Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 214: Severe crackdown on culture, the literati are afraid and panic!
"Yuan Zonggao offered a prostitute to the emperor to seduce him and taught him the art of sex."

Yan Song read a sentence while looking at an unfinished historical note copied from Xiang Wendi's study, which was personally compiled by Xiang Wendi.

Then, he said to Wen Ding in a deep voice: "Is this how you slander your Majesty?"

"Take it!"

"Please show mercy, Lord!"

Xiang Wendi immediately knelt down.

then.

Xiang Wen Ding said: "I just wrote down some rumors, not intentionally slandering you!"

"You wrote it down and left your real name."

"And you still say it's not slander?"

"Tell me, what is slander?!"

Yan Song asked with a smile about Xiang Wendi, then waved his hand and ordered Qi Jingtong, who was his guerrilla agent in charge of observing customs and rectifying social practices, to bring his soldiers and arrest Xiang Wendi.

Yan Song also ordered that all of Xiang Wendi's books, documents and notes be confiscated, saying that they needed to be examined one by one.

Xiang Wendi was even more distressed when he saw this, because many of these books and documents were rare copies that he had purchased at high prices, and many were secret palace collections that he had stolen from the inner court's literary building in exchange for bribes to the Hanlin Academy.

But Yan Song had to admit that Huguang was indeed a country with developed culture and education, many literati and scholars had collections of books, and there were also many bookstores.

Yan Song suddenly had an idea and simply hired many literate royal family members and princes from Huguang as his staff, asked them to search for him, and promised that they would be rewarded generously if they found any.

Anyway, he now has 100,000 silver dollars.

He is really rich!

The poor royal family members were happy to work for him.

For this reason, Yan Song also specifically stated that this was in response to the emperor's will and to launch a severe crackdown in culture.

Many royal family members therefore broke into the homes of many gentry and scholars, and dug out notes and unofficial histories that contained memories of the former Yuan Dynasty, criticisms of the Ming Dynasty, and attacks on the government.

"You are kidding me!"

"Trespassing into my private residence!"

When the retired imperial censor Xie Liangchen saw many royal family members holding badges of the envoys of observing customs and rectifying social practices breaking into his library, he was so angry that he banged the ground with his cane and shouted anxiously:

"Someone, get them out!"

Xie Liangchen's servant Duan An knelt down and tried to persuade him, "Master, you can't do this. They are all descendants of the royal family. They are just paid to work for the customs and morality envoys. If you beat them, their nature will change!"

"Then burn the library down!"

"I don't want any rare engravings or anything like that!"

Xie Liangchen gritted his teeth and shouted at Duan An, "Go! If they really find out about my article, I'm done for!"

Duan An kowtowed again and advised: "Master, you can't burn it! That Yan Song has sent an order to us in advance, saying that the library of the Xie family in Jingzhou is not only the library of the Xie family, but also the library of the court. It is the cultural treasure of the Ming Dynasty. If it is burned, it will destroy the foundation of the country. During the crackdown, those who are accomplices in treason will be punished, and all members of the Xie family will be executed!"

Xie Liangchen was stunned after hearing this, and then he could not help but curse: "You are so good, Yan Song, you are really more vicious than your student! You are so embarrassing to the gentry!"

Xie Liangchen immediately fainted and fell to the ground, obviously having been angered by Yan Song.

"Outrageous!"

"Outrageous!"

"Get the book, get the book immediately!"

"The morale of the Huguang literati is extremely bad, especially the gentry, who slandered Lord Yuan, slandered Your Majesty, and even slandered the late emperor!"

"They even said that the lack of offspring in Xiao Miao was due to the Queen Mother's jealousy!"

"They don't even know the three taboos of the venerable? This is simply treason!"

"It is true that the Queen Mother is jealous, but can this be written?"

Yan Song could not help but sigh with emotion as he read the unofficial histories and articles written by local writers who were punishable by law and who were handed over by the royal family's descendants.

……

……

"Gentlemen, please think of a solution quickly!"

"This is not the way to use the royal family's descendants!"

Fengqi Academy.

It was built during the Zhengde reign period by scholars and officials at the former residence of Pang Tong in Xiangyang Prefecture.

at this time.

A group of gentry in Xiangyang gathered here to discuss solutions after hearing that Jingzhou and Wuchang had launched a vigorous campaign to check books and articles by the envoys for observing customs and rectifying practices.

Retired Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Deng Mo was in the hall of the academy, speaking to a group of gentry with an anxious look on his face.

Gentry Huang Wensheng said at this time: "We originally wanted to mobilize the royal family members to demand the rice and rations, and use up the treasury grains of treacherous officials like Shu Sheng and Gui E, so that they could not crack down and maintain the power of the new policy. However, Gui E took the initiative to pay the rice and rations owed, forcing us to give up. Now, Yan Song is using these royal family members to observe the customs and rectify the social practices!"

Snapped!
"Why are these treacherous officials so cunning and sly!"

Huang Wensheng then slammed the table in anger.

"How can one be called a traitor if he is not cunning and crafty?"

The scholar Ding Biao sneered and asked back, then sighed and said: "This is a disaster for the scholars in Huguang! We indulged the monks and nuns in making trouble, and the court cracked down on them! We accused Yuan Zonggao of competing with the people for profit, and the court came to observe the customs and rectify the practices!"

"It can be said that the treacherous ministers today are really instigating the emperor more and more!"

"Let's take a look at Fujian. As long as Fujian stops the gold mines in Donglai from producing gold and replenishes the financial resources, the new policy of Huguang, which is spending a lot of money to instigate the royal family, will not be able to be maintained!"

……

……

"what!"

"what!"

In the dark and gloomy imperial prison.

The wounded Zhang Lun was being tortured.

Although he was the governor of Donglai Prefecture, he deceived the emperor, plotted to embezzle the national treasury, communicated with foreigners, wanted to sell out his people, and clearly stated in the written document to Xia Yan that the big families in Fujian were involved in this matter. Therefore, the emperor issued an order that the Jinyiwei could punish his accomplices.

Whoohoo!

Hiss! The red hot iron kept poking Zhang Lun's body. The Jinyiwei Lu Bing who was interrogating him even kicked him in the crotch and gritted his teeth and said, "You will or will not?"

Zhang Lun puffed up his face, veins popping out of his forehead, and then he started to cry again, pouting: "What on earth, what on earth do you want me to say...what?"

"Your accomplice!"

"Which big families in Fujian are involved in this matter?"

Lu Bing picked up the soldering iron and asked in a deep voice.

Zhang Lun said: "No... there is no big family in Fujian!"

"what!"

Lu Bing pressed the iron down again: "Say it or not!"

"Zhu Taibao, do you know what happened to people like Mao Xiang, Ji Gang, and Ma Shun?"

"My today will be your future!"

Zhang Lun threatened Lu Bing instead.

"Your threats are useless!"

"Zhu San is my student. He knows very well that those people you mentioned offended scholars and officials only for the selfish desires of the ruler, but he offended scholars and officials for the public interest of the country. In this way, he can't offend the gentlemen of the world! He will only offend the hypocrites!"

“Are hypocrites scary?”

“Not scary!”

"Those who have desires can always be bribed and intimidated. Even if the emperor is deceived by a hypocrite and wants to kill him, the gentlemen of the world will persuade the wise emperor to restore his reputation!"

"Everyone must die, but if you die for justice, then your death is worth it!"

"Besides, everyone has his own mission in life. He can only be loyal to the emperor. Otherwise, if he doesn't die at your hands, he will die at the hands of the emperor!"

Wang Qiong, who was now able to move freely in the imperial prison, walked up to Zhang Lun and said a few words with his hands behind his back.

"Wang Jinxi?!"

Zhang Lun was horrified!

"That's what sir said."

"I, Lu Bing, am not a talented person, but I do have a public-spirited heart and a loyal heart."

As Lu Bing was speaking, he shouted, "Get on the tiger bench!"

"slow!"

"I said!"

……

……

Fujian.

Ever since Lai Yuan and Zhang Lun suddenly disappeared, the wealthy families in Fujian have become panic-stricken.

They naturally guessed that these two people might have been captured by the Jinyiwei.

However, they had already taken care of the families of Zhang Lun and Lai Yuan so that the two would not be easily taken advantage of.

But they were still afraid that these two people would not be able to bear it in the end.

"Lai Yuan is lucky. If he falls into the hands of the Imperial Guards, he can just say that Zhang Lun tricked him! I don't think he will be tortured by the Imperial Guards."

"But Zhang Lun is different. In order to gain Xia Yan's trust for us, he left a document in Xia Yan's hand. This is the handle. Once it is in the hands of the emperor, the emperor can naturally order the torture of Zhang Lun openly."

"Now we need to worry about whether Zhang Lun can hold on!"

Retired Vice Minister Chen Lianghan just as retired Minister of Personnel Lin Jun came to see him in person to tell him about the situation.

Moreover, when Lin Jun was in the capital, he guessed that his fellow villagers would target the Donglai minerals, so after returning home, he specifically asked his family and friends, and learned that his son Linda's wife's family, the Chen family, was involved. So, when these people were panicked by the sudden disappearance of Zhang Lun and Lai Yuan, Lin Jun forced his relative Chen Lianghan to tell him the truth.

Chen Lianghan also told the truth and also expressed his concerns at this time.

"If I had known today, why would I do it in the first place?"

Lin Jun couldn't help but say this.

Chen Lianghan sneered, "What happened in the past is what happens today. If the Donglai mine is really difficult for my Fujian nobles to own, it will be a great help. You should know it!"

"You know it, but your Majesty doesn't know it?! Don't the ministers in the court know it?!"

Lin Jun suddenly asked Chen Lianghan seriously.

Chen Lianghan said nothing.

He retired earlier than Lin Jun. He returned to his hometown in the middle of the Zhengde period because he was dissatisfied with Liu Jin's power. He did not know the new emperor Zhu Houcong and was not as afraid of him.

In addition, the Donglai Mine was so profitable that it blinded his mind. Even though he had heard that the current emperor was very wise, he still looked down on him. Especially when he thought about the fact that the previous emperor Zhengde was also said to be wise and powerful, but he was unable to do anything to them, he naturally became even less careful.

But now, when Lin Jun asked this, he couldn't explain the reasons.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Lin Jun just asked Chen Lianghan: "Have you really never thought about how to deal with it if the situation changes like this?"

"Had."

Chen Lianghan replied.

Lin Jun asked: "What countermeasures!"

Chen Lianghan asked Lin Jun: "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Of course I'll give it to you for your reference!"

"I don't want you to implicate my entire clan!"

Lin Jun said in a deep voice.

Chen Lianghan took a deep breath and said, "Let the Portuguese invade Fujian and help us escape to Donglai. Then we will use our population and connections to help them seize Donglai! They are also very interested in the gold mines in Donglai! They suffered losses in Guangdong and want to open up a new foothold in Donglai!"

Lin Jun said nothing after hearing this. After returning home, he sighed to his son Lin Da: "Your father is hopeless!"

Linda said: "Then what should our Lin family do?"

"Report the truth to the emperor."

"Our Lin family is different from them. As a family of ministers, smuggling is fine, but colluding with foreigners is too unworthy. Moreover, His Majesty also said that it is possible for my father to enter the cabinet in the future!"

(End of this chapter)