Zhu Youxiao now discovered that this veteran censor is different, especially this kind of veteran who has served in the capital and the local government for a long time. He is indeed more aggressive than those young talkers.
many.
For example, Chen Huaiyi was scared out of his wits because of the scolding he had just said, but the old censor still looked arrogant. At first glance, Zhu Youxiao seemed to be really confident.
Zhu Youxiao was not angry. He stood up and walked down the steps, stood beside him, looked at him and said:
"Oh, Li Aiqing is so good at talking. He has been an official for more than 20 years and has experienced the suffering of the people in Henan. I guess he can teach me how to govern the country?"
The censor named Li quickly lowered his head and bowed:
"I am frightened. Since I passed the imperial examination and was awarded an official position, I have only served in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Ministry of Punishment. I don't know much about military affairs and governing the country. Therefore, I definitely dare not speak wantonly and make mistakes in front of hundreds of officials."
"But I am the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. I should fulfill my duties faithfully, supervise the officials in the court for your majesty, teach your majesty well, assist your majesty, and become a wise emperor like Emperor Xiaozong, so that our Ming Dynasty can prosper again.
.”
Zhu Youxiao felt his scalp numb after listening to this, which showed that civil servants in the late period were thick-skinned and very good at pretending. He had seen it today.
It is obvious that my abilities and talents are limited, but I have to act as if I have nowhere to put my talents to use, and I can never do without their set of benevolence, justice and morality, as if everything is taken for granted.
No wonder there are so many emperors who are close to Confucian scholars and civil servants. The root cause lies in their mouths.
He who is eloquent brags in the emperor's ears every day.
If there is a person like this who stands in front of you and can help you make a fortune, help you get ahead, speak eloquently, plan perfectly, and clearly arrange the process and results for you, and you happen to need it very much, you will definitely
I can't resist this temptation.
Not to mention that in this era where there is no information at all, even in later generations, people will be fooled around, and they will still count money for others after being sold. I have to say that Chinese culture is broad and profound, and the heritage passed down for thousands of years is really great.
Deeper.
Sometimes it's not that the emperor is stupid and incompetent, but that his abilities are really limited and he can't defeat these elite people.
You must know that the emperor fights alone, but behind these civil servants are the fundamentals of a country and the interest groups that control a large amount of resources.
These interest groups continuously provide talents to fight against the emperor, and they also try to trick you behind your back from time to time. They are simply impossible to guard against. Who can ordinary people do this?
Even Emperor Taizu, the founding emperor who had great power and coercion over the world, was defeated by them. Needless to say, other emperors were inferior by an unknown number of levels.
Zhu Youxiao said with a smile but not a smile:
"Then please tell me, Aiqing, what should an emperor do and how can he become a good emperor?"
Li Hongchang saluted again and said without blushing:
"I'm still saying the same thing. If you want to be a wise ruler in the world, you should first stay away from villains and be close to virtuous ministers. Fighting and killing are matters of military commanders and have nothing to do with your majesty. The emperor only needs to sit in the capital and concentrate on political affairs.
Can."
"I dare you to invite me again. Please immediately issue an order to kill the treacherous ministers and villains in the court, and give more power to the court officials. By then, the court will be in full swing. In less than ten years, our Ming Dynasty will naturally prosper!"
"After talking for a long time, you still didn't get to the point. You just talked about it based on the content in the book. There are countless people like Chen Huaiyi in the court who are just waiting to die. Please tell me how you can trust me.
you?"
Zhu Youxiao turned sideways and waved to Wang Chaofu, who immediately picked up a thick memorial from the imperial desk and ran down the road, handing it to Zhu Youxiao with both hands.
He waved the memorial in front of Li Hongchang and said:
"I have a memorial here, which was submitted by the Chief Secretary Zuo Envoy of Huguang. It explains in detail all the major and minor events during your tenure in Huguang three years ago. For example, Aiqing's embezzlement of taxes and grains, I wrote two pages of it!
"
"If you are interested, my dear, you can read through it carefully. There are many erotic things in it!"
Li Hongchang could no longer calm down. He secretly looked at the memorial in the emperor's hand. His nervous expression could not escape Zhu Youxiao's observation.
After he finished speaking, he opened the memorial and read with a serious face:
"During the Wanli period, more than ten famous prostitutes were specially transported from the Qinhuai River to play and sing in the government office day and night. Ai Qing is really in good health!"
"But what interests me is that you serve in Huguang, but you can reach out to Nanzhili, thousands of miles away. How did Aiqing do it? Can you answer this question for me?"
Li Hongchang knew that the emperor knew everything about what he had done over the years, but he did not have the courage of the previous censor.
He was afraid of kneeling at Zhu Youxiao's feet and said whimsically:
"Your Majesty, this is a traitor who is slandering a loyal minister. Your Majesty cannot be trusted and cannot allow these traitors to succeed. I ask your Majesty to investigate clearly and restore my innocence!"
Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly, waved his hand, and the memorial flew far away. He kicked the disgusting thing away and went straight up the steps.
Then he sat on the throne and said in a low voice:
"Immediately remove Li Hongchang from his post, investigate, and put him in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Tomorrow, the three departments of the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple will conduct a joint trial. The case will be concluded and convicted as soon as possible. I want to use this sanctimonious little head to sacrifice my dragon flag!"
The chief officers of the three departments were all appointed by Zhu Youxiao. Although they are not die-hard loyalists, they are at least on the side of the emperor. Now that the evidence of the crime is complete, Li Hongchang can basically be buried.
Zhu Youxiao said to Yang Huan who was standing next to the military attaché:
"Jinyiwei immediately sent capable cavalry to his hometown to search and arrest anyone. Anyone who is related to him must not be spared. In addition, we will check carefully to see who his cronies are. I give you the power to act expediently. Once
If there are clues, we can arrest him first and put him in jail!"
"And this Chen Huaiyi dared to speak lies to the people in the court and insult the emperor. He teamed up with the traitor Li Hongchang in an attempt to deceive the emperor and ransacked his house. His crime is unpardonable!"
Yang Huan immediately accepted the order and said yes.
After dealing with these two people, Zhu Youxiao announced the crimes of the courtiers in his hands one by one. There were as many as twenty-six people. There was no doubt that they were all arrested and imprisoned by Zhu Youxiao.
But surprisingly, even after he dealt with nearly thirty officials, no one backed down. They seemed to have become more powerful, and they collectively knelt on the ground and declared that they would die to remonstrate.
As long as the emperor did not kill Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chaofu and gave up the idea of a southern tour, they would not give up and would not hesitate to lose 100 people, let alone 30.
They had already experienced this kind of thing during the Zhengde period, and they won, so they didn't believe they would lose this time.
They also didn't believe that the emperor really dared to do this, unless he wanted to completely arouse the dissatisfaction and disobedience of the southern gentry.