The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 418 Death List
There is no wall that is impenetrable, and soon the ministers finally learned the reason of the incident.

Defiling the palace.

No wonder the emperor was so angry. No one could tolerate this.

As more details were revealed, the government and the opposition were even more speechless.

Zhou Ji had an affair with a palace maid without telling his father, and his father forced the emperor to abdicate by relying on his status as a fellow townsman of the retired emperor.

The retired emperor wanted to know the details of the abdication to see if there was any other conspiracy, but everything was exposed.

This father and son are really...

I have seen fathers cheating on their fathers, and I have seen many fathers cheating on their sons, but it is rare to see a father and son cheating on each other.

But no matter what, this group of people once again verified a truth with facts:
no Zuo no Die.

The point is, not only did they bring disaster upon themselves, but they also implicated everyone else.

Judging from the attitude of the retired emperor, it is obvious that he wants to purge the court again.

If it were for other reasons, they could still protest and secretly criticize the emperor for his cruelty.

But now no one dares to persuade, not even to discuss it in private.

At this critical juncture, whoever gives advice will be in trouble.

While everyone was cursing Hu Mei, Zhou Ji and others, they were also conducting self-examinations to see if their families had done anything illegal or criminal.

Especially the slaves in the house and the relatives in the hometown should be strictly checked.

Many times, things go wrong for them.

The most anxious among them were the original friends and relatives of Hu Mei, Zhou Dexing and others, as well as those who joined them in forcing the emperor to abdicate.

These people were already very anxious and were trying desperately to find out what they had done and whether they would be implicated.

Now I can finally rest assured... and die with peace of mind.

Some people are still trying to struggle, while some who have accepted their fate have begun to spend all their wealth and have sent some of their descendants into hiding under different names.

Regardless of whether they will really be implicated, it’s okay to make more preparations.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was cruel and ruthless, he would not kill everyone except the main culprit.

The so-called nine-line extermination means that the main relatives are the ones who are actually killed. As long as the distant relatives do not come out on their own, they are generally ignored.

Let some children hide under unknown names so that they can survive after the storm has passed.

If there is another amnesty, we can live a normal life.

It is very rare to have a wanted warrant issued for someone to be hunted for decades.

In the previous life, Fu Youde and others were killed, and many of their descendants lived in seclusion in the original place, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not pursue the matter.

There were even rumors that Lan Yu had two sons in hiding.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, Lao Zhu's rule is:
After the main culprit dies, if the others escape, they are just lucky and they will basically not be hunted down and killed.

It was because everyone understood Zhu's temper that they asked some of his descendants to hide after sensing danger.

Why only partly?

It's very simple. If we hide everything, wouldn't that be treating Lao Zhu as a fool?

You have to take out some of the people to appease his anger, and then he will let the rest go.

The rich and powerful are in chaos, but it is different among the people, who are eager to watch the fun.

Defiling the palace.

It is a sex scandal and it also involves the royal family. Is there any better gossip in the world than this?

In addition, it happened to be the imperial examination period, and tens of thousands of students gathered in the capital, so it was bound to be lively.

So various versions of rumors spread out, all of which were disgusting...

There are also some people who are not afraid of death and have written various short jokes, and even related pornographic books have appeared.

For a time, the palace became a place of corruption and filth.

But eating melons has risks, and eating royal melons is even riskier.

The Jinyiwei arrested more than 3,000 people in one day, and thousands more were arrested in the following days.

The prisons of various government offices in the capital could no longer accommodate them.

For a time, the people of Luoyang were in panic and no one dared to talk about this matter anymore.

When someone in your family is arrested, you start to get anxious, ask people about the situation, and actively arrange for rescue.

But it was of no use at all.

It was the Embroidered Uniform Guards who arrested people, and the local government was powerless.

Some people thought Zhu Biao was easy to talk to, so they went to him and tried to persuade him:
"Your Majesty, the New Year is coming soon, and people are so panicked..."

Then they were thrown into prison together.

It was not until then that the ministers realized that it was not only the retired emperor who was embarrassed, but also the emperor Zhu Biao.

It’s not their fault. The main reason is that Zhu Yuanzhang has been operating all the time, and Zhu Biao has been invisible the whole time.

So much so that everyone subconsciously ignores that he is also a victim.

Zhu Biao's reaction once again told everyone that no man could tolerate such a thing.

No matter how good-tempered a person is, he will get furious when faced with this.

So no one dared to persuade him anymore.

As for the New Year, we still have to celebrate it.

However, this year's New Year is the least festive one for Luoyang since it became the capital.

There were no lights or decorations, and people could only set off fireworks secretly.

The emperor also made an exception and did not hold a grand court meeting on New Year's Day, but only symbolically gave some gifts to some elderly and virtuous people.

The number of diplomatic missions also hit a record low.

The Western Regions were still under the control of the Chagatai Khanate, Goryeo and other countries were destroyed, and the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty were mainly distributed in Southeast Asia.

Now that Nanyang has been cleansed, the vassal states and vassal forces have been reduced by 70%.

The remaining few did not dare to make a high-profile pilgrimage at this time.

The dignitaries who loved the hustle and bustle the most also became "i people" one by one.

Except for friends and relatives who had to go, all other social interactions were cancelled.

At this moment, even if someone fails to distinguish the importance of gifts and comes to give gifts, they will be treated as bad guests and driven out, and added to the blacklist from then on.

On the contrary, there is still a festive atmosphere among the people.

To be more precise, the farther away from the capital, the less affected the place will be.

After all, in this era where the speed of information transmission is limited, no matter how big a thing is, it may take one or two years for it to spread spontaneously among the people from south to north.

Besides, even if it’s a big deal, we can’t stop everyone from celebrating the New Year.

After all, it’s New Year’s Day, don’t you think?

Of course, this does not apply to those families whose relatives have been caught for eating melons.

In this way, everyone bid farewell to the chaotic three years of Jianzhang.

Before they could even catch their breath, they had to face the horrific four years in Jianzhang.

Because everyone knows that the real purge is about to begin.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did not choose to take action during the Chinese New Year was not because he was merciful, nor was it because he was concerned about the Chinese New Year.

But I was not prepared.

First, the Jinyiwei has not yet provided detailed information.

The imperial court also didn’t know which people needed to be attacked, which people needed to be warned, and which people needed to be praised.

Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang was waiting for Zhu Gang and Zhu Di's border troops to return to defend the city in case someone really took desperate measures.

At the same time, it is also necessary to communicate in advance with Fu Youde, Mu Ying and other garrison generals to avoid misunderstandings.

And all this takes time.

Now that the New Year is over and everything that needs to be prepared is almost done, it's time to take action.

However, before Zhu could take any action, prisons across the country could no longer withstand the pressure and protested.

As the news of the palace debauchery spread, more and more people began to discuss it privately. The Jinyiwei and local government offices were mobilized and arrested tens of thousands of people one after another.

There are related criminals in the prisons of government offices across the country.

These people who eat melons have become the melons in other people's mouths. It's just a matter of time.

However, they might die if they ate the royal melons.

Others are eating their melons and they are so happy.

With so many people being arrested, their families were very worried, and the imperial court was also concerned.

You can't kill someone just for eating a melon, right?

The key is, there are still so many people.

If the treatment is too light, it will be ineffective; if the treatment is too heavy, the outcome will be disastrous.

Du Tongli found Chen Jingke several times:
"Chen Bandu, the imperial prison is already overcrowded. Please think of a solution."

Chen Jingke rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "I have to figure out how to deal with everything. What else do you need me to do?"

Du Tongli smiled flatteringly and said, "How can I compare with you with my stupid head?"

After complimenting him for a few times, he changed the subject and said:

"But let me be honest. Even though there are many criminals, there are actually only a few real criminals."

“It’s basically the people who were arrested for talking about this.”

"Please give us a rule on how to deal with these people."

"If it really doesn't work, why don't you ask the Emperor and His Majesty?"

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "Haha... I didn't expect that you, Du Tongli, have such a kind heart."

Du Tongli quickly said: "Isn't this what I learned from you? Everyone knows that you are the kindest person in the officialdom."

Chen Jingke was speechless: "Okay, okay, stop flattering me. I'll go ask the emperor."

“It’s not a good idea to keep so many people locked up all the time.”

After entering the palace, he did not dare to go directly to find Old Zhu, but first brought Zhu Xiongying along, and then went to see Empress Ma.

Only after learning from Empress Ma that Lao Zhu was not in a bad mood today did I dare to go find him.

But when he raised this matter cautiously, Lao Zhu sneered:

"I knew you would come to me to talk about this. I guessed it right."

Chen Jingke knew from the tone of his voice that he already had a solution, and asked quickly:

"Your Majesty is wise. I wonder how you plan to deal with them?"

Old Zhu snorted and said, "First, lock them up for a few days to teach them a lesson, and then send them all to exile in Southeast Asia."

Exiled to Southeast Asia?

Chen Jingke suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is. This not only punishes them, but also increases the population of Nanyang, killing two birds with one stone."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Xiongying also said: "This is a good idea. After the unrest in Southeast Asia, the number of Han people left is seriously insufficient."

"Chinese people have a strong sense of hometown, and few are willing to leave their hometown."

"In the past, the imperial court forcibly relocated the population, and many people had complaints in their hearts."

"This is a good idea now, exile... But I don't think exile should be used as an excuse."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in confusion: "Oh? Why?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "We exiled tens of thousands of people because of rumors. People will think we are so cruel."

"Moreover, these people go there as criminals and will be discriminated against."

"Just convict them according to normal rules for criticizing the monarch, and then give them a choice: they can be exempted from punishment by going to Southeast Asia."

“I believe that many people will choose to go.”

"If you really don't want to go, then you can just follow the normal legal procedures."

“If used well, this method can be used for a long time.”

"As long as the crime is not particularly serious, you can choose to go to an overseas vassal state to be pardoned."

In fact, the Ming Dynasty has always used similar methods.

It’s just that in the past it was just simple exile, and there was no such thing as pardon.

And those who are exiled are generally those with serious crimes, while those with minor crimes are sent to local labor camps.

Now Zhu Xiongying has taken a step further and can become a normal person when he goes there.

Moreover, those with serious crimes will not be allowed to go, only those whose crimes are not serious in nature can go.

The means are more gentle and can also leave a good reputation for the court.

"The reason for doing this is also for the consideration of the vassal states."

The purpose of the Ming Dynasty's expansion and enfeoffment of princes was to better rule those places.

If all were exiled regardless of the severity of their crimes, it would cause serious security problems for the vassal states.

Only letting those whose crimes are minor and have justifiable circumstances go free will not only avoid security risks, but will also give those people a chance to reform.

It can even be said that this is good policy.

Once this policy is implemented for a long time, it can really save countless tragedies.

Of course, this will definitely allow some people with good connections to escape punishment.

But for people with good backgrounds, even without this policy, they still have other ways to evade punishment.

For those who have no background and are willing to repent, this is their last straw.

After hearing his explanation, Lao Zhu felt very relieved and laughed:

"Well, my dear grandson has finally grown up. I am relieved to leave the world to you."

This was the first time he was so happy since the Zhou Dexing case broke out.

Hearing this laughter, everyone around couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

God knows how they have been living these days, it is really terrifying.

Those with weak hearts won’t make it to this day.

Then Zhu called Zhu Biao over, and the four of them discussed Zhu Xiongying's policy in detail and soon came up with a general plan.

Then, Zhu Biao summoned the Grand Secretary of the Supreme Court and the Minister of Justice and asked them to perfect the plan.

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple and the Minister of Justice were also having a headache because of the problems facing the common people.

Now that Zhu Biao has spoken and put forward a policy that is so in line with "benevolence", I can't tell you how happy I am.

He immediately took people to start improving the plan.

And this policy soon spread throughout the court, and all the officials breathed a sigh of relief.

This can be said to be the best way at present.

As for what the families of the prisoners think, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Some melons cannot be eaten casually, this is the price they have to pay.

When this policy was announced to the world, the government and the opposition, which had been under high pressure for a long time, finally felt a slight chance to breathe.

This policy meant that although the royal family was angry about the debauchery in the harem, they had not yet lost their minds.

Otherwise, such a solution would not have been proposed.

The royal family still remains rational, and even if they want to take the opportunity to purge the court, they will not involve too many people.

This is the best news for the ministers.

In fact, their guess was correct. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry, he was ready to take the opportunity to carry out a purge.

But he also didn't want to ruin the current good situation.

After receiving the detailed investigation report from the Jinyiwei, he screened the existing dignitaries one by one.

Finally, a list of more than 400 people was finalized.

Yes, for him, this list has already been written.

(End of this chapter)