When Li Jinxian heard the emperor's question, he couldn't help but feel nervous. For a moment, he really couldn't find a good excuse.
And his relatives and friends began to worry about Li Jinxian's life. After all, this emperor was ruthless and unreasonable.
As long as he opens this mouth, at least a few people will be sent to jail, or half of their lives will be sacrificed.
"I learned this from the Ministry of Revenue. Since His Majesty last issued an imperial edict to collect taxes, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to look through the fish scale books and account books, so he deduced it!"
After a long while, Li Jinxian finally came up with a reason he thought he could pass, in an attempt to get through.
It is a pity that Zhu Youxiao is already murderous at this time. No matter what he says, he will have to pay for his words today.
It's not good to have a good talk about peace, and you have to go to him for money and food, and it's the money and food that he didn't even warm up.
It seems that no matter how hard he kills, these people are still determined to be evil, so he can only increase his efforts.
And Li Jinxian's words, coincidentally, gave Zhu Youxiao a legitimate reason that left the civil servants speechless.
"The fish scale books and account books of the Ministry of Accounts can be read by anyone at will. Da Sinong, please explain to me!"
Even if Zhu Youxiao believed in Chongcheng Guoxiang very much, he would still be unhappy in this situation. The fish scale book and account books are state secrets. If any official can see them, then what secrets are there?
"Your Majesty, I don't know about this. These days, I have been calculating the revenue and expenditure of this year's treasury, and checking the amount of money and food with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry!"
"But the blame for this matter also lies with me. As the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs, I am willing to plead guilty and be punished. It is because I was not strict in controlling my subordinates that this serious mistake occurred. I hope your Majesty will convict you!"
Cheng Guoxiang, who was in a state of confusion, took the initiative to stand up and take responsibility. He indeed had the mind of a chief official, and Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but feel relieved.
It is true that Cheng Guoxiang cannot be entirely blamed for this matter. It is impossible for him to stare at the fish scale books and account books every day, but things have already happened, and Zhu Youxiao still punished him symbolically.
"Since Da Sinong took the initiative to confess and asked for a reduced sentence, I will give him a lighter sentence and fine him half a year's salary to serve as a warning. If something like this happens again, I won't be like this today. I hope Da Sinong will be more careful.
!”
Cheng Guoxiang immediately knelt on the ground to thank him and said:
"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. After I return, I will immediately start investigating the matter and we will definitely find the culprit!"
Although the imperial court has been reorganized many times and many bad apples have been eliminated, Zhu Youxiao knows that the current imperial court is still a sieve.
Although Zhu Youxiao severely attacked the Donglin Party, the Donglin Party was not at all the scourge of the Ming Dynasty's problems at this time.
The Donglin Party is just the most hateful among the civil service groups. Among the officials of the original three parties, as well as within the newly formed imperial party group, there are still many corruption-prone and corrupt tumors.
"No need, all the civil and military officials are here at the court meeting today. There is a major loophole in the household department. I will solve it today!"
"Li Jinxian, I will give you a chance. As long as you recruit me truthfully, I can give you a lenient sentence and spare your life. But if you are stubborn, I will annihilate your three clans!"
"Of course, if someone confesses and surrenders, I will also be lenient. I hope those who are lucky enough can understand the current affairs!"
Zhu Youxiao's concentration of imperial power at this time was already second only to the two ancestors and Emperor Xianzong, even lower than Xuanzong and Wuzong.
The expansion of power is no longer allowed, and there is no need for him to be charged with anything or support from anyone like before.
The emperor's threats seemed to have no effect. After waiting for a while, there was still silence in the Huangji Palace.
As the person involved, Li Jinxian just bowed his head and knelt on the ground. Apart from his body shaking slightly, he had no intention of speaking.
Zhu Youxiao leaned on the back of the dragon chair, closed his eyes slightly, and shouted in a deep voice:
"Yang Huan!"
"I'm here!"
Yang Huan, who stood in front of Danbi instead of Xu Xianchun, immediately responded loudly.
When Zhu Youxiao called out this name, the ministers already knew that Li Jinxian was in danger, and his life had been locked up by the Lord of Hell.
"This matter will be left to the Jin Yiwei to investigate. Be sure to get to the bottom of it for me. No matter who it is, as long as the evidence is solid, you don't need to report it to me and just put the person in jail!"
“I respectfully obey His Majesty’s holy orders!”
After receiving the emperor's order, Yang Huan immediately called his cavalry into the palace and dragged Li Jinxian out in a cold sweat.
As for Zhu Youxiao, it was clear that he had no intention of continuing the discussion at this time. He had already made up his mind whether to negotiate for peace or not.
Therefore, the focus of today, for him, was not the issue of negotiating peace or not. Shortly after Li Jinxian was dragged out, Zhu Youxiao announced the end of the court meeting.
"Today's discussion will end here. I will discuss it with several ministers of the cabinet and the chief officials of the six ministries!"
Without waiting for the courtiers to respond or question, Wang Chaofu quickly cut through the mess and shouted loudly in his sharp voice:
"His Majesty the Emperor retires!"
After this operation, these people looked at each other in confusion. They could not understand why His Majesty announced his resignation so hastily. This was a matter of life and death for the people of the country.
It's a pity that Zhu Youxiao was too lazy to pay attention to them. Under the protection of the Yulin Army and the Jinyi Guards, he quickly walked out of the Huangji Palace without looking back.
The reason why he wanted to hold a court meeting was to see what the attitude of the ministers in the court towards the slaves was.
Are those war-fighting officials firm enough in their will and ideas?
As for those who proposed peace, they are already on Zhu Youxiao's blacklist. When the time comes, it will naturally be time to liquidate them.
Most of these people had accepted large bribes from border town generals or slaves, and they were typical spoilers. What was the use of such pigs and dogs in the court?
Of course, not all of Zhuhe's officials were collecting money from others to do things for them. There were also some mature and prudent officials who believed that the imperial court was really unable to launch a large-scale war, so they advised him not to rush for quick success and so on.
Among them, Qian Longxi, the Minister of Rites, was the most active and proactive in this regard, and his words and principles were also extremely realistic.
As soon as Zhu Youxiao saw him, he thought of Yuan Chonghuan. In history, this Qian Longxi strongly recommended Yuan Chonghuan to be the governor of the border town in Liaodong.
Yuan Chonghuan was able to take up the post of governor of Jiliao and hold the power alone. In addition to his success in deception, it was also closely related to the support of Qian Longxi, Sun Chengzong and others.
If he remembered correctly, it was during this year that Hou Xun would use his connections and authority to transfer this bragging liar from Fujian to Shuntian.
He just doesn't know whether the so-called memorials of five years of Ping Liao will still appear in the world, and whether they will appear in front of his eyes.