Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In the Shuntian Mansion Court, everyone's eyes were fixed on Sun Ming, a middle-aged and thin man who stood out as the Marquis of Huichang.

Because the Ming Dynasty learned from the historical lessons of the disasters caused by foreign relatives in the Han and Tang Dynasties, it took many measures to suppress the influence of foreign relatives. Except for Xu Da, the founding hero, only Sun Jizong, who was of the Huichang Marquis lineage, reached a prominent position.

Sun Jizong served as the commander of the Jinyiwei when he was the young prince. Although he was demoted to the Jinyiwei Qianshi due to his status, he was still a senior member of the Jinyiwei.

After the incident of seizing the gate, he was directly promoted to the title of Marquis of Huichang due to his merit, which also meant the military power of Ranjing Camp. Several younger brothers held important positions in the Jinyi Guards, and his son Sun Ming even served as the commander of the Jinyi Guards.

In addition, forty-three people including sons, sons-in-law, and domestic servants begged for favors, and seventeen domestic servants entered the Beijing camp to hold military positions.

At that time, the Huichang Hou Mansion was unparalleled in the capital, and it was also a dazzling presence among the nobles. It was also the most distinguished Qi Xun since the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that Sun Jizong passed away a few years ago, but Sun Ming, Sun Jizong's direct grandson, actually committed such a big mistake, and now the Huichang Hou Mansion can be wiped out.

In fact, this kind of thing can't be blamed entirely on the Marquis of Huichang. After all, the land deed in Qian Gui's hand is so tempting. It's hundreds of thousands of taels and it's hard not to be tempted.

The only reason to blame is that hundreds of thousands taels were too tempting, but he met Song Cheng, the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, who was good at peeling off cocoons, and Hong Zhi, an emperor who was not a fool. As a result, Sun Ming's plan to enrich his family was exposed.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on Sun Ming, and Sun Ming and the Huichang House were facing a real catastrophe.

Song Cheng had already suspected Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, but now Shopkeeper Sun was the one to testify. He immediately looked at Sun Ming and said, "Marquis of Huichang, please stand in court!"

Sun Ming sighed silently, but knowing that he could no longer escape, he stretched out his hand to stroke his beautiful long beard, and then stood in the center of the courtroom.

Due to his status, he naturally did not need to kneel down and worship the little Shuntian Prefect, but he needed to be interrogated by the Shuntian Prefect with the support of the emperor.

Zhou Yu and Wang Yuan secretly exchanged glances, hoping that Sun Ming could keep his promise and never let this case involve the two earls.

There was still no expression on Song Cheng's face, and he looked like he was interrogating in a business-like manner: "Marquis Huichang, your servants have accused you of using Changsheng Pawnshop to seize the land deeds of wealthy people. Is this true?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Sun Ming with bated breath, causing the entire court to be filled with a tense mood.

"Not bad!" Sun Ming glared angrily at his confidant Shopkeeper Sun who was kneeling on the ground. After weighing the situation, he simply admitted the matter directly.

"Ah? Is he really the Marquis of Huichang?"

"How could a good Marquis do such a thing?"

"With hundreds of thousands of taels, the Marquis must be tempted!"

"It's incredible. The Marquis of Huichang is going to be beheaded, right?"

…

When the people in the hall heard that the Marquis of Huichang Sun Ming actually admitted his crime, they felt as if their nest had exploded, and they all started whispering among themselves.

This speculation was one thing, but now it is confirmed that it is another. The dignified Marquis actually did such a crazy thing, which immediately refreshed many people's perceptions.

It's just that "Yan Yuan has a short life, but he is not a vicious person; Robber Zhi is old, how can he be a kind person" is the true way of the world, and who can say that a prince cannot be a great evil person?

After all, it was poverty that limited their ambitions. They were satisfied with eating big fish and meat for every meal, but naturally the dignified prince could not only have this vision. After all, there were hundreds of thousands of taels of silver there.

But there is a question that is also placed in front of everyone. As a relative of the emperor, what kind of punishment will the Marquis of Huichang receive if he commits such a serious crime?

Although there was a precedent for Qingyun Hou to behead him before, but that time involved the serious crime of treason, but now Huichang Hou only massacred a merchant family.

quiet!

Song Cheng was shocked when he heard the noise in the hall.

mighty!

The twelve yamen officers holding long sticks of water, fire and wood were particularly energetic today. They used the long sticks of water and fire wood to pound the green bricks in front of them, shouting powerful sounds in their mouths.

The people in the hall realized that the order of the court had been disrupted, and the emperor was still sitting there, so they hurriedly shut their mouths and waited to watch the next verdict of the case.

Song clearly understood that the Marquis of Huichang only acknowledged the land deed to obtain Qian Fu, so he asked the most critical question: "Sun Duo went to massacre Qian Fuman's family, but you assigned him!"

The court suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes focused on Sun Ming again. This would be the issue that decided Sun Ming's crime.

"No, this is all my own idea!" When Sun Duo heard this question, he immediately stood up and shouldered the responsibility.

really!

When Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Service, saw Sun Duo jumping out, he shook his head slightly.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this must be assigned by the Marquis of Huichang. After all, if Qian Fu's family is not massacred, the land deed pledged at Changsheng Pawnshop will not be able to fall into the hands of the Marquis of Huichang openly.

Zhu Youtang has been watching all this silently, and has already predicted the outcome, but he knows that the powerful have never lacked scapegoats to stand in front of him.

Sun Ming glanced at his younger brother and said with astonishing authenticity: "Yes, it is this prince who accused Sun Duo of doing it! Only when Qian Fu dies and my brother gets back the pawn tickets and land deeds from Qian Fu can I naturally Make Qian Fu’s land title your own!”

If there are no accidents and the plan a year ago can be implemented smoothly, the Wuchang Marquis Mansion will surpass the British Duke's Palace and the Chengguo Duke's Palace to become the strongest existence in one fell swoop.

ah?

Everyone present could not help but be stunned. They never expected that the Marquis of Huichang would admit his crime so neatly. This was a serious crime that destroyed the family.

Although everyone has guessed that Sun Duo must have been instigated by the Marquis of Huichang, if he makes excuses in every possible way, the case may reach a deadlock.

As long as Sun Duo insists that he did it and Song Cheng can't find strong evidence, then Sun Duo may really be responsible for all the crimes.

Of course, during this period, they will have to undergo various interrogations from Shuntian Prefecture and other yamen, as well as physical harm. It depends on whether they can withstand this kind of harm.

Song Cheng also did not expect that Sun Ming would confess his crime so cleanly that he would no longer need to use the back-ups he had prepared, so he continued to interrogate: "Marquis Huichang, who paid to hire the one-eyed tiger, the leader of the Northern Gang, to hunt down and kill him at Dongsheng Inn? Miss Qian, after the incident was defeated, why did the Northern Gang leader One-Eyed Tiger bite back because he was ordered by Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment?"

Huh?

The faces of officials such as Li Si, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately became serious, but they knew that this was the most critical issue and the real purpose of their emperor's trip.

The dignified Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice was a high-ranking official of the imperial court, and to be framed in such a deliberate manner was simply a provocation to the Ming Dynasty.

"This is all my idea! It's just that the reason for framing Du Ming this time is not because I want to target the court, but because of a personal grudge between me and Du Ming!" Sun Ming continued to take the charge and explained.

Personal grudge?

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Li Si, the Minister of Hubu, couldn't help but look at each other. They never expected this result.

Zhu Youtang had been watching very calmly, but after hearing Sun Ming's confession, he began to interrogate the thin middle-aged man with a long beard seriously.

Since he didn't have much contact with him, he didn't know much about Sun Ming.

It was just that when he had just succeeded to the throne and wanted to seize the military power of the Twelve Battalions, the Marquis of Huichang took the initiative to return it, which shows that this man is steady and knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Now that he was trying to frame Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, because of personal grudges, his first reaction was that it was not credible.

Song Cheng found that things were different from what he expected, but he still asked: "What is the hatred between you and Du Shangshu?"

"When Du Ming was serving as the Minister of Justice, he helped resolve the land dispute between me and Duke Dingguo. The land was clearly occupied by the Huichang Marquis Mansion and has been cultivated, but he turned to help Duke Dingguo!"

"That's it?"

"Isn't this reason enough?"

When Song Cheng heard the whole story, although he had some doubts, he couldn't find much fault.

Zhu Youtang picked up the tea cup again, but sighed secretly in his heart.

Although he didn't understand why Sun Ming confessed to all crimes so easily, he felt that this was not the whole truth. It was more like Sun Ming wanted to quickly calm down the incident, or even cover up the real mastermind behind it.

Judging from the overall layout of the matter, in addition to the Huichang Hou Mansion, there must be another force involved.

Song Cheng knew that it was enough to investigate the case at this point. In fact, it was his duty to find out the murderer of the Qian Mansion. As for who was blamed on Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, it was already involved in the court battle.

The scribe who was sitting at the small table writing quickly sent the confession to the Marquis of Huichang. Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, saw it and pressed his fingerprints very simply.

Huh?

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Li Si, the Minister of Hubu, saw that there was no fear on Sun Ming's face, and they vaguely felt that something was wrong, and couldn't help but look at each other.

Not to mention this group of pampered nobles, even these group of civil servants who have experienced ten years of hardship are trying their best to survive in the face of the ensuing death.

This is so that they have to suspect that this matter may not be as simple as it appears, and there may even be major variables, such as the emperor...

Li Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, thought deeply. Suddenly, his hair stood on end and he looked around in horror, but he was already wary of whether there would be an assassin.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Huichang has confessed, please take a look at it!" After Song Cheng saw that the confession was correct, he presented the confession to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang had been watching and naturally knew about Sun Ming's confession, so he asked calmly: "How to judge according to the law?"

"Reporting to your majesty, according to the law, I will reduce my rank to serve the people, and I will kill you immediately!" Song Cheng's face did not waver at all, and he immediately reported the truth.

Zhu Youtang looked at Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang in the hall, and asked calmly: "Marquis of Huichang, is this really the whole truth?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have indeed violated the law and betrayed the holy family!" Sun Ming chose to kneel down and responded with self-reproach.

Zhu Youtang knew that Sun Ming would probably not reveal the person who framed Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, so he was too lazy to continue talking nonsense and waved gently to Song Cheng.

Since Du Ming has confessed, he can be sentenced according to law.

As for who is the mastermind behind the scenes and which force is working against him, he can leave it to Dongchang and Jinyiwei to investigate slowly.

Song Cheng saw that Zhu Youtang did not protect the Marquis of Huichang, and now that the Marquis of Huichang had signed the pledge, he would be the first person in the Ming Dynasty to announce the execution of a duke.

Everyone's eyes fell on Song Cheng, but they knew that the verdict of the case would come next.

Song Cheng sat back in front of the case, and immediately slapped the tree on the wall and pronounced the verdict in a deep voice: "According to the Ming Dynasty law, anyone who murders a person must be beheaded. Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, plotted to seize the land deed owned by the wealthy businessman Qian Gui, and designed to lure him into the game. On the 10th day of the first year of Hongzhi, On the evening of February 30th, I sent my younger brother Sun Duo to the Qian Mansion to exterminate the family and killed seventeen people in total. Now my governor officially pronounces the verdict that Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, should be beheaded and sentenced to be beheaded immediately!"

As the verdict came down, the people in the hall realized that the matter was over, but there was an unreal feeling. After all, the dignified prince was about to be guillotined for massacring a wealthy businessman's family.

Just then, a young man came in a hurry.

He was originally blocked by Jin Yiwei, but as the young man showed something, Jin Yiwei chose to let him go.

"Your Majesty, I have the iron certificate of the elixir of the Marquis of Huichang Mansion here. Please forgive my father's death." Sun Zhen came to the hall and knelt down, and immediately showed the thing in his hand.

ah?

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was originally wary of assassins, but now that he saw this thing appearing, he was shocked and suddenly realized.

The earliest iron coupons of alchemy books in China were created by Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Han Dynasty had just been established. In order to win over these heroes, Liu Bang "used iron as a contract and wrote it in alchemy" and wrote the oath between the emperor and the heroes on the "iron coupon". Then the iron coupon was cut open, one part was given to the hero, and the other part was placed in the Ancestral Temple for safekeeping.

The Alchemy Iron Coupon made by Liu Bang at that time did not have the function of escaping death. It was just a certificate for being promoted to an official position, a bit like a certificate of honor.

As a hero, your descendants can rely on this iron certificate to permanently receive money and serve as officials in the Han Dynasty.

With the development of history, the scope of the oaths on the iron coupons has begun to expand.

In the beginning, it simply gave you money to give you an official. However, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the function of iron coupons was further improved, and it finally had the function of avoiding death.

After Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, he naturally wanted to bestow honors on his heroes.

While conferring honors on the meritorious officials, he also issued thirty-four iron certificates of alchemy, and promised that the heroes who owned these iron certificates would have the right to be exempted from the death penalty.

Since the crime of rebellion cannot be exempted from death, when Zhu Yuanzhang killed the heroes, these heroes holding iron coupons could only stick out their necks and be beheaded.

However, when Jingnan succeeded, although Wei Guogong Xu Huizu became a thorn in Zhu Di's side, he also openly continued to oppose Zhu Di's "usurpation of the throne."

When Zhu Di faced Duke Wei's iron certificate of alchemy, he could only admit the effectiveness of the iron certificate. He only removed Xu Huizu's salary and title, but chose to continue to treat the rest of the Xu family favorably.

Now the Marquis of Huichang has the Iron Book of Alchemy issued by Yingzong, and Sun Ming is not treason this time, so he can naturally avoid death, and this is also the trump card that keeps Sun Ming confident.