The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 459: Bullying Old Zhu
It is a common occurrence for the rich and powerful to trample on crops and bully the common people.

Not to mention the powerful and wealthy, there are countless so-called rich people who dare to do this because they have some money and connections with a few officials.

This is not just the case in ancient times. Even nowadays, if you drive through a wheat field, you can simply say you didn’t know what wheat was and thought it was just weeds.

It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.

Are you dissatisfied?
In fact, everyone has long been accustomed to it. As long as you don't cause a big mess and actively compensate afterwards, no one will hold it against you.

What Zhu Gui did was nothing compared to what his brothers did.

Compared with those human-like relatives in past dynasties, it is not a big deal.

Normally, the censors would just impeach him, and Zhu Yuanzhang would express his position of confining him to his home for a few days and compensate the victims with some money.

This matter is over.

But this time it was different. The so-called clear stream became excited, just like a cat smelling fishy smell.

Hundreds of impeachment memorials were sent to the palace that day.

At the morning court the next day, about one-third of the court officials asked the emperor to severely punish Zhu Gui.

"Without punishment, the law will not be restored, without punishment, the people's hearts will not be appeased, without punishment, ..."

"If there is no severe punishment, everyone will follow suit. Where is the majesty of the country's laws and regulations? How can the court control its subjects..."

"Your Majesty, please severely punish the King of Dai and restore justice to the people."

Zuo Chuan, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, denounced Zhu Gui's evil deeds with great indignation and righteously demanded that Zhu Gui impose severe punishment on him.

"Your Majesty, please punish the King of Dai severely and restore order to the court."

A large group of people stood up and echoed.

This scene brought tears to the eyes of many readers.

This is the picture we have always dreamed of, a court full of righteousness. This is a court full of righteousness.

Old Zhu's face turned pale and he stared at these people with murderous intent.

Everyone could see that his defense was really broken.

However, Chen Jingke knew that Zhu Yuanzhang's defenses had indeed been broken, and it was not because of these people forcing him to abdicate.

To put it bluntly, this scene was already expected, and even many of the people in this group were arranged by them to lead the pace.

What really broke down Old Zhu was what Zhu Gui did.

What Zhu Gui did was intentionally indulged by Old Zhu in order to create leverage for the Neo-Confucian School.

But Zhu Gui was not notified in advance, he was just relaxed in supervision.

Old Zhu was still looking forward to Zhu Gui being able to impress him.

After all, we didn’t behave well before, so the lockdown was suspended.

With such a severe punishment in front of him, anyone who is not a heartless idiot should learn some lessons.

What's more, Lao Zhu taught him personally for more than a year.

However, the facts once again confirm the saying that it is easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature.

Zhu Gui is still the same Zhu Gui, and he lets himself go as soon as he goes out.

One can imagine how Lao Zhu felt, and his defenses were immediately broken.

I almost chopped Zhu Gui to death with my knife.

His anger at the moment was indeed real, but most of it was directed at Zhu Gui.

The remaining part was caused by this group of people.

But others didn’t know, they just thought that Lao Zhu was angry because his bottom line was touched.

Many people began to feel frightened.

But when I saw so many like-minded people around me, I felt a lot more at ease.

It seems that the momentum has been built up enough, and if the commotion continues, Zhu will really not be able to step down.

Li Shanchang stepped forward and rebuked these people, saying, "A minister who receives a favor must repay it with loyalty. This is the elegant style of a Confucian scholar and the way of loyalty."

"Today, you are forcing your majesty to abdicate and forcing him to torture his own flesh and blood. Is this how you read the sages' books?"

Zuo Chuan retorted: "Duke Hanguo is wrong. As the saying goes, a filial son does not flatter his parents, and a loyal minister does not flatter his monarch."

"We advise Your Majesty to uphold the laws of the country and to protect the Ming Dynasty."

"But you, the Duke of Korea, who preaches the rule of law every day, are now shrinking and daring not to speak just because the one who broke the law is the prince."

“Is this what you call the rule of law?”

Li Shanchang sneered, "Oh? I don't think the Left Assistant Minister knows what I said about the rule of law."

"Since you keep talking about the rule of law, I would like to ask you, how should the mistakes of the King of Dai be dealt with according to the law?"

Zuo Chuan was speechless. How would he know these things?

But luckily he wasn't alone.

Seeing that he could not answer, Chief Censor Chen Ying stepped out and said:

"The Ming Dynasty Code stipulates that if someone forcibly cuts someone else's crops, he will be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and exiled 3,000 miles."

"Buzz." The court was in an uproar.

Firstly, I didn’t expect the crime to be so serious; secondly, I didn’t expect they would dare to be so cruel.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face became even gloomier. This time he was really irritated by this group of people.

Although my son is a bastard, he just rode his horse through the wheat field and whipped the people who tried to stop him.

You actually let them rob in broad daylight? You will also be beaten with a hundred sticks and exiled for three thousand miles.

Do you really think that our Zhu is a foolish king who doesn't understand the laws of the Ming Dynasty?

But he still restrained his anger, as it was not yet time for him to appear.

In response to Chen Ying's rebuttal, Li Shanchang laughed:
"The King of Dai was just riding through the wheat field. The damage to the wheat seedlings was minimal. How could he be said to have cut the wheat seedlings?"

"Anyone who makes the judgment would be suitable to adopt the rule of 'eating fruits and vegetables from the farm without permission'."

This article stipulates that anyone who steals fruits and vegetables from other people's farmland without permission, or destroys them, will be convicted according to their value.

If the amount is more than one tael, the punishment is ten lashes, and the punishment is increased accordingly. The maximum punishment is sixty strokes of the cane and one year of imprisonment.

The damage caused by Zhu Gui was not even worth a hundred coins, let alone one or two taels of silver.

The most you get is some compensation based on the market price, not even enough to get a beating.

The ministers couldn't help but nod their heads, this was the normal way of judging.

If Chen Ying's standards were really followed, then more than half of the country's bureaucrats and dignitaries would have to be exiled.

At this point, Li Shanchang countered: "I wonder if Censor Chen really doesn't understand the law or if he did it on purpose?"

Chen Ying looked a little flustered and deeply regretted taking the initiative.

Li Shanchang was the creator of the Ming Dynasty's etiquette and laws. Playing with the law in front of him is just like showing off one's knowledge in front of an expert.

At this time, Zuo Chuan said, "Duke Hanguo, please do not slander me. I think what Censor Chen said is correct."

Li Shanchang sneered, "Oh? What do you think, Zuo Shilang?"

Zuo Chuan said righteously: "As a member of the royal family, the King of Dai should set an example for the people of the world."

"Today, he relied on his status to act arrogantly and domineeringly. He should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others."

"Heh..." Li Shanchang said sarcastically:

"Just now, the Left Minister repeatedly questioned me about the rule of law, but now he is punishing minor offenses severely just because of his status."

"It's really a two-faced official."

Zuo Chuan said righteously: "This old man has a clear conscience."

Once this statement was made, all subsequent debates lost all practical significance and turned into a pure war of words.

The group of people behind Zuo Chuan all expressed that the royal family should set an example for the world.

Li Shanchang was not alone, the entire Legalist school stood behind him.

Although his power was still weak, he had a certain voice in the court, so he naturally stood up to defend it at this time.

What's more, many people are very unhappy when they see that these civil servants are starting to be unreasonable, or are preparing to use morality to pressure others.

They all stood up to help.

Soon most of the people in the court got involved, and the court almost became a vegetable market.

Zhu Xiongying, who was standing aside, glanced at the ministers with cold eyes and said:
"Grandpa Emperor is truly wise."

Chen Jingke naturally understood what he was talking about and sighed:

"The emperor is clearing away obstacles for future generations."

On the throne, Old Zhu's face was so gloomy that water was about to drip out of it, and he scolded:
"Shut up."

The eunuchs at the side immediately stepped out and shouted in unison: "Clear, clear, quiet..."

The ministers seemed to have just realized what was happening and immediately apologized.

Old Zhu shouted angrily: "Can't you kill me because I'm old?"

The ministers couldn't help but shudder, and no one dared to doubt whether Zhu Yuanzhang dared to kill people.

The idea that the law does not punish the masses is useless to him. However, even so, these people still have no intention of backing down.

Some things have to be fought for.

The Yuan Dynasty trampled on the literati and officials, but you, Zhu Yuanzhang, once promised to treat the scholars well.

The results of it?
He turned against his promise.

We have endured for so many years, and today we must speak up for ourselves.

Otherwise, what is the difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty?

No, there is still a difference.

During the Yuan Dynasty, we were nominally trampled underfoot, but in reality, local power was still in our hands.

By the Ming Dynasty, we not only failed to gain the "name", but we also lost the "reality".

Many people believe that in the Yuan Dynasty, Confucian scholars were ranked below beggars and on the same level as prostitutes.

It was the Mongols' contempt and suppression of Confucianism.

But this is not the case.

There was no imperial examination during most of the Yuan Dynasty, so how did they select officials?

The answer is that senior officials were Mongolian nobles and Semites.

Middle and low-level officials were selected from Confucian households.

On the other hand, only Confucian households could serve as officials.

During the Yuan Dynasty, grassroots officials were all hereditary officials from Confucian families.

The key point lies in the word hereditary.

To put it bluntly, although the Confucian scholars in the Yuan Dynasty had lost their "name", they still enjoyed practical benefits.

When Zhu Yuanzhang first raised the banner of rebellion, he was courteous to wise and humble, and was very respectful to scholars.

It seems like a restoration of the rituals of the previous dynasty.

This attitude naturally won the favor of scholars.

He did so in the first few years after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.

However, within a few years the situation changed.

Scholars and officials? Rule the world together with the emperor?
Ha ha.

Especially after the Hu Weiyong case in the 13th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang completely broke with his regime and abolished the prime minister system.

The punishment for corrupt officials has become more severe than ever before.

All the peeled daylilies were taken out.

This also means that the scholars' pursuit of the literati and the emperor ruling the world together has completely become a pipe dream.

Some scholars were dissatisfied with this.

The idea that "everyone in the world misses the Yuan Dynasty" was born under such circumstances.

But unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty's national destiny became more and more stable, which made them even more painful.

Now, I have finally caught an opportunity, how can I let it go?

As for bullying Zhu Yuanzhang because of his old age...it did happen.

As the saying goes, the first thirty years are about how the father respects the son, and the last thirty years are about how the son respects the father.

Your son is paralyzed and cannot manage the affairs of the family. You are an old man in his seventies. Who else can I bully if not yourself?
Originally, if the prince had ascended to the throne smoothly, no one might have dared to do anything.

After all, the prince is young and energetic, and he also appears to be wise and brave, so no one dares to offend him easily.

But this time when the emperor was seriously ill, you did not transfer power to the prince, but sat on the throne again yourself.

I don't believe that the prince has no grudge in his heart.

You, Zhu Yuanzhang, are indeed old and confused.

This opportunity is too rare, we must give it a try.

Zhu Yuanzhang's subsequent performance made them feel that they had made the right bet.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry and kept saying he wanted to kill people, but in the end he didn't kill anyone.

Zuo Chuan was only fined three months' salary and Chen Ying was dismissed from his post.

Zhu Gui's punishment was house arrest for one month and ten lashes.

This punishment far exceeded the compensation for losses stipulated by the Ming Dynasty law.

It was seen by the Neo-Confucian school as a major victory for them.

In particular, Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill anyone, but only punished one person and dismissed one person from office.

This further confirmed everyone's speculation that Zhu Yuanzhang was old and could no longer lift the knife.

After the court session, these people were celebrating so much that they almost went out to celebrate with great fanfare.

As for Zuo Chuan, who was punished, his position in the Neo-Confucian school became more solid.

Chen Ying, who was dismissed from office, jumped from a marginal figure to the core force of the Neo-Confucian school.

Facing the consolation from everyone, Chen Ying showed great righteousness:
"Mencius said: Life is what I desire; righteousness is what I desire. Since I cannot have both, I would rather sacrifice life for righteousness."

"If I die today, it will be for justice, a worthy death."

Everyone cheered: "Well done, Censor Chen is truly a role model for our generation."

Afterwards, everything that happened in the court was spread throughout Luoyang City in an extremely short time and spread to the world at an astonishing speed.

Upon hearing the result, people praised them.

It is believed that if a country has such loyal ministers, how can it not prosper?

This makes those people even more proud, and they feel that they are the embodiment of righteousness.

In the palace.

Old Zhu threw away the whip in his hand, panting.

Looking at Zhu Gui lying on the bench and groaning, he became so angry that he couldn't help but kick him hard.

He kicked the bench over and Zhu Gui was caught off guard and fell heavily on the stone slab.

Especially since the wound on his buttocks touched the ground first, the pain made him howl like a pig being slaughtered.

Old Zhu is old after all, and he was already tired after whipping so many people, and he almost fell down because he used too much force this time.

He staggered several times before he finally stood firm.

"It's better for me to give birth to a pig than you. You still want to close the country. I tell you, don't ever dream of such a beautiful dream in your life."

"You will just guard the imperial mausoleum for us for the rest of your life."

Zhu Gui also lost his temper and said through gritted teeth: "We just need to guard the imperial mausoleum, who cares about the enfeoffment of a kingdom?"

"You..." Old Zhu was so angry that he almost choked. He held his chest for a long time before he could breathe smoothly.

"Okay, okay, then we'll help you."

As he said this, he issued an edict, depriving Zhu Gui of all his princely privileges and sending him to Fengyang to guard the imperial mausoleum.

Without the imperial decree, you are not allowed to leave.

Zhu Gui finally panicked and begged for mercy.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and turned away without hesitation.

When he returned to the Qianqing Palace, he found that Empress Ma was already waiting for him.

"Don't get yourself sick from being angry. Come and have a cup of tea to calm down."

Old Zhu sat down angrily and said, "I'm not angry about the court officials forcing the emperor to abdicate, I'm angry about this beast."

"If it weren't for him, how could we have suffered so much..."

At this point, he suddenly covered his chest and said, "Oh, I can't say it. I feel uncomfortable and can't breathe when I mention him."

Madam Ma quickly calmed him down and said distressedly, "This child is really something. How come he hasn't made any progress at all?"

"Teach them a lesson later."

Old Zhu said, "I sent him back to Fengyang to guard the imperial mausoleum. Out of sight, out of mind."

Madam Ma hesitated and said, "This is not a good idea. Wait for a few days. It won't be too late to punish him when you are no longer angry."

Old Zhu said seriously: "I am not saying this in anger. I really think that we should establish a system to punish and deter royal family members who violate laws and disciplines."

"It will also save a lot of trouble for future generations."

Hearing this, Madam Ma stopped objecting and said, "That's good. If there are any royal family members who behave recklessly in the future, we will deal with them in this way."

"This is also the law of our ancestors. Our descendants will no longer have to bear the stigma of mistreating the royal family."

In this way, another rule targeting the royal family was established.

Illegal members of the royal family were deprived of all benefits and exiled to Fengyang or Fenghuang Mountain to guard the imperial tomb.

With Ma's comfort, Old Zhu recovered quickly and ordered people to call Zhu Xiongying and Chen Jingke over:
"What's the situation outside now? What do people think about this matter?"

(End of this chapter)