Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Just as the entire southern Zhili land was experiencing a wave of attacks on country gentry, the city of Nanjing, as the core area, also ushered in a small climax.

The construction of Nanjing City began in the 26th year of Zhizheng in the Yuan Dynasty and was completed in the 26th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, lasting 28 years. Although it was reduced to a companion capital, its scale is the largest in Chinese history, with an area of ​​more than 230 square kilometers.

The city's planning and construction followed rituals, echoed celestial phenomena, and complied with nature.

Under the influence of the traditional political concept of "China is the world, and the world is China", the layout of Nanjing City was based on the principles of "Zhou Rites" and also referred to the astrology of "Three Walls and Twenty-eight Constellations".

Nanjing City has four walls: the palace city, the imperial city, the capital city and the outer city. Its current resident population exceeds one million before Beijing City, making it the largest and most populous city in the world.

The winter sun is rising slowly, and the morning glow reflects on the ancient walls of Nanjing, giving it a faint golden glow.

The streets in Nanjing were already bustling with people, and people were flocking to the execution ground. Today's execution ground is different from usual, because the emperor came here during his southern tour and wanted to personally execute a group of corrupt officials.

Around the execution ground, soldiers stood in formation, their armors shining coldly in the rising sun. Their faces were serious and their eyes were firm, ensuring that the entire execution process was orderly.

"God is wise, these corrupt officials have finally been punished!"

"It has always been rumored that if you can see the emperor's sage today, you will have no regrets even if you die!"

"Don't say such unlucky words. It is rumored that the emperor will come to behead you today!"

…

In the crowd, some people were whispering about the crimes of Hou Zan, the left servant of Nanjing Household Affairs Bureau, while others were standing on tiptoes and looking around in anticipation.

Hou Zan, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, and other officials had been stripped of their official uniforms and were sitting in prison cars wearing prison uniforms. They were being escorted to the execution platform at the execution ground by officers and soldiers.

Even the officials who were eating and waiting to die in Nanjing were still looked up to by ordinary people. But at this moment, the people around them lost their respect when they saw these officials, because these corrupt officials were about to be pushed to the guillotine.

When Zhu Youtang first entered Nanjing, Wang Yue, a scholar in the cabinet of the Governor-General of South Zhili, submitted a list.

Naturally, Wang Yue could not just recuperate from his injuries and illness in Nanjing City, but had been acting secretly.

The target of his purge was the Nanjing officialdom. Although the Jiangnan official and gentry group was very powerful, the strength of the Jiangnan official and gentry group was closely related to the support of the Nanjing officialdom.

The purpose of conducting an inventory of Nanjing's officialdom was not only for the administration of the Ming Dynasty, but also to make the entire Jiangnan official and gentry group lose the official resources they relied on.

"Liu Shuan, the young minister of Guanglu Temple in Nanjing, embezzled five thousand taels of silver?"

"Jia Ge, the minister of Dali Temple in Nanjing, embezzled 10,000 taels of silver?"

"Hou Zan, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, embezzled fifteen thousand taels of silver?"

…

Although Nanjing is a pension yamen, some affairs of Nanzhili will also be handled by the yamen here, so this group of officials is given the opportunity to take bribes and bend the law.

Taking the Nanjing Hubu Yamen as an example, the appointment of a Nanjing doctor as Yangzhou Chaoguan was custom-made, and the Nanjing Hubu was also responsible for the taxation of Nanzhili, the richest people in the Ming Dynasty.

As for the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, even if they want to repair the Nanjing Imperial Palace or the ancestral mausoleum, as long as the silver coins are used, there will be room for them to seek rent.

"It's time to rectify the officialdom in Nanjing. Let's kill everyone according to the list!" Zhu Youtang's eyes flashed with a fierce look at that time, and he said calmly.

Compared with the way he dealt with officials such as Fang Bosong, the prefect of Huizhou, his current approach seems to be double standards.

After all, everyone was greedy for money, so why did officials such as Fang Bosong get nothing, while officials such as Hou Zan, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, were pushed to the guillotine?

Nanjing officials are actually different from local officials such as Fang Bosong. Nanjing officials are infringing on the imperial government's finances, while local governments accept bribes from local gentry.

Generally speaking, taking the squire's money is excusable, but anyone who dares to touch my money should be damned.

Time returned to the present, a drum beat sounded, and the entrance to the execution ground slowly opened.

"How do you get back there?"

"It's coming, it's really coming!"

"Yes... he is our emperor!"

…

In the expectant eyes of the people, a team of Jinwu escorting the emperor's dragon chariot was seen slowly driving in, which immediately aroused the ecstasy of a large number of people present.

Although Emperor Hongzhi was not favored by the scholar-bureaucrats and was often smeared, the people of Nanjing were also grateful for the sage of today's emperor.

From the initial crackdown on salt prices to the gradually falling cotton prices, they are now paying less and less taxes, which all proves that today's emperor is a wise king.

As for the brutality of the emperor today, although the situation in Beijing is unclear, the emperor beheaded Yangzhou and beheaded hundreds of officials in one day through Wang Beheading and Wang Ruren, which occurred in southern Zhili.

For this move, the people of the entire southern Zhili applauded. Such a tyrant only wanted more, the merrier, and never disliked Hongzhi.

The emperor visited Nanjing on his southern tour, and today he is going to personally execute and imprison a group of corrupt officials. I just want to say one thing - if the Ming Dynasty has such an emperor, why worry about the Ming Dynasty not being prosperous?

"The common people welcome Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!" Faced with the appearance of the great emperor Hongzhi, the people present were both excited and nervous, and they knelt down and said respectfully.

On the dragon chariot, Hongzhi Emperor Zhu Youtang sat majestically, his eyes like torches scanning everyone on the execution ground. At the same time as he appeared, there were sounds like roaring mountains and tsunami coming from all around.

This scene is already commonplace. The main reason why I came here to supervise the execution today is because I want to use this massacre to convey to the entire South Zhili that the Ming Dynasty has an emperor.

Originally, he did not want to mobilize troops to patrol the south, but if he did not move around, the officials and gentry in Jiangnan really thought that the emperor was just a stone statue.

I remember that when he went south, he specifically sought out the old man in the fields to question him. As a result, he was thought to be his father-in-law, but he bluntly said that the emperor was in Beijing.

Every farmer has a fixed mindset that the emperor will stay in Beijing. The Jiangnan official and gentry group who came from a noble family do not even think that the emperor has gone south.

The winter sun hangs high in the sky, shining directly on the execution platform.

In the center of the execution ground, corrupt officials such as Hou Zan, the left minister of household affairs in Nanjing, were kneeling, their hands tied with hemp ropes. Their faces were pale, and their eyes revealed fear and despair.

When they saw the emperor's figure, a flash of panic and regret flashed in their eyes.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!" Liu Shuan, the young minister of Guanglu Temple in Nanjing, saw the last hope and begged for mercy loudly: "I have an old mother above me and a wife and children below me. I beg your majesty to have mercy and let me live!"

Jia Ge, the minister of Dali Temple in Nanjing, followed closely behind him and cried out in tears: "Your Majesty, I know that I have sinned deeply, but please take into account the many years of service I have given to the court, please spare my life! I am willing to pour my heart out." Use all your family wealth to atone for my sins!"

One by one, they begged the emperor for mercy and played their emotional cards, hoping to impress the emperor. However, Zhu Youtang just glanced at them coldly, without any expression on his face.

Regardless of his past life or this life, he has no good impression of corrupt officials.

If it weren't for the endless stream of corrupt officials who crazily sucked the spirit of China, it would have lagged behind the world, and was eventually beaten up by the Western powers.

Even the Ming Dynasty, which is now prospering, must prevent official corruption in the dynasty.

Once the officialdom is full of corrupt officials, no matter how much resources are obtained from overseas, they will be wasted by these people, thus embarking on a wrong path like the abolition of the shipping department.

When Zhu Youtang came to the throne, he also decided to make a speech in front of thousands of people: "Such corrupt officials oppress the people and corrupt the government. Today I will personally supervise and kill them to serve as a warning to others!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The people around him heard this and their blood boiled with excitement, and they also echoed respectfully.

At this time, the atmosphere on the execution ground instantly became grim, and the executioner sprayed the ghost head knife with strong alcohol in his mouth.

Wang Yue, who was wearing a python robe, sat upright. After asking Zhu Youtang for instructions, he threw the command arrow heavily.

The Minister of Punishment of Nanjing personally verified his identity, took out the sign inserted behind the prisoner, made a cross, and then threw it on the execution platform.

"Master, please get on your way!"

The executioner's strength seemed particularly strong today. He raised the ghost-head knife in his hand high and then slashed towards the prisoner's neck like veins running wild.

puff! puff! puff!

At the moment when the sword flashed, the heads of the corrupt officials rolled to the ground one after another, and streams of blood spurted out, quickly staining the ground of the execution ground red.

They lived up to the expectations of the people of the Ming Dynasty and were unworthy of the burden of China's revitalization. Now they were executed in public. They deserved it.

"The Ming Dynasty should be able to become better, right?" Wang Yue murmured to himself when he saw Hou Zan and other corrupt officials being beheaded.

Since his resurrection, he has lost count of how many times he has served as a supervisor and saw batches of corrupt officials being purged. But now, the more I feel that the anti-corruption work has a long way to go.

What is gratifying is that although the current Ming Dynasty is far from being politically clear, it is obviously getting better and better, and the entire dynasty is thriving.

"died!"

"They deserve it!"

"It's easier for them to die this way!"

…

The people who were watching did not appear too frightened when they saw the bloody scene on the execution platform, but felt a kind of relief from their hatred. If it weren't for the many corrupt officials in the officialdom, their lives would have been better in the early years.

In fact, many of the imperial decrees are good, but when implemented in the right places, they are often deliberately misread, and in the end the people are forced to be squeezed.

Zhu Youtang did not pity the gang of corrupt officials who were killed, but he spoke again: "May this blood serve as a warning to the officials of the Ming Dynasty, to be honest and honest officials, and to benefit the people!"

Being an honest official will benefit the people.

It was originally a clichéd eight words, but because it came from Zhu Youtang's mouth, his voice echoed over the entire execution ground, shocking everyone's heart.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The people around him had the urge to cry. In their hearts, they only hoped that this emperor could talk about them so much that he could really live to be ten thousand years old.

As for the issue of today's emperor's heirs, I also hope that after the birth of Princess Haixiao, a successor to the Ming Emperor will appear.

On that day, Nanjing seemed to celebrate the New Year ahead of schedule, with firecrackers set off everywhere.

I just don’t know whether they are celebrating the execution of corrupt officials in Nanjing City, or welcoming the Emperor of Heaven to Nanjing City, or they have both of these thoughts.

Zhu Youtang did not live in the Nanjing Imperial Palace, but chose to live in the Wei Guogong Mansion.

Wei Guogong Xu Er and Xu Shiying were both Xu Da, but unlike Xu Shiying who struggled in the position of Dingguogong's eldest son, Xu Er succeeded in attaining the throne at the age of sixteen.

Now more than twenty years have passed. His current official position is the governor of Nanjing Zuojun, and he regularly pays tribute to Xiaoling every year.

I just saw that Xu Shiying was entrusted with an important role, and today he is on a tour to the south. He seems to be particularly active in making preparations this time. Knowing that the emperor was unwilling to repair the Nanjing Palace, he voluntarily gave up his residence.

Xu Yan's positive attitude earned him permission to accompany him. He jumped up excitedly as soon as he walked out of the gate, causing Wang Yue, who had just dismounted, to cast a strange look.

The two of them greeted each other, and the current Duke of Wei's palace naturally needed to report, but Han Niu, who was guarding the door, said enthusiastically: "Old Wang Ge, your majesty just allows you to go in directly to meet the saint!"

Wang Yue looked flattered and bowed, but he knew that His Majesty did have various preferential treatment for the ministers who were loyal to him.

Zhu Youtang, who was reviewing memorials in the study, saw Wang Yue who was obviously older, but he felt a little guilty and said: "Old Wang Ge, you have worked hard this year!"

"It's my honor to serve your Majesty this time, and I don't feel it's hard at all! What's more, since I'm recuperating in Nanjing, I feel less sick and can eat a bigger bowl of food!" Wang Yue raised his face, which was obviously rosier. , but somewhat proudly.

"You do look better than when you left Beijing!" Zhu Youtang nodded slightly and changed the subject: "You didn't have to be so timid, but in order to plot the plan of Kyushu Island, you had to let You suffered some injustice in Nanjing City!"

Although this kind of sacrifice is necessary, and Wang Yue must be able to understand it, it is still necessary to pierce this layer of window paper, but Wang Yue's sacrifice cannot be taken for granted.

"Now that China has conquered Kyushu Island, what does it mean for me to suffer this slight grievance?" Wang Yue Zao had completely looked away and mentioned another important matter: "Your Majesty, all the members of Jiangnan Company in Kyushu Island are all I was taken back, but I don’t know what to do with it?”

"Tomorrow I will set off for Suzhou. We have indulged in the Jiangnan business for so long, so there is no need to rush. When we get to Suzhou City, it will not be too late to kill again!" Zhu Youtang stretched and made plans.

Although Hou Haotian and Zheng Jie have been brought back and these people can be punished as treason, the headquarters of Jiangnan Company is actually in Suzhou City.

Even if there is a big purge, there is no need to rush to use the knife. Instead, just gather everyone together and then chop them off in rows.

Wang Yue did not question Zhu Youtang's arrangements, but he was worried and said: "Your Majesty, you may be in trouble when you go to Suzhou on this trip, so please be careful!"

"I understand!" Zhu Youtang had already realized this when he left the capital, and he looked towards the south and said.

Since we have already finished worshiping our ancestors in Fengyang, our trip to Suzhou is the penultimate stop on our way south. We will then go to Hangzhou to experience the desert delicacies, and then return home. (End of chapter)