Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 74 I have a knife!

Historically, although Zhu Yuanzhang's handling of the Hu Weiyong case began with Tu Jie's appeal, there was actually no evidence.

It was most likely that Tu Jie was instructed by Zhu Yuanzhang to hastily file the complaint, and Zhu immediately took action.

This is equivalent to shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target. Many of the subsequent evidences were actually discovered by Zhu Yuanzhang after he dealt with Hu Weiyong.

This resulted in many charges, including treason, which were quite controversial.

But it's different now.

Zhu Biao and his men came just to target Hu Weiyong. They sent people to investigate secretly for more than a month and instigated Hu Weiyong and many servants of corrupt officials to rebel. All kinds of evidence of his crimes were already in their hands.

It is clear that the rebellion was completely fictitious and was purely fabricated by Zhu Yuanzhang in order to expand the scope of killing.

However, it is an indisputable fact that he committed corruption, bribery, abuse of power, framed important officials, deceived the emperor, and arbitrarily cut off various life and death cases reported by the Ministry of Justice.

At this moment, Zhu Biao suddenly launched an attack in the morning court and produced evidence of his crimes. Faced with the irrefutable facts, those ministers who had bribed Hu Weiyong knelt down in an instant, crying bitterly and begging for leniency from the prince.

In the final analysis, Hu Weiyong was a little too proud of himself.

He thought that he could do whatever he wanted because he was favored by Zhu Yuanzhang. Whether it was corruption or deceiving the emperor, he did it very openly.

Zhu Yuanzhang specially set up the Tongzhengsi. All memorials from across the country had to be sent to the Tongzhengsi first, and documents issued by the Secretariat had to be sent to the Tongzhengsi as well. After being recorded by the Tongzhengsi, they would be sent to the Secretariat or distributed throughout the country.

As the prime minister, Hu Weiyong actually had the power to review the memorials submitted and give his own solutions.

However, this does not mean that his opinion is final.

What he gave could only be regarded as reference opinions. All memorials reviewed by the Secretariat had to be sent to Zhu Yuanzhang for final review. Only with Zhu's approval could they be executed. If he did not approve, the decision was still in Zhu's hands.

Hu Weiyong reviewed the memorials privately and did not send them to Zhu Yuanzhang. Instead, he sent them directly to the Ministry of Public Security, asking the Ministry of Public Security to issue them as imperial orders. This naturally seriously infringed upon Zhu Yuanzhang's power.

Therefore, these things have long been recorded.

If Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care, it wouldn't be a big deal. But once Zhu Yuanzhang had the intention to kill, every item that didn't match the Tongzhengsi's check would be a death warrant that could cost Hu Weiyong his life!

Even under such an attack, Hu Weiyong had completely collapsed on the ground below, his eyes were lifeless, his whole body was shaking like a sieve, and he was already at a loss as to what to do.

But you have to know that these are only the first and second waves of attacks, the main course has not yet been served.

Then another person came out from the corner. He walked with a slightly staggering step, knelt down at the foot of the jade steps, and said weakly, "The guilty minister Tu Jie impeached Hu Weiyong for murdering Liu Ji, the Earl of Chengyi, and his eldest son Liu Lian. Duke Wei was almost framed by him. He also often drank with Lu Zhongheng, the Marquis of Ji'an, and Fei Ju, the Marquis of Pingliang, in the mansion. During the banquets, he even slandered and insulted His Majesty."

After saying this, the whole place was in an uproar.

Even the group of military generals and nobles standing opposite and watching the show could not sit still. Pingliang Hou Fei Ju was currently stationed in Chenzhou to sort out military affairs, and Ji'an Hou Lu Zhongheng was present.

Hearing Tu Jie's words, he also trembled all over, walked out tremblingly, knelt on the ground and shouted: "Your Highness, I have no intention of slandering the emperor. I deserve to die. I just talked nonsense after drinking. It's Hu Weiyong!"

As he said this, he pointed at Hu Weiyong and accused him harshly: "It was Hu Weiyong who ordered me to say this. I have absolutely no dissatisfaction with Your Majesty!"

Zhu Biao asked, "Do you have any evidence that Hu Weiyong murdered the Earl of Chengyi and the Duke of Wei?"

"Have."

Tu Jie said, "The Marquis of Chengyi was seriously ill, and Hu Weiyong sent someone to deliver medicine to him. After taking it, the Marquis of Chengyi died. This is a well-known fact. Also, the Marquis of Chengyi's eldest son Liu Lian was murdered by Shen Liben, the governor of Jiangxi Province, who was appointed by Hu Weiyong. Your Highness will know the truth after a check. As for the Duke of Wei, Hu Weiyong tried to bribe Fu Shou, the gatekeeper of the Duke of Wei's mansion, and framed the Duke of Wei, but Fu Shou refused sternly. Your Highness can summon Fu Shou to ask him about it."

"Humph."

Zhu Biao snorted coldly: "Hu Weiyong, what else do you have to say?"

Hu Weiyong had long been frightened to the point of limp legs, and he sat on the ground, muttering to himself: "Your Highness, Your Highness, this is a frame-up, this is a frame-up!"

"Where is Mao Xiang?"

Seeing that Hu Weiyong was already in a state of panic and most of his followers had already confessed their crimes and were not even capable of resistance, Zhu Biao shook his head to indicate that he was still facing a formidable enemy and did not expect it to be so easy.

Mao Xiang said, "I am here!"

"Catch all the criminals and put them in prison first. We will deal with them after my father recovers from his illness!"

"Yes!"

"Search the property of Hu Weiyong and other criminals, and do not let them be neglected."

"Yes!"

"The Secretariat is responsible for the affairs of the country and is indispensable. Xue Xiang is promoted to the position of Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat and Qian Tang to the position of Right Prime Minister of the Secretariat to temporarily take over the affairs of the Secretariat."

Zhu Biao made arrangements in an orderly manner.

At Mao Xiang's command, many Yiluan Guards rushed forward and captured all the officials who had committed crimes.

Someone shouted: "I am innocent, I am innocent."

Someone shouted: "Your Highness, this is all Hu Weiyong's orders, this is all Hu Weiyong's orders."

Another cried bitterly, "Your Highness, I will never dare to do that again."

The scene was extremely chaotic for a while. Many of Hu Weiyong's followers cried and complained, but were dragged away like dead dogs.

In an instant, the Fengtian Hall Square, which was originally filled with hundreds of court officials, was cleared out by nearly half.

Only the civil and military officials from the noble group and the eastern Zhejiang civil service group were left staring at each other.

In addition, a small number of Hu Weiyong's followers were not arrested.

After investigation, it was found that although these people were Hu Weiyong's followers, they did not bribe Hu Weiyong to get to the top, but relied on their status as fellow villagers.

Or even if he bribed Hu Weiyong, it was to protect himself. He himself was not corrupt and had outstanding abilities and had a good performance as an official.

Zhu Biao retained those who had not committed serious offenses and had outstanding political achievements.

Those who were arrested were basically those who were occupying their positions but doing nothing, accepting bribes, taking human lives lightly, and acting recklessly.

So now there are only two or three kittens left in the entire Secretariat.

The former Right Prime Minister of the Secretariat, Wang Guangyang, committed suicide last month. The Left Prime Minister, Hu Weiyong, has now been arrested. The Right Prime Minister Yin Zhe, the Left Prime Minister Li Su, the Left Counselor Fang Nai, and the Right Counselor Hou Shan are all Hu Weiyong's followers.

Currently, the highest-ranking official in the Secretariat is Shen Liang, a fifth-rank official of the Zuosi Langzhong.

However, even though they were not captured, the remaining group of Hu Weiyong's followers were trembling with fear. They prostrated themselves on the ground and dared not even raise their heads, fearing that the guards would come and take them away.

Soon, more than 200 of the 400 to 500 officials in the square were taken away, but their places were quickly filled.

Almost all the six ministers were wiped out, but Zhu Biao seemed to have been prepared and appointed people to take over.

"The former Vice Minister of Rites Wu Bozong was framed by Hu Weiyong. The facts have been investigated. Now we have put things right and promoted him to Minister of Rites."

"Liu Song, the former Beiping Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was framed by Hu Weiyong. The facts have been investigated and his official status has been restored and he has been promoted to Minister of War."

"Former Censor Han Yike was framed by Hu Weiyong. The facts have been investigated and his official status has been restored and promoted to Chief Censor."

"Qie Si, the Left Minister of Shanxi, has made remarkable achievements and outstanding abilities, and was promoted to the Minister of Personnel."

"Panyu County Magistrate Daotong has made remarkable achievements and outstanding abilities, and was promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

As the criminal officials were taken away one after another, Wang Dong took out the list of names in the imperial edict and read it aloud. The more than one hundred officials who were originally standing aside as spectators each made arrangements.

Now the remaining civil officials and military officers saw something, and they looked at each other and understood. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very clever!

At first they thought it was just Shang Hao's revenge for Hu Weiyong's dismissal of him.

Now it seems.

I'm afraid that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was behind the scenes to eliminate Hu Weiyong's group.

Otherwise, how could the evidence be so overwhelming?
Including who Hu Weiyong had met recently, what he did, and what he said, everything was recorded one by one. There was both witnesses and evidence, and there was no room for denial.

Moreover, after eliminating Hu Weiyong's followers and arresting so many officials, they were able to prepare replacement officials long ago.

I'm afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already started investigating Hu Weiyong's group a long time ago, and is just waiting for the right opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop.

so horrible.

The civil and military officials who figured out the key points felt their scalps tingling and a chill rising up the soles of their feet.

In the past, I only thought that the prince was gentle and kind.

Only now do I know.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very cunning and his methods are extremely clever.

Even Hu Weiyong, who was extremely powerful, was dealt with so easily, shocking everyone.

"Where is Lawrence Lu?"

When Zhu Biao saw a large number of criminal officials being taken away, he leaned over and spoke again.

"The guilty minister is here, the guilty minister is here!"

Lu Zhongheng kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "Back then, when you took the post carriage without permission, your father was very angry and scolded you. You were dissatisfied and even complained to your father in private during the banquet with Hu Weiyong."

Lu Zhongheng's forehead was bleeding from knocking his head, and he cried, "I know I am wrong, I know I am wrong. Your Highness, please forgive me for my past merits."

He had no way to deny or repudiate it. Even the conversations between him and Hu Weiyong were recorded clearly. If he continued to deny it, he would be committing an unforgivable crime. It would be better for him to play the emotional card.

"Well"

Zhu Biao pretended to be silent for a while, and only spoke after Lu Zhongheng was almost scared out of his wits, "You have indeed committed a capital crime, but considering that you followed your father through life and death in your early years and have made great military achievements, I will not punish you. However, you must make meritorious contributions while serving under Duke Wei of Beiping. If you conquer the Yuan Dynasty in the future and make military achievements, your merits and demerits will be offset! I will ask my father for mercy."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace!"

Lawrence Lu lay on the ground, trembling, with tears of gratitude in his heart.

Fortunately, the prince is kind. If Your Majesty knew about this, he would have been beheaded long ago.

Zhu Biao looked at the nobles below and said, "You have fought for the country with father, which is not easy. Father also treats you like brothers, granting you wealth, power, and many titles, which are passed down from generation to generation, and you are related to the country. What I hope is that everyone can share the wealth and enjoy peace."

After he finished speaking, he looked around, then changed the subject and said in a serious tone: "But if you think that after the world is peaceful, you can rely on your founding contributions to act recklessly and disrespect the law, then you are totally wrong. The court has its own legal system. You were born as common people, and now you have become powerful and noble. The common people of the world support you, how can you forget your roots? With such power, you should be more careful in what you say and do, and you must not deceive the people or the emperor. Today, it is me, not my father. But I also hope that you will remember this in your heart and not violate the law. That's all I have to say, take care of yourself!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"I will definitely keep this in mind."

Many nobles bowed hurriedly, with cold sweat on their foreheads.

Now even a fool could see that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was warning them.

Although Lu Zhongheng was pardoned, everyone knew that the prince had something on him.

It’s better to be honest in the future.

If you disobey, the crime of slandering the emperor can lead to the extermination of the entire family in an instant.

Therefore, at this moment, many nobles were all shocked and awed by Zhu Biao's methods. They no longer dared to be disrespectful to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Only Lan Yu was happy.

Because his sister was Chang Yuchun's wife, and his sister's daughter married the prince as the Crown Princess. Although the Crown Princess died of illness last year, she left behind the eldest son Zhu Xiongying.

As the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiongying was deeply loved by his grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang and his father Zhu Biao.

As Zhu Xiongying's great-uncle, he has a close relationship with the prince by marriage. The prince is capable and has a stable position, which means that Lan Yu's position is also stable, which naturally makes him happy.

"Retreat!"

Zhu Biao waved his hand and announced the adjournment of the meeting.

"Boom boom boom!"

The gongs and drums sounded, and Wang Dong shouted, "Dismiss the court!"

Zhu Biao turned and went to the side hall of Fengtian Hall.

The prince's carriage was parked on the palace road east of the side hall.

The three of them got into the carriage.

Zhu Biao let out a long sigh and said, "I didn't expect it to be so smooth. I thought Hu Weiyong would deny it to the death."

"The evidence is irrefutable and cannot be denied."

Zhu Yunfeng smiled and said, "This is the benefit of presenting facts and evidence. In front of the civil and military officials, there are witnesses and evidence, including their conversations, which are recorded. There is no way to deny it. The other ministers will also see the facts and will not suspect that this is a deliberate frame-up by the ancestors. In this way, you, the great uncle, will deal with the entire Hu Weiyong faction with reasonable, legal and compliant means, and you have already selected new officials, so that the court will not be in chaos, and everyone will be convinced!"

This was actually an advantage because Zhu Yuanzhang had not yet established the Jinyiwei.

After secret agencies such as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, and the Harbin Pharmaceutical University were established, all civil and military officials knew that they were used to monitor them.

Therefore, they were very cautious at home and were very careful about what they said and did. Various messages were often conveyed through riddles. As a result, all the high-ranking officials in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were riddle tellers. It was indeed not an easy task to obtain evidence of the guilt of corrupt officials so easily.

But officials in the early Ming Dynasty had never seen such a scene. How could they know that there were traitors in their families who were not careful in their words and deeds, so it was very easy to get evidence of their crimes.

It’s just that Lao Zhu’s previous style of doing business was too simple and crude.

He didn't care whether there was evidence or not. He would order the operation as long as he heard the rumor. As a result, the evidence was found only after the person was killed. Naturally, people would suspect that it was a false accusation and fabrication, and he would not be convinced by the officials and the people.

In comparison, Zhu Biao's approach at the moment is the most correct one. With the evidence thrown in their faces, they have nothing to say. The officials will only be more cautious. Who would still be dissatisfied?

"I'm afraid that those people would never admit it even if they were beaten to death. This is also because they are frightened and can't bear the pressure. They expose their crimes before being interrogated."

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "If those people are stubborn and refuse to speak, forcibly convicting them may also cause criticism."

"In fact, this is the truth. The evidence has been presented. It is an ironclad fact that they deny it. Besides, have you heard of this saying?"

"What?"

"In a feudal world where imperial power is supreme, solving problems through legal means is giving the law a chance and showing respect for the law."

Zhu Yunfeng grinned and said, "But if you don't respect the law and keep denying it even when there is irrefutable evidence, then I have the power to solve the problem. Why? Because I have a knife!"

I have a knife!

This is the most fundamental reason why Zhu Biao was able to handle the Hu Weiyong case easily!
(End of this chapter)