Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 237 Purpose! Thank you, His Royal Highness, for your kindness!
"I never thought that there are actually Huang Zicheng's accomplices in the court!"

"There must be accomplices. That's why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is arresting traitors and accomplices in such a high-profile manner!"

"Yes, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince is as wise as a god, and he has his reasons for doing things."

"Damn it! How can there be so many traitors in our great Ming Dynasty?"

"No wonder the Japanese pirates were never completely eliminated in the past. It turns out that someone in the court was colluding with them."

“These people should all be beheaded.”

"Beheading? That's too easy for them! They should be cut into pieces, skinned and stuffed with straw, and their entire clan should be killed, only then will the hatred in my heart be relieved."

"The three judicial officials interrogated for such a long time but could not find out anything. It was only when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally stepped in that he caught the accomplices hiding in the court."

"The three judges are just a bunch of wimps. How can they compare to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Anyway, now that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai have confessed, we can arrest their accomplices next."

"Hahaha, now that the new army has entered the city and martial law has been imposed, all officials in Jinling City are not allowed to leave the city without permission. It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to catch them all in one fell swoop this time."

"I'm afraid Huang Zicheng has quite a few accomplices."

"Anyway, we'll catch them all this time. No one will be able to escape."

"Hahaha, it makes people happy, it makes people happy!"

……

The people of Jinling City were talking about it.

Many people were overjoyed and told others the news.

Huang Zicheng's crimes have long been made public.

The people hated him to the core, and so did his accomplices.

Now that they heard that Huang Zicheng had confessed and his accomplices had been found, everyone was naturally overjoyed.

Different from the common people.

The officials of the imperial court, however, had mixed feelings.

They also despise Huang Zicheng's treasonous behavior.

But unlike ordinary people, they think more.

In particular, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince used the Huang Zicheng case to mobilize the people of the world to capture traitors and accomplices, which made the officials in the court extremely nervous.

As officials in the same dynasty, they all had some dealings with Huang Zicheng.

Once involved, if you are not careful, the lives of your entire family may be in danger.

They had to be careful.

Now that I heard that the Huang Zicheng case has been settled, on the one hand, the stone in my heart has finally fallen to the ground, on the other hand, I am also very curious about who Huang Zicheng actually gave up.

Why did Qi Tai suddenly take the initiative to go to the East Palace to confess his guilt?

Why did the case suddenly take a turn for the worse?

……

The residence of the Minister of Revenue.

Minister of Revenue Yu Xin has just returned home.

Since being promoted to the Minister of Revenue by Zhu Yunhuan, Yu Xin has been working diligently and conscientiously.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the country's land, taxes, household registration, military supplies, salaries, food wages, financial revenue and expenditure... The work was extremely detailed and tedious.

Although after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came to power, the Ming Bank was established and the gold and silver treasury of the Ministry of Revenue was transferred to the bank's management, and the Taxation Bureau was established to divide up a considerable part of the taxation work, the establishment of the Ming Food Agency also greatly reduced the tasks that the Ministry of Revenue originally had to undertake.

However, the Ministry of Revenue still has a lot to do now, and it is even more arduous than in the past.

Although the national treasury was transferred to the bank, the bank was only responsible for storing the silver and money, and the account expenditure was still the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue.

That is, the bank only acts as a cashier and pays according to the order, while the Ministry of Revenue is the accountant.

If any government office needs money, it still has to go to the Ministry of Revenue.

After the Ministry of Revenue approved it and issued a receipt, they took the receipt to Daming Bank to exchange the money.

Actually, there is no difference except that the Ministry of Revenue has one less warehouse to manage.

The same is true for the Department of Taxation and the Food Programme.

Although it is independent, it will eventually be connected with the Ministry of Households.

Now is the time to collect taxes after the autumn harvest, so naturally there is more work to do.

What's more, not long ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince issued an order to measure the land of the world. Although Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji were responsible for that matter, the Ministry of Revenue also needed to fully cooperate.

The Ming Dynasty is currently developing rapidly, and the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for more and more affairs, which are becoming more and more complicated.

The construction of water conservancy projects, roads, Shanghai, and naval ports all require review and funding from the Ministry of Revenue.

Every time Yu Xin goes to work, he is so busy that he can't stop.

Fortunately, the national treasury is now full and we do not have to suffer from being “out of money”.

When I was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, I was often troubled by the lack of money circulation. Now I am troubled all day long by the endless accounts to settle and construction projects to review.

Yu Xin did not pay much attention to the Huang Zicheng case.

After all, he wasn't familiar with Huang Zicheng before.

No matter how the imperial court investigates, they will not be able to find the blame on me.

After returning home and getting out of the sedan chair, Yu Xin let out a long sigh.

At this moment, the fatigue from a busy day seemed to dissipate in an instant.

"Master, there is a letter for you today." The housekeeper in the mansion handed over the letter.

Since Zhu Yunhuan ordered the establishment of a post office, sending letters became popular in the Ming Dynasty.

Jinling City is the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and in this regard, it is at the forefront of the country.

Nowadays, many families in Jinling have started writing letters.

Many officials in the court are not from Nanjing.

Far away from home, serving as an official in the court.

They have a great demand for communication.

Before this, if officials wanted to communicate with their families who were thousands of miles away, they would either send someone to deliver the letter or use their connections to find the court's official document couriers to deliver the letter for them.

Although most of them can be done, how can it be as convenient and quick as going to the post office to buy an envelope and a stamp and send the letter directly?

As for the young men and women in the mansion, they all followed the fashion and sent letters to communicate with the young men and women next door.

How can face-to-face conversation be as romantic as writing a letter?
What's more, it is not convenient for the ladies living in the inner courtyard of the mansion to go out.

Even if he is a young master, he may be locked up at home by his masters to study and not allowed to go out and play at will.

However, Yu Xin is over 40 years old and holds a high position. He will definitely not communicate with others just for fun.

He thought that he had just received a letter from his elders two days ago. It shouldn't have been so soon that another letter arrived, and he couldn't help but feel curious.

When he tore it open, his face changed drastically.

"Today, I received news that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai accused you of colluding with them, colluding with Japan, and plotting a rebellion in front of His Royal Highness. His Royal Highness has obtained their confessions..." "The content of their confession is roughly as follows: On the sixth day of August last year, in Niwan Lane..."

After reading it, Yu Xin threw the letter in his hand away and shouted angrily: "Ridiculous, ridiculous!"

"I have never had much contact with Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai. How could their affairs involve me?"

The housekeeper was also shocked when he heard this.

He quickly picked up the letter and read it carefully. The more he read, the more unhappy his expression became.

"Master, this... this... what should I do?"

"What are you afraid of?" Yu Xin shouted, "I walk upright, sit upright, and I am not afraid of my shadow being crooked."

"I have never had anything to do with Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai. It's fine for anyone to investigate."

The housekeeper was still terrified and said, "Master, but...but what is said here is very accurate, and the date recorded here coincides with your whereabouts. On the sixth day of August last year, you did go to Niwan Lane to buy some wine."

Yu Xin thought about it carefully and had a vague impression.

Then he asked again: "So what? Can't I go to Niwan Lane?"

The housekeeper said anxiously, "If Huang Zicheng really happened to go to Niwan Lane on that day, he is accusing you now, and he has all the evidence of the time and place. There may be other witnesses who saw you two talking there."

"After all, you and he are both officials in the same court. If you meet, you have to say hello."

"Then, sir, did you have any plans with him at that time? Who can tell?"

Yu Xin's expression suddenly changed slightly.

The housekeeper added: "There are also letters saying that Qi Tai's accusations are also extremely detailed... Master, this kind of thing is not a joke."

"Right now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is arresting traitors, traitors to the country, and Huang Zicheng's accomplices. If what the letter says is true, and Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai really accuse the master, things will be troublesome."

"For this kind of thing, the imperial court would rather kill three thousand people by mistake than let one go."

"Even if the people heard it, they would not listen to your explanation."

"Master, you can't just say it doesn't exist."

Yu Xin looked slightly dazed.

When people sit at home, disaster comes from heaven.

But in cases like this, the most important evidence is often the criminal's accusation.

After all, everyone knows that physical evidence will be destroyed.

Moreover, Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were interrogated separately, but their confessions cleverly matched each other.

To outsiders, how could this be possible unless it was true?
If one person makes up a story to frame someone else, it will definitely not match the testimony of the other person.

The more Yu Xin thought about it, the more scared he became, and the more nervous he became.

I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

So what if I’m wronged?

Are there not enough people who have died unjustly in this world?
In the past major cases such as the "Hu Weiyong case" and the "Empty Seal case", weren't there many officials who were wrongly killed?
Now, is it my turn?
……

Just when I was getting anxious, someone came to report something from outside.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince summoned the master to go to the East Palace to discuss matters immediately.

Upon hearing this, the butler rolled his eyes and fainted.

If the master gets into trouble, they will also be in trouble.

Yu Xin's performance is even better.

Force yourself to stay calm, follow the person who comes, and go to the East Palace.

Along the way, Yu Xin had all kinds of thoughts flooding into his mind.

Your Highness, are you summoning me because of what was said in the letter?
For the sake of my family, I must explain everything clearly to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... But the butler is right, can such a thing be explained clearly?

I don’t know who sent me a letter?

Why does this person know so much detail?
This is a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy against himself!

Besides myself, are there other court officials who have been infected?
He couldn't help but have wild thoughts and felt uneasy for a long time.

Soon, in the East Palace, Yu Xin met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

After the ceremony, Zhu Yunhuan threw over two confessions.

When Yu Xin saw it, he felt like he was struck by lightning.

I had been hoping for the best, thinking maybe the letter was just a threat to me, but I didn't expect it to be true.

These two confessions are exactly the accusations Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai made against themselves.

It was very detailed, clear and sincere.

"Yu Xin, what do you have to say?" Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile.

Yu Xin knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, I, Yu Xin, dare to swear to heaven that I have never done anything to betray the Ming Dynasty or your Majesty, and it is even more impossible for me to collude with the Japanese pirates."

"Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai are clearly slandering me, framing me, and defaming loyal officials. I ask Your Highness to investigate thoroughly and clear my name."

Zhu Yunxun pretended to be silent and said, "But what is said here is very convincing... Moreover, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai made separate accusations, and their statements are exactly the same, so they can corroborate each other..."

Yu Xin's heart sank a little bit. It seemed that he really couldn't explain it clearly.

"I am willing to go to jail. I only ask Your Highness to investigate carefully and not fall into the evil schemes of the evildoers."

"It is not a pity for me to die, but the court must not be in chaos because of these two traitors."

He felt a chill all over his body and was determined to die.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan burst into laughter, walked forward, and reached out to help him up.

Yu Xin was stunned.

Zhu Yunhuan patted his shoulder and said, "I know Lord Yu very well. How could I really believe such slanderous words?"

"I was just playing a joke on Master Yu."

As he said this, he casually threw the two confessions into the stove beside him.

Soon, the confession turned to ashes.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Yu Xin burst into tears of gratitude. He had thought that he would surely die and that his family would also suffer as a result.

But I didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would trust me so much.

He was so touched!

Even though he was scared to death just now, he didn't shed a single tear.

But at this moment, Yu Xin was already crying like rain.

"How could this humble servant have such great merit and ability, that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would trust him so much? This humble servant will repay His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's kindness with his own death!"

He was extremely excited and bowed heavily.

……

(End of this chapter)