Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

Xinzhou is only a hundred li away from Taiyuan. Two days later, Zhu Jian led a large army to appear outside Taiyuan.

Looking up at the majestic city of Taiyuan, Zhu Jian said, "Chengchou, you will lead Gao Jie and 20,000 soldiers to take over the defense of Taiyuan! He Renlong and I are as fierce as tigers. Cao Bianjiao will first go to Liu Guoneng's camp outside the city to meet with the high-ranking officials of the Three Departments of Shanxi!"

Zhu Jian didn't want Taiyuan to descend into chaos, after all, Taiyuan was the capital of Shanxi, the economic and cultural center, and also the location of a vassal state.

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Hong Chengchou said solemnly, cupping his hands in greeting.

Hong Chengchou felt that it was best for him not to get involved in local government affairs in Shanxi. This place was too special, with the Jin and Dai vassal states having existed for more than two hundred years, making it more complex than places like Henan and Zhili.

When Zhu Jian arrived at Liu Guoneng's camp, he saw that Zhang Bingwen, the governor of Shanxi, Li Chaoen, the provincial treasurer, Wang Hong, the provincial judge, and Sun Zhentai, the military commander, were leading a group of Shanxi officials to greet him outside the tent.

Because Zhu Jian issued an imperial edict ordering Liu Guoneng to place a group of civil and military officials from Shanxi under house arrest and forbid them from leaving the camp.

So they had been looking forward to Prosecutor Zhu's arrival so they could return home.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Bingwen, Governor of Shanxi, along with the three provincial officials of Shanxi, kowtow to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor!" The Shanxi officials knelt down in unison.

As Zhu Jian dismounted, he said, "Rise!"

After saying this, he walked alone towards the central command tent, followed closely by Cao Bianjiao, He Renlong, Meng Ruhu, and Liu Guoneng.

Upon entering the main tent, Zhu Jian sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Meng Ruhu, show them the item!"

Upon hearing this, the burly Meng Ruhu turned around, took a wooden box from a guard beside him, handed it to Zhang Bingwen, and then returned to Zhu Jian's side, standing with his hand on his sword.

The group of high-ranking officials from Shanxi looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang Bingwen opened the wooden box, took out a confession, and read it. He was shocked after reading it.

He suddenly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I, the Governor of Shanxi, have failed to conduct a proper investigation and beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

The others also picked up the papers and began to read them. They were immediately shocked. Many of the people present had cold sweat on their foreheads and knelt behind Zhang Bingwen, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Zhang Bingwen, get up! You've only been in Shanxi for a few days; this has nothing to do with you!"

"Li Chaoen, you tell us!"

Li Chao'en, the Provincial Treasurer of Shanxi, looked panicked and stammered, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I don't know..."

"Wang Hong, Sun Zhentai!"

"We...we don't know either..." the two said in unison.

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Zhu sneered and clapped his hands: "Even three high-ranking officials from Shanxi, holding the second rank, don't know this!"

He then said sternly, "Does anyone know?!"

"I have heard a little about it!" A young man, about thirty years old, who had been kneeling behind the crowd, rose, took two steps forward, knelt before the table, and then bowed again, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Guo Maowen, the magistrate of Yangqu County, pay my respects!"

Yangqu County was located in the same city as Taiyuan Prefecture, within the city of Taiyuan. It was specifically responsible for the governance of Taiyuan City and its surrounding core areas, and was the most important county under the jurisdiction of the Taiyuan Prefect.

"Stand up and answer!"

"As you command!" Guo Maowen said, then stood up and said, "When I first took office as the magistrate of Yangqu County last year, Fan Yongdou bribed me with one thousand taels of silver and a painting! He asked me to send yamen runners when he was collecting grain in the area around Yangqu!"

"I did not accept it at the time, but the next day the prefect invited me to dinner and brought up the matter again. I dared not disobey my superior, so I accepted it and agreed to the matter. However, I did not know that Fan Yongdou intended to sell the grain to the Eastern barbarians! Now the thousand taels of silver and the painting are in my home! I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Guo Maowen was a clever man transferred from another place. Knowing that Prosecutor Zhu was not going to let the matter rest, he simply betrayed his superior.

Moreover, he only came to Taiyuan last year and was not deeply involved in some matters, nor did he know them. Seeing that the Shanxi governor Zhang Bingwen had just arrived and had not taken any responsibility, he dared to come out and point out the wrongdoing!

"Has the prefect of Taiyuan arrived yet?"

"Your Majesty, I, your subject... Your subject... Prefect of Taiyuan, Li Hualin, kowtow to Your Majesty...!" the Prefect of Taiyuan stammered.

"Li Hualin, the prefect of Taiyuan, colluded with Fan Yongdou to betray the country. Drag him out and behead him!"

Without even conducting a trial, Zhu Jianyuan, the fourth-rank prefect of Taiyuan, a major town, was dragged out of his tent and beheaded...

This greatly alarmed the officials inside the main tent...

"Be as fierce as a tiger, you and the Imperial Guards must seize all the shops and residences of Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa in Taiyuan!"

"Liu Guoneng dispatched troops to the residences of the eight families in the county, searched them all, and escorted all the individuals to Taiyuan!"

"Your humble servant obeys!" Liu Guoneng and Meng Ruhu replied in unison.

After the two men left, Zhu Jian's gaze fell on Li Chao'en, Wang Hong, and Sun Zhentai: "Dismiss Li Chao'en, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shanxi, Wang Hong, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and Sun Zhentai, the Military Commander, and investigate them!"

"yes!"

"Your Majesty, we are innocent! We are innocent!" the three cried out in unison.

For a moment, everyone inside the tent was trembling with fear, all bowing their heads...

"Guo Maowen, you are temporarily appointed as the Prefect of Taiyuan!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Guo Mao immediately bowed and knelt down.

"Is there anyone else who wants to speak to me? If what I say is useful, I might spare your family, or even you!"

"I have something to say!"

"I also have something to say!"

In an instant, everyone began to speak up and give their accounts...

Under absolute power, a bureaucratic system is vulnerable, especially when politics and law are disregarded.

Zhu Jian glanced at the crowd eager to confess, then turned and said, "Renlong, go find some paper money so the officials can write it down!"

"yes!"

He Renlong bowed, took two steps back, and quickly walked out of the tent.

He Renlong was not punished by the emperor during the Battle of Shuntian Prefecture, and always thought that the emperor had become more lenient and was not as ruthless as he had been in killing Yuan Chonghuan and dealing with the remnants of Wei Zhongxian's faction...

But after entering Shanxi, he realized how terribly wrong he had been. Things were even worse now; the execution of fourth-rank prefects and gentry, along with over seven hundred merchants, was as swift and decisive as slaughtering chickens—they were dragged out and beheaded without hesitation. This had left him trembling with fear, unable to afford the slightest moment of complacency…

Prosecutor Zhu was also relieved that, in this era, public opinion didn't spread so quickly. He estimated that it would take three months, or even half a year, for other places to receive the news...

By then, it will be too late to find out... Those who deserved to be beheaded have been beheaded, those who deserved to be killed have been killed... The charges will be irrefutable... And public opinion will have died down...

Just then, Geng Maohua, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, stood up and said, "I have heard that the Prince of Jin's residence also has dealings with the eight merchant families!"

Geng Maohua wanted to escalate the conflict to the vassal kings, creating a difficult problem for Zhu Jian! Let's see how Zhu Jian handles it. If he only punishes the officials and not the imperial relatives, how can he remain emperor...?

"Heared?" Prosecutor Zhu glanced at Geng Maohua with disdain.

"I have confirmed that the Grand Envoy of the Guangying Granary of the Prince of Jin's Palace sold a large quantity of grain to the Fan family's grain store. I was the one who facilitated this transaction!"

After Geng Maohua finished speaking, Zhu Jian, who had been leaning back in his official chair, suddenly sat up straight: "I warn you, if this is all baseless and you falsely accuse the Prince's Mansion, I will exterminate your entire family!"

"I am willing to pledge my entire family as guarantor!" Geng Maohua said righteously.