The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

Zhu Yuanzhang grew angrier with each curse, pacing back and forth in front of the dragon throne, spitting as he spoke: "Let me tell you! This matter is not over! Anyone who dares to talk to us about favorable weather and abundant harvests again, I'll skin them alive!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang, panting heavily, looked at the kneeling officials below him, and the anger in his heart burned even more fiercely.

Why does he hate being lied to so much?

Because he had been cheated, cheated terribly.

Back then, Yang Xian, the Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, could talk the dead back to life with his words.

They would say things like "Your Majesty is wise" and "Your Majesty is the greatest emperor of all time" all the time, keeping Zhu Yuanzhang completely under their thumb.

The key point is that Zhu Yuanzhang genuinely believed him at that time, thinking he was a rare talent, so he entrusted him with tasks and put him in power.

But what was the result? That scoundrel secretly formed cliques, eliminated dissidents, and treated Old Zhu like a fool!

By the time Lao Zhu realized what was happening, the losses were irreversible.

However, none of these are the key points.

The key issue is the embarrassment. Old Zhu thought he could see through people's hearts, but he was completely fooled by his subordinates, which severely damaged his self-esteem!

From then on, Zhu Yuanzhang harbored a deep resentment and grudge against the court officials.

They all talk a good game, but who knows what evil they're up to?

He was even more determined that if anyone dared to lie to him again, he would skin them alive on the spot!

Just then, the Ministry of Revenue official who had stepped forward to flatter him suddenly knelt down, his forehead slamming heavily against the gold brick, making a loud thud.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" he cried, his voice trembling with sobs. "I was confused for a moment, I deserve to die! What I just said came from the bottom of my heart, Your Majesty! I truly believed that the world was at peace and the people were living in tranquility—"

"Shut up!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared. "How dare you say that?!"

The official trembled with fear, lay prostrate on the ground, and dared not utter another sound.

at this time,

Another official mustered up his courage and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" the official said, his voice trembling. "I believe... Your Majesty must have been deceived! The talk of chaos in the north and the starvation of the people is all fabricated! Someone must be deliberately spreading rumors to mislead Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not believe them!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.

It wasn't that anyone dared to speak up, but rather that everyone's heart was in their throat.

Does this guy have a death wish?

The emperor is looking for someone to vent his anger on right now, and you're going up to him and saying "it's all baseless"?

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared intently at the official like an enraged tiger.

All eyes in the hall fell on Hu Weiyong.

Everyone knows that this Right Chancellor is now the most powerful person in the court and the most trusted minister of the emperor.

If he were to say something, he might be able to quell the emperor's wrath.

But what about Hu Weiyong?

He kept his eyes down, staring at his toes, without even lifting his eyelids.

He hunched over slightly, his shoulders hunched, barely daring to breathe, looking exactly like a mouse being watched by a cat.

When it comes to the ability to read people's expressions and demeanor, if Hu Weiyong claims to be second, no one would dare to claim to be first.

The emperor is furious right now; whoever runs into him will die.

Even if Hu Weiyong had extraordinary abilities, he wouldn't dare utter a single word at this moment.

If you say something wrong, that wrath could befall you.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze slowly swept across the hall, finally landing on the officials in the middle.

"You!" He raised his hand, pointing at each of them one by one, "And you! You! You!"

"Weren't you all talking so enthusiastically just now? Good weather and abundant harvests? Peaceful and prosperous lives? All nations paying tribute?!"

"Why are you so quiet now? Have you gone mute?!"

"What are you all good for?! All you do is flatter and sing praises! When something really happens, you all cower faster than turtles!"

"You filthy scoundrels! You murderers! A bunch of sons of bitches!"

He grabbed the memorial from the imperial desk and slammed it down on the emperor's face, yelling, "Let me tell you! If anyone dares to fool us again, we'll throw their whole family in jail! Not a single one will escape!"

Unpleasant words kept pouring out of the mouth of this founding emperor.

What kind of "son of a bitch", "straight bastard", "worse than a pig or a dog" are these?

Upon hearing this, the entire court of officials turned pale and trembled.

Where is there even a trace of a monarch in this?

She was even fiercer than a shrew yelling in the market.

But no one dared to laugh, and no one dared to look up.

They knelt on the ground, hoping that this thunderous wrath would pass quickly.

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped midway through his tirade.

He was panting heavily, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept over the officials who were speaking.

Then he smiled.

The laughter sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Someone come here."

The guards outside the hall rushed in with a "whoosh".

Zhu Yuanzhang said casually, as if he were commenting on the weather: "Drag these bastards out and behead them."

The hall was deathly silent.

The officials were stunned for a moment, then burst into tears and screams as if they were going crazy:

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I only said a few kind words!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! I have an eighty-year-old mother at home—"

But the guards wouldn't listen and dragged him out by the arm.

The screams grew fainter and fainter until finally there was no sound at all.

The entire court was terrified.

Some people's legs gave way and they collapsed to the ground.

Some people were shaking like leaves, their jaws chattering.

Never... never before has anyone seen Old Zhu so angry.

All they said were a few nice words like "favorable weather" and "people living in peace and contentment."

Is this how they're going to behead me?

This...this has never happened in any dynasty!

Just then, a figure stepped forward, trembling.

Li Yan, Minister of Rites.

His face was pale, his lips were trembling, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he still gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty," his voice trembled, "This... this is against the rules!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on Li Yan.

That look in his eyes was as cold as ice.

Li Yan trembled, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down again.

But he gritted his teeth and stubbornly held on.

He was the Minister of Rites, in charge of the rules and regulations of etiquette.

Even he wouldn't dare to say a word about what happened today.

Then the rules of this imperial court are truly rotten to the core.

"Your Majesty," Li Yan took a deep breath, his voice still trembling, but more composed than before, "I believe... there might be some misunderstanding involved?"

"Those officials just now, although their words were inappropriate,... their crimes don't warrant death!"

"They merely uttered a few flattering words. Even if they were wrong, their case should have been handed over to the Ministry of Justice for deliberation and punishment according to the law. For His Majesty to execute them in a fit of anger... this is simply too much!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to reconsider! Do not continue this indiscriminate killing, otherwise... otherwise, who among the scholars of the land will dare to enter the court as an official?"

After saying this, Li Yan's back was soaked with cold sweat.

He knew that what he said was tantamount to courting death.

But if he didn't tell, his conscience wouldn't allow it.

The entire court was dumbfounded.

Has Li Yan gone mad?

The Emperor has just executed three people.

He dares to talk back? Isn't that like walking into a knife's edge?

Everyone held their breath.

Waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to retaliate.

But Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him.

He didn't even glance at Li Yan again.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Hu Weiyong, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Hu Weiyong".

Hu Weiyong's body stiffened abruptly.

"Tell me your thoughts on this matter."

All eyes in the hall instantly turned to Hu Weiyong.

Hu Weiyong was so frightened he almost lost his soul.

Then, with a thud, he knelt heavily on the ground, his forehead covered with gold bricks, his voice trembling: "Your subject... Your subject is here!"

But in his mind, everything was crystal clear, and his thoughts were racing.

The Emperor has passed the buck to him.

Do you think His Majesty did the right thing?

The officials would hate him, saying he was a sycophant and an accomplice to evil.

To say that His Majesty is wrong?

The emperor would hate him, saying he was disobedient and in league with those people.

You can't offend either side; you have to please both.

Hu Weiyong's mind raced through countless thoughts in that instant, and he had already come up with his wording.

He raised his head, his face filled with sorrow, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe... Your Majesty did the right thing!"

"These scoundrels deceived the emperor and misled the emperor; they deserved to die! Your Majesty's execution of them is acting on behalf of Heaven and rectifying the court!"

First, make Zhu Yuanzhang feel comfortable.

Then, he changed the subject, his tone becoming more tactful:

"However... I think that in the future, if we encounter such a situation again, perhaps we could... take it a little longer?"

"First, throw him into prison and interrogate him thoroughly. Firstly, we can investigate whether he has accomplices or was instigated by someone; secondly... we won't wrongly kill an innocent person."

"Your Majesty is wise and would not misjudge people. But what if... what if some villain interferes and sows discord? Wouldn't Your Majesty be being used?"

"What I mean is that people who deserve to be killed should still be killed, but the case should be thoroughly investigated before execution. This way... this way is more prudent."

After saying this, Hu Weiyong lowered his head again, not daring to breathe.

But in his heart, he was very pleased with himself.

Your Majesty did the right thing—the Emperor was pleased to hear this.

In the future, they can be imprisoned and interrogated first—the officials were pleased to hear this, since they would have some leeway if they committed crimes in the future.

You can please neither side and win the favor of both.

This is called the art of speaking.