amaotonovel Chapter 193: Exterminate 9 Clans? Maybe 3 Clans?
Chapter 193: Exterminate 9 Clans? Maybe 3 Clans?
In the third month of spring in the second year of Hongwu (1378).
Under the eaves of the main hall in the backyard of Ningyang County Government Office, Magistrate Yang lay on a recliner like a salted fish unwilling to turn over. Next to the recliner was a table and a small clay stove. He quietly watched the raindrops fall from the eaves. It was not until a long time later that Magistrate Yang picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.
In the early spring, with a gentle breeze and drizzle, a small stove and a small steamed bun, and an increasingly beautiful young maidservant serving you, what could be more enjoyable?
As Lu Xun once said, there is probably nothing more enjoyable than this.
However, compared to Magistrate Yang, who was busy enjoying life, Emperor Zhu Chongba and Vice Emperor Zhu Biao were not so fortunate.
"That was close, that was close. I never thought we almost sowed the seeds of eternal disaster for the Ming Dynasty."
Emperor Zhu wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked up at Zhu Biao, saying, "Biao'er, you must remember this: if anyone ever mentions preferential treatment for scholars again, you must execute their entire family, without the slightest hesitation."
Zhu Biao shook his head slightly and said, "Exterminating nine generations is a bit too much. How about exterminating three generations? It's clean, thorough, and leaves no future troubles. It even sounds like less than exterminating nine generations."
Emperor Zhu grunted in response and then remained silent until a long while later when he finally let out a long sigh and said, "Fine, let your father play the villain."
After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhu spoke again: "When you get back, tell Wang Qiong that his trip to Ningyang County was simply to check on the spring planting and inquire about the payment of money. Everything else is unrelated to Ningyang County."
After Zhu Biao nodded in agreement, Emperor Zhu Chongba let Zhu Biao leave on his own, while he himself wandered around the Qianqing Palace.
That's incredibly poisonous.
If it weren't for our good son-in-law pointing out the intricacies of this matter, we're afraid that while we were sowing the seeds of eternal disaster for the Ming Dynasty, we would still be smug and being fooled like idiots.
Unfortunately, our old Zhu is not someone who can be easily fooled, nor is he a coward who will be played and will not fight back.
This time, it's Old Zhu's turn to make the first move!
Emperor Zhu slowly stopped walking, and the somewhat ferocious expression on his face suddenly returned to calm. He then walked behind his desk, sat down, and began to write a letter.
"My brother Tiande..."
"My brother Dingchen..."
"My brother Yan Heng..."
After writing three letters, Emperor Zhu Chongba turned to Erhu and instructed, "Have someone send these three letters to Xu Da, Tang He, and Chang Yuchun as quickly as possible. Also, send someone to fetch Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen for us."
When Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen arrived at the palace, Emperor Zhu first had stools brought for them to sit down, and then went straight to the point: "Brother Shanchang, Brother Qingtian, we've called you here today because there are some things we can't figure out."
Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback, but Emperor Zhu put on a puzzled look and sighed, "Tell me, what is it about Zhu Chongba that he can't compare to that iron pot?"
As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, both Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were startled.
The iron pot is not a real pot, but refers to Emperor Shun of Yuan, Toghon Temür.
Emperor Zhu said with a bewildered look, "We heard that Xia Boqi and his nephew are great scholars in Guangxin Prefecture, so we asked the prefect of Guangxin Prefecture to invite them to the capital. But the two of them actually cut off one of their fingers in front of the prefect of Guangxin Prefecture to show their determination, preferring death to taking office."
"Later, we couldn't stand it anymore, so we simply sent the inspector to Guangxin Prefecture to forcibly bring the uncle and nephew to the capital. But guess what happened?"
“We visited him and his nephew a few days ago, but Xia Boqi said that he had received the favor of the Great Yuan Dynasty for generations, and that it was already disloyal of him not to follow Tie Guo to the north. If he were to serve as an official again, he would become a traitor. Moreover, he also scolded Kong Kejian and his son Kong Xixue, calling them spineless cowards who only knew how to kneel and fawn over the new master.”
"We just can't figure it out. What favor did Hu Yuan do for them?"
"First there were Yao Shurun and Wang E, and now there are Xia Boqi and his nephew."
"Tell me, where exactly does our Great Ming Dynasty fall short of Hu Yuan? These scholars are all so determined to serve Hu Yuan!"
As Emperor Zhu Chongba finished speaking, Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen both felt a little embarrassed.
According to Xia Boqi's standards, Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were both considered to have received the favor of the Yuan Dynasty. Liu Bowen, in particular, fits Xia Boqi's description of him as a "traitorous official," because before being recruited by Emperor Zhu, he had served as the head of the Yuan Dynasty's Jiangzhe Province Marshal's Office.
Even if Liu Bowen could say that Hu Yuan was corrupt and incompetent, and that he had resigned from his post early on, or that a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good lord to serve, Xia Boqi could also say that a good horse does not deserve two saddles, and a good woman does not marry two husbands. In short, in Xia Boqi's eyes, Liu Bowen was a complete traitor.
Seeing the different expressions on Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen's faces, Emperor Zhu sighed again and said, "Brother Shanchang, Brother Qingtian, as you both know, not only are local governments in our Great Ming Dynasty short of manpower, but even the imperial court is short of manpower. Yet these scholars insist on being loyal to the Hu Yuan. What do you think we should do?"
"As the saying goes, forced marriages are never sweet. We can't just send people to arrest all the scholars and forcibly appoint them to official positions, can we? What would that make us? How would history books describe us as ruler and minister?"
Li Shanchang's expression shifted between light and dark. After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh and bowed to Emperor Zhu, saying, "Your Majesty, the nonsense of a few scholars is not to be taken seriously, and there is no need to get angry with them. The most important thing right now is to make use of the existing scholars at the Imperial Academy to promote the books 'Hongwu Zhengyun,' 'Hongwu Dictionary,' 'Hongwu Calculation Symbols,' and 'Hongwu Calculation Classic.' Once there are more literate people, there will be no shortage of officials."
Emperor Zhu sighed again and said, "I know this principle, but Brother Shanchang, how many students are there in the Imperial Academy? We are keeping these people to enrich the court. If we send them to the prefectures and counties to serve as instructors, won't our court still be short-handed? If this continues, won't the so-called five-year short-term plan become a joke?"
Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback, but Liu Bowen quietly glanced at Emperor Zhu, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that this matter cannot be approached with appeasement alone. Even if the five-year plan can wait, the shortage of officials in the court and local areas cannot wait."
Emperor Zhu gave an "oh" and looked at Liu Bowen, saying, "Then what do you think, Brother Qingtian?"