GBP Chapter 308 Do you want to cry foul?
Chapter 308 Do you want to cry foul?
Li Shanchang stood up abruptly, bowed to Emperor Zhu, and said, "You must not ascend the throne."
Emperor Zhu said dismissively, "What's wrong with that? If we don't let them see how these officials are beheaded, they won't be afraid. Maybe one day they'll do something cruel and harmful to the people, just like these corrupt officials."
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu added, "A few people should go to the court to witness the execution, and officials from the prefectures and counties near the capital should also come and take a look."
WTF?
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, who had always disliked each other, reached an unprecedented understanding at this moment and cursed each other in their hearts.
Is this something a human being could do?
Everyone says your good son-in-law is crazy, but now it seems you're not much better than him!
Should the officials in the imperial court also watch the execution of officials?
They say it's like killing a chicken to scare a monkey, so we're the monkeys watching the chicken being killed.
Just as Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were cursing in their hearts, Emperor Zhu sighed slightly and said, "Now we should discuss what to do with the more than 10,000 catties of refined iron that have flowed into Hu Yuan."
Liu Bowen's insane cursing stopped abruptly.
Yes, those bastards almost sent my entire clan to the execution ground. Now, isn't it only right for me to go and watch their clan's downfall?
After a moment's thought, Liu Bowen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the more than 10,000 catties of refined iron that flowed into Hu Yuan is not a cause for concern."
Before Emperor Zhu could ask any questions, Liu Bowen continued, "I have calculated that a sword would use about three catties of refined iron, and a set of armor would use about twenty catties."
"Ten thousand catties of refined iron can only make enough for the armor and swords of four hundred people at most. Even if all of it were used to make arrowheads, it would only amount to a little over ten thousand."
"What's more important right now is twofold: first, to continue investigating the whereabouts of the remaining 20,000 jin of refined iron and to delve deeper into this case; and second, to resolve the issue of Shandong Province."
After Liu Bowen said that, Emperor Zhu immediately realized what was going on.
Indeed, ten thousand catties of refined iron sounds like a lot, and it is indeed quite a lot. However, on the battlefield of the war to destroy the Yuan Dynasty, the role that ten thousand catties of refined iron could play was negligible.
Compared to continuing to focus on the more than 10,000 jin of refined iron that had already flowed into Hu Yuan's territory, it was indeed more important to continue to investigate whether there were more officials involved in the Plowshare case, whether more refined iron had been lost, and where it had gone.
Liu Bowen continued, "Because Xu Zheng and Qu Mingjie and others are reselling plowshares, Shandong has not been able to resume production. I request Your Majesty to continue to exempt taxes from all areas except Ningyang County."
"In addition, the Ministry of Works should be ordered to manufacture another batch of agricultural tools such as sickles, hoes, and plows, and then distribute them to the people in Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi so that they can quickly resume production."
At this point, Liu Bowen suddenly steeled his resolve and said through gritted teeth, "I request Your Majesty to dispatch an imperial censor to investigate whether officials in various regions are corrupt and harm the people, and to send an inspector to secretly assess the reputation and public standing of officials in various regions!"
After a slight pause, Liu Bowen added, "Especially in the Zhejiang area!"
As Liu Bowen finished speaking, Emperor Zhu and Li Shanchang were both stunned.
Is this still the same Liu Bowen who always pretends to be cowardly?
Emperor Zhu really wanted to say to Liu Bowen: "Please recover, we're not used to this."
……
Since Nanjing City did not have a proper execution ground, and the city was not yet completed, the execution of officials could only be carried out by temporarily setting up a platform of wood and planks in a large open space outside Jubao Gate. Soldiers from Jubao Mountain Guard were then brought in to maintain order. Thus, the first large-scale execution of officials in the Ming Dynasty was set up.
Emperor Zhu never disappointed the officials when it came to being a scoundrel.
This old man not only led the court officials to the execution ground to watch, but also forced the students of the Imperial Academy to go to the garden to watch. He even specially ordered the Five City Garrison to notify the people of the capital door-to-door, telling them that they could go and watch, and even cheer.
The civil and military officials in the imperial court were almost driven mad by Emperor Zhu's behavior.
According to the unwritten rules of the martial arts world, one cannot cheer when killing a woman on the execution ground, nor when killing actors from "Military Opera" or "Neighboring Opera" (which were early forms of crosstalk), and one certainly cannot cheer when killing an official.
The reason why killing women cannot be applauded is because some people are afraid that they will utter foul language that would damage morality and education.
The reason for banning applause for crosstalk performers is to prevent them from getting up and returning for an encore.
The reason why killing officials was forbidden to be applauded was purely out of fear of losing face for the imperial court.
Especially the third rule, which was set by the officials, because no one knew if they would be dragged to the execution ground to be beheaded, and no one wanted to be cheered by others when they were being beheaded.
But this Emperor Zhu ordered the people to gather around and watch, and even specifically told them that they could cheer. Wasn't this just throwing the officials' faces on the ground and repeatedly crushing them?
Besides the civil and military officials who were unhappy, the students of the Imperial Academy were even more unhappy.
What kind of respectable student from the Imperial Academy would be escorted to the execution ground by a group of soldiers to watch an official being executed?
Moreover, not only did the students of the Imperial Academy have to look at the eunuchs, but there was also a dead eunuch in front of them constantly nagging.
"Don't blink, and don't turn your head away!"
"Keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully later, and see how those corrupt officials' heads fall off!"
"His Majesty said that anyone who dares to be as corrupt and harmful to the people as they are will have to go to this execution ground!"
"Watch carefully! Remember it! Keep it in mind!"
The eunuch Chen Zhong's voice was not low, and he made no attempt to hide it from people. Many people surrounding the students of the Imperial Academy immediately cheered loudly.
Upon hearing the cheers from below the platform, Zhou Zhen, the Minister of Justice who was in charge of supervising the execution, immediately turned pale.
Looking up at the sun, and seeing that it was almost noon, Zhou Zhen slammed his gavel and shouted, "Silence! Bring in the prisoners!"
As Zhou Zhen finished speaking, soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison immediately escorted Xu Zheng, Qu Mingjie, and other officials to the execution platform. Then, three cannon shots rang out, and ten burly executioners stood behind Xu Zheng, Qu Mingjie, and the other officials.
Zhou Zhen looked up at the sun again, stood up, and looked at the court officials, students of the Imperial Academy, and onlookers below the execution platform, and said loudly: "Xu Zheng, the magistrate of Zhaoyuan County, is a criminal who is greedy, cruel, and harmful to the people. He should be beheaded and his nine clans exiled to Dengzhou for thirty years of hard labor. He will not be pardoned if he is pardoned."
"Qu Mingjie, the magistrate of Jimo County... was not pardoned even when granted amnesty."
Clearly, Emperor Zhu directly increased the severity of the crimes and punishments of officials such as Xu Zheng and Qu Mingjie by one degree and two levels. The original sentence of hanging was changed to beheading, and the original exile of their family members to Dengzhou was changed to exile of nine generations of their clan.
In particular, those two unlucky fellows, Zhang Weiyi and Liu Qingyuan, were sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, their entire families were executed, and their nine generations of relatives were exiled to Dengzhou for fifty years, with no possibility of being pardoned.
This was the result of Zhu Biao, the Executive Vice Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, desperately advising against the emperor out of his kind heart.
After reading out the names and charges of all ten criminals, Zhou Zhen looked at Xu Zheng and the others and asked, "Do any of you want to protest your innocence?"
As Zhou Zhen finished speaking, Emperor Zhu immediately perked up.
Shout it out, hurry up and shout something so we can hear it!