The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 167 If I die, you will do it yourself.

After hearing Mao Xiang's report, Zhu Yuanzhang had a strange expression:

"Li Shanchang is Hu Weiyong's accomplice? Do you know what you are talking about?"

Mao Xiang naturally knew why the emperor had this expression.

When he first found out the clues, he was even more surprised than Zhu Yuanzhang.

"I couldn't believe it when I first got the clue, so I secretly arrested Ding Bin for interrogation and obtained a detailed confession."

"Hu Weiyong sent Li Cunyi to persuade Li Shanchang, but he was rejected."

"Later Yang Wenyu was sent to persuade him, but he refused again."

"Then Hu Weiyong personally came forward to persuade him and promised to grant the land of Huaixi to Li Shanchang after the matter was completed."

"Li Shanchang still didn't agree, but he said..."

Ding Bin is Li Shanchang's nephew, Li Cunyi is his younger brother, Yang Wenyu is also a veteran of Huaixi, and has a close relationship with Li Shanchang.

Things got extraordinary.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned cold: "What did he say?"

Mao Xiang couldn't help but shuddered and replied: "Li Shanchang said, I am old. If I die, you will take care of it yourself."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up from his chair and asked, "Where is Ding Bin?"

Mao Xiang suppressed the raised corners of his mouth and replied: "I have brought his secret into the capital, and your Majesty can interrogate him at any time."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Take me to see him...take him secretly into the palace immediately, so that no one can know about it."

Mao Xiang replied: "Yes, I will do it now."

Watching him exit the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang gave another order:
  "Go to Taisun and Chen Bandu and tell them that I have something urgent and ask them to return to the palace immediately."

When the chamberlain left, his expression became uncertain.

Naturally, he didn't want to believe that Li Shanchang would rebel.

But what Mao Xiang said was so clear that he couldn't help but doubt it.

He also had doubts about whether he was forced to do so, so he wanted to see Ding Bin in person.

Originally he wanted to leave the palace by himself, but at this time he also doubted Mao Xiang.

He was afraid that the other party would deliberately trick him into leaving and wait for an opportunity to assassinate him.

So it was temporarily changed to bring Ding Bin into the palace secretly.

And Mao Xiang took the people without hesitation, which actually increased his credibility.

This made him feel even heavier.

Mao Xiang laughed silently as he exited the main hall, realizing that he had achieved great success.

The last time a vision came from the sky, the ministers collectively poured dirty water on him. Zhu Yuanzhang's cold eyes made him suddenly understand.

On the surface, he seems to have unlimited glory, but in fact, he is in danger.

But he had no way out and could only try his best to please the emperor in order to survive.

How can we prove the value of our existence to the emperor?
  The Zhao Mao case has almost been investigated, and large local households have been raided several times. This case cannot be relied upon.

After much deliberation, the Hu Weiyong case is the most suitable.

So he used the Zhao Mao case as a cover to privately track down Hu Weiyong's accomplices.

In the end, he really found a clue.

Someone pointed out that one of Hu Weiyong's servants was hiding in Ding Bin's home.

At first, he also doubted whether someone was deliberately slandering.

Although he was anxious to make meritorious deeds, he did not want to offend Li Shanchang.

So I found other people to identify him, and they all said he was a servant of Hu Weiyong's family.

Now he couldn't help but not believe it.

But until this moment, he still did not doubt Li Shanchang.

In his opinion, there was a high probability that this servant was hiding anonymously in Ding Bin's house and wanted to have fun under the light.

There is a small chance that Ding Bin knows this servant, so he wants to protect him.

But no matter what the possibility is, this is a credit.

So he secretly captured the slave and interrogated him.

Naturally, the slave could not withstand the torture of the imperial edict, so he quickly resorted to it.

Then he got a clue that made Mao Xiang tremble with excitement.

It was Li Cunyi who hid him in Ding Bin's home.

This time, not only Ding Bin was dragged into the water, but Li Cunyi was also involved.

One is Li Shanchang's nephew, and the other is his biological brother.

If this is confirmed, it will be a great achievement.

But even if Mao Xiang was brave enough, he would not dare to touch Li Cunyi.

So he set his sights on Ding Bin, who was working in another field.

He was arrested secretly again and interrogated overnight.

With the house slave there, Ding Bin didn't have to carry it for long before he was all over.

And he also confessed Li Shanchang.

One can imagine how shocked Mao Xiang was after receiving this confession.

Is there anything that can better reflect your own value than this?
  Seeing this confession, the emperor will realize his importance and will not give up on himself easily.

Then his life is temporarily saved.

It was a matter of his own life, so he didn't delay at all and quickly returned to Beijing to report the matter to Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, both Li Shanchang and Li Cunyi held important positions. Without Zhu Yuanzhang's order, he would not dare to arrest them.

He naturally knew that the emperor would not believe him easily.

So the slave and Ding Bin were escorted to Beijing together.

Sure enough, the emperor didn't ask about the confession at all, but directly asked to see Ding Bin.

He was well prepared and immediately brought Ding Bin and the slave into the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang met the slave first. He was no longer human, which showed that he had been tortured severely.

But there were no wounds on his face, and his face could be clearly identified.

This was done deliberately by Mao Xiang.

When the servant found out that the person in front of him was the emperor, he was so frightened that he peed and urinated.

Before being interrogated, he just said everything as if he was pouring the beans.

Including his identity, what he did in Hu Weiyong's house, how he got Li Cunyi's protection, etc.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was ashen and he didn't say anything. He turned around and went to another room and met Ding Bin.

Ding Bin's condition is much better than that of the house slave, and there are not many injuries on his body.

It can be seen that he was not severely tortured.

After seeing Zhu Yuanzhang, his legs softened and he knelt on the ground.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him and said in a cold tone: "You can also hear the sound next door. Is what that slave said true?"

Ding Bin shook his body and said, "Yes... it's true."

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his right hand tightly into a fist, with veins bulging on the back of his hand:
  "Hu Weiyong promised to make Li Shanchang the King of Huaixi when things are done. Is this true?"

Ding Bin was shaking like chaff, lying on the ground and not daring to say a word.

Zhu Yuanzhang understood everything, and endless anger and murderous intent spewed out of his chest.

He trusts Li Shanchang so much.

Hu Weiyong was Li Shanchang's fellow villager and was personally recommended by him. The two families were related by marriage.

According to the unspoken rules of ancient officialdom, if something happens to the official he recommended, he himself will be held responsible.

Why did Li Shimin knock down the monument he gave to Wei Zheng?

It was because someone recommended by Wei Zheng participated in Prince Li Chengqian's rebellion.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang had ten thousand reasons to deal with Li Shanchang.

Even if he is not killed or dismissed from office, no one can say anything.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not impose any punishment and let Li Shanchang command the Yushitai. Even Li Cunyi was unscathed.

why?
  Because he simply did not believe that Li Shanchang would rebel.

But now, the facts gave him a blow.

Li Shanchang did not collude with Hu Weiyong. Given his status, not reporting what he knew was tantamount to conspiracy.

What's more, his younger brother Li Cunyi has actually participated in the rebellion.

What Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't forgive the most was his personal feelings.

He was so tolerant and trusting of Li Shanchang, but what happened in exchange for this?
  Feeling the killing intent emanating from Zhu Yuanzhang, Mao Xiang did not dare to express his anger. He really wanted to ask whether Li Cunyi and Li Shanchang should be arrested and interrogated.

But I still couldn't muster the courage.

He thought Zhu Yuanzhang would give the order himself, but after waiting for a long time, the emperor did not speak.

Just when he was anxious, Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke:

"Give me their mouths."

Mao Xiang was confused, why didn't he give the order? What do you want a confession for?
  But he didn't dare to hesitate in his hand and hurriedly presented the two people's confessions.

Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed the confession and said: "Keep an eye on these two people. You must not act rashly without my order."

After saying that, he turned and left the room.

Only Mao Xiang was left full of doubts.

what's the situation? There was no order to arrest anyone? Is the emperor unable to lift the sword?

However, he didn't know that it wasn't that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to take people, but that he couldn't.

The reform is at a critical juncture. Li Shanchang is the leader in administration, and removing him will have too great a impact.

The key is to capture him, which means capturing more people.

There is also Li Qi, who is also the person in charge of diversion of the Yellow River.

If his father is taken down, he will also be implicated.

Moreover, restarting the Hu Weiyong case will also frighten the officials and prevent them from doing their jobs with peace of mind.

The implications are too great to be dealt with lightly.

But the more this happened, the more aggrieved he felt.

We trust you so much, and this is how you repay me?

Returning to Qianqing Palace, he read the confession over and over again.

Every time I read it, the anger in my heart becomes more intense.

Two tea sets on the table had been smashed.

Two chamberlains were slapped on the face for some minor mistakes.

For a time, the atmosphere in the entire Qianqing Palace became extremely depressing.

As soon as Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying returned to the palace, they noticed something unusual.

The two of them were originally wondering, what happened to Lao Zhu? So anxious to call them back.

Now I am even more certain that something is wrong.

After making eye contact, I decided to go and ask what happened.

So they came to Qianqing Palace together to ask for an audience.

At first, Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to see them, so he sent someone to tell them that he was busy with something, and asked them to do whatever they should.

But this only shows that there is a problem, and the problem is not small.

"Pop..." The sound of something hitting the ground came out.

Yes, you don’t need to think about it to know that Lao Zhu is angry.

Zhu Xiongying was worried and wanted to use his identity to break in, but was stopped by Chen Jingke.

"It seems that His Majesty is very angry. I'm afraid you can't handle it alone."

"What should I do?"

"Let's go find the empress. There's no problem that can't be solved with her here."

So the two came to Kunning Palace, found Queen Ma and talked about the matter.

Empress Ma was very concerned about her husband and immediately took the two of them to Qianqing Palace.

No one informed me at all, I just walked in.

When the waiter saw the queen coming, he felt like he was being pardoned.

Seeing someone coming in without permission, Zhu Yuanzhang subconsciously wanted to curse. When he looked up and saw that it was Queen Ma, he took back the words he was about to say.

He forced out an ugly smile and said, "Sister, why are you here."

Then she looked at Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying behind her and cursed:

"Are you two bastards going to disturb the Queen's Qingxiu?"

Queen Ma waved her hand to all the waiters in the hall to leave, and then said:
  "Isn't it normal for them to ask me for help?"

"What happened to make you so angry?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a fake smile: "It's okay, it's okay. The Ming Dynasty is booming, what can happen?"

Queen Ma sighed: "Don't force yourself to laugh if you feel unhappy. We have been husband and wife for many years, what else can you hide from me?"

"Tell me, what is it...or is it inconvenient for the two juniors to hear it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang finally stopped pretending, with an expression of grievance and anger on his face, and said:
  "Sister, our hearts hurt."

"We trust Li Shanchang so much, but look at how he treats us."

Queen Ma took the confession and looked through it. The more she looked at it, the heavier her face became.

Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying looked at each other. Is it related to Li Shanchang?

No wonder they were called back.

But what did Lao Li do to make Zhu Yuanzhang so nervous?

As a time traveler, Chen Jingke's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that something happened to Li Shanchang?

He knew that Li Shanchang died in the Hu Weiyong case.

Speaking of which, he did it himself, and Zhu Yuanzhang treated him well enough.

He himself is not satisfied yet.

His younger brother Li Cunyi was involved in the Hu Weiyong case. Zhu Yuanzhang, who liked killing people so much, just exiled him for his sake.

As for Li Shanchang, not only was he not grateful, he was also resentful.

After retiring and returning home, let's live a good life.

He wanted to make trouble again and actually asked Tang He to send [-] soldiers to build his house for him.

A retired prime minister secretly mobilized three hundred soldiers. This was worthy of beheading in all dynasties.

Later, his nephew Ding Bin committed a crime and was about to be exiled. He wrote repeatedly asking the emperor to pardon his crimes.

This completely angered Zhu Yuanzhang, and he severely interrogated Ding Bin. As a result, he was found guilty of treason.

But at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not think about killing Li Shanchang, and only planned to kill Li Cunyi and his family.

However, it may be that God also disliked Li Shan's growth and sent a vision at this juncture.

The officials all added insult to injury and must kill Li Shanchang.

Zhu Yuanzhang became cruel and added Li Shanchang's family to the list.

But he still left a bloodline in their family.

The consort Li Qi was pardoned.

Moreover, the descendants of later generations also received preferential treatment from the old Zhu family.

This was the general experience of Li Shanchang in the second half of his life, and there was a lot of controversy in later generations.

Many people believed that he was unjustly accused and that Zhu Yuanzhang could not tolerate him and deliberately found an excuse to kill him.

But Chen Jingke personally believes that it is completely unnecessary.

Zhu Biao was still alive at that time, and Li Shanchang, a retired veteran cadre, could not make any waves.

And if you want to kill him, there is no need to use the Hu Weiyong case as an excuse.

Just the fact that he mobilized three hundred soldiers privately was enough to kill him.

Of course, the biggest basis is history books.

In the absence of sufficient evidence to overturn historical records, descendants can only temporarily believe in historical records.

Chen Jingke looked at the grieving Zhu Yuanzhang and then at the disbelieving Queen Ma, confirming his guess.

It seems that it is probably Li Shanchang's fault.

And judging from the attitudes of Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma, this matter is most likely true.

I didn't expect that the matter would be discovered so many years in advance.

Now things are in trouble.

The reform is at a critical juncture. If the Hu Weiyong case is brought up again and Li Shanchang is also taken down, there will probably be big trouble.

How to do?
  Chen Jingke lamented in his heart.

Old Li, Old Li, you are really doing a lot of harm to others.

(End of this chapter)