July is hot and the weather is getting cooler.
As Hai Rui and others put aside the officialdom of Huguang, Zhu Xizhong was loyal to the clan and acted recklessly without regard for dignity. The Huguang rebellion case and its involvement include stealing mines, secretly minting coins, supporting bandits, and having liaisons with Miao Yi.
Everything has finally come to a stage of reckoning.
In order to see off the imperial envoy, the Huguang officialdom took out the chief assistant who was born in Huguang and made a guarantee after the governor Liang Menglong took out the backstage. After that, the officials at the upper and lower levels finally found the backbone and began to actively assist and add fuel to the flames.
The evil sects of the Chu vassal who gathered outside the governor's office were dispersed and arrested, and in one day they disappeared into thin air.
The clan, which had lost the support of the officialdom, still had the last chance to resist in series. However, when the Jing Mansion was spineless and helped the tyrants to commit tyranny, and was ready to be killed, the clan began to fall apart internally.
Zhu Yikan, the king of De'an, and Zhu Zaiguo, the king of Fanshan, were dignified princes, Ming Zheng models.
The Huguang Third Division's Yamen reprimanded Zhu Xizhong for not being above the emperor and for overstepping the imperial power. They impeached Zhu Xizhong and called for beating and killing him.
On the other hand, they tacitly cooperated with Hai Rui and Li Zaiting to complete the files involving the two kings, control the Qizhou clan, and report to the central government to explain the whole story, so that Zhu Xizhong's actions could be thoroughly regulated and legalized in the officialdom.
Seeing this situation, Xiangfu, who was still watching, finally gave up his luck and bowed his head to admit defeat.
He took the initiative to go to the imperial envoy and requested that Prince Lumi be cut into seven thousand stones. At the founding of the People's Republic of China, Prince Lumi had fifty thousand stones, twenty-five thousand guan banknotes, forty pieces of brocade, and so on. Until now, the Prince Lumi has only been reduced to nine thousand stones.
King Xiang spoke sincerely and said that nine was the ultimate number. It was a taboo, so the prince chose seven as enough.
He also personally arrested and bound King Zhenning, who had colluded with Du Si, the imperial envoy, and was involved in a major rebellion, and handed him over to the imperial envoy.
With a very low profile and full sincerity, he can be described as a momentary hero.
However, even so, Wu Jinghe was still merciless and convicted Xiangzong of being involved in the rebellion.
Everyone is treated like Jingfu.
The incident of being demoted to a higher rank made King Xiang faint in anger. From then on, the two vassals of Jing and Xiang were not exterminated and their clans were not extinguished. However, after seven generations, they were all reduced to common people without titles.
At the same time, the clan property was returned to the clan's mansion, forming a new system under the joint jurisdiction of the clan's leadership, clan relatives, eunuchs of the inner court, and subordinate officials of the royal palace.
The salary and silver for the princes, generals, lieutenants, county heads, etc. of each prefecture will no longer be distributed based on the number of posts.
Instead, each palace has a fixed quota, and regardless of the number of titles, it is all allocated by the royal palace independently.
In other words, this is the amount given to the palace every year. If you have more children, you can take care of yourself.
The reactions of the clan members in the mansion were the same as those in the Jing mansion.
Confiscating the property of the royal family and reducing salary and silver to a fixed amount, isn't this forcing people to die?
There was an uproar immediately.
Zongzheng Wu Jinghe refuted this statement on the spot.
He was inspired by the emperor's benevolence and took into account the close friendship between the royal family.
Naturally, we can't let the princes' palaces really keep the blame at bay.
Later, he said that after the clan government took over the royal family's industry, it also opened up the ban on business. According to the different regions and resource endowments of each province, commercial banks were opened to guide the clan members to run the industry correctly.
Any operating surplus will be divided into the clan's mansion and the prince's mansion respectively.
Operating losses... all princes should continue to receive subsistence allowances. In this regard, having fewer children is a good thing.
Later, Zongzheng Wu Jinghe cordially received the untitled clans, had in-depth exchanges, and improved the system and mechanism to help the lower-level clans.
According to the regulations of the capital's academic institutions, it is planned to establish religious schools in each vassal and teach the four subjects of classics, arithmetic, business planning, and craftsmanship.
The clans who have completed their studies normally will be absorbed into the trading firms run by the clan mansion - cotton processing, silk weaving, garments, rice milling, oil extraction, paper, printing, straw weaving, bricks and lime, all walks of life, business can be done
How big it is, how big the future of the clan is!
Those who show talent in the last three of the four subjects of Zongxue can also go to Beijing to meet the saints, study in a university, be released from the four professions, and be promoted to official positions and titles, all of which can be given additional favors.
When the cake was big enough, Jing and Xiang Prefectures were divided again from top to bottom.
Although the lower-level clan members were a little unbelievable, they didn't pay much anyway.
The royal family's property, titles, and even the privileges of the vassal vassal were originally not available to him.
Now that he is imprisoned in the royal city all day long, receiving alms from all the princes, being ordered around by titled masters, and beaten to death at every turn, what could be worse?
With this idea, many clan members started to lead the way and cooperated with the clan government to count the clan property and measure the farmland.
In just a few days, the discount reached hundreds of thousands of taels!
Not only Jing, but also Xiang two vassals.
Even though the Liao vassal, which was not involved in this matter and had been eliminated from the country, a number of collateral clan members came to join in the fun and expose the princes.
Previously, only the Yueyang Palace had been banned from doing business, and these clans were already waiting and watching.
Now that the two major sects have had this good thing happen, these low-level clans finally no longer hesitate.
They all said that they were upright and honest and would rather use the palace's property to open a business.
In order to find some fault among the princes of the Liao Mansion, one of the Liao clan members went crazy and could not be involved in the serious case of treason, so Zhang Juzheng was moved out.
It is said that a certain prince in the family was the real culprit who killed the first assistant's grandfather - "When he ascended to the throne, he summoned his ancestors and tortured him until he died."
Speak with certainty and clarity.
Anyway, the Liao Dynasty had a lot of misdeeds before - not only "cutting off the heads of the people, and the whole city was shocked", but also "encountering beautiful young men and women, crowding them into the mansion for lewdness", and speaking more seriously, there was also "Liao Dynasty"
Wang Li Baihu planned a rebellion and surrounded the palace with 500 officers and soldiers."
All in all, our sect is also a vassal vassal, and several princes in the family suggested that the imperial envoys come and kill them all, so as to redistribute the property.
A few days passed, Qizhou and Jingzhou were in full swing.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were four county princes, nine generals who held the country, more than ten generals who assisted the country, more than ten generals who served the country, and dozens of lieutenants, excluding those who sent Fengyang High Wall.
Curses, impeachments, and arrangements are endless.
Even when the imperial envoy passed by Hanyang Mansion, there were still dead soldiers assassinating him, which made him panic for a while.
Fortunately, Zhu Xizhong showed up again the next day, with only one ear injured and completely unharmed. He even accompanied him in a coffin, as if he would not give up regardless of his life or death.
Under this situation, this liquidation went extremely smoothly.
…
"The situation is not right, very wrong!"
Min King Zhu Dingyao was pacing back and forth in the palace, looking anxious.
Zhu Changwen was even more anxious than him, with a slumped face: "Your Highness, please don't repeat yourself. I naturally know that the situation is not good now."
"The vassals of Huguang, Jing, and Xiang have already bowed their heads and tied their necks. King Dong'an of Chu Mansion cannot protect himself, and he is still imprisoned in the governor's Yamen."
"My good father, Ji Zong, was not only unwilling to make decisions for me, but he also wanted to throw me out to pay for my sins."
"Now the only one who can resist the clutches of the Jin Yiwei is His Highness!"
Zhu Changwen sighed.
Could it be that he didn't want to imitate Jing Fan and knelt down to beg for mercy?
The problem is that he was really involved in the case when he helped Zhu Yingyan get through Yuezhou!
When he went to the night banquet at Prince Chu's Mansion, he was offered several hundred thousand yuan to go out, but Wu Jinghe refused without even blinking an eyelid.
Not to mention it now.
Look at those county princes, they kill them whenever they want, even the high-walled seats in Fengyang are not given a chance.
He, Zhu Changwen, was just a auxiliary general. If he were really handed over to Zhu Xizhong, he would definitely have a big scar on his neck.
So outrageous!
When the King of Liao was exterminated, he was still able to send him to Fengyang High Wall. Why is he so often strangled now?
He glanced at the Min King in front of him, hoping that this person would really fight to the end, otherwise he would really be dead.
Zhu Dingyao did not pay attention to him, he only murmured: "The situation is not right, but I don't mean how bad it is, but that it has changed too fast..."
Zhu Changwen was startled.
I just feel like I'm in the clouds and fog, and it's inexplicable.
Zhu Dingyao was talking to himself and explained: "Starting from Jingfan, the situation has changed too fast!"
"The third son of Jing surrendered without any warning, King Xiang surrendered inexplicably, and the revelation of the Liao clan clan was even more abnormally fast!"
So strange!
How long has it been since the lord of Jing Fan set himself on fire and Zhu Xizhong left hastily?
Even if Zhu Xizhong risked his own life to clear up the treason case, there must be a step-by-step process.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be so fast!
King Dong'an was imprisoned, and Jing, Xiang, and Liao bowed their heads one after another.
The Miao soldiers recruited by Zhu Dingyao and the bandits gathered have not been settled yet, why have they reached this stage!?
Zhu Changwen asked doubtfully: "The third son of Jing got the prince's position for free. Isn't it reasonable to sell Jing Fan?"
"As the situation evolves, Xiangfan and Liaofan have no other choice."
"Where are you referring to, Your Highness?"
Zhu Dingyao pursed his lips and lost interest in planning with this junior of Ji Fan - he was really far behind his recently deceased cousin.
He thought alone.
As Zhu Changwen said, every step of the situation is reasonable and logical.
But the difference is that every step is reasonably fast, with almost no counterattack!
The only time Zhu Xizhong was assassinated was because of the people he sent out!
This kind of coincidence... the traces of someone adding fuel to the flames are too obvious.
Who is so sinister and vicious?
What's the purpose again?
Nowadays, there are only a few people with power and energy in Huguang.
Zhu Dingyao glanced at Zhu Changwen in front of him. This junior's father has never come forward to be a good king?
He immediately shook his head, that was wrong. If he was really so cunning, he didn't necessarily have to let his son take the blame.
Zhu Dingyao suddenly remembered the wise words of his cousin who passed away the day before yesterday, and an idea flashed in his mind.
Who among those with this power can benefit the most!
With these thoughts, Zhu Dingyao's mind became clearer and clearer, and he became more aware of the crisis of the situation.
He paced back and forth in the hall, frowning in thought.
After a long while, Zhu Dingyao suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhu Changwen: "How many people can you pull up now!"
Zhu Changwen was stunned for a moment and quickly reacted.
After careful consideration, he said: "It depends on what your Highness is referring to... If it is an ordinary matter, hundreds of people will have no problem. If it is something treasonous and unethical, it will be difficult for more than ten people."
Zhu Dingyao stared at him: "More than ten backbones are better!"
Zhu Changwen took a step back: "What do you want, His Highness?"
Zhu Dingyao looked gloomy: "Now that things have happened, I don't want to do anything anymore."
"My residence is in the mountains and rivers, and there are more than a thousand people. I handed it over to the King of Lishan."
"As long as the officials and soldiers of the royal palace are given enough money, they will always come with us."
"Go north! Join the Tatars, change your appearance, establish a government as a tribe, accumulate strength, and wait for the right time!"
There is also precedent for this.
In the northern vassals, there are clans joining the Tatars every day to make ends meet. There are too many Dai vassals and Jin vassals.
Now he just wants to bring capital to invest in shares, which is not unusual.
The situation was changing too fast, and he already had a premonition that if he didn't leave, he would have no chance.
However, he had a good idea, but after hearing this, Zhu Changwen immediately jumped up on the spot!
He looked at the King of Minshan like a madman.
The last rebellion in Min Mansion was put down in two days, and now you still have the nerve to invite him to return to his old business. How stupid!
Thinking like this, Zhu Changwen forced a smile and said: "Your Highness, I'm still not used to eating in the north. I'd better change my appearance and become a commoner among the people."
Many of the clansmen who were executed before by Zongfan bribed imperial envoys, eunuchs, and faked their own deaths to escape.
Or they may be well-informed, escape in advance, and remain anonymous.
Min Fan clearly did this before. He came to Min Mansion for this purpose, to get an identity and become a peaceful commoner - how could he abandon his country and his home!
Zhu Dingyao didn't have time to test Zhu Changwen back and forth.
He did not listen to Zhu Dingjiong's words and chose to sell Lishan Prince's Mansion to clear himself. Instead, he planned a counterattack and sent people to assassinate Zhu Xizhong. Now there is no way out.
His ancestors had learned from this stupid thing like rebellion, and he knew he would have no chance.
But he can't sit still and wait for death. He has no other choice but to escape!
Zhu Dingyao held Zhu Changwen's shoulders and said in a cold voice: "According to seniority, I am your great-uncle. In terms of title, you have to bow your head and bow to me. I am half the king's father."
"As I said just now, if you are willing to obey, we still have the friendship of a monarch and a minister. If you are not willing, don't blame me for turning your back on me."
Coercing others is one thing, but more importantly, raising the son of King Ji will also allow King Ji to attract the court's attention and buy him more time.
That's what he was thinking.
Click.
The main door of the main hall cracked in response.
Zhu Dingyao's hand was still on Zhu Changwen's shoulder, and the two of them maintained this posture, standing stunned on the spot.
I saw a group of Wuyangyang Jinyi guards breaking through the palace door, filing in, and surrounding the two people in the center.
"Ahem..."
A cough was heard outside the hall, followed by the sound of rutting wheels.
Zhu Dingyao raised his head gloomily and saw Zhu Xizhong slowly entering the hall, covering his mouth and nose.
Behind him, Zhu Shitai held a white silk ribbon and said arrogantly: "You kings and kings, the wheels of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, your names are exactly the same, I can't tell them apart at all."
"The exception is that I remember you, His Highness King Min."
"That day at Prince Lishan's Mansion, you said you would kill my father and son sooner or later, and my father said he would come back sooner or later to settle the Min Mansion case. I was thinking about it, trying to find out who really meant what he said."
He raised his hands above his head, and the royal guards closed the palace door knowingly.
Zhu Shitai looked at Zhu Dingyao and shook the Bai Ling in his hand: "Your Highness, it seems that my father still promised me a thousand pieces of gold!"
Zhu Dingyao's eyes swept around Jin Yiwei's body, and finally fell on Zhu Xizhong.
In this situation, he naturally understood what was happening.
So fast!
Yesterday I heard that he was still in Changsha, so I actually came to his house to kill him!
He made the decision to escape, which was decisive enough, but he didn't expect that he still didn't have time.
Hey... Zhu Dingyao sighed, it was because he was dragged down by King Dong'an.
So far, he still doesn't struggle.
He just stood up straight and adjusted his posture.
He inexplicably thought of the ancestor of the Min clan, the rebellious King Guangtong, and how he felt when the incident happened.
Anyway, Zhu Dingyao feels very calm now.
Perhaps it was because the royal palace was having trouble with the royal guards for the second time, or perhaps because he knew that these people in front of him were coming for him, so he was no longer as angry as he was the first time.
Be at peace.
He ignored Zhu Shitai, only looked at Zhu Xizhong, and said calmly: "My last memorial to impeach you is still on the way to the capital. I didn't expect that Duke Cheng Guo broke into the palace again."
"I wonder what the Duke is doing this time?"
Zhu Xizhong shook his head: "King Lishan was instructed by you to support bandits and was involved in a major treason case."
"The bandit was even Zhu Dingshen who was ordered to be killed by Shimiao."
"Not to mention the fact that His Highness sent people to assassinate me, but these two items, conspiracy to rebel, deceiving the emperor and neglecting one's superiors, are already capital crimes."
"Of course I came here to punish sins."
Zhu Dingyao was silent for a long time.
When I hear the words "King of Lishan", I know that there is no chance.
He thought about it for a while, then put the matter and his fate behind him, showing a trace of curiosity.
He opened his mouth and said: "Mr. Cheng, even if I support bandits, it doesn't matter whether it is robbing homes or houses, or unintentionally helping Zhu Yingyan kill Zhang Chucheng."
"These small things usually only reduce your salary for three years at most."
"Now, if the emperor or the cabinet changes his mind at a whim, you will risk your life and fortune to kill a prince."
He paused, and his expression became more and more puzzled: "The emperor now has no biological son to be crowned king, so he allows you to abuse the prince."
"When he has a son, he will be called Prince Fu or Prince Xin... then if he wants to rectify the prince's name, the Duke of the country will be the first to bear the brunt."
"Zhu Xizhong, aren't you afraid that the Duke's government will suffer backlash from this?"
If he is arrested and taken to the capital, it will be reviewed by the three judicial departments, the cabinet will draw up the vote, and the ceremonial supervisor will approve it.
Zhu Xizhong now relied on the edict to "do things conveniently" to do this arrogant thing.
Will the imperial censor let him go? Will the imperial court turn a blind eye? Will the emperor trust him if he acts recklessly?
Not to mention the possible counterattack from the clan in the future.
With all this going on, are you really not afraid that the Duke's mansion will be destroyed in one day?
Zhu Xizhong coughed twice again and forced to swallow the sweet taste in his mouth.
First he looked at Zhu Changwen and said kindly: "I have been to Jifan, and your father is very talkative."
"For the sake of his cooperation, you should go back and say goodbye to him first, and then go to Wuchang Mansion to receive his death."
Zhu Changwen's face was ashen.
He was dragged out of the palace by Jin Yiwei.
Then Zhu Xizhong waved his hand, and Zhu Shitai immediately understood, slowly walked forward with Bai Ling in hand, and stood in front of King Min.
King Min nodded: "Wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, took out the crown from the side room, and put it on meticulously.
He also straightened his clothes and jade articles.
Then he brushed off his hem, lifted up his hair casually, exposed his neck, and showed it in front of Zhu Shitai.
Zhu Shitai was eager to try. He held one end in one hand and walked around behind King Min.
When Bai Ling reached her body, Zhu Dingyao's eyes immediately protruded and his face turned red.
But he still stared at Zhu Xizhong, waiting for the answer to the question just now.
A moment later, Zhu Dingyao subconsciously pulled Bai Ling around his neck with both hands. His temples bulged and his legs began to twitch.
Zhu Xizhong watched the scene in front of him quietly without saying a word.
When there was no movement in the hall, Zhu Shitai wiped his sweat, squatted down and felt for breath, and then nodded firmly.
Zhu Xizhong pushed his wheelchair forward and confirmed it again.
He looked at King Min's angry eyes, thought for a moment, leaned over and stretched out his hand to close them.
No matter that King Min could no longer hear, Zhu Xizhong finally answered the question just now.
He murmured to himself: "Before and after I ascended the throne, I completely relied on the Jin Yiwei to act..."
"Everyone in the world says that Jinyiwei's mercury pours down the ground and penetrates all over the place. Do you think it can penetrate into people's hearts?"
"Li, Zhang Juzheng, Gao Yi and others can understand the world half as well as I do, and they have the ability to penetrate people's hearts."
"Having such an opportunity to peek into the emperor's heart, I could still see the wrong person, and the Duke's Palace... would not be unjustly killed."
The voice was very soft, but it echoed in the hall.
Zhu Shitai raised his head in astonishment and looked at the father named "Zhong".
Speechless and helpless.
Zhu Xizhong suddenly turned his face, met his gaze, and squeezed his son's hand with a smile: "There is no loyalty without reason in the world."
"Watch well and study hard."
After that, he pushed the wheelchair and walked out of the hall.
Zhu Shitai hurriedly caught up and pushed the wheelchair up.
Only His Highness King Min was left, with a solitary corpse lying across the palace.
Yesterday's plot was not a double-crossing, it was an extended creation based on historical data. Li Shizhen did go to Prince Jing's Mansion to treat the Crown Prince, and Wu Chengen did go to Prince Jing's Mansion to work in the fourth year of Longqing's reign. He had a good relationship with the Crown Prince. As for the character design, it was an extension. create.
Chapter completed!