Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 953 The law is not a decoration
A group of nobles in Beijing, led by Duke Chengguo Zhu Chunchen and Duke Dingguo Xu Xigao, were arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and thrown into the imperial prison, which caused a great sensation in the court and the country.

Not long after the batch of nobles who stayed in Nanjing and went north were killed, another batch was arrested and thrown into the imperial prison. Anyone with a discerning eye knew what this meant.

Zhu Chunchen, Xu Xigao and others will not survive.

But why is this happening?

Many people have been speculating about this matter.

Especially for the nobles in Beijing who were not arrested, the only thing they could think of was the Thirteen Factories in Tianjin. Apart from this place, where else could the emperor do this?

Xiyuan.

Ok Hee Palace.

"What do you want to do?"

Zhu Youxiao looked calm as he looked at Zhang Weixian, Zhang Qingzhen, Wei Shitai and other nobles standing in front of the emperor. He said calmly, "Could it be that you all think that I ordered the arrest of Zhu Chunchen and others because I am targeting their silver shares in the Thirteenth Bank?"

"I dare not wait."

Zhang Weixian, Zhang Qingzhen and the others all raised their hands and bowed.

"What do you mean?!"

Zhu Youxiao pointed at the silver certificate on the imperial desk with a sharp look in his eyes. "These are what you exchanged with real gold and silver. They are what you deserve and are protected by the laws of our dynasty. Now, you are giving them all to me. Do you want me to bear the infamy and let the world think that I am greedy?"

The atmosphere in the hall became subtle.

Zhang Weixian, Zhang Qingzhen and others lowered their heads.

First, a group of nobles who stayed in Nanjing were arrested and killed. Then, a group of nobles in Beijing were arrested. It is likely that it will not be long before those who were arrested will not be able to escape death.

If they had only experienced the former, they might have felt nervous, but they would not have thought too much about anything else. After all, it is true that both groups are Ming Dynasty nobles, but one is in the north and the other in the south, and there has long been a gap between them. Not to mention that those in the north are mainly nobles of the Jingnan Campaign, while those in the south are mainly nobles of the founding of the country, and they simply cannot see eye to eye.

But it’s different now.

indeed.

There are many things that the nobles in Beijing don't like about each other, but they also have very complicated connections. Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about marriage. If you really think about it in a roundabout way, many of them can be connected.

"I really didn't expect that suspicion between us, the emperor and his subjects, would reach this level." Seeing that Zhang Weixian and the others remained silent, Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly.

"I will tell you the truth!"

"In Liaodong, a large number of counterfeit coins with poor quality and workmanship were found. Do you know where the gold and silver materials for these counterfeit coins came from?"

"One is Korea, and the other is outside Liaodong. The gang of traitors that I ordered to be arrested are the instigators of all this. For their own selfish interests, they did not hesitate to secretly win over the civil and military officials in Liao, wantonly destroying the achievements of our dynasty's governance of Liao, and even corrupting the garrison in Liao that I spent so much effort to organize."

"It's not that I haven't given them a chance. I established the Thirteen Hongs in Tianjin to teach them a lesson, to let them know what silver they can take and what silver they can't touch!!"

"But they have been restrained for only a few years, and now they are acting so rampantly. I have devoted so much effort to Liaodong and Korea. They are not unaware of this, and neither are you!!"

Zhang Weixian and Zhang Qingzhen's expressions changed.

They thought of many possibilities.

But I never thought of this possibility.

Because of the counterfeit money in Liaodong, they were not involved at all. They were smart people. The opportunity mentioned by Zhu Youxiao was not just for Zhu Chunchen and his group. If we really check the nobles who enjoy certain privileges, how many of them are really clean?
Not to mention that after the real power of the court was usurped, with a large family to support, how could he maintain his decency and dignity without doing something in secret?

"The minister is guilty."

Thinking of this, Zhang Weixian, Zhang Qingzhen and others all knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness. Although they came to the emperor this time just to find out some facts, when they really knew the truth, they found that what they had done was indeed a bit out of line.

"You are all my trusted followers in the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Youxiao stood up and stared coldly at Zhang Weixian and the others, "If you didn't trust me, could you have stayed in the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Guard Commander's Office at the beginning of my reign?"

"I have told you before that a person of integrity is not afraid of his own shadow!"

"During this period, how many people have criticized you, framed you, and plotted against you? But what about me? Have I ever doubted you from the beginning to the end?"

"You disappoint me so much."

"Your Majesty~"

"Your Majesty~"

Zhang Weixian, Zhang Qingzhen and others all spoke, but Zhu Youxiao waved his hands and didn't want to listen to what they said. When he first arrested Zhu Chunchen and others, Zhu Youxiao had thought of this situation.

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After all, they are all nobles in Beijing, and some things are unavoidable.

But Zhu Youxiao was determined to do this.

Zhu Chunchen, Xu Xigao and others were arrested now. They were the ones that Zhu Youxiao had deliberately kept behind. But with their arrest, all the traitors among the Ming Dynasty nobles were eliminated.

From then on, the management of the nobles became clear.

As long as you follow the rules, don't go too far, and don't violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he will give you the benefits you deserve. But if anyone dares to cross the line, don't blame him for being ruthless.

Moreover, Zhu Youxiao could understand why Zhang Weixian and others came this time. After all, during the Tianqi period, there were too many nobles who were rewarded. The rise of the new nobles was a great stimulus to the old nobles.

But this kind of thing must be experienced.

Without experience, how can we standardize the management of nobles?

Now, among the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, those who can truly inherit the title have become a minority. Instead, those who can inherit the title for five generations, three generations, or one generation have become the majority. This is what Zhu Youxiao wants.

If the nobles want to keep their power and titles, then they should make contributions to me. If they don't, they should be expelled from the list of nobles.

No one can rest on their laurels forever.

This was partly the reason for the long-standing ills in the Ming Dynasty. Everything Zhu Youxiao did was to solve this problem.

"This is the first and last time."

Zhu Youxiao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Zhang Weixian and the others, "I will pretend that this incident never happened, and the outside court will not know about it, but think carefully about what I said to you."

"Why have so many problems happened in the Ming Dynasty over the years? Is it really my fault?"

"Some people really disappoint me. They eat the imperial food of the Ming Dynasty, but want to destroy the Ming Dynasty. If I don't deal with such people resolutely, I will become the king of a fallen country. Is this what you want to see?"

Zhu Youxiao has said everything that needs to be said. If something really happens in the future, it will not be because of his cold-bloodedness, but because some people have forgotten their identity.

(End of this chapter)