jdhmnovel Chapter 433 You'd Rather Dig Up My Ancestral Grave Than Kill Me
Chapter 433 You'd Rather Dig Up My Ancestral Grave Than Kill Me
Chapter 433 You'd Rather Dig Up My Ancestral Grave Than Kill Me
early morning.
Because Wang Wenzhou failed to arrive in time, Zhu Youjian delayed, waiting for Wang Wenzhou. Because of Wang Wenzhou, Zhu Youjian did not want to kill Gao Yingxiang. However, the Donglin Party objected; these critics insisted on having Gao Yingxiang executed by slow slicing.
Hou Xun declared righteously, "The rebel Li Zicheng has committed heinous crimes; only his execution can appease public anger. To deter such villains, I implore Your Majesty to immediately issue an edict to execute Li Zicheng by slow slicing!"
"We second that proposal!" Members of the Donglin Party stood up in support.
Zhu Youjian frowned deeply. "Boxin, come quickly! Although I don't want to kill Gao Yingxiang, I can't bring myself to do it!"
Zhu Youjian thought for a moment, looked at Wen Tiren, and asked, "Minister Wen, what do you think?"
Wen Tiren had originally intended to support Wang Wenzhou, but Wang Wenzhou hadn't shown up yet, and he didn't want to take the blame. If he proposed pardoning Gao Yingxiang, he would be held responsible if Gao Yingxiang rebelled again in the future. Men, well, most don't like taking responsibility.
Wen Tiren cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, in my opinion, Gao Yingxiang is a man whose fate is uncertain. Killing him would give an explanation to the people he has harmed, while not killing him would show other rebel leaders that the court is lenient and that as long as they abandon their evil ways and sincerely repent, the court can spare their lives.”
Zhu Youjian shook his head with a wry smile. "Old fox, you're trying to offend neither side. It's like you said nothing at all."
Zhu Youjian looked around at everyone and asked, "My dear ministers, does anyone have any different opinions?"
If Wang Wenzhou were present and immediately expressed his opinion, the nobles would definitely support him. However, since Wang Wenzhou was not present, no one among the nobles stood up to speak.
Kong Zhenyun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Majesty, my colleagues, I believe Gao Yingxiang should not have been killed."
Minister of Justice Zheng Sanjun asked sternly, "Lord Kong, the rebel Li Zicheng has committed countless crimes, too numerous to count. If a thief like Li Zicheng, who has killed so many innocent people, should not die, then all the death row inmates of our Great Ming should not die!"
Kong Zhenyun was rendered speechless by the criticism. He wasn't helping Wang Wenzhou, but rather considering the bigger picture. However, Zheng Sanjun used the law as an argument, which left him with no room for rebuttal.
“Lord Zheng, you are mistaken!” Liu Lishun stepped forward and said.
"Huh?" All the civil and military officials were dumbfounded. Liu Lishun, what do you mean?
Liu Lishun said righteously, "Although Gao Yingxiang has committed many crimes, he eventually abandoned the darkness and turned to the light. Because he surrendered to the court, the government troops were able to successfully suppress the rebel army. His merits and demerits cancel each other out. I believe that Your Majesty should pardon Gao Yingxiang."
Liu Lishun stood up to repay a debt of gratitude. Wang Wenzhou had given him a baby that day, and although he had repeatedly insulted Liu Lishun, Liu Lishun was still sincerely grateful to Wang Wenzhou.
How many men would be willing to give away their baby? Especially someone as powerful and influential as Wang Wenzhou, who could kill Liu Lishun as easily as crushing an ant. It was precisely for this reason that Liu Lishun admired Wang Wenzhou's magnanimity.
Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction; finally, someone had stood up to speak up for Wang Wenzhou.
“What Minister Liu said makes sense. I also think that although Gao Yingxiang’s crimes are heinous, he still made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. His merits and demerits cancel each other out, so I will spare Gao Yingxiang’s life.” Zhu Youjian took the opportunity to back down. If Liu Lishun was left speechless by the rebuttal, then no one would speak up for Wang Wenzhou.
"Absolutely not!" Qian Qianyi said coldly, "Your Majesty, although the rebel Li Zicheng has rendered meritorious service, it cannot outweigh his crimes. When he captured Fengyang and burned the imperial tombs, such a capital offense could not be pardoned!"
Hou Xun understood immediately and knelt down, crying out, "Your Majesty! The rebel Li Zicheng has shattered your peace, and you will never rest in peace. But today, the Emperor has captured Li Zicheng, and Your Majesty can finally close your eyes in peace."
Zhu Youjian's face turned bright red to his neck. These bastards were slapping him in the face repeatedly. For anyone, having their ancestral graves desecrated would be an irreconcilable enmity. Especially for Zhu Youjian, the reigning emperor; having his ancestral graves desecrated was tantamount to having his dragon veins disturbed. Now that things had come to this, if he still wanted to let Gao Yingxiang go, he would be accused of being disloyal and unfilial!
"Your Majesty is benevolent, kind-hearted, and compassionate towards the people, which is a blessing for the people of our Great Ming! But Your Majesty, you cannot be so soft-hearted. The rebel Li Zicheng is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and his crimes are heinous. He deserves to die!" Qian Qianyi earnestly advised.
"Alas..." Zhu Youjian sighed softly. "Boxin, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I'm too ashamed to help you. If I help you again, I will become an unfilial descendant."
"Issue the decree! The rebel Li Zicheng has committed numerous crimes and deserves to die. Drag him out of the Meridian Gate immediately and execute him by slow slicing!" Zhu Youjian said coldly.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Civil and military officials knelt on the ground, celebrating the victory.
"Your Majesty! Please rescind your decree!" Wang Wenzhou ran over breathlessly, shouting as he ran.
Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Wang Wenzhou with a bruised and swollen face, disheveled hair, torn clothes, and covered in filth.
"Hmm..." Wherever Wang Wenzhou went, the nearby ministers all covered their mouths and noses and kept their distance.
Zhu Youjian frowned and asked in confusion, "Boxin, what happened to you?"
Zhu Youjian's question infuriated Wang Wenzhou. His first outing had already resulted in him being covered in excrement and urine; upon returning home, he was besieged by unsuspecting villagers. When he climbed over the wall to escape, the villagers caught up with him, beating, cursing, and smashing his belongings. If it weren't for the fierce protection of the sedan chair bearers' guards, he would likely have been beaten to death by the angry crowd.
Wang Wenzhou cursed and said, "Brother Zhu, you must stand up for me!"
"Wang Chengen, hurry, take Boxin to take a bath and change his clothes!" Zhu Youjian truly regarded Wang Wenzhou as a brother. Seeing that Wang Wenzhou was so dirty, his first thought was to have Wang Wenzhou take a bath and change his clothes.
Wang Wenzhou was deeply moved. He hadn't expected Zhu Youjian to care for him so much, like he was his own child. Yay! Brother Zhu! Watch your step! I'm not picking up the soap!
"Brother Zhu, I am impeaching Liu Zongzhou, the prefect of Yingtian, for knowingly violating the law and neglecting his duties!" Wang Wenzhou said aggrievedly.
Zhu Youjian asked in a cold voice, "Where is Liu Zongzhou?"
"Your humble servant is here!" Liu Zongzhou hurriedly stepped out of the crowd and knelt on the ground.
Zhu Youjian pointed at Liu Zongzhou and asked coldly, "Liu Zongzhou, do you know your crime?"
"Huh?" The civil and military officials were shocked. Your Majesty, have you taken the wrong medicine? This mad dog Wang Wenzhou hasn't even explained the specifics of the matter, and you're already accusing Liu Zongzhou?
Liu Zongzhou said helplessly, "Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed. May I ask, Lord Wang, how have I offended you?"
"Pah!" Wang Wenzhou pointed at Liu Zongzhou and cursed, "Liu, a bunch of rioters blocked my gate and wouldn't let me out. I sent someone to the Yingtian Prefecture government office to report to the authorities, but your subordinates actually made excuses that their superior was not in office and they couldn't go out to handle the case. Isn't this negligence and dereliction of duty?"
Liu Zongzhou smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Wang, I am not a god and cannot be in two places at once. I am attending the morning court session, so of course I cannot handle official business in the yamen. Lord Wang, you have misunderstood me."
Wang Wenzhou knew, of course, that if he couldn't bring Liu Zongzhou down, he would have nowhere to vent his anger. Although he knew that the Donglin Party was behind this, he couldn't find any evidence or excuse to attack the Donglin Party, so he could only find a pretext to attack Liu Zongzhou.