun said this, many people at the scene gasped.

A demotion of three ranks is not a big deal, but thirty blows is serious. These thirty blows are not meant to be used to hit the palms with a rattan stick, but to be used as a killing stick!
The killing stick is a common punishment tool. It is usually made of hardwood, about one meter long, five centimeters in diameter, with a rough surface. Sometimes it is wrapped with iron sheets at the top to increase the power of the blow. The purpose of this tool is to cause great pain to the prisoner through physical blows, thereby achieving the effect of punishment or deterrence.

The blows from the killing stick can cause multiple injuries to the human body. First, the force of the blows will directly act on the skin and subcutaneous tissue, causing skin rupture, subcutaneous bleeding and muscle damage. As the number of blows increases, the skin and muscle tissue will gradually lose their integrity, forming open wounds and increasing the risk of infection.

Secondly, the force of the blow will be transmitted to the bones through the soft tissue, which may cause bone cracks or fractures. Especially in areas with thick muscles such as the buttocks and thighs, although the muscles can absorb some of the impact, continuous blows will still cause damage to the bones.

In addition, the severe pain caused by the blow will stimulate the nervous system and cause the body to produce a stress response. This stress response includes increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and rapid breathing. Being in this state for a long time will put a burden on the cardiovascular system and may even cause shock or cardiac arrest.

In the actual punishment process, the prisoner is usually stripped of his shirt, his hands are tied, and he kneels on the ground. This posture makes the prisoner's back and buttocks the main targets of the blows. Each blow will leave obvious scars on the prisoner's body. As the number of blows increases, the scars will gradually accumulate, forming a large area of ​​trauma.

The beatings not only cause physical harm to the prisoners, but also have a profound impact on their psychology. In extreme pain, the prisoners may feel extreme fear, helplessness and despair!

The officials present at the scene were all aware of the power of the killing stick. After thirty blows, even young and middle-aged men could not withstand it, let alone the civil servants who were used to a life of luxury. Even a burly military general would have to lie in bed for a whole month after being beaten with thirty blows!

As for an old minister like Li Shanchang, if he was beaten with thirty sticks, he would probably lose his life.

Ouyang Lun is trying to kill Li Shanchang!
Hearing this, Li Shanchang's face turned pale. Ouyang Lun really wanted to kill him. Thirty strokes of the cane would really be fatal.

His mentality, which had been somewhat stable, became chaotic again, and his expression was a little panicked, but Li Shanchang concealed it very well, and if you didn't look carefully, you wouldn't be able to tell.

Just when everyone was lamenting Ouyang Lun's ruthlessness and mourning for Li Shanchang, Ouyang Lun spoke again, "Your Majesty, I did impeach Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea, but we cannot ignore Li Shanchang's contributions to the Ming Dynasty. We must not punish him according to the normal laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Otherwise, the people of the world will think that Your Majesty is a bit inhumane and harsh towards officials, especially those who have made great contributions!"

Upon hearing Ouyang Lun's words, everyone at the scene, including Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Li Shanchang, were stunned.

It's not Ouyang Lun, what are you doing? What's your plan?
First you severely impeached Li Shanchang, and now that you are about to win, you start to plead for Li Shanchang? !
This time even Zhu Yuanzhang was confused, but after thinking about it, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that what Ouyang Lun said made sense. If Li Shanchang was really beaten with thirty sticks because he said a few wrong words in the court, it would be really bad for his reputation if this got out. If Li Shanchang couldn't withstand the thirty sticks and was beaten to death, then he, Zhu Yuanzhang, would probably be scolded to death by the world, and in the end, people would say that he, Zhu Yuanzhang, was a tyrant!
This trick was used by Li Shanchang, but it was very useful to Zhu Yuanzhang.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang still couldn't figure out what Ouyang Lun wanted to do, so he decided to go along with what Ouyang Lun said and see what Ouyang Lun was up to.

"Ouyang Lun, if you have any other ideas, just say it!"

"If it's reasonable, the emperor and I can consider it."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly.

Swish--

All the ministers in the Taiji Hall turned their eyes to Ouyang Lun. The atmosphere became a little tense. Everyone wanted to know what Ouyang Lun would do next.

Is it to let Li Shanchang go, or does he have other plans?

Ouyang Lun didn't care about the many looks he received. He had experienced such scenes countless times and he already had a decision in his mind on how to deal with Li Shanchang.

"Yes, the Great Emperor!"

"I think that considering Duke Hanguo's merits and his age, if he is really executed, he will probably not survive. This is not in the interests of the Ming Dynasty. In line with the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly and loving the young, I think we can find someone to take the punishment on behalf of Duke Hanguo!!"

"Of course, the person who takes the punishment on behalf of Duke Han cannot be an ordinary citizen. He must be an official of the fifth rank or above at least!"

"Given the prestige of Duke Hanguo in the Ming Dynasty, it shouldn't be difficult to find such a person!"

Um! ?

After hearing Ouyang Lun's words, all the civil and military officials present were dumbfounded.

Find someone to take the punishment instead? !
It’s not that it’s unacceptable.

Immediately, an official from the Huaixi Party who felt that he was physically able to withstand thirty blows of the cane stood up.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to take the punishment on behalf of Duke Hanguo!" Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang immediately cast a grateful look at the official. If someone took the punishment on his behalf, it would undoubtedly be able to save him from physical pain, or even save his life!
This official is very good, and he must be promoted after this incident.

Li Shanchang's expression was seen by the other members of the Huaixi Party, and everyone immediately became interested. If they used thirty strokes of the cane to get Li Shanchang promoted and given important positions, wouldn't he be able to rise rapidly in the Huaixi Party in the future?
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to be punished for the Duke of Korea!"

"Korean Duke is too old to be punished, so let me take his place!"

"I believe in the character of Duke Hanguo. If you want to punish me, let me bear the consequences!"

At one time, almost all the Huaixi Party officials spontaneously stood up and demanded that Li Shanchang be punished.

This naturally moved Li Shanchang so much that he even felt a little proud. He looked at Ouyang Lun provocatively, as if to say, "Ouyang Lun, Ouyang Lun, no matter how powerful you are, I, Li Shanchang, still have so many loyal subordinates!"

Seeing that so many officials wanted to be punished in place of Li Shanchang, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately turned his attention to Ouyang Lun.

"So many people are vying to take the punishment for Li Shanchang, who do you think is suitable?!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang had no good feelings towards Li Shanchang, Li Shanchang was after all the first civil official of the founding of the country, had served as the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty for many years, and was also the leader of the Huaixi Party. If Li Shanchang was really beaten to death, it would be a loss for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to Ouyang Lun's suggestion of finding someone to take the punishment for Li Shanchang.

But since this matter was initiated by Ouyang Lun, let Ouyang Lun continue to deal with it. He also wants to see what kind of medicine Ouyang Lun is selling!

Based on Zhu Yuanzhang's understanding of Ouyang Lun, he always felt that there was a trap here, a big trap dug specifically for Li Shanchang.

But Zhu Yuanzhang could not have imagined what kind of trap it would be.

Under everyone's gaze, Ouyang Lun raised the corners of his mouth slightly, walked out of the queue, and glanced at the Huaixi Party officials who stood up to take punishment on behalf of Li Shanchang.

When Ouyang Lun looked at them, their hearts began to beat fast.

"Cough cough."

"Let me ask you, are you all really willing to suffer on behalf of Duke Han?"

Ouyang Lun coughed twice and asked seriously.

Faced with Ouyang Lun's question, these Huaixi Party officials were very confused and had no idea what Ouyang Lun was going to do.

However, they all nodded subconsciously, and some officials even spoke directly.

"Of course, Duke Han has worked hard for the country and the people for many years. This is seen by everyone. We naturally don't want to see such loyalty of Duke Han being harmed!"

"Of course it's voluntary!"

"No one is forcing you?!" Ouyang Lun spoke again.

"No no!"

"Absolutely not!"

The Huaixi Party officials shook their heads repeatedly.

"Ouyang Lun, what on earth do you want to do? Are you going to kill me today? If so, there's no need to bother, just ask someone to kill me with a knife!" Li Shanchang stretched his neck and said angrily.

Facing Li Shanchang's words, Ouyang Lun simply ignored them and turned to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, since they are all willing and no one is forcing them, let them take the punishment instead of Duke Han!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Okay."

"Li Shanchang, do you have any objections?!"

"No problem, no problem!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Li Shanchang's face lit up with joy. As long as he agreed to take the place, the blame would not fall on him. He was naturally happy and had no objections.

After expressing his gratitude, Li Shanchang decided to start choosing a suitable replacement.

At this time, Ouyang Lun spoke up, "Duke Han Guo, I think you misunderstood. It's not just one person who was punished for you, but all of them."

Ouyang Lun's tone was quite calm, but this voice exploded in the ears of Li Shanchang and other Huaixi Party officials! !
what! !

All punished!!
shocked.

"Ouyang Lun, do you mean to let them share the thirty killing sticks?!" Li Shanchang asked in an almost trembling voice.

"You are joking, Lord Han. There are more than 30 officials here who are willing to take your punishment. Each of them can't get one stick, so of course each of them will be punished 30 times. This will not only save you, Lord Han, from danger, but also serve as a legal punishment to severely suppress those evil-minded people!"

"Besides, I just asked them, they all volunteered and no one was coerced!"

After hearing what Ouyang Lun said, Li Shanchang's face became extremely ugly, and other Huaixi Party officials looked even uglier than if their parents had died!

In fact, many of these Huaixi Party officials just wanted to get by, or some even saw that others had stood up, and if they did not stand up, they were worried that Li Shanchang would make trouble for them from behind.

Thirty blows with the cane are no different from thirty cuts with a blunt knife.

At this time, an official of the Huaixi Party finally couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Your Majesty, I am weak and can't bear these thirty blows. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to withdraw!"

Once this kind of thing happens for the first time, there will be more.

"I have been weak and sickly since childhood. I am afraid I will die if I receive thirty strokes of the cane. I will also withdraw!"

"I, your humble servant, also apply to withdraw!"

Seeing more and more ministers wanting to withdraw, Li Shanchang also began to panic. His face became extremely ugly and he said in a deep voice: "All of you get back here!!" (End of this chapter)