Chapter 77: To punish past mistakes and prevent future ones, and to bear the blame of the country

Xu Jie had already realized that something was wrong by this time.

In his expectation, this edict should be some mild reprimand, at most a minor punishment, and then the matter would be put to rest.

But now Hai Rui suddenly turned against him and arrested a Right Censor-in-Chief. Things... probably didn't develop in the direction he expected.

Xu Jie's silence only earned him the eunuch Wei Chao's urging: "Master Xu, it's time to receive the imperial edict."

The former looked up at Hai Rui, then turned back to look at the box containing the imperial edict in the eunuch's hand.

He nodded silently and knelt down to listen to the order.

Eunuch Wei Chao rolled up his sleeves and gently held out the imperial edict.

Hai Rui and Gu Chengguang in the hall bowed and listened.

"Here is a former university scholar, upright, clear-minded, austere, and generous in recording events."

"He risked his life to serve the emperor, supported the emperor in the temple, eradicated evil, restored the emperor's power and brought peace to the world."

"The prime minister was a brilliant and capable man, he made decisions for the imperial court, assisted the government and supported the times, and he put an end to corruption among officials and brought order to the country."

"And then to untie the ribbon."

"Early on, he was known as a virtuous man, and in his later years, he was known as a righteous man, and in his hometown."

"With a steadfast integrity, he threw himself into the muddy current, uncovered the corruption of the bureaucracy, and laid before the Holy Lord his incisive crimes."

"His lofty character and high aspirations are as high as the blue sky, and his name is as bright as the Huai River."

"Therefore, we should not avoid appointments because of suspicion, and we should appoint good officials to important positions. We should increase the rank of former Grand Secretary, Right Censor-in-Chief, and Governor of Fengyang, Yingtian and other fourteen prefectures."

"Based on the evidence given by Jie, we can find the clues."

"Handling eleven cases, including the case of Xu Fan's murder and treason in Nanzhili, the case of the canal boat capsizing, the case of Shilin's false broadcast of the edict, the case of inciting ignorance in Taizhou, the case of Huai'an insulting the imperial envoy... and so on."

"Because of his old age, he is allowed to coordinate the affairs in the middle, and Hai Rui, the Chief Censor, will take over the official seals and seals to assist him."

"I have a message for you: there are people in this world who have a dignified heart that cannot be taken away. I encourage you to do the same."

……

At midnight, the imperial envoys boarded a large ship and headed for Yingtian Prefecture.

It was already afternoon and Nanzhili was in sight.

Xu Jie stood alone on the deck, holding the imperial edict quietly and examining it carefully.

Since receiving the imperial edict, Xu Jie has been sleepless all night, and has been reciting the few lines of the imperial edict over and over again in his mind.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "It has just rained, and the weather is getting colder. Master Xu might as well go back to your room."

Xu Jie knew it was Hai Rui who came without turning around.

He said, "Who are we going to deal with in Yingtian Prefecture?"

The emperor gave him an empty title, but let Hai Rui hold the seal instead, just to let him be a spectator and watch what the emperor called "the world's awe-inspiring heart that cannot be taken away from it."

Of course, as a whistleblower and now the nominal investigator, he is bound to receive a lot of hatred.

As for his plan to use this identity to stir up trouble... the eunuch Wei Chao who came with him clearly held the imperial edict of his dismissal in his hand, ready to get rid of him at any time.

Hai Rui walked up to Xu Jie and explained, "Let's go to the residences of Xu Bangrui, Duke of Wei, and Sun Shizhong, Marquis of Huaining, first."

"These two are involved in the unusual movements of Huai'an Guard Pavilion, Feixiong Guard, and Huben Right Guard."

Xu Jie nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He turned to look at Hai Rui and asked another question: "Xu Fan must be put to death for murder and treason?"

Xu Fan is Xu Jie's eldest son. Now that the emperor has demonstrated his unyielding determination, it is time for him to take away Xu's determination.

Give him a nominal position and ask him to supervise the major case he reported, so as to destroy the foundation of his party in the village.

Supervising the case of treason committed by his own son forced Xu Jie to destroy the family he valued most with his own hands.

In order to prevent him from committing suicide, he even promised that after the case was solved, he would use his merits to pardon his other two sons.

Hai Rui shook his head: "Xu Fan ordered the officials to kill innocent people. He was caught by the Jinyiwei. The Northern Pacification Office has already convicted him. It's just waiting for Master Xu to kill his own relatives for the sake of justice."

Xu Jie sighed with sadness on his face.

He still doesn't know why the emperor can show such a victorious attitude.

He even had time to turn around and kill him.

He exposed more than just the people in Nanzhili.

From the Empress Dowager in the Forbidden City to the chief minister and other ministers of the cabinet, the six ministries, various temples and departments, meritorious officials, and provincial governors, almost no one was left out.

It is impossible for the emperor to bring all the cases to justice, so there must be some cover-up, otherwise the court would be empty.

But if he protects his confidant and acts as if he is unforgiving to the outside world, not to mention what unrelated people will think, what will the people of Nanzhili think?
If this is true, as long as the few people who know about it spread the news, it would be a naked target and humiliation in the eyes of Nanzhili!

What is worrying is not the scarcity of wealth but the inequality. Not only the officials, but also the scholars, gentry and common people will be filled with righteous indignation and rise up to make a fuss.

If it is manipulated by someone with ulterior motives, it will immediately turn into a catastrophic disaster.

Nanzhili is the place where taxes are generated in the world. Isn’t the central government afraid of causing unrest here?

He had been thinking hard all night, but still couldn't figure out what the emperor could do to be so confident.

After Hai Rui said this, he was speechless for a moment.

“It’s not like there’s no room for that.”

A slightly sharp voice sounded.

They both turned around to look.

The eunuch Wei Chao, who was in charge of delivering the imperial edict, slowly approached.

He met Xu Jie's eyes that were full of hope, and couldn't help but explain: "Master Xu, don't worry too much. His Majesty doesn't need you to do anything. You just need to watch the whole process."

After hearing this, Xu Jie's heart just started to feel hopeful, but in the blink of an eye it sank to the bottom again.

If the emperor used his son to control him, it only meant that the emperor still needed him to break the impasse, and there was room for him to maneuver.

But the emperor really didn't seem to need him to do anything, and he lost the opportunity to negotiate terms.

Wei Chao looked at Xu Jie with a trace of pity in his eyes, and said, "Master Xu, your majesty has spoken."

"The principal offender and the accomplice were determined based on the confessions of Xu Fan and Xu Kun. Master Xu can also make his own decision."

The emperor said that the principal offender should be sentenced to death, but the accomplice could be spared.

As for who is the main culprit...the decision is now given to Xu Jie.

When Xu Jie heard this, his expression suddenly changed.

He pointed at Wei Chao, his whole arm shaking uncontrollably.

Xu Jie opened and closed his mouth with a trembling voice, and said in a dry and horrified voice: "Vicious and cruel! Not like a monarch!"

"Even if Sejong wasn't so vicious, aren't you afraid that it will be recorded in history?"

There is no room for him here.

This was to let him choose one of his sons to kill, because he knew that he loved the intelligent eldest son, so he did it deliberately!

How can there be such a monarch!

To be so cruel to someone's heart, he is a tyrant! A dictator!
Wei Chao shook his head and said seriously, "Your Majesty knows that Master Xu values ​​his family and friends, so he gave Master Xu some leeway. Why are you still speaking so rudely?"

His tone turned cold and he asked, "Does Master Xu want to sentence the accomplices to death as well?"

Xu Jie felt a chill and stammered for a long time, not daring to answer.

Wei Chao snorted coldly and ignored him.

Xu Jie turned to look at Hai Rui and said in a hoarse voice, "Is the emperor hiding the illegal activities of the central government and only daring to investigate the people of Nanzhili?"

"Isn't he afraid of causing a backlash from all over Nanzhili by doing this?!"

Such actions are clearly partisan action, and there is no momentum for reform and innovation.

Once this was done, the emperor was personally cultivating the soil for his local party.

For at least several decades, Southern Zhili will not be at peace!
Just to vent your anger, you ignore the overall situation! ?
Facing Xu Jie's questioning, Hai Rui finally spoke up: "Master Xu, you are worrying too much. Most of the cases involving the Central Government have been closed. Your Majesty, there is no shielding at all."

"Similarly, Your Majesty will treat Nanzhili equally."

Xu Jie was stunned.

Then he smiled and said, "It hasn't been long since then, and there are so many people involved, but the case has been closed..."

Having said that, he suddenly reacted.

Xu Jie suddenly realized, but couldn't believe it and said, "Zhang Juzheng! Zhang Juzheng is right!"

"The emperor let the cabinet take the blame, forced all those involved in the case to plead guilty, and then showed mercy in the name of amnesty! Right!"

"My good student trusts the emperor to this extent?"

Hai Rui disdained lying, but it was impossible to close the case so quickly. Only his speculation could explain the contradiction.

He had never thought of this before because, based on his experience in running the cabinet, he knew that the cabinet would not go to this extent just because of the emperor's momentary impulse.

Xu Jie stared at Hai Rui, trying to see the answer from his eyes.

Hai Rui looked back at Xu Jie, with a look of emotion and admiration: "Your Majesty said, to bear the disgrace of the country is to be the master of the country; to bear the misfortune of the country is to be the king of the world."

He paused, and said to Xu Jie meaningfully: "Master Xu, do you understand?"

Xu Jie's face froze. At this moment he seemed to understand something, but it was like seeing flowers in the fog.

He racked his brains, trying to figure it out, but to no avail.

Wei Chao at the side interrupted and said, "There were too many people in Huai'an Prefecture yesterday to speak out, but now I can tell Master Xu."

Xu Jie looked at him.

Wei Chao's face was full of pride as he said, "On New Year's Eve, the father-in-law, Li Wei, was grateful for your majesty's kindness and took the initiative to surrender himself to the Metropolitan Procuratorate and returned 210,000 taels of dirty silver."

Xu Jie raised his head after hearing this, thought about it and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing more than pardoning and secretly returning the silver. You can't fool the world."

If it is just this extent, then it is really underestimating the smart people in the world.

This kind of deceptive behavior only adds fuel to the fire.

We can't really bring the father-in-law to justice, otherwise the emperor would probably have a falling out with the empress dowager.

Wei Chao shook his head, and said in a tone that a summer insect cannot talk about ice: "Master Xu is just a mean person. The dirty silver of the father-in-law will be used as the military pay for Guangdong and Guangxi this year."

"At the same time, when the Censorate was examining the case, it discovered that the Empress Dowager Cisheng was also involved, having received 12,000 taels of dirty silver from the father-in-law of the emperor."

Xu Jie was shocked.

The case was handled as a minor one, how could it be possible to trace it back to the Empress Dowager? What does this mean!?

Wei Chao glanced at him and continued, "The three judicial officials have followed the law and reported the Eight Opinions to His Majesty. The cabinet has drafted a bill and requested His Majesty to pardon me."

"The emperor did not agree, but only reduced the crime by one level according to the precedent of the 'Eight Proposals', thus sparing the father-in-law Li Wei from exile and punishing him with 100 strokes of the cane."

"The Empress Dowager Cisheng shall be punished with forty strokes of the cane. Your Majesty shall be punished on behalf of your mother..."

"In the Fengtian Hall, the emperor received thirty-seven strokes of the cane in his imperial robes, and three of them were personally caned by the benevolent and holy Empress Dowager."

After hearing this, Xu Jie finally understood what the emperor was going to do!
Magnification, this is the essence of magnification!

He couldn't help but lose his concentration and muttered, "Did the cabinet feel grateful for His Majesty's virtue and voluntarily surrender?"

Wei Chao looked at him in surprise and nodded, "Yes, the cabinet chief minister Zhang Juzheng, feeling grateful for the emperor's benevolence and filial piety, took the initiative to return the 81,000 taels of ice and charcoal he had received over the years."

"According to Volume 23 of the Great Ming Law, Article 11, if a person accepts bribes of more than 120 strings of cash and does not violate the law, he shall be caned 100 times and exiled 3,000 miles."

"The three judicial officials once again asked His Majesty for the 'Eight Deliberations', and His Majesty decided to spare him from exile and to punish him with 100 strokes of the cane."

"The Prime Minister personally received the cane outside the Meridian Gate."

"Dirty silver was used to exempt the nine-gate tax in the capital in the first year of Wanli."

"Zhang Juzheng petitioned for retirement, but Your Majesty kept it in your palace and did not issue it. On the same day, Gao Yi, the second assistant of the cabinet, surrendered himself and said that he had accepted 11 coppers and 7 eggs from his neighbors, and was punished with 20 strokes of the cane."

"Assistants Lü Diaoyang and Yang Bo followed closely behind."

At this point, Xu Jie finally understood what the emperor was going to do.

Even Xu Jie couldn't help but feel like he was looking up to a mountain.

This is the master of magnification!

He just tried his best to involve all the important people so that the emperor would be afraid to act rashly.

But the emperor actually dragged everyone into this!

When he heard that Gao Yi accepted seven eggs as a bribe, he understood the follow-up of this move.

What Xu Jie wanted was to survive from death.

What the emperor wants is to destroy before to build!

Wei Chao continued to tell him what happened in the central government: "The next day, the six ministries and nine officials, as well as the officials of the Dali Temple, the Taichang Temple, and the Guanglu Temple, all surrendered."

"Each of them shall return the stolen goods and be caned outside the Meridian Gate."

"Minister of Punishment Wang Zhigao, who shielded his own son from murder, has petitioned to retire, and the old case will be retried by the three judicial departments."

"Afterwards, the superiors started to expose the corruption case from top to bottom, and all the officials were involved in it."

"On the same day, Li, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, was in the court, reporting the achievements of the Northern Zhili Examination for the past quarter, among whom there were countless corrupt officials."

"Nearly 90% of officials in Northern Zhili were involved in major corruption cases."

Xu Jie no longer needed to listen.

This isn't a major case, this is a settlement!
As long as the officials surrender at this time, everything that happened before the first year of the Wanli period will be written off.

In this case, his revelations were of no use.

Adding mud to the mud will not change its quality.

The emperor must carry this pool of mud and destroy it before he can rebuild it!
Not only Northern Zhili, but Southern Zhili can also do the same. If everyone is treated equally, Southern Zhili will not be able to make any noise.

Moreover, most of the people he tied up on the boat were involved in corruption cases. Since the corruption crime was reduced to a lower level and past punishments were forgiven, they would probably jump off the boat on the spot.

And some people may just be guilty of crimes that cannot be forgiven.

No wonder there wasn't a single case of corruption among the eleven cases he supervised. They were probably all conspiracy to commit treason!

Good Saint Emperor, he is indeed a good Saint Emperor.

The question is, how did the emperor do it!?

Xu Jie murmured to himself: "How is it possible..."

Why would these noble officials rather suffer damage to their reputations than engage in this drama of destruction before construction?

Wouldn't it be better to keep things quiet?
Yang Bo was about to retire, so why did he have to bear this stigma? Just to carry the emperor's sedan chair?

There are also people like Gao Yi who want to get involved even if they are innocent. Even if it is just seven eggs, is it an honorable thing to be recorded in history books?

Not to mention that based on his understanding, why would people like Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, and Wang Zhigao cooperate with the emperor?
Hearing Xu Jie mumbling, Hai Rui finally couldn't help but interject, "Master Xu, besides the big picture like yours, there is also the big picture of being in the same boat together."

"Your Majesty and the Cabinet are the overall situation!"

He naturally knew how difficult it was for the emperor to persuade those high-ranking officials one by one.

He relied on the friendship between relatives to threaten the father-in-law of the emperor, reopened the Sino-French policy to win over the northerners, opened the Maritime Customs Office to bribe the nobles, and even used the emperor's political credibility as a guarantee.

He had never seen such a humble political consultation, which was aimed at getting the case handled while preventing the political situation from becoming unstable.

How fortunate it is to meet such a holy king!
Wei Chao took out another imperial edict from his bosom - this kind of edict was not just given to one person, but distributed to various places, so it would be copied in several copies.

"The emperor prayed in the southern suburbs and issued an edict of self-reproach, saying..."

Xu Jie suddenly reached out and took the imperial edict.

I couldn't wait to read it myself.

He wants to recognize this young emperor again!
"I am young and of little virtue. This is my first time ascending to the top of the world, and I have not yet achieved any achievements."

"I have only been emperor for half a year, but corruption has become rampant and decadent. Isn't this my responsibility as the emperor?"

"I asked officials who had good performance in the examination system, and they all said that they could not make ends meet and had no food to eat. I sent people to investigate and heard that these people lived in mulberry and straw houses, and did not cook. Their spouses wore thorny hairpins and cloth skirts, and their children ate pigs and wore beggars' clothes."

"I asked the reason and found out that the imperial court has been in arrears of salary for four months, and will use things like banknotes and peppercorns to increase their poverty."

"Is this possible?"

"Respected God and the ancestral temple, corruption among officials is rampant, and I am obviously responsible for it. If I hadn't taken the lead in correcting it, how could you have easily punished my subjects?"

"So I decided to abolish the tribute of luxury items such as jewelry and correct my previous mistakes of overly luxurious meals and expenses, so as to reduce the expenses of the inner court."

"In addition, I promise that when the performance evaluation system is implemented, all qualified officials will receive full salaries, and outstanding officials will receive additional performance subsidies to make up for the mistakes made by the court in the past."

"Similarly, according to the opportunity of the general amnesty, those who were corrupt before the first year of the Wanli reign can have their crimes reduced by one level and make amends as long as they return the dirty silver."

"As for the suffering brought to the people during this period, all of it should be borne by the emperor himself, that is, me."

"In order to compensate the people, the court will reduce taxes for a certain period of time according to the stolen money collected."

"At the same time, the Sino-French Treaty will be reopened to provide food subsidies to soldiers at the border."

"As for merchants, the court will re-establish the Fujian Maritime Customs Office at the turn of spring and summer, and add a new Maritime Customs Office in Chongmingsha, allowing ships to go out to sea."

"Now that the performance evaluation law covers the southern and northern Zhili provinces, as well as the Fujian Provincial Administration, I hope to see officials actively turn themselves in and atone for their crimes."

"When you see the edict, you will understand my thoughts. My ambition and intention will not change."

After reading the edict of apology, Xu Jie's eyes were blank and he was in a trance.

He staggered and fell into Hai Rui's arms.

He struggled to stand up, looked at Hai Rui, and said in a hoarse voice: "What a shame for the country, what a misfortune for the country."

　There will be more later, but it will be very late, and I don't know the exact time.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)