Chapter 92 Yang Shiqi
Si Renfa's body was hung in Mengmao City for public display. Another chieftain also gave out several of Si Renfa's close associates. Zhu Yuhuan was not polite and killed all those who could be killed after verification. He also rewarded the chieftains who voluntarily gave out people and surrendered.
After all, the Ming Dynasty had no intention of really killing all the people in Luchuan. The focus was still on the Sirenfa clan. As long as they were dealt with, Zhu Qizhen would be relieved.
Wang Ji and others led their troops south to chase the fleeing bandits, while Zhu Yuhuan and Mu Ang and others stayed in Mengmao to control the remaining chieftains and report to Zhu Qizhen to see how to deal with the Luchuan incident next.
Before leaving, Zhu Qizhen had mentioned that the most important thing was to return the Yunnan land that had been taken from Luchuan, so that Luchuan could continue to be subservient to the Ming Dynasty. However, the effect of this expedition was so great that the Sirenfa clan was directly exterminated, and the remaining chieftains were so resentful that they dared not resist anymore.
In this case, the Ming Dynasty certainly does not need to be polite. It can occupy more land in Luchuan as a buffer zone between the Yunnan border and Luchuan, so that any conflicts in the future will not affect the Ming Dynasty people living in Yunnan.
In addition to these basic countermeasures, Zhu Yuhuan also further explained to Zhu Qizhen his idea of implementing the policy of converting native peoples into officials in Yunnan and Guizhou.
On the surface, Zhu Yuhuan came to supervise the army in the war, but in fact he had been paying attention to the people's sentiments in Yunnan along the way and reported on them one by one. In the memorial to Zhu Qizhen, he vaguely revealed his idea of staying in Yunnan to carry out reforms.
Zhu Qizhen naturally received the report from Luchuan very quickly. When he saw Zhu Yuhuan's final proposal to gradually replace the native officials of Yunnan with officials sent by the court, he was stunned.
Zhu Yuhuan's idea was naturally good, but she was, after all, the eldest princess, not an official of the imperial court. Why should she worry about such a matter? Moreover, Yunnan was remote and isolated, and it was not a safe place. If Zhu Yuhuan was really left there, some people would think that he was deliberately exiling the eldest princess, who was originally responsible for assisting the government, from the capital.
Zhu Yuhuan's considerations were written into the memorial, and Wang Zhen, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, had naturally read it. Zhu Qizhen hesitated a little and took the initiative to say, "The princess is so thoughtful, why don't you help her?"
Although he didn't understand why Zhu Yuhuan abandoned Shuntian, which was the political center, and instead temporarily settled in Yunnan, since the opportunity had come to him, Wang Zhen naturally would not give it up.
Zhu Qizhen frowned slightly and said, "Can you help me?"
Wang Zhen saw his expression, but he wasn't frightened. He said, "The Princess has always been deeply concerned about the people's livelihood, even back when Master Xuanmiao was in power. Furthermore, Yunnan's reform is a good thing, and it will gradually reduce the Mu family's influence. Furthermore, when the Emperor went on his expedition, he also said that stability in the southwest was paramount. The Princess's plea is for the Emperor's sake."
Zhu Qizhen glanced at Wang Zhen, snorted coldly, and said, "I didn't expect you to be so supportive of your elder sister."
Wang Zhen chuckled and said, "Everything the Princess says and does is for the Emperor and the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, I must support Her Highness." He already had a plan for how to respond. After that, Wang Zhen quickly walked over to Zhu Qizhen, knelt down, and raised the document above his head. "Actually, I have something I want to report to the Emperor. This matter will have to wait until the Princess leaves the capital for His Highness to make a decision."
Seeing him so serious, Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "What are you doing?"
"When the position of commander changed, Ma Shun unexpectedly discovered a person while checking the prison. He didn't match the prisoners recorded in the prison. After repeated inquiries, he learned that this person's name was Li Chu. He was originally from Shuntian, but because his land was taken away, he became an exile..."
Hearing the words "the land was taken away", Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but frown, vaguely guessing what Wang Zhen would say next.
As expected, Wang Zhen immediately said, "The person who seized Li Chu's land was none other than Yang Ji, the son of Yang Shiqi, the Prime Minister. He not only took his farmland, but also forcibly took Li Chu's wife, causing the couple to be separated by life and death... I didn't believe it at first, so I specifically asked Ma Shun to investigate the facts. I never expected that Yang Ji was so audacious. It wasn't just Li Chu, but many people in the capital area had their land seized by Yang Ji. However, due to the Prime Minister's power, these people dared not complain. A small number of them were resettled in the Empress Dowager's imperial estate, and later the property was taken back by the Emperor."
Zhu Qizhen took the document and immediately flew into a rage. "How audacious! The Prime Minister's son has so disregarded the law, and yet no one in the court dares to speak out. I'm afraid these people are constantly colluding with one another, deceiving their superiors and subordinates. They deserve death!" He paused for a moment, trying to regain his composure. He then asked, "The document clearly states that Li Chu was imprisoned in the first year of the Zhengtong reign. Why was it only pointed out today?"
Wang Zhen had no doubt had a reason for handing the document to Zhu Qizhen. He immediately said, "Your Majesty, I dare not lie to you. This matter was concealed by Empress Chengxiao..." He raised his eyes cautiously and saw an expression of disbelief on Zhu Qizhen's face. He continued, "Empress Chengxiao originally hoped to use this to warn Yang Shiqi and his son to behave themselves, but..."
Zhu Qizhen was completely confused when he heard this and said angrily, "My grandma treated him so kindly, yet he is so shameless!"
Seeing Zhu Qizhen so furious, Wang Zhen was already 90% certain. He continued, "This matter was originally handled by Xu Gong, the commander of the Jinyiwei. He is quite trusted by Empress Chengxiao, so he must be right." He spoke with increasing emotion, "I'm afraid that many officials' children in the court are like Yang Ji, causing widespread refugee problems in Northern Zhili. If the emperor doesn't punish him severely, I'm afraid all officials will follow suit..."
Zhu Qizhen clenched the document in his hand and said grimly, "If Yang Ji is not severely punished, how can we maintain a clean government?" He understood Wang Zhen's meaning and asked, "Are you saying that my elder sister will plead for Yang Shiqi and his son?"
Wang Zhen would never speak ill of Zhu Qizhen in front of him. He immediately said, "Second Minister Yang Pu was once your highness's teacher. Yang Pu and Yang Shiqi were good friends. If your highness saw this, he would inevitably mention Yang Shiqi and his son for the sake of face. Wouldn't that put both the emperor and your highness in an awkward position?"
His words were obscure, but not without reason.
Zhu Qizhen pondered for a long time before saying, "That makes sense. If that's the case, let's deal with Yang Shiqi and his son later."
Wang Zhen didn't expect Zhu Qizhen to postpone this matter. He was slightly stunned. For a moment, he couldn't figure out Zhu Qizhen's thoughts, but he didn't dare to ask him in person.
Zhu Qizhen didn't know what Wang Zhen was thinking, so he just said, "The wedding is in mid-May this year, and my elder sister should return to Beijing to rest for a while before leaving for Yunnan. This matter will be dealt with after the wedding. As for Li Chu and the people whose land was seized by Yang Ji, have Ma Shun make arrangements for them. There must not be any mistakes."
Wang Zhen quickly agreed, but he felt a little complicated.
His goal was achieved, but it also proved one thing, that is, the eldest princess still enjoyed the emperor's full trust. No wonder Empress Dowager Sun, as the emperor's biological mother, was a little afraid.
Who can blame the fact that the eldest princess is not only a blood relative of the emperor, but also has made great achievements and is loyal to the country? How could the emperor be suspicious of the eldest princess?
Unless Wang Zhen can have a higher reputation than the eldest princess.
Thinking of the fact that Zhu Qizhen had mentioned many times before about leading the army in person, Wang Zhen had a vague idea in his mind.
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