Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 373 Emperor Zhu: Using the Blank Seal Case to Tear Open a Gap!

Liu Bowen suddenly felt a little scared.

Emperor Zhu kept saying that Yang Xian and Sun Gupu died too early, which benefited them. Does that mean there are other things behind the Plowshare Case?

While Liu Bowen was pondering wildly, Li Shanchang had already read through the intelligence given to him by Emperor Zhu.

Silently handing the intelligence to Liu Bowen, Li Shanchang couldn't help but sigh and say, "Your Excellency, the Sun Gupu rebellion case is closed. In any case, Yang Xian is already dead. Considering his diligence over the years, perhaps..."

Emperor Zhu gave a cold snort with a forced smile and said, "Yes, diligence. Now that things have come to this, all Yang Xian has left to say is diligence."

Just as Li Shanchang and Emperor Zhu were saying that Yang Xian was only good at being diligent, Liu Bowen had already read through the intelligence report.

Or should we dig Yang Xian out?

After digging it up, they first whipped the corpse, and then they ground up the bones and scattered the ashes?

Seeing the changing expressions on Liu Bowen's face, Li Shanchang couldn't help but ask, "Brother Qingtian? Brother Qingtian?"

Liu Bowen was awakened by Li Shanchang's shout. Before he could think it through, the words "whipping the corpse" came out of his mouth.

Li Shanchang frowned slightly and looked at Liu Bowen, saying, "Brother Qingtian, after all, the dead should be respected, especially since Yang Xian was once your student."

Liu Bowen immediately became anxious, jumped to his feet, and delivered a triple denial: "He is not my disciple! I have no such student! Brother Shanchang, don't talk nonsense!"

After denying the allegations three times, Liu Bowen bowed directly to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, I...I really didn't know that Yang Xian had done so many wicked things. I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly."

Emperor Zhu nodded and said, "Please sit down, Mr. Qingtian. We know that his affairs have nothing to do with you, Mr. Qingtian. That scoundrel... sigh!"

After a heavy sigh, Emperor Zhu looked at Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen and said, "If that scoundrel hadn't discovered the problem with the plow beforehand, I'm afraid the people in Shandong would have been forced into rebellion again."

"If that bastard hadn't discovered Sun Gupu's missionary Yellow Turban rebels beforehand, Dengzhou would probably have been ravaged by them as well."

“Yang Xian is related to them, Sun Gupu is related to them, the Japanese pirates on the coast are also related to them, and even the infamous White Lotus Sect is inextricably linked to them.”

"If we really look into it carefully, I'm afraid that the southward invasion of the Jin army during the Song Dynasty, the southward migration of the Song court, and the subsequent invasion of the Yuan Dynasty are all inextricably linked to them."

"Damn it, if it weren't for this Empty Seal case, we probably wouldn't have realized that there was such a powerful thing in the world?"

"Mr. Qingtian, we really owe you a lot this time."

Upon hearing Emperor Zhu's words, Liu Bowen straightened his back slightly and bowed to Emperor Zhu, saying, "This is all my duty."

That's right, the blank seal case was exposed by my subordinate censors at my instigation.

The reason I, Liu, exposed the Empty Seal Case is because some bastards, ungrateful and greedy, have repeatedly tried to bury my entire family.

Moreover, I, Liu, have come to understand that rather than getting close to those fellow villagers who could bury me in a pit at any time, it's better to cling to Emperor Zhu's leg like some guy who goes crazy at the drop of a hat.

Just as Liu Bowen was pondering this in his mind, Li Shanchang frowned and looked at Emperor Zhu, saying, "Your Majesty, isn't this matter a bit too far-fetched?"

Emperor Zhu chuckled and said, "The implications are certainly significant, and a single move can have far-reaching consequences. But it doesn't matter; we're not afraid of how big the implications will be."

After pacing a few steps, Emperor Zhu said thoughtfully, "However, there is no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days, only being able to do so for a thousand days. Instead of reacting to each move, we should take the initiative and use the blank seal case to tear a hole in their defenses."

Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback and asked, "Take the initiative?"

Emperor Zhu nodded and said, "That's right, it's taking the initiative."

"Think about those memorials that bastard presented to us before."

"It was after those few memorials from him that many scholars in Jiangnan were willing to become officials, and many gentry wanted to sell their land to tenant farmers."

“A few months ago, even when we announced that we would no longer recognize Hu Yuanshi’s academic achievements and asked those scholars to retake the exams, didn’t they obediently accept it?”

"The Sun Gupu case should be their retaliation against us."

"However, this also shows that they have been hurt so badly that they have no choice but to take a risky move and try to get rid of our good son-in-law."

"Therefore, this time we should take the initiative and use the blank seal case to test the waters and gauge their strength."

Emperor Zhu chuckled coldly and gestured with his hand: "Once those scoundrels who used blank money and grain registers are brought back, we'll see who will plead for them. We can even open up channels for free speech and allow scholars from all over the country to offer their advice."

As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Li Shanchang was immediately alarmed and said in a trembling voice, "You must not ascend the throne, you absolutely must not!"

Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback, and Li Shanchang continued, "Your Majesty, those officials involved in the Empty Seal Case certainly deserve to die, but inducing scholars to remonstrate and plead for leniency is an act that blocks the channels of communication in the world, and this matter must never be done."

Even Liu Bowen, who exposed the case of the empty seal, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Brother Shanchang's words are reasonable. I humbly request Your Majesty to reconsider."

Emperor Zhu clicked his tongue and said, "What are you thinking? We just want to see how many people will come forward, not lure them out and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

Li Shanchang bowed again and said, "Even so, it is not feasible."

Seeing the slight displeasure on Emperor Zhu's face, Liu Bowen's eyes darted around, and he bowed to Emperor Zhu, saying, "Your Majesty, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible?"

Emperor Zhu nodded and said, "Please speak, Mr. Qingtian."

Liu Bowen said, "Your Majesty, most of these matters were started by the Imperial Son-in-Law. Why don't you send someone to Dengzhou Prefecture or Ningyang County to ask the Imperial Son-in-Law what he has to say?"

Li Shanchang's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Your Excellency, Brother Qingtian is right. Most of these things were started by the Imperial Son-in-Law. Now Your Excellency is busy working hard in the capital, while the Imperial Son-in-Law is waiting to celebrate the New Year in Dengzhou Prefecture or Ningyang County. This..."

Emperor Zhu immediately turned his attention to Zhu Biao.

"Send Wang Qiong to Ningyang County and have that scoundrel write a memorial for us."

"Damn it, we, the father-in-law, are having a headache in the capital, and he, the son-in-law, doesn't even try to share our burdens. He's a complete scoundrel!"