Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 320 If you want to emulate Fang Xiaoru, I'll grant your wish.

The question fell silent in the imperial court.

The officials in the imperial court were busy with countless affairs of state, and few of them knew about the unofficial histories that were currently only circulating in a small area of ​​Jiangnan. Basically, officials of the third rank and above were completely clueless about them.

Of course, they also discovered it.

Although Zhu Jinzhen was asking questions, he wasn't looking at them, but rather at the few officials who had been the loudest in their objections, each with their own reasons.

"I ask you, do you know how Fang Xiaoru answered Emperor Taizong's question in those unofficial histories that portray him as loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and willing to die for his principles?"

"This……"

Those officials who had just been speaking passionately and righteously, vying to persuade Zhu Houzhao as if they were his most loyal subjects, were now all pale-faced.

They exchanged glances, their hearts filled with sorrow, and some, unable to bear the psychological pressure, knelt down on the spot.

Zhu Jinzhen looked at Yu Huatian, who was standing below the golden steps in a purple flying fish robe, and asked him to explain.

"Since you don't know, then I will take pity on you and tell you."

"Yuhuatian."

"This servant is here." Yu Huatian replied respectfully, then turned around abruptly, looking mockingly at the pale-faced officials, and said, "In that story fabricated by scholars from Jiangnan, Fang Xiaoru, in order to demonstrate his integrity and moral character, shouted at Emperor Taizong, 'So what if you exterminate my ten clans?'"

Exterminate ten generations of their family?
Those officials who had been jumping and shouting the loudest just now suddenly felt dizzy and fainted on the spot from the shock of those words.

They now have a vague idea of ​​Zhu Jinzhen's intention in deliberately mentioning this story.

Could it be...?

"No, no."

Several people who had fainted were still trembling uncontrollably.

It was as if he had epilepsy.

Nightmare-like thoughts haunted them, keeping them in fear even when they were unconscious.

The entire court was stunned by Yu Huatian's words.

Throughout history, very few families have actually been executed, with the extermination of nine generations of their relatives.

Exterminate ten generations of their family?
Wait, how is the execution of ten clans calculated?

The phrase "extermination of nine generations" was perfectly clear to all the officials; it referred to four generations from the father's family, three from the mother's family, and two from the wife's family.

This tenth clan?
The Minister of Justice nearly fainted from anger and almost suffered a stroke on the spot. He gritted his teeth and replied in a low voice, "The so-called ten clans, the tenth clan should refer to the teacher-student relationship."

"Or... does it include friends?"

Holy shit! !
In the Fengtian Hall, many officials widened their eyes instantly, their pupils bloodshot, and turned to look at the few officials who had fainted from shock, wishing they could roll up their sleeves and rush up to kill them.

Among the officials in the imperial court, there were quite a few who were related by marriage or kinship.

But officials from all over the country, the Jiangnan group, the Huaixi group, the civil officials from both the north and south, military generals and nobles, and many others who had no connection with him, even if Zhu Jinzhen was furious and wanted to carry out a massacre.

There won't be too many officials in the imperial court who will actually be implicated.

Ten clans are possible!!!
At least half of the court officials would die on the spot.

Take Grand Secretary Yang Yanhe as an example. His protégés and former officials are all over the court. Among them are some of the officials mentioned earlier. At least a dozen people in the court who are his fellow students or have a teacher-student relationship with Yang Yanhe can be easily identified.

This only applies to those who are qualified to enter the Fengtian Hall.

If we look at the entire Ming Dynasty, wouldn't there be endless slaughter and rivers of blood?!
"You bastard, if you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

“If Your Highness truly intends this, even if it costs me my life, I will kill you first—no, I will kill your entire family.” “To demonstrate your integrity, you could gladly face death; why are you jumping out to oppose me?”

"It's over, it's completely over."

Many of the officials panicked and were truly drenched in sweat.

It should be noted that when Zhu Jinzhen vigorously purged Shaanxi and Gansu, as well as the Twelve Guards of Shaanxi, he was the one who truly slaughtered countless people, essentially a mini-Emperor Taizu.

If they really intend to execute ten generations of the families of those officials who were just trying to emulate Fang Xiaoru.

Those of them who were innocently implicated have nowhere to cry out for justice!
Zhu Jinzhen noticed the tension among the officials, their heavy breathing, and the dense sweat covering their skin. He shook his head and said, "Rest assured, the situation is settled. I will not indiscriminately kill without cause."

Upon hearing this, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

"I mention this matter only to tell you that even the historical records of Emperor Taizong, which are only a short hundred years old, have been fabricated to this extent by later generations."

"How will scholars write history a hundred years from now?"

"I could have foreseen this."

"so……"

Zhu Jinzhen's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he coldly looked at the officials who had just been clamoring against him, most of whom had now fainted from the shock of the phrase "extermination of ten clans," and said, "Don't think that your reputation before and after death is something I need to worry about."

"If you want to emulate Fang Xiaoru, I can grant your wish."

"If you insist, Emperor Taizong never actually executed Fang Xiaoru's entire clan of ten generations, but I can set a precedent for that."

Zhu Jinzhen was not referring to the officials who were in a coma.

In his eyes, all the officials who had just jumped out to oppose him were already dead men, not worth his time to waste.

These words were a real warning to the two trembling officials in the imperial court.

"kill!"

As Zhu Jinzhen spoke, the Cangyun Army, who had previously crowded into the Fengtian Hall and were responsible for internal and external security, drew their swords. In the flash of cold light, those officials who had been stunned and fell into a coma did not even have time to feel the pain before they were killed by the Cangyun and Tiance soldiers. Some were beheaded on the spot, while others were killed on the spot.

For a moment, the hall of Fengtian was filled with a strong smell of blood.

There were seven or eight corpses lying haphazardly on the ground. Some of them were high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, while others were officials of the fifth rank or above from the Court of Judicial Review or the Six Ministries.

Those officials who were lucky enough to survive and witnessed the massacre almost clapped and cheered with excitement.

The 'unofficial history' that Zhu Jinzhen had heard before was so frightening, and he even seemed to be preparing to learn it, which almost made all the civil and military officials in the court scream.

Exterminate ten generations of their families!
If it is truly for the sake of so-called integrity, loyalty, and national righteousness, then death is death.

History will one day clear their names and vindicate them.

But those people who jumped out just now, including the two from the Inspectorate, are people whose character they all know well. They must all have their own purposes for shouting like that.

Those who are implicated by such people will surely die with regrets.

Zhu Jinzhen watched all this indifferently, deliberately holding the armrest of the dragon throne, "Since they are trying to uphold their integrity, I will grant their wish and exterminate their tribe."

"promise!"

The Cangyun Army and the Tian Ce soldiers immediately accepted the order.

The civil and military officials in the court felt a chill run down their spines, secretly relieved that they hadn't been blinded by greed and jumped out to oppose him. Otherwise, they would have suffered the same fate as those fools!

(End of this chapter)