Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 144 "A Letter to the Subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

Just as the officials in the capital were still immersed in the immense fear and shock of the prince's murder and had not yet processed this bolt from the blue, a second, and even more deadly, thunderbolt followed.

The latest issue of the "Da Ming Yue Bao" was reprinted and sent urgently, on an unprecedented scale and at an unprecedented speed, personally delivered by the Jinyiwei officers and cavalrymen who were stationed in the capital and even throughout the country!
They were no longer the sinister and fearsome hounds of the emperor, but transformed into the most efficient messengers.

They distributed stacks of newspapers, still smelling of ink, to the gates of government offices, the Imperial College, and academies; to the busiest teahouses, taverns, and shops in the East and West markets; and even... posted them directly at the most crowded street corners, loudly reading them aloud to every literate and illiterate person!
This time, the front-page headline didn't use any fancy titles.

Only six shocking words, as if written in blood:
A Letter to the Subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty!

The signature was even more astonishing:
The Ming Emperor, Zhu Youjian!

At that moment, countless people who received the newspapers were trembling.

The emperor himself wrote the document and addressed it to all his subjects—this was simply unheard of in the Ming Dynasty!

Countless people eagerly unfolded the newspapers, and the heart-wrenching words transformed into vivid images of a living hell, rushing towards them.

The article opens with a style that is almost descriptive, yet all the more realistic, instantly drawing everyone into that chaotic battlefield thousands of miles away.

"I have issued an edict of self-reproach, stating that the natural disasters are a warning and the fault lies with me. However, though I am in the capital, my heart is with the people of Qin, who are suffering terribly. I am so worried that I cannot sleep or eat properly. Therefore, despite my illness, I secretly left the capital and rushed to Xi'an overnight. I wish to personally visit this place, to personally witness their sorrow, and to personally hear their cries."

But what did I see outside Xi'an?

I see bones piled high in the wilderness, and not a rooster crows for miles; I see people eating the earth, their breaths barely audible; I see fathers and sons ignoring each other, husbands and wives strangers! Heaven and earth are shrouded in darkness, and human relationships are utterly lost!
My heart was torn apart. Then I entered the city and realized that a single wall could separate heaven and hell!

Outside the walls, the long streets echoed with the cries of mourners, and countless households wept; inside, the royal palace resounded with song and dance, and decadent music!

Outside the walls, the common people cry out, feeding on dust; inside the walls, dogs and pigs slump, enjoying wine, meat, and rich delicacies!
I look up to the heavens, down to the earth, and above all, I ask the spirits of my ancestors in heaven—

Inside the vermilion gates, grains and millet piled up like mountains, eventually rotting; on the king's land, the people were displaced and starved to death!
With Heaven above and ancestors before us, where is justice in this situation?! Where is the Way of Heaven in such conduct?!

In just a few short paragraphs, combining parallel and free-flowing prose, every word is written with heartbreaking force. The power of this piece lies not in its embellishment, but in its thunderous impact! It doesn't directly incite, yet it etches a stark contrast between a living hell and boundless luxury, etching it blood-soaked into the hearts of everyone. The heartfelt sorrow and questioning it evokes in all who see or hear it, stirring their blood and filling them with righteous indignation.

The article then abruptly shifts its tone, abandoning all emotional expression and instead launching into a cold and ruthless listing of evidence.

The newspaper's layout was extremely unusual. The front page featured this manifesto, while the second to fifth pages, a full four pages, focused on only one thing—the ten major crimes of Zhu Cunshu, the ruler of the Qin vassal state!
[Criminal Charge 1: Embezzling relief funds and grain by taking advantage of the emperor's and father's kindness!]

[Criminal Charge Two: Forming a clique of corrupt officials to inflate grain prices for personal gain!]

[Criminal charge three: Seizing the land of countless people and occupying thousands of acres of fertile land!]

[Fourth charge: Driven by selfish desires, abusing torture and disregarding human life!]

……

[Criminal Charge Ten: Harboring rebellious intentions, secretly colluding with bandits to plot treason!]

Each charge is accompanied by detailed and appalling "witness testimony" and "physical evidence."

The article uses the most concise language to describe the location of the final trial—the Qin King's Palace, a massive underground granary as large as a mountain.

"I stand atop the mountain of grain, the rice and millet beneath my feet being the lifeblood of millions of people in Guanzhong for three months. Before me stands Zhu Cunshu, still dressed in fine clothes and eating sumptuous food."

I asked him, "Do you know your crime?"
They laughed at me for having no right to comment, and laughed at me for violating ancestral rules.

I then informed him.

At this moment, throughout the Ming Dynasty, countless people holding this "Monthly Report" held their breath. They wanted to know how this young emperor would render his judgment between ancestral laws and overwhelming public resentment.

Then, they saw two declarations that were sacred and domineering enough to be engraved on stone tablets!

The first paragraph corresponds to the ancestors:

"I said to him: 'Zhu Cunshu! I am not judging your crimes in the name of the emperor, for we are both of the same bloodline as the founding emperor, and I have no such authority. However, your crimes are too numerous to be recorded, and they are intolerable to heaven and earth, and unforgivable by our ancestors! Whether or not to pardon you is up to the holy decision of my founding emperor!'"
"Today, I am not ruling as a sovereign over my subjects, but as the eldest son of the imperial clan, carrying out the late Emperor Taizu's dying instructions to cleanse the Zhu family of its filth!"

"On behalf of Emperor Taizu, clean house!"

This height was like Mount Tai pressing down! In an instant, it crushed all disputes about "legal principles" and "ancestral rules" into dust!

The emperor's identity has now changed. He is no longer a young monarch, but the patriarch of the Zhu clan, wielding the family law of the founding emperor to punish his unworthy descendants!
After these words were spoken, who in the world dared to utter even a single word of dissent?

The second section responds to the people:

"I then turned to my generals and soldiers and said: 'The ones who killed me were not me, nor you, the generals and soldiers of the three armies. They were the hundreds of thousands of innocent souls who died of starvation, wrongful death, or disease because of my hoarding of grain!'"
Today, I am not acting arbitrarily by imperial power, but on behalf of the people, acting on behalf of the helpless masses, to demand retribution from this scoundrel for his blood debt!

If the previous part was irrefutable in terms of law and reason, then this part is a moral flood!
The emperor completely stripped away imperial power, defining himself as the executor of public opinion and divine justice. He wasn't killing people; he was acting on behalf of Heaven, seeking justice for the people!

The emperor was not conducting a trial; he was carrying out a verdict that had already been written in the hearts of the people!
The article concludes with the closing statement of the entire incident, and also with the most powerful and decisive stroke that ignites public outrage:
"After he finished speaking, I presented him with the sword of the Imperial Household Department and ordered him to commit suicide."

Immediately afterwards, I issued the first imperial edict:

"The Prince of Qin's mansion was opened to save the people of this region! However, this grain is not a gift from me! It is for you to clear your names and seek justice from Zhu Cunshu!" This sentence was like the finishing touch, tightly binding together the enormous wealth confiscated, this bonus that the prince had earned with his life, with the people's sense of revenge and the righteous feeling of regaining justice!
This is not a gift from anyone; it is justice that you yourselves won!
When the last word was uttered by countless people, the entire capital city, the entire Ming Dynasty, fell into a moment of silence.

This proclamation, personally written by the emperor, constructed a magnificent righteousness that no one could refute or resist, integrating "heavenly principles, national laws, and human sentiments"!

Then came a volcanic eruption!

"Well done!!!"

"Heaven's justice is evident! His Majesty is wise!!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!!"

……

The copy of the "Da Ming Yue Bao" newspaper was spread out on the rosewood table in the center of the study.

The roaring waves outside the window crashed against the high walls of the Qian family mansion, and also against the already shattered defenses of Qian Longxi and Qian Qianyi.

They sat there motionless, like two clay sculptures stripped of all their energy and spirit.

They had read that "Letter to the Subjects of the Great Ming" no less than ten times. With each reading, the chill in their hearts deepened.

They suddenly realized once again that every step the emperor took was an exquisitely crafted trap. From the moment he issued his edict of self-reproach, he had been laying the groundwork, winning over the hearts of the people, and laying the groundwork for this thunderous strike with a sacred veneer!
He used every available weapon to its fullest extent: public opinion, popular sentiment, ancestral rules, and divine justice.

And these self-proclaimed chess players were nothing more than background figures in this grand drama, without even a single line.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Qian Qianyi trembled violently, and an unprecedented look of terror appeared on his face.

“Brother Longxi…this…these past month…during His Majesty’s disappearance, what we…what we did…”

His voice was trembling uncontrollably.

Qian Longxi's body also stiffened.

They contacted the gentry in Jiangnan, promising to reduce commercial taxes... They secretly sent people to visit several powerful princes, including the Prince of Fu and the Prince of Lu, hinting ambiguously that something was amiss in the capital... They even discussed how to enthrone a wise new emperor should the emperor truly fall critically ill...

At the time, these actions were seen as righteous deeds to set things right and as far-sighted plans for the sake of the nation.

But now it seems...

Both of them were instantly drenched in cold sweat, their inner shirts soaked through.

They panicked.

This time, it came from the depths of my soul—a fear of death!
They were facing an emperor wielding the dual swords of divine justice and the will of the people. If he could kill a vassal king, surely he could kill these two ministers as well? He only needed to expose their deeds in the next issue of the *Da Ming Yue Bao* newspaper, using the same method…

They dared not think any further.

The shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" outside the window sounded like a death knell to them!

……

Zhu Youjian stood by the railing, looking down at the city below that was struggling to awaken from the brink of death.

A new game has begun.

Sun Chuanting stood quietly behind him, like the sharpest sword in his hand.

“Your Majesty,” Sun Chuanting’s voice was steady and powerful, “the refugees in the city have been temporarily stabilized, and porridge and food have been distributed in an orderly manner. However… people’s hearts are not yet settled. After such a great upheaval, plague and public security are both potential threats.”

Zhu Youjian did not turn around. His gaze passed over the jubilant crowd before him and looked towards the more distant, dusty lands of northern Shaanxi. There, countless border soldiers and starving people, unable to survive, were being swept up in a torrent powerful enough to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

"Now that I've arrived here, the people's hearts are unsettled, but I must bring them to a state of calm!"

Zhu Youjian turned around, his dragon robe fluttering in the wind. He looked at Sun Chuanting, whose aura had become even more imposing as he held the imperial sword, and issued a new order that sent a jolt through the latter's heart.

"By imperial decree, the court shall be convened at the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."

"Every single civil and military official in Xi'an, from the Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the Prefect of Xi'an, to the county magistrates and garrison commanders... must be present!"

Sun Chuanting suddenly looked up, a look of horror flashing in his eyes.

He thought that killing the Prince of Qin was the peak of His Majesty's anger, and that the overwhelming killing intent might subside slightly after Zhu Cunshu's head fell to the ground.

But from the young emperor's calm tone and cold eyes, Sun Chuanting sensed a murderous intent that was far more powerful and chilling than before!
　Let's see if I can squeeze out another chapter later. I've revised it so many times, but I'm still not satisfied.
　　Let's get a ticket and give it a shot!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)