Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 86: Modifying the "Great Ming Code"!

Xu Pu led several Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, who currently held the most influence over the court, back to his residence.

After leading everyone into the study, Xu Pu made sure the doors and windows were tightly shut. He also dismissed all the servants before offering each of the Grand Secretaries a cup of hot tea.

Wang Shu sat down at the table and said, "Grand Secretary Xu, speak plainly. We are all in the same boat now."

Xu Pu nodded repeatedly, "Minister Wang is right, I won't beat around the bush."

"Do you all believe that the late Emperor's death was truly orchestrated by the previous Inner Cabinet?"

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone present changed.

"I don't know."

Wang Shu was the first to state his position, "I have been serving as an official in the Southern Metropolitan Region, and I know very little about the affairs of the capital."

"We don't know either, we were all still serving in the Hanlin Academy before."

"If it weren't for His Majesty's personal appointment, we should still be in the Hanlin Academy."

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang also quickly claimed that they were unaware.

Liu Jian and Liu Daxia also stammered and did not express their opinions.

Seeing this, Xu Pu cursed this group of old foxes in his heart.

What time is it already? The Emperor's executioner's blade is already on their necks, and they are still playing the game of protecting themselves?

If they don't resist such excessive actions by the Emperor, then in the future, the civil officials can only become tools for the Emperor to handle government affairs.

Will the interests of the Inner Cabinet civil officials still matter in the future?

Will the interests of the gentry and noble families in their hometowns still matter?

It was difficult for Yu Qian, the Junior Guardian, to confine imperial power in a cage and expand the power of the Inner Cabinet above imperial power.

As a result, Emperor Yingzong restored the situation, breaking free from the Inner Cabinet's constraints on imperial power.

After Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he once again expanded imperial power, giving it the capital to challenge the Inner Cabinet.

And when it came to Zhu You樘, Zhu You樘 was even more excessive. He wanted to turn the Inner Cabinet back into an appendage of imperial power!

To make the Inner Cabinet bow down to the Emperor and obey his orders!

As a Grand Secretary and Minister, Xu Pu would never allow this to happen, even if it cost him his old life!

He must turn Zhu You樘 back into a "wise and enlightened ruler" like Zhu Qiyu.

As long as he obediently listened to the Inner Cabinet and the civil officials, and kept the civil official group and local gentry well-fed.

Future history books would definitely praise Zhu You樘 greatly, shaping him into a wise, virtuous, and benevolent ruler!

If Zhu You樘 wanted to expand imperial power and restrict civil officials, then Xu Pu would fight to the end, even if it cost him his life!

Not to mention, history books would definitely disgust Zhu You樘 to death, turning him into a foolish and tyrannical ruler!

It would be best if another Tumu Crisis could happen, forever nailing Zhu You樘's name on the pillar of shame!

Xu Pu suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and spoke again.

"In my opinion, investigating the late Emperor's death is just an excuse for His Majesty to cleanse the Inner Cabinet's forces."

"Whether it is executing the Three Judicial Offices or executing those five hundred or so officials who were promoted, it is a targeted blow to the power of our Inner Cabinet and the Six Ministries."

"His Majesty is tyrannical, and who knows when this blade will be swung at our heads!"

After Xu Pu finished speaking, everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with worry.

What Xu Pu said made sense. No matter what Zhu You樘's reasons were for taking action, the result was that the Inner Cabinet's power was greatly weakened.

The Inner Cabinet when His Majesty first ascended the throne is completely incomparable in power to the current Inner Cabinet.

Xu Pu seemed to remember something and suddenly sighed.

"Alas, the late Emperor originally intended to abolish His Majesty's position as Crown Prince and establish Zhu Youyuan, the Prince of Xing, as the Crown Prince instead."

"If it weren't for the Grand Secretaries of the previous Inner Cabinet and you Eastern Palace lecturers stopping him, I'm afraid the current Emperor would be the Prince of Xing."

"If the Prince of Xing had succeeded to the throne, our lives would definitely not be so difficult now."

Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian were all once Eastern Palace lecturers.

Xu Pu's words were clearly aimed at the three of them.

Liu Jian's expression was displeased, and he tried his best to argue.

"Before His Majesty ascended the throne, he was moderate and peaceful, humble and courteous, and good at listening to advice. He was truly the image of an enlightened ruler."

"This... who would have thought that he would completely change after ascending the throne!"

Xie Qian quickly echoed, "Grand Secretary Liu is right. If we had known this would happen... we wouldn't have stopped the late Emperor from changing the heir back then."

Seeing that the topic had gone astray, Wang Shu had no choice but to stop him.

"Alright, what's done is done, there's no point in saying more."

"Presumably, Grand Secretary Xu invited us here not just to listen to you complain for a while."

"Grand Secretary Xu, if you have any ideas, why not speak boldly."

"Then I'll speak frankly."

Xu Pu knew that if he continued to beat around the bush, these old foxes could go around in circles all night without responding.

So, Xu Pu directly told these high-ranking Grand Secretaries and Ministers in the room his plan.

"Everyone, His Majesty is so cruel, often confiscating homes and exterminating families."

"In order to protect ourselves, we must take action."

"I believe we can secretly amend the constitution!"

"To prevent His Majesty from slaughtering officials from a legal standpoint."

"Amend the constitution?!"

Xie Qian exclaimed, then quickly covered his mouth.

Wang Shu and Liu Daxia's eyes narrowed, their expressions extremely serious.

Liu Jian and Liu Dongyang took a deep breath, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Xu Pu.

The so-called constitutional amendment is to change the fundamental laws of the Great Ming Dynasty.

Since the founding of the Great Ming, Emperor Gaozu had made strict regulations on the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue, salt and tea trade, overseas trade, official appointments, and the power of border generals to deploy and command troops.

These powers were all in the hands of the court, all in the hands of the Ming Emperor.

And he formulated the "Great Ming Code" as the fundamental law of the Great Ming Dynasty.

Also in the Great Ming Code were the punishments for corrupt officials.

"Officials who accept bribes and pervert the law will be punished with seventy strokes for one string of cash or less, and strangulation for eighty strings."

These regulations were very unfriendly to the Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials, landlords, and gentry.

The civil officials of the past Inner Cabinets all wanted to change the "Great Ming Code".

However, because Emperor Gaozu left a posthumous edict before his death: "The established laws cannot be changed by a single word."

This made the powerful Sanyang Inner Cabinet and Yu Qian helpless with the "Great Ming Code".

During the Jingtai period, Yu Qian held great power, had the power to deploy and command troops, could arbitrarily abolish and establish emperors, and had the same status as a regent.

Yu Qian, who possessed immense power, could not touch this "Great Ming Code".

Now, how could Xu Pu, the Inner Cabinet's Grand Secretary, whose power was already extremely small, move this "Great Ming Code"?

Liu Jian hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Yu, the Junior Guardian, couldn't touch this "Great Ming Code" back then, so how can we move it?"

Xu Pu asked back, "Who said we want to move the "Great Ming Code"?"

"The "Great Ming Code" was created by Emperor Gaozu, and the ancestral laws cannot be changed. Moving it is disrespect to Emperor Gaozu and will cost us our heads."

Liu Daxia was puzzled, "Then why did you say to secretly amend the constitution?"

Xu Pu smiled, "During the reigns of Emperor Yingzong and the late Emperor, the Grand Secretariat proposed that the 'Great Ming Code' was no longer suitable for the development of the dynasty and that a revised 'Great Ming Compendium' should be created to replace the 'Great Ming Code'."

"This way, we can reasonably and legally circumvent the late Emperor Gaozu's edict."

"It's just a pity that Emperor Yingzong and the late Emperor were too strong and resolutely forbade the Grand Secretariat from revising the ancestral laws."

"I think we can continue the work of the sages and revise a 'Great Ming Compendium' to replace the 'Great Ming Code'."

Hearing Xu Pu's words, the glimmer of hope that had just ignited in everyone's hearts was suddenly extinguished.

Wang Shu shook his head and sighed, quite disappointed.

"Alas, Shiyong, Emperor Yingzong and the late Emperor did not allow constitutional revisions, and the current Emperor is even more forceful than Emperor Yingzong and the late Emperor."

"How can His Majesty be willing to relax and revise the constitution?"

"In my opinion, let's drop the matter and wait for future generations to discuss it."

As soon as Wang Shu finished speaking, Xie Qian and Liu Daxia repeatedly agreed.

"I also think so, it's absolutely impossible to get His Majesty to agree to revise a 'Great Ming Compendium'."

"Chief Xu, this matter is indeed too difficult, and the hope of success is too slim."

Everyone was not optimistic about Xu Pu's idea of constitutional revision, but Xu Pu was still confident.

"Everyone doesn't know, judging from His Majesty's previous reforms of currency values and tax reforms."

"Although His Majesty is ruthless and strong, he is not a conservative ruler, but an actively enterprising reformist."

"If the Grand Secretariat proposes to revise a 'Great Ming Compendium' that conforms to the times, His Majesty will probably agree."

"At that time, we will maintain the ancestral system in the general direction, and slightly modify it in key aspects."

"For example, relaxing the court's restrictions on commerce, allowing private businesses to participate in businesses that only the court could do."

"For example, abolishing the death penalty for corruption, and reducing or even exempting punishment for returning embezzled money."

"Then revise the 'Great Ming Compendium' to be longer, to more than a million words, so that His Majesty does not have the patience to read such a long code."

"In this way, I don't think His Majesty will find anything wrong."

It must be admitted that Xu Pu's last words still moved the Grand Secretaries and Ministers present.

Is this plan dangerous?

Dangerous!

Very dangerous!

Especially when facing a tyrant like Zhu You樘, a little carelessness will cost you your head.

But in contrast, the rewards after success are also very rich.

Not to mention anything else, just the abolition of the death penalty for corruption and the change to returning embezzled money to reduce the crime is worth the risk for them.

Thinking of this, the high-ranking officials present gradually unified their thinking.

...

The Eastern Depot's investigation continued, and officials were arrested by the Eastern Depot from time to time, ending up with their families ruined.

The officials in the capital were all in danger, and they lived in fear every day.

After the officials in the capital were dealt with, the Eastern Depot sent people to various places to kill the relatives of Liu Ji, Zhang Ying, Liu Wentai and others.

The power of the Eastern Depot is growing day by day, and there is a tendency to overwhelm the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But no one knows that the Western Depot is also investigating the case of the late Emperor's poisoning.

Western Depot Director Wang Zhi personally launched the investigation when the three leaders under his command were not in the capital.

This matter was carried out very secretly, and even the people from the Eastern Depot did not know about it.

In the next few days, the capital was still under martial law.

The Western Depot's investigation into the military generals and soldiers in the capital also came to an end.

...

Forbidden City.

Hongde Hall.

Zhu You樘 sat on the dragon chair, discussing matters with the four Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat.

Many of the officials executed by Zhu You樘 a few days ago held important positions and needed to be replaced as soon as possible.

Zhu You樘 ordered: "The Grand Secretariat should draft a list of candidates for the vacant positions as soon as possible in the next few days."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Xu Pu responded, he glanced at Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian around him.

Seeing them looking at their noses, noses at their hearts, in a state of meditation and contemplation, he couldn't help but frowned.

In the past few days, the Grand Secretariat has initially drafted the regulations for revising a "Great Ming Compendium".

Ready to mention this matter to Zhu You樘 today.

Afterwards, Xu Pu no longer hesitated, stepped forward, cupped his hands and saluted.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the 'Great Ming Code' has been in effect for a long time, and there are more and more regulations, which are really not in line with the current political situation."

"The 'Great Ming Code' was first completed during the Hongwu period, and it has been around for hundreds of years."

"Now, many unprecedented situations have occurred in the Great Ming Dynasty, and the 'Great Ming Code' can no longer provide a reasonable legal basis."

"However, the ancestral laws cannot be changed."

"Therefore, I boldly request His Majesty to revise another 'Great Ming Compendium' in addition to the 'Great Ming Code' as a supplement to the 'Great Ming Code'."

After hearing this, Zhu You樘 looked up at Xu Pu with no expression on his face, and did not speak.

Seeing that Zhu You樘 did not express his position for a long time, and not sure what he was thinking, Xu Pu quickly knelt down in front of Zhu You樘 to plead guilty.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I am just making a bold statement, it is all up to Your Majesty to decide!"

Although Xu Pu already had the determination to die, when he met Zhu You樘's expressionless eyes, he inevitably developed a feeling of fear in his heart.

As soon as Xu Pu knelt down, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian behind him also knelt down quickly.

"We are terrified, please forgive us, Your Majesty!"

Zhu You樘 did not reply immediately, but was thinking about the feasibility and necessity of Xu Pu's proposal to revise a "Great Ming Compendium".

Xu Pu was right in saying that the "Great Ming Code" was already a product of more than a hundred years ago, and it could no longer keep up with the Hongzhi era.

At least in terms of taxation, Zhu You樘 was not satisfied.

Commercial tax must be increased, and tax exemption privileges must be removed.

The sea ban must also be lifted, and fire consumption must be returned to the public.

And the salary of the Ming Dynasty's princes must also be reduced.

Zhu You樘's tax reform, which is scheduled to be implemented next year, can be promoted with the help of revising the "Great Ming Compendium".

The gentry, scholars, landlords, and nobles of the Ming Dynasty have had a good life for too long.

The people of the Great Ming Dynasty have suffered for too long, and it is time for the landlords and gentry of the Great Ming Dynasty to suffer.

Zhu You樘's idea coincided with that of the Grand Secretariat, so Zhu You樘 readily agreed to the Grand Secretariat's proposal.

"Very good, I approve."

"Moreover, this 'Great Ming Compendium' must be revised quickly, and it is best to revise the 'Great Ming Compendium' before the beginning of spring next year."

Zhu You樘 not only agreed to the Grand Secretariat's request to revise the constitution, but also asked them to revise the "Great Ming Compendium" as quickly as possible.

But Xu Pu was preparing to revise the "Great Ming Compendium" into a large book of over a million words.

How could it be possible to revise it in just a few months?

The first order exceeds one thousand, two more chapters, the first more chapter!