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

Chapter 194 Do I Need to Appease Them?
From nightfall, a wind blew from the north at the post station where the imperial entourage rested during its southern tour.

Inside and outside the post station, the Imperial Guards stood like silent stone statues, shutting out all potential sounds and dangers, leaving only the sound of the wind, like weeping and lamenting.

The study remained warm and cozy, the candlelight illuminating the room as if it were daytime, dispelling any chill that seeped in from outside.

The newly appointed Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Wen Tiren, was bowing and standing at one side of the desk.

He wore a brand-new crimson official robe, on which the cloud and goose embroidered in gold thread gleamed in the candlelight, highlighting the master's newly elevated and illustrious status.

However, at this moment, Wen Tiren minimized his presence, breathing evenly, looking down at his nose, seemingly blending into the shadows in the corner of the study.

He dared not do otherwise.

Seated behind the desk was the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor, Zhu Youjian.

The young emperor was not reviewing memorials at the moment, but was simply leaning back in his chair, one hand on the imperial desk and the other holding a cup of tea that was still steaming.

His gaze fell on the few tea leaves floating in the teacup, his expression calm.

But Wen Tiren knew that beneath this calm lay a bottomless abyss.

He had been accompanying His Majesty on a southern tour for half a month, but in reality, the Emperor's intentions became increasingly clear and terrifying as the entourage moved south day by day.

In Wen Tiren's view, this was not an inspection tour at all, but a mobile purge.

I don't know how much time passed; it felt like an hour, or perhaps just a moment.

The emperor finally put down his teacup gently, his fingers tracing the warm, smooth surface of the celadon cup. He then raised his eyes and looked at Wen Tiren.

His gaze was not sharp, it could even be described as gentle, but Wen Tiren felt a sudden tightness in his back.

"Wenqing," Zhu Youjian's voice rang out, "You have accompanied me on this journey south, and it has been a long and arduous one. Tell me, why did I choose to go to Qufu first, instead of heading straight to Yanzhou Prefecture, instead of going to the more distant city?"

coming.

Wen Tiren's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this was the beginning of tonight's audience between the emperor and his ministers.

He quickly went through all the possibilities in his mind and then chose the safest answer, which was also the one that best reflected the thinking of a normal subject.

Wen Tiren stepped forward, bowed ninety degrees, and said in a tone that carried just the right amount of confusion and worry: "Your Majesty, I initially thought that Your Majesty had come to thoroughly investigate the case of Prince Lu's encroachment on official land and his private army. Prince Lu's residence is in Yanzhou, so in principle, we should have gone straight to the heart of the matter."

He paused briefly, seemingly to organize his thoughts, but in reality, he was observing the emperor's expression.

Zhu Youjian remained expressionless, merely gesturing for him to continue.

"But Your Majesty's imperial carriage went to Qufu first. After much thought, I dare to speculate..." Wen Tiren's voice lowered even further.

"Could it be... that they intend to use the name of the Duke Yansheng to appease the scholars of Shandong and create momentum for His Majesty's handling of Prince Lu? After all, the Duke Yansheng's family is descended from the sage and is the ancestral home of all scholars in the world. If they can gain his support, then handling Prince Lu will be as easy as going with the flow, and no one will dare to criticize His Majesty for mistreating the imperial family or making things difficult for the scholars."

These words were perfectly worded, demonstrating a deep understanding of the ways of a minister, interpreting the emperor's intentions as a strategy that combines firmness and flexibility. First, he would demonstrate his authority, then he would appease the people—truly a flawless and impeccable response in the court.

A normal emperor would probably be delighted to hear such an interpretation and praise his minister for understanding his intentions.

However, Wen Tiren immediately realized that the emperor in front of him was not the one he was looking for.

Zhu Youjian did not show any approval after hearing Wen Tiren's words. Instead, a very faint smile appeared on his lips, a smile that made Wen Tiren's heart sink.

"Appease them?" Zhu Youjian repeated the word softly, as if savoring an utterly absurd joke. "Do I need to appease them?"

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open halfway. The night wind immediately rushed in, causing the candlelight to flicker violently and also ruffling the hair on his forehead.

The emperor did not turn around, but gazed at the deep night outside the window, his voice seemingly imbued with the darkness, becoming deep and distant.

"I have heard that in Shandong, the Confucius family is like heaven."

"I have also heard that in the hearts of scholars throughout the land, the Confucian school of thought carries more weight than I, the emperor."

"I am going there for no other reason than to see with my own eyes what color the sky really is," he paused, each word like a piece of ice hitting Wen Tiren's heart, "I just want to see with my own eyes what color this sky really is."

Wen Tiren felt a sudden rush of cold sweat break out on his back.

His previous guesses were too narrow-minded, down to the dust!
The so-called Prince Lu and the appeasement of scholars were nothing more than a smokescreen put out by the emperor.

From the very beginning, this young emperor's true goal was not merely to become a vassal king, but rather... rather to that colossal institution with a two-thousand-year history, revered as a spiritual totem by scholars throughout the land—the Confucius family of Qufu!
He's going to turn that world upside down!

Wen Tiren's brain was racing at that moment, with countless thoughts flashing through his mind like lightning.

Fear, shock, disbelief... but in a mere instant, all these emotions were replaced by a surge of frenzied excitement!

This is your chance!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The emperor's move against the Kong family was undoubtedly a declaration of war against the gentry class, who had vested interests throughout the land.

This requires a knife, a knife that is not only sharp, but also willing to be stained with the blood of its own kind.

This requires a pledge of allegiance, a pledge of allegiance that carries more weight than killing any feudal lord or powerful minister!
And now, it seems, the emperor has laid this opportunity bare before him.

Wen Tiren did not hesitate or waver at all.

He abruptly lifted the front of his official robe, and with a "thud," his knees slammed heavily onto the cold ground.

Wen Tiren raised his head, his eyes no longer showing the previous respect and probing, but filled with a burning ambition.

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened, illuminating the entire realm! Your subject... is foolish and dull!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, yet it sounded incredibly sincere: "The Confucian family has long usurped the name of a sage and committed rebellious and illegal acts! Scholars throughout the land have long suffered under the weight of their name and endured the consequences of their conduct! If Your Majesty wishes to set things right and eliminate this great scourge from the world, your subject, Wen Tiren, is willing to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard, even unto death!"

Zhu Youjian slowly turned around, his face still showing the same calm and composed expression.

He looked down at Wen Tiren, who was kneeling on the ground, almost prostrating himself, and a look of great interest flashed in his eyes.

"Oh?" he drawled. "Tell me about it."

"In the eyes of you disciples of the sage, hasn't the Confucius family of Qufu always been a place of benevolence and righteousness, a family of morality? How come in your mouth, Grand Secretary Wen, it has become a great scourge that everyone should kill?"

Wen Tiren knew that the real test was coming.

A mere empty promise of "I would gladly die ten thousand times" is certainly not enough to gain the trust of this unfathomable emperor.

What the emperor wanted was a real crime, an unassailable reputation.

Wen Tiren kowtowed heavily, his forehead touching the cold ground before straightening up, but he remained kneeling.

"Your Majesty, the outside world only knows that the Duke Yansheng's Mansion is the residence of the descendants of the sage, a sacred place that scholars all over the world yearn for. But they don't know that in the mouths of the people within a hundred miles of Qufu, it is actually a gloomy and terrifying Yama's Palace!"

He paused deliberately, observing the emperor's reaction once more. Zhu Youjian simply listened quietly, gesturing for him to continue.

"When the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrests someone, they still need an imperial edict for verification, following the laws of the court; when the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review try cases, there is a joint trial by the three judicial departments, adhering to the legal provisions. But the Confucius Mansion only needs a warrant stamped with the seal of the Duke of Yansheng to arrest someone, and they can lock the person up and bring them to the mansion to use private torture!"

"This is the first crime: setting up a private court and disregarding human life!"

Wen Tiren's voice suddenly rose, carrying a long-suppressed indignation.

"Within the Confucius Mansion, imitating the government offices, they privately set up a main hall and a second hall. There was also an 'East Room,' ostensibly a place for managing affairs, but in reality, it was their private prison! I once heard a retired former Shandong Imperial Censor reveal after drinking that the East Room was fully equipped with all kinds of torture instruments, such as the tiger-head guillotine, the heart-piercing stake, and the skinning bench, surpassing even the prison of the Ministry of Justice of the court!"

"The Duke of Yansheng wields the tiger-tailed cudgel bestowed by Emperor Taizu Gaozu and the golden-headed jade cudgel bestowed by the late emperor. He claims to 'strike down treacherous officials above and lawless ministers below,' but in reality, these two imperial gifts have long become weapons for slaughtering their own tenants and servants! They declare that killing people will not result in death! Your Majesty, listen to this, how absurd is this!"

"During the Tianqi era, the Duke of Yansheng ordered a servant in his household to be beaten to death on the spot simply because the servant had spoken out of turn! The servant's younger brother had only argued a few words in the hall, but he was also strangled to death by the servants of the Confucius Mansion with ropes!"
Two lives lost! Afterwards, the local officials, upon hearing the news, merely sent someone to inquire after the matter, and that was the end of it. The family of a sage had become a lawless zone! In this world, which is more powerful, the law of the king or the family rules of Confucius?!

Zhu Youjian's expression remained calm, as if he were listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.

Wen Tiren took a deep breath; this wasn't enough.

While murder cases are certainly horrifying, what truly touches the nerves of the emperor is always the stability of the country and the state, and the financial system.

"The second sin: cruel exploitation and competing with the state for profit!"

"The Confucius family owns sacrificial lands, official lands, and private lands scattered across Shandong, Hebei, and Henan provinces, totaling an estimated 800,000 mu. However, according to my private understanding, the actual amount of fertile land they possess is probably already over a million mu! They are undoubtedly the largest landowner in the country!"

"It is common for landlords and gentry to exploit their tenants. But the cruelty of the exploitation by the Confucius family is simply appalling!"
Ordinary landlords were considered harsh if their rent was only 40% or 50%. But the rent at the Confucius Mansion consistently remained above 60%! Even worse, they imposed numerous exorbitant taxes, such as "land rent," "apology money," and "sowing money"... After a year of hard work, tenants would barely save a tenth of their harvest, leaving their families to subsist on grass roots and tree bark!

"I have also heard that a few years ago, the Yellow River breached its banks in Shandong, and several villages under the jurisdiction of the Confucius Mansion were completely flooded, resulting in a complete crop failure. The displaced tenants, with their families in tow, knelt before the gates of the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion, begging only for a reduction in their rent payments from that year. But the steward of the Confucius Mansion beat and kicked them, claiming that 'not a single drop of the sacrificial money and provisions can be missing! Your Majesty!'"

Wen Tiren's voice suddenly became impassioned. He raised his head and looked at Zhu Youjian with bloodshot eyes.

"Your Majesty, you work tirelessly day and night, saving every penny from the imperial treasury to fund the military expenses in Liaodong and the disaster relief funds in the Northwest. Yet the Kong family possesses mountains of gold and silver, their wealth rivaling that of a nation!"
Where did their wealth come from? It didn't appear out of thin air; it was cut away, slice by slice, from the very foundation of the nation—from the hardworking people! This isn't taking from the people; it's hollowing out the very foundation of the country!

His accusation was like a sharp knife, precisely piercing the emperor's most sensitive nerve. Zhu Youjian's hand, which was stroking the teacup, paused almost imperceptibly.

Seeing this, Wen Tiren felt reassured, knowing he was right. He then pressed his advantage and threw out even more shocking charges.

"The third deadly sin: enslaving the people, treating them like livestock!"

"Your Majesty, the tenants under the Confucius family may one day be freed from their registered status. But within the Confucius family's genealogy, there are tens of thousands of households who are slaves of the Confucius family for generations to come, never to be freed from their registered status, their sons and grandsons will all be cattle and horses! Their status is even more miserable than the lowest of the lowly in our dynasty!"

"I have heard of a tragic incident. A runaway slave from the Duke of Yansheng’s mansion fled to a neighboring county, where he changed his name, married, and had children."

Decades later, when the Kong family tracked down the escaped slave, he had already died of illness.

According to old records, the servants of the Kong family took the descendants of the runaway slave, along with dozens of villagers who shared the same surname as the runaway slave, back to the mansion in chains. They tortured them to force them to admit that they were descendants of the runaway slave and forcibly confiscated their entire clan as household members!
Just because they share the same surname, they suffer this calamity, enslaved for generations! Your Majesty, how is this any different from the Jianzhou Jurchens who seized land and enslaved people in Liaodong back then?!

"The sage preached education for all and that benevolence is about loving others. If he knew from beyond the grave that his descendants were passing down their family tradition of raising and enslaving people, he would probably rise from his coffin in anger!"

These words are extremely hurtful!

Wen Tiren's emotions were fully aroused; he seemed not to be informing on others, but to be denouncing a series of heinous crimes.

"The most terrifying thing is the selling of official positions and the corruption of the court!"

"Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely true! It is by no means a baseless accusation by your subject! The Confucius family has received imperial favors from successive emperors and possesses a secret privilege—to petition for local official positions!"
This privilege has now evolved into the open sale of official positions! An old friend of mine who served as an official in Shandong once saw a price list circulating among them, clearly listing prices for everything from fourth-rank centurions to ninth-rank patrol inspectors, and even the lowest-ranking postmasters and clerks—no deception whatsoever! A thousand taels of silver could buy an official position and allow one to infiltrate the imperial system!

"And who are the people who buy these official positions? Most of them are local bullies and powerful figures with bad records, or wealthy but infamous merchants!"
After acquiring official positions, they could legitimately collude with local officials, using this power to oppress the good, seize land, undermine the laws of the court, and commit all sorts of evil deeds!
"Your Majesty, this is not merely selling official positions; this is treason! It's inserting rotten, festering nails into the very fabric of the court!"

Four major charges were brought against him, each one drawing blood.

From trampling on the law to emptying the national treasury, then to enslaving the people, and finally to shaking the foundations of the nation, Wen Tiren, with meticulous and terrifying logic, tore the mask of the Confucius family as a moral institution to shreds, revealing its bloody and greedy true nature.

After speaking, Wen Tiren was already in tears, his whole body trembling with emotion. He then kowtowed again and shouted with all his might:
"Your Majesty! The Kong family is no longer a family of sages, but a state within a state that integrates cruelty, exploitation, enslavement, and the sale of official positions! As long as it exists, the name of the sage will be tarnished; as long as it exists, the laws of the court will become empty words!"

"It...it is the 'mountain of lawlessness' in the hearts of all officials, gentry, and landlords! Seeing that the Kong family can do this, they feel at ease evading taxes and oppressing the people! As long as this mountain does not fall, Your Majesty's new policy of 'officials and gentry paying taxes together' will never be fully implemented! This is not just my opinion, but the deep-seated pain of all discerning people in the world who dare not speak out!"

Silence fell once again in the study.

Only Wen Tiren's heavy breathing and the howling wind outside the window could be heard.

After hearing all this, Zhu Youjian's face remained calm. He simply watched the tea leaves in his cup slowly unfurl as they were steeped in hot water, as if he were appreciating a wonderful play that had just reached its climax.

He was still pondering how to further guide this newly appointed Grand Secretary so that he could completely abandon the hypocritical reserve of a scholar-official and willingly become the sharpest knife in his hand.

But no one expected that Wen Tiren would fall into the trap so quickly.

Without him needing to say another word, he had already performed this drama of sharing the emperor's worries and denouncing the traitors of the country with such sincerity and vividness.

When it comes to the ability to fabricate accusations and bring people to their deaths, this person has indeed reached a master level. There is probably no one in the court who can surpass him now!

Zhu Youjian sneered inwardly.

No wonder... during the original Chongzhen era, he was able to become the longest-serving Grand Secretary in the Chongzhen court!

This extraordinary ability to frame and scheme is indeed the only way to secure one's livelihood!
The thought flashed through his mind, and Zhu Youjian slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze returning to Wen Tiren's face, which was pale with excitement and anticipation.

A long time, a long time.

The emperor spoke slowly, his voice as calm as an ancient well in the depths of winter, yet carrying a chilling coldness.

“Wen Qing, what you’ve said is described in more detail and in more blood in the secret reports submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard than you have described…” Zhu Youjian’s voice was low.

In an instant, Wen Tiren's heart, which had been weathered and tested by decades of experience in officialdom, seemed to be pierced by a thunderbolt!
Countless seemingly unrelated clues frantically connected and combined in his mind, finally piecing together a terrifying scene that sent chills down his spine!
This is how the deeply entrenched eight major Shanxi merchant families were eradicated!

This is how the powerful grain merchants who dominated Jiangnan were dealt with!
Even the Qin royal family, who had been rooted in Shaanxi for many years, were deposed in the same way!

Every time, it's done with such nonchalance; every time, it's done with such a surprising turnaround.

This young emperor was like the most skillful and patient hunter. He never made a move lightly, but once he did, he laid a trap that had been woven in advance, and he held mountains of irrefutable evidence in his hands, leaving you no room to struggle!
Wen Tiren originally thought that this move against the Kong family was the result of the emperor's careful planning over the past few months.

But now it seems...

How many months?
Do not!
A more terrifying thought slithered into his mind like a venomous snake—could this matter have been lingering in His Majesty's heart since the very beginning of his reign?

Wen Tiren felt as if his blood was about to freeze.

Wen Tiren had spent decades navigating the officialdom, serving under three emperors, and had witnessed countless intrigues and deceitful schemes. He boasted that he had developed a keen eye for understanding people's hearts and an extraordinary ability to anticipate the emperor's intentions and frame his political enemies.

But how old was Your Majesty when you ascended the throne?

Seventeen!
A seventeen-year-old boy had already planted the idea in his heart to uproot the thousand-year-old Suwang.
And for this, they patiently planned and laid the groundwork for so long?!
This is simply not the kind of skill and mindset that ordinary people possess!
A born prodigy!
A monster sitting on a dragon throne!

Wen Tiren knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He didn't even dare to look up into the emperor's eyes, afraid that those seemingly calm eyes would see through the raging storm churning in his heart.

After the fear comes a more complete surrender and an unprecedented clarity.

He understood instantly.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the ancients were right.

But the danger of the tiger in front of us is relative!

Its fangs and claws are only ever aimed at those who oppose it.

And what about those who are willing to be his lackeys and die for him?
A series of names and their current appearances flashed through Wen Tiren's mind in an instant.

Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo was the undisputed leader among the nobles. When His Majesty left the capital, he was the pillar of stability in the capital!

Tian Ergeng, the Imperial Guard, did countless dirty and shady things for His Majesty. And what about the Imperial Guard now? They wield immense power and influence, their strength even surpassing that of the border troops!
Not to mention Sun Chengzong, Man Gui, and Sun Chuanting, who rose through the ranks like a rocket! A mere fifth-rank official became a powerful regional governor in the blink of an eye!
The emperor doesn't care about your past or whether you're a bad person... He only cares about one thing: whether you can do things for him! Whether you're ruthless enough and dare to do things for him!
Thinking of this, Wen Tiren felt another chill run down his spine.

He could almost feel Wei Zhongxian's sinister eyes staring straight at him from some shadow not far from the study!

If I fail to accomplish this task today, and hesitate or back down even slightly, His Majesty will undoubtedly hand over this immense achievement, this knife used to slaughter the holy descendants, to that even more unscrupulous old eunuch!
No! Absolutely not!
Wen Tiren endured half his life, struggling in the officialdom, all for the sake of climbing step by step to the highest point!

He wanted to seize the power he had always dreamed of!

The only way to obtain it is to do anything that this unfathomable king wants to do but is unable to do himself!

Having figured all this out, Wen Tiren had no more distracting thoughts, only endless resolve.

At this moment, Zhu Youjian slowly stood up and walked to Wen Tiren, and personally bent down to help him up with both hands.

This gesture left Wen Tiren, still reeling from the shock, feeling flattered and momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Minister Wen," the emperor's tone became earnest, as if he were having a heart-to-heart talk with a trusted confidant, "the Kong family is the leader of all scholars in the land. If I were to harm them, how would the scholars of the land view me?"

Having just regained his footing, Wen Tiren responded without hesitation the instant he heard those words:
"Your Majesty! The scholars of the world are not the private property of the Confucius family! We respect Confucius because we respect his learning and the Confucian way he founded, not because we respect his descendants who act lawlessly and tarnish his holy name!"

His eyes were frighteningly bright, where his former thirst for power had been replaced by a deeper awareness—a determination to throw himself into this terrifying force and become a part of it!
"Your Majesty's actions are not to make enemies of scholars throughout the land. On the contrary, they are to cleanse the house of the Sage, and to eradicate the malignant tumors and scoundrels clinging to the great tree of the Sage for all truly virtuous scholars in the world!"

"At that time, I will use my new title of Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to unite upright Confucian scholars throughout the land! I will proclaim to the world what true veneration of Confucius is and what the supreme law of the Son of Heaven is!"

Zhu Youjian stared intently at Wen Tiren, at the undisguised ambition and ruthlessness in his eyes…

Finally, a genuine smile appeared on the young emperor's face.

"Excellent! What a fine way to clean house for the saint!"

"Wen Tiren, I did not misjudge you."

(End of this chapter)