Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 255 The Sword Falls from the Sky, Backed by Master Hou (Monthly Pass 1)

In the court of Shuntian Mansion, everyone looked at Sun Ming, this middle-aged thin man with the radiance of the Marquis of Huichang.

Since the Ming Dynasty learned the historical lessons of the scourge of foreign relatives in the Han and Tang Dynasties, they took many measures to restrain the power of foreign relatives. Except for Xu Da, the founding hero, only Sun Jizong, who was in the line of Huichanghou, reached a prominent position.

Sun Jizong served as the commander of the Jinyiwei when he was a young prince. Although he was downgraded to the Jinyiwei because of his status, he was also a senior member of the Jinyiwei.

After the incident of seizing the door, he was directly promoted to Marquis of Huichang because of his meritorious service, and he even pointed to the military power of the Beijing camp. Several younger brothers held important positions in the Jinyiwei, and his son Sun Ming even served as the commander of the Jinyiwei.

In addition, 43 people including sons, sons-in-law, and servants begged for grace, and [-] servants entered the Beijing camp to serve as military positions.

At that time, the Huichang Marquis's Mansion was unparalleled in the capital, and it was also a dazzling existence among the nobles, and it was the most distinguished Qi Xun since the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that Sun Jizong passed away only a few years ago, and it turned out that Sun Jizong's grandson Sun Ming committed such a big mistake, and now the Huichang Hou Mansion can be wiped out.

In fact, this kind of thing can't be entirely blamed on Huichang Hou. After all, the land deed in Qian Gui's hand is too attractive, and it's hard not to be tempted by a total of 10 taels.

It can only be blamed that a few 10 taels are too tempting, but meeting Yin Songcheng of Shuntian Mansion who is good at peeling cocoons, and an emperor Hongzhi who is not a fool, causing Sun Ming's plan to seek money and family wealth to come to light.

At this moment, all eyes were on Sun Ming, and Sun Ming and Huichang Houfu were facing a real catastrophe.

Song Cheng had already suspected Sun Ming, Marquis of Huichang, and now that shopkeeper Sun testified against him, he immediately looked at Sun Ming and said, "Marquis of Huichang, please stand in the courtroom!"

Sun Ming sighed silently, but knowing that he was inevitable, he stretched out his hand to stroke his beautiful long beard, and stood in the middle of the courtroom.

Due to his status, he naturally didn't need to kneel down to worship this little Shuntian Fuyin, but he needed to be interrogated by the Shuntian Fuyin who was backed by the emperor.

Zhou Yu and Wang Yuan secretly exchanged glances, hoping that Sun Ming could keep his promise and never let this case involve the two counts.

There was still no expression on Song Cheng's face, and he seemed to be interrogating in a businesslike manner: "Marquis Huichang, your servant testified that you used the Changsheng pawnshop to rob the land deed of money and wealth. Is there such a thing?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Sun Ming with bated breath, causing the entire court to be filled with a sense of tension.

"That's right!" Sun Ming glared angrily at his confidant Shopkeeper Sun who was kneeling on the ground, and after some weighing, he simply admitted the matter directly.

"Ah? Is it really the Marquis of Huichang?"

"How could my good Lord Hou do such a thing?"

"A total of 10 taels, Lord Hou has to be tempted!"

"It's unbelievable. The Marquis of Huichang is going to be executed?"

……

When the people in the hall heard that Huichang Marquis Sun Ming had confessed to his crime, they immediately whispered to each other as if they had exploded.

It is one thing to conjecture, but it is another thing to prove it now. The majestic Lord Hou actually did such a crazy thing, which immediately refreshed the perception of many people.

It's just that "Yan Yuan's life is short, so he is not a vicious person; Robber Zhi is old, how can he be a kind person" is the real way of the world, and who can say that a prince can't be a great evil person?

After all, it is poverty that limits their ambitions, and they are satisfied with eating big fish and meat for every meal, but the majestic princes naturally cannot only have this vision, after all, there are a few 10 taels of silver there.

It's just that there is another question before everyone. As a relative of the emperor, Huichang Hou committed such a serious crime, what kind of punishment will he get?

Although there was a precedent for the Marquis of Qingyun asking to be executed before, but that time involved the serious crime of treason, but now the Marquis of Huichang just slaughtered a family of merchants.

quiet!

When Song Cheng heard the noisy voices in the hall, he immediately slapped the gavel.

mighty!

The twelve yachamen who held water, fire and wood sticks looked extraordinarily energetic today. They pounded the green bricks in front of them with the water, fire and wood sticks in their hands, and shouted mighty voices in order.

The people in the hall realized that the order of the court was broken, and the emperor was still sitting on it, so they hurriedly shut their mouths and waited quietly for the next judgment of the case.

Song clearly knew that Marquis Huichang was only admitting to seek Qianfu's title deed, so he asked the most crucial question: "Sun Duo went to slaughter Qianfu's family, but he was appointed by you!"

The courtroom suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes once again focused on Sun Ming. This will be the issue that determines Sun Ming's crime.

"No, this is all my own idea!" Hearing this question, Sun Duo immediately stood up to bear it.

really!

When Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, saw Sun Duo jumping out, he shook his head slightly.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this must be assigned by the Marquis of Huichang. After all, if Qian Fu's family is not slaughtered, it is impossible for the land deed pledged in Changsheng Pawnshop to fall into the hands of Marquis Huichang in a grandiose manner.

Zhu Youtang has been watching all this silently, and has already predicted the outcome, but he knows that the rich and powerful never lack a scapegoat in front of him.

Sun Ming glanced at his younger brother, and said in an astonishing manner: "That's right, it was the Marquis who accused Sun Duo of doing it! Only after Qian Fu dies and my younger brother gets back the pawnbroker and the land deed in Qian Fu's hands can this Marquis logically take Qian Fu's land deed into his own!"

If there were no accidents and the plan from years ago could be implemented smoothly, the Wuchang Marquis Mansion would surpass the British and Chengguo Mansions in one fell swoop and become the strongest existence.

what?
The people present couldn't help being stunned. They never expected that Hou Huichang would admit his crime so cleanly. This is a great crime to destroy the family.

Although everyone had already guessed that Sun Duo must have been instigated by the Marquis of Huichang, if he tried to quibble in every possible way, the case might come to an impasse.

As long as Sun Duo insists that he did it himself, and Song Cheng can't find strong evidence, then it is really possible for Sun Duo to commit all the crimes.

Of course, during this period, they will have to accept layers of interrogation from the Shuntian government office and other yamen, as well as physical injuries. It depends on whether they can bear this kind of injury.

Song Cheng also didn't expect Sun Ming to admit his crime so cleanly that he didn't need to use the backhand he had prepared, so he continued to interrogate: "Huichanghou, who paid the leader of the Northern Gang, the one-eyed tiger, to go to Dongsheng Inn to chase and kill Miss Qian. After the incident, why did the one-eyed tiger, the leader of the Northern Gang, bite back at the instigation of Du Ming, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment?"

Huh?
The faces of officials such as Shangshu Li Si of the Household Department immediately became serious, but they knew that this was the most critical issue and the real purpose of their emperor's trip.

The majestic Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice is a member of the imperial court who is the second rank, and now he is being framed so deliberately, it is simply a provocation to the Ming court.

"This is all my idea! It's just that the reason why I framed Du Ming this time is not because I want to target the court, but because I have a personal grievance between me and Du Ming!" Sun Ming continued to accept this charge and explained it.

Private grudge?
Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Li Si, Minister of the Ministry of Households, couldn't help but look at each other in blank dismay, never expecting this to be the result.

Zhu Youtang has been watching calmly and calmly, but after hearing Sun Ming's confession, he began to seriously interrogate this thin middle-aged man with a long beard.

Because he didn't have much contact with him, he didn't know Sun Ming well.

It's just that when he succeeded to the throne and wanted to seize the military power of the Twelve Battalions, the Marquis of Huichang took the initiative to return it, which shows that this man is prudent and knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Now that he wanted to frame Du Ming, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, because of personal grievances, his first reaction was not credible.

Song Cheng found that things were different from what he expected, but he still asked: "What hatred do you have with Du Shangshu?"

"Du Ming assisted in handling the land dispute between Benhou and Dingguogong during his tenure as the Minister of Criminal Affairs. The land was obviously occupied and cultivated by our Huichanghoufu, but he turned out to help Dingguogong!"

"That's all?"

"Isn't that reason enough?"

When Song Cheng heard the whole story, although he had some doubts, he couldn't find any faults.

Zhu Youtang picked up the teacup again, but secretly sighed in his heart.

Although he didn't understand why Sun Ming confessed to all the crimes so easily, he felt that this was not the whole truth. It was more like Sun Ming wanted to calm down the incident quickly, and even wanted to cover up the real mastermind behind it.

Judging from the layout of the whole matter, besides Huichang Houfu, there must be another force involved.

Song Cheng knows that the trial of the case is enough. In fact, his duty is to find out the murderer who destroyed the Qian family.

The scribe who was sitting at the small table writing quickly sent the confession in front of Huichang Hou. Huichang Hou Sun Ming took a look and pressed his own finger print very simply.

Huh?
Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Li Si, Minister of the Household Department, saw that there was no look of fear on Sun Ming's face, and felt that something was wrong, so they couldn't help but looked at each other.

Not to mention the pampered nobles, even the civil servants who have experienced ten years of hardship are trying their best to survive in the face of the ensuing death.

This is the case, so that they have to suspect that this matter may not be as simple as it seems, and there may even be major changes, such as the emperor...

Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, thought deeply, and suddenly his hair stood on end, and he looked around in horror, but he was already wary of whether there would be an assassin.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Huichang has already made a confession, please take a look at it!" After Song Cheng saw that the confession was correct, he presented it to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang had been watching from the sidelines and naturally knew about Sun Ming's confession, so he asked indifferently, "How to judge according to the law?"

"Report to Your Majesty, according to the law, we should cut the nobles for the people, and make a decision!" Song Cheng's face did not fluctuate at all, and he immediately reported the truth.

Zhu Youtang looked at Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang in the hall, and asked indifferently, "Marquis of Huichang, is this really the whole truth?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have indeed violated the law and have offended the holy family!" Sun Ming chose to kneel down, responding with remorse.

Zhu Youtang knew that Sun Ming might not reveal the person who framed Du Ming, Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, so he was too lazy to continue talking nonsense, so he waved lightly to Song Cheng.

Now that Du Ming has already confessed, it is enough to judge according to the law.

As for who is the mastermind behind the scenes, and which forces are against him, I will leave it to Dongchang and Jin Yiwei to investigate slowly.

Song Cheng saw that Zhu Youtang did not shield Huichanghou, and now that Huichanghou had signed and pledged, he would be the first person in Ming Dynasty to announce the beheading of the Duke.

Everyone's eyes fell on Song Cheng one after another, but they knew that the next moment would be the verdict of the case.

Song Cheng sat back in front of the public case, and immediately slapped the gavel tree to announce the sentence in a deep voice: "According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, anyone who murders a person shall be beheaded. Hou Sunming of Huichang conspired to plot the land deed owned by the rich merchant Qian Gui, and designed to lure him into the game. On the evening of December 17th, the first year of Hongzhi, he sent his younger brother Sun Duo to Qian's mansion to kill [-] people in total. Today, the governor of the government officially pronounced that Sun Ming, the marquis of Huichang, should be beheaded and sentenced to death!"

As the verdict fell, the people under the hall found that the matter was over, but there was an unreal feeling.After all, the majestic duke is going to be sent to the guillotine for slaughtering a wealthy businessman's family.

Just at this time, a young man came in a hurry.

Originally, Jin Yiwei stopped him outside, but after the young man showed something, Jin Yiwei chose to let him go.

"Your Majesty, here is the iron certificate of the Changhou Mansion Danshu, and please forgive my father's death." Sun Nie came to the hall and knelt down, and immediately revealed the things in his hand.

what?
Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, was originally wary of assassins, but when he saw this thing appearing, he was shocked and suddenly realized.

The earliest Danshu Iron Coupon in China was created by Han Gaozu Liu Bang.At that time, the Han Dynasty had just been established. In order to win over these heroes, Liu Bang wrote the oath between the emperor and the heroes on the "iron coupons" by "taking iron as a contract and writing it with alchemy".Then cut the iron coupon from it, give a part to the hero, and put the other part in the Taimiao for safekeeping.

The Danshu Iron Coupon made by Liu Bang at that time did not have the function of avoiding death, but a certificate of being promoted to a noble and a marquis, a bit like a certificate of honor.

As a hero, your descendants can permanently receive money and serve as officials in the Han Dynasty by relying on this iron coupon.

With the development of history, the scope of the oath on the iron coupon has also become larger and larger.

At the beginning, it was simply a gift of money to officials, but in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the function of iron coupons was further improved, and finally had the function of avoiding death.

After Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he naturally wanted to make meritorious officials.

At the same time as sealing up the meritorious officials, he also issued 34 Danshu iron coupons, and promised that the heroes who possessed these iron coupons would have the right to be exempted from the death penalty.

Since the crime of treason cannot escape death, when Zhu Yuanzhang killed the heroes, these heroes holding iron coupons could only stick out their necks obediently and be beheaded.

However, when Jing Nan succeeded, although Wei Guogong Xu Huizu became a thorn in Zhu Di's side, he also openly continued to oppose Zhu Di's "usurpation".

Facing Wei Guogong's Danshu Iron Coupon, Zhu Di could only admit the effectiveness of the Iron Coupon, he only removed Xu Huizu's salary and title, and chose to continue to treat the rest of the Xu family favorably.

Now the Marquis of Huichang has the iron certificate of Danshu issued by Yingzong, and Sun Ming is not treason this time, so he can escape death logically, and this is also Sun Mingneng's trump card that he has always been confident.

(End of this chapter)