Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

When the officials present heard this unexpected order, they couldn't help but exchange looks in surprise.

If an official commits a crime and needs to be removed from office, they can actually understand it, but they wouldn't want to remove one of their governors, fourteen prefects and four prefects, right?

Liu Jin stood beside Hongzhi holding a fly whisk, and suddenly said with a gloomy face: "Hurry up!"

"yes!"

Following this urging, they almost simultaneously stretched out their trembling hands and slowly took off the black gauze hats symbolizing power on their heads, but thousands of emotions suddenly surged into their hearts.

They live in this era where "everything is low-grade except for education." In order to satisfy the expectations of their parents for their children to become successful, they were sent to school from an early age.

Even when they reach adulthood, they still have to continue studying hard, and even more, they have to participate in the imperial examination competition with thousands of troops.

After the boy's examination was over, it was the provincial examination held in the autumn in each province, and finally it was the capital examination where scholars from all over the world gathered. The names on the gold list that day made them cry and laugh at the same time.

Even if they enter the officialdom, it is not easy. From managing a novice to a veteran in charge of a government, they need to go through various experiences, and the bitterness of it is not enough for outsiders to understand.

Now that you are the chief seal officer of a government and a state, you have learned how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages in the officialdom, and you have finally achieved enviable wealth and glory.

But at the moment when I took off my black gauze hat, it was like a dream, everything seemed like a dream. They tremblingly took off the black gauze hats on their heads, and watched as the black gauze hats slowly fell to the ground, their eyes gushing out with disappointment.

The black gauze hat in front of me is so close, yet so far away, even out of reach, but who can blame me for all this?

The imperial decree prohibiting the circulation of silver currency has been issued to Southern Zhili since last year. As a result, the emperor sent two cabinet ministers to come down this year with little effect, and even the two cabinet ministers were almost killed.

Now that the emperor is in Jiangnan, I am afraid he will also implement the ban on silver and the introduction of new currency. Isn't this because they did not handle the affairs well before?

The black gauze hat fell to the ground, as if losing a beloved thing, something that was regarded as a treasure.

They did not dare to look at the furious Emperor Long Yan. They could only kneel on the ground with their eyes lowered, and painfully avoided the black gauze hat placed in front of them.

The glory and power they once had have become so small and insignificant at this moment. Facing the wrath of this most powerful king, they could only silently endure their inner suffering and torture.

Zhu Youtang had been watching the reactions of these courtiers with great interest. He knew that only by losing can one know how to cherish, so he gave Liu Jin a wink.

Liu Jin was a confidant eunuch who could understand Hongzhi's thoughts. He nodded understandingly and then led the young eunuchs to work.

No……

When the officials present saw their black gauze hats being taken away, the Huizhou magistrate's legs became weak and he could hardly kneel. He could only rely on his elbows on the ground to support himself.

Their eyes were full of desire, and their lips trembled, as if they wanted to say something, but what could he say, only a weak whimper came out.

The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and suffocating, with only the heavy breathing of the prefects coming and going.

They watched Wu Sha Mao go away, as if they were in an icy abyss. They only felt the buzzing in their heads without the hat, and felt endless fear and despair.

At this time, the prefects and prefects were no longer the majestic and powerful local governors they usually were, but a group of poor people waiting for their fate to be judged. They looked at the emperor with such deep eyes.

They are willing to give everything for the emperor in front of them, and they only hope that the emperor in front of them can return the black gauze hat to them.

Zhu Youtang took a black gauze hat and looked at the hat in his hand with a face full of interest.

This cone-shaped hat is paired with a slightly upturned brim. The black gauze material reveals a delicate luster, and the top is embellished with gems. Although it doesn't look very good, it still represents supreme power.

He has always believed that as long as he holds the fate of officials in his hands, there will be no shortage of people who are loyal and supportive of him.

Zhu Youtang held up the black gauze hat with his fingers, slowly swept over the poor people, and suddenly fixed on Li Mu: "Governor Li, do you know why I want to take off your black gauze hat?"

"Ah? Your Majesty, I...I don't know, but I am absolutely loyal to Your Majesty!" Li Mu was stunned for a moment, then turned to show his loyalty.

Liu Jin took out a secret document from his sleeve and said coldly: "The imperial court has issued new regulations this year. Anyone who dares to sell our women overseas will be punished without property. The Governor-General's Office of South Zhili sent an official document to trace the missing women in various prefectures. Was he kidnapped overseas, but you made a false promise and withheld documents from various governments reporting missing women? Is this possible?"

Huizhou Magistrate Fang Bosong raised his head slightly, then quickly lowered it.

"Your Majesty, the missing woman's document is indeed...in my hands. However, I also want to find out the whereabouts of the missing women in each government, so I delayed it a little. Your Majesty, please take a closer look!" Fengyang Governor Li Mu's forehead oozed. With beads of sweat, he immediately threw out the explanation he had already found.

Zhu Youtang did not speak, but looked at the other people present playfully.

The hearts of the prefects and magistrates present were beating wildly. They were all old men who were involved in the officialdom. How could they not know that Li Mu's seemingly reasonable words were actually being dealt with.

The disappearance of female weavers in various prefectures is most likely related to Jiangnan trading companies.

Originally, they were also accustomed to pretending to be deaf and dumb, but when they felt the emperor's penetrating gaze, their hearts suddenly trembled.

The emperor... he actually knew it!

This idea shocked me as soon as it came up, but it seemed reasonable.

Although everyone secretly planned Hongzhi and scolded this tyrant who did not respect talents, the Ming Dynasty was able to achieve its current prosperity, in fact, it was all because of this talented and strategic emperor.

Now Li Mu's rhetoric can certainly block the mouths of those above him, and he can also argue with the Kedao Yanguan who bit him, but the emperor in front of him can control everything.

Not to mention that people see through everything, even just suspicion is enough.

There was only a few breaths of silence, but Wu Xin, the magistrate of Chizhou, mustered up the courage to say: "You...you lied!"

Earlier, he would have never dared to offend Fengyang Governor Li Mu, who had a profound background, but now that the emperor was sitting in front of him, he was no longer afraid of Li Mu.

What's more, he knew that he wanted to keep his black gauze hat, so he couldn't just watch indifferently, but had to act as a good biting dog beside the emperor.

Zhu Youtang was playing with the black gauze hat in his hand, but he cast an approving look at Wu Xin, the magistrate of Chizhou with the mustache, which immediately made the magistrate with the mustache feel like he had been given a beating.

Li Mu's face was as dark as water, and he looked back slightly: "Governor Wu, what do you mean by this? Since my term as governor, I have been diligent in government affairs, and the matter of the missing woman is also under investigation!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not slack off even a moment when I am renovating Chizhou. This is also the case in the office on weekdays..." Wu Xin, the magistrate of Chizhou, spoke in a formal tone.

Li Jin observed Zhu Youtang frowning, and immediately said in a deep voice: "Tell me the important point!"

"Yes!" Wu Xin, the magistrate of Chizhou, responded hurriedly, "I found out that Su Qing, the weaver girl in Chizhou Prefecture, and four other girls were deceived by Li Si from the same county. The four girls were sent overseas via Songjiang. The villain Li Si has been arrested and confessed, but Governor Li took the people and the files away from the government office, but there is still no follow-up. Isn't it strange that the case has been revealed, but there is still no follow-up?"

The missing women's files in the hands of Huizhou Magistrate Fang Bosong and other magistrates were also taken away by Li Mu. Although it was not as clear-cut as Chizhou, there were already clues.

They are all veterans who have been in the officialdom for many years, and they know that this matter must not be like Li Mu, and they may have other plans.

If we really want to investigate the case of the missing woman, why has there been no result for so long? It is obviously a deliberate delay or even a shield for the perpetrators.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged! This evil thief Li Si is being held in the prison, and the files are also in the detention room. However, Li Si is just a villager, so I thought that there is another leader in this case, so I have not closed the case for a long time. ! As for what the prefects have said, it’s probably because of this!” Li Mu’s voice trembled slightly, but he tried his best to stay calm and defended.

Originally, his rhetoric was intended to be used to stop Wang Yue, but who knew that it was actually used to deal with the emperor. Now he became so weak, but these prefects and prefects were inserting knives behind his back.

If it were Wang Yue, I'm afraid they wouldn't have the guts to be so presumptuous, but what happened was that the emperor in front of them was the tyrant Hongzhi who controlled the black gauze hat on their heads.

Zhu Youtang asked very casually: "Can you find the leader?"

Huizhou Magistrate Fang Bosong and other magistrates all looked at Li Mu, wondering how the governor was going to respond.

"I haven't found out yet, but I have some clues!" Li Mu's eyes lit up and he immediately answered optimistically.

Zhu Youtang saw Li Mu's reaction in his eyes and said with a smile on his face: "Did you not find out, or are you already complicit with the murderer?"

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged! My loyalty to Your Majesty can be seen from the sun and the moon!" Li Mu's heart tightened, and he immediately raised his face and said loudly and loyally.

In order to show his loyalty, he made a slight effort to look upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, with tears on the verge of falling, giving him a vivid image of an aggrieved loyal minister.

Zhu Youtang looked at Li Mu's expression, but he wanted to laugh in his heart: "The leader of this case is Xue Gui, a member of the Chizhou Prefecture, and you have received 24,000 taels of bribes over the years. It was also a gift from him, so this is an act of cover-up!"

ah?

Officials including Wu Xin, the prefect of Chizhou, were stunned and looked at Li Mu in shock.

Although they had doubts in their hearts, they did not expect that Li Mu was really so bold and reckless, and they did not expect that the emperor had already mastered Li Mu's crimes.

"Your Majesty, this...this is all a false accusation." Li Mu stammered in denial, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"False accusation?" Hongzhi laughed angrily, "Do you think I am blind or deaf? The complaints from the people in Chizhou and other prefectures have already reached Mr. Wangge, who has long since verified your numerous crimes! I am under your protection. People, not just Xue Gui, you are the protective umbrella of half of the Southern Zhili. Now as the governor, you don’t want to benefit the people. Instead, you intensify your oppression of good people. Together with the evil gentry, you tortured my Ming Dynasty woman, and even kidnapped my Ming Dynasty woman. It’s really hateful to sell it overseas.”

Huizhou Magistrate Fang Bosong and other magistrates felt a bit of hatred when they thought of the women who had been abducted and the heartbreaking family members of the women.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty... your Majesty!" Li Mu thought about continuing to argue, but his mind was so messed up that he didn't know where to start.

By now, he is fully aware that no amount of sophistry can clear him of his guilt. In fact, he had already been worried when he learned that the emperor was patrolling the south, but he did not expect that the disaster would come so quickly.

The emperor had just arrived in southern Zhili, and he was the chicken who "killed the monkey to scare the chicken" and became another high-ranking official slaughtered by the emperor.

Zhu Youtang hated this kind of corrupt official who worked for the tiger, so he waved his hand: "Assist the evildoers to kidnap my Chinese girl overseas. The crime will be increased. I will drag her out and behead her!"

Facing such local officials, if we do not kill them, not only will we not be able to clean up the officials, but we will only harm more people. It is better to kill them all.

Two tall Jinyi guards stepped forward, ready to drag Li Mu down and behead him.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I know I was wrong!" Li Mu begged for mercy decisively when he saw that he was being dragged away.

Zhu Youtang ignored Li Mu's plea for mercy. He could have gotten rid of Li Mu's protective umbrella long ago, but in order to investigate more information, he kept this person alive to this day.

Now that Kyushu Island is under his control, and the Chinese women on the island have been successfully rescued, it is time for some people to understand that there is a big boss in Jiangnan.

"Vacuum hometown, lifeless mother!" Li Mu shouted eight words when he saw that his begging for mercy was in vain.

The words were loud, but none of the officials present seemed to understand them. Only Zhu Youtang glanced at the source of the sound thoughtfully.

Zhu Youtang knew that things had just begun, and his eyes slowly swept over the officials present, holding in his hand the black gauze hat that originally belonged to Li Mu.

The officials present had faintly heard Li Mu's screams, and they shrank their heads silently.

At this time, they were not as concerned about their black gauze hats as they were just now. After feeling the emperor's sharp gaze, they were afraid that the next unlucky person would be them.

Xu Hong was better off. After all, he had the financial support of his wife. He only had to focus on being a good official. The thing he feared most was just his work, fearing that the wise and mighty emperor would be dissatisfied.

Although they are already the best prefects selected by the Ministry of Personnel, no one is perfect, and they have more or less shortcomings. It's not that they don't want to implement the imperial decrees, but that the local forces are too strong, and they are even held hostage by the local forces.

For a time, they completely became prisoners of fear, and the majesty and dignity of their respective territories were ruthlessly trampled to the ground. Only by obediently surrendering to the emperor could they gain any peace of mind.

The only good thing is that since learning that Wang Yue came down, they have all done their duty this year. Not to mention that he was not as crazy as Li Mu, and he would not even dare to attend the banquet of the local power.

Zhu Youtang spoke, but it was unexpected: "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier! This hat in my hand is Governor Li's black gauze hat. Which of you wants it?" (End of Chapter)