Chapter 296: The Morning After

Early the next morning, the sun rose as usual. Zhu Yijun's carriage appeared at the Meridian Gate, then passed through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and entered the Gate of Prosperous Peace, arriving before the Hall of Literary Brilliance.

The daily court session began. When Lu Diaoyang saw the Emperor's vibrant, energetic face under the bright spring sun, he felt genuinely relieved. His Majesty remained full of vigor and high spirits regarding state affairs. Indeed, Lu Diaoyang saw fighting spirit in the Emperor—this was what gave him the most peace of mind.

The empire showed signs of revitalization, yet its past decay still left it extremely weak. It was like a giant ship sailing through a storm, riddled with holes; not only did it have to face the towering storm, but it also had to deal with internal strife. The ship was about to sink, yet the captain still had to fight internally against various people with ulterior motives. Only by clearing out internal accumulated ills could they move forward.

With state affairs in such a state of decay, if the Emperor wanted to act, there was a possibility of success, but if the Emperor lost his fighting spirit, then success would be absolutely impossible. Under an authoritarian imperial system, the Ming Emperor played a crucial role.

"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty's sacred body well?" The court officials, led by Senior Grand Secretary Lu Diaoyang, offered their greetings.

Zhu Yijun's smile was as bright as the spring sunshine. Having rested for a day, he felt completely revived. After untying the knot in Wang Yaozhuo's heart, he could finally rest peacefully.

A gentle countryside, a hero's grave? That is utter nonsense; it is simply a man-eating tiger!

"I am well. All my beloved ministers, please dispense with the formalities and be seated." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit and speak.

His Majesty the Emperor was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve; both his happiness and unhappiness were written on his face.

"Ling Yunyi, the Provincial Governor of Shandong, has submitted a memorial, using extremely intense language to denounce the imperial carriage." Lu Diaoyang took out the first memorial. This memorial was Ling Yunyi scolding the Emperor. Lu Diaoyang said with a strange expression: "Ling Yunyi asks why Your Majesty is so lenient, saying that the Yuan Dynasty lost the world through leniency, and today Your Majesty's leniency has become indulgence. If one walks too fast, one stumbles; if a string is too tight, it snaps; if the people are pushed too hard, there is chaos. Court officials fear the criticism of the pure-minded, holding onto their reputations and biting their tongues. How can we, as men of ambition, fear words like tigers and shrink from moving forward?"

"Ah?" Zhu Yijun looked at Lu Diaoyang, leaned back, and asked quite incredulously: "What does Ling Yunyi say about me? That I am indulgent? That I am too kind-hearted?"

The Ming Emperor, who had overseen executions and just beheaded 720 people before his grand wedding—did Ling Yunyi actually evaluate him like this?

Ling Yunyi not only scolded the Emperor but also scolded all the brilliant officials in the court.

Ling Yunyi said the Emperor's heart was too kind, and that the Emperor's leniency had become a fact of indulgence. It was like a person walking too fast and stumbling, or a string being too tight and snapping. If the common people were pushed too hard, they would surely rebel. Meanwhile, the ministers in court feared the impeachment of the pure-minded officials and, clinging to their reputations, refused to criticize the faults of Chen Shan to the Emperor. As men of ambition, they feared public opinion as if it were a tiger, cowardly and unwilling to move forward.

This single stroke offended everyone in the Hall of Literary Brilliance.

Zhu Yijun had not yet seen this memorial. He had rested yesterday and only dealt with previous memorials; the new ones from yesterday were left for today. If it were a matter of extreme military urgency, it would have been sent directly to the imperial presence. Ling Yunyi's memorial scolding people was very harsh.

Huang Yuezhong dared not speak of the Emperor's faults, but Ling Yunyi dared. Not only did he dare, but he also submitted a memorial using disrespectful language, and he even dragged the brilliant officials along with him in his scolding!

Lu Diaoyang's expression was a mix of many emotions. Everyone was waiting for the Emperor's response. Ling Yunyi was far too bold; His Majesty had clearly done so well, yet Ling Yunyi was still unsatisfied.

"It is my fault." After reading the memorial, Zhu Yijun picked up the vermilion brush and wrote the three words he had spoken: "It is my fault." Ling Yunyi was right to scold him.

"Minister Ling asked me three questions. His first question: Why have the common people of Ming become refugees in their own land, homeless? His second question: Why are the common people of Ming, despite being so hardworking, unable to secure food and clothing, dying on the roadside? His third question: Why, despite being unable to secure food and clothing, do the common people of Ming still suffer such great humiliation?"

"Must we wait until the boat capsizes and the water is the tears of the common people, until the flood is upon us, before we know to repent?"

Zhu Yijun looked at these three questions, unable to answer Ling Yunyi's interrogation, and could only put down the vermilion brush.

"Utter nonsense! This is simply utter nonsense! His Majesty is so diligent, which we have all witnessed. Ling Yunyi has not witnessed it, does not understand His Majesty's hardships, and is so disrespectful to his sovereign—this is simply rebellious!" Wan Shihe, as a staunch imperial loyalist, was furious upon hearing this and stood up abruptly. He was beyond angry!

Could Ling Yunyi not be reasonable? Had the Ming Emperor not done well enough? Ling Yunyi did not know His Majesty's difficulties. As a trusted minister, to interrogate his sovereign like this—how was His Majesty to conduct himself?

Zhu Yijun's vermilion comment was that it was his own fault and Ling Yunyi was right. Where would His Majesty's dignity be? Even Hence Hai Rui did not force the Daoist Emperor into such a corner! In Hence Hai Rui's "Memorial on Peace and Order," there were long passages of praise, especially for the new policies of the early Jiajing years, which were praised to the skies.

If Zhu Yijun's vermilion comment was that Ling Yunyi was wrong, then it was also the Emperor's fault. It was His Majesty who had heavily promoted Ling Yunyi and transferred him to Shandong. His Majesty had valued him so much, yet he dared to be so rebellious. Did he have any loyalty left?

To put His Majesty in such a difficult state where he was no longer seen as wise—this was a minister lacking a submissive heart.

Wan Shihe was very angry. Ling Yunyi did not belong to the Jin, Chu, or Zhe factions. Because he killed too many people, Ling Yunyi's reputation was very poor. His Majesty's heavy reliance on him was already a risk, and now this landmine had exploded, and the first person it hit was His Majesty.

Zhu Yijun did not answer either. He handed the memorial in his hand to Feng Bao, who presented it to Wan Shihe. Wan Shihe stared at the memorial, finished reading it, and said sluggishly: "This, this, this... how can it be like this? The Kong family in Yanzhou is the Duke Yansheng!"

Zhu Yijun exhaled a breath of turbid air, shook his head, and said: "Grand Preceptor, Minister Ling is right. I was just too soft-hearted. His criticism is correct. Since he is right, I must naturally accept it with an open mind. Criticizing Chen Shan is the act of a loyal and upright minister."

Hence Hai Rui finished reading the memorial and said with great certainty: "Minister Ling is a loyal and upright minister, but his temperament is too impatient."

But Ling Yunyi was just that kind of person. If he had cared about his own reputation, he would not have killed his way from Jiangxi to Guangzhou, and then from Guangzhou to Shandong.

As soon as Ling Yunyi arrived in Shandong, he began killing, and he did it cleanly, decisively, and without mercy.

Ling Yunyi arrived at Jinan Prefecture. As a newcomer, according to past customs, Ling Yunyi was supposed to meet with the local powerful gentry, eat and drink with them, determine the future direction, and listen to the new governor's instructions. Ling Yunyi also needed to figure out these powerful gentry to facilitate his work, as the land survey in Shandong was difficult to move forward even an inch.

But the powerful gentry set up a banquet, yet they could not find Ling Yunyi himself. Ling Yunyi was not at the post station; he had disappeared without a trace.

Ling Yunyi had gone to the Rongcheng County Hall. In the seventh month of the third year of Wanli, Zhang Fengkai, a member of the gentry in Nanxiahe, Rongcheng County, Shandong, forced people to erect a tombstone and hold a funeral for his dog. People holding a funeral for a dog—it was simply a wonder of the world!

Ling Yunyi had heard of this matter as soon as he arrived in Shandong. On the day he took office, he did nothing else but go to Rongcheng County.

In Rongcheng County, Ling Yunyi saw the tombstone for the dog. It was extremely ironic; people were actually treated more cheaply than dogs.

The matter was not complicated. Chen Zhu, a commoner and farmer in Rongcheng, Shandong, had twenty-four mu of thin land. Zhang Fengkai was a big family in Rongcheng, usually relying on being under the gate of the Duke Yansheng to bully the common people and commit all kinds of evil. Because of the protection of the Duke Yansheng, the local people dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Zhang Fengkai wanted to build a garden, which happened to be on Chen Zhu's thin land. Zhang Fengkai wanted to annex the land, but Chen Zhu refused. Firstly, these twenty-four mu of thin land were his family's livelihood. Secondly, Zhang Fengkai was simply robbing him; where was the annexation? Giving ten wen for a mu of land was considered a transaction.

Chen Zhu refused, so Zhang Fengkai let local ruffians and bandits harass him in various ways.

The courtyard wall of Chen Zhu's house was pushed down, the chicken coop was smashed, and even the rice jars for storing rice and water were shattered all over the ground. His family members were also beaten until their noses were bruised and faces swollen. In the countryside, rice jars for storing rice and water were heirlooms equivalent in value to livestock.

By this point, Chen Zhu could no longer resist and could only silently endure. He went to report to the officials, but he couldn't even enter the gate of the Rongcheng County Yamen.

It turned out that in this part of Shandong, reporting to the officials required someone to intercede; otherwise, the Yamen would absolutely ignore you. Interceding required finding a litigation shyster, and the shysters were the lackeys raised by gentry and local worthies like Zhang Fengkai. Chen Zhu couldn't report to the officials, and he couldn't afford to provoke Zhang Fengkai, who had twelve guards in his house.

Chen Zhu thought that after Zhang Fengkai made a scene and vented his anger, he wouldn't come to make trouble again.

On the eighteenth day of the sixth month of the third year of Wanli, Chen Zhu went into Beiqi Mountain to cut firewood and grass. Zhang Fengkai's vicious dog suddenly jumped out, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, and pounced on Chen Zhu. Chen Zhu kicked the dog in the waist, and the sickle in his hand fell, cutting into the dog's belly. The dog looked like it wouldn't survive.

Zhang Fengkai had originally intended to let the vicious dog bite Chen Zhu to death. He didn't expect Chen Zhu to kill the dog. The servants and guards who went with him saw that Chen Zhu was fierce and didn't dare to step forward. This drove Zhang Fengkai crazy with anger.

Zhang Fengkai threatened to make Chen Zhu pay with his life for his dog. Chen Zhu saw that disaster was imminent, so he said goodbye to his parents at night and fled to another place. When Zhang Fengkai arrived with his servants and guards, Chen Zhu had already run away, leaving only Chen Zhu's old father, Chen Qi. Zhang Fengkai pinned Chen Qi down, demanding that Chen Qi hand over Chen Zhu, and cursed that he would exterminate Chen Zhu's nine clans!

What great prestige, talking about nine clans with every breath!

Through the intercession of a middleman, Chen Zhu's father, Chen Qi, was spared the disaster of the nine clans, but Chen Qi had to hold a funeral for his dog!

Chen Qi had no choice but to take his whole family of six. Chen Zhu's father, Chen Qi, took out his own coffin, made a coffin for the dog, engraved "Tomb of the Wrongfully Killed Dog Chen Wangcai" on his own tombstone, set up a mourning hall for the dog, and even had to worship the dog's spirit tablet in his home, wearing mourning clothes for three days, and sending the funeral with gongs and drums.

Chen Zhu's father, Chen Qi, was so angry that night that he vomited blood and died. Chen Zhu's mother also died of hatred the next day. Chen Zhu's wife fled with their son and disappeared. However, Zhang Fengkai did not get what he wanted either. Those twenty-four mu of land were left barren, and Zhang Fengkai couldn't annex them. No one could go there; two servants who went were beaten to death by the local villagers themselves.

Beiqi Village under Beiqi Mountain had disappeared and become the Beiqi Bandit Stronghold. All the old and young in the village had become a bandit den.

Under Ling Yunyi, there was a guest soldier named Chen Zhuqing, who was the fleeing Chen Zhu. After Chen Zhu fled from Beiqi Village, he joined the army, went from Shandong to the Southern Yamen, and became a naval soldier. Later, because his swimming skills were excellent, he became the "Water-Flying" naval inspector of the Coastal Defense Inspection Division. Chen Zhuqing was assigned to Dianbai Port as an inspector. This time, when Ling Yunyi returned to Shandong, Chen Zhu rushed to the prefectural office and tearfully requested to return to his hometown with the army.

Ling Yunyi agreed. When he arrived in Rongcheng County, he started a massacre and killed thirty-six people.

Zhang Fengkai and his thirty-six servants and lackeys, because they refused to comply with Ling Yunyi's investigation and resisted behind closed doors, were wiped out by Ling Yunyi on the grounds of suppressing a rebellion.

This was Ling Yunyi. Unlike Yin Zhengmao, who dismantled doors and moved beds, Ling Yunyi would kill people if he didn't agree with them. This was also the reason for his poor reputation.

Zhang Fengkai was beheaded in the street to show the public. Afterward, Chen Zhuqing went to the Beiqi Bandit Stronghold, persuaded the Beiqi bandits to surrender, and it became Beiqi Village again.

After dealing with Zhang Fengkai, Ling Yunyi did not put away his sword, because this funeral for a dog was actually a custom in Shandong, a means for the gentry to punish and humiliate the villagers, and it had become a prevailing trend.

Ling Yunyi led his guest soldiers to suppress the rebellion until the beginning of the third month, when he finally returned to Jinan Prefecture.

Along the way, he broke down doors and wiped out households, killing seventy-two households. A total of more than 3,000 people were beheaded by Ling Yunyi to show the public, and twenty-eight strongholds were persuaded to surrender. Blood flowed like a river, and heads rolled. And these seventy-two households were all under the name of the Duke Yansheng in Yanzhou.

The decay of the situation in Shandong had a thousand threads of connection with the Duke Yansheng of the Kong family in Yanzhou. These gentry and local worthies would go to the Kong family every year to perform the rites of Confucius as their subordinates.

Ling Yunyi's methods could not be described as anything but ruthless. And this memorial from Ling Yunyi was clearly asking the imperial court to make a clear statement. He had already killed the people; if the imperial court wanted to punish him, they should arrest him. If they didn't punish him, then this was the style he would maintain while presiding over work in Shandong.

You, the old Emperor, care about the sin of killing; you, the brilliant officials in the court, care about your pure reputation; Ling Yunyi does not care.

"Well killed!" Zeng Shengwu, the Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, finished reading the memorial, slapped the table loudly, and said with a ruthless expression: "Where are these gentry and local worthies? They are simply local bandits!"

"They deserve to die!"

"Well killed. Indeed, solving these contradictions requires a system, but in this situation, if you don't kill people, how can you solve it! I believe Ling Yunyi should not be punished. Why should suppressing a rebellion be punished? The imperial court allows the gentry and local worthies to enjoy privileges in justice and taxation, hoping they will settle the land and shepherd the people. What have they done!"

"They deserve to die! They deserve to die! They deserve to die!"

Zeng Shengwu, the Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was even more radical than the Minister of War, Tan Lun. Tan Lun had now gone to Huining Guard and was not in the capital. This Zeng Shengwu was also a radical person. He didn't think Ling Yunyi did anything wrong. The Emperor gave him the power to act as he saw fit and also gave Ling Yunyi his own 1,500 guest soldiers, expanding the establishment to 3,000. Wasn't that exactly what he was supposed to do?!

If you don't kill people, why bring soldiers?

Kill, kill, kill!

Wang Chonggu, as the Junior Grand Secretary, pondered and said: "Everyone knows the situation in Shandong. Minister Ling is deeply favored by the Emperor and went to Shandong with His Majesty's decree to stabilize the local area. What he did was indeed ruthless, but if Minister Ling had other ways, he wouldn't have done this."

"The imperial court has already sent two governors, and even the land survey couldn't be done, with obstacles everywhere. Minister Ling went with the imperial decree. If he didn't deal with it this way, that would be a lack of loyalty. Minister Ling had no choice, did he? Your Majesty, I think it is appropriate to define it as suppressing a rebellion. Minister Ling wanted to investigate, but these gentry and local worthies wouldn't even let him in the door. This is no longer an ordinary rebellion."

Wang Chonggu was muddying the waters, transforming the discussion of Ling Yunyi scolding the Emperor and the brilliant officials into a discussion of whether Ling Yunyi's methods were appropriate. This matter of scolding the Emperor could only be glossed over like this. His Majesty accepted Ling Yunyi's criticism with an open mind, so Ling Yunyi was a loyal minister criticizing Chen Shan, not someone lacking a submissive heart.

As the party involved, if he didn't pursue Ling Yunyi's criticism, for the brilliant officials of the imperial court to keep harping on it was really a bit petty, smaller-minded than the sixteen-year-old boy Emperor.

Blurring the criticism and focusing on Ling Yunyi's blood-flowing massacre—this grasp of the degree between light and heavy was Wang Chonggu's application of the theory of contradictions: primary contradictions and secondary contradictions, primary problems and secondary problems.

Wang Chonggu and his son Wang Qian positioned themselves as Yan Song and his son, worrying about what the Emperor worried about. That was the foundation of their survival. Wang Chonggu was very good at saving his own life.

"The Shandong area has actually decayed to such a point that people have to hold a funeral for a dog! It is simply unreasonable. No wonder the land survey couldn't be done. It would be a miracle if it could!" Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Revenue, felt most deeply about the fact that the land survey couldn't be done in Shandong. The Duke Yansheng and his lackeys had tormented people to such a point that the land survey was simply out of the question.

"Award the posthumous honors and rewards for those who died in battle according to the conquest, give them merit medals, and treat it as suppressing a rebellion." Zhu Yijun had already made a judgment in his heart. Ling Yunyi had done well!

He transferred Ling Yunyi to Shandong hoping that Ling Yunyi could open up the situation in Shandong. Being flexible was one way to open it up, and blood flowing like a river was another.

The imperial court had previously wanted to open up the situation gently but was completely unable to do so. Wasn't that not opening it up? Then it could only be blood flowing like a river, which was a matter of course.

"Your Majesty, there were no deaths, only twelve wounded soldiers, who have already recovered. A group of servants and guards couldn't do anything against the guest soldiers." Zeng Shengwu said very clearly. There were no deaths. To the common people, the servants and guards were an insurmountable mountain, but to the imperial court that controlled violence, they were simply no threat at all.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "Then reward them, give them merit medals."

Lu Diaoyang synthesized the opinions, wrote the floating ticket, and presented it to the imperial presence. Zhu Yijun chose the vermilion comment and then issued an order to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to grant the rewards.

"I know the loyalty of Junior Grand Secretary Wang, but Minister Ling's questions must also be answered. I cannot write about these three questions. Grand Preceptor Wan, publish the Chen Zhu case in the Miscellaneous News, and also publish these three questions to ask the scholars of the world for the answers to these three questions." Zhu Yijun did not intend to deal with it vaguely but wanted to solve the problem.

Ling Yunyi's questions were problems that had to be faced. Why were the common people of Ming displaced on the territory of Ming? Whose responsibility was it? If it was the responsibility of the imperial court, then the imperial court would be responsible. If it was the responsibility of the gentry and local worthies, then the gentry and local worthies would be responsible. If problems arose and people kept their mouths shut, the problem could not be solved. The more you covered it up, the bigger the problem would become.

This kind of fundamental livelihood problem involving food, clothing, housing, and transportation would only get bigger the more you covered it up. If you didn't put out the fire when the flames hadn't yet burned, by the time it was a prairie fire, you wouldn't be able to put it out even if you wanted to.

Ling Yunyi arrived in Shandong and found that the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Zhu Yijun's decision could be said to be using his own reputation to stand up for Ling Yunyi and give him support. Ling Yunyi had an even bigger problem in front of him, which was the Duke Yansheng of Yanzhou, the bloodline of Confucius. If he tormented the Duke Yansheng, the scholars of the world would naturally be in an uproar.

There was a Roman Curia in the West, and there was a feudal ritual religion in Ming. And Ling Yunyi wanted to launch an impact on the feudal ritual religion, which required the help of imperial power; otherwise, he would absolutely not be able to do it himself.

Ling Yunyi had to rely on imperial power, and Zhu Yijun was willing to give this support. Do it boldly; if something happened, the Ming Emperor would take responsibility himself!

Isn't it just a Duke Yansheng? How many infantry battalions does he have!

Moreover, Zhu Yijun's attitude showed that he gave Ling Yunyi the greatest support.

Lu Diaoyang and others bowed and accepted the order. And Senior Grand Secretary Lu Diaoyang took out the second memorial and said: "The Ministry of War discussed that Minister Tan Lun reported that the chieftain Bintu Ji and other twenty-four tribes of the Song Shan chieftains have surrendered to Ming at Huining Guard. This matter is of great importance. I dare not decide privately, so I report it to the imperial court to deal with it appropriately, so that the captives have no different hearts and the residents are not disturbed, which is feasible."

Tan Lun was far away in Huining Guard. He didn't just go out for a trip; he met with the chieftains of the twenty-four tribes in Huining Guard. The twenty-four tribes had the intention to surrender. Tan Lun felt it was necessary, so he met with these chieftains. This was Tan Lun's way of "softening the distant people," not the "softening the distant people" of the cheap scholars. It was completely different. This was after Ming's conquest, then softening the distant people, so that the captives had no different hearts. After three or four generations like this, what Northern Captives would there be?

This memorial from Tan Lun was not only about the surrender of the twenty-four tribes but also about the rule of the Huining Guard area.

It was necessary to fully restore the Han names for the land; all surrendered Northern Captives should be given Han surnames as appropriate; change customs and habits, practice Chinese Han laws, and not practice captive laws; conduct land surveys of grassland and land; rule by counties and prefectures, develop with garrison farming, suppress chaos with military force, achieve peace with culture, promote culture and education, clarify rites and righteousness, rectify people's hearts, and thicken customs, so that the discipline is correct and then the items can be lifted.

The court session discussed this matter.

Wan Shihe said that giving Han surnames was also a set method. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, there were the nine surnames of Zhaowu. In the Ming Dynasty, those captive officials who surrendered were also given Han surnames, such as the Marquis of Gongshun, Wu Kezhong, whose original name was Dalan, a Northern Captive. Later, he was enfeoffed as a marquis for his military merits. The Marquis of Gongshun was passed down to the Wanli years, already the fifth generation, and the Marquis of Gongshun, Wu Jie Jue, couldn't be seen as a Northern Captive at all.

This was the set method of the ancestors.

And the Ministry of Revenue had its own ideas about the land survey of the grassland. If the chieftains truly surrendered, they would live in the designated hunting grounds. If they were wandering, they would be treated as rebels. Living in the designated grasslands, there was no need to wander with water and grass, no need for so many horses, just focus on raising sheep. And Ming's demand for wool could be said to be the more the better.

The six ministries all expressed their views.

Zhu Yijun picked up the vermilion brush, pondered for a long time, and said: "The Ancestor once said: To govern the world, one should first prioritize the heavy and urgent, and then reach the light and slow. Today, the world is initially settled. What is urgent is food and clothing, and what is heavy is education. If food and clothing are provided, the people's livelihood will be fulfilled; if education is practiced, customs will be beautiful."

This sentence came from the "Imperial Ming Ancestral Instructions," saying that governing the world requires distinguishing between light and heavy, urgent and slow, distinguishing between primary contradictions and secondary contradictions, and solving primary contradictions, so that it is possible to solve secondary derivative contradictions. For example, if the heavy and urgent is food and clothing, if food and clothing are sufficient, the people's livelihood will naturally be peaceful, education can be practiced, and customs will naturally be good customs. Otherwise, they are all evil customs of wearing mourning clothes and holding funerals for dogs.

The theory of contradictions was never about building a high building on flat ground, and even the earliest discussion of light and heavy, urgent and slow, came from Guan Zhong's "Guanzi: National Accumulation" in the pre-Qin era, gradually deriving the theory of primary contradictions and secondary contradictions derived from primary contradictions.

The way of governing the country and the technique of sheltering the people is to take the people as the foundation. Ming started from the people's urgency and chaos, and later perished because of the people's urgency and chaos.

Ling Yunyi's criticism was also urgent for the country's urgency and worried about the country's worries. The situation in Shandong was extremely bad, so Ling Yunyi submitted a memorial so directly, urging His Majesty to be more ruthless. When the contradiction intensified to such a point, it was time to kill.

After the court session, Zhu Yijun used the vermilion brush to approve Tan Lun's proposal for the newly opened land in Huining Guard.

Lu Diaoyang took out another memorial and said: "Li Chengliang, the Regional Commander of Liaodong and Marquis of Ningyuan, reported that at the beginning of the second month, he went 290 li outside the border, beheaded 432 enemies, captured 14 strongholds, and expanded 112 li of black soil. The elite of the enemy were all wiped out, and our losses were limited to one soldier. He originally wanted to report the victory before His Majesty's grand wedding to celebrate, but the enemy was fierce and the cold of the late spring was extremely cold, so he could only report the victory in the third month."

Li Chengliang's wedding gift to His Majesty the Emperor was a battle 200 li outside the border, 432 heads of Eastern Captives, 14 strongholds, and 112 li of black soil. However, the enemy was fierce, and the late spring cold was extremely cold, so it was only after the grand wedding that the wedding gift was sent.

Li Chengliang finally bombed the Dragon King Temple.

Liaodong's land expansion had been advancing like an ant gnawing on a bone. After a severe winter, it was the time when the enemy was weakest. Li Chengliang would attack every spring. Even if the thieves didn't die under the sword, they would die from lack of food and clothing. Li Chengliang had long made a plan, but Liaodong suddenly had a late spring cold, and he couldn't attack. Li Chengliang was so angry that he directly bombed the Dragon King Temple.

Li Chengliang made a mistake. He should have gone to find Jumang, not the Dragon King. This wasn't under the Dragon King's jurisdiction, was it?

"A late wedding gift is still a wedding gift. I accept it with a smile. Reward him according to the precedent, and add nine bottles of national cellar wine as an extra reward to show favor." Zhu Yijun shook his head. Zhu Yijun accepted Li Chengliang's late wedding gift. It was just late. The battlefield changed rapidly, and this victory report was not something Li Chengliang could control.

It was good enough to win.

"The victory report reached the palace. The Holy Mother said that the records should be recorded generously for the teacher. The battle outside the border in Liaodong started with the teacher. I went to the Earl of Yicheng's mansion the day before yesterday and talked to the teacher about the extra reward for the Liaodong victory. The teacher refused to accept it, saying that he was greedy for the merits of heaven." Zhu Yijun said with a hint of helplessness.

Winning a battle at the front and rewarding the Senior Grand Secretary and brilliant officials was also a precedent. Zhang Jizheng, as the Senior Grand Secretary, did not accept this merit, and the military generals at the border felt uneasy in their hearts. After all, it hadn't reached the bad situation of four-way separatism, and these powerful military leaders in the local area still had to look at Zhang Jizheng's face.

"I fear it will trap the teacher in injustice." Lu Diaoyang said tentatively.

"That's true, then forget it." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and made a decision. He originally intended to give Zhang Jizheng a marquis's certificate because of the Liaodong victory, but Zhang Jizheng firmly refused. Lu Diaoyang's words also made sense. Zhang Jizheng was still in mourning, and if he really gave it, it would be killing him with praise.

"When will the other criminals in Shandong arrive in the capital?" Zhu Yijun asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

Wang Chonggu immediately bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, they will arrive in the capital in three days."

Ling Yunyi killed until blood flowed like a river, and he also left many heads for the Emperor to send to the capital for the capital to investigate.

Holding a funeral for a dog is true. When the trouble in Shandong was at its worst, even the villages for ten miles around had to see off the dog in the old master's house. It is really a strange and chaotic matter. What kind of Duke Yansheng is this? Requesting monthly tickets, Aowu!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter)