Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 307: Demoted from office and living in idleness, Yan Song and Zhang Cong jointly protect Zhu Wan!
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

"I have blood written by the people of Liangzhe as evidence, accusing Zhu Wan of using the excuse of coastal defense to allow his soldiers to rob merchants and civilians, and to enrich himself by giving bribes!"

At this time, Chen Gun, the Imperial Censor, also stepped out and raised the memorial above his head.

Zhu Houcong asked someone to bring the blood letter.

"Your Majesty, Zhu Wan, in the name of coastal defense, not only oppresses the common people, but also oppresses the gentry."

"He fabricated evidence everywhere, slandering the gentry for colluding with the Japanese and acting as an interpreter! This caused panic among the people along the southeast coast!"

"I request that Your Majesty order the immediate arrest of Zhu Wan and bring him to justice!"

The censor Liang Shibiao also continued speaking.

Zhu Houcong sneered secretly after hearing this.

Bullying the gentry?

How could Zhu Wan, as the commander-in-chief of coastal defense, bully the gentry?

Unless, these gentry themselves extended their tentacles of profiteering to the sea.

However, Zhu Houcong did not rush to speak out, but just looked at the blood letter in his hand.

Zhu Houcong had to admit that the blood letter was very real and the injustice it expressed was very painful, implying that everything Zhu Wan did in Liangzhe was against the will of heaven and earth.

"I have read the blood letter, and I will also circulate it to the court officials above the fourth rank for review."

After Zhu Houcong said this, he handed the blood letter to Gu Dayong.

Gu Dayong was taken away and given to the Prime Minister Fei Hong.

Fei Hong and other court officials above the fourth rank were all asked to read it.

Soon, the Deputy Chief Censor Hu Dan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, what Zhu Wan did was truly appalling and outrageous. I think he should be punished!"

"Your Majesty, I second the motion. Zhu Wan is so cruel to the people. If he is not severely punished, it will sooner or later provoke a civil uprising!"

Nie Shi, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, followed suit.

Yan Song, the cabinet scholar and official in charge of observing customs and rectifying practices, stood up at this time:

"Your Majesty, I have a question!"

"Do you have any questions?"

Zhu Houcong looked at Yan Song.

Yan Song said: "I want to ask Chen Jijian, what kind of people are they that can write a blood letter with their own handwriting?"

Chen Gun was startled and looked at Yan Song angrily: "Of course they are educated people."

"Then I would like to ask, would Zhu Wan dare to kill educated people at will?"

"Zhu Wan may be bad, but he can't be so stupid. He can't be unaware of how much trouble he will get into if he kills a scholar, right?"

Yan Song asked.

Xiong Jia followed suit and questioned, "That's right. Commoners who can write must be from wealthy families. Zhu Wan wants to slander good people to gain credit, so he shouldn't go looking for such commoners. Unless everyone in Liangzhe can read, even the farmers can read and write!"

"Exactly what he said!"

"Your Majesty, I am from Zhejiang. As far as I know, in my hometown, there are still only a few common people who can read and write. And these people either stay at home to study, or report to the government to become officials because they don't want to endure the hardship of the imperial examination. At the very least, they will become staff officers. There is no possibility that they will go to the sea and be killed at will by the government troops to take credit for their achievements."

"I also believe that Chen Jijian's blood letter is a forgery. He is bluffing, confusing the emperor, and slandering the imperial envoy!"

At this time, the Minister of Works Zhang Cong also stood up to help Yan Song and Xiong Jia.

Chen Gun was speechless, and then hurriedly said to Zhu Houcong: "Your Majesty, I just received this blood letter from a Huizhou merchant, and I didn't think too much about it."

“So you have to reflect!”

Zhu Houcong said to Chen Gun and admonished him: "Don't report everything to me when you are hot-headed. It will only show me that you are impulsive and reckless!"

Chen Gun immediately bowed his head and acknowledged it, gritted his teeth secretly, and hated Yan Song, Zhang Cong and others in his heart.

Yan Song and Zhang Cong looked at each other.

Then, Yan Song straightened his chest, raised the corners of his mouth, and thought to himself: "After all, I chose him. He is indeed a loyal and upright person!" Zhu Houcong stood up at this time and continued to look at Chen Gunyan and said: "Not only did this make me see your impulsive and reckless side, but it also made me suspect that you might have selfish and sinister thoughts!"

"And you!"

“Reflect on this, too!”

Zhu Houcong looked at Hu Dan and Nie Shi again and said, "Yan Song was able to discover the clues, why couldn't you? After reading the blood letter, you immediately started a commotion."

"Trust your colleagues!"

"Don't do that with party strife!"

"How many times have I told you, why don't you listen?"

When Zhu Houcong said this, he slammed the imperial desk twice.

Hu Dan and Nie Shi immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of carelessness, but I have no intention of forming a faction to attack you!"

Hu Dan also began to explain himself and defend himself at this time.

Nie Shi also said, "Your Majesty, I was also guilty of carelessness and am willing to be punished, but I have absolutely no intention of forming a faction to attack and frame Zhu Wan!"

Zhu Houcong said: "If there is no such thing, then it is good. If there is such a thing, then it must be corrected. I am not the kind of person who would punish without teaching!"

"There is an order!"

"Hu Dan and Nie Shi were not careful, so they will be fined one month's salary."

"Chen Gun, you made a false offering of blood, which seems to be a framing of your colleagues and a sinister plot."

"It can be seen that when this person was a local official close to the people, he was able to put some thought into serving the country and the people in order to become an official in Beijing, but when he became an official in Beijing, he put his mind on other things. Officials like this who cannot abide by the right path should be removed in time to prevent them from causing greater harm when they become more powerful in the future."

"Therefore, I am dismissed from my post and will never be employed again!"

Zhu Houcong then issued a decision on the matter and asked Fei Hong, "What do you think, Yuan Fu?"

Fei Hong was the chief minister.

In order to show that he was cautious in issuing the decree, Zhu Houcong would also ask Fei Hong.

Fei Hong then said: "Your Majesty is wise. Not letting Chen Gun serve as an official is also a kind of protection for him."

Chen Gun couldn't help but be shocked.

His being stripped of his status meant that he would not even be considered a country gentleman when he returned.

But he didn't expect that his entire blood-written letter of advice would backfire.

This made him realize that it was really difficult to survive in the court, and that what he thought were smart choices were often the stupidest behaviors.

Chen Gun had no choice but to say that he obeyed the order, took off his hat and belt, and walked backwards out of the hall.

Censor Liang Shibiao glanced at Chen Gun's back and felt a little uneasy. At the same time, he couldn't help but secretly thank God that he didn't make a fuss and just reported the facts.

Zhu Houcong also looked at Liang Shibiao at this time: "Tell me, why did you impeach Zhu Wan?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"I impeached Zhu Wan not because of any personal grudge, but because I received a letter from a local friend saying that Zhu Wan was killing innocent people in Liangzhe!"

Liang Shibiao immediately reported back.

then.

Liang Shibiao said solemnly, "Your Majesty, it is not just my friends who say this about Zhu Wan. People in the streets also say that he is cruel, good at arresting merchant ships, and does not distinguish between tribute and pirates, which has caused resentment both inside and outside the country! Moreover, the people in coastal Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi mostly live by the sea. In addition, foreigners are also dissatisfied with China's toughness. Therefore, if Zhu Wan really bans the sea like this, it will only cause changes and chaos in China and abroad!"

"Your Majesty, I would like to add that most people in my hometown of Fujian rely on going to sea for a living. If the government troops really arrest people without authorization in the name of prohibiting the sea, I am afraid that something unexpected will happen! I also ask for your permission to let Wang Hong be cautious, at least to release Wang Hong's power to deal with people at his convenience, and not allow him to directly execute criminals. Even if a smuggler is caught, he should be taken to the capital to be executed."

Lin Jun also started talking.

After hearing this, Zhu Houcong asked Lin Jun: "So, according to what the elder said, banning the sea is quite harmful to the people, and it seems that the sea should be opened?"

(End of this chapter)