gnovel Chapter 8: The Four Major Cases of the Hongwu Era, Guan Quan's Defenses Are Broken
Chapter 8: The Four Major Cases of the Hongwu Era, Guan Quan's Defenses Are Broken
Liu Yan's voice continued to echo from above the sky.
"The second time was in the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, when the three main halls of Fengtian, Huagai, and Jinshen in the central corridor were all struck by lightning and caught fire."
"The third time was when the Qing army stationed Eight Banner troops in front of the Meridian Gate and dismantled the palace materials."
"The last time was the war when the Taiping Army captured Nanjing and the Xiang Army attacked Tianjing."
As she spoke, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun on a stroll through the area, feeling the gentle spring breeze of six hundred years ago.
"After being severely damaged four times, the Nanjing Imperial Palace was in a state of utter devastation, with the city walls reduced to earth."
"The once majestic Phoenix Palace is now nothing but crumbling walls and broken ruins; the once winding Jade River has also turned into a desolate ditch and abandoned banks."
Inside the Hongwu court, all the officials remained silent, and Zhu Yuanzhang's face visibly turned red.
"Our palace! How come all that's left are these ruins?"
"What the hell was that Qing army? And where did the Taiping army and the Xiang army come from?"
In the sky above, Liu Yan and Xu Miaoyun had already climbed the city wall to look out into the distance.
Liu Yan leaned against the wall and looked at the live broadcast room as she spoke.
"Our Emperor Hongwu can be considered the most legitimate emperor to have ascended the throne in China's thousand-year history."
As soon as Liu Yan finished speaking, Li Shimin immediately spoke up within the Tang Dynasty.
"Nonsense! Where does Tianmu's statement place me?"
"My eldest and fourth brothers died from iron poisoning. My father neglected state affairs, spent his days indulging in opera, and stayed in the inner palace."
"At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, surrounded by powerful warlords, I had no choice but to take the throne from my father. Looking across the land, which emperor's ascension to the throne was more legitimate than mine?"
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: ...........
"Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar and a monk in his life. He rose from a poor cowherd to sweep away all the heroes in the chaotic world and become the emperor."
As the voice faded, Aisin-Gioro Xuanye, his face covered in pockmarks, looked at the voice coming from the sky above and smiled disdainfully.
"Although Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country from humble beginnings and his rule surpassed that of the Tang and Song dynasties, my Great Qing Dynasty is far superior to the Great Ming Dynasty."
A gentle breeze blew across the city wall. Liu Yan had specially changed into a Ming-style round-necked robe today, and in the swaying breeze, he looked like an immortal.
"Among all the emperors in Chinese history, Emperor Hongwu came from the humblest background. He rose from nothing, started from scratch, overthrew the tyrannical Yuan dynasty, and restored the world to the Han people."
"At the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, there was starvation everywhere, and people even exchanged their own children to eat. Zhu Yuanzhang, with the strategy of his strategist Zhu Sheng, adopted the nine-character policy of building high walls, storing up grain, and delaying the declaration of kingship. He bided his time and accumulated strength, and in just fifteen years, he pacified the chaotic world and seized the throne."
"It also achieved the only truly meaningful unification of the world from south to north in the history of China."
"Not only that, he also subdued the Han people and recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, which had been lost for more than four hundred years since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He drove out the barbarians, restored China, and once again allowed the Han people to firmly hold onto the land of China."
"Zhu Yuanzhang rose from humble beginnings to become emperor, conquering Youyun. He truly deserves the title of one of the greatest emperors of all time."
Within the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng nodded upon hearing the voice coming from the sky.
During the Hongwu reign, a hint of joy finally appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.
"If we had even a bite to eat back then, things wouldn't be like this. So I'm determined to make sure that everyone under my rule has enough to eat and that the tragedy of my childhood never happens again."
"After unifying the country, Zhu Yuanzhang did not indulge in pleasure. Instead, he immediately devoted himself to the construction of the country. He was strict with himself and his officials as well."
"However, the historical records have a polarized view of this emperor who restored the Han dynasty's legitimacy."
"Some say he was the greatest tyrant in history. In the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign, the Hu Weiyong case broke out. Hu Weiyong, who was then the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, was executed on charges of abusing his power, treason, colluding with Japanese pirates, and colluding with the Northern Yuan. His entire family was also exterminated. This case had a wide-ranging impact, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people."
"Taking this opportunity, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister system that had been in place for thousands of years."
As the sound of the sky curtain fell, a muffled thud came from the ranks of Hongwu's court officials!
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw Hu Weiyong, the current Vice Minister of the Secretariat, slumped on the ground, his face ashen.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! Your judgment is wise! I dare not!"
At this moment, Hu Weiyong felt as if the sky had fallen. Not long ago, he had shone brightly in the Yang Xian case, and now the Huaixi Group was dominating the central government of the Ming Dynasty.
As for Hu Weiyong, who was valued by Li Shanchang, it was only a matter of time before he became prime minister.
He should have been riding high, but upon hearing that he had only eight years to live and that his entire family would be exterminated, fear instantly overwhelmed him.
For a moment, the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty looked at Hu Weiyong with a more indescribable expression.
Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly.
"What is said on the celestial canopy is all about the future! It is still possible to correct one's mistakes now; to turn back from a wrong path is of utmost importance."
Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong immediately kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will be dutiful and law-abiding in the future, and will never allow what Tianmu said to become a reality."
"The Empty Seal Case broke out in the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, implicating tens of thousands of people."
"In the eighteenth year of Hongwu, the Guo Huan case broke out. Guo Huan, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, colluded with local officials to embezzle huge amounts of taxes and grain and exploit the people. Almost all of the six ministries of the court were killed, and a large number of local officials and wealthy families in Jiangnan were exterminated. The entire Jiangnan gentry and landlords were severely weakened."
The officials of the Hongwu Dynasty, who had been watching Hu Weiyong make a fool of himself, all changed their expressions drastically at this moment.
I never expected that I would end up getting caught up in this whole thing.
In an instant, the officials from all six ministries knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy; the people he hated most in his life were corrupt officials.
"We're giving you one chance. Clean up your messes after court today. If we find out again later, don't blame us for taking action!"
Upon hearing the voice, the officials in the court immediately kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your great favor!"
At this moment, all the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty felt like they wanted to die. They came to court for a proper meeting, but this was more exciting than riding a roller coaster!
"Finally, there was the Lan Yu case in the 26th year of the Hongwu reign, in which the founding military group of the Ming Dynasty was almost wiped out."
"The four major cases during the Hongwu reign involved hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom deserved their punishment, while others were innocent victims."
Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun's face showed a hint of nervousness. After all, his father was still in the Hongwu Dynasty. Liu Yan, who was standing next to him, seemed to have seen through Xu Miaoyun's thoughts, so he smiled and rubbed his head.
"Rest assured, my father-in-law passed away in the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign. He died of a carbuncle on his back. He was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Zhongshan, the posthumous name of Wuning, and was buried in Zhongshan. He was also enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and his descendants inherited the title."
"My father-in-law was one of the very few people in the early Ming Dynasty who died peacefully and was posthumously honored, and his family was prominent for generations. He was a founding father."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Xu Da.
The phrase "to be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple" represents the highest honor a subject can receive!
Xu Da was at a loss for whether to cry or laugh.
Although he was in his prime, after listening to Liu Yan's words, his back inexplicably started to ache.
Just then, Liu Yan leaned closer to the live stream and said with a smile.
"In short, you have to be very careful when you're an official in the Hongwu era, or you might end up with your entire family wiped out in a game of Candy Crush."
As soon as the words fell, Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, and the officials behind him were all in mourning, with only one question on their minds: Is it too late to resign now?