nycdaug Chapter 804 Voice
Chapter 804 Voice
Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table so hard that the candle flame shook. "Summon Liu Ji and Song Lian to the palace immediately!" When the two old ministers came in a hurry, Zhu Yuanzhang threw the secret report on the table: "Look! The country I worked so hard to build has raised so many rats!" He remembered that when he was young, his parents and brothers starved to death in a broken straw hut, while the corrupt officials of the Yuan court were living a life of drunkenness and debauchery. Anger rushed to his heart, and his nails dug deep into his palms. Liu Ji picked up the secret report and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I heard that local government offices have the problem of 'empty seals'. Every year, local governments need to send their money and grain accounts to the Ministry of Revenue for verification. If the numbers don't match, they have to fill them back in. But the round trip is far, and officials prepare blank documents with official seals in advance to save trouble, and fill them in as needed after arriving at the Ministry of Revenue. In the meantime..." "No need to say more!" Zhu Yuanzhang stood up abruptly, and his dragon robe swept the teacup off the table. "Such behavior is no different from blatant embezzlement. Tomorrow morning, I will personally try this matter!" The next morning, the atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall was as depressing as a leaden cloud. Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were like knives, sweeping over the trembling officials of the palace: "Do you know your crime in the matter of the empty seal?" Before he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue stepped out tremblingly: "Your Majesty, calm down. This has been a practice for many years. It is actually for convenience..." "Convenient? Convenient for you to enrich yourself!" Zhu Yuanzhang kicked over the dragon chair, "From the prefectures and counties to the six ministries, the layers of official seals are like chains, but what locks up the people's way of life!" He ordered that all officials involved in the empty seal case, regardless of whether they were the main culprits or the accomplices, be severely punished. For a while, Yingtian City was in a bloody storm, and tens of thousands of people fell to the ground. However, this storm was just the beginning. In the 13th year of Hongwu, the Imperial Censor Tu Jie reported that Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was plotting a rebellion, which led to a shocking case. During the interrogation, Hu Weiyong's followers confessed to a large number of crimes of corruption, bribery, and forming cliques for personal gain. Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the pile of confessions on his desk, and veins popped out between his white hair - these officials he promoted had woven a huge corruption network under his nose. "Propagate my decree: Hu Weiyong's nine clans will be exterminated, and all his followers who are involved in corruption will be skinned and stuffed with straw, and hung in front of the government office for public display!" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice echoed in the empty palace, startling the crows on the eaves. He remembered the oath he made with his brothers on the battlefield at the beginning of the founding of the country, but now it was torn to pieces by these termites. The news spread, shocking the whole country. After Suzhou prefect Chen Ning was skinned for corruption, his skin was stuffed with straw and hung at the gate of the government office. The people who passed by applauded, but the officials were all in danger. But Zhu Yuanzhang did not stop there. He personally compiled the "Great Edict", making various cases and penalties for punishing corruption public, and encouraged the people to go to Beijing to file complaints. If anyone blocked it, he would be severely punished. In the 18th year of Hongwu, another major case shocked the court and the public - the Guo Huan case. This assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue colluded with local officials to embezzle taxes and steal and sell official grain. The amount involved was staggering. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. From the six ministries to the localities, tens of thousands of people were implicated. In order to set an example, he even invented the torture of "sticking officials": soaking mulberry paper in water and covering the face of the prisoner, and then stacking them one by one until the prisoner suffocated to death. In this anti-corruption storm that lasted for decades, Zhu Yuanzhang personally inquired about every case. He often visited incognito and listened to the sufferings of the people. Once, he came to Yangzhou in disguise as a businessman and saw that the people were pale and thin, while the government granary was empty. After some investigation, he uncovered the corruption case of the local prefect and grain officials. When the corrupt officials were taken to the execution ground, the people knelt down to thank them, and the cries and cheers were intertwined. However, as the anti-corruption efforts continued to intensify, different voices emerged in the court. Some old ministers advised: "Your Majesty, excessive punishment may damage the foundation of the country, please give me some leniency." Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "I am a commoner from Huaiyou, and the world is like a floating cloud to me. But if I indulge corrupt officials, how can the people of the world survive?" In his heart, he would rather kill hundreds of people by mistake than let a corrupt official go. As time passed, Zhu Yuanzhang's temples became grayer, but his determination to fight corruption never wavered. In the 31st year of Hongwu, this emperor who had been fighting corruption all his life came to the end of his life. Before his death, he was still chanting: "If corrupt officials are not eliminated, I will not die in peace..." Zhu Yuanzhang's iron-fisted anti-corruption left a strong mark in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Although the means were harsh and caused many controversies, his zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption deterred corrupt officials to a certain extent and safeguarded the interests of the people. In his own way, he interpreted his responsibility to the country and the people, and made the "Hongwu Anti-Corruption Campaign" a magnificent legend in the long river of history. This story shows the process of Zhu Yuanzhang's iron-fisted punishment of corrupt officials.
During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, the streets of Chang'an were bustling with traffic and prosperity. Li Zhengfeng, a newly-appointed Jinshi, was wearing a brand-new official uniform, holding documents from the Ministry of Personnel, and was full of ambition. He was appointed as the magistrate of Qinghe County in Jiangnan Road, and was about to take office. Before leaving, his father took his hand and earnestly warned him: "Officials should think about the people, be honest and upright, and don't let down the grace of the emperor." Li Zhengfeng nodded heavily and kept these words in mind. When he entered Qinghe County, Li Zhengfeng saw a scene that was completely different from Chang'an. The road was bumpy, the farmland on the roadside was overgrown with weeds, and the people were sallow and thin, with sorrow in their eyes. He wondered in his heart, Qinghe County has always been famous for its wealth, how could it be like this? The first thing Li Zhengfeng did after taking office was to visit incognito. He changed into coarse linen clothes, walked through the streets, and listened to the voices of the people. In a shabby teahouse, an old man trembled and cried to him: "Sir, you have to make a decision for us! County Magistrate Wang Hu colluded with local wealthy businessman Zhao De to seize our land and force us to pay high taxes. If we disobeyed, we would be beaten all over, and many people had to leave their homes." Li Zhengfeng clenched his fists and was furious: "Don't worry, old man, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give everyone justice." However, he soon discovered that things were far more complicated than he had imagined. Wang Hu was deeply rooted in the county government and had many followers. Zhao De was even more related to the powerful people in the court. He was rich and powerful, and his power was intertwined. Back at the county government, Li Zhengfeng immediately started to investigate. He looked through the tax account books of previous years and found that there were many loopholes in them, and many data were obviously tampered with. Just as he was investigating in depth, Wang Hu rushed in with a group of yamen runners and said in a sarcastic tone: "Sir Li, you're new here, why are you fighting so hard? The water in Qinghe County is very deep. Some things can be let go by turning a blind eye." Li Zhengfeng was not afraid and looked directly into Wang Hu's eyes: "As an official appointed by the court, I only know how to speak for the people and eradicate evil. I will get to the bottom of what you have done!" Wang Hu's face sank and threatened: "Li Zhengfeng, don't be ungrateful! If you offend us, you won't stay in Qinghe County for long!"