Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 158 Killing like crazy! The whole court is full of traitors!

Tax Division.

At dawn.

Zhu Gaoxu, who was sleeping on the floor in front of the prison gate, opened his hazy eyes, rubbed his eyes, got up from the ground, and began to wash.

After doing all this and eating breakfast, the naughty kid felt a little strange. The government office was surprisingly quiet today. Was there no one coming to make trouble?

Just when Zhu Gaoxu was in doubt, he saw the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jiang Li, coming over, and the naughty boy's vigilance suddenly increased.

"If Lord Jiang comes to persuade me to release the people, and if a big matter is reduced to a small one, and a small matter is eliminated, there is no need to say more."

"The laws of the Ming Dynasty are supreme. As a descendant of the royal family, I will uphold the dignity of the laws even at my death, and will never let anyone go for personal reasons."

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The Jinyiwei were transferred to assist the Commissioner of Taxation in handling cases and obey the command of Zhu Gaoxu. It was an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so of course he had to obey unconditionally.

Zhu Gaoxu ordered the arrest of the royal relatives, and Jiang Lin had no choice but to obey the order.

But in the past few days, he has indeed advised Zhu Gaoxu to calm down and keep the peace.

After all, Jiang Li had no idea about this matter.

Those who were arrested are not ordinary people.

His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not show up or speak, and I'm afraid even they are having a headache.

Even the imperial family cannot escape the four words "human relations and worldly wisdom".

When Princess Anqing came to the yamen and cried and made a scene, Jiang Lin felt his head buzzing and as if it was about to explode.

Fortunately, Zhu Gaoxu was in the front and he just followed orders.

Otherwise, Jiang Li felt that he really couldn't bear it.

No matter how much the princess made a fuss, she would only be scolded by the emperor.

But it’s hard to say about these servants.

If outsiders intervene in internal disputes within the royal family, wouldn't that be courting death?

Jiang Li certainly hopes that this storm will pass as soon as possible.

But Zhu Gaoxu refused to give in, and there was nothing he could do.

Jiang Lin even secretly sent someone to inform Prince of Yan Zhu Di, hoping that he could come forward to deal with the matter.

It’s just that time is short and Zhu Di is in the Military Academy, so there has been no response from there yet.

"Don't worry, I'm not here today to persuade the young prince to release those people." Jiang Lin took out today's edition of the "Da Ming Daily" with a smile.

"My Lord, please see for yourself."

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Jiang Li with some confusion.

He had read the Daming Daily published yesterday, which contained an interview with him by a reporter.

The content written made the naughty kid extremely excited.

I feel that I am the great hero who saved the Ming Dynasty and the people of the world, the Ming Dynasty's honest ruler!
Therefore, my belief became more firm.

But I didn’t see any reaction from Jiang Li and other Jinyiwei yesterday.

What happened today?

Zhu Gaoxu quickly glanced at the newspaper and said in confusion: "Commander-in-Chief Jiang, why don't you just speak frankly?"

"Here!" Jiang Lin had no choice but to point to a corner under the newspaper.

The naughty kid looked in the direction he pointed.

The above report is about seven officials writing to the court, requesting severe punishment for royal relatives who evaded or resisted taxes.

The article also praises these seven people at the end.

After reading it, Zhu Gaoxu asked, "Is there any problem with this?"

It was just a memorial from a few court officials. The naughty kid couldn't see any clues at all, and he didn't understand why Jiang Lin was suddenly so excited.

"This shows that the wind in the court has changed!"

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu still didn't understand, Jiang Lin knew that he was just a child after all and could not be compared with the monster like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so he could only explain.

"It turns out that most officials in the court support the royal relatives."

"But now, those people did not submit memorials. Instead, officials who requested severe punishment for the royal family submitted memorials. Doesn't this mean that the wind direction in the court has changed?"

"And more!" Jiang Li pointed at the names of several officials and said, "These people all sided with the royal family before."

"But now they have jumped out and are the first to demand severe punishment for the royal family members who evaded and resisted taxation."

"That's them jumping on the bandwagon."

"Young Prince, you are going to win this round!"

Jiang Li had a bright smile on his face.

After all, the Jinyiwei carried out Zhu Gaoxu's order and arrested those royal relatives.

If the other party is acquitted, the Jinyiwei will not have to bear too much responsibility, but they will definitely not end up well.

Those people don't care if you are innocent or not.

From Jiang Li's own point of view, he certainly hopes that Zhu Gaoxu will win this contest!
As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jiang Li understood the psychology of those upright officials very well.

The head can be cut off, the blood can be shed, but the reputation cannot be lost!

No matter how much of a thief or a prostitute they are, and how many bad things they do in private, they must appear righteous, honest, upright, fearless of power, and dare to speak out in public.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's move has forced them into a corner!

You can’t pretend to be dead anymore!
"really?"

The naughty kid's pupils immediately widened and he stared at the newspaper, extremely excited.

He was under tremendous pressure during this period, which was really too difficult for a child.

Now, we finally see the dawn of victory.

……

The streets and alleys of Jinling City.

"There are still good officials in the court. Today, seven officials submitted a memorial requesting severe punishment for the royal family members who evaded or resisted taxation."

"This is what should happen. If you receive a salary from the court, you should uphold the court's laws and speak for the people."

"That's right! These seven gentlemen are certainly great. But what about the other officials?"

"Yes! Why are the other officials silent?"

"Among all the civil and military officials in the court, are these seven the only ones who dare to stand up and speak?"

"In the past, they spoke better than they sang, saying that they were good officials, honest officials who were not afraid of power and served the people. Now they have revealed their true colors?"

"I think this incident is like a magic mirror. Who is the good official and who is the bad official? It's all revealed! We ordinary people can see it clearly, and the emperor and His Royal Highness can see it clearly too."

……

Different from the heated discussions among the common people, the atmosphere in the court has been very strange in recent days.

Originally, many officials had even agreed to write a letter to the court, requesting the release of the imprisoned royal relatives, reduction of commercial taxes, and the abolition of the Taxation Bureau.

But on the next day, no official submitted a letter as agreed.

On the contrary, several officials turned against their own side and wrote letters requesting severe punishment for royal relatives who evaded or resisted taxes.

For a moment, all the officials who were originally outraged and clamoring to speak up for the arrested royal relatives fell silent.

应天府衙门。

"Snapped!"

A teacup fell heavily to the ground and broke into pieces in an instant.

The face of the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture turned extremely pale.

The issue of the Taxation Department collecting business taxes became more and more serious.

Originally, he was still in the mood to watch the fun and see how the tax commissioner would end up.

Unexpectedly, with the publication of several reports and comments in the Daming Daily, the wind direction suddenly changed.

Public opinion was overwhelming, all supporting the tax commissioner, accusing the royal relatives of tax evasion and tax resistance, and even the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was scolded by the people. After all, the power to collect commercial taxes used to be in the hands of local officials, that is, the Yingtian Prefecture government.

After being taken over by the Taxation Bureau, so many problems were discovered, and the original Yingtian Prefecture government certainly cannot escape responsibility.

Naturally, he, as the prefect, could no longer save face.

During the past two days at home, I have heard the servants discussing quietly.

The officers in the yamen were also whispering to each other.

Although no one dared to say anything to his face, the rumors still reached his ears.

They shielded the royal family, feared power, and even colluded with others to commit crimes, taking bribes and perverting the law...

A lifetime of good reputation is ruined!

Wherever I go, people point fingers at me behind my back.

As the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture and an important official in the court, he had never suffered such humiliation!

That group of hateful and unruly people are so hateful.

But he still had nowhere to go.

Everyone in Jinling City is talking about it, so who can he punish?
I swear to God, tax collection is the job of low-level tax collectors. As the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, he has never made a special effort to pass on messages, take care of or protect anyone.

How can we talk about collusion, corruption and abuse of power?
But people outside don't care about that.

Anyway, since you haven't arrested the royal relatives who evaded or resisted tax before, you must be doing something shameful in private.

Otherwise, why did the royal relatives evade taxes for a long time while the Yingtian Prefecture government turned a blind eye to it?

Why can the tax department find out and arrest people?

The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture felt overwhelmed.

Of course he already knew those things.

But how could he dare to arrest those royal relatives?

For things like this, don't everyone just turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it?

Isn't it the same everywhere in the country?

How did it become the fault of my Yingtian Prefecture Government?

"grown ups!"

Just when the prefect was still furious, the judge walked in from outside with a copy of the "Da Ming Daily" in his hand.

"What's the matter?" The prefect sat down and asked unhappily.

"Look at today's Daming Daily, the wind direction has changed!" The judge handed over the newspaper.

When the prefect looked up, he saw a report that seven officials had submitted a memorial to the court, requesting severe punishment for royal relatives who evaded or resisted taxation.

There was even an original text of a memorial published next to it: a memorial calling for severe punishment of royal relatives who resisted taxes!

The prefect's pupils shrank slightly.

He knew the official who wrote the memorial.

Yesterday, this person vowed to write a letter to the court, requesting the release of the imprisoned royal relatives and impeaching the tax commissioner's reckless actions.

As a result, today he has transformed himself into an honest official who is not afraid of power and submits memorials requesting severe punishment for the royal relatives?

These damn fence-sitters!

It's true that they go whichever way the wind blows!

"You are just seeking fame and reputation! Despicable! Shameful!"

The prefect cursed angrily.

"Sir, no matter how much you scold me, it will not help."

"The official who wrote this memorial has now become a great figure in the hearts of the people."

"When he went out today, the streets were full of people welcoming him. Sir, you didn't see the scene..."

The judge was amazed.

The prefect glared at him and said, "Why, do you want to be such a fraud?"

The judge laughed and said, "What are you talking about, sir?"

"I work for the government office of Yingtian Prefecture. You and I are like grasshoppers on the same rope. We rise and fall together."

"I will naturally stand with you, my Lord."

The prefect snorted coldly: "It's good that you understand it in your heart!"

The judge bent over, smiled, and said, "But, speaking of this, the public opinion is now very unfavorable to our Yingtianfu Yamen. If we want to break the situation, we must..."

He paused, wanting to say something.

The prefect turned to look at him, his eyes flickering, and suddenly thought of something, and said, "How about I send the yamen runners to seal up the Ming Daily?"

The judge hurriedly said, "Sir, this is absolutely not allowed!"

"The Ming Daily is sponsored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself. I heard that it also helps His Royal Highness with other important matters."

"Isn't it said that it was the former Wu Wang Palace, which is heavily guarded, and the yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture can't seal it at all."

"If you really send someone, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my position as prefect. If things go wrong, I might even lose my head."

"Your Highness, how can we afford to offend him?"

The prefect sighed, knowing that he was telling the truth.

If the "Da Ming Daily" could really be banned, there would be no need for his Yingtian Prefecture government to send anyone, as the group of royal relatives would have done it themselves long ago.

But everyone would rather hold on to the Commissioner of Taxation, and no one wants to touch the Ming Daily. Isn't the meaning very obvious?

To put it bluntly, the dispute with the Commissioner of Taxation can be seen as a dispute over government affairs.

To provoke the "Da Ming Daily" which is located in the former Prince Wu's Palace is to deliberately make an enemy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

As the prefect, how could he not understand what is more important?
I just blurted it out because I was anxious.

"Then tell me, what solution do you have?" the prefect urged.

The judge stroked his beard and said, "Since Your Excellency has said so, I will speak frankly."

"As the saying goes, 'He who knows the current affairs is a hero.' Isn't the article published in the Ming Daily what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince meant?"

"If we bring this up in the court, you and the officials can argue against what the tax commissioner has done and against the increase in commercial taxes."

"But now everyone in the world knows about this and the people are furious. At this point, we can only go with the flow."

The prefect's face changed slightly, and he asked in a deep voice: "What do you mean?"

The judge pointed to the memorial on the newspaper and said, "Let's write a memorial too and submit it to the court, requesting severe punishment for the royal relatives who evaded and resisted taxation!"

The prefect's eyes suddenly lit up, but soon dimmed again.

"We can't afford to offend those royal relatives."

"What are you afraid of?" The judge sneered, "Public sentiment is surging, and the newspapers have published which officials have impeached the emperor's relatives."

"I'm afraid it's not just us this time. All the civil and military officials in the court will have to report to the emperor. Your Excellency, do you still need to worry about being hated by others?"

The prefect suddenly realized.

Once the name appears in the newspaper, won’t those who did not submit memorials to impeach the emperor’s relatives become corrupt officials in the eyes of the people?

Under the heavy pressure of public opinion, who among the civil servants who have always valued their reputation and the upright censors can withstand it?

Since this concerns one's reputation, doesn't one have to write a memorial to impeach?

D.

Of course he couldn't afford to offend the royal family alone, but if all the civil and military officials in the court reported it to him, then there would be no problem.

Who else could the other party hate?

"That makes sense! Without further ado, I will write the memorial now!"

……

(End of this chapter)