The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Before we knew it, it was early July.

As generals Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and others were ordered to go to Taiyuan, Beiping, and other places to oversee the frontline battles, the trial of the grain theft case officially entered its final stage.

Every day, death row inmates are escorted to the execution ground and publicly beheaded!

The people of the capital city, watching the spectacle of the execution of the official, were not at all annoyed, and the streets along the route were packed with people all day long.

All matters concerning the execution were still under the full responsibility of Duke Lan Yu of Liang!

By the sixteenth of the seventh month, the Ghost Festival had just passed.

The Jiangnan region has entered the hottest and most humid period of the year, known as the dog days of summer.

After the morning court session, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang summoned all his important officials to the Jinshen Hall for an audience.

This place is located directly north of the Hall of Literary Glory, near the Qianqing Palace area, surrounded by greenery, with spacious halls and buildings, and is very cool and private.

During the sweltering summer, it was also a place where the emperor could escape the heat.

After all the officials had arrived, they paid their respects and were offered seats.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the first to rise, bow to the imperial desk at the head of the table, and hand over the summary of the trial of Guo Huan's case to the eunuch who was delivering the message.

"Father, you are wise!"

"Since the case occurred in March, it has been handled by the Criminal Division for four months, and the grain theft case has been basically resolved!"

"To date, from the six ministries to the local level, a total of more than 67,200 people involved in the case have been arrested."

"Among them, the core ringleaders of the six ministries including Guo Huan, the ringleaders of the various provincial administrations, and the serious criminals in the prefectures and counties who were guilty of corruption, embezzlement of taxes and grain, and harming the people, totaled more than 21,000 people. Some have already been beheaded, and others are awaiting execution in the autumn!"

"Those here are all guilty of heinous crimes, none have escaped justice, and none have atone for their sins."

The hall fell silent upon hearing this.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly.

Over the years, he has generally trusted Biao'er in his work.

What he cares about most is that the main culprit must die, and he will not allow any parasites to escape.

Seeing his father's signal, Zhu Biao continued, "Of the remaining 41,700 or so, some are accomplices with lesser charges, but the majority are those implicated in the crime!"

"In accordance with the Emperor's decree to govern officials with severe punishments while maintaining a balance between leniency and severity, the policy of redemption and reduced sentences has been implemented. Since its inception, all thirteen provincial administrations have completed its implementation!"

"To date, a total of 4,267,000 taels of silver for atonement has been received. The corresponding accounts have been recorded in detail, with corresponding official receipts from the prefectures and counties, down to the last penny!"

He explained all the details in detail.

This went on for the full time it takes for two incense sticks to burn.

Zhu Yuanzhang reviewed the records from beginning to end, his gaze sweeping to his left and right, and said, "The Crown Prince has done a good job supervising the investigation into corruption!"

"I also need your help in managing this..."

A brief summary and commendation were given regarding the events of the past few months.

Old Zhu's eyes were deep and unfathomable. Suddenly, he looked at a minister behind him.

This man was none other than Wu Yong, the Right Judge of the Criminal Division!

From the day he was appointed, Wu Yong worked diligently and conscientiously, presiding over the specific case trials and becoming a sharp weapon in the emperor's hands!

Moreover, his image as a cruel official offended many people in the court.

In recent months, many court officials have not dared to speak ill of the emperor and the crown prince, so they have focused all their anger on Wu Yong!

The impeachment memorials came in as many days as snowflakes.

However, considering the need to mend the relationship between the emperor and his ministers, and to quell public anger, Zhu Yuanzhang was very clear-headed and knew that he had to do something.

"Wu Yong!!"

The emperor's voice was not loud, but to onlookers it was filled with chilling intent.

I noticed that cold gaze on the dragon throne.

Wu Yong understood a lot.

He slowly stood up, showing no fear, and bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject is here!"

In fact, he knew his fate from the moment he received the emperor's appointment a few months ago!

I just didn't expect this day to come so soon!

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the figures below, remaining silent for a long time. He then patted the memorial beside him and said, "These cases were originally presided over by you, but now rumors are rampant!"

"Many people say that you concealed the truth from your superiors in order to gain credit, leading to widespread accusations..."

Faced with a barrage of questions, Wu Yong appeared quite frank, saying, "To be honest, Your Majesty! I acted under imperial decree, and everything I did was in accordance with my conscience. I have no fear of the words of petty people..."

That's enough.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu suddenly interrupted, waving his hand and saying, "Guards, seize Wu Yong and imprison him in the Imperial Prison. The specifics of right and wrong will be determined after a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices!"

But observe the emperor's resolute decision.

Regardless of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, none of the other close ministers, such as meritorious veterans like Xu Da, dared to plead for him.

Finally, Wu Yong was taken away.

What follows is the main point of today's court discussion.

Zhu Yuanzhang swept his gaze over the ministers, including Ren Ang, the Minister of Revenue, and his tone turned cold. He stood up and said, "My dear ministers, you have all seen this. In this grain theft case, everyone from the ministers of the six ministries to the minor officials of the prefectures and counties, and even the grain officials and wealthy people... is involved!"

"These people colluded to create a deficit of twenty million shi of grain!"

"Let's take this opportunity to ask: why, after all these years and so many people we've killed, do they still dare to be so brazenly greedy?"

"Is our sword not sharp enough? Or are our laws not clear enough?"

After the emperor left his throne, he walked into the hall, his eyes red, and looked at her.

For a moment, everyone was terrified.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard, and said, "I've thought about this for months and reviewed those files; today I finally understand!"

"It's not that our blades aren't sharp, but rather that the old methods of taxation and corvée labor were flawed, leaving loopholes for these parasites to exploit!"

"You have all served as officials for many years, working in the court and the army, and you all own land. You should know best that the taxes of our Great Ming Dynasty are a mess, including agriculture, sericulture, silk, horse feed, fish tax, salt tax, and more than eighty other miscellaneous items..."

"Officials at all levels can add to their pay however they want, while the common people can only be exploited!"

"With grain officials collecting on behalf of the grain authorities, village chiefs apportioning the burden, and so on, layer upon layer of handling and skimming, how much of the grain actually reaches the national treasury after a single transport trip, with falsely reported losses?"

"There are also those who, taking advantage of the tax exemption, use the land donated by wealthy people as a pretext to evade taxes, resulting in the gentry taking all the spoils and the burden on ordinary people increasing day by day!"

"What are they doing here? Not only are they embezzling and concealing corruption, but they're also digging up the very foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Even before the Guo Huan case broke out.

When Zhu Xiong Ying, the eldest grandson, mentioned the "Single Whip Law," he spoke of this kind of thing.

After investigation, Zhu Yuanzhang gained an increasingly clear understanding.

As for today, it's about setting new rules for everyone!

Anyone who disobeys will be killed!

He paused, stroked his beard, and continued, "We called you here not just to hear reports on the case, how many people were killed, or how much money and grain were recovered... but to plug the hole!"

"Listen up, everyone!"

"First, effective immediately, all miscellaneous taxes and levies under the summer tax and autumn grain tax shall be abolished and merged into the 'Hongwu Regular Tax'!"

"The nationally unified tax system will determine our taxes based on the acreage recorded in the fish-scale map. The taxes will be levied on the upper, middle, and lower grades of the land—whatever amount is due, that's how much we'll pay!"

"And from the Ministry of Revenue down to the county and township levels, write everything down clearly, registering and cataloging it at every level!"

"Anyone who dares to levy even a single coin or a single grain of rice beyond the regular taxes, or more than thirty strings of cash, will be executed by hanging on the spot!"

"Of the taxes levied, 70% must be in kind, such as grain, cloth, and fodder; 30% can be exchanged for gold or silver..."

"Secondly, establish the 'Law Prohibiting the Contribution of Land.' Don't think we're being heartless; anyone who illegally contributed land before the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389) must surrender and return the land within three months to be exempted from punishment!"

"Those who fail to surrender themselves by the deadline will have their land confiscated, and both those who offered and received the offerings will be held jointly liable! Anyone who dares to offer offerings again will be exiled to the border garrison, and their relatives who participated will be stripped of their titles..."