Chapter 86 Modifies the "Law of the Ming Dynasty"!
Xu Pu returned to his residence with several cabinet ministers who were most capable of influencing the court.
After Xu Pu led everyone into the study, he closed the doors and windows tightly, and dismissed the servants at home, before offering a cup of hot tea to the old ministers.
Wang Shu sat down at the table: "Xu Shoufu, if you have anything to say, just say it. All of us here are people on a broken ship."
Xu Pu nodded repeatedly: " Wang Shangshu is absolutely right, I won’t hide it anymore.”
"Do you think the death of the late emperor was really organized and planned by the previous cabinet?"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone present changed.
“I don’t know.”
Wang Shu first expressed his position: “I have been an official in Nanzhili before. I know very little about this matter in the capital.”
“ We don’t know either, we were all working in the Hanlin Academy before.”
"If it hadn't been for His Majesty's appointment, we should still be in the Hanlin Academy now."
Xie Qian and Li Dongyang also quickly denied that they did not know.
Liu Jian and Liu Daxia also hesitated and refused to express their opinions.
Seeing this, Xu Pu scolded these old foxes in his heart.
How long has it been since the emperor’s butcher’s knife has been placed on their necks, and they are still playing the trick of Ming Bao Zhe Shen?
The emperor has gone too far, and if they don't resist, then civil servants will only become the emperor's tools for handling government affairs.
In the future, will the interests of civil servants in the cabinet be still needed?
Do you still want the interests of the gentry and nobles in your hometown?
Yu Qian Yu Shaobao finally put the imperial power in a cage and expanded the power of the cabinet beyond the imperial power.
As a result, Emperor Yingzong was restored, breaking away from the cabinet's shackles on imperial power.
After Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he expanded the imperial power again, giving the imperial power the capital to challenge the cabinet again.
After getting into the hands of Zhu Youtang, Zhu Youtang went even further. He wanted to turn the cabinet into a vassal of the imperial power again!
Let the cabinet bow to the emperor and obey his orders!
As a pavilion elder and minister, Xu Pu would never allow this to happen even if he risked his life!
He must turn Zhu Youtang into a "Holy Lord and Mingjun" like Zhu Qiyu.
As long as you listen obediently to the cabinet and the civil servants, let the civil servant group and the local gentry have enough to eat.
Future history books will surely praise Zhu Youtang and portray him as a wise, virtuous and benevolent king!
If Zhu Youtang wants to expand imperial power and restrict civil servants, then Xu Pu will fight to the end even if he has to risk his life!
If nothing else, the history books will definitely disgust Zhu Youtang to death and turn him into a coward and a tyrant!
It would be best to have another Tumuba Incident and nail Zhu Youtang’s name to the pillar of shame forever!
Xu Pu suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and spoke again.
“From my point of view, pursuing the death of the late emperor is just an excuse used by His Majesty to purge the power of the cabinet.”
“Whether it is the execution of the three judges or the execution of more than five hundred people Rumor has it that promotions are all for our cabinet. A targeted attack by the six forces."
"Your Majesty is cruel, I don't know when this knife will hit our heads!"
After Xu Pu finished speaking, everyone looked at each other. , all faces looked worried.
Everything Xu Pu said was reasonable. No matter what the reason for Zhu Youtang's action was, the result was that the power of the cabinet was greatly weakened.
There is no comparison in terms of power between the cabinet when His Majesty first came to the throne and the cabinet now.
Xu Pu seemed to remember something, and suddenly lamented.
“Alas, the late emperor intended to dethrone His Majesty from the position of crown prince and install the new crown prince Zhu Youqi as the crown prince.”
“If it weren’t for the elders of the previous cabinet, I would be talking to you, the ministers of the East Palace, Stop me, I’m afraid the current emperor is King Xing.”
"If King Xing had succeeded to the throne, our current life would never be so sad."
Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian were all ministers of the East Palace.
Xu Pu’s words were obviously directed at the three of them.
Liu Jian looked hesitant and argued vigorously.
“Before His Majesty ascended the throne, he was upright and peaceful, modest and courteous, and good at listening to elegant words. He was truly a wise king.”
"This...who would have thought that after ascending to the throne, he would be completely different!"
Xie Qian quickly echoed: "What Mr. Liu Ge said is that if we had known that this was the case... we would not have stopped it at that time. The late Emperor Yi Chu is here."
Seeing that the topic had gone astray, Wang Shu had no choice but to stop him.
"Okay, the deal is done, it's useless to talk more."
"Presumably Xu Shoufu invited me here not just for us to listen to your complaints."
>
"If Xu Shoufu has any ideas, why don't you speak boldly."
"Then I'll tell you the truth."
Xu Pu knew that if he continued to go around in circles, these old foxes would be able to get along with him. No calls at night.
So, Xu Pu directly told the powerful ministers in the room his plan.
“Everyone, Your Majesty is so cruel, he will confiscate your family and exterminate your clan at every turn.”
"In order to protect ourselves, we must take action."
"I think we can secretly amend the constitution!"
"Legal law prevents His Majesty from killing officials."
“Amend the Constitution?!”
Xie Qian exclaimed and quickly covered his mouth.
Wang Shu and Liu Daxia stared at each other with extremely serious expressions.
Liu Jian and Liu Dongyang took a deep breath and looked at Xu Pu with eyes full of fear.
The so-called constitutional amendment means changing the fundamental laws of the Ming Dynasty.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Gao has made strict regulations on the taxation of the Ming Dynasty, the sale of salt and tea, overseas trade, the appointment of officials, the deployment of border generals, and the right to command troops.
These powers are all in the hands of the imperial court and the Ming Emperor.
And he formulated the "Da Ming Law" and wrote it into the "Da Ming Law" as the fundamental law of the Ming Dynasty.
Also included in the Ming Dynasty Laws was the execution of corrupt officials.
“Officials who have received money and perverted the law have always ordered seventy-tenths of sticks and eighty-thousands of twists.”
These regulations are also recorded in the "Da Ming Code".
These systems were very unfriendly to the civil servants, military generals, landlords and gentry of the Ming Dynasty.
Cabinet officials of all dynasties wanted to change the Ming Code.
However, before the death of Emperor Taizu Gao, he left an edict: "A law that has been established cannot be changed even a word."
This left the powerful Sanyang Cabinet and Yu Qian , all at a loss what to do about the "Da Ming Law".
During the Jingtai period, Yu Qian held great power and had the power to command and mobilize troops. He could depose the emperor and establish him as regent at will.
Yu Qian, who has tremendous power, cannot touch the "Da Ming Law".
How can Xu Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet with very little power now, touch the "Law of the Ming Dynasty"?
Liu Jian hesitated for a moment, then asked aloud: "Yu Shaobao couldn't touch the "Da Ming Law" back then, how can we do it?"
Xu Pu asked back: "Who Are you saying that we are going to change the Law of the Ming Dynasty?"
< br>"The Law of the Ming Dynasty was created by Emperor Taizu Gao. The ancestral law is immutable. If it is changed, it will be disrespectful to Emperor Taizu Gao and will cause his head to be lost."
Liu Daxia was puzzled: " Then why are you talking about secretly amending the constitution?”
Xu Pu smiled: "When Emperor Yingzong and the late emperor were in power, the cabinet once proposed that the "Da Ming Code" is no longer suitable for the development of this dynasty, and a "Da Ming Huidian" should be rebuilt to replace the "Da Ming Code"."
“In this way, we can reasonably and legally circumvent the imperial edict of Emperor Taizu Gao.”
“It’s a pity that Ying Emperor Zong and the late emperor were too tough and refused to allow the cabinet to modify the ancestral law. "I think we can continue the work of the sages and rewrite the "Da Ming Huidian" to replace the "Da Ming Code".
Hearing Xu Pu's words, the glimmer of hope that had just been ignited in everyone's hearts was suddenly extinguished.
Wang Shu shook his head and sighed, quite disappointed.
"Alas, time has come. Neither Emperor Yingzong nor the late emperor allowed the constitution to be amended. Today, your majesty is more tough than emperor Yingzong and the late emperor."
"How can your majesty be willing to relent and amend the constitution? ?”
“Look, I’ll let this matter go and wait for future generations to discuss it.”
After Wang Shu finished speaking, Xie Qian and Liu Daxia agreed.
"I think so too. I think it is absolutely impossible to get His Majesty to agree to rewrite a copy of the "Da Ming Huidian"."
"Xu Shoufu, this matter is indeed too difficult, and the hope of success is really slim."< br>
Everyone was not optimistic about Xu Pu's idea of amending the constitution, but Xu Pu was still confident.
“You don’t know, judging from the fact that His Majesty has previously reformed the currency value and also wants to reform the taxation.”
“Although His Majesty has ruthless tactics and a tough personality, he is not a conservative king. , but a proactive reformer. ”
"If the cabinet proposes to rewrite the "Daming Huidian" in line with the times, His Majesty will definitely agree."
"At that time, we will maintain the ancestral system in the general direction, but make slight changes in key aspects ”
“For example, relaxing the court’s restrictions on business so that private businesses can also participate, the original Come to the business that only the imperial court can do."
"Another example is to cancel the death penalty for corruption and return the dirty money to atone for the crime, or even exempt it."
"Then the "Da Ming Hui" will be released. The Code is a little longer, with more than a million words, so His Majesty doesn’t have the patience to read such a long code.”
"In this way, I don't think your Majesty will find anything fishy."
I have to admit that Xu Pu's last words still moved the old ministers present.
Is this solution dangerous?
Danger!
Very dangerous!
Especially when facing a tyrant like Zhu Youtang, if you don't pay attention, you will lose your head.
But in contrast, the rewards after success are also very rich.
Not to mention anything else, just canceling the death penalty for embezzling money and replacing it with returning the dirty money can also reduce the crime, which makes it worth the risk for them.
Thinking of this, all the officials present gradually unified their thoughts.
……
The inspections in Dongchang continued, and from time to time officials were arrested by Dongchang and ended up with their families and families destroyed.
Everyone in the capital is in danger and lives in fear every day.
After the officials in the capital were able to deal with it, Dongchang sent troops to various places to kill the relatives of Liu Ji, Zhang Ying, Liu Wentai and others.
The power of Dongchang is growing day by day, and there are faint signs of overpowering Xichang and Jinyiwei.
But what no one knows is that Xichang has also launched an investigation into the poisoning case of the late emperor.
Wang Zhi, the director of the West Factory, personally launched an investigation with his three stall holders, who were all away from the capital.
This matter was carried out very secretly, and even the people in Dongchang didn't know about it.
For the next few days, the capital remained under martial law.
Xichang’s investigation of the generals and soldiers in the capital has also come to an end.
……
Forbidden City.
Hongde Hall.
Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon chair and discussed matters with the four cabinet ministers.
Among the officials Zhu Youtang ordered to be executed a few days ago, many held important positions and needed to be filled as soon as possible.
Zhu Youtang ordered: "In the past few days, the cabinet will prepare a waiting list for vacant official positions as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Xu Pu agreed, he glanced at Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian who were nearby.
Seeing them looking at their noses with their eyes and their minds with their noses, looking like they were deep in meditation, I couldn't help but frown.
In the past few days, the cabinet has initially drafted the regulations for rebuilding the "Da Ming Huidian".
Be prepared to mention this matter to Zhu Youtang today.
Afterwards, Xu Pu no longer hesitated and stepped forward to salute.
“Your Majesty, I think that the "Da Ming Code" has been in existence for a long time and has more and more regulations. It is really not in line with the current government."
"The "Da Ming Code" was first formed in the Hongwu period. It has a history of hundreds of years."
"Nowadays, there are many unprecedented situations in the Ming Dynasty, and the "Da Ming Law" can no longer provide a reasonable legal basis."
"However, the ancestors. The law cannot be changed.”
Therefore, Wei Chen boldly requested your majesty to compile another "Da Ming Huidian" in addition to the "Da Ming Code" as a supplement to the "Da Ming Code". "
After hearing this, Zhu Youtang looked up at Xu Pu expressionlessly and said nothing.
Xu Pu saw that Zhu Youtang had not expressed his position for a long time, and he was not sure what he was thinking. He quickly knelt down in front of Zhu Youtang to plead guilty.
"Your Majesty forgives me, I just dared to speak, it is all up to Your Majesty! ”
Although Xu Pu already had the intention to die, when he met Zhu Youtang’s expressionless eyes, he could not help but feel fear in his heart.
As soon as Xu Pu knelt down, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian behind him also knelt down quickly.
"I am afraid, your majesty, please forgive me!"
Zhu Youtang did not reply immediately, but was thinking about the feasibility of Xu Pu's proposal to re-edit the "Da Ming Huidian" and necessity.
Xu Pu is right when he says that the "Da Ming Code" was a product of more than a hundred years ago and can no longer keep up with Hongzhi's era.
At least in terms of taxation, Zhu Youtang was not satisfied.
Business taxes must be increased and tax-free privileges must be eliminated.
The sea ban must also be lifted, and the fire consumption must be returned to the public.
The salary of the vassal princes of the Ming Dynasty also had to be reduced.
The tax reform that Zhu Youtang plans to implement next year can be promoted by rebuilding the "Da Ming Huidian".
In the Ming Dynasty, these rural gentlemen and landlords have lived a good life for too long.
The people of the Ming Dynasty have suffered for too long, and it is time for the landlords and gentry of the Ming Dynasty to suffer.
Zhu Youtang's idea coincided with that of the cabinet, so Zhu Youtang readily agreed to the cabinet's proposal.
"Very good, I got it right."
"And the "Da Ming Hui Dian" must be compiled quickly. It is best to complete the "Da Ming Hui Dian" before the beginning of next year. "
Zhu Youtang not only agreed to the cabinet's request to amend the constitution, but also asked them to compile the "Da Ming Huidian" as quickly as possible.
But Xu Pu was planning to compile "Da Ming Huidian" into a tome with over one million words.
How could it be possible to compile it in just a few months?
If the first order is over 1,000, two more chapters will be added, and the first chapter will be added!
(End of this chapter)