Chapter 335 Three Things

"I ascended the throne today by the will of the people and by the mandate of Heaven. I am determined to work with you all to accomplish this sacred task and restore peace and prosperity to the people. The systems of the previous dynasty that benefited the country and the people should be improved and expanded, while the corrupt practices of the previous dynasty that harmed the people must be completely abolished."

The officials below all responded in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Wen Zhiming stood up and said loudly, "Today, I will only have three things to say. First, those former corrupt officials who have been investigated and punished in recent days for oppressing the people and committing serious embezzlement and bribery, please submit their names to me."

The Imperial Censor was prepared and immediately handed over the list.

Wen Zhiming's gaze swept over the names one by one. He already knew about this list, and he was only looking at it again to confirm it. After a while, he was sure that there were no innocent people among them, so he slammed the list on the table in front of the dragon throne.

"kill!"

The officials looked up in shock, all thinking they had misheard.

Previously, rumors circulated in the capital about how decisive and ruthless the Northern Frontier King was. Officials believed that this was just an exaggeration of the Northern Frontier King's battlefield capabilities. After all, this prince neither harmed civilians nor killed prisoners of war, so how cruel could he be?

Moreover, the former emperor wanted to kill them, but the King of the Northern Frontier spared them from past grievances and rescued them. After spending the last few days together, they felt that he was a gentle and benevolent monarch.

Even the former emperor's concubines and princes were only imprisoned by the King of Northern Frontier; not a single one was killed. This demonstrates his benevolence.

A new broom sweeps clean, and a new emperor, upon ascending the throne, naturally seeks to intimidate and awe.

They had long guessed that Wen Zhiming would target corrupt officials, but the list contained eight officials, including two of the third or fourth rank officials, and he actually killed them all.

This is too harsh a punishment; they originally thought the worst they could face was exile or life imprisonment.

The relatives of these officials have been pleading and pulling strings everywhere these past few days, but none of them have taken on the task. Only a few loose-lipped individuals have already told the officials' relatives, based on their own guesses, that there is no danger to their lives.

The officials looked at each other in shock. Two of them were about to bravely step forward to plead for leniency when Wen Zhiming spoke.

"These individuals, along with the former emperor, preyed on the people and committed heinous crimes. They should have been executed along with their entire families. However, I adhere to the principle of taking responsibility for one's own actions and do not wish to implicate the innocent. Therefore, I will only confiscate the property of these corrupt officials and make them pay for their crimes with their lives. Anyone who pleads for them will be considered to be in cahoots with these corrupt officials and will be punished accordingly."

As he spoke, his gaze happened to fall on the two officials who were about to plead for leniency. The powerful sense of oppression made the two not only immediately retract the foot they had just stepped out, but also hide a little further inside.

That was close; thankfully, my dead leg didn't move too fast.

All the officials held their breath.

Seeing this, Wen Zhiming smiled gently and said, "Very good. Since no one is protesting, then let's carry it out now. Guards! Take these officials to the Meridian Gate and behead them."

The officials secretly grumbled to themselves, thinking that they weren't just not protesting; they were simply too afraid to protest.

Several disgraced officials were waiting outside the Hall of Diligent Governance, patiently hoping to be summoned and give their defense. However, they were not even given the chance to enter the hall. Instead, they were dragged away by the Imperial Guards and taken to the Meridian Gate for execution.

The two locations were not far apart, and the cries of the condemned officials begging for mercy and their final wails during executions could be clearly heard in the Hall of Diligent Governance.

All the officials knelt upright, not daring to make the slightest movement.

With a single command, eight officials were killed; the new emperor's methods were in no way inferior to those of the previous emperor.

Honest and upright officials secretly applauded, while those with ulterior motives were terrified, and officials who wavered immediately corrected their mindset.

Meng Lingge sat calmly beside Wen Zhiming, her gaze towards him always gentle.

She loved Wen Zhiming's compassion for the common people, and she also loved his ruthless methods against corrupt officials.

After executing the wicked officials, Wen Zhiming told them to rise and spoke in a gentle tone.

"The second matter is the issue of official taxes. Before I entered the capital, I promised the people a three-year tax exemption. This must be implemented. There will not be a single case of illegal tax collection. If anyone violates this rule, the fate of those criminals will be your fate tomorrow."

The officials had already guessed this, and since it was something that had been planned beforehand, not one of them showed the slightest dissatisfaction. They all praised the Emperor's wisdom.

Wen Zhiming smiled gently, walked to Meng Lingge, helped her to her feet, and the two of them faced the civil and military officials at the same time.

"Now I will talk about the last thing, which is also the most important thing. My Empress, she is deeply in love with me and loyal to me. I have her alone and that is enough for me. I have sworn before that I will never betray her. If I am a faithless person, may I be struck by lightning."

"Therefore, I solemnly declare today in front of all my officials that there shall be only one Empress in the harem. No one shall be allowed to advise or petition me to expand the harem. Anyone who does so shall be cursing me and putting me to death. Such a crime is equivalent to regicide."

His words stirred up a huge wave of discussion.

When Wen Zhiming finished speaking, the officials were far more shocked than when he ordered the execution of the treacherous official.

Even Meng Lingge was surprised.

Although Wen Zhiming had told her that he would handle the affairs of the harem well, he did not tell her that he would make such a high-profile statement on the day of his ascension to the throne.

He even swore that if he were to become a faithless person, he would be struck by lightning—such a cruel statement.

He is now the emperor, and his word is law. This is especially true when he speaks in front of all the civil and military officials. If he fails to keep his word, it will seriously damage his prestige and credibility.

Meng Lingge's eyes reddened. Wen Zhiming's determination to only have her was stronger and purer than she had imagined.

The officials below the stage had different expressions. Wen Zhiming's intimidating presence was too strong, so they dared not look him in the eye. Most of them couldn't help but turn their gaze to Meng Lingge.

The officials present had all heard about what had happened between Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge. They knew that the two had an extraordinary relationship and that without Meng Lingge, there would be no emperor today.

Therefore, no one had any objection to the selection of the empress. They even tacitly accepted the fact that the emperor had brought the empress to the Hall of Diligent Governance today to receive the homage of the officials.

However, having only one empress in the harem was still beyond what they could accept.

The emperor is the supreme ruler, and his harem is related to many important matters, including the stability of the court, political marriages, the patriarchal system, and the stability of imperial power.

The imperial harem was not merely a place for the emperor to satisfy his private desires; it was also an extension of the power struggle.

If there is only one empress, how can there be any power struggle, how can there be any restraint on the previous dynasty, and how can the patriarchal system be continued?

Moreover, if the emperor only has one woman, how can these officials have the nerve to have multiple wives and concubines and a large family?

Isn't this tantamount to insubordination and challenging imperial authority?

Meng Lingge noticed that the ministers looking at her had expressions of shock, pleading, despair, and even blame in their eyes...

Is it because she wasn't sensible enough and didn't stop Wen Zhiming from saying such absurd things?

It was truly an injustice; she had no idea that Wen Zhiming would solemnly announce this matter.

But Wen Zhiming had already made his statement, and even though she felt a little guilty being watched by these ministers, she absolutely could not undermine Wen Zhiming.