King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Why lie?

That's what I said.

Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong were stunned on the spot.

Some people didn't know how to answer the questions raised by Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi.

Regarding this matter, do they not want to inform? Do they not want to report this issue?

It’s obviously not that they don’t want to, but that they can’t!

How to report it and how to report it?

So many people are involved and so many people are involved.

If any of these people dare to report it, wouldn't they become enemies of everyone in the court and become the target of public criticism? Who can bear it or who can resist the revenge of such people?
Of course, the most important point here is that the two of them do not know the true thoughts of Zhu Gaochi, the emperor or the crown prince. God knows whether they will just let this matter go for the sake of the stability of the court?

If they really let it go with care, or turned a blind eye, then in the end wouldn't they be the only two people left to suffer?
As the saying goes: A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist.

When faced with uncertainties, and involving one's own life and property, who can be careless? Who can truly be fearless?

to this end.

Even if you know, even if your heart is as clear as a mirror.

However, Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong, as outsiders, could only turn a blind eye to this, pretending that they knew nothing and that nothing had happened. They could only let these officials follow their own wishes and ideas and act at will.
Of course, as long as it does not affect their interests, they will pretend that they saw nothing and knew nothing.

However, those reckless ministers were also quite sensible. Regarding these matters and issues, they never touched the bottom line of the two and always knew when to stop. They all had their own tacit understanding with each other.

That's why the two of them are like this.

For this reason, when facing Zhu Gaochi's questioning, the only thing Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong could do was to remain silent. They had no idea how to answer this question, because regarding this question, whatever they said would be wrong and whatever they said would be a problem, because on this matter, they all had their own selfish desires and ideas.

As the prince's questioning voice fell, the huge courtyard fell into an eerie silence.

No one spoke. The scene was awkward and the silence was heart-wrenching.

That's it.

A long time passed.

Zhu Gaochi came back to his senses from his daze, and saw the two people kneeling on the ground in front of him, lowering their heads and keeping silent. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became even more gloomy and chilling at this moment. He took a few deep breaths, slapped the chair beside him heavily, and asked angrily:

"Bastard thing."

"I am asking you a question."

"Why are you all so eloquent just now?"

"How come it is like this now? Everyone has become dumb and doesn't know how to speak. They don't know how to answer my question?"

"Or"

"I'm not worth it, can't you take me seriously?"

These words are very serious.

It was almost like that, he pointed at the two of them and cursed them.

At the same time, these shocking remarks also made the two of them deeply appreciate and feel for the first time the heart-pounding and terrifying aura that only belonged to a superior emanated from Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi.

For a moment, Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong felt as if they were facing Emperor Yongle and Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang.

In an instant, Jin Zhong was the first to come back to his senses from his daze. The expression on his face changed involuntarily. He did not dare to hesitate for a moment and quickly agreed:

"Your Highness, please calm down. Please calm down."

"It is not us who knew but did not report it."

"It is because we dare not, or rather, we cannot!"

"Whether it's the nobles or the gentry here, this style of doing things has been fixed thousands of years ago, and it has always been like this."

"Especially during the reign of Emperor Taizu, he also thought about changing the current situation, eliminating the influence of the gentry and gentry on the Ming Dynasty, and restraining these people, in order to give the people a good life."

“For this reason, Taizu could not help but implement extremely harsh and strict policies.”

"What's that?"

"And so on, a series of unprecedented punishment systems."

"For this reason, countless people died under the guillotine. However, no matter how many people Emperor Taizu killed, or how much blood was shed in an attempt to change the situation, the final result was that it had no effect."

"If you kill the Li family, the Wang family will grow up tomorrow. If you kill the growing Wang family, the Zhang family will grow up tomorrow."

"To put it bluntly"

"When someone dies, someone else stands up to fill that void."

"They are simply inexhaustible!"

"Killing people over and over again, except for death, or more deaths, has absolutely no effect. It does not pose any threat or deterrence to those gentry and nobles. Of course, there is a reason why Emperor Taizu did not dare to completely kill all the gentry and nobles in the world."

"But these are not the main point. The real main point is that it is ultimately created and caused by human nature."

"Because as long as you are a human being, as long as you are a mortal."

"Then there is greed. No matter who it is, as long as he sits in a position of power, there will always be temptations waiting for him. Even if he is not interested in money or women, what about power?"

"No matter who it is, as long as they are still human, as long as they are not saints who have no desires, someone will always find their unique 'desire'. Once someone finds their desire and weakness, then they will definitely be defeated."

"Once it's breached, then the official will be corrupted."

"As long as one person is corrupted, thousands of people will inevitably be dragged down, because since ancient times, whether it is the Ming Dynasty or the dynasties, our entire nation has been a society based on human relationships."

"No one can escape this principle, this fixed mindset, and no one can get around it."

"It is precisely because of this truth that no matter who faces this problem, they will have no way to solve it." "For this reason, even if we know it, we can only pretend that we know nothing, and can only turn a blind eye and pretend to be stupid."

Having said this, Jin Zhong paused for a moment, his expression becoming more solemn and serious, a hint of determination flashed across his face, and he continued:
"This matter."

"Forgive me for daring to say something disrespectful."

"The Jinyiwei have spies all over the country, monitoring the entire Ming Dynasty."

"What happened in the court, or what kind of people the officials are, whether they have problems or made mistakes."

"I think these things cannot be hidden from your Majesty's eyes."

"Regarding these matters, the Imperial Guards must have reported them to His Majesty."

"But regarding this issue, Your Majesty has never mentioned it in all these years, and has always pretended to know nothing."

"Since Your Majesty has turned a blind eye to this issue, what can we, as your subjects, do?"

"How dare I have any other ideas? Can I refute Your Majesty? Or is it so tactless to make such a report and expose this matter, and make Your Majesty embarrassed about this matter?"

"Or, as subjects, do we really have to make His Majesty lose face for this?"

"For this reason, as subjects, all we can do is pretend to be ignorant while knowing the truth."

"I beg Your Highness the Crown Prince to understand this."

Zhu Gaochi: “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Damn it!
Cruel enough!
It's really outrageous.

This is directly bringing out Emperor Yongle and his biological father, and exposing them directly to the public!

However, regarding this matter, Zhu Gaochi was directly punished and had no idea what to say.

Why?
Because isn't this obvious?

Just as Jin Zhong said, the Jinyiwei monitors the whole world. As the emperor's eyes and ears and the only ministers in the Ming Dynasty court, what can be hidden from the eyes and ears of the Jinyiwei?

For this reason, the Jinyiwei must have compiled a memorial to Emperor Yongle early on to report on the dirty deeds of officials in the court, who joined forces with or formed their own aristocratic families to annex the land from the people of the world, or who relied on their fame and privileges to evade taxes and taxation for others.

And over the years, Zhu Di has never mentioned a word about this matter, as if nothing had happened and as if he knew nothing. Such an attitude is naturally very telling.

Of course, the most important point is that it will make some of the clean ministers in the court who know about these dirty things dare not say too much about it, or even dare to make memorials or reports about it. At the same time, it will also make those ministers who make small moves behind the scenes more daring.

So in a sense, the fact that the ministers in the court were so bold and unscrupulous was directly related to Emperor Zhu Di.

It is also because everyone is a shrewd person. Even the emperor has acquiesced to it. Who would dare to be so ignorant and bold as to expose these things without any scruples?
Isn't this just like an old centenarian eating arsenic because he is dissatisfied with his life being too long?
This is what has created the current vicious cycle.

It makes things increasingly out of control and worse, and it also makes some people more daring.

Of course I think so, but I can’t say it that way.

After a brief moment of daze, Zhu Gaochi glanced at Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji who were kneeling on the ground with a bad temper, waved his hand and said:

"Okay okay okay"

"I am not an unreasonable person, and I admit that what you said is very reasonable."

“But some people can indulge it, and some people can turn a blind eye to it.”

"The problem is that you all know about this, but I know nothing about this matter. I am completely kept in the dark by everyone."

"Why don't you report these things to me?"

"You are afraid of offending people, you are worried about being attacked and retaliated, but this matter has fallen to me, I know what to do, can I still push you to the front and let you be my guns?"

"If I had known about these rotten things, these dirty things, earlier, or if I had known about them in my heart."

"Regarding what happened at the grand court today, I would appear so passive, I would appear so ugly, even if I wanted to help you, don't I know how to do it?"

"Of course, the most important point is that if I knew about this matter and I was the one mediating, even if some people didn't know how to restrain themselves, the matter would definitely not involve so many people!"

"You guys, you guys really are the ones who make me not know what to say to you guys."

Hearing this.

Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji, who were kneeling on the ground, could not help but look at each other, and both of them couldn't help but snort in their hearts. They regarded these words as nonsense and completely sneered at them.

Why?
Because with the things happening right now, even the two of them, Emperor Yongle and Emperor Hongwu, have not been able to handle them well.

They absolutely did not believe that Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi could properly resolve this problem that had existed for thousands of years and truly make people abandon greed.

nothing else
Regarding what is happening right now, the Ming Money House has opened for business and the ministers in the court are trying to get a piece of the pie.

With warnings from the Crown Prince, the King of Han, the King of Zhao, and a number of important officials in the court, what will be the final result?
After all, there were some people who couldn't resist their own greed, and for the sake of such high rewards and benefits, they completely ignored their warnings, continued to do as they pleased, and even tried to take the cake from both sides, swallowing up the court's share.

Isn’t this an example that is so obvious that it couldn’t be more vivid?
To this end, not to mention the annexation of land, which is a truly huge benefit and a long-term thing.

Even if Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi came forward, how many people could truly resist such huge benefits?

Of course, are there such people?

It is undeniable that there is definitely one.

But such people are limited to a minority after all, and the vast majority of people will certainly not be able to resist such temptation.

Of course, you can think this way, but you can't say it this way.

If you really say that, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the prince?
to this end.

Regarding this issue, the only thing Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong could do was to admit their mistakes and said:

"I am reckless."

"I beg Your Highness to forgive me." (End of this chapter)