The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 229 Li Dongyang

Chen Kuan got a hard job.

But he still had to bite the bullet and do it.

To be honest, with his status, he would not normally receive such a hard job.

But the problem is that Liu Jin is now suffering torture in the imperial prison, and Zhang Yong lacks spirituality, so in the end His Majesty the Emperor chose Chen Kuan.

What else could Chen Kuan do?

I can only bring two royal doctors over to do things honestly.

After entering Li Mansion and going to Li Dongyang's room, I smelled a strong smell of soup before entering.

The person leading the way was still a young man, but it was not Li Zhaofan. This unlucky guy was still being tortured in the prison, and he was probably about to die innocently.

The young man's name was Li Ciwen, and he was also a descendant of the Li family. He was a adopted son of Li Dongyang, but he was already from a different lineage. How could he be related by blood to Li Zhaofan, his biological nephew.

Li Ciwen entered and communicated for a moment, then hurried in and bowed to signal Chen Kuan to enter.

After all, Chen Kuan came with His Majesty's Holy Order this time. Not to mention that Li Dongyang was still awake, even if he had only one breath left, he would still have to get up and kneel to receive the order.

Chen Kuan walked into the room and subconsciously covered his mouth and nose with his hands.

There is no way, the smell of the soup in this room is too strong and pungent.

The chief minister of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, Mr. Li Dongyang and Li Ge, was leaning on the soft couch with a pale face at the moment. He was obviously very ill.

"Scholar Li, Your Majesty has a message!"

Li Dongyang struggled twice, but couldn't get up in the end, so he could only continue to apologize.

Chen Kuan was not a stubborn person. When he saw this, he chuckled and said, "It doesn't have to be like this. As long as Academician Li can hear it clearly."

"Your Majesty, what you mean is, is Academician Li's health okay? If he is okay, then he can go back and take office. There are many affairs in the cabinet. Without Academician Li, the chief minister of the cabinet, many things will not work. If he is not okay, then Li The bachelor can rest in peace, and His Majesty has sent two imperial doctors to treat the bachelor at any time!"

Hearing these words, Li Dongyang was stunned and speechless.

This is not the kind of emperor who cares about his subjects!

This was clearly forcing him, Li Dongyang, to resign on his own initiative and not to occupy the position of chief minister of the cabinet!
Why is this so?

Why is this so!
Li Dongyang sighed secretly, gritted his teeth and replied: "Excuse me for your Majesty's concern. I deserve death!"

"But eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. I will go to Wenyuan Pavilion tomorrow to be on duty!"

As soon as these words came out, Chen Kuan's face changed slightly and he looked deeply at this guy.

Do you think you are stupid or too smart?
Isn't His Majesty's intention clear enough?

Why do we have to persist and give up even the last bit of dignity?
"Well... our family understands what Bachelor Li means and will report it to His Majesty truthfully!"

"One more thing. Li Zhaofan could not withstand the torture in prison and had already admitted his crime. According to the laws of the country, he should be beheaded in public. Your Majesty thought that this son was Li Xueshi's only son, so he wanted to ask Li Xueshi who he was. Opinion, how to deal with it?”

Li Zhaofan!
Behead in public display!

Hearing these words, Li Ciwen on the side couldn't help but tremble, and looked at this "father" with hope.

Li Dongyang was startled when he heard this, and his eyes turned blood red.

Of course he knew that Li Zhaofan was innocent, and even Li Zhaofan would not have to suffer these cruel punishments. As long as he, Li Dongyang, resigned willingly and resigned from the court from now on, then none of this would have happened!
However, Li Dongyang was unwilling to give in, and he didn’t dare!
He was unwilling to end his career in such a miserable way!
He was even more afraid that he would suffer bloody revenge from Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan!
It is true that during the Hongzhi period, Li Dongyang requested to become an official many times.

That's because Liu Jian is the master of the Zhengde Emperor. With Liu Jian sitting in the position of chief minister of the cabinet, Li Dongyang will never have the chance to go further in his life!
In addition, his health was getting worse and worse, and Li Dongyang completely lost his enterprising spirit, so he repeatedly requested to become an official, but Emperor Hongzhi refused.

In addition, even if Li Dongyang becomes an official, there will still be central officials such as Liu Daxia and Xiong Xiu in the court to protect the Huguang Township Party. He, Li Dongyang, can still intervene in government affairs through the power of the Huguang Township Party. There is not much difference between being in the government and being in opposition. .

But what about this righteousness?
Because of Tang Hao, a damned thief, Liu Daxia was ordered to become an official and Xiong Xiu was kicked out of the court. He, Li Dongyang, was now in dire straits. He managed to turn Yang Yiqing into the Minister of War, but he turned out to be a loyal fool again!
Just imagine, if Li Dongyang really resigns and becomes an official, who will protect the Huguang Township Party and guarantee everyone's interests?
Furthermore, Emperor Hongzhi's advisor Liu Jian should have resigned on his own initiative when he arrived in the Zhengde Dynasty. Emperor Zhengde's advisor Yang Tinghe was too young. Li Dongyang did not have the opportunity to go further and become Yuanfu in charge of the cabinet, so why did he resign? ?
The change of court is bound to be accompanied by the change of power. This is an unbreakable truth.

He, Li Dongyang, finally took the position of chief minister of the cabinet. He has not yet truly realized his political ambitions. Why should he resign in such a dejected manner?
If he resigns and becomes an official at this moment, even if Tang Hao does not retaliate, no one in the Huguang Township Party will be in a central position. Let alone guaranteed benefits, once the emperor Zhu Houzhao is offended for something, he is afraid that he will be liquidated and uprooted immediately. , what can Li Dongyang do in the opposition?
At that time, not only will you have to live on tenterhooks after returning to your hometown, but you may also be held accountable!

Therefore, Li Dongyang is unwilling to retreat, and he dare not retreat!

Things have reached this stage, and he can no longer resign if he wants to!

Even if it means watching Li Zhaofan die!
"Chen Dajuan, my family, Zhaofan, has been educated and educated since he was a child. He will never do such sinister things. Please be careful, Chen Dajuan!"

"Oh?" Chen Kuan smiled, very coldly, "Since it wasn't Li Zhaofan who did it, then who did it? Is it true that it was Li Xueshi who did it as Tang Shaozong said?"

When Li Ciwen heard this, his face lost all color.

"Scholar Li, please don't forget that the Imperial Procuratorate has sent a royal censor to Chaling, Huguang, to investigate the case of your Chaling Li family occupying village land, fish and meat for the common people!"

"It is said that the censor sent by President Zhang this time is He Mingfu, who is known as the "iron-faced censor". If he arrives in Chaling, I am afraid that your Li family's century-old foundation will be destroyed!"

Li Dongyang's expression changed wildly, and Li Ciwen was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground.

He Mingfu, the iron-faced censor, was from Caozhou, Shandong. He had little ambition, read a lot of books, stayed up all night, and became a Jinshi in high school in the twelfth year of Chenghua.

This man was an upright official and hated corrupt officials. He once toured Liaodong. The eunuch who was the tax collector of Liaodong at that time was a confidant of Li Guang, the great eunuch of the Hongzhi Dynasty. Relying on Li Guang's authority, he imposed excessive taxes and expropriations, causing an endless stream of people to flee and whimper. Crowds clogged the roads.

After He Mingfu took office, he heard and witnessed this scene, and immediately arrested and executed the Liaodong tax envoy who was extremely angry with the people. He also announced to the world that if there are any tax envoys who harm the people again, they will be severely punished.

After that, He Mingfu painted "Picture of the Bitter People", listing various illegal crimes of eunuch tax envoys from various places, and presented them to the court. This shocked the court and began to investigate these eunuchs and eunuchs who were doing evil outside and exploiting the people. Although the eunuch Li Guang was very angry, he had already At his wits' end, in order to get out of the predicament, he bribed the He family with money, but He Mingfu refused to accept it.

In the end, resentment spread all over the country, and the government and the public were shaken and uneasy. Emperor Hongzhi woke up from a dream and ordered to beat Li Guang to show that he had to bear the responsibility. Li Guang died in anger and fear of committing suicide.

The iron-faced censor He Mingfu, of course he knows his name Li Dongyang!
Li Dongyang knew even more clearly that the Chaling Li family had relied on Li Dongyang's power over the years to occupy countless farmlands and persecute many people!

If He Mingfu is allowed to investigate this, I am afraid that the entire Chaling Li family will be arrested and imprisoned. No one is clean!
"Chen Dajue!"

"Does Your Majesty have to do this...?"

"Be careful!" Chen Kuan shouted coldly!

"I'm afraid Li Xueshi doesn't know that just this morning, His Majesty ordered Ma Zheng to be completely corrupted. Wu Tinghuan, the Minister of Taipu Temple, dared to rebelliously scold His Majesty in court as a tyrant and a traitor to the people. This made His Majesty furious and ordered all the Taipu Temple officials to be killed. All Pusi officials have been suspended for thorough investigation!”

"The current Ming Dynasty is not the Ming Dynasty of Hongzhi Dynasty. Scholar Li should fear the emperor!"

Li Dongyang's face turned pale as he listened to this shocking news, and his whole body felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

His Majesty the Emperor ordered a thorough investigation of Ma Zheng!

All Taipu Temple officials have been suspended for investigation!
Finished!

It's all over!

Don’t forget that in the past, the Ministry of War was controlled by the Huguang Township Party, so naturally this corruption in Ma Zheng’s administration has something to do with them!
Whether it was reselling war horses for corruption, or taking bribes for profit, they made a lot of money from it!

Wu Tinghuan, Wu Tinghuan, you damn fool!

Li Dongyang's eyes were red with anger and he couldn't help coughing violently.

This coughing immediately became unstoppable.

Seeing that he had nothing to say, Chen Kuan couldn't help but sigh.

"Scholar Li, you and I can be considered colleagues who have known each other for many years."

"We have a saying in our family, please keep it in mind, Academician Li."

Li Dongyang was indifferent and just coughed violently.

"The current Ming Dynasty is no better than the previous Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty is in the prime of life, determined to renew the Ming Dynasty, and has already begun to take charge!"

"If Academician Li doesn't want to kill everyone in his family, then he should resign and serve as an official as soon as possible. Doesn't it mean that Academician Li doesn't understand such a simple principle as retreating bravely?"

Li Dongyang was startled when he heard this, and then started coughing again.

Chen Kuan didn't care about his little tricks and continued to talk to himself.

"Speaking of which, the smartest person is Yuan Fu Liu Jian!"

"At first we all thought he was just a conciliatory old official, and no one took him seriously!"

"The Liu Yu case has become a stain on Liu Jian's life, and it has also become a perfect excuse for all forces to attack!"

"But what's the result? Liu Jian took the initiative to resign and become an official. He received all the treatment that a central minister received after he became an official. Then he left the capital and returned to his hometown to live in retirement. This is the true wisdom and foolishness!" "Liu Shi, think about it carefully. !”

After saying these words, Chen Kuan stood up and left.

As for the two imperial doctors, they will stay in Li Mansion and be ready to sentence Li Dongyang to death.

After Chen Kuan left, Li Dongyang stopped coughing, and instead stared at the blood stains in his palms in a daze.

At this moment, Li Ciwen knelt down in front of Li Dongyang with a pop.

"grown ups!"

"Let's become official!"

"Your Majesty can no longer tolerate you!"

"If you continue to insist on your own way, then my century-old foundation of the Li family will be destroyed!"

Li Ciwen had just become the "lucky one" and was adopted from the clan to Li Dongyang. There was no relationship between the two parties yet, and he couldn't pronounce the word "father", so he could only call him "sir" which means "elder". call.

Li Dongyang ignored the new son and was still in a daze looking at the blood on his hands.

"My lord!"

"As long as you say goodbye and take office!"

"Your Majesty will not be aggressive with you!"

"Cousin Zhaofan can survive! My Li family will not face catastrophe! This is all the bargaining chip His Majesty has shown you, sir..."

"Get out!" Li Dongyang suddenly roared, making Li Ciwen tremble all over.

"grown ups……"

"roll!"

Facing the furious Li Dongyang, Li Ciwen did not dare to persuade him any more and rolled out of the room.

Li Dongyang fell into deep thought alone, and then burst into extremely vicious laughter, as terrifying as a night owl, making people shudder!

After Chen Kuan returned to the palace, he immediately went to pay the order.

"Your Majesty, this Li Dongyang probably won't resign!"

The reason why Chen Kuan said those seemingly well-intentioned reminders was actually to force Li Dongyang to resign.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor entrusted this job to him in the hope that Li Dongyang would be wiser and take the initiative to resign, leaving both parties with dignity.

However, Li Dongyang has such a cold heart, so there is really nothing to say.

Zhu Houzhao sneered and said: "That's all, even if he is still the chief minister of the cabinet, he is just a clay sculpture chief minister and has no influence."

"Then Li Zhaofan, let's save his life first. Maybe he will be of some use in the future!"

"As for the case of Chaling Li's occupation of farmland, fish and meat for the common people, let He Mingfu investigate as he should and do whatever he wants to do!"

"I would like to see how Li Dongyang will continue to be ranked high in the court after the outcome of this case comes out!"

Chen Kuan understood immediately and chuckled: "I'm afraid that by that time, the civil servants and gentry will attack him in groups, and they will no longer allow Li Dongyang to hold the position of chief minister of the cabinet!"

Zhu Houzhao snorted coldly and was noncommittal.

Immediately, he mentioned another thing, and his expression became strange.

"Da Xun, I heard that Duke Baoguo canceled his marriage to the Marquis of Zhongshan?"

"Indeed!" Chen Kuan explained with disdain, "Not only did he cancel the marriage, but Zhu Hui, the protector of the country, acted as if he was deliberately humiliating him. He just sent a servant to the Marquis of Zhongshan. The government informed me!”

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Houzhao became furious!
"What a great Zhu Hui!"

"What a bastard and loser!"

"I haven't settled the matter with Pingjiang Bo Chen Xiong in the last battle. How dare you be so arrogant and domineering now?"

"Call Tishuai to put Zhu Hui in jail immediately. In the name of accepting bribes from Pingjiang Bo Chen Xiong, I won't peel off a single layer of his skin!"

Chen Kuan was startled when he heard this, then smiled and nodded.

Poor Baoguo Gong!
This time we really suffered a disaster.

With Chen Kuan's intelligence, he couldn't understand that this was clearly His Majesty the Marquis of Zhongshan who had forcibly taken away one hundred thousand taels of silver. His Majesty was sharpening his sword and aiming at the fat sheep, preparing to harvest a wave of money to fill his internal funds!
After all, the Dongguanting Camp is a bottomless pit, and money has to be poured into it every day. If your Majesty does not ensure that the internal funds are generated, how can you afford to raise so many elite soldiers!

Chen Kuan immediately went to deliver the order. After Zhu Houzhao waited for him to leave, he immediately took out a pamphlet and read it with relish. The pamphlet had seven characters written on it - the first volume of "Qian Breaks the Sky".

After receiving the order, Tishuai Mubin naturally did not hesitate and immediately led Tiqi into action.

After all, the target this time is Zhu Hui, the Duke of Ming Dynasty and the Duke of Bao Guo!
This Bao Guo Gong was only passed down to the second generation. The first generation was promoted by force of military merit. The result is good now, because this useless second generation Zhu Hui is probably going to die.

At this moment, Zhu Hui also noticed some uneasiness, but it was not because of Pingjiang Bo Chen Xiong, but because of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao!
He never expected that Tang Hao, who was almost expelled from the clan before, would miraculously make a comeback and directly defeat Li Dongyang!

This damn savage barbarian not only did nothing wrong, but also still held the power of the Beijing army. Even Yang Yiqing was tricked by him into investigating Ma Zheng's affairs!
Damn it!
Why is the result like this?
Now he, Zhu Hui, is no longer a human being inside and out!
After all, when the engagement was broken off last time, the second uncle of the Marquis of Zhongshan, Tang Yan, put aside his harsh words and would definitely settle the matter with Duke Baoguo's government for this humiliation!
To be honest, Zhu Hui still has some confidence. After all, he is Duke Baoguo, while Tang Hao is just a Marquis of Zhongshan. The two have different bodies.

If you are a normal person, even if you are humiliated by the Duke, it will still be humiliating.

But that Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao was not a normal person!
He is a fucking lunatic!

So Zhu Hui is really scared now. He is afraid that this lunatic will come directly to his door!

When he thought of this, Zhu Hui angrily slapped the butler beside him several times, causing the latter to scream in agony.

"You damn thing!"

"I asked you to break off the engagement, why do you want to cause more trouble?"

"You are just a lowly servant. Who gave you the courage to humiliate the Marquis of Zhongshan?"

The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, and when he heard this, he was so frightened that he fell to his knees on the ground, trying to explain in a hurry.

However, at this moment, a concierge rushed in rolling and crawling.

"master!"

"It's not good, sir!"

"Someone's knocking on the door!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Hui's expression changed drastically at first, and then he forcibly calmed down.

After all, he is Tang Hao's elder, and he has been kind to Tang Hao in the past, so Tang Hao should not cause too much trouble!

So Zhu Hui glanced at the housekeeper coldly, and ordered the waste to be tied up and handed over to Tang Hao to vent his anger. Even if he killed him, it was none of Zhu Hui's business!
However, when Zhu Hui came to the door with the tied-up housekeeper, ready to surrender to Tang Hao, he was stunned on the spot.

Because the person who came to the door was not the Marquis of Zhongshan at all, but Jin Yiwei!

Mou Bin looked at the panicked Zhu Hui and sneered: "Mr. Bao Guo, please follow me to the imperial edict to explain it to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jinyi Tiqi, who looked like a wolf and a tiger, immediately stepped forward and took Zhu Hui into custody.

"No!"

"What are you doing?"

Zhu Hui roared in horror, but he couldn't break free at all.

"According to your Majesty's order, thoroughly investigate the case of Zhu Hui, the protector of the country, colluding with Pingjiang Bo Chen Xiong, selling salt to induce corruption and accepting bribes, and take him away!"

Chen Xiong!

Pingjiang Bo Chen Xiong!
Zhu Hui finally understood, and his face turned pale with fear.

He hurriedly looked at his butler and shouted wildly: "Go and beg the British Duke! And the Marquis of Zhongshan! Go quickly!"

housekeeper:"……"

(End of this chapter)