Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Zhu Youtang took a deep look at Su Bancheng, who insisted on presenting the oiran on behalf of the Suzhou Chamber of Commerce, and then looked at the plump young oiran with interest. He had to admit that this girl could indeed arouse men's desire.

He is obviously about sixteen or seventeen years old, but he has a charming face and a mature figure. Even without a master's level of piano skills, her figure and appearance alone make people want to drag her into the room.

It's just that the appearance of this girl seems too deliberate. Even if he really wants to deal with this girl, he still has to conduct a serious risk assessment.

Erxiang felt a scorching gaze from the emperor, and she couldn't help but smile. She was confident that she would be as good as the concubines in the palace with her own advantages.

this……

Su Bancheng had been kneeling with his head bowed, but he had not received a statement from the emperor for a long time. Coupled with the conspiracy behind the matter, his heart could not help but beat loudly.

Although he had always known that the Emperor's power was immense, Suzhou was still too far away from the capital, so he did not have a deep sense of the Emperor's power.

But this time, I was meeting the living Emperor, and I came to see the Emperor alone. Only then did I feel the terrifying majesty of the Emperor, and my backside was already soaked.

God, please don't torture yourself like this. I will definitely be a good person in the future. I just hope I can survive this disaster.

Su Bancheng, you can retreat!

After being silent for about half a cup of tea, Liu Jin's voice was heard.

Common people, please retire. Long live our emperor, long live, long live! Su Bancheng said as if he had been granted amnesty, he resigned in a polite manner.

When he carefully exited, he suddenly found that the courtesan Erxiang did not move. However, he quickly thought that Erxiang had received other reminders and exited quietly without raising his head.

The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, that's probably it.

If he had a choice, he would not dare to face the emperor a second time. He could not prevent the emperor from being in a bad mood and ordering him to be dragged out and beheaded.

The weather in Jiangnan is unpredictable. Just a moment ago, the autumn sky was high in the sky, but in the blink of an eye, it may be overcast with clouds.

In Kunshan, there is a Taoist temple called Bailian located in the mountains.

It is said that during the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Kunshan monk Mao Ziyuan founded a new sect based on the popular Pure Land Society, called Bailian Sect, or White Lotus Sect.

Although it is unknown when this Taoist temple was built, the name White Lotus on this mountain naturally has a certain connection with the White Lotus Sect.

A homing pigeon flew from down the mountain and landed in a courtyard.

A Taoist boy neatly took off the small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's foot, then passed through the heavy courtyard gate, and then delivered the small bamboo tube to a silver-haired Taoist priest who was playing chess.

Although there was no winner on the chessboard, both sides stopped fighting in unison.

The silver-haired old Taoist priest took out a rolled note from a small bamboo tube. After slowly opening the note, he saw the content above: The emperor will keep Erxiang!

Is there any news from Suzhou City? Is there any progress on that matter? Sitting opposite was a middle-aged man in white who asked nervously.

The silver-haired old Taoist priest smiled mysteriously, handed over the note in his hand and said: Since ancient times, heroes have been saddened by beauty, and there are few fatuous emperors who are not romantic!

Based on their intelligence sharing, today's emperor Hongzhi was not only cruel, but also a very lustful emperor. He was simply the worst emperor since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

This southern tour will be the end of Zhu Youtang. This sect will prevent him from ever returning to the Forbidden City! After reading the contents of the note, the middle-aged man in white said with a fierce look in his eyes.

It was at this time that another Taoist boy came in hastily.

Although he also held a small bamboo tube in his hand, this time it was not given to the silver-haired old Taoist priest, but directly to the middle-aged man in white.

The middle-aged man in white took out the note from the bamboo tube and opened it. When he saw the content on it, he was stunned on the spot.

Seeing this, the silver-haired old Taoist priest stopped a black chess piece he had raised and asked in confusion: Master Mao, what happened?

The emperor has just ruled that the Jiangnan business company is a treasonous business alliance. Now he has ordered all the government offices in Jiangnan to investigate the relevant persons. The tyrant is going to carry out a bloodbath against the Jiangnan official and gentry group! A trace of sadness flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged man in white. , then handed over the note in his hand.

The silver-haired old Taoist priest stared in disbelief and said, He... how dare he do this? Doesn't he want to rule the world with the scholar-bureaucrats?

A group of dark clouds rolled in from the east of Suzhou City, indicating that a heavy rain was coming.

On the day the emperor signed the decree, Suzhou City was the first to take action. Officials at all levels broke into the settlement of Jiangnan merchants in the city like wolves and tigers.

Since the establishment of the Jiangnan business two years ago, they have relied on their impressive financial resources to spend large sums of money to buy land and build houses in Suzhou, including the Zheng family, the Cheng family, and the Hou family.

The most famous of this residential area is Jiangnan Hutong. This alley is the residence of the core members of Jiangnan Company, and they all spent money to build luxury houses here.

It's just that everything is like this, always waxing and waning.

In Jiangnan Hutong, the officers of the Suzhou government were armed with chains and sticks, their faces full of coldness and disdain.

They knocked on the door according to the list of members of Jiangnan Company. Once they found the real owner, they broke in without explanation, then arrested their family members and sealed the house.

What are you doing?

Do you still have royal laws?

How dare the little head catcher act so recklessly in front of my Qin family?

…

Zheng Guotao and other core members of Jiangnan Company woke up from their sleep. Faced with this sudden disaster, some of them panicked and some protested angrily.

Facing these former big shots, Capt. Liu, who came from a grassroots background, looked very tough and said: I'm afraid you already know exactly what you have done. Now we are on errands under the emperor's orders. I dare not resist. I will not blame the Capt. !”

The emperor's mission?

At this moment, Zheng Guotao and others knew that the affair with the Japanese had been completely exposed. Now the emperor's southern tour was not only to implement the ban on silver, but also to deal with the Jiangnan gentry.

When Capt. Liu saw that no one dared to dissent from the imperial power, he waved his hand and said: Come here, take them all back to the prison and wait until they are punished!

The members and family members of Jiangnan Company were escorted out one by one. Their hands were tightly locked with rough iron chains, their clothes were torn to pieces, and their eyes were full of fear.

They were originally superior people, not only had a rich family background, but also had great influence in the local area, but now they have become prisoners.

It is your own fault and you will not live!

If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place!

If a person's heart is weak, a snake swallows an elephant. You really deserve it!

…

The people in Suzhou City stopped to watch. Facing this large group of Jiangnan gentry and their families who were taken to prison, they had no sympathy, but shook their heads and commented.

There is a title in the hearts of the people, but they have already seen through the true face of these officials and gentry who keep claiming to be the common people of the world, and now they have finally been liquidated by the Emperor Shengming.

I thought it was tax evasion, but I didn't realize it was traitorous!

More than just betraying the country, many of our female weavers from Jiangnan were abducted and trafficked to Japan!

There is no need to be angry about this matter. Jiuzhou Island has been occupied by our Ming Dynasty. Zheng Jie and the group of female weavers will be sent back to Suzhou in the near future!

…

The scholars at the bottom learned more comprehensive information and looked at the problems of Jiangnan Company more profoundly, but they all commented one after another.

If Jiangnan Company only evaded tariffs through official relations, this matter would not be so serious, but judging from the feedback from Kyushu Island, they have already been involved in treason this time.

The Ming Dynasty issued a ban on silver, but for its own benefit, the Jiangnan Company not only brought technology to the Japanese daimyo, but also wanted to transport the Japanese silver mines back to plunder the social wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

In particular, Hou Haotian, Zheng Jie and others were arrested one after another, and they also confessed that they not only mined silver mines with the Japanese, but also provided food and weapons to the hostile forces of the Ming Dynasty.

That's why Emperor Hongzhi defined Jiangnan Company as a treasonous company, and he was really not unfair to Jiangnan Company at all.

How many people have to be killed this time? If we kill like this, aren't we afraid that the foundation of the Ming Dynasty will be unstable? Aren't we afraid that your throne will not be preserved? Faced with Zhu Youtang's behavior, some scholars also questioned.

Originally, many people were just lucky, thinking that they were not punishing the public this time. After all, scholar-bureaucrats were the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's rule.

It's just that everyone underestimated the courage of the current emperor Hongzhi. The reason why the matter was delayed until now was simply because he wanted to sit in Suzhou and carry out a massacre comparable to the Taizu period.

Zhu Youtang naturally could not waver, but quickly gave the final instructions: Traitors will be killed without mercy!

Not to mention other places, the number of people to be executed in Suzhou City alone may have reached nearly 10,000 people.

Because there were too many people involved in this case, especially the core personnel of these Jiangnan companies, who had many wives and concubines, prison cars began to shuttle through the streets of Suzhou City.

Some prison cars look dilapidated and dilapidated, as if they will fall apart at any time. In fact, they are retired prison cars that have been requisitioned. However, what they carry is the fate of the members of Jiangnan Company and their families.

Each prison car was packed with people, their hands and feet were tightly locked with iron chains, their faces were full of despair and fear, but they had already seen the anniversary of their death.

Be a good person in your next life!

In the next life, choose a good family and don't betray your country!

A gentleman loves money and gets it in a right way. You deserve to die!

…

The people watching at the execution ground were talking a lot. Although they might sympathize for a moment, in their hearts they hated these traitors who cheated the country even more.

We were wrong, please spare our lives!

We are just looking for Japan's silver mines, and we have no intention of betraying the country!

Why can the imperial court mine Japanese silver mines, but we can't? We don't accept it!

…

Faced with this great liquidation, some gentry chose to beg for mercy, while others complained, and some did not feel that they had done anything wrong from beginning to end.

In fact, there are quite a few of the latter. In their view, cooperating with Japanese daimyo to mine silver mines is mutually beneficial, and the court's liquidation of them is just jealous.

As for whether Japan used silver mines to loot the social wealth of the Ming Dynasty, and whether Japan used silver mines to achieve take-off, it is not important at all in their opinion.

It's just that there have never been so many great principles in this world, and Hongzhi's ban on silver cannot be challenged, even if the entire Jiangnan official class is killed for it.

On the execution ground, the sword was raised high, shining with dazzling light.

Following the order from the beheading officer Song Cheng, heads fell to the ground one after another.

puff! puff! puff!

The blood stained the ground of the execution ground red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which also demonstrated the determination of the imperial court to ban silver.

These cruel scenes made everyone present frightened and made everyone aware of the serious consequences of betraying the country.

As night falls, the lights in Suzhou City light up.

Just as a massacre of members and their families of Jiangnan merchants was taking place across Jiangnan, the Yingtianxunfuxingtai was peaceful, and the warm hall inside was filled with the sound of the piano every night.

Ever since Erxiang was sent here, Emperor Hongzhi seemed to be possessed. He often called Erxiang to play for him, and Zhu Youtang seemed to be fascinated every time.

Even Liu Jin thought Zhu Youtang was going to drag the oiran back to his room, but what was very strange was that Zhu Youtang was purely listening to music these nights.

Your Majesty, please stay!

Zhu Youtang wanted to leave again, but Erxiang suddenly plucked up the courage to stop Zhu Youtang.

Liu Jin frowned, realizing that this oiran really didn't understand the rules, and couldn't help but glared angrily, but he made this little court musician understand his identity.

Zhu Youtang glanced lightly, but he was not angry because of it, his eyes were slightly questioning.

Your Majesty, I think that a common girl comes from a brothel, but a common girl is still a virgin! Erxiang summoned up the courage to face Zhu Youtang's question.

On the first day, she thought that with her own conditions, she could make the emperor bow to her.

But the subsequent development made her panic. This emperor, who has always been rumored to be lecherous, has not even touched her finger, let alone dragging her roughly onto the dragon bed.

Zhu Youtang looked at Erxiang for a few times, then nodded very seriously: I know!

Why doesn't Your Majesty favor a common girl? Do you think that common girls are not in His Majesty's eyes? Erxiang bit her lower lip, as if she was pitiful.

Zhu Youtang hesitated for a moment, but then said calmly: You have to learn the rules of the palace first, right?

My slave obeys the order! Erxiang didn't understand Zhu Youtang's true thoughts, so she could only agree in a dignified manner.

I thought that I was being kept here, and not to mention my superb piano skills, my beauty alone was enough for the emperor to want him to stop. Unfortunately, although the emperor summoned him every day, that was all.

The person sleeping tonight is Concubine Jing. Of course, Concubine Jing can't accompany Zhu Youtang to do exercises, but she snuggles up beside Zhu Youtang and asks curiously: Why do you still stay with me when you know there is a problem?

You should ask why she is the courtesan of Suzhou! Zhu Youtang still has the shadow of a lecherous king, and he looks very wise and authentic. (End of chapter)