Li Ruolian, the commander of the Jinyiwei, was stunned for a moment, and then he whispered in shock: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, are you going to... kill Duke Yansheng?"
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!" Li Ruolian looked panicked.
If it weren't for the difference between the emperor and his subjects, he would even want to crawl to Chongzhen's feet and beg for mercy.
"Confucius is a role model for scholars of all generations, and his descendants are all scholarly families. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty abolished all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone, all dynasties have regarded Confucianism as the orthodoxy, and the Ming Dynasty was no exception! After Emperor Taizu unified the country, he also conferred the title of Duke of Yansheng on Kong Xixue."
"Confucianism has a far-reaching influence, and Duke Yansheng is a literary master who is revered as a god by scholars all over the world!"
"If Your Majesty kills him, not only will the foundation of the Ming Dynasty be shaken, but you will also be condemned by all the civil and military officials, scholars, and even the people of the world!"
After learning that Chongzhen wanted to kill Duke Yansheng, Li Ruolian even had an idea: Chongzhen is crazy!
Just kill the corrupt officials, and the common people will applaud.
The same principle applies to killing nobles and businessmen. The common people will only gloat over their deaths.
It’s okay to kill scholars, but it’s not okay to kill the representative of scholars, Duke Yansheng!
Chongzhen smiled faintly and asked, "You dare not?"
Li Ruo Lian knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, it's not that I dare not, but I can't! I can give up my reputation, but Your Majesty can't. Once the news leaks out, Your Majesty's wisdom will be seriously damaged, and I can't bear this responsibility."
"Li Ruolian, your idea is very dangerous!"
Li Ruo Lian was about to continue explaining, but he heard Chong Zhen say, "I am not stupid enough to provoke the scholars of the world! I asked you to go to the Duke of Yansheng's mansion to kill someone, not to kill you and Duke of Yansheng."
Oh, that’s it!
Li Ruo Lian reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and his heartbeat slowly returned to normal with the help of deep breathing.
Just don’t kill Duke Yansheng!
Besides, Duke Yansheng was in Shandong, so even if one wanted to kill him, one had to go to Yanzhou Prefecture (Qufu belonged to Yanzhou Prefecture), which was thousands of miles away.
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
Chongzhen did not say it directly, but changed the subject and asked: "I asked all officials and nobles to send servants to help defend the city. Has the Duke of Yansheng sent anyone?"
There were two Yanshenggong Mansions in the Ming Dynasty, one in Qufu and the other next to the Imperial Household Department in the capital. It was a mansion given by Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty to the descendants of Confucius, also known as Yanshenggong Mansion. Yanshenggong lived here whenever he came to Beijing to pay homage.
When he was not in Beijing, his descendants took care of it.
"Your Majesty, I have sent a servant named Zhang to guard the city at the West Gate."
"That's good. Tonight, go to the Yanshenggong Mansion next to the Taifu Temple Yamen and kill a descendant of the Kong family. Remember, you can only kill one person! The death must be horrible."
One person? Isn't that a little too little?
Without waiting for Li Ruolian to figure it out, Chongzhen continued, "After the killing, write in blood on the wall: Open the city gates to welcome the rebel king, otherwise everyone in the city will be killed!"
"As you wish."
Chongzhen had no good feelings towards the Yanshenggong family.
During the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, Duke Yansheng Kong Kejian wrote a memorial to Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty, offering advice: "There are many soldiers who are loyal to the emperor now. If we fight them, the bandits (referring to Zhu Yuanzhang) can be defeated."
However, at the same time as he submitted the memorial, he also sent his son Kong Xixue to Nanjing to meet Zhu Yuanzhang on his behalf.
It's really despicable to be so indecisive!
After the Eight Banners Army entered the Pass, Duke Yansheng, who had been supported by the Ming Dynasty for nearly three hundred years, once again demonstrated the family's inherited thinking: people choose wise rulers to be their ministers, and birds choose good trees to live in!
He presented the "First Memorial" to the young Emperor Shunzhi before everyone else.
Later, Shunzhi asked the Ministry of Rites to issue a shaving order to the whole country. After Duke Yansheng summoned all the clansmen to discuss the matter, he set up an incense table in front of Duke Yansheng's mansion, read the imperial edict, and shaved their heads collectively.
Loyalty is secondary; what matters is that the Confucius family is rich!
As the number one family in the world, the Confucius Mansion had as much as 2,600 hectares of land for sacrifices in the late Ming Dynasty, which is equivalent to 260,000 acres!
Sacrificial fields are lands allocated by the state and are exempt from all taxes.
In addition to the sacrificial fields, the Confucius Mansion also had school fields and self-purchased fields, as well as cosmetic fields brought by the wives of the Dukes of Yansheng as dowries.
It will add up to a staggering number!
Of course, this is just the land, and there are countless other properties!
He didn't dare to think too much and just took 10 million taels. He would save the rest first and spend it later if it wasn't enough.
As for the method of robbing money, he had already thought of it: bandits!
In troubled times, soldiers and bandits are inseparable. Who would have thought that they were government troops when they changed into the clothes of the Dashun Army?
After thinking about this, Chongzhen couldn't help but laugh in his heart.
The deficit of 20 million taels caused by the exemption of one year's land tax was completely solved, and there was even a lot of surplus!
After a moment's silence, he asked, "How is the trial of Shen Weibing and Dang Chongya going?"
"Your Majesty, they have confessed and the evidence is confirmed. But..."
"Just say whatever you want to say."
"Yes, but I am afraid that the two of them will change their confessions and cry out for innocence at the execution site."
Chongzhen glanced at Li Ruolian and said, "Who said I have to wait until the autumn execution to make a decision? You should immediately make public the evidence that these two people are colluding with the bandits and the Jiannu, so as to gain the upper hand in public opinion. Secondly, confiscate their property and take their families to the imperial prison."
"As you command, I will take my leave."
"Wait, have you found the profiteer I asked you to find?"
Li Ruolian hurriedly knelt down and apologized. He said that he did not take the initiative to report what the emperor had instructed him to do, which was also a crime.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have been busy with the interrogation these days and have only found two or three well-known profiteers in the city. They are now in the imperial prison."
"Forget it... You can handle it yourself. I don't need these people anymore."
"I'll take my leave!"
Time soon turned to night.
In Kunning Palace, Queen Zhou was very worried when she saw Chongzhen with a sad face.
Ever since the replacement of the Prime Minister, the Emperor has rarely smiled sincerely.
He is too tired, and as the queen she must relieve the emperor's worries.
Soon, Empress Zhou brought the Tremella soup she had cooked herself to Chongzhen, blew on the hot air, and said softly, "Your Majesty has been working hard these days. This is the Tremella soup I cooked myself. Please enjoy it, Your Majesty."
Chongzhen took the Tremella soup and put it on the table, then put his arm around Empress Zhou's waist with a worried look on his face.
Seeing Chongzhen didn't say anything, Empress Zhou picked up the Tremella soup again and took the soup spoon: "Your Majesty is tired, why don't you taste this Tremella soup and rest early with me."
Chongzhen shook his head slowly.
After a moment, he said, "Zi Tong, Ci Lang will arrive at Tiemenguan tomorrow. If the Navy Commander Huang Fei cannot chop off Liu Zeqing's head, the prince will be in danger."
"I'm worried!"
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