The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 168 Mao Xiang: Something seems wrong

Looking at the two people who were in a state of emotional distress, Zhu Xiongying said anxiously:
  "Grandpa Huang, Grandma Huang, what happened?"

Queen Ma was a little embarrassed, wondering whether she should tell him about this.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said: "There is no need to hide it from him, just show it to him."

Empress Ma thought so and handed the confession to Zhu Xiongying.

Chen Jingke hesitated for a moment and said, "Then...I'll leave now if it's okay."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him and retorted: "Why are we going? Did we say we were on guard against you? Are you anxious to avoid suspicion?"

Chen Jingke shrank his neck and suddenly did not dare to speak.

But he really wasn't just trying to avoid suspicion, he had already guessed the truth of the matter, and he didn't want to get involved in this matter at all.

Avoiding suspicion is just an excuse.

It's a pity that Lao Zhu didn't give him a chance to stay out of the matter.

On the other hand, if Lao Zhu just let him go, he would have to be more careful in the future.

This shows that Lao Zhu does not trust him.

What I said before, letting you use your talents and so on, has basically no credibility.

All I can say is that people are so complicated sometimes.

After Zhu Xiongying read the confession, he was furious: "What a good Li Shanchang. I thought he was an important minister, but I didn't expect him to be a traitor."

Empress Ma frowned and said, "You concluded that this matter is true based on only one confession? Have you never thought that the confession is false?"

"Ah?" Zhu Xiongying was stunned for a moment and explained: "This confession is in the hands of Grandpa Huang. He must have checked it."

Queen Ma said: "Will your grandpa Huang not be deceived? Don't you have any opinion of your own on such a big matter?"

Zhu Xiongying opened his mouth again and again, wanting to argue, but in the end he lowered his head and admitted his mistake:
  "Yes, my grandson made a mistake and will definitely correct it in the future."

Empress Ma then let him go: "You will also be the emperor in the future, and there will be countless people who want to deceive you."

"If you can't distinguish right from wrong, you will be led by others and make mistakes constantly."

Zhu Xiongying said sincerely: "Thank you, Grandma Huang, for your teaching. My grandson will remember it."

Chen Jingke admired in his heart, Queen Ma is indeed Queen Ma. Even now, she has not forgotten to teach her grandson.

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded and said: "Your imperial grandmother is right, the more serious things happen, the more careful you have to be."

"When we first saw the intelligence, we also doubted whether Mao Xiang was deliberately framed."

"So let him bring the slave and Ding Bin into the palace so that we can interrogate them personally."

Zhu Xiongying asked: "The slave and Ding Bin have both been recruited, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was gloomy: "Yes, both of them were recruited, and their confessions are true."

Zhu Xiongying had also calmed down and said, "It really didn't happen at the right time."

Zhu Yuanzhang said bitterly: "Yes, it's not the right time."

"If we missed this period, we would have already issued an order to arrest Li Shanchang and Li Cunyi for interrogation."

Zhu Xiongying asked: "But we can't do nothing, right? What are you going to do, Grandpa Huang?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "I don't know, we are so confused right now."

Queen Ma sighed, she could completely understand her husband's mood.

This feeling of betrayal is so painful.

She herself was so heartbroken and angry that she wanted to kill Li Shanchang.

But now is really not the time to kill.

Thinking of this, she had a headache and couldn't help but said:

"Li Shanchang, Li Shanchang, you really gave us a big problem."

At this time, Zhu Xiongying suddenly said to Chen Jingke: "Jingke, you have the most clever ideas. Is there anything you can do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying also looked at him.

Chen Jingke wanted to beat this guy to death. You never thought of me when you were in trouble. You thought of me when you were in trouble.

Didn't you look at me and hid behind you? Didn't you dare to say a word for a long time? What else do you call it?

But now I can't hide, so I can only stand up and say:

"Before you ask, should you show me your mouth first?"

"Oh! I forgot about it when I was angry." Zhu Xiongying quickly handed him the confession.

Chen Jingke took a quick look and found that it was indeed Li Shanchang's incident.

But he didn't expect that he would be exposed in this way.

Is there something wrong with Li Cunyi’s mind? Why do you protect a domestic slave?
  Even if you want to protect him, can't you just send him away from afar? He also wanted to put it in his nephew's house.

Now it’s all right, catch them all in one fell swoop.

And Li Shanchang, I know you have a bad temper and can't tolerate others, but I didn't expect you to be so indifferent to right from wrong.

What kind of king of Huaixi has he been riding a horse for so long? Does anyone still believe in such a promise?
  What do labor and management say now?
  kill?

impossible.

Don't kill?

If something happens later, I won't be able to live in peace.

How could a foreign minister like me interrupt in such a matter?

But having said that, in his previous life, it seemed that Lao Zhu didn't want to kill Li Shanchang at first, but he just happened to encounter an abnormal celestial phenomenon.

When things got serious, his name was added.

Now that Lao Zhu is angry, he must be eager to kill Li Shanchang.

What if you let him calm down?
  He will know what to do by then.

Moreover, Mao Xiang really cannot be kept.

Thinking of this, he already had an idea in his mind and said:

"Your Majesty, I think the one who deserves to be killed right now is Mao Xiang."

Zhu Yuanzhang, Queen Ma and Zhu Xiongying were all stunned.

Zhu Xiongying said quickly: "Jing Ke, are you out of your mind? Mao Xiang has made great achievements, why do you want to kill him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was more direct: "Give us a reason."

Queen Ma seemed to have thought of something and suddenly realized: "Yes, it is indeed time to liquidate Mao Xiang's party."

"Jing Ke, your mind is really flexible. You actually thought of a solution so quickly."

Zhu Xiongying looked confused, what's going on? Why did you want to kill Mao Xiang?
  Didn’t he just make a great achievement?
  If this kills him, who would dare to do dirty work for the royal family?

Zhu Yuanzhang fell into thinking hard, but found nothing, so he said angrily:
  "Stop playing riddles and tell us why you wanted to kill Mao Xiang?"

Chen Jingke was eager to put the matter aside and said quickly:
  "There are some things that I can't say conveniently, so I'd better let my queen do the talking."

Empress Ma knew his concerns and did not force her. She said directly:

"The Zhao Mao case has been investigated for two years, but nothing has been found."

"The relatively bad and large households in the local area have been almost eliminated..."

"Now, both officials and local bigwigs are panicking."

"We are now at a critical juncture of reform, and the first thing is to stabilize people's hearts..."

"So, it's time to close the Zhao Mao case."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked thoughtful, saying that the Zhao Mao case should indeed be closed.

It's not worth the trouble to investigate further.

Zhu Xiongying scratched his head and asked, "What does the closing of the Zhao Mao case have to do with the killing of Mao Xiang?"

Chen Jingke explained aloud: "When investigating the Zhao Mao case, Mao Xiang and his party members used too drastic methods..."

"...In order to attack dissidents, they concocted many unjust, false and wrong cases."

"People in the world regard Jin Yiwei as an enemy bandit, and Mao Xiang as a thorn in their side..."

"If we don't deal with them, the world will not agree."

"And as long as he is around, the hearts of all the officials will not be at peace."

After all, the two sides were locked in a fight to the death, and the civil servants collectively impeached Mao Xiang at every turn. To end this dispute, one party must withdraw completely.

Who should be let out?
  Naturally, it was Mao Xiang and his followers.

"Another point is that Mao Xiang and his followers seek personal gain in the name of investigating the case."

"Although I don't know how much they have embezzled, it is estimated that they still have tens of millions of dollars."

Zhu Xiongying was dumbfounded: "Ten million yuan? Don't be ridiculous. Ming Dynasty's annual tax income is only [-] million yuan."

Chen Jingke said with certainty: "In the past two years, they have investigated more than [-] officials, and there are even more local wealthy households."

"These are all rich people. I said they were greedy for [-] million yuan, but I was still being conservative."

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and said: "What you said is indeed conservative. The seized stolen goods must pass through his hands first."

"The best antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver and jewelry all went into their pockets."

"All that's left to us are some junk."

"He thinks we don't know anything... Hey, we're just storing it with him for a while."

“Now is the time to use money, and it’s time to get it back.”

Zhu Xiongying's eyes turned red. There was so much money. It was all Grandpa Huang's money.

What belongs to Grandpa Huang is mine, so it’s all my money.

my money.

Damn Mao Xiang, you dare to be greedy for my money, you deserve to die.

"Then he really deserves to die. We must kill them all and take the money... back to the treasury."

Queen Ma did not notice anything unusual about her eldest grandson and continued:

"The imperial court finally managed to stabilize people's hearts a little by raising salaries, and there must be no more problems."

"So Li Shanchang's matter should not be made public."

"Mao Xiang and his party members will definitely not give up."

"Even if His Majesty does not allow them to continue the investigation, they will do it privately, and they may not be able to end it by then."

"So, he must die."

Killing him can not only appease people's hearts, but also suppress the matter of Li Shanchang.

It can also alleviate financial pressure - although the new policy of Baochao has relieved the court from this pressure for the time being, who thinks there is too much money?

Zhu Xiongying said in surprise: "Li Shanchang's matter was just let go so lightly?"

Queen Ma said: "Things must have priorities. It has been four years since Hu Weiyong's incident."

"Most of its members have been executed, and the rest will not be of much use."

"And although Li Shanchang knew about it and did not report it, he did not really participate..."

"Now is a critical juncture in Ming Dynasty's reform, and it is also a time of employment. There is no need to sacrifice for a small amount."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy, he didn't agree, but he didn't object either.

Zhu Xiongying was very unwilling and looked at Chen Jingke and asked, "Is that what you mean too?"

Chen Jingke nodded and said, "Li Shanchang is just a grassroots who will fall with the wind."

"Now that Hu Weiyong is dead and the Ming Dynasty is stable, he will have no other thoughts."

"So we might as well put his talent to use first."

"When the changes are over, give him these two statements and he will make an honorable exit."

Zhu Xiongying asked: "What if he doesn't want to be decent?"

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "Then let's help him look decent."

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and continued: "Li Shanchang has made great contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty."

"When His Majesty was fighting at the front, he assisted the empress in stabilizing the rear and supplying supplies to the army. There was never any mistake."

"After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, he assisted His Majesty in establishing official etiquette, laws, rewards and other systems."

"His Majesty once said that he has the merits of Xiao He, which shows how great his achievements are."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but fall into memories. Li Shanchang was indeed his Xiao He.

There were so many storms and waves in those days, but we persisted and made it through together.

Why are you so successful and famous, but you have a different heart from us?
  Is it because we don't like your small-mindedness? Advise you not to humiliate others at will?
  Did it make you feel resentful?

We really don’t want to be Liu Bang.

Li Shanchang, Li Shanchang, what do you think we should do to you?

Chen Jingke said sincerely: "Your Majesty, they are all heroes who have shed blood for the Ming Dynasty. Even if they make mistakes, they should be left with the most basic dignity."

Empress Ma also followed these words and advised: "I know that your Majesty still cherishes the friendship from back then in his heart."

"Otherwise, given your character, you would have ordered Li Shanchang to be arrested long ago."

"In this case, it doesn't matter if you give him some dignity. It can also be regarded as fulfilling your friendship with him, Your Majesty."

"Whether he appreciates it or not, His Majesty will always have a clear conscience."

"In the future, the history books will be straight, and it will be a good story."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression finally relaxed, and he smiled bitterly and said: "Sister, you still understand our feelings best, okay, let's give him some dignity."

Queen Ma smiled and said, "I know that Your Majesty is a very emotional person."

Chen Jingke also breathed a sigh of relief and finally comforted Lao Zhu.

Sure enough, it has to be Queen Ma.

Then we talked about the aftermath.

The house slave and Ding Bin were definitely not going to survive, because they just put the shit basin on Mao Xiang's head.

And dealing with Mao Xiang is even simpler.

Find a reason to transfer all his followers back to Beijing, and then use the army to kill them all.

As for Li Shanchang, just stay still for the time being and strengthen surveillance.

When the changes are over, let him make a dignified exit.

What's left is Lao Zhu's personal emotional trauma, which can only be comforted by Queen Ma, and no one else can help.

After the matter was discussed, Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying left wisely.

Leave space to the old couple.

After leaving the main hall, Zhu Xiongying walked in front glumly.

Chen Jingke knew why he was unhappy, so he caught up and said:
  "Can't figure it out?"

Zhu Xiongying nodded: "Why not kill him? Emotionally, he betrayed Grandpa Huang's trust in him."

"Under state law, he also committed a capital crime."

"I'm really unwilling to let him go like this."

Chen Jingke paused and said, "Do you really think he can survive because change is inseparable from him?"

Zhu Xiongying said doubtfully: "Isn't it?"

You and the Imperial Grandmother just kept saying that changes cannot cause trouble, right?
  Chen Jingke shook his head and sighed: "It's not because change is inseparable from him, but because His Majesty doesn't want to kill him at all."

Zhu Xiongying said in surprise: "Ah, why?"

Chen Jingke said: "Because Your Majesty attaches great importance to your relationship with him and does not want to fight with each other."

"But he did commit a capital crime and hurt His Majesty's feelings."

"Your Majesty really can't convince yourself to let him go, that's why he hesitates and suffers."

"My concubine and I just found a place for His Majesty to get off."

"Now, do you understand?"

Zhu Xiongying suddenly understood and said: "That's it. If you say this, I feel much better."

Then he looked at Chen Jingke and said seriously:
  "Don't worry, if you commit a capital crime in the future, I will leave you a decent life just like Grandpa Huang."

Chen Jingke: "..."

(End of this chapter)