Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 44: A Major Academic Critique and Expose of Corruption! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"How dare you! How dare you!!"

Before Old Zhu could even unleash his anger, Liu Sanwu was the first to lose his temper.

He was trembling with rage, pointing at Shen Lang and the other low-ranking officials in the capital, and launched into a furious tirade:
"You worthless scoundrels! You're like street ruffians! How dare you commit such despicable acts in the Hall of Supreme Harmony?"

"Demanding unpaid wages?! Pig's head meat?! Where do you place the dignity of the imperial court?! You have trampled the decorum of the scholar-officials underfoot!!"

"You, you are unworthy to be subjects!"

The more he cursed, the angrier he became, feeling a surge of frustration stuck in his chest, and his vision blurred.

He was a man of impeccable reputation throughout his life, and he valued etiquette and rules above all else. This farce of a group demanding back wages is a blatant trampling on his lifelong beliefs.

Besides, what day is it today?
That's a big day for establishing an heir!
It was a momentous day when the Emperor finally made up his mind to establish the Crown Prince!

It was a sacred day when his political career was about to reach its zenith!

How could we let such a big deal be ruined by these trivial matters?!
However, just as he caught his breath and relaxed, Shen Lang's voice suddenly rang out:
"Scholar Liu, you're so high and mighty, you think you can scold us now?"

"Back then, you and your five brothers all served the Yuan court. Two of you were killed by bandits. When you were seeking refuge everywhere and were helped by the people of Guangxi, have you forgotten that?"

"Now you stand in the imperial court, shouting about loyalty! Is your loyalty nothing more than sycophancy, disregarding the lives of your colleagues?"

"You've utterly disregarded the teachings of sages! How can you face the poor people who helped you? How can you face your two deceased brothers?!"

"you you you"

Liu Sanwu opened his eyes wide, seemingly not expecting the old story to be brought up again, and was so angry that he couldn't speak.

At this moment, Zhao Fengman chimed in:

"Censor Shen is right! Scholar Liu was only recommended to the court by Chang Ru at the age of seventy-three. He truly wasted the previous decades! Little did he know that in the wealthy families, there is only the smell of wine and meat, while on the streets, people freeze to death!"

Boom!

Liu Sanwu was struck dumb!
He seemed to have been struck in a vulnerable spot, completely stunned, and finally stammered, "You...you've disgraced civilization!!"

"Ha, you say we've insulted civility?"

Shen Lang sneered: "Fine! Then we'll quote classic texts!"

"Your Majesty!"

Wu Naida, a principal clerk in the Ministry of Personnel, held his official tablet and bowed deeply. His voice was loud and clear, each word ringing with conviction.

"I have heard the Book of Songs say: 'Big rat, big rat, do not eat my millet. I have served you for three years, yet you do not care for me.' This is no exaggeration. I observe the court today; how many parasites and big rats are there!"

Having said that, he pointed his scepter sharply at the ranks of nobles, his voice rising abruptly like the bang of a gavel:

"Families of meritorious officials have received the nation's favor for generations and share the nation's fate."

"However, they annexed farmland, seized people's property, treated soldiers like slaves, and occupied mountains and forests as their private granaries."

"Their behavior is even worse than that of a giant rat."

“Even worse, some colluded with salt smugglers to smuggle salt and iron, using the imperial court’s exclusive rights to fill their own pockets.”

"This is to undermine the foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty and sever the lifeline of our nation."

"Your Majesty! How can we appease public anger and restore order to the court if we do not eliminate these parasites of the nation?!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

Chaos, utter chaos, the situation is rapidly spiraling out of control.

A commotion broke out among the nobles' ranks.

Several old nobles were so angry that their noses twisted and their eyes squinted.

Holy crap, Liu Sanwu!!
Are you trying to shift the blame?!

They're cursing the emperor, what's so great about that?

Now you're cursing at us, are you fucking satisfied?!

You old bastard!
However, before these nobles could retaliate, Li Mo, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! I second the proposal to appoint Wu, the Chief Clerk!"

His voice was clear and melodious, and he was very knowledgeable in quoting classical texts.
"The Zuo Zhuan says: 'Those who eat meat are base and cannot plan far ahead.' I observe that among the officials of the Six Ministries today, many are merely occupying positions without doing any work." "The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of money and grain, yet its treasury is empty, and it has been in arrears with the salaries of its officials for seven months. As a result, a dignified seventh-rank censor had to pawn his jade pendant to buy only half a pig's head to keep him alive. There is no worse situation than this, with the collapse of rites and music and the loss of civility."

Then, he changed the subject, pointing directly to the problems of bureaucratic corruption:

"Bribery is rampant in the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel. There are many kinds of gifts, such as 'special gifts' and 'charcoal gifts'."

"Three thousand taels is enough for a sub-prefect; five thousand taels is within reach for a prefect."

"With such rampant buying and selling of official positions, how can the virtuous and capable advance? How can the wicked and corrupt be expelled?!"

"Your Majesty! This is a disease of officialdom, a poison to the nation. If this continues, the country will cease to exist."

"I second that! I am deeply grieved!"

Sun Gui, an assistant director of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War, had a booming voice. He suddenly slapped his official robe:

"Your Majesty! Look at my official robes. They are shiny on the outside, but they are full of holes underneath. This is not only my shame, but also the disgrace of the court and the humiliation of the nation."

The Book of Rites states: "If one's attire is not proper, then the guests will not be respectful."

“We, your humble servants, are poorly clothed and starving, subsisting on salted vegetables and thin porridge every day. Meanwhile, nobles and wealthy families indulge in cockfighting and horse racing, spending far more than a hundred taels of gold on a single banquet. How is this extravagance any different from the wine pool and meat forest of King Zhou of Shang?!”

"If this continues, the people will lose all support, and the foundation of the nation will be shaken!"

"We second that proposal!"

One after another.

The high-ranking officials of the six ministries, including the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of War, were stunned when they heard these secondings.

It wasn't your brothers, it was that bastard Liu Sanwu who cursed you!

We're on the same side!
However, these low-ranking officials in Beijing, who were already blinded by rage, didn't care who was who and launched indiscriminate attacks.

Some are so ruthless that they'll even harm their own relatives who serve in the same court.

Liu Sanwu's words, "This is an insult to literature," were like setting off a series of landmines.

They no longer limited themselves to demanding back pay from Lao Zhu, but instead quoted classical texts and transformed into professionally trained "super trolls," unleashing their full firepower.

They quoted the Book of Lord Shang to denounce the privileges of nobles, their monopoly on salt and iron, and their competition with the people for profit.

They quoted the Analects to criticize local officials for their tyrannical practices of extortion and exploitation.

They quoted Mencius, saying that the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important, directly pointing out that the official salary system is an evil policy that mistreats officials and undermines the foundation of the country.

Some even cited Han Feizi to imply that certain powerful vassal kings, who held considerable military power, were treacherous and needed to be closely guarded against.

Their voices were loud and clear, and they quoted extensively from classical texts with ease, using parallel sentences and rhetorical questions with masterful skill.

Spittle flew everywhere in the hall, and burps rose and fell, creating a soundscape that was both absurd and oppressive.

The extravagance of the nobles, the corruption of officials, the collapse of the bureaucracy, and the hidden dangers of the princes were all laid bare, like peeling an onion, layer by layer, and presented to Zhu Yuanzhang and his court officials in a bloody manner.

The entire Fengtian Hall had become a place filled with Confucian classics, yet permeated with the smell of pork head meat—

A large-scale academic critique and exposé of corruption!
The nobles were ashen-faced and trembling with rage, but were rendered speechless by the barrage of quotations and allusions.

The high-ranking officials of the six ministries turned ashen-faced and were drenched in cold sweat. The accusations of bribery, bribery, and buying and selling official positions stung their faces like whips.

Old Zhu sat on the dragon throne, his face turning from green to red, and then from red to black.

These remarks struck at his sore spots and tore at his heart.

He wanted to roar, he wanted to go on a killing spree, but his heart was filled with doubt.

These bastards, have they lost their minds today?! How dare they be so insolent?!
Is it that Old Zhu's knife isn't sharp enough?!
and many more!

This familiar feeling... it's kind of like something I'd expect.
Could it be that Zhang Biao kid's doing?!

Thinking of this, Old Zhu was filled with rage!

Damn it!!

If it weren't for the emperor's dignity, he would have loved to stand up from the dragon throne, stomp his feet, and shout:
Sin! ! !
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(End of this chapter)