"Has he been dragged into this?" Yongkang Marquis Xu Xideng was surprised. "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"
Duke Dingguo Xu Yunzhen did not answer directly, but calmed down and asked: "Everyone, what crime did Xue Lian commit?"
Dingxi Marquis Jiang Bingzhong said: "According to the news from the palace, they occupied the people's land and tried to massacre the people, but they were exposed by Wang Zhixin."
"That shouldn't be the case!" Xu Xideng was puzzled. "It is a crime to occupy the people's land, but as long as he returns the land and admits his guilt and punishment, His Majesty will not punish Xue Lian. But slaughtering the people is different. In his rage, His Majesty will probably sentence Xue Lian to death!"
"There's no reason for Xue Lian to do this!"
Xu Yunzhen stood up and paced around the room. After walking for a while, he sat back in his chair and said, "So, things are not that simple."
He was about to continue speaking when something suddenly occurred to him. He stood up again and walked to the door, opened it, looked outside, and then closed it tightly.
"There are so many places near the capital, why did the imperial envoys choose Tongzhou? It would have been fine if they had chosen Tongzhou, but there are so many estates of nobles in Tongzhou, why did they only investigate Xue Lian?" Xu Yunzhen asked with narrowed eyes.
"Duke Dingguo means...?"
"Your Majesty wants to use Xue Lian as an example! Xue Lian knew that Your Majesty wanted to use him as an example, so he simply made a big fuss and was thrown into prison as a matter of course."
Yongkang Marquis Xu Xideng's eyes widened. "No, he... he is ill, right? Isn't it better for him to admit his guilt and accept the punishment? How will it end if the matter gets out of hand?"
"Not only is there nothing wrong with it, it's actually a sign of intelligence!" Xu Yunzhen glanced out the window again and said in a low voice, "You all saw what happened to Duke Cheng, right?"
After everyone exchanged glances, they nodded at the same time.
Zhu Chunchen, the first-class duke of the Ming Dynasty, was killed for his crimes and his property was confiscated.
The title that had been passed down for more than two hundred years came to an end.
What a pity!
"Your Majesty first killed Duke Cheng, and now he's targeting Marquis Yangwu. Xue Lian knows that he won't have a good ending, so he just made a big fuss and exposed the matter to force us to unite against Your Majesty."
"What if we don't unite?" Xu Xideng asked back.
"That's a good question!" Xu Yunzhen stood up. "Everyone, who among you can guarantee that you are not the next Zhu Chunchen?"
Everyone was silent.
What Xu Yunzhen said makes sense. If Chongzhen could take action against Zhu Chunchen, he could also take action against other nobles.
These old nobles are no more noble than the new nobles.
The old nobles only had meritorious services from their ancestors, and apart from marrying into the royal family, they made almost no contribution to the emperor and the court.
On the other hand, those new nobles, especially Liu Wenbing and Liu Wenyao.
In terms of relationships, these people are the emperor's close relatives, they cannot compare.
In terms of ability, these people can lead troops in battle, and they can't compare to them.
When it comes to loyalty, they can't compare.
"So the only way out is to unite! What's more, Xue Lian was arrested and someone died in the palace right after. It's hard for His Majesty not to suspect us! The murders in Yangwu Marquis's Mansion and my mansion were most likely done by the Jinyiwei."
"I have finished what I have to say. Think about it carefully!"
The several nobles present sat quietly in their chairs, not saying a word.
They were considering whether Xu Yunzhen's words were exaggerated.
After a long while, Xu Xideng, the Marquis of Yongkang, was the first to express his opinion: "In this case, let's unite."
"Yes! Xue Lian was only guilty of occupying civilian land. There is no evidence for the other charges. Let's unite to protect Xue Lian and force Your Majesty to compromise." Dingxi Marquis Jiang Bingzhong echoed.
"But...what if Your Majesty insists on killing Xue Lian?" Zheng Zhijun, Marquis of Wu'an, who had been sitting in the corner without speaking for a long time, stood up and asked.
"How dare he!" Xu Yunzhen sneered, "Marquis Yangwu, you and I are both military generals, and now is the time for the court to use military force. Once those military generals leading troops outside know that Your Majesty treats the descendants of military generals and nobles in this way, how will they feel?"
"You will definitely think of killing the donkey after it has done its job and destroying the bridge after crossing it, right?"
"Why do the civil and military officials work for the court? To put it bluntly, it is to seek benefits for future generations! If Your Majesty really crosses the river and burns the bridge, who will dare to work for the Ming Dynasty?"
"Once this trend spreads, the Ming Dynasty will be finished without the need for the Jiannu bandits to attack!"
"So I am sure that as long as we unite, His Majesty will not be able to do anything to Xue Lian!"
Wu'an Marquis Zheng Zhijun was not happy, but worried: "What if...what if Your Majesty insists on killing Xue Lian?"
The room suddenly became quiet again.
This problem was very tricky. If Chongzhen insisted on killing Xue Lian despite all dissuasion, no one could stop him.
By then, their so-called joint action will be a joke.
Xu Yunzhen looked calm: "Don't worry, there are plenty of ways."
The others didn't have any good ideas to begin with, but when they saw that Xu Yunzhen was confident, they all agreed.
The next morning, Chongzhen was very angry when he saw the mountain of memorials in front of him.
These are all memorials pleading for Xue Lian.
Among those who pleaded for mercy were nobles and ministers in the court.
The excuses were generally similar, stating that Yangwu Hou Xue Lian's ancestors had made contributions to the Ming Dynasty, and that his crime was reduced on the premise that it was his first offense and did not cause any substantial harm.
Chongzhen looked at these memorials and murderous intent boiled in his heart.
A bunch of useless nobles think too highly of themselves, don't they? Do they think they can fight against me by uniting together, finding a few ministers, and submitting a few memorials?
Against my ideas?
Incompetent and childish!
"Wang Chengen, take all these memorials out and burn them, and spread the news that Yangwu Hou Xue Lian has occupied the people's land and intends to massacre the people. I will punish him according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty! Write down the names of all those who plead for mercy, especially those nobles, and don't miss a single one."
Isn't it a coalition? I want to see who else has taken sides!
The more the better, catch them all!
After receiving the order, Wang Chengen picked up the memorials one by one, took them out of the palace, sent them to the Shangshenjian, and had them burned.
As the news spread, the people of the capital were shocked.
"It's ok that Yangwu Hou Xue Lian occupied the people's land, but he even wanted to massacre the people. Is he crazy?"
"I don't know if he is crazy or not, but Your Majesty will definitely chop off Xue Lian's head!"
"I don't believe it. Yang Wuhou is a marquis. Can he just chop him off?"
"Duke Chengguo was also a duke, but he was also chopped off. If you don't believe me, you can make a bet. The loser will treat the other party to breakfast and soy milk!"
"Let's bet!"
Different from the common people who were just watching the fun, the nobles and ministers became nervous.
They were afraid that Chongzhen would elevate Xue Lian's personal problem to a class issue.
However, this tense atmosphere did not last long and was temporarily forgotten as the Jiannu approached the capital.
Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Wang Chengen held a newspaper in his hand with a serious expression: "Your Majesty, the Jiannu army has passed Sanhe. They did not attack cities but only robbed villages along the way, heading straight south to Xianghe!
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