King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 817 Sun Shaozu: I won’t be an official in my next life!

"I asked you to manage the Southern Pacification Division, not to be a good guy. You must uphold the dignity of a superior and not allow the people below to deceive and prevaricate!"

"Since the Zhengtong era, how many incidents have occurred in Liaodong and Korea? How many commanders of the Southern Division have been replaced one after another? But the result is... the medicine remains the same!"

"Has Liaodong really become a lawless place?"

"Those who should be investigated must not be tolerated, and the rules must be established!"

Li Wenzhao listened carefully and took notes of these words throughout. He even wished he had a pen and paper so that he could write down every word.

While he was concentrating, he heard the sound of thunder above his head: "Did you hear it?"

Because he was listening too attentively, he seemed to be distracted, which led to such questioning. It can be said that he was in trouble without any cause.

"I will remember this and strictly follow Your Majesty's will and do my job well!" Li Wenzhao expressed his opinion immediately.

He knew that he had to do something after returning to give an explanation to the emperor, and it would be best if he could prove it with a few human heads.

Those sent to Korea and Japan must be investigated, and those in other places must also be thoroughly investigated. Only in this way can we deeply understand the emperor's will.

After Li Wenzhao withdrew, the imperial edict arrived at the Northern Division only half an hour later. Chen Yuntai hurriedly led a group of thousand-household officials to receive the order.

Although the accident happened to the South Division this time, in order to tighten the rope in his hand, Zhu Jinghong decided to give the North Division a beating.

The content of the decree was very simple, which was to ask the Northern Division to learn from the Southern Division and sort out its internal problems so as to avoid any more troubles.

This is really a hassle. You have to take the initiative to find the problems that haven't been discovered. It's not that you can't find them, but the problem is that you need to carefully weigh how big a problem you have to find out.

The most crucial thing is that no one can guarantee that there won't be trouble anywhere. After all, there are many thousand households in front of the Beisi, and each of them is far away from the emperor, so something could happen anywhere.

The two divisions of the Jinyiwei, the North and the South, were thrown into chaos by Zhu Jinghong, but the court's urgent message arrived in Seoul ten days later, on the second day of the third month in the second year of Qiansheng.

The Liaodong side kept the appeal case secret, so the North Korean side was unaware of the situation. When Geng Zonggui received the urgent delivery, he even doubted the authenticity of it.

After repeated verification, Geng Zonggui finally issued an order to detain Sun Shaozu who was staying in Seoul.

In the Andong Xingdusi, Sun Shaozu was brought into the lobby, and at this moment he looked at Geng Zonggui in the hall with cold eyes.

On Geng Zonggui's left and right were the military inspector and the eunuch, and under them were two deputy commanders and several commanders who stayed behind in Seoul.

Express delivery is a mode of transportation. In essence, this thing is an imperial decree, so Geng Zonggu had to read it out again.

"General Geng, even if you want to announce an imperial decree, there is no need to be so rude. Just order someone to arrest me!" Sun Shaozu was still defiant.

There was no way. He was the emperor's most trusted direct descendant. In this place where the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, Sun Shaozu had always been arrogant.

As a superior, Geng Zonggui was often undermined by Sun Shaozu. The fact that the two of them impeached each other was no secret in the Andong Xingdusi.

In the past two years, Geng Zonggu has suffered a lot of humiliation, but today he can finally hold his head high.

Picking up the urgent letter on the important case, Geng Zonggui smiled briefly and then said, "Imperial edict..."

Everyone present knelt down. Although Sun Shaozu was a little surprised, he knelt down very quickly.

"Sun Shaozu, the deputy commander of the Andong Xingdusi, is suspected of a serious case of corruption and is to be stripped of his post and detained on the spot pending investigation. Chen Yu will take over all matters concerning Japan. I decree this!"

Upon hearing the decree that was as devastating as the collapse of the heavens, Sun Shaozu's eyes widened immediately.

"General Sun, do you have any objections?"

How could Sun Shaozu dare not have any objection? The next moment he kowtowed to accept the order, then stood up and said that he would submit a memorial to defend himself.

Although this was the emperor's decree, as a general who was highly favored by the emperor, Sun Shaozu would certainly not sit still and wait for death. It was the right thing to do to submit a memorial to defend himself.

Sun Shaozu felt very upset, but his boss Geng Zonggui was very happy and was already thinking about how to send him off.

When the news spread, there was another person who was very happy, and that was the King of Korea, Li Hui, because he had also suffered a lot from Sun Shaozu.

But out of consideration for his own interests, Li Hui still hoped that Sun Shaozu would be fine, after all, he was against surrendering the "Pu thief".

Half a month ago, Li Hui submitted a memorial to the court, criticizing Geng Zonggui for making peace with Park Jundae and betraying the interests of the Korean government. He has been looking forward to a reply these days.

However, five days after the imperial edict to detain Sun Shaozu arrived, the second official letter delivered by the court made Li Hui's heart sink to the bottom.

This official letter only mentioned two things. The first was the cabinet's reply on Sun Shaozuan, and the second was that the matter of pacification would be fully handed over to Geng Zonggui.

There is no need to say much about the first thing. As for the second thing, giving power to Geng Zonggui was tantamount to tacitly appeasing the vassal state. However, it was not pleasant to infringe on the sovereignty of a vassal state, so Zhu Jinghong did not respond directly to this matter.

When Li Hui got the news and was so angry that he threw things, an investigation had already been launched within the Andong Xingdusi, which was being led by the military inspector and the eunuch.

"I know that you have more or less contact with him, but you don't have to worry too much..."

"These things can be big or small. As long as you put all the blame on the guy named Sun, you won't be in any trouble at all!"

"The court needs someone to do the work, and His Majesty will not be too harsh on you!"

In the rear yamen of the Andong Xingdusi, Geng Zonggui was chatting with a group of generals, but his purpose was to kill Sun Shaozu.

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it. In fact, everyone is not so clean. If Sun Shaozu is the only one to take the blame, then it will be a happy ending for everyone.

At this moment, Sun Shaozu was completely abandoned by everyone, even his trusted generals.

It is already April. In fact, what happened in North Korea can be considered insignificant because the current situation in the southwest has become increasingly tense.

On land, Britain and France have sent troops into Burma. Although they are still hundreds of miles away from the Ming army, the confrontation is already obvious.

The situation at sea was similar. Nearly two hundred warships from the four navies had clashed with the Ming army at sea, but both sides were relatively restrained and there was no exchange of fire.

April 8th, inside Kunning Palace.

Xia Yuegui was kneeling in the main hall. She was there to plead for Sun Shaozu.

Not only did Sun Shaozu write a memorial to defend himself, but before he was formally investigated, he also asked his trusted servant to take a letter back to Beijing, asking Xia Jingui to find a way to rescue him.

Xia Jingui received the letter on the fifth day of the first lunar month. The reason she came to Kunning Palace today was because there were too many people who wanted to see the queen, but she only got the chance today.

Of course, if Baochai knew that Sun Shaozu had committed a crime, she would not have allowed Xia Jingui to enter the palace today.

This also indirectly shows that the life and death of Sun Shaozu is not a big deal to Baochai, otherwise she would definitely know about it.

Now, after listening to Xia Jingui's crying, Baochai finally understood the situation.

Sun Shaozu was a man who was vicious, cruel, and bold, and too bold. Baochai had a lot of opinions about him.

She had advised Zhu Jinghong back then to be careful with this man, but she didn't expect that this guy had committed such a crime.

Although Xia Jingui said that her husband was wronged, Baochai didn't believe a word of it.

In fact, from another perspective, the Xia family and the Xue family are relatives, and Sun Shaozu is a natural supporter of her line, so Baochai seems to have to protect him.

But Baochai felt that she could not control such a vicious person, and even worried about being harmed by him, so she had no intention of helping him. "The court has a rule that the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. Your Majesty is wise... I don't think he will be wronged!"

After saying this, Baochai said no more, stood up and went to the side hall, which meant that the meeting was over for today.

"My queen, my queen, help me..."

There were many female officials in Kunning Palace. Upon seeing this, they immediately reprimanded Xia Jingui for acting rashly, and then ordered the palace maids to stop her.

"Madam Xia, the palace rules are strict, don't ask for trouble!"

The palace rules were indeed strict, and Xia Yuegui knew that she had been too reckless, so she immediately kept quiet and apologized.

Then she left the hall, and walked in a daze within the palace walls. At this moment, her heart was in turmoil and her heart was burning with anxiety.

"Yes, I can also go to Yaohua Palace and ask Concubine Lin to plead for me!"

It is no secret that Daiyu is the most favored among the six palaces after the Empress.

Although she seldom interacted with Daiyu and it was extremely taboo to go there, Xia Jingui was still determined to give it a try.

Logically speaking, since Sun Shaozu was not good to her, there was no need for her to fight so hard. The key point was that this matter involved treason.

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The crime of treason requires joint punishment, and it is up to the people to decide whether to suffer or not, but as the legal wife, she certainly cannot escape.

Rather than saying that she was working for Sun Shaozu, it would be more accurate to say that she was saving herself.

However, Xia Jingui couldn't even enter the Yaohua Gate, and even out of caution, Daiyu would not go past the Queen to meet the ladies.

Xia Jingui's efforts were doomed to be in vain. Instead, because of her rash behavior, Baochai issued an imperial decree to reprimand her that same day and directly deprived her of her title of a lady of noble birth.

The Queen not only manages the harem, but also decides on rewards and punishments for women of noble birth. Xia Jingui has violated taboos repeatedly today, and it would be unacceptable not to punish her.

On April 15, the Andong Xingdusi submitted a report, claiming that he had found out that Sun Shaozu was involved in the case.

In the matter of corruption, Sun Shaozu was cleared of all charges, proving that he had only embezzled 110,000 taels of silver, but all the "exceeding the regulations" issues were confirmed.

Exceeding the regulations is a crime that can be serious or minor, but if it happens to a border army general, it is an absolute death warrant.

The cabinet voted to sentence Sun Shaozu to immediate death, and Sun's family was exiled after their property was confiscated.

Zhu Jinghong approved it, but added a sentence, saying that since Sun Shaozu had made great contributions and his family line would not be cut off, his wife could be exempted from raising his son.

Sun Shaozu had another son in Japan, but he had also brought several illegitimate sons back to Beijing, and they are now being raised in the Sun Mansion.

As an emperor, he had to show some mercy when taking action against his own direct descendants, and it would be considerate enough to leave incense for them.

The draft also included punishments for other generals involved in the Andong Xingdusi incident. These people were either demoted or dismissed, and only a few were imprisoned and investigated.

At this point, the case was over and the Sun family fell into obscurity.

Before this, Sun Shaozu brought his two sons back to Beijing, and his wives and concubines who gave birth to his sons were taken to Korea by him, so these two boys happened to be given to Xia Jingui.

Although they were not her biological children, Xia Jingui treated these two boys as her own because they survived the exile.

The Sun family was raided and Xia Jingui was left with nothing, but at least her parents' home was still there, so she didn't have a hard time.

What's more, her own sister is the queen's sister-in-law and a legitimate countess, so as long as she can get through the current difficulties, she will be able to live a comfortable life in the future.

Xia Jingui landed safely, but Sun Shaozu was in great danger.

On April 26, the court urgently delivered the message to Seoul. The negotiations happened to be completed on that day. Park Jundae's side officially surrendered to the court and sent the first batch of military rations to the Ming army.

Park Jun-dae disguised himself as a soldier and hid in the grain transport team, unloading the goods with his brothers.

At the time of delivery, Park Jun-dae overheard the conversation of the officers in charge of receiving the grain and learned that tomorrow was the day Sun Shaozu would be beheaded.

After all, Sun Shaozu was a senior general, and treason was not a good thing to hear, so the execution would be carried out in secret.

The imperial envoy responsible for his execution was a captain from the East Depot who came from the capital.

After leaving the military camp, Park Jun-dae shared this "good news" with his men, and everyone cheered with joy.

After returning to the temporary residence, the general who led the troops on this trip sat down with Park Jun-dae and asked him what to do next.

"Of course, we are going to settle old scores with His Highness!"

Not only Park Jun-dae has a grudge against the North Korean royal family, most of his subordinates hate the royal family to the core. But now that things have finally settled down, it is really unacceptable to start a dispute again.

"Brother, haven't we been recruited? Now that we have handed over the food, are you going to rebel again?"

Park Jundae replied: "Who said we want to rebel? Submitting to the imperial court does not mean submitting to the Joseon Dynasty. Besides, Joseon Dynasty may not tolerate us. Sooner or later, there will be a conflict!"

Although the general situation has been determined now, it is uncertain what will happen in the future, but it is certain that Li Hui will cause trouble again, so Park Junda decided to make preparations first.

"If he pushes too hard, we might have to pull him down!" Park Jun-dae's face flashed with ferocity.

"Pull him down? That's not easy. We can fight in the mountains, but it's too difficult to attack the city!"

Hearing this, Li Hui immediately laughed and said, "Who said we were going to attack the city and capture the stronghold? This time when we killed Sun Shaozu, did we attack the city and capture the stronghold?"

"You need to use your brain more when doing things!" Park Junda pointed his finger.

"You mean... with the help of the emperor's power?" The generals under him suddenly realized.

Park Jun laughed without saying anything. Although the emperor's power could be used, the cost was immeasurable.

Although Sun Shaozu was killed this time, it was because Sun Shaozu had indeed committed a capital crime and he was also at odds with Geng Zonggui. Many factors came together to lead to this result.

Playing with fire can burn people, but it may also burn yourself. You must be careful at all times... Park Jundae said secretly in his heart.

On April 27th of the second year of Qiansheng, Sun Shaozu was taken to the execution ground in the Ming army camp north of Seoul.

Death was inevitable, but fortunately the emperor was merciful and left him incense, so he had to sincerely accept the emperor's order and express his gratitude.

After the imperial edict was read, it was time for execution.

All the generals above the rank of assistant commander in the Andong Xingdusi, except those who really did not arrive in time, were present to watch the execution.

At this moment, Sun Shaozu was kneeling on the ground with his hands tied behind his back, and the executioner was standing behind him with a knife.

April was the beginning of summer, the weather was sunny and the breeze was gentle, but Sun Shaozu was about to die.

He was extremely reluctant to leave this world, but before he could take a few more glances, someone behind him pressed his neck down, which meant he was going to be beheaded immediately.

"I won't be an official in my next life!"

This was Sun Shaozu's last thought, and then he swung his sword and his head flew up, with blood splattering far away.

(End of this chapter)