Chapter 579: Do not even touch the silver that His Majesty does not give you

"I do not know if Lian Biao, the Magistrate of Zhenping County, had sensed danger when he had his private secretary take Liu Qiaolian away in the middle of the night. But in the end, he did not leave; he chose to let the secretary take away Liu Er's daughter, Liu Qiaolian." Zhu Yijun sighed heavily.

Although Zhu Yijun's knowledge of this case was limited to Governor Ling Yunyi's description, the fact that Lian Biao had his secretary take the key witness to find Governor Ling Yunyi meant that something must have happened to make Lian Biao decide that, even though he himself did not leave.

"Issue an imperial decree for a state-funded burial." Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and granted Lian Biao exceptional favor. Usually, officials below the fourth rank are not granted state burials. This represented recognition from the imperial court, affirming his contribution to the dynasty. At the very least, Lian Biao's existence let Zhu Yijun know that there were still good officials within the Great Ming.

Between the two choices of making the Great Ming better and ensuring his own safety, Lian Biao's final choice was to make the Great Ming better.

This earth-shattering major case in Nanyang Prefecture and Zhenping County soon sparked a discussion as loud as a roaring sea. The case where the vermin led by County Lieutenant Li Ducai first killed Assistant Magistrate Liu Rukang and then Magistrate Lian Biao, all for the sake of 34,000 taels of silver, caused a massive uproar.

If a civil uprising had broken out in Zhenping County and Liu Rukang, Lian Biao, and others had died in the chaos, it would have been due to their incompetence and not worth pitying. But Li Ducai killed Liu Rukang and Lian Biao one after another to oppress the common people. That Liu Rukang and Lian Biao died while pleading for the people can only be described as something that angers both gods and men.

There are actually not many good officials in the Great Ming; officials like Liu Rukang and Lian Biao, who were somewhat slick, were already rare good officials.

His Majesty issued a vermilion rescript for their execution. This was a joint decision by the Three Judicial Offices, which had signed the arrest warrant from the Ministry of Justice. Together with the Great Ming Emperor's imperial decree, it was delivered to Kaifeng Prefecture via an 800-li urgent express by post-riders. The eunuch responsible for overseeing the execution was Li Yougong, a Great Ming eunuch and His Majesty's chief sparring partner.

Governor Ling Yunyi, the Viceroy of Shandong and Henan and Minister of War, received the arrest warrant and the imperial decree on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month and met Li Yougong.

It was not that Governor Ling Yunyi did not want to retaliate sooner, nor that he did not want to send troops to Zhenping County. But back in Shandong, when Chen Dazhuang faced the enemy who killed his father, he still chose to believe that the Emperor would not forgive the Duke of Yansheng's evil deeds. And Governor Ling Yunyi, even in his rage, did not let his power act recklessly, choosing instead to believe in his sovereign.

Just as the Emperor trusted Governor Ling Yunyi to handle the affairs in Henan well, Governor Ling Yunyi trusted that the details of the case, once submitted to the capital, would receive a fair trial.

And Governor Ling Yunyi waited for the trial; the imperial court and the Emperor supported Governor Ling Yunyi's move to execute them.

"Behead them tomorrow!" Governor Ling Yunyi gripped the arrest warrant in his hand and said to Li Yougong, who had come to oversee the execution.

Li Yougong said calmly, "Minister Ling, please be understanding. I must examine the case files and meet all the defendants and witnesses."

"That is only proper." Governor Ling Yunyi knew Li Yougong's status in the palace; this was a necessary procedure. Since Governor Ling Yunyi had not chosen to use his private power to send troops for revenge, the necessary procedures had to be completed.

Li Yougong took two young eunuchs and began to examine the case files. He looked at them very carefully. After about two hours, he finished reading the files completely and began to review various pieces of physical and documentary evidence. After cross-verifying them, Li Yougong took the files and evidence and had the yamen runners bring the various witnesses to the hall for questioning.

"Tang Baozhu, I am asking you; answer truthfully." Li Yougong looked at the person in front of him. This was Lian Biao's private secretary.

"Yes."

Li Yougong asked calmly, "According to your testimony, Lian Biao had you take Liu Qiaolian to Kaifeng Prefecture because he sensed danger. Knowing there was danger, why did he not leave himself, but instead had you take the witness away?"

Various signs indicated that Lian Biao had already sensed danger. The death of Assistant Magistrate Liu Rukang was not unusual; Liu Rukang was a Juren, and many things did not need to be done by him personally. Liu Rukang drowning in the river in the first lunar month was indeed unreasonable.

Tang Baozhu said with great certainty, "Magistrate Lian said to me: 'I am an official of the imperial court. If I leave, where will the court's majesty be? Assuming they are bold enough to defy heaven, would they dare to kill me?'"

"Who knew that these heaven-killing things would actually dare to kill."

Lian Biao felt that he was an official of the imperial court. No matter how bold these vermin were, would they dare to kill him? Could they withstand the thunderous wrath of the imperial court?

In the eleventh year of Wanli, in this environment of feudal imperial rule, in an era where official ranks and social status were properly ordered, and under the influence of the "ruler-subject" relationship that had existed for thousands of years, Lian Biao did not feel that his life would be in any danger.

Li Yougong continued to ask, "In Li Ducai's confession, it says that Lian Biao took a fancy to Liu Qiaolian's beauty, listened only to one side, and Liu Er, out of desperation and rage, killed Lian Biao in a fit of anger and then continued to flee. Did Lian Biao have an affair with Liu Qiaolian?"

Tang Baozhu's face changed drastically. He shouted angrily, "This is a frame-up! A frame-up! Magistrate Lian had a family; his wife and children were all in Kaifeng Prefecture. He originally said that once he settled down in Zhenping County, he would have his wife and children move there. This is complete nonsense!"

Tang Baozhu was very angry. He forced himself to calm down and still said with anger, "Magistrate Lian did not listen to only one side. My lord, that was 2,400 shi of grain! Even if Liu Er were the reincarnation of Hercules, he couldn't steal that much grain! He didn't even have access to that much grain. Li Ducai and the others, they killed an official! If they weren't guilty, why would they be afraid of Minister Ling's investigation?"

Lian Biao was already dead. If Tang Baozhu wanted to preserve Lian Biao's posthumous reputation, he had to fight for him.

"No need to be so agitated; it is just routine questioning." Li Yougong signaled for Tang Baozhu to calm down. This was just routine questioning. That Liu Qiaolian was just a village woman. Saying Lian Biao had an affair with her and listened only to one side was nothing more than Li Ducai's final struggle.

Li Yougong asked a few more questions before letting Tang Baozhu leave. He called all the witnesses to the hall one after another for questioning, and finally, he called the mastermind of this case, Li Ducai.

"Li Ducai, who killed Magistrate Lian?" Li Yougong remained calm, looking at Li Ducai, who had a rather kind appearance. How could this look like a vicious villain?

"Liu Er! Liu Er killed him!" Li Ducai shouted, "My lord, please investigate clearly! This was clearly Liu Er who killed him! Minister Ling, without distinguishing right from wrong, locked us officials of Zhenping County in prison!"

"You say this already-rotted corpse killed Magistrate Lian?" Li Yougong looked at a skeleton covered by a white cloth nearby and said in a cold tone, "Or are you saying this corpse, Assistant Magistrate Liu Rukang, killed Magistrate Lian? One died in July of this year, and the other died in the first lunar month. Tell me, did they crawl out from where they were buried and kill Magistrate Lian, who took office in the ninth lunar month?"

During the process of Li Yougong's continuous investigation, he found that Governor Ling Yunyi's handling of the case was very meticulous. This Li Ducai had no idea what evidence Governor Ling Yunyi had mastered. The corpses of Liu Er and Liu Rukang were discovered, yet this Li Ducai was still quibbling, having no idea of the situation Governor Ling Yunyi had mastered.

Now, suddenly faced with the evidence of the two corpses, he was immediately terrified and confused.

Who was right and who was wrong was actually very clear after Li Yougong finished reading the detailed case files. The human, documentary, and physical evidence were all linked together, and the evidence was as solid as a mountain. Li Ducai's quibbling was like a clown, raging in incompetence and performing the lower limits of humanity.

"Which mountain bandit was Liu Er in contact with to steal the 2,400 shi of grain tax from Zhenping County?" Li Yougong asked again.

"The Black Cloud Stronghold in Erligou. There is a chief named Hao Sandao. Liu Er and Hao Sandao are sworn brothers," Li Ducai immediately shouted.

"Bring him up." Li Yougong looked at Li Ducai with a fierce glint in his eyes. Over the years, he had traveled north and south and seen many, many people. This was the first time Li Yougong had seen someone as stubborn as Li Ducai.

Minister Ling was able to climb to the high position of Minister, leading guest troops to kill and burn everywhere, committing all kinds of evil, and his fierce reputation spread across the country, yet he still stood tall. Naturally, he had his unique qualities, which was that he handled matters extremely thoroughly. He had always believed in being open and aboveboard; if one walked straight and stood tall, one would not fear ghosts knocking at the door.

Even ghosts would have to kowtow three times to Minister Ling before leaving.

Governor Ling Yunyi had pacified this Black Cloud Stronghold, rounded up all the mountain bandits in the stronghold, and captured them all.

"Ah?" Li Ducai never expected that not only had the corpses been found, but even this Hao Sandao had been captured. After Lian Biao died, Li Ducai had already let Hao Sandao run away. As it turned out, this Hao Sandao had indeed run away, but he was captured by Governor Ling Yunyi at the border of Huguang and Henan.

The guest troops could not compete with the elite soldiers from the capital. In the eyes of the Western envoy Li Ya, the elite soldiers were legendary temple warriors. But for the guest troops to capture a stronghold chief, it was indeed easy.

The appearance of Hao Sandao caused Li Ducai to collapse completely, because this Hao Sandao knew many things, and many dirty deeds were carried out by Hao Sandao himself. Having reached this point, there was no room for quibbling.

"Magistrate Lian was pleading for the people." Li Yougong looked at Li Ducai and sighed, "You are at death's door, yet you still do not know how to repent."

"Last winter, seventeen official residences in Zhenping County were crushed by snow, and seven were burned down by fire. Because Assistant Magistrate Liu Rukang refused to share the 1,200 taels of construction funds with you, you all felt that Liu Rukang was too much of an obstacle, so you had Hao Sandao kill Liu Rukang at his home and bury his corpse in Erligou."

"You falsely reported that Liu Rukang was washed away by the spring flood."

"In the sixth lunar month, while escorting the summer grain, you were all greedy by nature and set your sights on the taxes, embezzling 2,400 shi and pinning the crime on Liu Er. Liu Er refused to accept this. County Lieutenant Chen Zhongxun had always sympathized with the small people and had a close relationship with Liu Rukang. He told Liu Er about some of the corruption in the county yamen, letting Liu Er go to Kaifeng Prefecture to file a complaint and seek justice from Minister Ling."

"Liu Er sent a petition to Kaifeng Prefecture. Naturally, Chen Zhongxun helped with this. Liu Er was illiterate, so the petition was written by Chen Zhongxun, and Liu Er had no travel permit, so the petition was also delivered by Chen Zhongxun. You all simply decided to kill Liu Er and reported him missing, turning it into an unsolved case."

"Minister Ling's secretary at the Kaifeng Prefecture hall issued you a warrant, telling you to come to Kaifeng Prefecture. Minister Ling wanted to inquire about Liu Er's complaint against the county hall. You all bribed the three minor officials who delivered the warrant one after another."

"Why didn't you kill those minor officials who delivered the warrant as well? Were you afraid of Minister Ling? You are truly bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When bullying the small people, you were all fierce and evil, but in front of your superiors, you were submissive, even to the minor officials who delivered the warrant."

Li Yougong stated the case completely. County Lieutenant Chen Zhongxun did not die. After Lian Biao died, this County Lieutenant immediately defected to Kaifeng Prefecture and sought protection under Governor Ling Yunyi, which saved his life. Otherwise, these evil officials, whose eyes were red with killing, would not have known how to deal with this traitor.

In Li Ducai's eyes, people like Liu Rukang and Lian Biao who pleaded for the people were all traitors, traitors to the officials. How could one sympathize with the small people? Sympathizing with the small people meant standing on the opposite side of them.

Chen Zhongxun was also greedy; he was also an accomplice in dividing the benefits. But by the time Assistant Magistrate Liu Rukang died, Chen Zhongxun was afraid.

Everyone is afraid. Once the killing of an official is exposed, it is a world-shattering event. Even if one flees to the ends of the earth, one cannot escape the Emperor's pursuit.

"Then, Li Ducai, I ask you, who gave you the courage to be so bold? Your corruption case would at most lead to dismissal, not even exile. Was it worth taking such a risk?" Li Yougong frowned and said, "Confess truthfully."

Li Ducai took a deep breath and, as if giving up, said, "It was the Junior Grand Secretary Wang!"

"Most of our silver was given to the Junior Grand Secretary of the imperial court. We had no choice. If we didn't pay the 'carbon tribute' and 'ice tribute' in full, there would be no good outcome."

"Are you certain it was Junior Grand Secretary Wang Chonggu who received your silver?" Li Yougong's gaze narrowed. If this were true, it would be a massive earthquake. The imperial court would likely face a huge personnel change that could be called a disaster, meaning the dynasty would be in turmoil.

Would Wang Chonggu care for this little bit of silver? Could this Li Ducai even reach a figure like Wang Chonggu?

"It was Junior Grand Secretary Wang's son, Wang Qian. I am very certain. The silver was given to him! I gave it to him personally! He even had the accountant write me a receipt!" Li Ducai shouted.

Governor Ling Yunyi had originally been very nervous; this was a situation he had not mastered at all. But after hearing about the receipt, he immediately said with a bitter smile, "Li Ducai, oh Li Ducai, in your next life, do not become an official again. It really doesn't suit you."

"When you do bad things, do you write receipts for others? Do you let others hold your handle? Put yourself in Wang Qian's shoes and think about it. Would he possibly give you a receipt?" "You have been deceived. There are simply too many brokers in the capital."

When Governor Ling Yunyi heard the word "receipt," he immediately knew that this Li Ducai had been deceived by a broker nine times out of ten. The more bone-headed and upright a person is, the easier it is to be deceived.

Zhang Juzheng had never given Governor Ling Yunyi any receipts. Even if one thought with their heels, one would know not to give others a handle.

But Li Ducai believed it, and believed it deeply. He didn't need a broker to deceive him; he would deceive himself.

"To put it bluntly, Junior Grand Secretary Wang's son is not someone you can see just by using silver." Governor Ling Yunyi said mockingly, "You are not worthy."

Wang Qian was indeed a playboy, but he was also a proper fourth-rank official who could have a seat at the grand banquet. For someone like Li Ducai, a county lieutenant, even if he exhausted his family wealth, he would not be able to see Wang Qian.

Brokers, an ancient profession, mainly engaged in fraud. Eating and drinking for free was secondary; cheating for money and people was the goal, using the names of various lords to swindle.

Things became clear here. Li Ducai felt that he had someone in the capital, which was why he dared to be so bold, but in fact, there was no one behind him at all.

According to Li Ducai's confession, he entered the capital three years ago and met a prostitute at Taibai Restaurant. This prostitute introduced someone to Li Ducai. This person claimed to be a woman named Zhao, a concubine of Wang Qian. After Zhao took 100 taels of silver, she introduced Wang Qian to Li Ducai.

The two could be said to be like old friends at first sight, regretting not meeting sooner. They became familiar within two or three days and became close friends after a few days. Soon, Young Master Wang began to solicit bribes.

And this was not a one-time deal. Li Ducai and Wang Qian maintained long-term correspondence and paid bribes every year, ranging from a hundred taels to a thousand taels.

Li Ducai did not dare to disobey, but his actions became increasingly arrogant. According to the letters and receipts provided by Li Ducai, Li Yougong saw a completely different Young Master Wang.

In the letters, Young Master Wang promised, "Go ahead and do it boldly; if something happens, I will cover it!"

Murdering a court official is such a monumental matter that, let alone Wang Qian, even Wang Chonggu could not cover it up.

Ever since the major case of the Great Wall construction broke out, the imperial court appointed Li Le to investigate, and Wang Chonggu's reaction was to bribe, not to kill.

Killing would only intensify the conflict and lead to mutual destruction, leaving no chance for even a plea for leniency through meritorious service; Wang Chonggu was very clear about the dire consequences of murdering a court official.

It can be done, as long as you can withstand the accountability; Cao Cao killed Empress Fu of Emperor Xian of Han, and didn't he turn out fine?

Li Ducai clearly could not withstand the court's accountability; let alone the court, Li Ducai could not even withstand the accountability from Governor Ling Yunyi.

"Li Ducai must be brought back to the capital because a new situation has emerged; although it is ninety-nine percent likely he was deceived, an investigation must still be conducted." Li Yougong looked at Governor Ling Yunyi with some difficulty, asking for his opinion.

Governor Ling Yunyi frowned and asked, "If it weren't for Wang Qian, how would Li Ducai be dealt with?"

"He would probably live for a long time; after all, the specimens in the Dissection Institute are not exactly abundant and must be used sparingly." Li Yougong said somewhat uncertainly, "These are incredibly precious consumables; the Dissection Institute doesn't receive many specimens in a year, and whenever there is any result, the court officials point fingers and curse us for being inhumane."

The chief physicians of the Dissection Institute moved forward under heavy pressure, and the resistance encountered during the process of medical advancement was all borne by His Majesty himself.

Everyone thinks the burden placed on Shen Shixing is heavy, but who has ever thought that the burden on His Majesty is any lighter? The heavy responsibility of the Great Ming's resurgence is shouldered by His Majesty alone.

On the first day of the first lunar month, Zhu Yijun offered sacrifices to his ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and submitted his performance report, an annual event that had never been interrupted.

"This year, money was wasted on building the Bell and Drum Tower at the main office; everyone says it's a spectacle, but in fact, it is for the convenience of the capital's commoners. At the very least, one can tell the time from far away. For a capital with over two million people, it's not expensive, and I think it's worth it." Zhu Yijun spoke of the Bell and Drum Tower, which was completed in the twelfth month.

Some people impeached this thing as a spectacle of grand construction and a waste, but nowadays, whether it is pendulum clocks, pocket watches, or egg-shaped watches, the prices are extremely expensive and belong to items that only a few can afford. Building such a Bell and Drum Tower allows people to see it from afar, and upon hearing the bell, they know it is the hour; it can barely be considered an investment in public facilities.

Zhu Yijun felt it was not a loss.

"The thing that gives me the biggest headache is the silver damming. Now, 6.5 million taels of silver are imported from overseas annually, and with the global trade of ocean-going sailing ships, there is an inflow of over 3 million taels of silver per year. In the twelfth and thirteenth years of Wanli, the capacity for minting silver coins can only reach 6.5 million taels, and by then, it will still be dammed."

"Sigh, having too much money is sometimes a trouble." Zhu Yijun burned another engineering book regarding the difficulties of minting silver coins and the application of hydraulic technology, then clapped his hands and said quite proudly.

Even if you count all the portraits in this Imperial Ancestral Temple, except for Zhu Di who wasn't particularly short of money, Zhu Yijun could stand on a mountain of silver before every single one of them and say, "Poor wretches!"

Including Zhu Yuanzhang!

After Zhu Yuanzhang ended the chaotic times, he restored production and livelihood while continuing to wage war, which only came to a phased conclusion in the twenty-first year of Hongwu. Therefore, the Hongwu era was truly not wealthy. If he didn't strike down the title of the Northern Yuan emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang would not be able to sit securely on this throne. Since he promised to destroy the Northern Yuan, he had to destroy it, no matter how difficult.

Zhu Yuanzhang fulfilled his promise, which is why he could completely take whatever he wanted from his subjects.

In fact, Zhu Di was not very wealthy either; fighting wars is a very, very expensive business. The meager profits Zhu Di obtained from official ships and official trade were all spent on the Northern Expeditions, which completely reduced the Northern Yuan imperial court to Northern barbarians.

Zhu Yijun is different; his silver is piled up like a mountain, and because of the damming problem, it has to be piled up in the inner treasury for the next two or three years, and it keeps piling up more and more.

"These ministers, especially the Grand Secretary Wang Guoguang and the Vice Minister Zhang Xueyan, treat my inner treasury as a tool to regulate silver circulation. It is truly audacious, but I have no choice but to do so." Zhu Yijun looked at so much silver that could not be used for investment and was indeed anxious, but there was no collective in the private sector that could bear the pressure of such a scale of silver accumulation without being put back into reproduction.

Because with the inflow, silver is also quietly becoming less precious.

Zhu Yijun rambled on for a long time, reporting on the events of the eleventh year of Wanli, before smiling and throwing the last scroll into the fire; this one was "A Collection of Romantic Anecdotes."

"There is a piece of gossip; I'm burning it for the ancestors to have some fun. Everyone should be happy during the New Year. I exposed the dirty deeds done by those fifty base scholars. These dogs truly don't know shame; they take pride in it instead of feeling ashamed. Although it looks like nothing happened, it's just that they are stubborn. Even the vegetable farmers in Caihuying are ashamed to deliver vegetables to them."

"I had my soldiers give them twenty strokes; they will live in shame for the rest of their lives and will never be able to turn things around!"

The impact caused by the romantic anecdotes was even more terrifying than Zhu Yijun had imagined; after all, everything was well-documented, the content was very detailed, and these base scholars even bit back at their saviors. Yet, no one went to the yamen to file a complaint, which shows that it was indeed true.

These people are pointed at and cursed wherever they go.

Using demonic books to stir up public opinion and influence court decrees? Zhu Yijun is truly very skilled at this set of tactics.

After finishing his performance report, Zhu Yijun finally began his official vacation. Zhu Yiliu had already grown into an adult, as strong as a calf, and was wrestling with Xiong Tingbi. Zhu Yiliu was only one year older than Xiong Tingbi; this one year could not form an overwhelming advantage, but Zhu Yiliu won every time. After all, this is the Prince of Lu, while Xiong Tingbi is currently a commoner.

There is only one such stubborn person as Luo Sigong who does not think of compliance.

"Call Wang Chonggu and his son here; I want to ask them, if it is truly as Li Ducai said, that more than half of the silver he embezzled fell into Wang Qian's pocket, then this Li Ducai cannot be allowed to enter the capital alive." Zhu Yijun looked at the secret report sent by Li Yougong, his expression grave.

Even if there is a one-in-ten-thousand chance, as long as such a possibility exists, one must be careful.

Li Yougong's secret report was sent back to the capital via carrier pigeon, which is much faster than the post relay. Using carrier pigeons to transmit intelligence is a method of information transmission discovered during exploration after opening the seas.

"Your Majesty, heaven and earth are my witness! Let him enter the capital, and I will confront him. If I have taken even a single copper coin from him, I, Wang Qian, am his son! I'll take his surname! What is he? Is he even worthy?" After seeing the secret report, Wang Qian was stunned. Could he be stupid enough to give someone a receipt?

Wang Chonggu's face turned black. Wang Qian was truly talking nonsense; his own father was right in front of him!

"Your Majesty, after the New Year, we must rectify these brokers; there are simply too many such troubles. When Hu Zongxian pacified the Japanese pirates, his son Hu Baiqi passed through Chunan County, and Hence Hai Rui didn't care at all that he was the Viceroy's son; he hung him up and beat him, and Hu Zongxian couldn't do anything about it." There are two key points in Wang Chonggu's words: the first is to launch the Spring Thunder Action to rectify the brokers, and the second is Hence Hai Rui's incorruptibility.

He is indeed a treacherous official, but that is in the past. This identity of a treacherous official is truly something that can be pinned on him for anything; even brokers and swindlers specifically use his name to commit fraud. He is the Minister of Justice, and he must crack down hard!

The court indeed needs someone like Hence Hai Rui as an example.

When Hence Hai Rui was the Magistrate of Chunan, Hu Zongxian's third son, Hu Baiqi, passed through Chunan and hung the postman upside down, so Hence Hai Rui hung Hu Baiqi upside down and beat him. Hu Zongxian did not make things difficult for Hence Hai Rui because this matter itself was Hu Baiqi's fault. Letting him learn a lesson is better than him being lawless and causing even greater disasters.

This is the most typical example of not fearing the powerful, and Hu Zongxian was not a petty person. At that time, Japanese pirate troubles were frequent; if Hu Zongxian really wanted to do something to Hence Hai Rui, he probably would have done it long ago, but Hu Zongxian did not.

"Rectifying the chaos of brokers must indeed be done. Now that we are speaking behind closed doors, whether to let this Li Ducai enter the capital alive is the key issue." Zhu Yijun did not cover it up and was straightforward.

If he really embezzled and really took the money, it wouldn't be a problem either. 34,000 taels, even if Wang Chonggu really took it, it would only be dismissal in the eyes of the incorruptible Hence Hai Rui.

Therefore, some means can be used to prevent turmoil in the country.

"Just let him enter the capital alive. If we calculate the accounts before the second year of Wanli, I am indeed not clean, but after the second year of Wanli, I have a clear conscience. I am worthy of the court, worthy of the commoners of the world, and even more worthy of Your Majesty's trust." Wang Chonggu did not cover it up either; if he didn't take it, he didn't take it.

"The Vice Minister also has a younger brother, Wang Chongyi. Has he been doing things outside without the Vice Minister's knowledge?" Zhu Yijun reminded Wang Chonggu; it might not be the two of them, father and son, but possibly someone using their name.

Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Siwei was executed along with his clan. I was lucky enough to survive by relying on meager merits."

Only those who have been hit by the iron fist know the pain. After the fist of power brushed past the lives of Wang Chonggu's entire family, the Wang family's greatest consensus was to listen to His Majesty.

Money given by His Majesty can be taken; money not given cannot be touched.