Chapter 290 Purge Chao Gang
But the matter of Zhou Jiansheng beating the workers to death was related to Xiong Ban, the magistrate of Songjiang Prefecture. As a representative of the government, he had to come forward, not to mention that many people had gathered outside his government office to complain.
"Master, should you think twice and send someone to ask what's going on with Supervisor Zhou? Then send someone to get him directly. I'm afraid it's not good. After all, he is the brother of Nanjing Da Sikong. It is said that, The worker he beat to death was also a member of the clan. Within this clan, the clan leader used clan rules to deal with clan members, and the government has never held them accountable. After all, it is difficult for upright officials to deal with family affairs! "
However, when Xiong Fan was about to send someone to take Zhou Jiansheng into custody, his staff persuaded Xiong Fan.
But Xiong Yan couldn't help but smile coldly: "Look at the situation outside. The people are carrying corpses to the government office to complain about injustice. Can I turn a blind eye? If the people from the Jinyiwei and the Weaving Bureau see this, I can report it in front of His Majesty. Given this situation, it would be an understatement to say that I have neglected my duties. I am afraid that I might think that I am shielding the suspect!”
"A summons is prepared to summon Zhou Jiansheng immediately for questioning! Our government cannot ignore this matter!"
Xiong Ban said that he had never seen such a situation today. In his past experience, it was generally difficult for tribesmen and villagers to have conflicts and disputes with the gentry. You must be respectful in front of others, which is why in many cases, the government does not interfere in the internal affairs of clans in various townships.
But Xiong Bin now discovered that in recent years, especially during this period, the relationship between the squire, his tribe, and the villagers seemed to have changed. There began to be disputes, and even turned into hatred, but this also prompted him, a court official, to start Intervene in grassroots affairs on behalf of the clan.
Zhou Jiansheng did not dare to come to see Xiong Ban. Without the support of the villagers, even though he was the younger brother of the Minister of Industry in Nanjing, he could not fight against the government. Therefore, when Xiong Ban sent someone to summon him, he had already ran to Nanjing. .
Xiong Bin had no choice but to write a letter to Yingtian Fuyin of Nanjing. At the same time, he imprisoned Zhou Tu, the housekeeper Zhou Jiansheng left behind in the countryside of Huating.
"Zhou Qi and the others completely ignored our Zhou family's clan agreement and insisted on repaying wages. They even went to the ancestral hall to make trouble. I beat them with sticks for disrespecting our ancestors, but I never thought of punishing Zhou Qi. They were beaten to death, and now they are going to the government to make trouble. Brother, you have to help me in this matter no matter what!”
Zhou Jiansheng could only ask his brother Zhou Yong for help now.
Zhou Yong also looked at Zhou Jiansheng helplessly: "This matter can be big or small. Although human life is at stake, you are only acting in accordance with the laws of the clan, and Zhou Qi is indeed disrespectful to his ancestors this time. You... 's slave is nothing but manslaughter , you send the boy who killed Zhou Qi to the government first, and then send someone to sue Zhou Qi and others for disrespecting their ancestors and disobeying filial piety! They want the government to make the decision for them, so we will accuse him of unfilial piety! ”
"What my brother said is that I will do it now," Zhou Jiansheng said.
At this time, Ying Tianfu Yin also got Xiong Bin's writing, so he also sent people to Zhou Yong, the minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, to summon Zhou Jiansheng.
But Zhou Yong asked people to directly infer that Zhou Jiansheng had returned to his hometown, and the people from Yingtianfu did not dare to break into the house of the Minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, so they had to return in frustration.
However, Xiong Bin's writing in response to Tianfu Yin's summons to Zhou Jiansheng also made Zhou Yong, the minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, feel that he had been insulted: "This Xiong Bin only got his current position by flattering the emperor. Now that he has encountered this matter, Not at all He doesn't take me seriously and brazenly sends people to arrest my Zhou Yong! What is he trying to do? Does he really think that I, the Minister of Industry of Nanjing, can do whatever he wants?" br>
The Minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing was angry, so he also wrote a private letter to the censor Hu Shi.
then.
Hu Shi rushed to Songjiang Prefecture the next day and immediately arrested Xiong Po, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture. The reason was that Xiong Po was partial, perverted the law, and was corrupt and neglectful of government!
"Hu Xunjing, have I ever been guilty of partiality and perverting the law, and have I ever been greedy for ink? You are abusing the power of Fengxian official to patrol! In the future, if His Majesty knows that you are so unclear, you will not be spared lightly!"
Not to be outdone, Xiong Yan yelled at Hu Shi.
"I now have the witnesses reported by the local squire. How can I abuse my power? If I try first and report later, I have the right to patrol hunting on behalf of the emperor. When the time comes, the emperor will naturally believe me and not you. I only ask now You, do you plead guilty or not?”
Hu Shi asked.
"I don't admit it! I don't know whose instructions you received, but I will never admit that I am guilty of corruption and partiality!" Xiong Ban replied.
Hu Shi originally thought that as long as Xiong Bin was willing to surrender and plead guilty, he would just take off Xiong Bin's black gauze hat first, and then find a reason to play it, but he didn't expect that Xiong Bin was so stubborn, so he had to order: "Give it to me Fight! Fight twenty big boards!”
then.
Xiong Jin was pushed to the ground and beaten until Xiong Jin was bloody and bloody!
Zhou Jiansheng, who was outside reviewing this, sneered when he saw this. He had to secretly admire his brother's ability to directly ask the patrol censor to deal with the bear first. In this way, the officials of Songjiang Mansion could understand that Zhou Jiansheng What kind of existence is home?
……
"The official level is overwhelming. How can these officials and gentry be easy to mess with? Although they don't have the support of the people, their power in the court is complicated. Today they can let the censor come to punish you, but tomorrow they can let you be punished." Jin Yiwei will come directly to get you ; I say, Sir, you should show mercy to the Zhou family and beat to death the few people who are complaining. The Zhou family will not be too difficult for you this time. I am afraid that Mr. Zhou, the minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, will also. Give you a break!”
When Xiong Bao was lying on the couch recovering from his stick injury after being suspended from duty by the censor, his staff began to persuade him again.
"You go down first! I will think about this later!"
Xiong Yan said something at this time. When his staff saw this, they thought that their master had been persuaded by him, so they resigned and left.
Xiong Bin gritted his teeth and stood up despite the pain, then opened the cabinet, took out a small wooden box wrapped in yellow silk, took out a stack of memorials and pamphlets inside, and wrote: "Your Majesty, Xiong Bin, since the establishment of the New Weaving Bureau. In Songjiang Prefecture, there were frequent disputes and fights between the gentry and the people, and I had to deal with them carefully. Recently, there have been even more gentry relying on their power to rely on them. I wanted to make decisions for the people, but I never thought that I would be suspended from office by the patrol censor Hu Shi on the grounds that I was partial and corrupt. I was also interrogated with severe punishments and severe punishments. I had no way to complain about my grievances. I can only express my gratitude by death. On the day your majesty sees this secret memorial, I have already hanged myself for a long time. I have failed your majesty’s grace. I hope you will forgive me!”
After Xiong Bin finished writing the memorial, he locked it in a small box, and then called his servant: "Take this wooden sign and come to Beijing immediately!"
After saying this, Xiong Ban committed suicide.
But at this moment, there was a burst of laughter from outside: "My lord, why should I die to prove my humiliation! Although your Majesty is far away in the capital, he is not a ignorant and blind person! The whole family of Jin Yiwei has become a pure and polite person!"
……
The censor Hu Shi did not know that Xiong Bin had committed suicide. At this time, he only reported in front of Zhou Yong, the minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing: "Don't worry, my teacher, the student has suspended Xiong Bin from his post, and the memorial has also been submitted." , when the time comes, even if Xiong Pan is innocent, he will become guilty!”
"Many of the princes in the court are dissatisfied with him for taking advantage of him. If it weren't for him, Nanzhili would not have opened the sea, and the gentry in Susong and other places would not be so sad now. If he could die, it would really be a blessing to the world!"
Said this week with a smile.
……
Zhu Houzhao had to admit that with the development of the empire, the East-West Factory and even the Jinyiwei system that he relied on were inevitably corroded by sugar-coated bullets, so much so that he almost became blind, resulting in adulterated gunpowder and even cabinet ministers. He was unwilling to expose the real reason why the new weaving bureau failed to start, etc., but he didn’t know it until now!
This also made Zhu Houzhao know that he now had to re-cleanse his inner court, outer court, and even the army.
But knowing people but not knowing the truth, except for Zhang Zhong from Xichang, Wei Bin from the Royal Horse Supervisor, Wang Qiong, and Yang Yiqing, Zhu Houzhao really couldn't decide who was loyal and who was traitorous.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao can only remain skeptical about everything now.
It happened that at this time, Xiong Ban's secret memorial came to Zhu Houzhao. After reading it, Zhu Houzhao was quite shocked: "How well do the officials in these places protect each other, and they dare to force a fourth-rank official of the imperial court to commit suicide!"< br>
At the same time, Zhu Houzhao shuddered when he thought about what Wang Shouren had reported about Xuanhua's corruption from the commander-in-chief down to the grassroots officials. He didn't know how much of the wealth brought about by the development of the commodity economy was hidden while the empire was industrializing. More serious corruption!
Zhu Houzhao admitted that most people in the world are egoists. He cannot eradicate the profit-seeking nature of everyone, nor can he ask them all to be responsible for the country and nation.
But Zhu Houzhao knew that as the emperor, he had the responsibility to maintain the internal stability of the country, and to maintain the bottom line and justice.
"It looks like I have to kill someone!"
Zhu Houzhao walked out of the deep Nuan Pavilion as he spoke.
Zhang Zhong, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, saw Zhu Houzhao coming out and hurriedly greeted him: "Your Majesty! Hu Shi, the censor of Nanzhili Patrol, reported that Xiong Sui, Susong's military preparation and Songjiang magistrate, had partiality, perverted the law, was corrupt and neglectful of government. The evidence is conclusive. We will investigate. The hospital has reviewed and approved the suspension for investigation. Can you approve it? ”
"What about Mr. Hu? Is what he said true?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
"Reporting to your majesty, Xichang's investigation said that Hu Shi has always enforced the law like a mountain and dared to punish corrupt officials. Now this matter is probably true. Xiong Yan is in charge of Songjiang Mansion. Songjiang Mansion has always been prosperous in maritime trade, and corruption and favoritism are also everywhere. It’s inevitable.”
Zhang Zhong replied.
It's obvious.
Zhang Zhong's answer made Zhu Houzhao very dissatisfied. In Zhu Houzhao's view, how could an official who dared to kill someone to express his humiliation be a corrupt official, and Zhang Zhong was obviously telling lies.
but.
Zhu Houzhao didn't expose him. He didn't know how many people were hiding from him now. He had to catch all the people who dared to hide it from him and do bad things behind his back!
This time.
Zhu Houzhao decided not to use the east-west factory, but the army, directly using his direct ace army - the Guards!
First of all, this army is supported by its own money and only listens to its own orders.
Secondly, the military and political officials of this army are all members of the Zhongjun Society, and most of them are idealists.
Furthermore, although military attaches are inevitably colluding with civilian officials and eunuchs, in the peaceful era, military attaches who do not participate in actual affairs are cleaner than civilian officials and eunuchs, and at least they will not collude.
Of course, this is not absolute. In Xuanhua, there may have been corruption among military attaches at the general level.
But Xuanhua's army is a frontier army, which is different from the Guards army.
However, although the Guards and the Border Army were different, Zhu Houzhao felt that it was better for him to seriously select a few reliable military attaches to carry out a top-down purge campaign with him.
Of course, the so-called use of the Guards means using the Jinyiwei, because now the Jinyiwei belongs to the entire Guards sequence.
But Zhu Houzhao came to the Ming Dynasty Army Military Academy, but he did not alert the instructors here. He just walked in by himself, and saw an instructor pouring cold water on himself by the well in the academy courtyard. There were several traces of blood on his bronze skin. The scars were obviously from hard battles.
Zhu Houzhao walked over.
At this time, Guo Rongcai, the left commander of the Jinyi Guards, shouted: "Your Majesty is here!" The instructor hurriedly turned around and bowed directly: "Instructor Qi Jingtong has seen your Majesty?"
Qi Jingtong?
Qi Jiguang’s father!
Zhu Houzhao secretly smiled in his heart: "I can bathe in cold water in winter, and with the scars all over my body, I can see that I am a good general who has fought hard battles. No wonder I can teach a general's son!"
then.
Zhu Houzhao directly ordered Yang Yiqing, who had already arrived, "That's him. What official position does he have now?"
"Your Majesty, I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards for the time being!" Yang Yiqing didn't understand the purpose of Emperor Zhu Houzhao suddenly paying attention to an ordinary instructor in a military academy, but now, he could only tell the truth.
Zhu Houzhao nodded and ordered: "Drawing up the decree, Qi Jingtong is transferred to the commander of Jinyi Guards and Tongzhi, and he is in charge of Fusi in the north! Give him a python robe! At the same time, Zhang Lun of the Guards selected 300 smart and capable people to supplement the Jinyi Guards. Beizhen Fusi!”
After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, Yang Yiqing, Zhang Zhong and others all looked confused, not understanding what His Majesty the Emperor was trying to do.
Qi Jingtong, on the other hand, hurriedly saluted and thanked him.
A few days later, Qi Jingtong officially put on the royal python robe and came to Zhu Houzhao according to the order: "Your Majesty, Qi Jingtong has met!"
At this time, Zhang Zhong was telling Zhu Houzhao the latest news that Xichang had learned: "Your Majesty, according to the report from Xichang, I heard that there was a Huiqing in the capital who was well versed in the Huangbai art. Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, and others said that he could practice longevity. The elixir can cure human flesh and bones!”
Zhu Houzhao secretly sighed that Zhang Zhong had been focusing on reporting these worthless secrets since he took charge of the West Factory. He obviously thought that he was an emperor who wanted to live a long life. However, Zhu Houzhao admitted that it was true that he wanted to live a long life, but he was not a historical figure. The emperor believed that there was an elixir of immortality in this world.
However, Zhu Houzhao did not expose it at first, and only said: "In that case, find a time to summon this person named Hui Qing!"
"I obey the decree!"
Zhang Zhong agreed heartily, thinking that the emperor really wanted to live forever, just like the emperors throughout the ages.
Seeing this, Qi Jingtong wanted to persuade him, but Zhu Houzhao waved his hand to stop him, and only said: "Jinyiwei North Town Fusi, how are you taking over now?"
"Your Majesty, we have taken over. Several people who secretly communicated with the court and internal ministers, or were corrupt, have been dismissed from their posts. I have come here to ask your Majesty to deal with them!" Qi Jingtong replied.
"The Jin Yiwei are close members of our Guards. They cannot tolerate the slightest betrayal of me. All of them will be shot! Their heads will be piled in the main hall of Fusi in Beizhen, soaked in glass and formaldehyde, so that everyone in the Jin Yiwei will know who betrayed me. End!”
Zhu Houzhao gave instructions that in order for the Jin Yiwei to become the last line of defense for the imperial government to maintain cleanliness and judicial justice, he must have the most stringent requirements on the loyalty of the Jin Yiwei, so that the Jin Yiwei can be more strict with criminals.
Formaldehyde is a product obtained by the dry distillation of coal by the Daming Academy of Sciences, and is now commonly used to store biological specimens.
"Obey!"
Qi Jingtong got Zhu Houzhao's order and re-cleaned the interior of Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town.
Zhu Houzhao therefore officially prepared to launch an attack on the entire empire's bureaucracy.
The first is Zhang Zhong.
certainly.
Zhang Zhong still doesn't know that his own time has come.
On this day, Zhang Zhong brought Hui Qing to see Zhu Houzhao.
When Zhu Houzhao saw Hui Qing's crane-haired childlike appearance, it seemed that he really lived a long life, so he asked: "How old is the immortal?"
"Your Majesty, I am from the thirteenth year of Hongwu!" Hui Qing replied.
"It seems that he has lived for one hundred and forty-three years! He really lives a long life!" Zhu Houzhao said with a smile, and then asked: "I dare to ask how the immortal achieved such a long life!"
< br>
"Your Majesty, it's all because I take the Longevity Pill every day! Today I also offer one to Your Majesty. Your Majesty will live ten years longer if you take it." As he spoke, the immortal took a small pill wrapped in brown silk. The box was taken out.
Zhu Houzhao asked his eunuch to take it over and took out the Shouning Pill from his hand. Zhu Houzhao just smiled secretly and only ordered: "The immortal, take this pill first and see!"
Seeing this, Hui Qing had no choice but to agree.
Zhu Houzhao asked someone to give Hui Qing a glass of water and let him swallow it.
Hui Qing thanked him and swallowed the elixir and water, but soon fell to the ground and started convulsing.
Zhu Houzhao's face turned cold and he asked Zhang Zhong: "What's going on?"
Zhang Zhong was also in a panic and hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't know!"
Zhu Houzhao had the reason to get rid of Zhang Zhong since he suspected that Zhang Zhong was in charge of the West Factory and deliberately concealed it from him. However, he knew that it would be difficult for him to catch an old fox like Zhang Zhong for committing crimes if he wanted to catch him directly. Yes, in this case, it is better to wait for the opportunity to create a case.
It was obviously an opportunity for Zhang Zhong to use the opportunity of presenting the Yellow and White Technique to gain his further trust. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao pretended to be interested in his longevity at the beginning and announced that he had met this person who could make alchemy, and then took the opportunity to direct the show. Such a play comes.
The poison poisoned by this immortal was thallium, which was a by-product of zinc refining at the Ming Academy of Sciences and was obtained by reducing it with dilute sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide.
Because of this, the immortal couldn't die for a while. He could only breathe rapidly and utter nonsense: "How is this possible? The elixir I made, except for the addition of entertainment drugs and a small amount of lead and mercury according to Eunuch Zhang's wishes, should not cause any pain." The child is so poisoned, why is this happening, why is this happening!”
Zhu Houzhao looked at the insane immortal and couldn't help but cursed: "How dare you play chemistry with me! You are really looking for death!"
However, after Zhu Houzhao heard some of the immortal's words, he looked at Zhang Zhong again:
"Lead and mercury, the Ming Academy of Sciences has long proven that lead and mercury are highly toxic. How dare you, Zhang Zhong, murder me! Qi Jingtong, send him to prison and interrogate him strictly!" Zhu Houzhao ordered.
at this time.
Zhang Zhong has fallen to the ground slumped. It is true that he wanted to refine some elixirs containing a small amount of lead and mercury for the emperor, but he also just wanted to poison the emperor chronically, but he did not expect that he would bring this immortal talent today. After eating one pill, he was already poisoned to such an extent that he even directly revealed his affair with him.
Zhang Zhong could only plead for a moment: "Your Majesty, please spare your life! Your Majesty, please spare your life!"
Zhu Houzhao was too lazy to respond.
Gu Dayong smiled secretly beside him and said to himself: "Only a young man like this who has been following your Majesty for a short time thinks that your Majesty is so easy to deceive, and wants to use the elixir of life to deceive your Majesty. Don't you know that your Majesty spreads it?" The sacred science has already explained the various elements contained in your elixirs, how could I be fooled by you? ”
……
After Zhang Zhong was imprisoned, he soon confessed that he wanted to give the emperor Zhu Houzhao some elixirs.
Zhu Houzhao was not polite and directly ordered Zhang Zhonglingchi to be executed. At the same time, he ordered to abolish the West Factory and let Jin Yiwei directly take over the supervision of the West Factory as usual. This means that Jin Yiwei can directly report to Emperor Zhu Houzhao in the future, regardless of his level.
Zhu Houzhao did not believe that the bureaucracy could bribe all the Jinyiwei.
Zhang Zhong was taken to the execution ground. He did not expect that he would reach this point. He regrets it extremely now. He regrets that he was so smart and thought that he already knew the current emperor Zhu Houzhao well, so that he could deceive the emperor. But he Unexpectedly, this emperor His Majesty the Emperor never believed him from beginning to end, and even though he carefully tried to prevent his Majesty from finding out anything, he never expected that His Majesty the Emperor would be so cunning as to poison him to death while he was bringing Taoist priests to offer elixirs. Taoist priest and framed himself!
For Zhu Houzhao, the removal of Zhang Zhong was just the beginning of his purge.
Now that Xichang has been banned, Jin Yiwei, who is responsible for internal intelligence and investigation, can report to him directly without anyone intercepting him. As a result, Zhu Houzhao suddenly has countless pairs of eyes monitoring the entire empire.
What Wang Shouren wrote in the secret memorial about the adulteration of Xuanhua gunpowder and what Xiong Zhuo wrote in the secret memorial about the censor's frame-up against him also gave Zhu Houzhao a clearer understanding.
……
For the chief minister of the cabinet, Wang Qiong, and other civil servants, Zhang Zhong's death also made them feel that danger was approaching.
"Although His Majesty abolished Xichang, many of his civil servants thought that Your Majesty meant to rule by inaction and gradually hand over the world to the rule of scholar-bureaucrats, but people with a little understanding can know that His Majesty just wanted to run Xichang himself. The admiral's errand has turned a Western factory into countless imperial guards. From now on, both internal and external ministers will be under his supervision!"
Wang Qiong sighed helplessly at this time.
"As the chief minister said, it is a pity that although Eunuch Zhang was guilty of donating elixirs to murder His Majesty, he was quite lenient and did not cause trouble when he was in charge of Xichang. Now His Majesty has asked Qi Jingtong, a military attaché who only knows the battlefield, to Palm Guard, Ming Dynasty Although Xian will not cause trouble for nothing, people like Qi Jingtong will be easier to control by His Majesty. By then, the Jin Yiwei will completely become a knife in His Majesty's hand, cutting wherever he wants!" Yang Yiqing also sighed.
"Then tell me, where will His Majesty attack first?"
As soon as Wang Qiong finished asking, he and Yang Yiqing said in unison; "Cabinet!"
Before Wang Qiong and Yang Yiqing could continue their discussion, a person suddenly appeared in front of them. This person was wearing a special official uniform of the Dongchang Inspectorate. He only said: "We are from the Dongchang Inspectorate. Jinyiwei has found some Regarding the evidence of the crime of Lord Chief Assistant, please come with us and explain the problem! ”
Wang Qiong was petrified. He never thought that one day he would be invited by the Dongchang Inspectorate to explain the problem.
The most fearful thing for an official now is to be asked by the Dongchang Inspector to explain the problem. He was no exception. Only after he came to his senses did he shout hysterically: "Impossible, this is impossible! This is absolutely impossible! I am right Your Majesty is loyal and loyal, what do you have to explain?”
Here, Wang Qiong and Yang Yiqing, the chief assistants of the cabinet, guessed that Zhu Houzhao attacked the cabinet first after getting rid of Zhang Zhong, because they knew in their hearts that the reason for the situation of bullying and concealment came from their cabinet. They believed that the emperor could also guess it. In fact, Zhu Houzhao also wanted this This is because if the cabinet had not accepted the benefits of local officials, it would not have tricked Zhu Houzhao into transferring Luo Xiang, nor would the officials below have been so bold to protect each other. The so-called original traceability, although on the surface, the cabinet seems to be the least guilty. , but the disaster it brings is the greatest.
(End of chapter)