Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 320: If you overturn the table, I will overturn the table to deal with you!

After Tao Xie said this, Zhu Houcong still asked calmly: "If you have the guts, just sign and seal your confession?"

"Sign it!"

Tao Xie replied coldly, and after signing the pledge, he sneered at Zhu Houcong and said, "Your Majesty, do you realize now that you are stupid?"

"you're right."

"I am stupid, so stupid that I allowed someone as smart as you to confess your accomplice and even sign your name on it."

Zhu Houcong still spoke indifferently.

There was no anger on his face.

The less Zhu Houcong broke down, the less angry he became, or even regretful, the more Tao Xie became crazy. He felt like he had trampled on the moral values ​​of loyalty and filial piety in vain, and had been so arrogant in front of the emperor in vain.

However, after hearing what Zhu Houcong said, Tao Xie was also startled, and then he understood, and he could not help but glanced at everyone in the imperial study room with anger:
"You guys cheated me?!"

Fei Hong, Xie Qian and others just frowned in silence, took a step back, and deliberately kept a greater distance from him.

"Neither I nor the other elders deceived you. You are just too self-righteous."

Zhu Houcong said something at this time, and then asked Tao Huai: "How did Tao Xie's ancestors make a fortune so that he could pass the imperial examination?"

"Your Majesty, our ancestors are all the same. They all made their fortunes through smuggling and plundering, then paid off officials to whitewash their backgrounds, and then hired people to teach their children to study and take exams."

"It's just that his family produced Jinshi early. His father's generation has Jinshi officials."

"But it's hard to get into the officialdom, so it wasn't until his generation that people started to hold the third rank."

Tao Huai replied.

Zhu Houcong nodded: "That's right, but it's still a little lacking in foundation!"

Tao Xie became furious when he heard that his family had no background.

Zhu Houcong then looked at Tao Xie and said, "After all, your Tao family made their fortune through smuggling, and they have not completely transformed themselves. They do not possess the wisdom of the noble families. You think Xie Qian and his men are stupid, but it just so happens that they are smarter than anyone else, otherwise they would not be in power!"

"You think they don't know me because they don't dare to break up with me?"

"They know what it means to take a small beating, but walk away with a big one! They know that in this world, no one can be feared when they are pushed into a corner, but the only thing to fear is when the people are pushed into a corner, or when the emperor is pushed into a corner!"

"Your family wisdom and attainments in classics are far behind theirs."

"Of course, I'm not much better than you."

"But I am the emperor after all. If I overturn the table or act foolishly, there will be no consequences. There will be wise and loyal people who will advise me, protect me and defend me."

"But as for you, if you do something stupid, it will only make people in the world gloat over your misfortune, and they will be eager to step on you and get a piece of the meat."

"Even the lowest class of people will have a chance to eat a piece of your flesh!"

"This is the treatment that only the dumbest and worst people can get! It's hard to be both the dumbest and the worst in this world, so generally very few people get this treatment. You are very lucky to get this treatment!"

Zhu Houcong started laughing when he said this.

This smile began to make Tao Xie shudder, and also made Tao Xie, who already felt inferior due to his lack of family background, completely collapse.

He collapsed to the ground, pale and shivering.

then.

Tao Xie raised his head and looked at Zhu Houcong in confusion: "Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with us?"

"Of course I can't escape, but Zeng is dead. As long as Liu Jing and Xiong Yiqi don't admit that they intended to use the eldest prince to scare Your Majesty, my confession alone is not enough to serve as a basis for their execution!"

"So, Your Majesty, you can't deal with them!"

Tao Xie became complacent again when he reached this point, and couldn't help revealing a smug look on his face again.

Zhu Houcong smiled and said, "I can handle it!"

Tao Xie's expression suddenly changed after hearing this.

then.

Zhu Houcong stood up again, looked down at Tao Xie with a cold face and said: "Since you and your accomplices do not abide by the rules and use methods outside the rules to deal with me, then I will also use methods outside the rules to deal with you, and let you also taste the harm of trampling on the rules!"

Speaking of it.

Zhu Houcong instructed Qin Wen, "Go find a few old men and women, go to these people's houses and cry to recognize their relatives, and have the Jinyiwei secretly protect them, including Jia Yong, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Jiang Qing, the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel's selection department!"

"Let these old men and women say that they are their parents who have been abandoned for many years. If they want to beat them or refuse to acknowledge them, the Jinyiwei will confiscate their homes and arrest them for treason and unfilial piety. If they are willing to acknowledge these people, they will also be arrested for abandoning their parents and charged with treason and unfilial piety!"

"Since you treat the honest Zeng family in this way, I will also treat you in this way with filial piety."

Zhu Houcong said this in a deep voice, and then added: "Also, select a few smart orphans and girls, dress them up as beggars, and go to their houses to cry, saying that they were their children who were secretly sold!"

"also!"

"You can also find a few prostitutes to file a complaint with the Censorate, saying that they were raped by these officials! Have the newspapers prepare articles to report this, and make up stories that will make the common people hate them to death!"

"Make up more stories about people who killed their fathers and abused their mothers, or abandoned their wives and children. Have them write them into plays and organize people to sing them. In short, we must ruin their reputations. Whoever writes and performs the plays well will be rewarded handsomely!"

Qin Wen bowed and said yes.

Zhu Houcong then walked to the middle of the imperial study, behind Tao Xie and Tao Huai, then turned around to look at the two of them and sneered:
"You used this unruly method to deal with me and forced Madam Zeng to commit suicide. So don't blame me for using the same unruly method to deal with you!"

immediately.

Zhu Houcong turned around, brushed his sleeves and walked back: "A bunch of idiots! Am I afraid that you will overturn the table? You should be the ones who are afraid of overturning the table! If I overturn the table, who among you can bear it?"

"Don't talk about you guys!"

Zhu Houcong pointed at Tao Xie, then at Xie Qian and the others: "Even they can't stand it!"

Xie Qian and others had already opened their mouths wide and were trembling with shock. After Zhu Houcong said this, they could not help but nod in agreement.

They asked themselves if they could bear being treated like this by the emperor!

Tao Xie was completely speechless at this time, and could only imitate the people who were afraid and begged for mercy in front of him in the past because of his intimidation. He also began to kneel down and kowtow to Zhu Houcong:

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me! I was bewitched and had such a treasonous thought and did such a treasonous thing. I deserve to be cut into pieces, but I only ask Your Majesty to have mercy on me because I am also a Hanlin. It is not worth it for Your Majesty to do such a harsh thing for me! I am just an insignificant official. There is no need to treat me like Qin Hui!"

"Enough!" Zhu Houcong shouted at this time.

Tao Xie quickly shut his mouth.

Zhu Houcong said: "You are too stupid. You have offered up the only bargaining chip that can be used to ask for mercy from me. Naturally, there is no need for me to show mercy to you!"

talking.

Zhu Houcong ordered Tao Xie and Tao Huai to be dragged away and imprisoned in the imperial prison.

But Tao Xie turned to Xie Qian and others and begged: "Please plead for me!"

Xie Qian and others couldn't help but take a few steps back, avoiding it frantically as if it were the plague god.

Seeing this, Tao Xie couldn't help but lose his composure again, gritting his teeth, and even when he looked at Xie Qian, he cursed directly: "Xie Qian, you deserve to be exterminated!"

Xie Qian just closed his eyes slightly and gave Tao Xie a cold look.

At this time, Tao Xie had been dragged away by the Jinyiwei who had entered the palace.

Together with Tao Huai.

Zhu Houcong also asked Xie Qian and others to retreat.

He himself summoned Lu Bing.

"Your Majesty!"

When Lu Bing arrived before the emperor, he called out Zhu Houcong.

Zhu Houcong raised his head and said with a smile: "Here I come!"

When Lu Bing saw that Zhu Houcong looked tired and his brows were quite melancholy, he knew that those people's threat of using the royal heir would still have an impact on the emperor, and he couldn't help but show a look of heartache.

"You and I are like brothers. Tell me, do you blame me for being too hasty in governing the country?"

Zhu Houcong asked.

Lu Bing shook his head: "No blame!"

Zhu Houcong asked: "Why?"

"The master said that if the emperor takes a step back, he will retreat step by step, and in the end he will be unable to protect anyone. Only by attacking as defense can he gain a foothold and protect everyone."

"Only an old friend of the Emperor like Lian Chen can be saved."

"Otherwise, if the emperor gives up Hai Li today, he will have to listen to them tomorrow, give up business profits and military power, and then dismiss and kill the old people."

"In the end, even if the emperor hides in the deep palace and does nothing, he will still be unsafe!"

"To serve Qin with land is like trying to put out a fire with fuel. If the fuel is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished."

"They say they have no choice but to be without a king or a father, but they also have no choice but to be with the emperor who is working hard to govern the country."

Lu Bing replied.

Zhu Houcong nodded: "Wang Qiong's teaching you was not in vain."

"Do you know what I am most worried about now?"

Zhu Houcong asked.

Lu Bing replied: "Both sides have already torn their relations apart. The emperor is most worried about chaos in the southeast because the emperor loves the people like his own children."

"You really understand me!"

Zhu Houcong said with a smile.

then.

Zhu Houcong took down the imperial sword from the wall and handed it to Lu Bing:
"Go to the southeast, first to Yuyao, and find out the details of the Xie family's extermination. Then develop informants and mobilize the lowest-level people to work for the Jinyiwei, and try to nip all possible changes in the bud. For example, protect someone who is very important to me or to the people, not limited to officials and gentry, but also famous doctors and craftsmen; or protect some ancient temples and treasures of great value; or important warehouses and factories, whether official or private, even the property of Lord Fei!"

"The job I gave you is to appear to be in charge of nothing, but in fact, you are in charge of everything!"

"You can just say that you are here to investigate the case of the Xie family's extermination. I will issue an order to allow you to directly withdraw silver dollars from the two uncles as funds."

After Zhu Houcong said this, Lu Bing took over the imperial sword and said, "Yes!"

After Zhu Houcong made arrangements for Lu Bing, he was able to add a force to stabilize the southeast, both overtly and covertly.

All he could do next was wait and see.

Let’s talk.

Soon, some old men, women and children appeared in the outer residence of Liu Jing, the eunuch of the Imperial Palace.

As soon as these old men and women arrived at their outer house, they cried out, "Jing'er!"

"Be bold!"

"You are the ones who call our master by his name?"

Liu Jing's doorman was furious and was about to call for someone to beat him up.

And an old man said directly: "I am his father, how can I not call him!"

at the same time.

Many old men, women and children also came to the residence of Guanglu Temple Minister Xiong Yiqi.

"Qian'er, now that you have become a high-ranking official, will you really not see us?"

"Dad! I'm Xiaoxi. My brother and I are here to look for you!"

For a while.

Outside the Xiong residence, there were old men and women calling out the name of Xiong Yiqing, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and there were also children crying and calling Xiong Yiqing "Daddy".

Passersby looked sideways.

(End of this chapter)