Daming: I am the most powerful emperor grandson, please abdicate the throne

Chapter 716 That’s greed

Xungui has always been very courageous.

Especially those founding heroes who followed Lao Zhu in the war. Before they officially became rebels, a considerable number of them were bandits and bandits. They were finally subdued by Lao Zhu and gained their current merit and wealth.

Those old guys only know how to kill and plunder, and this is probably what they teach the younger generations.

Their children and nephews have inherited these bad traditions, and tax evasion and tax evasion are normal operations. Who knows if they have done other more unethical things behind the scenes.

These nobles had indeed meritorious service. They had made great contributions when the country was founded. It was not appropriate to do something to them, so Lao Zhu used the Lan Yu incident to kill many people.

It's not possible to kill now, and it's not convenient to kill.

Everyone is still alive and well.

Zhu Xuan said: "Master Jiang, what about you?"

"Chen... what's wrong with you?"

Jiang Zhiwen asked cautiously.

But when he heard these words, he felt unsure and a little guilty.

Zhu Xuan asked: "Did Mr. Jiang never do anything special?"

Jiang Zhiwen immediately shook his head and denied it, and said righteously: "Although I am afraid of death and can't achieve much, I am absolutely loyal to the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty and His Highness. I will not do or despise doing things such as colluding with Buddhism. ."

He can also express his fear of death in such an upright and upright way.

Zhu Xuan felt that this was also a talent.

"Are you sure you haven't done anything? I don't believe it."

"I know who those distinguished nobles are better than you. If you are not dragged into the water by them, will they be willing to let you go?"

"In other words, you really don't dare, but you won't do nothing."

"Grandpa Huang doesn't trust officials. In fact, I don't trust them too much either. Over the years, I've seen a lot of officials who do one thing on the surface but another behind the scenes."

"What do you think, Mr. Jiang?"

Zhu Xuan smiled and looked at the other party again.

Just make it clear, I don't believe you.

Those nobles who are domineering and arrogant in Fengyang must have support behind them. They must be colluding with local officials and opening up all the joints.

Jiang Zhiwen felt guilty, but firmly denied it: "Your Highness, I really don't have it. I am afraid of death and can't achieve anything. But I have always been loyal to my duties. I don't dare to do such a thing."

Zhu Xuan still didn't believe it. He thought for a while and said, "Yan Guan, Mr. Jiang said that he is innocent, but I don't believe that he is really innocent. How about you bring some brothers from Jin Yiwei to ask?"

"Okay!"

When Yan Guan heard this, he smiled faintly, the smile was a bit scary, and then waved his hand, and several guards in royal robes walked in.

Seeing Jin Yiwei coming, Jiang Zhiwen trembled all over.

If Jin Yiwei asked him, he would be worried that he would not even know how he died, so he knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I really don't have it. I am dedicated to the people, I..."

"Are you sure, not at all?"

Zhu Xuan questioned again.

No one has ever exposed Fengyang's affairs, so there must be officials helping to hide it behind the scenes.

If Jiang Zhiwen really hasn't done it, it's okay to scare him. If he has done it, scare him. The more scared people are, the easier it is to expose the problem, but those upright people who have really never done it will deny it outright. in the end.

Jiang Zhiwen didn't seem to be an upright person.

After listening to Zhu Xuan's words again, he was covered in cold sweat, and he was so panicked that he even tilted his hat. He said cautiously: "I...I have received some benefits."

"That's bribery!"

Zhu Xuan said.

As expected, there are no clean officials in places where this kind of thing happened.

"No...it doesn't count, does it?"

When Jiang Zhiwen heard this, his body trembled violently. Corruption and bribery in the Ming Dynasty was a very serious matter. They were stripped of their skins and made of grass every minute, and their families were made slaves and maids. Jiang Zhiwen kowtowed and said: "I...I don't think I took bribes, I just received a little benefit, I..."

Zhu Xuan interrupted: "Isn't it called bribery if you receive some benefits? Okay, don't quibble. I'll give you a chance to tell you who gave the benefits to you and who is the noble. , or some monk, etc., list them all and atone for your sins. Maybe I can ask Grandpa Huang to let you go, how about that?"

"Really...really?"

Jiang Zhiwen's eyes widened in disbelief, and then he felt pleasantly surprised, and kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. I... I'll go back and write now."

That's it, it seems like there's no need to die.

If you have done meritorious service, you should still be able to survive, right?
  If he had known this would be the case, Jiang Zhiwen was thinking, he should not have been treated like this young man, and he should not have complained to the nobles and the Buddhist temple.

But if he doesn't do this, he is worried that if Zhu Xuan is found out, he will die faster and more miserably, and his end will be even more terrible.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhiwen felt a chill all over.

"Okay, you go down!"

Zhu Xuan waved his hand and said: "Jiang Wei, find two people to follow Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Zhiwen left like this. Of course Yan Guan would arrange for someone to keep an eye on Jiang Zhiwen and not let him mess around.

"Your Highness, officials are really bad!"

Cen Hua said softly: "They dare to do anything."

Zhu Xuan smiled and said: "Not all are bad. For example, Xu Qi from Guangzhou is much more normal."

"Right!"

Cen Hua nodded.

"I finally understand why Grandpa Huang hates corrupt officials so much."

Zhu Xuan said helplessly: "I don't know how many such corrupt officials I will face in the future."

Mu Yuanjun said: "Your Highness did this for the people, and he actually did a good job."

"That's right!"

Zhu Xuan smiled slightly.

No matter how many corrupt officials they kill for the people, it is all worth it.

Zhu Xuan finished dinner with them and then went to choose a room to rest. The time for ancestor worship would be decided separately.

The etiquette required when worshiping ancestors, the items used to worship ancestors, and various sacrificial inscriptions, etc., all do not require him to have a headache. Lao Zhu arranged for several ministers from the Ministry of Etiquette to follow him. These ministers know these things better than anyone else.

-

The next day.

morning.

Zhu Xuan had just gotten up not long ago and was about to go to Fengyang for a walk to see the local customs and customs, and then asked the minister of the Ministry of Rites to prepare the ancestor worship ceremony. He could just participate in it when the time came.

But before going out, Tang Fu came.

"Your Majesty, Tang Fu, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Imperial Grandson!"

Tang Fu bowed and bowed.

Zhu Xuan said: "Gong Xinguo, please rise!"

However, when he saw Tang Fu's state at this time, something didn't seem right.

Pale and thin, Tang Fu is not very old, but has gray hair, like an old man, who seems to be aging very quickly.

"What's wrong with Duke Xin's body?"

Zhu Xuan asked: "Have you not recovered from your last illness?"

Hearing that Zhu Xuan still remembered his illness, Tang Fu was so grateful that he bowed and said: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, I am fine! It's just that after that illness, my health became worse and worse day by day, and I didn't even know it." How long do you have to live? Yesterday I heard that His Highness was here, so I wanted to go and greet him, but my body didn’t support me!"

(End of this chapter)