Zhu Youzhen looked at the verdict in front of him with straight eyes, he had been in this posture for nearly half an hour, and Wang Chengen, who was standing on the side, waved his hand to rebuke the other eunuchs waiting in the room.

When he heard the sound of the door closing with a "squeak", Wang Chengen whispered to Chongzhen: "If Your Majesty is not willing to dirty your hands, it is better to change it to exile." ”

Zhu Youzhen, who was awakened, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned back heavily on the back of the chair, "What time is it?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, I just arrived in Shenshi." Wang Chengen turned his head to look at a clock in the corner, then turned back to Chongzhen and replied.

"They're surprisingly fast at doing this kind of thing." Zhu Youzhen said mockingly.

He opened his eyes and stood up, and said as he walked towards the door: "I'm so angry, Wang Chengen will accompany me out for a walk." ”

Unlike the previous death sentences, the fate of Feng Shikong and the others was manipulated by Zhu Youzhen, and if their death sentences did not need to be handed over to him for review, then Zhu Youzhen could still deliberately forget about them.

But the death verdicts of these people were sent to him so hard, which made Zhu Youzhen feel like a murderer.

Although he had been trying to convince himself in his heart that it was their colleagues and not himself who sentenced them to death. But after working hard for a long time, he also realized that this was nothing more than a self-deceptive idea.

Since the time crossing, he has regarded everything now as a real dream, so he can unscrupulously set off a rebellion of the Smelling Fragrance Sect. Because for him, the people in Shunyi who have never seen them are just cold numbers.

But the feeling that the person who stood in front of him in the morning and talked to him now would become a corpse tomorrow and the day after tomorrow as long as he moved his pen, made him a little irritable and irritable.

In the Dongchang Factory, outside the Baodafang outside Dong'an Gate, Liu Jingting, who is the chief writer of the Daming Times, had just sent Wang Shoulu away, and when he was thinking about what Wang Shoulu said to himself, he heard the news of Chongzhen's arrival.

"Weichen Liu Jingting has seen Your Majesty." Liu Jingting, a member of the Zhongshu House and the chief writer of the Daming Times, is now qualified to claim himself a minister to Chongzhen. Respectfully

Zhu Youzhen helped Liu Jingting for a while, then walked directly to the main seat in the room and sat down and said, "No need to be polite, I want to know how you went to Mentougou to investigate the coal mine." ”

Liu Jingting first found a stack of papers and put them in front of Chongzhen, and then stepped back and said: "There are two types of official mines and private mines in Mentougou, and there are many private mines and few official mines. Regardless of whether it is a government mine or a private mine, the system of total small A is adopted, and the owner of the mine in the private mine is the general A..."

Under Liu Jingting's explanation, Zhu Youzhen finally understood that the form of the total small A system is: every ten people are a small A, and every ten small A is a total A. This is actually a semi-military system, which was originally created by Zhu Yuanzhang and used to manage all social structures such as public security, military, forced labor, and even commercial taxes.

“… Most of the coal miners are displaced people from all over the world, or local landless people, and once they sell themselves, they become the slaves of the mine owners, and they have no remuneration and no personal freedom..."Liu Jingting introduced to Chongzhen in detail the results of his travels in the West Mountains these days.

Zhu Youzhen asked with some doubts: "How did this betrayal of labor become a slave?" Aren't these mine owners afraid of the miners rebelling by doing this? ”

Liu Jingting was silent for a while before he said, "Your Majesty probably misunderstood, these coal miners are not selling their own labor, but themselves. A child servant is worth only 7 or 8 taels to 13 or 4 taels, which is much cheaper than a hired servant.

According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, once a slave or maid is a pariah, not only can he not marry with a good person, but the master can reduce the punishment of the slave and maid if he kills the slave or maid.

However, today's national law is very bad, even if the master's family kills the slave with a rod for no reason, as long as the government is dredged, he can be exempted.

Those who can open mines in Xishan are either local bigwigs, or they are under the door of the official eunuchs. They have raised a group of market gangsters to squeeze and control the miners, and they can collude with the government, how can they be afraid that these miners will rebel? ”

This kind of driving people as talking horses and cattle finally made Zhu Youzhen's irritable mood dissipate, and his originally weak heart hardened again.

"Needless to say, the conditions for this official mine to treat miners should be worse than that of private mines." Zhu Youzhen was silent for a while and said.

Liu Jingting lowered his head and said: "The officials and schools that manage the official mines are even more unscrupulous, but if the miners disobey, they will be killed immediately. ”

Zhu Youzhen was silent for a long time before he said quietly: "Write the content of your interview into an investigation report, and then publish it in the Daming Times." ”

After listening to Liu Jingting's investigation report, Zhu Youzhen no longer felt guilty about Feng Shikong and others.

Enjoying the support of the people of the Ming Dynasty, but obstructing the implementation of any policies that are beneficial to the people of the Ming Dynasty, and wanting to put on a high hat for his own self-seeking actions, then what qualifications does this kind of person have to make him apologize.

Seeing that Zhu Youzhen was about to leave the Waidong Factory when he got up, Liu Jingting suddenly said loudly: "Your Majesty, the minister has a matter, I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at Liu Jingting, who was frowning, and finally sat down again and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it, I will listen." ”

Liu Jingting straightened his clothes, formally paid homage to Zhu Youzhen, and said: "I heard that since ancient times, all promising kings would rather be righteous than evil, and act uprightly, which is enough to set an example for all the people.

Today, Your Majesty has taken advantage of the Smelling Fragrance Sect riot to frame his subordinates, and if he acts like this, once the world knows about it, His Majesty will put his reputation somewhere..."

Wang Chengen interrupted Liu Jingting with a pale face, "Shut up, Liu Jingting, you fabricate facts and slander Your Majesty's reputation, what crime should you be guilty of." ”

Liu Jingting turned a deaf ear to Wang Chengen's reprimand, and continued regardless of it: "Your Majesty, there is no impermeable wall in this world, and the wall still has ears, not to mention the incident of instigating the Wenxiang Sect riot, involving no less than 100 people, once the rumors spread, the grievances of the people of Gyeonggi will all be attributed to Your Majesty, and if there is a traitor who takes advantage of this to make a living, then how can Your Majesty sit in the Forbidden City?" ”

Wang Chengen's voice trembled and said to Chongzhen: "This matter is all ill-considered by the minister, please give your majesty some time to the minister, when you can eliminate the beginning and end of this matter..."

Zhu Youzhen stretched out his hand to stop Wang Chengen's words, he smiled and said, "Mr. Liu's advice today is very similar to that of an ancient minister. But since it's my decision, even if there are any terrible consequences, I can't even turn around and run away without even daring to face it.

If one mistake is used to cover up another, and a lie is used to cover another lie, then will I not wander forever in the midst of mistakes and lies? It doesn't have to be like this, Wang Chengen, you have to take good care of those Jinyi guards who have contributed to me, and no one is allowed to be implicated, otherwise I will only ask you. ”

After Zhu Youzhen finished speaking, he felt a lot more relaxed in his heart. He got up and said to Liu Jingting excitedly: "That's all for today, I'll go back first." ”

Liu Jingting stepped forward and stopped in front of Chongzhen again, and said: "Your Majesty, it's not too late to see the rabbit and take care of the dog; It's not too late to make amends. Feng Du Yushi and the others have not yet decided the case, as long as His Majesty pardons their crimes, even if there are rumors in the future, it will be..."

Zhu Youzhen quickly interrupted Liu Jingting's words and said: "There is a proverb in the West, don't bow your head, because the crown will fall." Do you really think I have a choice? It is simple to pardon Feng Shikong and others, but what will the officials in the world think of me?

If the anti-party is pursued with great momentum but not a single person is punished, will the officials of the world not regard me as a weak and bully? If I want to do something in the future, will these officials still give in to me? ”

Seeing that Chongzhen was so unswerving, Liu Jingting finally said after having nothing to do: "Is Your Majesty really confident that he will not regret it in the future?" ”

Zhu Youzhen was silent for a while and said, "I don't dare to guarantee that I will regret it in the future, but I have already decided that no matter what the result is, I will not run away. ”

Liu Jingting gritted his teeth and said: "Since this is the case, the minister does not dare to stop His Majesty, but the minister has a reluctant request, and he also asks His Majesty for permission." ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at him and said, "You say." ”

"Since Your Majesty thinks that you can face all the consequences, then the minister dares to ask Your Majesty to go and see the process of these officials being raided."

Looking at Liu Jingting, who was insisting, Zhu Youzhen couldn't help shaking his head and said, "Mr. Liu, you are really a sincere person." ”

Wang Chengen finally couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not in accordance with the rules. And the scene of the raid, there are many people, if it disturbs His Majesty, I am afraid that the ministers will die. ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at Wang Chengen, then at Liu Jingting, and after looking back and forth a few times, he still said: "Okay, let's go and have a look, so that Mr. Liu can rest assured." ”

When Zhu Youzhen went to change clothes, Wang Chengen stared at Liu Jingting fiercely, and then left with Zhu Youzhen.

Under the leadership of Liu Jingting, Zhu Youzhen inspected several officials whose homes had been raided, and listened to the cries of the families of these officials, and his face remained calm all along.

It wasn't until a few people came to Feng Shikong's house that Zhu Youzhen looked at the makeup that was piled up indiscriminately in the courtyard, and couldn't help but lose his mind for a moment.

Liu Jingting immediately called a brocade guard, pointed to the makeup of the courtyard and asked, "What's going on?" ”

"Lord Hui, this is the dowry of Feng Susu, the daughter of the criminal officer Feng Shikong, and the news that I heard from the humble post is that the convict Feng Susu has a marriage contract with Li Linsun, the son of Li Jingbai, the right attendant of the military department, and it will be the day after tomorrow, so there are so many dowries in the family."

When Liu Jingting was about to ask something, the howls of several women came from the backyard.

Zhu Youzhen was in a daze at a pillow of mandarin ducks playing in the water that was thrown on the side, there was still one eye left on this pillow that had not been embroidered, looking at the silk threads piled up on the side, he seemed to see that a group of sudden officers and soldiers made the owner hurriedly drop the pillow that was about to be completed and fled.