Nine hundred and seventieth eight chapters Shangfang sword
Under the escort of Zhong Feng and Zheng Kaicheng, Li Zhi climbed onto the Meridian Gate Tower. Walking all the way to the center of the tower, Li Zhi saluted the emperor.
"I have met the emperor!"
Zhu Youjian had been looking at the densely packed corpses of civil servants under the Meridian Gate, and his face turned pale. Apparently, most of the civil and military officials of the dynasty were killed by Li Zhi at one time. This kind of thing is really shocking.
Those ministers who used to control the situation in the court suddenly turned into dead bodies on the flatbed truck, without any movement. Zhu Youjian was a little unable to react.
In any case, these are Zhu Youjian's ministers.
Supporting Li Zhi who was about to kneel down, Zhu Youjian said coldly: "The king of Qi is so powerful in the world, why do you need such a big gift?"
Li Zhi pondered for a moment after hearing this, and realized that the emperor was talking about his killing of civil servants.
This mocking sentence is already a mockery of my own lack of ambition.
Li Zhi stood up straight, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, these 1,159 people are all sinners who deserve to die. Unless they are killed, it is not enough to uphold the law of the country. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and have killed all these traitors!"
Zhu Youjian looked at Li Zhi and asked slowly: "Did you fulfill your mission? Why did I let the King of Qi kill so many ministers?"
Hearing the emperor's question to Li Zhi, Zhong Feng and Zheng Kaicheng looked at each other.
Judging from the emperor's intention, it seems that he was indeed very angry because of Li Zhi's killing. Li Zhi deliberately put the name of the commander-in-chief of this massacre on the emperor's head. He put a high hat on the emperor with the words "fulfilling the mission", but the emperor did not
He hesitantly handed the hat back to Li Zhi.
The emperor wants to draw a clear line between this massacre.
Do you feel that you have been held hostage by the civil servants for several months and are disgraced and unable to be the commander-in-chief? Or do you feel that you are unwilling to offend the civil servants and gentry in Jiangnan?
In any case, the emperor had no intention of approving this massacre.
Li Zhi thought for a while and then said: "Treason and traitors are unacceptable. As the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I have to get rid of this parasite for the Ming Dynasty to set the record straight."
Zhu Youjian sighed and asked: "Has the King of Qi ever thought that by massacring criminal civil servants like this, the people will certainly applaud the King of Qi, but how will my face be saved?"
Zhong Feng and Zheng Kaicheng looked at each other for a while, frowning.
The emperor's words were already said nakedly, saying that Li Zhi was trying to win people's hearts.
The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty betrayed the emperor and openly collaborated with the enemy, but the emperor showed no response. However, Li Zhi's Tiger and Guard troops entered Beijing only a few days ago, and they just enforced the law and bloodbathed the canal. The emperor's weakness was in sharp contrast with Li Zhi's iron-bloodedness. Li Zhi committed this massacre.
, it was the emperor’s face that was slapped.
After this incident, I am afraid that the poor people in the north will all say that the King of Qi is wise. But the emperor who surrendered to the rat will not have such a tall image.
Zhu Youjian was questioning Li Zhi about his ulcer.
Li Zhi looked at Zhu Youjian.
"Among these traitors, there are teachers of the emperor and former ministers of the emperor. I am worried that the emperor will not be able to take action, so I have to take action on his behalf."
"After discussing these traitors with the Holy Father in the Palace of Qianqing that day, the emperor had no intention of taking action. However, the national law is majestic, how can I allow these traitors to go unpunished? If these traitors are not killed, and there is a crisis in the future, everyone will be the first to become a traitor.
.So I will kill these people no matter what!"
"If the emperor is angry with his ministers and kills them first, then he can take away his title and make him a commoner!"
Zhu Youjian frowned and looked at Li Zhi.
What Li Zhi meant was that the massacre had indeed slapped the emperor in the face, but Li Zhi was determined to slap him in the face.
Hearing Li Zhi's words, Zheng Kaicheng's face froze, and he knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, I think that King Qi's title cannot be taken away!"
"The King of Qi killed the traitors for the sake of his family, the Ming Dynasty, and the people of the world. If the traitors are not eliminated, there will be a comeback in the future. Killing all the traitors may seem shocking, but it is enough to educate future generations."
"Didn't Your Majesty see that when the King of Qi entered the city, the people knelt devoutly? Kill the traitors and uphold the new law to obey the heaven and the people. If the emperor takes away the title of the King of Qi because of this, I am afraid that the Holy One will lose the support of the people!"
“One town and nine provinces, where to go?”
"As a sage, I urge you to commend the King of Qi to calm the people's hearts!"
After hearing Zheng Kaicheng's words, Zhu Youjian's face turned even paler and he didn't speak for a long time.
Zheng Kaicheng is indeed qualified to speak here. Zheng Kaicheng is Ping Dongbo and a nobleman of the imperial court. The Ming Dynasty did not give the prince the power to establish a small imperial court. Therefore, Zheng Kaicheng is nominally an official of the imperial court and not a personal minister of Li Zhi.
, has the right to remonstrate with the emperor.
Zhu Youjian was silent for a long time and then sneered.
Looking at how Li Zhi's subordinates support Li Zhi, how can Zhu Youjian take away Li Zhi's title? If he really punishes Li Zhi, I am afraid that one town and nine provinces in the Tianjin system will still be Li Zhi's one voice.
And this system that was semi-independent of Ming Dynasty will become truly independent.
Without Li Zhi's support, how could the emperor's new law be implemented? How to face the counterattack of the Jiangnan gentry?
Holding on to the wall on the tower, Zhu Youjian looked at the more than a thousand corpses under the Meridian Gate.
Zhu Youjian saw Gu Dingshan, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice who he had promoted in recent years. Zhu Youjian originally wanted to train him to become the second Zhang Guanghang and take him as his wing. Unexpectedly, he also collaborated with the enemy at this critical moment and died in front of Li.
Under the butcher's knife of Zhi.
After this massacre, there were not many people left in the court.
Taking a breath, Zhu Youjian said stiffly:
"Killable indeed!"
Seeing that the emperor finally turned the corner, Zheng Kaicheng's face lit up with joy and he sang loudly: "The emperor is wise!"
Zhu Youjian looked at Zheng Kaicheng, then at Li Zhi, and said slowly: "King Qi stepped forward at the critical moment to protect the great national law and the people of justice in this world. I am very happy!"
Li Zhi and Zheng Kaicheng looked at each other.
The emperor's turn was too blunt, and saying "very happy" was a bit far-fetched. I'm afraid the emperor was still angry at this time, but because the power of one town and nine provinces was too great, the emperor did not dare to punish Li Zhi who enforced the law impartially.
Zhu Youjian suddenly said: "After punishing the traitors this time, only 20% to 30% of the civil and military officials in the capital are still alive, and the court cannot function."
After a pause, Zhu Youjian said to Li Zhi: "Why don't you ask the King of Qi to dispatch officials from Tianjin to take charge of the court to ensure the operation of the center?"
Li Zhi looked at Zhu Youjian's face and knew that this was a test.
How could the emperor let the court be filled with new-style officials from Tianjin? The last time Li Zhi proposed this, the emperor was full of suspicion. Now when the emperor is angry, how can he really leave the court in Li Zhi's hands?
Li Zhi cupped his hands and said: "The saints are wise, so they naturally have ways to maintain the transfer of the center. Tianjin officials do not understand court etiquette, so it is okay not to come!"
Zhu Youjian looked at Li Zhi and smiled: "He is a loyal minister after all!"
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Youjian said: "Give King Qi Shangfang the sword! If any traitor breaks the law in the future, King Qi can kill him first and then punish him!"
Zhu Youjian looked at Li Zhi and asked, "How?"
Li Zhi cupped his hands and shouted: "The Emperor is a Ming Ming! How lucky the Ming Dynasty is!"
Zhu Youjian smiled, stopped talking, and took Wang Chengen back to Qianqing Palace.
