Chapter 3

As soon as these words were spoken.

Confiscating households, whose households could possibly be confiscated?

Any household that could be confiscated.

Is this the kind of thing that can be spoken aloud in this place?!

The court and the countryside were struck with grief; only Ru Taisu, standing nearby, looked at Su Qiao in shock, and immediately a faint sense of cherishing talent arose in his heart.

He hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said,

"Your Majesty, this examination candidate has waited too long and perhaps has become somewhat confused; I beg Your Majesty to forgive him."

Having said this, Ru Taisu turned to glance back at Su Qiao, signaling desperately with his eyes as he said,

"You there, examination candidate, withdraw at once!"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang on the dragon throne suddenly slammed the table and rebuked Ru Taisu harshly, saying,

"Did We ask you?!"

"Just now when We asked you, you did not utter a single word; now that someone has spoken, you try to silence them?! Get out!"

Ru Taisu shivered, immediately fell silent, and retreated.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Su Qiao, then gritted his teeth and asked,

"Young man, speak!"

Su Qiao was not in the least concerned and replied calmly,

"First confiscate the households of the civil officials and scholar-officials, then those of the princely vassals and imperial clansmen, and finally those of the meritorious ministers!"

Four, confiscate households; it must be done, starting with the civil officials of Old Zhu's own family!

In the Jinshendian Hall, it was so quiet that the fall of a needle could be heard!

Everyone involuntarily held their breath.

To speak such words in the great hall—how is that any different from seeking death?

Let alone Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even among the ministers present, which one was not a civil official, a scholar-official, or a meritorious minister?

And then the princely vassals.

Who are the princely vassals?

They are Old Zhu's own sons!

Good heavens, you intend to confiscate them all here?!

Even Ru Taisu began to regret why he had stepped forward just now to speak on Su Qiao's behalf.

What if Old Zhu charged him with the crime of being an accomplice?

Yet at this moment, Su Qiao's gaze burned intensely.

He fixed his eyes unblinkingly on Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang.

He might as well have run outside Wumen himself to wait for the executioner's blade.

Hurry up and do it, Old Zhu!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, his mind racing at high speed.

After a long while, he finally uttered a single word from his lips.

"Good!"

Su Qiao instinctively clasped his hands and said,

"I thank Your Majesty! Eh?"

Su Qiao raised his head in utter bewilderment, as if he could not quite believe his own ears.

Let alone Su Qiao.

Even Ru Taisu and the others thought they had misheard.

Had Old Zhu changed his nature?

Why was he not killing anyone?!

Only Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, in the depths of his heart, silently cried out once more, "Good!"

In the final years of the dynasty, natural disasters struck year after year; even the state treasury had no silver and no grain left.

Who else still has silver?!

Of course it is the princely vassals, the meritorious ministers, and the scholar-officials!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Su Qiao and asked,

"Explain, why should those people's households be confiscated?"

Hearing Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang ask this, the hearts of Ru Taisu and the others immediately chilled again.

He still intended to kill.

It was only that before the killing, Old Zhu wished to toy with Su Qiao a little.

Su Qiao soon realized this as well, and without further hesitation continued to speak,

"May I ask Your Majesty, why do the common people rebel?"

"Because within the vermilion gates wine and meat rot, while on the roads lie the frozen bones of the dead!"

"Therefore the common people rebel! Because they know that if they rebel, seize the empire, and enter those vermilion gates, they too can live lives where wine and meat rot!"

"If within the vermilion gates there were likewise frozen bones everywhere, where would the common people find the intent to rebel? Already starving and freezing, why would they exhaust their strength fighting, merely to waste their energy?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately brightened.

A smile gradually appeared on his face.

Is it not exactly so?

Even if your court has no money, as long as the noble families do not let bones freeze to death behind their vermilion gates, and the common people see officials starving alongside them, they will not rise in rebellion.

Not rebelling means starving; rebelling also means starving.

Who would rebel without a reason!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes grew increasingly bright.

He stared fixedly at Su Qiao and continued to ask,

"What if the grain in the households of the feudal princes and high nobles is insufficient?"

Su Qiao said indifferently,

"Even simpler."

"Just abolish His Majesty's ancestral instructions!"

If Old Zhu's single word "Good" just now might have saved Su Qiao,

then Su Qiao's phrase "abolish the ancestral instructions" was equivalent to nailing his own coffin lid shut all over again.

What does the first chapter of the "Ancestral Instructions of the Great Ming" say?

"Civil and military officials shall immediately impeach and report; execute the criminal's entire family by lingchi!" (Exact words)

Ru Taisu looked at Su Qiao with an expression that was neither crying nor laughing.

Kid.

Have you lived enough yourself?

Has your entire nine-clan lineage also lived enough?

Only Su Qiao remained completely unconcerned, after all, he had previously accepted some fragments of memory.

This body had been an orphan since childhood.

Executing the nine clans versus executing himself made no difference.

Hearing Su Qiao propose to "abolish" his own ancestral instructions,

Old Zhu subconsciously wanted to order men to push Su Qiao out and behead him.

But in the end, Old Zhu could not help but restrain the fury in his heart.

If future descendants followed his ancestral instructions and still ended up in that situation,

would that not prove there were problems with his ancestral instructions?!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang quietly examined Su Qiao.

"Why must our ancestral instructions be abolished?"

Su Qiao remained completely unconcerned and said indifferently,

"Because of the maritime ban!"