Jiajing Chengming

When Zhu Houcong said this, Lu Gang was shocked again, his face full of regret.

He didn't understand why His Majesty was now doubly ruthless!
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has the responsibility of balancing the various political affairs, and is also the responsibility of being relied upon by the emperor. Now the Prime Minister is also pleading for Lu Jijian, which is to facilitate the channels of speech. Therefore, please, Your Majesty, for the sake of the Prime Minister, pardon his death penalty! In order to prevent the channels of speech from being abolished."

At this time, the Minister of Justice Hu Shining tried to persuade him again.

Zhu Houcong directly asked Hu Shi Ning in a cold voice: "I have been on the throne for seven years. Do I still need to look at the faces of the elders and ministers?!"

"Even when I first ascended the throne, Lord Zhenze wrote the "Chapter on Governing the Country" and told me not to entrust Tai'a to anyone else!"

"Today, you asked me to forgive his crime for the sake of the Prime Minister."

"As the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, does Yang Yiqing have the qualifications to ask me to forgive the ministers who committed crimes and deceived the emperor for his sake?!"

When Zhu Houcong said this, he looked at Yang Yiqing: "Yang Yiqing!"

"Chen is here!"

Yang Yiqing quickly agreed.

Zhu Houcong asked: "Do you have the qualifications?"

"Your Majesty, I don't have any!"

"In our Ming Dynasty, we only have assistant ministers who are there to provide advice and to manage government affairs, but we don't have a prime minister who is in charge of the government and governs together with the emperor!"

"Besides, I am not a wise or capable minister, let alone a powerful minister!"

"The Ming Dynasty is what it is today, all thanks to your Majesty's wisdom and bravery. Even if you asked Altan to withdraw his troops recently, it was also your Majesty's long-term plan."

"I am only blessed with some false reputation and achievements. How dare I really think that I am indispensable to Your Majesty?"

Yang Yiqing said this and emphasized again:

"There is only one sun in the Ming Dynasty, and that is Your Majesty; there is only one person who can call the wind and rain, and that is also Your Majesty!"

"It is your majesty's wisdom that has made the world prosperous today. Therefore, the point that the channels for speech need to be expanded is not necessary in our Ming Dynasty!"

"You're not entirely right. It's still necessary to listen to both sides."

"However, no one can dare to teach me how to do things or deceive me just because they think their profession is sacred and special!"

"A true loyal minister who dares to remonstrate with me will not be afraid to speak out just because I am ruthless today. He will only be more daring to speak out if I go too far in some matters!"

When Zhu Houcong said this, he looked at Hu Shining and said, "Grand Sikou, do you understand now?"

"Your Majesty, I understand!"

"I am stupid and pedantic, so I am not as knowledgeable as Yuanfu, and I almost ruined him. I am guilty!"

"I am willing to be punished!"

Hu Shining immediately kowtowed deeply.

Zhu Houcong said: "Ignorance is not a crime. I forgive your crime."

At this time.

Yang Yiqing also followed suit and apologized, "Your Majesty, I am also guilty. Lu Ying was rebellious and rebellious. As the Prime Minister and a close minister of the Central Government, I should have reprimanded him on behalf of Your Majesty, and even asked Your Majesty to reduce his punishment to rectify the power of the monarch and the virtue of the ministers. However, I was not sensitive enough and watched him commit crimes. When Your Majesty issued an order to punish him, I felt that it was severe and pleaded for him. I forgot the teaching that 'thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the grace of the monarch'. I can be said to have more sympathy for my colleagues than loyalty to the monarch, so I should be severely punished!"

"The Prime Minister has drafted thousands of documents for me. He is old and occasionally makes mistakes, but he is among the eight deliberations and should be forgiven. So even though he made mistakes, he will not be punished!"

Zhu Houcong said at this time.

Yang Yiqing did not insist on apologizing, but only kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Houcong then asked: "Do you have any objections?"

"Your Majesty is wise, and we have no objection. Lu Ying deserves to die, and Yuan Fu and I are indeed old and confused! Fortunately, Your Majesty is magnanimous, otherwise, we would never be able to atone for our sins. Now we can only feel grateful for the emperor's grace, and have no resentment towards the Holy Lord!"

Zhao Huang responded immediately.

Other court officials also expressed the same view.

They now knew that the emperor was angry, so they couldn't say anything.

But also because of this.

All the ministers dared not mention the issue of peace and tribute anymore.

But they all sighed that the emperor's majesty was indeed stronger than before.

Hu Shi Ning couldn't help but walk over to Yang Yiqing and asked meaningfully, "Why is Your Majesty suddenly more powerful than before?"

"Because Altan came here to ask for peace and tribute!"

Yang Yiqing said.

After hearing this, Hu Shi Ning couldn't help but ask: "What does this mean?"

"Don't you understand now, sir?"

Zhao Huang, who was also walking beside Yang Yiqing, asked Hu Shining a question at this time.

Hu Shining hurriedly asked Zhao Huang for advice.

"An Da is not a Bodhisattva. If he could just rob the Ming Dynasty, why would he ask for peace and tribute?"

"He has now taken the initiative to come and ask for peace and tribute, and has also sent back the defected Li Jin. This shows that he has taken the initiative to show weakness to our emperor. He has begun to fear our majesty!"

"Barbarians like Altan have always been afraid of power but not virtue. This is true throughout history. If they show weakness, it can only mean that there is something in my Ming Dynasty that makes them afraid!"

"He may be afraid of your Majesty's ability to govern the country, or he may be afraid of the new firearms of our Ming Dynasty, or he may be afraid of the stronger military force that will emerge after the Ming Dynasty's military household reform cannot be stopped and is successfully implemented, or all of the above."

"But no matter what the reason is, if he is afraid of our Majesty, it means that our Majesty doesn't have to be afraid of him, Altan."

"And please think carefully. Your Majesty is not even afraid of Altan, so naturally you don't need to care about the opinions of the court officials, unless some court officials dare to mobilize the border people and force the emperor to agree to pay tribute."

"It is already a great act of treason to be able to commit crimes against one's superiors, and to mobilize the people to commit crimes against one's superiors is even more tantamount to rebellion!"

After Zhao Huang said this, Yang Yiqing also nodded:

"That's right. Being an official is supposed to be a superior to others. It's not really about having the people as the master, letting children ride on the heads of their parents, and letting subjects ride on the heads of their kings and fathers."

Hu Shi Ning nodded: "I understand. No wonder the Prime Minister changed his mind and took the initiative to plead guilty. Those who want to make peace with the emperor, since they can't rely on Altan to win the emperor's favor on the battlefield, then don't expect that Altan can obtain the emperor's favor by offering a traitor."

"That Lu Ying's brain is clogged with too much money! He is seeking death in front of His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty clearly said no, but he still insisted on being aggressive. The Prime Minister promoted him to the military department for nothing. Now I am asking for his mercy, which is the most I can do."

"I have long told my people that they should adapt to the changing times and learn to be content. Don't think you are the master of the world and think you can have it all! You may even think that if you get half of the benefits, you can get the other half. Little do you know that if you eat the other half, you will die! As the saying goes, eating half full can help you live longer, and eating too much will only make you die of bloating!"

Zhao Huang also talked about Lu Ying at this time.

He also accepted benefits from the Shanxi merchants, but he did not work for them just because they gave him money, nor did he become greedy just because they promised to pay him double the amount after the work was done.

He believed that if he took the Shanxi merchants' money but didn't work for them, the Shanxi merchants wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

So, Zhao Huang talked about Lu Ying in this way at this time.

Yang Yiqing smiled after hearing this: "The Ming Dynasty has no shortage of officials. Let him die. I just hope the next one is smarter!"

"What Yuanfu said is absolutely right!"

Hu Shining couldn't help but tremble.

He felt that he was not very smart, so he had the idea that if he continued to stay in the court, he would be killed sooner or later.

While Yang Yiqing, Zhao Huang, and Hu Shining were chatting, Zhang Cong also said to Gui E: "In the court today, about half of the officials did not follow suit and plead for mercy, which shows that there are already many people who understand current affairs."

Gui E folded his hands in front of his belt, smiled and said, "Not all of those kneeling down are ignorant of current affairs, but we can admit that your Majesty is indeed more powerful! It is inevitable that the emperor rules alone, and the elders and ministers are all like running dogs."

"That's exactly the truth, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"If a ruler is wise, his subjects will be virtuous. This is just talk. In reality, if a ruler is wise, his subjects may not be virtuous, and if subjects are virtuous, his ruler may not be wise. Those who uphold benevolence, righteousness and morality may not be truly for the country and the people, and those who are tyrannical and tyrannical may not be selfish."

Zhang Cong nodded in agreement and said:

"As for the Ming Dynasty, unless we really don't rule the world with courtesy, no one can share the world with Your Majesty!"

"I, the scholar-officials, cannot do this. The scholars in one village are only superficially united but actually divided. How much more so the scholars in the whole world?"

"The common people can't do it! Moreover, no one in power really wants the common people to make decisions for themselves. Just like a family, it is necessary for parents to love their children, but it is impossible for them to really want their children to be their own family!"

While these court officials were discussing the matter, Lu Ying was dragged out and beheaded on the spot, and all the stolen money was confiscated and used as official treasury. (End of this chapter)