Zhu Biao didn't say anything else, and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice also withdrew to deal with the final matters. After all, so many people from the Ministry of Revenue still needed to be taken into custody, and many wives, children, and family members of officials from the Ministry of Revenue had already come to look for them.
Zhu Biao opened the account books of the Ministry of Accounts and found that Yang Siyi was the most corrupt person. Lu Chang, just as the Minister of Punishment said, most of his share was given to the people below.
Zhu Biao read through it carefully. Tomorrow morning he would hand over the list to his father. Now every decision Zhu Biao makes will change the fate of thousands of people.
If their family members are included, it would be the fate of tens of thousands of people, including men, women, old and young. Zhu Biao frowned more and more as he looked at it, but the matter still had to be dealt with, and the damned people would not be able to escape this disaster after all.
.
After the Minister of Punishment left, the three brothers Zhu Feng also came out from the other side. The scene just now had a huge impact on them. They only thought it was an issue of officials from the Ministry of Revenue embezzling taxes and grain, but they did not expect that it would be so involved.
wide.
They walked to their brother's side and looked at the brazier at his feet. There were only black ashes left there. Zhu Fan said, "Brother, should your father take a look at that account book?"
Zhu Xi immediately bumped into him and said: "Brother, it is your turn to teach me how to do things, so stop talking so much."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fan quickly said to Zhu Biao: "Brother, I didn't mean that, I just wanted to..."
Zhu Biao circled the list again and said: "Okay, I will tell you where my father is, and you are not allowed to spread what you see. This matter involves a lot and is not something that should be dealt with at this time."
The three brothers nodded. Zhu Di looked at the list that Zhu Biao kept drawing and said, "Brother, are all the people on these drawings going to be killed?"
Zhu Biao nodded and sighed and said: "The Ministry of Household Affairs is very important. The corruption and bending of the law here directly involves the people. Every stone of food they steal is poured out by the people with their sweat. Maybe they collect the food tax."
At that time, the extra few stones of grain harvested forced a family to sell their sons and daughters."
The three brothers said no more, silently watching the ink pen in their brother's hand, swiping across the list, moving quickly, as if they had already set a goal.
Zhu Di looked up at his brother and saw that his face was calm and his eyes were not wavering at all, as if he was just writing a beautiful article. He felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.
An hour later, Zhu Biao finally put down the pen in his hand, and the three brothers breathed a sigh of relief. They watched each name being circled, as if they saw a person's head flying into the sky.
Zhu Biao himself spent half an hour checking it again. After being chopped off, a person's head would never come back. In Zhu Biao's eyes, many people were actually guilty, but they were not dead.
Zhu Biao closed the account book and stood up and stretched. His muscles and bones crackled a few times, and he said to his brothers: "Let's go. You guys have been running out to play all day. You will go to morning classes tomorrow honestly. If
If you skip class again, my father will not forgive you."
The three brothers nodded obediently and walked out of the house together. Zhu Biao stepped out of the door of the Household Department surrounded by everyone. It was almost midnight and the sky was completely dark.
As soon as he walked out of the gate, he saw the Minister of the Ministry of Justice walking quickly, cupped his hands to Zhu Biao and said: "Your Highness, there are thousands of people gathered in front of you, all the family members of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. They are kneeling at the intersection waiting to see your Highness. The minister sent
Even people trying to disperse them didn’t work.”
Zhu Biao shouted coldly: "That's ridiculous! Do I have any husbands or sons who have wronged them? They took the taxed grain from the Ministry of Household Affairs and went home. Didn't their family members also eat it? They knew that they were coming from the wrong place but they still didn't dissuade them. Now they are begging for mercy.
What is the use!"
Zhu Biao ordered the forced expulsion, which was related to the law. At least on the surface, the majesty of the law must be guaranteed, otherwise how could it be implemented in the future.
Could it be that every time when officials are purged, only a large group of people kneel down to plead for mercy and then be spared? How unbecoming is it? This trick only works once, and it will never end again.
The Minister of Punishment led the officials and began to forcibly evict them. Zhu Biao frowned slightly when he heard the crying of women and children. When it was almost done, Zhu Biao led the people out. There were still dozens of people wailing and crying.
He stubbornly resisted the dragging of the guards.
As soon as they saw Zhu Biao, they crawled on the ground and shouted: "Your Highness, please show mercy and save my son (husband)'s life. We will send all the food back right now. If there is any shortage, we will sell it."
Please make up for it, Your Highness, please have mercy!"
Zhu Biao did not speak, but Zhu Di stood up and shouted: "They have violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty. How can you forgive them just by returning the stolen money? Their punishment will be decided by the Supreme Court tomorrow!"
Those old, weak, women and children seemed to have lost all hope and began to cry desperately. Zhu Biao was not in the mood to tangle with them. He would save those who could be saved. Those who could not be saved could only blame them for being too greedy.
All the way back to the palace, Zhu Biao asked his brothers to be sent back to their room, and he walked a few steps to the imperial study. At this time, his father should still be handling government affairs.
But it is also possible that he went back to rest early. After all, last night he heard that his father had reviewed the memorial at midnight, and something like this happened again in the court today. I can't bear to be like this every day.
After walking a few steps, he saw the eunuch serving in the imperial study coming up to him with a long lantern. After saluting Zhu Biao, he said, "Prince, your Majesty has already ordered your servants to wait here. Please go to the imperial study when you come back."
Zhu Biao nodded and walked all the way to the door of the imperial study. Since he had already given the order, Zhu Biao went in without communicating. Liu Jin and others guarded the door.
When Zhu Biao entered, he saw his father reading the memorial under the lamp and eating a bowl of late-night snacks. Zhu Biao stepped forward and saluted, then stood up and said, "You should get more rest. I heard that you also reviewed the memorial last night."
This is not good."
Zhu Yuanzhang put down the bowl in his hand and said with a smile: "Our Biao'er has grown up, and I know I feel sorry for him, but I can't sleep even more if I leave important national affairs to others."
Zhu Biao shook his head helplessly and put the account book in his hand in front of Zhu Yuanzhang: "I have probably sketched it out. How to deal with it, please ask my father for a holy judgment."
Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the account book and looked through it. The more he looked at it, the more he sneered: "They are so brave. We handed the country's purse to them, but they regarded it as their own? Why? Everyone from top to bottom was there.
Those who are greedy and have no food tax should be killed!"
Zhu Yuanzhang took a rough look at it and found that the number of quotas outlined by his son was a bit too small, but he also knew that this was the best result in order to maintain the normal operation of the household department.
Zhu Yuanzhang put down the account book and said: "As you will do, these more than 500 people will be beheaded directly in public. As for the leader, Yang Siyi, the minister of household affairs, and more than 20 people, they will be beheaded!"
Zhu Biao nodded silently. The lives of five or six hundred people were lost under his stroke. Although he knew clearly that they deserved their crimes, he still couldn't bear it in his heart.