The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 469 Curtain
"Crack, crack, crack..." Zhu Gui used all his strength to chop off the head of Mr. Kong, who liked to drive and rape good girls.

And from the naked and bloody lower body of Mr. Kong, it can be seen that he had suffered a lot before.

"Bah, what the hell?" Zhu Gui almost vomited when he smelled the strong stench.

Kong Mao stared at the scene in a daze, as if he was stupid and couldn't move.

Just now, his most beloved son was brutally murdered in front of him.

Zhu Gui asked doubtfully, "Is this guy stupid?"

One of the men looked around and said uncertainly: "Maybe... maybe... maybe..."

Kong Mao looked straight at Zhu Gui and said, "You killed my son."

Zhu Gui laughed and said, "Haha... So you are the boy's father. Seeing your son being killed with your own eyes, must you be very angry?"

Kong Mao's eyes remained calm, and he only said: "You killed my son."

Zhu Gui suddenly felt bored and said, "I will not only kill your son, but also you and your whole family."

As he said this, he raised the long knife with notches all over it and chopped at Kong Mao's neck.

"Crack..." The knife was stuck on the bone and he tried to pull it out several times but failed. Instead, he was covered in blood.

"Puh, puh, puh..." Zhu Gui quickly let go of the knife in his hand and took a few steps back:

"What a damn bad luck."

The subordinate asked in confusion: "My Lord, why do you hate this Third Young Master Kong so much?"

Even a beast like him felt that Zhu Gui's method of torturing and killing Young Master Kong was brutal and brutal, which was why he was even more puzzled.

Could it be that the king has a grudge against this man named Kong?
Zhu Gui threw away the long sword with all the holes in his hand and cursed: "Damn it, who hates him? I have never seen him before."

The subordinate asked: "Then why do you..."

Zhu Gui replied casually: "It's my eldest nephew..."

As soon as he opened his mouth to say this, he realized that it would not be good if this matter got out, so he quickly swallowed the rest of his words.

He said angrily, "What the hell are you asking about? I just hate him."

"Why are you still standing here? Go and search to see if there are any fish that have slipped through the net."

The subordinate was also shocked. Isn’t the king’s eldest nephew the prince?

Fuck... I should have kept my mouth shut, so as to avoid being silenced.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a chill on his back, and everyone looked like a spy from the Imperial Guard.

Damn, I shouldn’t have said anything more if I had known this.

Curiosity not only kills cats, but also kills people.

No, I must find a way to please the king so that he will protect me.

Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea.

He ran all the way to the backyard, rescued a beautiful girl from the edge of a knife, and carried her to find Zhu Gui.

"My Lord, this is the granddaughter of the head of the Kong family. I captured her to honor you."

Zhu Gui just glanced at the girl and said, "What's so special about a woman? I have seen all kinds of girls. Kill her."

"Ah?" The subordinate didn't expect this to happen, but he could only kill the woman with one knife.

I couldn't help feeling a little regretful. If I had known that the king was not interested, I would have enjoyed it by myself.

After becoming a saint, I think the taste should be different.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Gui waved at him and whispered, "Go and help me see if there is any tender rabbit."

"Ah?" The subordinate's jaw almost dropped in shock.

No. Do all of you powerful and royal people have such strong tastes?

He subconsciously clenched his hips.

Zhu Gui said impatiently, "What? Can you find it? If you can't, get out of here."

The subordinate said quickly: "Yes, yes, yes, don't worry, I will find it for you right away."

As he said this, he crawled off to look for his target, fearing that if he arrived too late he would be killed.

Zhu Yuanzhang's concerns were very prescient, and the Shenjinying did show weakness at the critical moment.

Many old people, children, women and children were intentionally kept away.

After all, they have been enlightened by new ideas and have personally experienced the support of the people and the army with new ideas in the disaster-stricken areas in the south.

Attacking the defenseless old and young is a huge test of their moral bottom line.

If it is an enemy, they can convince themselves to do it.

But this is an internal conflict, and since they are descendants of saints, they cannot convince themselves.

Zhu Gui and his group of personal soldiers didn't have so many concerns. They just killed them all.

The elderly, the weak, women and children? It is safer to kill them without worrying about being killed in return.

After the saint? Killing is more rewarding.

In the future, when I brag to others, I will start by saying that killing the saint is as easy as killing a chicken.

Tsk, don’t even mention that feeling, it makes me feel good just thinking about it.

In the end, all 483 members of the Kong family in Qufu were killed, leaving no one alive.

The people of Qufu had long been blocked off and unable to get close to the Kong family.

But they are the group that pays the most attention to this matter, and countless people come around every day to inquire about the situation.

They naturally knew that the imperial court had sent troops to surround the Confucius Mansion.

Even more people are asking about it.

When the gunshots rang out, even the slowest-witted people knew what was happening.

The cheers could be heard from miles away.

The people rushed to tell each other and shared the news with more people.

Soon the whole Qufu knew about this.

The dark clouds that had hung over the people of Qufu for thousands of years were finally blown away.

Some people beat drums and gongs, some set off fireworks and firecrackers, some sang and danced, and some visited the graves to pay tribute to the dead.

In the imperial palace, Chen Jingke felt extremely heavy as he looked at the memorials submitted by Zhu Gui and Wang Zheng.

It was not for the Kong family, but for the more than 20,000 scholars.

That’s more than 20,000 people.

The key is to deal with the aftermath. It is not the end of the matter just by killing the person. The more than 20,000 families behind him will also be implicated.

As expected, after reading the memorial, Zhu immediately made arrangements for the matter:
"All the families of these 20,000 people were relocated from their homeland, some were settled elsewhere in the country, and some were relocated to various vassal states."

Chen Jingke nodded silently. This was actually the best way.

Behind most scholars, there is a good family.

Locally, the family tends to have a pervasive influence.

The neighbors in the surrounding villages were all influenced by this family, and that is how the gentry class came into being.

If this family had any grievances against the court, it would be easy for them to secretly create obstacles and obstruct the implementation of the new law.

And they can do it without leaving any handle.

Even if this family is finally caught and punished, it will only be a waste of the court's time.

If they are moved away from their native place to a completely unfamiliar place, they will no longer be able to exert influence on the surrounding areas.

Instead, they have to find ways to please local officials and actively integrate into the local community.

These more than 20,000 households are neither too many nor too few.

But for the Ming Dynasty, relocating them was just a matter of words.

The Ming Dynasty was all too familiar with the issue of population migration.

From the initial purpose of breaking up clans to the subsequent establishment of feudal states, population adjustments have never stopped.

Officials from top to bottom all know clearly how to migrate the population safely, effectively and quickly.

What's more, those dozen or so vassal states are all looking forward to population.

As long as the imperial court gives the order, they can absorb these people in seconds.

Therefore, relocating the families behind those more than 20,000 people is actually the easiest thing to do.

What is really troublesome is the reaction of people all over the world.

Thinking of this, Chen Jingke sighed, "I'm afraid the world will be in chaos for some time."

Zhu Xiongying said nonchalantly: "The chaos is only caused by scholars, and it will not affect the common people."

"If the people don't cause chaos, the damage will be minimal."

Old Zhu said disdainfully: "More than 20,000 people were slaughtered, and not a single one resisted. This is what happened to those scholars."

"Even if they cause chaos, how big a storm can they stir up?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said nothing more.

He knew that what the two said made sense, and that this incident actually had the smallest impact on the people.

As long as the people don't move, even if the people above have stupid brains, it can be controlled.

Compared with the foreseeable riots, he thought it would be better to pay more attention to Zhu Gui.

This guy is really a beast, he must be chained up.
-
When the news of what happened in Qufu spread, the whole world was in an uproar.

Countless scholars wailed and cried for it.

Various curses and insults also came pouring in.

"A dictator, a dictator..."

"The Mongols shot three arrows at the Confucius Temple, and the Yuan Dynasty fell within less than a hundred years."

"If you, Zhu Yuanzhang, dare to slaughter the saints, the Ming Dynasty will perish in the second...third generation."

An official died by hitting his head against the wall in front of Chengtian Gate.

Coincidentally, similar incidents were soon reported from all over the country, numbering as many as hundreds.

After reading the news, Chen Jingke felt much better.

The thousands of years of Chinese civilization have indeed produced many good-for-nothings, but there has never been a shortage of truly loyal people.

The motives of these people to die may seem stupid, but they are also a manifestation of loyalty.

I cannot protect the Tao in my heart, so I will die with it.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very disdainful of those who committed suicide and was furious in the court.

They demanded that the bodies of these people be left exposed in the wilderness and their families be exiled.

Chen Jingke complained in his heart, this has become path dependence, people are exiled at the slightest provocation.

Then he coughed dryly and winked at Zhu Xiongying.

Zhu Xiongying understood immediately and stepped forward to dissuade him: "...Grandpa Emperor, the behavior of these people is not acceptable.

"However, he was willing to die for the one he believed in, which shows that he was a loyal man."

"Our Great Ming is the orthodox rule of heaven and earth. If we punish them, it will chill the hearts of loyal and righteous people in the world."

"I think that instead of punishing them, they should be rewarded and their families should be allowed to give them a proper burial."

All the ministers were a little surprised. They didn't expect that the prince would come out to dissuade them and even say such words.

This... this... this is simply the second His Majesty (Zhu Biao).

The ministers seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

If there were a numerical bar, then these people's loyalty to Zhu Xiongying would directly increase by several dozen percentage points.

Old Zhu naturally knew Zhu Xiongying's intention of doing this, to win people's hearts.

Although he was very dissatisfied with the behavior of those people, he wanted to add more glory to his grandson, so he said:
"Since the prince has pleaded for mercy, we will not punish them."

"But forget about the reward, lest some people who seek fame and reputation use this to seek fame."

This matter has been revealed.

The ministers were even happier to see that he could really persuade Zhu Yuanzhang.

I hope that the prince will take power soon.

Chen Jingke sighed inwardly, these people.

There will be a time for them to cry.

However, he could also understand everyone's thoughts. Zhu's methods were too horrible. In comparison, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiongying seemed merciful.

But the matter was far from over, and Zhu Yuanzhang immediately issued an order:
"Neo-Confucianism is rebellious and unrighteous, and should be dismissed." The ministers were mentally prepared for this and did not react too much.

After all, after a series of previous blows, there were no longer any representatives of Neo-Confucianism in the court.

Other schools of thought naturally would not stand up for Neo-Confucianism.

Another point is that no one is surprised that this move was successful.

It will be difficult to overthrow Neo-Confucianism, at least in the short term.

It's very simple. Neo-Confucianism has been prevalent for so many years. Which scholar has not learned it?
Can you just stop it by saying so?

But you can do your thing and everyone can learn from others.

But then, Zhu's next order made the ministers unable to hold back any longer.

"From today on, the imperial examinations will not be allowed to answer questions based on Neo-Confucianism. Those who disobey will be abolished."

Someone immediately stood up to object: "Your Majesty, Neo-Confucianism has been popular for more than a hundred years and has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. How can it be easily dismissed?"

"If scholars are not allowed to answer questions based on Neo-Confucian thought, the imperial examinations may not be able to proceed."

Old Zhu was not angry, but suddenly realized and said:

"If you hadn't said it, we would have overlooked this point. It is indeed difficult to prevent scholars from answering questions based on the principles of science."

Instead of being happy about his willingness to accept advice, the ministers all had bad thoughts about him.

What Lao Zhu said next proved that their worries were not unnecessary:
"Then let's suspend the imperial examination. When the scholars have completely abandoned Neo-Confucianism, we can restart it."

"Ah?" The ministers were stunned.

then……

"Your Majesty, you must not do that, Your Majesty."

But it was of no use at all.

Old Zhu got mad on the spot: "I can't do it left or right. Do you think I'm a joke?"

"How can we change our words just because we say so?"

"That's it. The imperial examination will be suspended. Anyone who objects can go and kneel in front of Chengtian Gate. One more of you will not make a difference."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

The ministers were completely silent.

Go and kneel in front of Chengtian Gate?

Forget it. There are still more than a thousand people kneeling there every day. It has almost become a sight in Luoyang.

Countless people come to watch every day.

At first, the people were shocked and looked at them with admiration.

Those who were kneeling also felt very honored.

Gradually, the nature of the situation changed, and people looked at them like monkeys.

The number of people willing to kneel there is decreasing day by day. I guess no one will go there in a few days.

Moreover, for the ministers in the court, they did not kneel when the Kong family was executed before, so it is even more impossible for them to kneel now.

The suspension of the imperial examination became a foregone conclusion.

After the news came out, the scholars wailed again.

Many scholars could not bear the blow and chose to commit suicide.

Old Zhu completely disdained these people, and Zhu Xiongying did not express any opinion on this.

If there were any good points in those people who were buried alive with the Kong family before.

Then those people who committed suicide because they could not pass the imperial examination can be said to be worthless, and any more comment on them would be disrespectful to themselves.

Amid the wailing, a group of people were celebrating.

Those are the other schools of thought that were suppressed by Neo-Confucianism.

Now that Neo-Confucianism has been overthrown, isn’t this their chance?

Promote the knowledge, promote it quickly, and be sure to seize this hard-won opportunity.

In the past, the best way to spread knowledge was to travel around and recruit many disciples.

Then lobby the top management.

Now there is another way, a more convenient and effective way, that is newspapers.

As a result, more and more people started to establish relationships with Fang Xiaoru.

Every day, countless unfamiliar "old friends" come to visit and give generous gifts.

Fang Xiaoru sneered at this and said, "You guys are just overthinking it."

The announcement of these two policies, abolishing Neo-Confucianism and suspending the imperial examination system, also brought about an unexpected effect.

That is, fewer people pay attention to the affairs of the Kong family.

These two policies have hit the sore spot of current intellectuals.

Although the Kong family is important, the situation has already been determined, and the new policy concerns their vital interests.

Compared with his own interests, the Kong family is naturally nothing.

But for the imperial court, the affairs of the Kong family were not over.

After more than a thousand years of inheritance, Confucius' bloodline has long since spread and his descendants can be found all over the country.

Qufu is just the main vein recognized by the imperial court.

Zhu Yuanzhang's decree was to exterminate the entire clan, meaning that all descendants of Confucius had to be killed.

So, the next step was to search for the descendants of Confucius all over the country.

Of course, everyone knows this is unrealistic.

Just like the execution of nine clans and the extermination of three clans, in fact, those who were killed were all representative figures.

The others kept their identities secret and the court turned a blind eye to it.

In the short term, those who survived should stop considering themselves the descendants of someone.

The same thing happened when Confucius' entire family was exterminated.

The real meaning of Zhu Yuanzhang's clan extermination was to make the descendants of Confucius "disappear".

The main target is the main vein of Qufu, kill them all.

The descendants of Confucius who are scattered around the country should just live quietly in the future and stop asking for benefits under the banner of being descendants of the saint.

The so-called pursuit by the court was just a pretense.

In fact, even if the imperial court really wanted to execute the entire clan, it couldn't do it.

The main reason is that Confucius' lineage suffered many major disasters.

The written materials inherited by the family have been severely lost, and many branches can no longer be verified.

The most recent disaster was during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, when the main vein of Qufu was almost destroyed.

There is a widely circulated legend about this matter: The Rebellion of Confucius.

That is to say, there was a man named Kong Mo who pretended to be a direct descendant of the Kong family and killed all the descendants of the Kong family in Qufu.

Only one person named Kong Renyu escaped.

When he grew up, Kong Renyu avenged his family and revived the Kong family lineage in Qufu.

This legend was once believed to be true.

Until the epitaph of Kong Renyu was unearthed, it did not mention Kong Mo, but mentioned the Murong Rebellion.

That is to say, Murong Yanchao caused chaos in Yanzhou.

Only then did later generations know that the turmoil was suppressed by Murong Yanchao.

The Kongmo Rebellion is nothing but a fabricated story.

Murong Yanchao didn't care whether you were a descendant of a saint or not. He killed everyone in the Confucius Mansion, except for a young child who escaped.

Killing was not enough, he also burned the Confucius Mansion to ashes.

This includes the Kong family’s collection of books.

Without the family tree, it would be even more difficult to verify who are the descendants of Confucius.

People come with forged evidence and say that they are also descendants of Confucius, and that they have been passed down from such and such branch.

You, the Kong family in Qufu, have no way to confirm it.

This does not include the many people who changed their surnames midway.

In short, apart from the main branch of the Kong family, other branches are actually very difficult to verify.

Even if Old Zhu really wanted to kill the entire clan, he couldn't do it.

Again, the subsequent search across the world is just a pretense.

If the remaining descendants of Confucius give up their status as descendants of the saint and regard themselves as ordinary people, everything will be fine.

Moreover, clan extermination has another meaning.

From then on, there were no more holy descendants in the Ming Dynasty.

Old Zhu made this point clear to everyone without any concealment.

"Abolish the honorific title of Duke Yansheng, and abolish all hereditary titles and salaries obtained through the grace of ancestors."

"The Ming Dynasty does not reward people for their military achievements. This rule will never be broken."

The hereditary fiefdom and salary here do not refer to favors bestowed upon the children of the rich and powerful or high-ranking officials, but rather to favors similar to those bestowed upon the Yansheng Duke of Kong.

There is a limit on the number of children that high-ranking officials can bestow upon themselves, and the favor can only last for one generation.

Hereditary title and hereditary salary means a certain position is held by a certain family from generation to generation.

For example, Mencius' family, their hereditary fiefdom in the Song Dynasty was to be responsible for worshipping the dead.

The hereditary title bestowed upon Mencius' family in the Ming Dynasty was Doctor of the Five Classics in the Hanlin Academy, in charge of sacrificial affairs.

What Zhu Yuanzhang abolished now was this kind of favor.

From now on, there will be no more hereditary titles in the Ming Dynasty except for those based on military merit.

The military fully supported Zhu's order.

The hereditary fiefdom and salary system was abolished, which in disguise raised the value of military merit titles.

This is naturally the best news for military law.

This was originally a very big matter, involving Confucian etiquette and laws, and normally it would be opposed by civil officials.

However, the ministers, who had become numb to this decree, chose to remain silent.

The Kong family was slaughtered, and Duke Yansheng was nothing but a joke.

If Duke Yansheng could be deposed, it would be natural for other hereditary titles and salaries to be abolished as well.

Now everyone just hopes that the emperor will stop making trouble, and then... when will the prince take power?

No one knows when Zhu Xiongying came to power, but it is clear that Zhu's methods are not over yet.

Then, he took action against the Neo-Confucian officials in the imperial prison.

Liu Xiao, Zhao Shucai, Zuo Chuan and others were executed, their property was confiscated and their families were exterminated.

The genocide here does not mean the extermination of the entire clan, but the killing of direct relatives, without involving distant relatives.

The rest of the officials who were executed numbered more than 700.

However, the families of these people were not killed, but exiled to various vassal states.

Old Zhu is now worried about the population every day. He no longer kills people at will, but chooses to exile them.

The vassal states were looking forward to it anxiously, wishing that the imperial court would exile criminals every day.

As a result of this incident, more than 300,000 people were exiled.

Mainly the families of the more than 20,000 scholars, and secondly the families of the Neo-Confucian officials.

The princes were so happy that they wanted to fly over and take the person away.

But fortunately, this is also the last time Lao Zhu will make trouble this year.

After dealing with the Neo-Confucian officials, he did not take any major actions, but instead began to sort out the disrupted administrative system.

During this process, Zhu Xiongying appeared frequently and gradually took the lead in this work.

A large number of officials from the prince's family began to come to the fore and take over key positions.

The change was so obvious that everyone knew that the era of the prince was coming.

(End of this chapter)