Looking at the thick stack of memorials piled before him, more than a hundred in total, even Zhu Yuanzhang, who was known for his diligence, couldn't help but frown. He muttered to himself with some displeasure, "Bloody hell, there's so much?"
However, the affairs of the court were always complex, and Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to delegate power, so he naturally had a lot to handle every day.
Although there were significantly more memorials today, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't think much of it. After nodding, he picked up a memorial and began to review it.
The contents of this memorial were not good news. It reported a severe flood situation in the Zhejiang region. Half a month's worth of rain had caused many dikes and farmlands to be washed away.
The Governor of Zhejiang requested that the imperial court make early preparations. If several prefectures in Zhejiang were to have a complete crop failure this year, the court would need to allocate a large amount of money and grain for relief, otherwise, there was a risk of widespread civil unrest.
Throughout history, all dynasties had seen turmoil begin with the common people. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been a monk, understood this very well.
After all, it was from such a time that he had risen successfully and eventually become the founding emperor.
Therefore, he took this memorial very seriously and carefully wrote his comments.
After dealing with this memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang reached for the second one to review.
The contents of this memorial were, again, not good news.
The Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu reported that the remnants of the Mongols were unusually active this year and hoped the imperial court would prepare soldiers, money, and grain in advance.
Upon seeing this memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang's brows furrowed tightly, and he murmured, "The Mongols I had previously crippled have finally recovered their strength after twenty years of recuperation and are beginning to become restless. If that's the case, we must be on guard."
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang again commented on this memorial and, like the previous one, set it aside.
However, these two memorials had already begun to cast a shadow over Zhu Yuanzhang's mood.
Next, Zhu Yuanzhang reached for the third memorial. Upon unfolding it for review, he found that its contents were still not good news.
The Governor of Shandong impeached the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shandong for corruption and lawbreaking, using extremely harsh words.
And the next memorial, the fourth one, was the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shandong impeaching the Governor of Shandong.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's brows furrowed deeply, and his expression revealed a hint of helplessness. He felt that none of the officials in the court could be counted on.
Finally, suppressing his anger, Zhu Yuanzhang finished reviewing the fourth memorial at a very fast pace and set it aside, hoping to find some good news in the subsequent ones.
However, the fifth memorial was still not good news; it reported a rebellion in his hometown.
The sixth memorial was also bad news: the Prefect of Hangzhou had personally embezzled one million taels of silver...
The seventh memorial was still not good news...
Zhu Yuanzhang had reviewed more than a dozen memorials consecutively, and not a single one contained good news. He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, feeling that the empire was unsettled, the officials were incompetent, and he himself was willing but powerless.
Zhu Yuanzhang was unaware that all these bad news items had been deliberately placed together by Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who had instructed the Directorate of Ceremonial to do so. His intention was to inflame Zhu Yuanzhang's rage and cause him to lose his usual reason and judgment.
Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was on the verge of exploding with anger, the Grand Eunuch Huang Minghao secretly signaled to a young eunuch in the distance.
Upon receiving Huang Minghao's hint, the young eunuch quickly and stealthily left the imperial study through a side door.
Not long after, this young eunuch returned to the imperial study and reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Your Majesty, Mao Yifan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, requests an audience, stating he has important matters to report to Your Majesty."
Upon hearing the young eunuch's report, Zhu Yuanzhang remained buried in his memorials, his voice sounding impatient and curt, "Let him in. What matter is so urgent that it disturbs me at this late hour..."
Soon, granted permission, Mao Yifan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, entered the imperial study and kowtowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Your Majesty, in recent times, the Imperial Guard has discovered that the criticism of the court among scholars is becoming increasingly severe. Many learned individuals have lost their reverence for the court.
"Even some have written many rebellious poems and essays satirizing the court with malicious words, some even directly alluding to..."
Hearing Mao Yifan's hesitant words, Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and asked with a frown, "Alluding to what? Speak clearly, don't be so hesitant..."
Mao Yifan lowered his head and said, "Even Your Majesty has been subjected to the wanton ridicule of these scholars..."
As Mao Yifan's words fell, a sensitive chord was struck in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart. He swept all the memorials off the table with a single motion.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face contorted, and he roared, "These scholars are truly audacious!"
Mao Yifan trembled and immediately prostrated himself before Zhu Yuanzhang, not daring to raise his head. He continued to report, "Furthermore, after secret investigation, the Imperial Guard has discovered that this trend among scholars originates from the censors of the court..."
"It is precisely because the censors have been criticizing the court with impunity that they have fueled this negative trend among the common scholars..."
"Especially Yang Xian of the Central Secretariat, whose poems satirizing the court and criticizing Your Majesty have already circulated widely, causing severe repercussions..."
"I have heard that recently the officials have been discussing Yang Xian's use of his power to form factions and engage in private dealings..."
"Therefore, I believe it is best to inform Your Majesty of this matter in a timely manner."
After speaking, Mao Yifan took out a poetry collection from his懷 and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang took it and saw that the cover of the poetry collection bore the words "Qing Zhu Wan Shi Shi Ji" (Green Bamboo Stubborn Stone Poetry Collection) in large characters.
"Green Bamboo Stubborn Stone? It seems this poetry collection is indeed Yang Xian's," he murmured.
As he muttered, Zhu Yuanzhang opened the poetry collection and began to read it carefully.
In this poetry collection, many lines had been specifically marked with red ink by the Imperial Guard.
As if fearing Zhu Yuanzhang might not understand, there were many annotations next to the poems.
Seeing these red-marked verses and combining them with the surrounding annotations, Zhu Yuanzhang savored them and quickly understood the deeper meanings of the poems.
The next moment, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, and his body began to tremble slightly, as if he were filled with extreme rage but was forcibly suppressing it.
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly raised his head and spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.
"Once, a person kindly raised a stray wild dog, feeding it daily and giving it a place to live..."
"As a result, when the dog grew up, it bit its master. Later, the dog's owner dismembered the disloyal dog, skinned it alive, and killed it."
"I am the same. I sharpened a knife for twenty years, but this knife became too sharp. While slaughtering prey, it also cut my finger."
"Since that is the case, this disobedient knife has reached the point where it must be destroyed."
"The scholars in this world have been indulging themselves for too long and have long lost their reverence for the court. The 'pure stream' officials even take pride in criticizing the court and me."
"Very well, seizing this opportunity, it is time to properly discipline them!"
The next morning, as soon as the court session began, before Zhu Yuanzhang could even speak, an official impatiently stepped forward to impeach Yang Xian.
"Your Majesty, this old minister impeaches Yang Xian, the Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat!"
Qian Zhengzong, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward quickly, his expression filled with righteous indignation. After bowing, he declared loudly.
Seeing Qian Zhengzong's indignant demeanor, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Yang Xian from the corner of his eye, nodded slightly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Minister Qian wishes to impeach Yang Xian? What exactly do you accuse him of?"
Qian Zhengzong glared hatefully at Yang Xian, as if they had a deep-seated animosity.
It was widely known among the court officials that Qian Zhengzong was a supporter of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
For Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Yang Xian's actions in the past few days had crossed his psychological bottom line.
Therefore, after finally uncovering evidence of Yang Xian's crimes in recent days, Crown Prince Zhu Biao immediately dispatched his confidant to impeach Yang Xian at the morning court today.
...
Qian Zhengzong, with a righteous and stern demeanor, stated, "Your Majesty, I have discovered a crime committed by Yang Xian, and therefore I come forward to report it."
"During his tenure as Prefect of Yangzhou, Yang Xian disregarded imperial decrees. Not only did he falsify Yangzhou's tax revenue, but he also collected numerous exorbitant taxes and levies to bolster his own achievements."
"Shamelessly, while ostentatiously publicizing the large amount of taxes collected in his prefecture, he reported to the court requesting praise, as if afraid the world would not know!"
"Such behavior not only corrupts the official atmosphere and disrespects imperial decrees but also brings shame upon the entire court!"
"Your Majesty, Yang Xian has not only committed the crime of falsifying his achievements but has also committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign."
"His actions have aroused public indignation. I implore Your Majesty to dismiss him from his official post and punish him severely!"
As Qian Zhengzong finished speaking, many officials from the "Crown Prince's faction" also began to stir, preparing to join Qian Zhengzong in impeaching Yang Xian.
At the same time, Crown Prince Zhu Biao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble son also wishes to impeach Yang Xian."
Meanwhile!!
Although Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and others had already obtained evidence sufficient to send Yang Xian to his death, seeing that someone had preemptively targeted Yang Xian, they were happy to watch the show.
Yang Xian heard this, glanced at the Crown Prince's faction, snorted coldly, and then stepped forward, his expression stern as he declared, "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Qian Zhengzong!"
(The new book is continuously updated. Please collect, vote for recommendations, forward, and subscribe. Support the genuine work, come to Zongheng Chinese Network, and help out with more support. Thank you, friends. Your support is my motivation!)