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

Streets of Beiping (Beijing).

Inside a restaurant.

A group of people gathered, each holding a newspaper, and discussed the matter animatedly.

"See? I told you long ago that these Huai-Xi gang members are no good!"

"The newspaper said that they have embezzled a lot and plundered the people's wealth over the years!"

"To be honest, even if they embezzle, if they treated us ordinary people better, I wouldn't criticize them! But look at what the Huaixi Party has done all these years?"

"What has the Huai-Xi Party ever done for us ordinary people? I don't remember doing anything about it."

"The Huaixi Party has certainly done it. In recent years, they have spared no effort in suppressing the Imperial Son-in-Law Party, which has slowed down the progress of many of the court's policies!"

“Take that school for example. There was originally a public school planned for our area, but it was delayed for a long time because the officials in that area are from the Huaixi Party!”

"Other people's children are already in public schools, but my child is still in a private school and can't keep up at all. These bastards!"

"This Li Shanchang is clearly no good. He's so old, yet he's still occupying a position. What's that called? 'Occupying a toilet without doing its business'!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter from the locals echoed continuously inside the restaurant.

The common people have the most acute senses. Now that the Ming Dynasty has a well-developed transportation network, travel is many times more convenient than before, in addition to the relaxation of the household registration system.

Especially after the opening of the Beijing-Pinggu Railway.

The number of people traveling all over the country has greatly increased, and the general public's knowledge has also been continuously broadened.

Furthermore, the speed of information dissemination through newspapers and magazines has also accelerated.

The common people also know very well that Li Shanchang's Huaixi Party is riding on their heads and sucking their blood, while Ouyang Lun's son-in-law party are all pragmatic people!
From road construction to land reclamation, to investments in various workshops, new houses, water conservancy projects, and so on.

These are all genuine policies that benefit the people.

Ordinary people are truly benefiting.

Of course, in the past, people were afraid of the power of the Huaixi Party, so they would at most curse the Huaixi Party in private, but in most cases they would not dare to discuss the Huaixi Party in public.

"Shh! How dare you be so bold today! The Huaixi Party is an extremely powerful force in our Great Ming Dynasty. Be careful, there might be their spies nearby. Perhaps the Huaixi Party can't do anything to the Prince Consort, but dealing with us powerless commoners is as easy as crushing an ant."

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously lively scene instantly fell silent.

Many ordinary people showed fear on their faces, and some even began to look around.

"What are you still afraid of? Didn't you see in the newspapers that Li Shanchang and several other high-ranking officials of the Huaixi Party have been arrested!"

"The Huaixi Party case is now the biggest case in our Ming Dynasty. The officials of the Huaixi Party are now in dire straits themselves, so how could they have the mind to cause trouble for us!"

"Besides, this is Beiping, and most of the officials here are promoted by the Prince Consort. If any Huaixi Party officials abuse their power for personal gain, they won't stand idly by!"

"That's right, we're just discussing what's in the newspapers. If you're so capable, let the Huaixi Party members go to the newspapers!"

"Don't be afraid, everyone. The Huaixi Party is like a grasshopper in autumn; it won't last long!"

"Without these parasites of the Ming Dynasty, the Huai-Xi Party, I feel that our Ming Dynasty will definitely get better and better in the future!"

"That's right, as long as Prince Consort Ouyang is around, we have a long way to go in our good days!"

"What a pity! Since the Prince Consort went to the capital, he has never returned to Beiping to visit. We really miss him!"

"Although the development of Beiping today is proceeding according to the plan set by the Prince Consort, we still miss the days when the Prince Consort was our local official."

"Hehe, I think you're just reminiscing about the stock trading training classes that the Prince Consort used to run!"

Besides Beiping, people in other parts of the Ming Dynasty also expressed their support after learning about the Huaixi Party case.

This was true among the common people, and it was pretty much the same in the imperial court. Apart from the Huaixi Party officials constantly crying out for justice, other officials were quite pleased with the situation.

There was no way around it; when the Huai-Xi Party was in power in the past, it suppressed non-Huai-Xi Party officials too severely.

For example, the Zhejiang East Party, when Liu Bowen was still alive, could even rival the Huaixi Party. But since Liu Bowen died, the officials of the Zhejiang East Party have been severely suppressed.

Now that the Huaixi Party has fallen, the officials of the Zhejiang East Party are even happier than the officials of the Imperial Son-in-Law Party and other powerful officials in the court.

The Huaixi Party has very poor interpersonal relationships, which is also due to their past abuse of power and tyranny.

Not only externally, but now even within the Huai-Xi Party itself, there is a great division.

The group of Huaixi nobles who had previously "voluntarily" retired and returned to their hometowns learned that Li Shanchang and several other Huaixi veterans had been imprisoned by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Instead of protesting their innocence, they wrote memorials to state the crimes of Li Shanchang and other Huaixi officials, and to distance themselves from Li Shanchang and the Huaixi faction.

Normally, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard were to arrest a large number of officials in one go, it would inevitably lead to turmoil in the court and cause fear and anxiety among civil and military officials.

However, in this case involving the Huaixi Party, the civil and military officials remained remarkably stable.

Apart from the Huaixi Party and related officials, other officials were eating and drinking as usual, and handling their official duties as usual, and were even more proactive than before!

As everyone knows, once the Huaixi Party falls, the official positions in the imperial court will be vacant.

Moreover, these vacant official positions all have extremely high "power content".

If I don't perform now, I'll miss out on promotions later.

early morning.

Tai Chi Hall.

The number of people attending court was not large, but most of the officials looked quite relaxed.

Some officials also looked grim.

These are represented by Lan Yu and Huang Zicheng!
Lan Yu was undoubtedly a member of the Huaixi Party, and was the most central figure in the Huaixi Party besides Li Shanchang.

On the day Li Shanchang went to see Zhu Yuanzhang, Lan Yu had a premonition that something bad would happen, but he did not stop him. Instead, he went to the East Palace himself!
That's right!

This is the palace of Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying. After Zhu Biao inherited the throne, Zhu Xiong Ying, as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, was made Crown Prince!
Lan Yu stayed in the East Palace for a whole day, and didn't return to her own residence until the next day.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation revealed that Lan Yu was teaching Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying and Prince Huai Zhu Yunwen horseback riding and archery that day.

It is precisely for this reason that if Lan Yu had not been involved in the Huaixi Party case...

As for Huang Zicheng, coincidentally, he was also in the Eastern Palace that day, serving as the teacher of Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying and Prince Huai Zhu Yunwen, instructing them in their studies.

In the imperial court, Lan Yu and Huang Zicheng became the few members of the Huaixi Party who could still attend the morning court sessions normally.

Lan Yu's face was gloomy. Although he had anticipated that Li Shanchang's actions would have problems, he did not expect the problems to be this big.

The Huaixi nobles, who had already retired to their hometowns, greatly weakened the Huaixi Party. Now, with another wave of Huaixi Party cases, the Huaixi Party has been sent to its grave.

Unless there are drastic changes, the Huaixi Party will find it difficult to make a comeback, and Lan Yu is not too worried about his own safety.

Firstly, he is the current emperor's brother-in-law, a true member of the imperial family; secondly, he is a new generation of military general in the Ming Dynasty.

There are rumors that the retired emperor will personally lead an expedition to the grasslands. As the Ming Dynasty's top military general, he still has great value!
Huang Zicheng became even more depressed. The reason was simple: he had previously thrived in the Ming Dynasty court because of his connection to Li Shanchang, who was his student.

At such a young age, he had already reached the high position of Vice Minister, and was only one step away from the central government!
Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, he was only slightly inferior to Ouyang Lun, but who could compare to that monster!

If Li Shanchang hadn't fallen and the Huaixi Party hadn't disintegrated, with Li Shanchang's cultivation and support, coupled with the power of the Huaixi Party, he would undoubtedly have become a very powerful figure in the Ming Dynasty court. But now everything has become uncertain.

Why.
Huang Zicheng wanted to save Li Shanchang and turn the tide, but he knew very well that if he weren't now the teacher of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Huai, he would probably be in prison meeting his teacher Li Shanchang.

Let's see how things go first.

Thinking of this, Huang Zicheng secretly glanced at Ouyang Lun. Ouyang Lun was still the same Ouyang Lun, looking drowsy, as if nothing in the world could attract him.

When he first stepped into the Taiji Hall, he scoffed at Ouyang Lun's appearance, but now he knows that this is a state he can never learn in his entire life.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, while Zhu Biao sat on a slightly smaller dragon throne next to him.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was serious, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

The number of officials in the court was less than half of what it used to be, but without Li Shanchang and his group, people were in much better spirits.

"My lords, in the Huaixi Party case, the ringleader Li Shanchang and his accomplices have all been detained. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, together with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, have compiled a list of the treacherous party members. They will all be beheaded in three days!"

"Do you have any opinions?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly opened his mouth and asked.

As soon as these words came out.

Immediately, more than half of the officials stood up.

"Your subject has no objection!"

"I have no objection!"

"The Emperor Emeritus is wise!"

Listening to the words of the civil and military officials, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually smiled and then turned his gaze to Lan Yu, Huang Zicheng and other former Huaixi Party officials.

Although these people belonged to the Huaixi faction, Zhu Yuanzhang did not intend to deal with them for the time being for various reasons.

Swish--

The next second, everyone else in the court also turned their attention to Lan Yu and Huang Zicheng.

"Lan Yu, do you think Li Shanchang and the others should have been killed?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly began to ask.

Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't asking Lan Yu alone, but rather all the remaining officials of the Huaixi Party.

If the answer does not satisfy Zhu Yuanzhang, then even if it still has some value, it must be disposed of!
Lan Yu naturally understood this and had already prepared herself for it.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Given the crimes committed by Li Shanchang and his associates, their entire families should be executed!!"

Lan Yu said in a deep voice.

hiss--

Upon hearing this, many people in the Taiji Hall gasped in surprise.

That's fucking ruthless!

Even Ouyang Lun opened his eyes and glanced at Lan Yu.

Not only are beheadings not enough, but the entire family must be exterminated?!

Although Lan Yu may have said this intentionally to express his opinion, if Zhu Yuanzhang had actually agreed, it would have meant sending Li Shanchang's entire clan to their deaths.

"Not bad!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, satisfied with Lan Yu's answer.

“Li Shanchang certainly deserves to die, but we will spare him the punishment of exterminating his entire clan.”

"As for Li Shanchang and the criminals in the Huaixi Party Case, their immediate family members can be exiled to Lingnan."

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he glanced at Ouyang Lun. To be honest, he had originally planned to exterminate Li Shanchang's entire family.

After all, as the Embroidered Uniform Guards investigated further, they discovered that Li Shanchang had committed far too many and too heinous crimes!
Everything else is manageable, the main issue is his collusion with Hu Weiyong in plotting a rebellion.
When Hu Weiyong was prime minister, Li Shanchang was accused of knowing about Hu Weiyong's affairs but not reporting them, and even secretly supporting him, because of his close relationship with Hu Weiyong.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately prepared to use the pretext of "knowing about the treasonous plot but failing to report it" to determine that he had shielded Hu Weiyong and committed the crime of "high treason".

Therefore, their entire family will be exterminated!

But just as he made up his mind, the seriously ill Empress Ma came to see him and said something.

“Zhongba, although Li Shanchang is guilty, he has followed Your Majesty since Haozhou, assisting you in establishing the empire and managing state affairs for more than 20 years. His contributions to the country are immense. Even if he has made mistakes, considering his past service, I earnestly request Your Majesty to show some leniency.”

"Furthermore, the Great Ming Code states: 'The crime is limited to the individual, and the innocent should not be implicated.' If the entire family is executed, it may damage Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence and virtue, discourage meritorious officials, and cause unrest in the court and among the people."

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu of Han executed his meritorious officials, which was condemned by later generations; Emperor Taizong of Tang treated Wei Zheng leniently, which was praised in history. Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and should set an example of benevolence for all generations."

"It would be better to punish Li Shanchang according to the law, while pardoning his family, or stripping them of their titles and exiling them. This would both uphold the law and demonstrate the Emperor's grace. In this way, the world will surely praise Your Majesty's wisdom and magnanimity, and the nation will enjoy stability."

"If Your Majesty insists on severe punishment, could you limit it to their direct relatives and spare the collateral relatives? This would both demonstrate Your Majesty's authority and show compassion."

Upon hearing Empress Ma's words, Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately swayed and ultimately decided to heed her advice and kill only Li Shanchang, without implicating Li Shanchang's relatives.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was very confused because he was worried about Empress Ma's health. So he had specifically instructed her not to tell Empress Ma about these things.

Zhu Yuanzhang later learned that Ouyang Lun had gone to see Empress Ma.

Without a doubt, it must be Ouyang Lun!

However, whether Zhu Yuanzhang questioned Empress Ma or Ouyang Lun, neither of them admitted it.

Even if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to settle scores with Ouyang Lun, he had no reason to do so.

When Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him, Ouyang Lun cleverly avoided eye contact, completely refusing to meet his gaze.

This made Zhu Yuanzhang even more frustrated.

"The Huaixi Party Case will be handled in this manner. Three days from now, all civil and military officials will go to the execution ground to witness the ceremony!"

"No one is allowed to be absent!"

"Alright! We're getting a bit tired, let the Emperor take charge of the rest!"

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he immediately got up and left.

"My son, I respectfully send my father off!"

"Your humble servants respectfully bid farewell to the Emperor Emeritus!"

With Zhu Yuanzhang's departure, the atmosphere in the court became much more relaxed.

But the thought of going to the execution ground in three days to watch Li Shanchang and other Huaixi Party officials beheaded was unbearable.

Many officials looked worried!
The faces of Lan Yu, Huang Zicheng, and other Huaixi Party officials were extremely grim. (End of Chapter)