Huangming

Chapter 171 The Iron Edict Burns the Silk, Poisonous Admonitions foreshadow a Prophecy

"Drag him out! Thirty strokes of the cane!"

With a command from Zhu Youxiao.

Zhou Jiamo was immediately grabbed by the arms by two Imperial Guards and dragged all the way to Zuoshun Gate.

Although he was old, he was struggling fiercely at this moment, and he kept cursing:

"A tyrannical ruler! A decree to conduct land surveys will surely plunge the world into chaos!"

His voice was hoarse yet high-pitched, echoing between the palace walls, attracting the attention of eunuchs and palace maids along the way, and even the guards on duty exchanged glances in secret.

"Your Majesty! You are destroying your own Great Wall!"

He deliberately shouted until he was hoarse, and even staggered a few steps, forcing the Imperial Guards to drag him even harder, making the scene even more embarrassing.

Upon arriving outside Zuoshun Gate, officers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already brought out the torture bench, and the court rods were ready.

Even as Zhou Jiamo was pinned to the stool, he continued to struggle and shout:

"This old minister will die today to remonstrate with Your Majesty, only begging that Your Majesty rescind your decree!"

His official robes were already disheveled from being dragged along, his white hair was scattered, and there were even bloodstains on his forehead from struggling, making him look particularly pitiful.

Officials often came and went outside Zuoshun Gate, and now many courtiers had stopped to watch, while censors and officials rushed over upon hearing the news.

Seeing this, Zhou Jiamo sneered inwardly—'The fish has taken the bait.'

He took a deep breath and, with all his might, roared at the crowd before the scepter fell:
"Gentlemen! Today I am being punished, tomorrow it will be your turn!"

When the first blow of the cane struck the junction of his buttocks and legs, he deliberately raised his scream three octaves: "Your Majesty! If the land survey order is issued, Beizhili will surely descend into chaos!"

"Snapped!"

The second blow landed with a whooshing sound, and blood seeped through Zhou Jiamo's official robe.

He seized the opportunity to grab the edge of the torture bench and shouted, "If we rashly conduct a land survey, there will surely be countless people starving to death, and the world will be thrown into chaos!"

The cry of pain was deliberately directed towards the Sixth Corridor.

Wei Zhongxian smiled sinisterly and signaled the executioner to slow down.

As the fifth blow fell, Zhou Jiamo suddenly struggled and rolled off the torture bench, banging his head on the ground and shouting, "This old minister is willing to remonstrate with his blood against his sovereign and father!"

His forehead struck the blue brick, leaving a shocking bloodstain—this was not part of the plan, but a scene he added on the spot.

The commotion outside Zuoshun Gate attracted more and more prey.

Censor Huang Zunsu of the Censorate rushed over with seven or eight officials, only to witness Zhou Jiamo being forced back onto the torture bench in a miserable state.

Upon seeing this, the old minister immediately switched to a sobbing voice: "Gentlemen, leave quickly! Don't follow in my footsteps!"

This behavior provoked the officials to kneel down in protest, with Huang Zunsu even pulling out a memorial: "We, your humble servants, jointly oppose the land survey!"

The hidden Imperial Guards immediately noted down the names of all those who knelt and remonstrated.

As the twentieth lash fell, Zhou Jiamo's screams became intermittent, yet he still uttered the key line: "The gentry of Beizhili are competing with the people for profit."

Beneath his blood-soaked mourning clothes, he secretly calculated—it was time for Gao Panlong to make his appearance.

now.

In the Censorate.

Left Censor-in-Chief Gao Panlong was anxiously awaiting news.

Zhou Jiamo was summoned to the Qianqing Palace by the emperor for questioning. What were the results of the questioning?

Last night he sent Wen Zhenmeng to persuade Zhou Jiamo. How much success did he achieve?

Everything is unknown.

Right now.

A censor rushed in and reported, "Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! Minister Zhou is being flogged outside the Zuoshun Gate!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Panlong slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, causing the teacup to fall to the ground and shatter.

His hair and beard bristled, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light: "What a Minister Zhou! He actually uses flesh and blood as bait!"

He immediately grabbed his official hat and slammed it on his head, then turned to the assembled censors and sternly said, "Did you all hear that? Minister Zhou is being flogged outside the Zuoshun Gate!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "court flogging" and, seeing the sudden change in everyone's expression, he strode to the window and abruptly pushed it open.

The faint screams and sounds of beatings drifted in on the wind from afar. Taking advantage of the moment, Gao Panlong raised his arms high: "Listen! That's the sound of a scholar-official's spine being broken!"

Before the words were even finished, a young censor stood up with tears in his eyes.

"Huang Zunsu and the others are already kneeling outside Zuoshun Gate remonstrating." Gao Panlong took out a prepared memorial from his sleeve and slammed it heavily on the table.

"If you shrink back today, tomorrow the court flogging will fall on the Censorate! Will you gentlemen be like Wei Zheng, or like cowards hiding in the mud?"

The audience erupted in uproar.

Some experienced individuals are still hesitant.

The imperial censors, especially those promoted by the emperor, were even less inclined to get involved in this mess.

Although there were losses from the land survey, the loss of imperial favor was far more painful than losing thousands of acres of land.

Therefore, many censors advised:
"It would be best if the Censorate didn't get involved. Have you all forgotten what happened to Han Kuang last year?"

"Your Majesty is wise and your land survey is a good policy and a wise administration."

"Are you all going to force me to abdicate over the loss of a few acres of land?"

These words immediately dampened the enthusiasm of many.

Many people have begun to weigh the gains and losses.

Land is precious, but life and official position are equally important.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, Gao Panlong snorted coldly, then suddenly ripped open his official robe to reveal his inner garment—a plain white undergarment. He pointed to his chest and shouted, "I'm even dressed in mourning clothes! Zhou Jiamo dared to spill blood on the imperial steps; do we not even have the backbone to kneel and remonstrate?"

"If His Majesty can survey the land today, he might dare to abolish the Censorate tomorrow. How can we back down?"

"Gentlemen, if we retreat one step today, we will retreat a hundred steps tomorrow. We cannot retreat this step!"

This behavior completely ignited the emotions of the crowd.

More than ten censors stood up in unison, some even biting their fingers and pressing their bloodstains onto the memorials.

Seeing that the time was right, Gao Panlong suddenly lowered his voice and said, "The Six Censors are already on their way. We are not fighting alone!"

These words were like a spark thrown into a hot oil pan, prompting some hesitant officials to make up their minds.

Who would complain about having too much land?
Even if the emperor wanted to seize their land, they would not allow it!
The crowd immediately rushed towards the courtyard gate.

Before leaving, Gao Panlong deliberately lagged behind by two steps and whispered to his confidant, "Go and tell Wen Zhenmeng to have the students taking the exam prepare a petition from the people to boycott the exam."

Looking up, he saw the Imperial Guard spies taking notes in the corridor. He suddenly raised his voice: "Today's blood will surely stain His Majesty's decree for the land survey red!"

This matter is bound to be blown out of proportion.

Only when things escalate will the emperor back down.

Only if things escalate will they remain unscathed.

Han Kuang's previous kneeling remonstrance was merely a sudden imperial edict issued by the emperor.

Although it was related to the interests of civil servants, it was ultimately only a broad interest, not a real one.

Now that the emperor wants to conduct a land survey, this affects their vital interests.

Which family hasn't occupied hundreds or thousands of acres of land?

Therefore, this resistance will only be more intense than that of Han Kuang!
The reason why Gao Panlong dared to actively participate in this struggle was that he was not the leader.

Zhou Jiamo was the one who led the opposition to the land survey order, while Gao Panlong merely followed suit.

Previously, Han Kuang had led a disturbance, but he was only exiled to Qiongzhou.

This time, Gao Panlong did not take the lead directly. Even if things fail, the worst outcome would be that he would be unemployed at home.

This situation, where he had a way out, made him fearless—he could gain fame in the struggle without having to bear primary responsibility.

More importantly, the land survey directly affected the core interests of the gentry class. Amidst the public outrage, he seized the opportunity to fuel the flames, which not only solidified his own position but also reduced his personal risks by leveraging the collective momentum.

Therefore, he naturally had nothing to fear.

now.

Outside the left-hand gate.

Amid Zhou Jiamo's screams and the muffled thuds of the court beatings, a large number of officials quickly gathered outside Zuoshun Gate.

Censors from the Censorate, officials from the Six Ministries, and other government departments rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Led by Huang Zunsu and others, they knelt down in a dense crowd.

When Gao Panlong and his entourage from the Censorate arrived, the scene was already in an uproar.

Seeing that the time was ripe, he immediately raised his arms and shouted: "If Your Majesty insists on surveying the land, you will be making an enemy of all the gentry in the land! Today you flogged Minister Zhou, tomorrow it will be your turn!"

The six supervising secretaries immediately responded, raising their memorials and shouting in unison, "Your Majesty, please rescind your decree! Cease the flogging! Withdraw the edict on the land survey!"

Many officials from the six ministries also joined in the support.

Some cried out, "The land survey order will surely lead to a popular uprising! Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Even more extreme, some knelt and wept blood, saying, "We are willing to take the beating in place of Minister Zhou, only begging Your Majesty to rescind the rebellious decree!"

The secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard moved through the crowd, quickly recording the names of each person who knelt to remonstrate.

Gao Panlong, observing from the shadows, saw that there were enough people to create a powerful momentum, and then signaled his trusted censor to lead the shouting: "Your Majesty, please withdraw the three edicts! Otherwise, we will kneel here forever!"

For a time, a clamor arose outside Zuoshun Gate, with officials expressing their indignation as if they were truly pleading for the country and its people.

However, they knew perfectly well that this kneeling remonstrance was nothing more than a carefully planned coup d'état.

Zhou Jiamo lay face down on the torture bench, his flesh and blood a bloody mess, yet a cold smile flickered at the corner of his mouth.

He knew that the more dramatic the performance, the worse it would be for these officials who had volunteered and for Gao Panlong!

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youxiao leaned against his desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the secret report that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had just presented, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Your Majesty, nearly a hundred officials from the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Six Offices have gathered outside Zuoshun Gate. They are all kneeling and pleading for an end to the caning of Zhou Jiamo and for the withdrawal of the land survey edict."

Wei Chao knelt on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.

"In addition, more than 300 candidates for the imperial examination jointly submitted a memorial, threatening to boycott the examination if the land survey order was not lifted."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao slowly straightened up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He reached out and took the joint memorial, his fingertips gently tracing the densely packed signatures on it, then suddenly chuckled softly: "Good, very good."

Wei Zhongxian, who was standing to the side, observed the situation and immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, these scholars are incredibly audacious. They dare to threaten the court with boycotting the exam. If they are not severely punished, the court will lose its dignity!"

Zhu Youxiao did not respond immediately, but casually tossed the memorial back onto the table and said indifferently, "I want to see just how much backbone they have."

He raised his eyes to look outside the hall, a half-smile on his face: "Since the Embroidered Uniform Guard has recorded the list, they will check it one by one. For those who participated in the kneeling remonstrance, check their land holdings in Beizhili. I want to see whether they were remonstrating for the country or forcing the emperor for personal gain!"

Wei Zhongxian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "This servant will take care of it right away!"

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the petition signed by the candidates again and sneered, "As for these candidates who have boycotted the exam, I hereby issue an oral decree that all those who participated in the petition will be stripped of their academic titles and will never be allowed to take the exam again. I want to see whether they boycott the exam or I will cut off their careers first!"

As a prospective official of the Ming Dynasty, he got involved in factional struggles before even entering officialdom.

He doesn't want such a prospective official!
Zhu Youxiao slowly rose, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "The land survey is imperative. Since they insist on making a scene, then I will let them know—whose world truly belongs to this land!"

The flickering candlelight inside the hall illuminated his cold, stern profile.

He knew: the time to close the net had finally come.

(End of this chapter)