As for the mastermind behind the assassination, Zhu Youxiao deliberately did not touch him.
Zhu Youxiao already had a rough idea of his details.
The big families along the Jiangnan coast are said to be extremely wealthy.
Zhu Youxiao knew what his family was doing even if he thought about it with his butt.
It's nothing more than smuggling at sea or selling illegal salt.
Participating in either of these two businesses is as easy as picking up money.
By the time he arrives in Nanjing, it will be the day when his nine clans will be wiped out.
After the thrilling imperial meeting, Zhu Youxiao was not idle either.
After returning to Qianqing Palace, he immediately asked Wei Zhongxian about Shandong affairs.
"Denglai's Second Mansion was naturally not affected. After Yuan Keli received Long Live Lord's decree, he has sent Denglai Army Town's chief military officer Shen Yourong to lead 20,000 troops to suppress the rebels and rebels."
After Wei Zhongxian finished speaking, he took out a text from his arms, handed it to Zhu Youxiao respectfully, and then continued:
"This is the latest report. Shen Yourong has won three battles. He has killed more than 5,000 rebels and captured more than 3,000 prisoners."
"Most of the rebels were tenant farmers. They could not last more than a quarter of an hour in the battle with our army, and then they began to completely flee. They are really a rabble."
"Cao Wenzhao also entered Shandong yesterday. It has not been exposed yet. According to the instructions of Long Live Lord, the troops are divided into three groups to form an encirclement to prevent the rebels from leaking out of Shandong and causing harm to the surrounding areas."
Seeing this good news, Zhu Youxiao's heart was at peace.
Historically, the fundamental reason why the White Lotus Rebellion was so powerful in the second year of Tianqi was that the imperial court was unprepared and had no elite soldiers.
Therefore, the situation intensified, affecting places such as Beizhili and Henan, and even water transportation was cut off for several months.
In this time and space, the Ming Dynasty, which had been prepared for it, would naturally not repeat this incident.
The White Lotus Sect is not the focus of Zhu Youxiao's attention.
"What's going on with the Kong family?"
"Back to Lord Long Live, Cui Yingyuan has bribed some people from the Kong family, and they have promised to come forward to correct the Kong family's secret conspiracy and rebellion."
"They have already obtained a lot of evidence that they collaborated with North Korea, China and local officials to smuggle contraband to Liaodong for sale."
"Tell Cui Yingyuan that I don't have time for him to investigate. Let him step up the search for evidence. If he doesn't find it, he will forge it for me. The real and the fake will be mixed together. It is difficult to distinguish and prove it."
"Especially the evidence that he secretly conspired with the White Lotus Sect to plot rebellion must be enough for me to chop off the heads of the entire Kong family."
"Issued another edict to Yuan Keli and Shen Yourong, telling them clearly that they must fight for annihilation in every battle and must not be merciful."
"We can accept the surrender of the rebels, but they cannot take the initiative to recruit them."
"There are some things that only happen once or twice a day. Let them not be fooled by the surface. Everything should be in the interests of the court first. They can make their own decisions based on the scale."
"Old slave understands, now go and write an edict."
Wei Zhongxian bowed and retreated after hearing this.
When Wang Chaofu saw that the matter was discussed, he reminded him in a low voice:
"Long live my Lord, the ministers of the six cabinet ministries have been waiting outside the palace for a long time."
"Then let them in."
After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the front hall. When he arrived, all the ministers from the six cabinet departments had already arrived.
"I see you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty bows in peace."
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand casually and said:
"Get flat."
"You are all here, what do you want to say to me?"
Seeing the emperor's question, the first assistant Wang Xiangqian, who had been holding back his words for a long time, immediately came out and bowed:
"I dare to ask Your Majesty, why so many court officials were arrested during the court meeting today? I wonder what they committed?"
"Yang Huan, bring up all the incriminating evidence and give them a good look at it, as well as the freshly released confessions for the chief assistant to review carefully."
Seeing Yang Huan holding various texts and memorials half a meter high in his hands, even Wang Xiangqian, who was the chief assistant, couldn't help but feel frightened.
Wang Zaijin, Xu Guangqi and others seemed to be very interested.
They want to take a closer look at what these people have committed and add fuel to the fire, and will not stop until they are killed.
After reading these criminal evidences, the eighty-year-old Wang Xiangqian also took a deep breath.
Then he bowed respectfully and said:
"I have nothing to say."
"But I have one more thing to say, and I hope your Majesty will listen to it."
"Speak, Chief Minister, I am all ears."
"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, prisons have been built, and nearly a hundred officials have been executed."
"Of course, these people are all corrupt officials, treacherous officials and thieves who seek power and fight for power, or rebellious officials who harbor evil intentions."
"But such a large-scale massacre of officials is something that has never happened in the Ming Dynasty since the Hongwu period."
"Now in our Ming Dynasty, there are droughts in Shaanxi, droughts in Shandong, and the White Lotus Sect rebels are causing trouble. Yunnan is at war again, and the old slaves in Liaodong have not yet been wiped out."
"I hope that your majesty can suppress this matter temporarily to avoid criticism from the world and trigger more serious turmoil."
"What the Chief Minister said makes sense, and I also suggest that Your Majesty, one step at a time and proceed steadily is the best policy."
Song Yingxingdao, Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
But except for the two of them, the other ministers were calm and silent.
Zhu Youxiao also knew that they were on his side and said calmly:
"There is no need to remonstrate with the Chief Minister and Mr. Song. I have already thought about this matter. If you are guilty, you will be prosecuted. How can you be afraid of wolves in the front and tigers in the back?"
"Otherwise, what's the point of setting aside the Ming laws that Emperor Taizu created throughout his life?"
"The edict is being drafted. All the people on the list will be cut in half, and the three tribes will be confiscated. The men will be sent to Liaodong to build roads, and the women will be sent to the Jiaofang Department and be registered as slaves."
"As long as the people sitting in this position are still named Zhu, these people will never be rehabilitated."
Zhu Youxiao's words completely wiped out the lives of these people. As long as the Ming Dynasty is in the future, there will be no possibility of redress.
Wang Xiangqian reluctantly shut his mouth and never mentioned the matter again.
Having lived and worked with the emperor for two years, he naturally understood the emperor's character. Once a decision was made, it was impossible to persuade him to go back.
"In addition, I have also received some intelligence reports about the rebellion in Shandong."
"The reason why they were able to revolt was because there were some officials in the DPRK and the local area who deliberately tolerated and ignored the rebellion and even collaborated with the rebels in order to overthrow the Ming Dynasty."
"There are also many local wealthy families who secretly fund the anti-thief money and food weapons."
"I will give you a vaccination first. If we really find out something, no matter who it is, I will never be merciful. I will never let go of the life of the person who deserves to be killed."
"After you go back, you must make all preparations. The first thing is to replace the officials."
"It will be up to you to recommend them and show them to me."
"You must pay close attention to the selection of officials and investigate everything carefully."
"Remember to put the capable first. As long as he has the ability, I don't care what age he is, even if he is a Jinshi, I will raise him to a position that matches his ability."
"I understand."
Another group of officials have to be replaced, but for the ministers in charge of the six cabinet departments, they seem to have become accustomed to it.
In just two years, the Ming Dynasty had replaced three batches of officials on a large scale, totaling more than a hundred people.