Rule over Ming Dynasty

Yan Song knelt down along with all the other important ministers to express his gratitude, but he could not calm down for a long time.

Yan Song was at best an insignificant overseas official, but the emperor actually summoned him in person. What a blessing this was!

In addition to the favor of being selected as the third place in the imperial examination, how could such a gracious emperor not let him die for his country?

Yan Song saw other important officials retreating one after another, and he knelt on the ground, not daring to move, until he heard footsteps from the attic: "Your Highness, I, Yan Song, respectfully ask for your health!"

"Yan Song, do you know why I want to keep you here?" Zhu Youtang looked down at this famous corrupt official in history and asked with a deliberately stern face.

Although Yan Song had a very bad reputation in history, especially after he became a stepping stone for another corrupt official, Xu Jie, to gain fame, he was adapted into a classic villain in a drama by Xu Jie's students.

But looking at Yan Song's life, he was very loyal to Jiajing.

When Jiajing was devoted to cultivating Taoism, he used Hu Zongxian to quell the Japanese pirates in the southeast, and also adopted a tough foreign policy towards Mongolia. After Jiajing played with a beauty and burned down the Wanshou Palace, he submitted a proposal hoping that Jiajing would move the palace instead of rebuilding it at a huge cost.

Although Yan Song and his son did take advantage of engineering projects to embezzle money, Yan Song was a staunch royalist who always had awe for the imperial power and obeyed the emperor's orders.

Zhu Youtang naturally needed a team of honest officials, but he also needed firm supporters of imperial power like Yan Song. The imperial power needed the royalist party to demonstrate its power, and it needed the royalist party to be in charge overseas even more.

When it comes to selecting overseas governors, it's not that he prefers eunuchs, but the lesson of Su Can is right in front of him, so when choosing important officials, he naturally requires a stronger loyalty indicator.

Liu Jin was waiting at the stairs, ready to act as a cushion in case the emperor accidentally fell. But after the emperor asked this question, he also glanced at Yan Song curiously.

Yan Song was able to pass the imperial examination at the age of 20, so he was not a fool. Instead, he had a very clear mind: "Your Majesty, you are a pragmatic emperor, and I am just a small assistant governor of the American Governor's Office. However, Your Majesty has just decided to immigrate 2 million people to the Golden Basin. I dare to guess that Your Majesty wants to personally test me and decide whether to let me serve in the newly established American province!"

Unlike those officials who pretended to be confused, his loyalty was reflected in his sincerity. Combined with his current official position and the court's decision to establish a province in America, the answer to why the emperor left him behind was obvious.

"Wrong!" Zhu Youtang walked down the stairs and shook his head slightly.

Yan Song thought he had guessed it right, so he looked up in surprise and said blankly, "Am I wrong?"

But the moment his eyes met the emperor's, he suddenly felt the imperial majesty again, and he quickly lowered his head to show his awe of the emperor.

"I kept you here not to test you, but to directly employ you and appoint you as the first Left Governor of America!" Zhu Youtang had already known Yan Song's talents, so he said with a smile.

If it were any other official, he might indeed have to assess him personally.

How could a man who could manage such a huge empire in an orderly manner as the Prime Minister be a fool who couldn't even do the job of a governor?

Moreover, Yan Song's four years in office in America had already proven his talents.

That's right. When he just decided to establish a province in America, he had already decided to let Yan Song take charge of the government affairs as the Left Governor of America.

When Yan Song learned what was going on, he burst into tears: "My Lord and Father value me so much, I will die for you to repay your kindness!"

He lost his father at an early age and was looked down upon because of his poor family background, so he devoted all his energy to obtaining fame and honor. He worked hard and finally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.

After obtaining the title of Tanhua, he naturally became the object of flattery by those around him, but he always understood clearly who had bestowed all this on a poor scholar like him.

Yan Song felt an unprecedented warmth from the emperor in front of him, and from the moment he saw him, he decided that he would die for this emperor.

Originally, he guessed that the best outcome was that the emperor was evaluating him, but he greatly underestimated the emperor's trust and respect for him. He actually directly entrusted him with an important task. How could he not be moved?
"Wei Zhong, I know you are loyal to me! But since I ascended the throne, I have been clear about rewards and punishments. The Golden Basin is related to the Ming Dynasty's hegemony in the Americas. If you have made merit in this matter, you will be rewarded, and if you have made mistakes, you will be punished. You must take this as a warning!" Zhu Youtang came in front of Yan Song and stated his position.

Yan Song felt the emperor's encouragement, so he solemnly stated: "I have heard that thunder and rain are all grace from the emperor, and I deeply agree with it! Now I regard the emperor as my father, so I will naturally beg for praise from rain and dew, and seek great achievements. I will definitely not let your majesty down!"

"Very good!" Zhu Youtang sensed Yan Song's enthusiasm, so he changed the subject: "According to Zheng Yong's secret report, I heard that your fishing skills are amazing and you can catch 300 kilograms a day. Is that true?"

Now it is April, the time when fish are fat, so he has recently started fishing in Taiye Lake.

The reason why he wanted to focus on cultivating Yan Song in front of him was, firstly, he wanted to see with his own eyes whether Yan Song was really a fishing expert, and secondly, it was a means for him to win people's hearts.

"I heard that your Majesty and father like fishing, and they use fishing to cultivate their character and enjoy the scenery, which leads people all over the world to follow their example. They created nylon to benefit the world, and caught a king carp in the West Lake, setting a precedent for fishing big fish. I dare not be distracted by my preparations for the exam, and I have been practicing this skill hard in America, and finally achieved some success! I don't deserve such praise from Governor Zheng. My fishing skills are only better than ordinary people. In front of Your Majesty, they are like fireflies compared to the bright moon!" Yan Song explained the reasons why he practiced his fishing skills hard, and he seemed very humble.

Although Zhu Youtang knew that Yan Song was a top Qingci master in history, he did not expect that he was also a fishing expert. He laughed out loud and said, "You are too modest! Come with me to the fishing pavilion to fish together today. I also want to see if your fishing skills are as amazing as the rumors say!"

"I obey your order!" Yan Song knew that this was a great honor, and he was overjoyed and bowed.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is June.

As the morning glow rises in Beijing, the clouds in the sky are dyed a light golden color.

The iron gate of the Ministry of Justice slowly opened, and the two prisoners were pushed out of the cell by the yamen runners. They were Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi, two direct descendants of the Kong family who were so powerful in Qufu, Shandong, but now they were reduced to prisoners.

Now two people were wearing heavy shackles and staggering out of the prison, but their eyes seemed very distracted.

Their crimes have become clear, so both the human and material evidence have been clearly investigated, and today will be the day for them to receive their final trial.

"Zhang Hu, take them both to the prison van, let's go!" Song Cheng, who was wearing the uniform of a first-rank official, had a stern expression on his face, and his eyes revealed an unquestionable determination.

Zhang Hu was an old man who had followed Song Cheng from the Shuntian government office. He immediately took Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi to the prison van that had been prepared long ago.

The verdicts for Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi were the first to be announced, and today the Minister of Justice will personally lead a team to escort the two prisoners to Chengxi City to be beheaded, thus eliminating the two scums of this world.

Because it was still early, the sound of horse hooves on the blue brick and stone surface was particularly crisp, and the sound of the wheels of the carts was also very clear.

"Look, those are the two scums of the saint's family."

"Today, we are finally going to be beheading him in public. This is really satisfying!"

"It is truly rare for our court to be so impartial and law-abiding!"

……

The people on both sides of the streets in Chang'an had already heard the news and came here. Whispers could be heard from the crowd from time to time, but they all gave thumbs up and praised the current court.

Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi had been locked up for two months. Now they had blank expressions and distracted eyes, as if the hustle and bustle around them had nothing to do with them. But their hearts were naturally not so calm, but were turbulent.

The former wealth and glory have now turned into nothing, and the family's reputation has been disgraced because of their crimes. More importantly, both of them are about to be brought to justice.

"Die to me!"

"Become an animal in your next life!"

"Evildoers will be punished, today is the day you die!"

……

As the execution team moved forward, more and more people gathered, holding rotten eggs and vegetable leaves, and angrily threw them at Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi.

Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi were escorted in a prison van. They witnessed the angry expressions of the people on both sides and the things being thrown at them, with despair and regret written all over their faces.

They were once so glorious, but now they have ended up like this. The huge gap is hard for them to accept.

Kong Hongchu felt even more heartbroken. He clearly had a good family background. Not only did he have no worries about food and clothing since birth, but he was also the respected Duke Yansheng. Even Emperor Jingtai was very kind to him.

He originally thought that he was the only one favored by God. Not only did he not regard all living beings in the world as lives, but he also ignored the laws and only pursued his own pleasure.

But now, he finally woke up from his dream.

Even though he had the blood of a saint flowing in his body, even though he was born as the respected Duke Yansheng, and even though he was loved by Emperor Jingtai, he was just an ordinary person.

Although retribution comes late, he will eventually be held responsible for the lives he has killed.

The two prison vans moved forward slowly, and the people in front of the street continued to throw rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves at the vans. These filthy things were all over their clothes and hair, but they were powerless to resist and could only endure it all silently.

Song Cheng has been in charge of supervising countless executions, but looking at the huge crowd today, he couldn't help but feel emotional.

Sheng Yan Gong may have had great influence among the scholar community and was also protected by the upright officials, but he had long lost his status in the hearts of the general public.

The two prison vans finally arrived under the Sixi Archway, where the execution platform had already been set up.

"Here I am. I came here at 4am to reserve a seat!"

"I want to see what this wicked man looks like!"

"The prison van was buried by the rotten egg chicken. This Kong guy is really hated!"

……

A large crowd of people had already gathered here. They looked at the two prisoner cars and talked a lot. They were curious about the appearance of the two men and looked forward to the beheading that was about to take place.

Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi were escorted out of the prison van, but they were emitting a foul odor. As a result, a yamen runner came with a bucket of water and poured it on them, and the stench was slightly alleviated.

The onlookers saw Kong Hongchu's appearance clearly, but they couldn't help but shake their heads in disappointment. Apart from his fair complexion, he looked very ordinary.

Kong Hongchu and Hong Wenshi were taken to the execution platform, their hands and feet were tied tightly with ropes, making them unable to move.

The process was the same as before, with the numerous crimes of Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi being read out again.

Kong Wenshi was actually better, as he had mainly committed adultery and patricide, but Kong Hongchu was indeed a scum.

He killed so many people back then, but fortunately his father-in-law and a group of clean officials protected him, so he was able to save his life. I thought he would correct his mistakes, but the reality is that he is a dog that can't change its nature, and he has been doing his own thing for so many years.

"...Now that Kong Hongchu's crimes have been verified, he shall be executed immediately according to the law. I decree this!"

Although justice is late, it will never be absent. Now Kong Hongchu has finally received justice.

"cut!"

Song Cheng, who was standing above, took out the order from the bamboo tube and threw it heavily onto the execution platform.

As the warrant fell to the ground, the executioner raised the sword in his hand high, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong, please forgive me!"

Kong Hongchu felt that death was approaching, and he burst into tears and begged for mercy.

If he could do it all over again, he would definitely be an honest and law-abiding Duke of Yansheng, and would never commit any crime or do anything that is against the will of heaven and earth.

puff!
The executioner did not stop his actions. The sharp knife fell down fiercely, and Kong Hongchu's head rolled to the ground instantly, but his eyes remained open.

"No, no, please give me a chance to reform!" When Kong Wenshi saw the big knife that killed Kong Hongchu, his heart was filled with fear and despair.

At this moment, all his regret and unwillingness turned into tears and rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

puff!
There was another simple and clear sound of beheading, and Kong Wenshi's head also rolled to the ground.

The onlookers watched this scene and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were thousands of evil people in this world, at least these two scums had been eliminated.

With the beheading of Kong Hongchu and Kong Wenshi, their crimes were also made known to the world, and the decision to strip the Shandong Kong family of their title was also made public.

Although this decision would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among some pedantic scholars, the Ming Dynasty was now ruled by the general public and ordinary scholars, and public opinion was no longer dominated by the scholar-official class, so it did not trigger negative public opinion.

On the contrary, Ming's act of abolishing titles won praise from the general public, and they increasingly believed that the current court loved the people like its own children and truly treated them as citizens.

Especially the common people who have lived for most of their lives, they can't help but sigh from time to time: "Such a court, such a wise ruler, who in this world can be an enemy of Ming?" (End of this chapter)