The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 561 Royal Relatives
The three commanders of the Imperial Guard, Pei Dahu, Lin Yu and Wu Xiao, were ordered to secretly enter the country and go to Junzhou, Huguang, to arrest Duke Cheng and Song Yingxing, and bring them back to Shenyang to await the decision of the retired emperor.

Duke Chengguo Jin Dajiu is the uncle of the current King of Da Qi, the elder brother of Empress Dowager Cisi, and the cousin of Jin Yinghe of the Ninth Corps. Except for Sun Chuanting and Ma Shiying, no one among the civil and military officials of Da Qi is more powerful than Uncle Jin.

The emperor's move sealed the demise of the Jin family.

Born in an imperial family, he was decisive and murderous, mean and ungrateful, and had no family affection. Of course, this was not something that ministers like Pei Dahu could understand.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Uncle Jin was deceived. After all, this is his first time supervising a construction project. As for the four million taels of silver missing, it was most likely the work of a local profiteer."

"If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his body. Liu Xingzuo has already informed the Fourth Corps in advance. As long as Qin Jianxun doesn't want to rebel, he won't stop you from arresting him. When you go there, just be careful of the servants!"

The fear is that the Fourth Corps and Jin Dajiu, Song Yingxing and others have unclear relations, which would cause big trouble.

"Old Pei, many ministers, both inside and outside the court, have labeled your Imperial Guards a part of the Hou Party. Now that the Hou Party is committing crimes and leading corruption, I cannot help but intervene. Today, I'm giving you this opportunity to draw a clear line between you and them. If I give you this opportunity, you must use it. Otherwise, I can't save you, and you'll be left with no excuses! You'll end up like them, understand?"

Pei Dahu was sad and dazed, as if in a dream. However, knowing that the matter was of great importance, the head servant had no time to feel sad for others and quickly took the lead in expressing his loyalty to the emperor.

"Even at the risk of our lives, we will bring these people back to Shenyang."

Pei Dahu and his two companions selected a dozen or so good guards, packed up their belongings in a hurry, left Shenyang, and headed towards Shanhaiguan overnight.

Shortly after the Imperial Guards set out, the retired emperor summoned Zhang Dong again and gave the spy chief some instructions, asking him to go to Henan to collect evidence of the local chamber of commerce exploiting farmers and find out what was going on with the money shop's losses.

"Investigate secretly and find out if the Ninth Corps has anything to do with this matter. Regardless of whether it does or not, do not alert Jin Yinghe. I have always been worried about these foreign mercenaries..."

The retired emperor still had the habit of only saying half of what he wanted to say. Zhang Dong understood what he meant and didn't ask any more questions.

The spy chief had just walked out of the Taisho Palace when he turned back and looked up at the retired emperor with an embarrassed expression.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. I, I am worried..."

Liu Zhaosun interrupted directly, "Why? You don't dare to go?"

Zhang Mazi's forehead was shiny, his face was slightly red, and he was very excited:
"Thirteenth Master, of course I don't dare go! I'm just afraid of alerting the enemy. Not only will our Suoyi Guards lose their lives, but it will also delay important military and national affairs!"

"If there really is a snake in the grass, I will tear it into pieces. The other regiments have already returned to Shenyang. They can't cause any trouble!"

Liu Zhaosun said this and patted Zhang Dong on the shoulder:

"Zhang Mazi, I never thought that one day you would attack your former brothers. What the hell is this!"

Zhang Dong said quickly, "Your Majesty is right. This is all their fault! It's only been a few years, and they've all become like this. They've forgotten the bloody battle at Sarhu, and who led them here. They've all been blinded by greed, especially that Song Yingxing. He's a dog that never changes its nature. We spared his life last time, and now he's leading the charge in corruption. I wonder how much money he's embezzled..."

Zhang Mazi became more and more excited as he spoke, so much so that Liu Zhaosun had to wave his hand to signal him to calm down.

"So, what Sen Ti, Huang Delun, and others are doing now is very meaningful. Officials are like crops in the field. If one crop is destroyed, there is always another. If the next crop is carefully fertilized, watered, and cultivated from a young age, there will surely be another good harvest."

The second generation of the empire's ruling class, except for a small number of technical prisoners of war, were mostly native Qi people, mainly children of the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce and farmers. These children were generally between ten and sixteen years old. The oldest group had already joined the army and became recruits for the major corps.

Like the growth experiences of Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang, these children have been subjected to various brainwashing educations since they learned to speak. Whether it is school textbooks or books and newspapers published in various provinces, they all promote loyalty to the Great Qi and the myth of the retired emperor Liu Zhaosun.

For example, in the children's textbooks used by children in various provinces of the empire, it is clearly written that the people of the Great Qi have a 6,000-year history of civilization. Since Dayu began to control the floods, Qi people have appeared in the heart of the empire (Junzhou). After helping Dayu control the floods, some Qi people migrated to Korea, Japan, and Yinzhou, while others migrated to Shandong. As history evolved, they later established vassal states, which was the Qi State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period...

In the vast land of the empire (the territory of Da Qi marked in the textbooks currently used by children covers the whole of East Asia), elephants exist in Da Qi, lions exist in Da Qi, and almost all rare birds and beasts exist in Da Qi.

The historical records about Emperor Wu Ding are even more exaggerated. The textbooks say that when the emperor was ten years old, he encountered bandits on the road and fought one against a hundred, killing 108 of them in a row. When he was eleven, he invented the flintlock rifle. When he was twelve, Emperor Wu Ding invented the red cannon. When he was fifteen, he invented the hot air balloon. When he was eighteen, he invented the steam engine. When he was nineteen, he flew a hot air balloon over the city of Hetuala, where the Jiannu were entrenched, and bombarded it fiercely, blowing the stubborn Huang Taiji to pieces...

In short, there are countless heroic deeds of the retired emperor.

In addition, instructors and representatives from all walks of life would regularly visit schools, workshops, chambers of commerce, etc. to conduct education on recalling the bitter past and cherishing the sweet past. Each time, they would ask people who had experienced it to tell their own stories, talking about how they were oppressed by landlords and evil gentry in the pre-Ming Dynasty, and how they would not be able to survive if they were exploited by the dog emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Then they would compare the benefits that Da Qi brought to the people, saying that being in Da Qi is almost like being in heaven.

At the climax of each performance, an old woman with a slurred accent and squinting eyes would walk to the front of the stage and shout to the audience below:

"Fellow villagers! Young and old, the days of enjoyment are still to come!"

After such repeated and high-intensity brainwashing, the vast majority of the imperial elites became Emperor Wuding's most loyal minions.

Although not all members of the new generation are die-hard fans of the empire, most of them are beneficiaries of the totalitarian system based on the Qi Dynasty's Land System.

For their own interests, these people must also actively defend the Da Qi regime.

There are only individuals who betray their class, but no class that betrays its interests.

~~~~~
Liu Zhaosun originally planned to go back to Huguang in person to have a good chat with his subordinates who could not keep up with the times, and try to get them to release their military power over a drink, or follow the example of Yuan Chonghuan in the original dimension and enter their camp and kill their generals.

However, Liaodong is in a turbulent period, and the main focus must be on the northern border. Everything needs to be done personally, and there can be no slackness.

That's why he asked Pei Dahu, Zhang Dong and others to go south to capture the person.

At the same time, the First, Second, Third, Sixth and Eighth Corps all received news of returning to Shenyang in order to ensure the smooth and successful completion of this great purge.

In Shenyang in June, the sun scorched the air, the heat growing by the day. For several days, Liu Zhaosun hadn't returned to Kunning Palace, spending the nights in Dazheng Palace. This alienation from the harem unnerved the concubines, especially the Empress Dowager Cisheng. Rumors of the retired emperor's intention to crack down on the imperial relatives and nobles spread like wildfire throughout the palace, and no one, including Emperor Wuding's beloved concubine, Jin Yuji, could remain unaffected.

In mid-June, the Empress Dowager Cisi sent someone out of the palace to ask the chief minister of the cabinet, Sun Chuanting, how to plead so that the retired emperor would show leniency to her brother and save Jin Dajiu's life.

Sun Chuanting ignored the empress dowager's plea, as if he hadn't heard it. It was obvious that the cabinet did not want to be involved in the struggle between imperial power and relatives of the emperor.

Jin Yuji knew that her brother was guilty, but when she thought about the Koreans under Jin Dajiu who were not aware of the situation and many of them died in the accident, and that they were still charged with crimes such as treason, Jin Yuji could not bear it. She ignored the dissuasion of those around her and went to Dazheng Palace at night to plead with the retired emperor.

Emperor Wu Ding was being intimate with Concubine Chen Yuanyuan, but was interrupted by Concubine Jin Yuji. He said with some displeasure:

"What's the point of you coming to me now? I told him two years ago to do his job well in Junzhou and focus on Tianxin City. Don't even think about doing anything auspicious!"

What Emperor Wu Ding wanted was for the Great Qi to prosper for thousands of years, not to see a five-legged toad or a crow painted golden.

However, Jin Dajiu has been obsessed with this business and has no knowledge or skills. His subordinates have drained his food and wages, so he has to cut corners. This time, the corner frame collapsed and hundreds of people died, but this is actually just the tip of the iceberg.

"I originally sent him to Junzhou to supervise, but he colluded with Song Yingxing to deceive me! He passed off inferior goods as good ones, mixing fakes with real ones."

Jin Yuji knew that her brother was doomed to die, but she still held on to a glimmer of hope and advised:
"Your Majesty, please spare Jin Dajiu this time, considering his life and death for Da Qi. At the very least, please don't kill those innocent people."

Liu Zhaosun flew into a rage and shoved Empress Dowager Cisheng aside. "The Great Qi has become like this. Half of Hu Guang and Henan dared to extort four million taels of silver from the people! How many children have starved to death, how many elderly people are bedridden, and how many can't afford to pay for their medicine? With things like this, who is innocent? Are you innocent? Am I innocent?"

Jin Yuji was speechless and could only cry bitterly.

"I've spared him now. When Liu Kan takes power, will he still acknowledge him as his uncle? If he does, how much silver will he reward you with before your Jin family is satisfied? Otherwise, I'll give the entire Great Qi kingdom to your brother. What do you think?"

Jin Yu Ji never accepted any benefits, never did things for outsiders, and never even whispered in the emperor's earl ...

Unexpectedly, his brother became his weakness. In less than three years in Huguang, not only had hundreds of people died, but he also caused such a huge deficit. Four million taels was equivalent to half a year's treasury income of the Great Qi.

Jin Yuji knew that it was useless to say anything more, so she fell silent, her face as pale as death.

"I just received news that Tianxin City has been in arrears with wages for 100,000 soldiers and civilians near Junzhou over the past few years. Guess how much? Four million taels. I don't even know how they spent all that money! Let Jin Dajiu, Song Yingxing, and Lei Jiangtou fill this hole. Don't expect the national treasury to cover it! In the Huguang officialdom, except for Zhu Youxiao and Qin Jianxun, all others must be dismissed. Jin Dajiu must be escorted back to Liaodong, and I will personally interrogate him!"

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he was so angry that he sat on the armchair and gasped for breath. The imperial concubine Chen Yuanyuan, who was standing in the distance, could not hide her joy. She brought a cup of tea and handed it to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, don't be angry. There are many thieves in this world."

The emperor felt thirsty, so he took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

His brother-in-law's greed far exceeded his expectations.

And there is Song Yingxing. I spared his life at the beginning. I thought he would make amends and work diligently for Da Qi from now on. I didn't expect that this guy was still so interested in money and property. It's just like what Zhang Mazi said, a dog will always eat shit.

Liu Zhaosun calmed down a little and said calmly:
"The previous emperor cared about the whole country. Among hundreds of officials, both great and small, covering half of Hubei, he was the only one who was not greedy, incorruptible, and unconcerned with fame and fortune. He devoted himself to planing wood, playing the ink fountain, and grinding glutinous rice, striving for his Lu Ban dream. I am deeply pleased."

Chen Yuanyuan couldn't help laughing when she heard this, and said gloatingly:

"Your Majesty is right. I once met Zhu Youxiao in the capital. He was a focused man. As the saying goes, a focused man..."

Liu Zhaosun smashed the table in front of Chen Yuanyuan into pieces with one punch:

"Jin Dajiu, Jin Yinghe and the others occupy one-third of Da Qi's territory. If they fall, a piece of Da Qi's sky will collapse. When that happens, you will cry."

Chen Yuanyuan was both ashamed and frightened, her face turned pale and she stammered, unable to speak.

"Don't think I don't know about the bad things the Chen family did in Liaodong. Considering that you look like Empress Dowager Zhang and that Liu Kan treats you as his mother, I will forgive you. Tell your brothers and uncles to behave themselves, otherwise, you will end up like the emperor's uncle!"

Liu Zhaosun was full of murderous intent. After he was furious at the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Dowager, he returned to the Cining Palace in a depressed mood.

Empress Dowager Yang Qing'er came with the little emperor.

Yang Qing'er changed her mind and wanted to plead for Jin Yuji and rescue the king's uncle.

Before arriving at the Dazheng Palace, he heard that the retired emperor had already left, so he had no choice but to move to the Cining Palace.

"Your Majesty, I have heard about the deficit in Huguang. Junzhou has a deficit of four million taels. I wonder if this figure is accurate?"

Liu Zhaosun looked up at Yang Qing'er, then at Emperor Taichu Liu Kan who was standing next to him. Liu Kan hurriedly paid his respects to the retired emperor.

"Your Majesty, your son, greets you. May I ask if your Majesty is well?"

Emperor Wuding looked at Liu Kan, who had just turned seven years old, and saw the handsome face of the little emperor. He instantly thought of the dead Zhang Yan. Seeing Yang Qing'er's serious expression, he thought that she was gloating like Chen Yuanyuan, so he replied coldly to Liu Kan.

"Blessings from me."

(End of this chapter)