From the beginning to the end, what Zhu Youxiao wanted to do was this, not to deal with the Donglin Party.
No matter who is in a position of power, I will deal with him. It doesn't matter who is in power, all I have to do is choose people who listen to me.
This has never changed.
As for what kind of person he would choose, Zhu Youxiao had never thought about it.
During the reign of Emperor Jiajing, who was good and who was bad, Yan Song or Xu Jie?
As an emperor, he never judges people based on whether they are good or bad.
Didn't Emperor Qianlong know what kind of person Heshen was? Why did he still use him? This is the mentality of an emperor.
Now what Zhu Youxiao wants to see is whether Chen Kedao is qualified.
If this is a qualified person, then I will naturally use him;
If this is not a qualified person, I still have to use him, but the way of using him is different.
If Chen Kedao passes the test, he can be released; if he fails, he can only be a memorial tablet.
Since no one was brought with him, it took Luo Sigong quite a while to go out.
At the same time, in the East Factory.
Wei Zhongxian was looking at the confession in front of him with joy. This confession came from Yao Zongwen.
The last time in the Dali Temple, Wei Zhongxian was badly tricked by Yao Zongwen and was almost finished.
Fortunately, Feng Sanyuan came up with a clique for personal gain.
This time, by obtaining Yao Zongwen's confession, Wei Zhongxian could not only vent his anger, but also turn the tables.
As for whether anyone said that he had framed Yao Zongwen, Wei Zhongxian didn't care at all and didn't think it was a big deal.
The whole thing depends on whether Your Majesty believes it or not.
If Your Majesty believes that Yao Zongwen was framed by you, then everything will be over; if Your Majesty believes in yourself, then Yao Zongwen's confession is true.
Even if this confession was really written by himself, it is still true.
As for who His Majesty would trust, Wei Zhongxian was not worried at all.
It is a foregone conclusion that Yao Zongwen and others accepted bribes. Your Majesty knows it, and Wei Zhongxian knows it too. No matter how much the Donglin Party members try to argue, it will be useless.
Putting down the confession in his hand, Wei Zhongxian raised his head and glanced at Sun Yunhe, then asked directly, "Is he okay?"
In the past few days, Sun Yunhe has been torturing people with very harsh methods.
Wei Zhongxian was still worried that Sun Yunhe might kill someone. Injuring him wouldn't matter, but if he actually killed someone, things would become very troublesome. Although he wasn't afraid, there was no need to cause such trouble.
Sun Yunhe also knew the severity of the situation and nodded directly, "Don't worry, Governor. He's fine. I've already arranged for a doctor to see him."
Wei Zhongxian nodded and said with a smile, "That's perfect. The interrogation of the false accusation against Xiong Tingbi is almost complete. The facts are clear and there's nothing more to say. The case can be closed."
"The next issue we'll investigate is the case of forming a clique for personal gain. This time, Yao Zongwen confessed that they were instructed by Zou Yuanbiao to impeach Xiong Tingbi. Ask the others to follow up on this case. Also, in the Dali Temple prison, what Zhang Laosan told them should be linked to Yang Lian."
"Once these are done, we can arrest Zou Yuanbiao and Yang Lian, and get some other information out of them. Then we can finalize this case of forming a clique for personal gain!"
After hearing Wei Zhongxian's words, Sun Yunhe's face was full of joy and his eyes were shining.
If this can be achieved, the power of the East Factory will be greatly enhanced.
"Don't worry, Governor. I will do my best and will never let you down!" Sun Yunhe bowed and clasped his fists, saying loudly.
Seeing Sun Yunhe's excitement, Wei Zhongxian also laughed. His laughter was very hearty and his face was full of pride.
I have finally waited for this day.
Forbidden City, Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Kedao standing in front of him and was slightly surprised.
It was because this Chen Kedao was completely different from what he had imagined.
In Zhu Youxiao's mind, even if Chen Kedao was not an elegant scholar, he was at least an old scholar.
The result was completely contrary to what Zhu Youxiao had expected. Chen Kedao was a middle-aged man in his 30s, short in stature, a little over 1.5 meters tall, but probably less than 1.6 meters tall.
Moreover, his face was a little dark and his body was thin. He didn't look like a teacher at all.
"Chen Kedao," Zhu Youxiao called out to Chen Kedao, paused, and then asked, "Do you have any achievements?"
This is very crucial for Chen Kedao.
If Chen Kedao had achievements and honors, then he would have more choices when employing him. He would not only be restricted to serving the common people, but he could also be given an official position, which would allow him to get twice the result with half the effort.
"Your Majesty, I am a juren." Chen Kedao said.
Zhu Youxiao nodded, saying that the title of Juren was enough.
In this era, a juren had already met the standards for becoming an official.
But for many people, the starting point of the Juren is too low and the upper limit is also low. Instead of becoming an official, it is better to farm at home.
Becoming a local gentry is the best choice for a juren.
After all, all the officials in the officialdom are Jinshi, and you are naturally inferior to them, so it is not easy to be an official.
Of course, there were officials in the Ming Dynasty who rose to high positions based on their Juren background. The most typical example was Hai Rui.
In the 28th year of the Jiajing reign, Hai Rui passed the provincial examination and was initially appointed a teacher in Nanping, Fujian. He was later promoted to magistrate of Chun'an, Zhejiang, and Xingguo, Jiangxi. He implemented land surveying and tax levies, redressed numerous unjust, false, and wrongful convictions, and cracked down on corrupt officials, earning him the support of the people. He served successively as prefectural magistrate, director of the Ministry of Revenue, director of the Ministry of War, chancellor of the Imperial Court, deputy minister of state, deputy minister of the two capitals, and right assistant censor-in-chief.
Hai Rui cracked down on the powerful, dredged rivers, built water conservancy projects, advocated severe punishment for corrupt officials, prohibited bribery for personal gain, and implemented the Single Whip Law, forcing corrupt officials to return land to the people. He thus earned the reputation of "Hai Qingtian".
Zhu Youxiao did not approve of Yang Lian's priority in selecting honest officials; in comparison, Zhu Youxiao approved of Hai Rui's integrity.
Not only do I look up to him, but I also respect him from the bottom of my heart. It is an admiration that comes from two lifetimes.
Hai Rui advocated not taking a single needle or thread from the people, going to the grassroots and the countryside, and providing his own meals; when officials came to inspect at the grassroots level, local officials would welcome them, and the food and drinks must be customized; eating and drinking with public funds was strictly prohibited, and extravagant eating and drinking was strictly forbidden.
It can be said that Hai Rui's ideas were advanced and epoch-making, but this was also the reason why he was not recognized.
Zhu Youxiao remembered very clearly that after Zhang Juzheng's downfall, Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun always valued Hai Rui's reputation, and in the first month of the following year, he summoned Hai Rui to be the Right Censor-in-Chief of Nanjing.
On the way to his post, he was changed to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing.
Hai Rui was already 72 years old at the time. He wrote a memorial to the emperor, saying that he was old and dying, and was willing to follow the example of the ancients who wrote memorials after their deaths. He listed the criminal laws of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, which stipulated that people could be skinned and stuffed with straw to make leather bags, and that those who violated the law by hanging would be sentenced to death if the amount reached 80 strings of cash. He said that this method should be used to punish corruption.
Other plans for current affairs are very practical in their words.
Only advising the emperor to use brutal criminal law was considered wrong by the critics at the time.
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