Xu Da was only two years older than Da Kui, and he had a long beard because he never shaved his face. For the legendary Xu Da and Xu Tiande, Da Kui was already well known.
Wu King Zhu Yuanzhang has many capable men and strangers under his command. But in terms of civil and military affairs, Liu Bowen and Xu Da are the leaders among the civil and military generals. Whenever fighting, Wu King Zhu Yuanzhang will obey Liu Bowen's words. But once the war begins, Xu Da and Xu Tiande will
It is the heaven-defying sword in the hand of King Wu.
Wu King Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said to Liu Bowen and Xu Da: "This is Zhang Dakui, Jiangnan's political envoy, hehehehe." How could Dakui not know the meaning of Wu King Zhu Yuanzhang's words. Presumably Wu King often visited Liu Bowen and Xu Da
Xu Da mentioned himself in front of him. Thinking of this, Dakui felt a little proud.
Liu Bowen and Xu Da also returned the favor with their hands, and Dakui had to bow deeply again. Liu Bowen looked at the huge wooden box on Dakui's back and smiled knowingly, but Xu Da turned a blind eye.
King Wu then asked in confusion: "What is the matter with Zhang Aiqing coming to see the king late at night? What is tied to Aiqing's back?" King Wu Zhu Yuanzhang had already picked up the wooden box that Dakui was carrying.
, I didn’t ask until now.
Dakui immediately untied the wooden box and presented it with both hands: "According to the decree of the King of Wu, I sent secret spies to investigate the integrity of all officials in the south of the Yangtze River. This wooden box contains evidence of the crimes of the officials involved. Please see it for the King of Wu."
King Wu nodded. Dakui held the wooden box in both hands and walked to the table. He respectfully placed the wooden box on the table. Then he reached out to untie the bundle and put the square scarf wrapping the wooden box in his arms.
King Wu walked back to the table and sat down, and then said: "Everyone, please sit down." His words were quite cold.
Liu Bowen and Xu Da sat back first, and Dakui waited for Liu Bowen and Xu Da to sit down before returning to his original position and sitting down. After all, those two were the leading figures in the court, but Dakui did not dare to violate the rules.
This wooden box had been inspected by the palace guards and eunuchs before entering the palace, and the seals and locks had been removed. King Wu opened the wooden box and saw the roster and list in the box, and his face was covered.
A layer of frost.
King Wu did not touch the roster or the memorial. He just stretched out his right hand and grabbed a handful of letter paper. He took two random pieces and looked at them twice before throwing them back into the wooden box.
"Zhang Aiqing, what is your opinion on this matter?" King Wu asked coldly.
Dakui suddenly felt a chill down his spine after hearing this question. He stood up and held up his hands. With his thoughts changing, Dakui said according to his own thoughts: "I think that if corrupt officials are not dealt with strictly one by one, it will not be enough to uphold the country's laws and calm the people's hearts. I will report to you."
There are nearly ten thousand officials involved in the case, and they can be convicted based on the amount of corruption. In addition, Jiangbei Yuanting has already sent spies, and I have found out one by one. I would like to ask King Wu to tell me how to make a decision."
Wu Wang Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Dakui and asked: "Zhang Aiqing might as well tell me how to convict him?"
Dakui pondered for a moment and then said: "I thought..." Unexpectedly, as soon as Dakui said three words, King Wu suddenly got up in anger and kicked the table in front of him to the ground.
King Wu was so angry that not only Dakui, but also Liu Bowen and Xu Da stood up and knelt on the ground in fear.
Wu Wang Zhu Yuanzhang kicked the table and then roared: "I and the Manchu Dynasty have worked hard to conquer half of the country. Now the officials in Jiangnan are so bold and reckless. Where is this king? Where are all the people?"
"King Wu, calm down!" Liu Bowen, Xu Dalian and Dakui all consoled him in unison.
The prepared words in Dakui's mind instantly vanished into thin air. King Wu was so angry that Dakui would not dare to say anything again.
King Wu was walking back and forth on the spot, and the chair was in the way. King Wu immediately picked up the chair and threw it out. The three people kneeling below were as quiet as ice and did not dare to say a word.
"Behead, behead them all~!" King Wu roared fiercely: "If you don't kill one to serve as a warning to all, how can you intimidate all officials? I want all officials to see the consequences of corruption. I don't put the people first but enrich my own pockets."
The king’s pedestal?…Behead all of them without leaving a single one behind!”
After a long time, King Wu calmed down, pointed at Dakui and said: "Submit these lists to the Ministry of Punishment for filing. Be sure to capture them one by one. Kill them on the spot without having to file a memorial!"
"I sincerely obey the order of King Wu." Dakui received the king's order, climbed over and collected the paper signature books on the ground one by one, then found the wooden box and put the paper signatures in it. Dakui went to pack the other things, King Zhu Yuanzhang of Wu
But he shouted sternly: "Go on errands quickly!" Da Kui was so startled that he jumped up from the ground. He immediately hugged the wooden box and left the study, and seemed to be running away from the Wu Palace.
Outside the palace gate, the five people have been waiting for a long time with a dog, a stone, a broom, a dustpan, and a bench. They rushed to Yingtian all day and night, but they stood outside the palace gate for half the night. At this time, the five people were already exhausted.
Da Kui came out of the palace gate and said hurriedly: "Hurry up and get on your horse and follow me to the Ministry of Punishment." When the five people, including the dog, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench, saw Da Kui's frightened and uneasy look, they knew that something had happened. They immediately started to fight.
Everyone must be energetic and mount their horses.
The six cavalry rode straight to the west gate of Yingtian City with whips raised. The west gate was originally the Longguang Gate of the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty and Jinling City during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It was located in the west of the city, facing east to west. (In the early years of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang directly used this old city
The gate served as the west gate of the city until it was demolished and rebuilt in the 19th year of Hongwu, and named Sanshan Gate)
The Yamen of the Ministry of Justice is located near the west gate of the city, and Da Kui has never been there. When he arrived at the west gate, he asked the guards guarding the gate, and then took the road south again. The soldier guarding the west gate saw a third-grade official going there in the middle of the night.
Xingbu couldn't help but be filled with doubts.
Watching Dakui and the other six riding away, the soldier shook his head and sighed. Now the King of Wu was about to raise his troops for the Northern Expedition, and all the civil and military officials in Yingtian were busy. Now that he saw Dakui and the others rushing away in the middle of the night, although they knew the reason
But it’s a sigh of relief.
When Dakui and others arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice, they got off their horses and dismounted. When the Yamen in front of the door saw the superior Yamen coming, they immediately came over to greet them and inquire.
Dakui didn't hesitate and said bluntly: "Go and report quickly, saying that Zhang Dakui, the Jiangnan general envoy, has come to carry out errands on the orders of the King of Wu."
The yamen official didn't dare to neglect, so he immediately turned around and ran into the yamen. Another person on the side immediately led Dakui and others to the back hall of the yamen. Although Dakui didn't know who was in charge of the punishment department, he
He knew that once the roster he controlled was handed over to him, that would be the beginning of the bloody storm!
Da Kui arrived at the back hall of the Penal Department Yamen and sat down in the guest seat, with five guards standing behind him. Although this is the Penal Department Yamen, it is said that the largest official in the Penal Department Yamen is Liu Zongju, the Minister of the Penal Department. Now that Jiangnan has been decided, the Ming Dynasty official office is still
There are no systematic six departments. And the so-called punishment department is only beginning to take shape. All local yamen in the Ming Dynasty, including Yingtian in the capital, all use old buildings and old things from the Yuan Dynasty.
The Minister of Justice was a third-rank official, the same rank as Da Kui. However, Dakui held the false title of a second-rank prince and Taibao. Although it was a false title, it was just a bad name in the officialdom.
Not long after, a group of people came in shouting outside the door. Da Kui then stood up. The group of people who came in greeted Da Kui one after another, and Da Kui was not polite. He first raised his voice: "I am Zhang Dakui, the political envoy to Jiangnan.
, I have been sent by Wu Wang Yu to handle the case. Please help me, Mr. Li." Everyone who entered the door bowed their hands, and then they were polite again.
The leader of this group of people, like Da Kui, was also wearing a red robe, and he was young and had a bookish look on his face. Da Kui guessed that this must be Liu Zongju, the Minister of Punishment. Sure enough, the young official stepped forward and raised his hand to Da Kui:
"I, Liu Zongju, the Minister of the Criminal Department, have met Mr. Tongzheng Envoy." Since Dakui was on the same level as him, he hurriedly returned the courtesy.
After seeing the ceremony, it was time to talk about business. Liu Zongju, the Minister of Punishment, immediately asked: "Master Zhang, I wonder what the King of Wu has sent?" Da Kui looked at the group of people in front of him, but the answer was not what he asked: "
Everyone present please report your name one by one."
After Dakui finished speaking, he took the wooden box from behind, opened the wooden box and took out an account book.
A group of people immediately whispered to each other. Liu Zongju was also confused, but he still answered first: "Liu Zongju, Minister of Justice."
Dakui nodded, opened the account book, and searched carefully. After a while, he said: "Well, no! Next one."
"Duan Hongyu, Secretary of the Criminal Department," a green-robed official stood up and answered with his hands raised.
Dakui rummaged through it again, and after looking at it for a long time, he said, "Well, no! Next one."
"Wu Haolong, Colonel of the Criminal Department." The one who came out was actually a military attaché, and Dakui couldn't help but be surprised.
Liu Zongju immediately said: "When the Ministry of Punishment was first established, all arrests were made by the captain." Da Kui nodded after hearing this, and then went to check the account books one by one, but there was still nothing.
Everyone else also reported their names one by one, but they were all military captains. Fortunately, none of them were in the account book, and Da Kui felt relieved. The rest of the matter was handed over, and Da Kui solemnly addressed the Minister of Punishment.
Liu Zongju said: "I secretly investigated the integrity of hundreds of officials in the south of the Yangtze River, and found a large number of guilty officials and the Yuanting in the north of the Yangtze River. This is the list. The King of Wu has an order to capture the criminals on the list one by one. This time it is
Come to the Ministry of Punishment for filing." As soon as Dakui said this, everyone present started talking.
Liu Zongju, the Minister of Punishment, turned around and said coldly: "Anyone who makes noises will be punished with a stick." This sentence was very effective, and everyone behind him immediately shut up.
Liu Zongju took the wooden box from Da Kui and ordered someone to move the table and place the wooden box on the table. He then summoned five people including the Recorder of the Ministry of Punishments and divided the work to start reviewing the account books and the names on the paper in the wooden box.
Copy them one by one.
Just when everyone was busy, an official came in from outside the door.
Although Dakui was sitting on a chair waiting for the Ministry of Punishment to register, he stood up and walked towards the official when he saw him coming in.
"Wu Wangyu!" Before Dakui had taken five steps, the court official shouted at the top of his lungs.
Everyone in the hall quickly stopped what they were doing and came to kneel down one after another.
Perhaps the officials of the court were used to doing this, so when they saw everyone kneeling down, they opened the King of Wu's decree and read out: "Wu Wangyu, the case of embezzlement of officials in Jiangnan is now in charge of the Ministry of Punishment. Zhang Dakui, the envoy of Jiangnan General Affairs, is in charge of the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment.
If necessary, the city defense troops and horses from all over the south of the Yangtze River will be mobilized. By the end of this year, all criminals must be brought to justice one by one. I appreciate this."