Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

Chapter 312 The Last Lesson

The figures of Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong appeared outside the hall at the same time.

Now the expressions of Gao Hongtu and other civil and military officials are even more exciting.

Dare to feel that not only the Holy Majesty is fine, but the Crown Prince and King Ding also came to Nanjing quietly?
Lu Zhenfei reacted "at the right time" and knelt down on the ground first: "I kowtow to the Holy One."

At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the hall also reacted one after another, and immediately knelt down on the ground: "Your servant waits to kowtow to the Holy Majesty, and the Holy Majesty is blessed and safe!"

Gao Hongtu let out a long sigh, then knelt down on the ground.

It was also at this moment that Gao Hongtu finally realized that he had been fooled.

The "Luanjia" parked at the canal wharf in Yangzhou is just a cover deliberately released by the Holy Majesty, and Lu Zhenfei and Jin Xuan, who were sent by the Holy Majesty to Nanjing, are just to create the illusion of invigorating the prison. Their real purpose is to In order to lure them, the Donglin Party took the risk to kill the king.

All of this was originally designed by the Holy One.

Thinking of this, Gao Hongtu couldn't help raising his head to take a deep look at Chongzhen.

But just in time, Chongzhen also looked at Gao Hongtu, with a mocking smile hidden in the corner of his mouth.

Gao Hongtu shook his head, then lowered his head again, thinking that the Holy Majesty is so thoughtful, deep in thinking, and ruthless in strategy, which is rare in ancient and modern times, but it is not wrong to lose to the Holy Majesty this time.

However, I, Gao Hongtu, will not easily admit defeat.

Co-governance by literati and bureaucrats is my lifelong ideal, and I, Gao Hongtu, am willing to give everything to this end.

Long before Gao Hongtu, Jiang Yueguang, Lu Daqi, Zhang Youyu and other Donglin party officials had already knelt down.

If Chongzhen didn't show up, they would still dare to act like monsters, but once they were in front of Chongzhen, they would be so frightened that they didn't even dare to fart, and their kneeling was even faster and more straightforward than the imperial party and princelings.

In the blink of an eye, there was only one person standing alone in the huge hall.

This person is none other than Yuan Pengnian who is trying to kill someone with a waist knife.

Chongzhen glanced over, stared at Yuan Pengnian and asked: "During Yuan's affairs, do you want to kill the king with the knife?"

"No, I haven't." Yuan Pengnian let go of his hands, and the waist knife fell on the hall with a clang, and then he turned over and knelt down on the ground, "My minister, Yuan Pengnian, please pay homage to Jin'an."

When speaking, Yuan Pengnian even chattered his teeth.

However, Yuan Pengnian was not out of fear, but out of shock.

The Holy One is not dead?The whole ship was blown to pieces by underwater mines, but it didn't die?

Could it be that after Meishan became enlightened, the Holy One was already sanctified in body?Have you become a saint?

Just as Yuan Pengnian was thinking wildly, Li Ruolian, commander of Jinyiwei, rushed in with a team of Jinyiwei.

Li Ruolian waved his hand, and the two Jinyi guards rushed forward and dragged Yuan Pengnian away like a dead dog. At this time, Yuan Pengnian had already bowed his head, but he didn't beg for mercy, he was quite stubborn.

Seeing this, Gao Hongtu bit the bullet and asked, "My lord, what does Commander Li mean by this?"

"Old Gaoge." Chongzhen squatted down in front of Gao Hongtu, because he was wearing a mountain armor, so he was a little struggling.

After squatting down, Chongzhen's eyes looked directly at Gao Hongtu's at a close distance, and asked faintly, "Why did Li Ruolian drag Yuan Pengnian away? Don't you know the reason?"

Gao Hongtu frowned and said, "I don't know what His Majesty's words mean."

"Mr. Gao Ge really doesn't know? In this way, I have wronged you." Chongzhen stood up and shouted sharply, "Yuan Pengnian participated in the big case of regicide and treason, and has been arrested by Jin Yiwei for questioning."

"Does Jin Yiwei have evidence?" Gao Hongtu could only be tough to the end.

"Yuan Pengnian is a student of my minister, and I am very clear about his character."

"I know him well, so I definitely won't commit such heinous crimes against human relations as murdering the king and plotting rebellion."

Speaking of this meal, he said again: "So, please ask the Jin Yiwei to find out the truth, don't wrong innocent people, and don't let the real culprit go."

"I don't need Gao Ge to worry about this."

"Since I dare to say that Yuan Pengnian participated in the big case of regicide and treason, there is naturally enough evidence."

Speaking of this meal, Chongzhen looked around and said: "I also know that Yuan Fengnian is not the only one involved in this big case of regicide and treason. Energy, there must be someone behind him, maybe not just one, but a group, a large group!"

What Chongzhen said was not an implicit allusion, but almost an explicit allusion.

The civil servants and military generals in the main hall suddenly looked awe-inspiring, and it was only then that their thoughts finally turned from the "Prince Yongwang" dispute to the big case of treason.

Last night in the Ming Dynasty, a major case of regicide and treason took place!

If this case is investigated to the end, the entire Daming officialdom will be turned upside down!

Chongzhen said again: "If there are really people among you who are involved in regicide and treason, I advise you to stand up on your own and plead guilty honestly. As long as you are willing to plead guilty, I can guarantee that the crime will not be as good as your family."

The entire hall was silent, but no one was willing to stand up and plead guilty.

Gao Hongtu opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything in the end.

But Chongzhen actually saw it with sharp eyes, and immediately asked, "What did Mr. Gao Ge say?"

Gao Hongtu sighed and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister is getting old. Recently, he feels that his energy is low and it is difficult for him to be the prime minister. Therefore, he wants to resign from the cabinet and prime minister and return to his hometown to enjoy his old age."

Hearing this, all the civil servants and generals in the hall felt inexplicably ridiculous.

Lack of energy?A moment ago, Mr. Gao Ge, you were still full of energy, and you could kill people with a knife in your hand.

As a result, as soon as the Holy One appeared, Mr. Gaoge, you immediately lost your energy and wanted to beg for bones to return home. Are you afraid?Afraid that the Dong Chuang incident will lead to the death of the family?
But can this kind of thing be avoided?
"Is Mr. Gao Ge begging for bones?" Chongzhen asked with a smile.

Gao Hongtu took off the black gauze and placed it in front of him, then knelt down and begged, "For the sake of the old minister's dedication to the Ming Dynasty for decades, please allow the old minister's remains to be buried in his hometown."

"Old Gao Ge didn't say that I was negligent." Chongzhen said with a solemn expression, "If I remember correctly, Gao Ge, you should be a Jinshi in the tenth year of Wanli, right? You will be the imperial censor after the completion of the six departments."

"In this case, Gao Ge has indeed dedicated thirty and five years to the Ming Dynasty."

"Thirty-five years, how many thirty-five years can there be in one's life? Mr. Gao Ge, you dedicated the best youth in your life to the Ming Dynasty. This alone is enough to be ranked among the three princes. After death It is more than enough to posthumously reward Shangzhu Kingdom!"

He was among the top three princes during his lifetime, and after his death, he was given to Shangzhu Kingdom. In the Ming Dynasty, only Zhang Juzheng had this honor.

"The old minister is terrified." Gao Hongtu said on the ground, "The old minister is dull, how dare he stand side by side with Duke Zhang Wenzhong."

"Gao Hongtu, so you also know that you are not worthy to be compared with Zhang Juzheng?" Chongzhen finally turned his face completely, and said with a dark face, "I thought you wanted to be Zhang Juzheng's second!"

After this pause, he continued with a more emphatic tone: "No, I thought you wanted to be Han Tuozhou's second, Shi Miyuan's second, and Jia Sidao's second!"

"Gao Hongtu, if you fight me to the end, I will give you a high opinion."

"But I didn't expect that Gao Hongtu would back down when things came to an end. Do you feel worthy of those subordinates who rushed forward for you? Are you worthy of the seniors of the Donglin Party?"

At this point, Gao Hongtu knew that it was pointless to argue.

But Gao Hongtu is also very clear that as long as he refuses to admit it to death, Chongzhen will have nothing to do with him.

Because Gao Hongtu firmly believed that the three disciples who participated in this matter would be able to keep their mouths shut. As long as Yuan Pengnian, Liu Zhengzong, and Li Jinglian refused to admit it to death, it would be impossible for Jin Yiwei to collect evidence.

The identification of Du Hongyu or Liu Kongzhao alone is not enough.

Of course, Chongzhen can also directly order to kill without evidence.

But if Chongzhen really wanted to do this, then Gao Hongtu would win.

Just as being beaten by the royal staff can make Yushi famous, the heads of Gao Hongtu and his disciples can also improve the reputation of Donglin Party, and make the people in the south of the Yangtze River believe in the reputation of Donglin Party.

After all, Jiangnan's scholars and public opinion are in the hands of their Donglin Party.

At that moment Gao Hongtu got up slowly, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, this old minister is not ashamed to look up to the heavens, not to bow down to the earth, and he is not ashamed to face Daming in the middle. Even if he abandons the crown prince and King Ding to support King Yong as the new king, it is out of a public heart No matter whether the Holy Majesty believes it or not, the old ministers are all planning for the eternal prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also for the sake of our Han family's clothes and ancestral temples. "

After finishing speaking, Gao Hongtu walked out of the hall.

"Ha, did the killing of the king also come out of a public heart?" Chongzhen laughed angrily.

"My lord, I really don't know about the killing of the king." Gao Hongtu turned his head and categorically denied, "I have read the books of sages and sages since I was a child, and I have been deeply influenced by Confucian etiquette. It's against humanity."

"Whether you participated in the regicide and rebellion, Gao Hongtu, you said that you don't count." Chongzhen said coldly, "You can only count after the Jin Yiwei checks the facts. At least at this moment, you, Gao Hongtu, are suspected, because Yuan Pengnian is your disciple of Gao Hongtu. .”

"Your Majesty, let Jin Yiwei conduct a thorough investigation." After Gao Hongtu said this, he went out of the main hall, "During this time, the veteran will not be in a hurry to return home, but will wait at the bamboo charcoal workshop."

"Then you can wait at home." Chongzhen said with a cold snort.

Before entering the city, Chongzhen had expected that Gao Hongtu would never give in easily.

But Chongzhen still didn't expect Gao Hongtu to be so difficult to deal with, and this trick of retreating into advance is really watertight.

Didn't you say that I, Gao Hongtu, participated in the conspiracy?Well, I'm resigning from office now and staying at home, waiting for you to investigate and see if you can find any conclusive evidence?

If you can't find out, then you have to restore my reputation.

Maybe you have to ask me three times and four times to return to the cabinet to take care of things.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen's complexion also became unsightly.

Fortunately, he had already thought up the overall plan before entering the city, otherwise he really couldn't do anything about this old man.

At the moment Chongzhen turned his attention to Jiang Yueguang, Lu Daqi, Zhang Youyu and other officials from the Donglin Party: "And you, whether you have participated in the regicide or not, there is one thing you can't deny, that is you They are all members of the Donglin Party, so let’s all go home and wait until Jinyiwei finds out before going to court!”

"Your servants will leave." Jiang Yueguang and other officials performed the Jishou ceremony, got up again and left in a daze.

Gao Hongtu was determined to be tenacious, compared to Jiang Riguang and others, who were far behind. This group of people had been completely stunned by Chongzhen's series of combined punches, and they even forgot to say a few words on the scene.

As soon as Chongzhen returned to the court, he drove more than [-] Donglin party officials home.

Now it is no longer the situation when I first returned to Nanjing last year.

At that time, there were only nine civil servants left around Chongzhen. If he turned against the Donglin Party, the court would immediately stop, and half of the south of the Yangtze River would immediately fall into chaos.

But now you don't have to worry about that anymore.

The first is that neutral officials will no longer follow the Donglin Party.

The second is that the number of officials of the imperial party has also greatly increased.

The third is that Qin Wangshizi has also grown up and is ready to be used.

At that moment, Chongzhen turned his gaze to the Caojiang soldiers on both sides of the hall, and said, "Have you seen all of them? They dare to do it but dare not admit it. This is what you call a moral gentleman and a model civil servant, huh."

Xie Xuelong, Meng Zhaoxiang, Fan Zhongjie and other officials looked at Cao Jiangbing in astonishment.

Then, in front of more than a hundred civil servants and generals who stayed behind, Cao Jiang soldiers on both sides of the hall tore off their face masks one after another, revealing their true colors. It was Xia Yunyi, Chen Zilong, Fang Yizhi, Huang Zongxi and Dong Lin The Qin Wang Shizi who is inextricably linked with the party members, or simply the Xiao Donglin Party.

The so-called Xiaodonglin Party refers to Fushe.

The expressions on the faces of Xia Yunyi and other scholars were extremely complicated.

Although rationally told them that the Yangzhou regicide and treason case was done by the Donglin Party, emotionally they didn't want to admit it, or dare not admit it, because admitting it would mean the collapse of their faith.

You know, they have regarded the Donglin party members as role models since they were young.

But now, these role models actually committed the crime of regicide and treason.

This had a fierce conflict with the Confucianism they had accepted since childhood.

Chongzhen's eyes swept across the faces of the scholars, and his eyes gradually softened: "I know you are sad at this time, but no matter how sad you are, you have to accept the reality."

"Growing up is never easy."

"With growth comes more pain."

"In addition to pain, there is also loss. In the process of growing up, there is always something to lose, especially something that has been regarded as the norm since childhood."

"But what I want to tell you is, don't keep your eyes on the square in front of you, and don't always think about fighting with your own party in your mind. It's really boring to fight back and forth."

"You should look outside, the world is big, and the outside world is even more exciting!"

Speaking of this meal, Chongzhen said again: "In short, the Ming Dynasty is worthy of your enthusiasm and lifelong struggle for it. This is the last lesson I want to teach you. From now on, you will officially graduate. Congratulations you."

Chongzhen never forgot his original intention, which was to teach scholars.

The original intention of directing this regicide is to teach this group of scholars.

Attacking the Donglin Party is only incidental.

(End of this chapter)