"Master Xiao Zhu, please accept my order."
After the greetings, the matter returned to business, and Eunuch Jia, who came from the West Garden, began his mission - announcing the imperial decree.
"Your subject Zhu Ping'an accepts the order."
The imperial edict was a symbol of the emperor's power. Seeing the imperial edict was like seeing the emperor himself. No matter who held the imperial edict or how high your official rank was, you had to kneel down to receive the edict to show your respect to the emperor. Zhu Ping'an did not dare to act rashly and took the lead in kneeling down to receive the edict. The old lady of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion, Li Shu and others knelt on both sides.
When everything was ready, Eunuch Jia opened the imperial edict in his hand. It was an imperial edict with a black ox horn as the axis, and the surface of the edict was made of brocade fabric made of the finest silk. The colors were khaki, green and blue, with khaki as the main color. It was embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes, and at both ends there were five-clawed golden dragons flying up and down and riding on the clouds. The edict was magnificent.
The imperial edict was very long, about one meter long and thirty centimeters wide. When Jia Gonggong stretched his arms to shoulder width, the edict drooped in an arc. At the end of the edict, where the time was written, a square seal with the seal of "Chi Ming Zhi Bao" could be vaguely seen.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, hereby declares: 'I am extremely angry and cannot restrain my rage. Falsified accounts, deficits, inferior silver! The accumulated deficit of the Taicang Treasury has reached over 1.5 million taels of silver and over 500,000 taels of gold. This is unprecedented. I am so angry when I read this report. You ministers, you eat the emperor's salary but do not serve him! You are unkind, so do not blame me for being unjust! Severe punishments will be imposed immediately to enforce the law! All the soldiers and silversmiths who handled the money in and out and checked the silver and participated in the theft of the Taicang Treasury will be executed immediately, and their wives, concubines, and descendants will be sent to Yunnan, a wasteland 3,000 miles away; All soldiers and servants of the outer wall warehouse who were on duty and involved in the case should also be sentenced to hanging and imprisonment, and their wives, concubines, descendants and grandchildren should be exiled 2,000 miles away. All officials who neglected their duties, abused their power and stole silver will be investigated in detail and severely punished. From the 20th year of Jiajing to this year, all those who have been in charge of the warehouse, warehouse officials and inspectors of the warehouse, regardless of their honesty and integrity, will be punished; all those who have been in charge of the warehouse and inspectors of the warehouse will be fined 1,200 taels of silver per month according to the years they served in office, and the amount will be halved for those who have passed away; the minister in charge of the warehouse will be fined 5,000 taels of silver per month, and the amount will be halved for those who have passed away... "Eunuch Jia began to announce the decree.
Zhu Ping'an was listening below and could feel the Emperor Jiajing's rage through a piece of paper.
This time, Emperor Jiajing was extremely angry. Just like he said in his imperial edict, if you are unkind, then don't blame me for being unjust.
Indeed, the imperial edict of Emperor Jiajing was full of murderous spirit and undisguised style of fleecing.
Of course, those who were subjected to the Emperor Jiajing's wrath in the imperial edict all deserved it and suffered the consequences of their own actions...
Why
etc
What does this imperial edict have to do with me
This imperial edict seemed to be a punishment edict, punishing corrupt officials and recovering stolen goods. Why did Emperor Jiajing ask someone to read it to me? Did he want to praise me for my meritorious service in checking the treasury at the end of the edict? But if it was a praise, there would be no need to waste so much irrelevant words and phrases at the beginning, right
It can’t be…
Zhu Ping'an was a little suspicious and felt vaguely uneasy.
really.
The next second, Zhu Ping'an's uneasiness was confirmed.
"On June 15, the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, Zhu Ping'an, the Imperial Secretary and Imperial Academy Attendant, was ordered to inspect the Taicang. Although he made contributions in the inspection, I am not kidding. According to the provisions of the previous paragraph, all inspectors will be fined regardless of their honesty and integrity. They will be fined 1,200 taels of silver per month. Zhu Ping'an inspected the warehouse for eight days and should pay a fine of 320 taels of silver. Considering that Zhu Ping'an made contributions in the inspection, the fine will be reduced by half to 160 taels of silver. The deadline for payment is one year, and there must be no mistakes..."
The voice of Eunuch Jia reading out the imperial edict was as ups and downs as usual, but it did not sound that way to Zhu Ping'an. It sounded like a mixture of all kinds of weird and beastly sounds. He couldn't even make out the words that Eunuch Jia was reading out afterwards.
"ah?"
Zhu Ping'an was stunned and couldn't help but cry out in surprise. He simply couldn't believe his ears. It was as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on him in the middle of winter. Every cell in his body protested.
Is Emperor Jiajing mentally retarded? !
Is Emperor Jiajing crazy because of poverty
Did Emperor Jiajing get kicked in the head by a donkey? !
Big question marks popped up in Zhu Ping'an's mind.
For a time, Zhu Pingan was full of negative contempt for Emperor Jiajing. He really couldn't help but despise Emperor Jiajing. He loved his job, was incorruptible, and was the one who uncovered the shady dealings of Taicang. He had worked hard and made great contributions. Even so, Emperor Jiajing, if you didn't reward or praise me, it would be a great honor. Why did you punish me? And the fine was so high, 160 taels of silver! This was his salary for nearly two years.
The last time he impeached me, he was fined one year's salary, and now he has to pay two years' salary again? !
I'm still young and have just started working, but I have to work for you for two years for nothing.
Jiajing!
Doesn't your conscience hurt?!
From this point of view, Emperor Jiajing is a boss who cannot be more cruel.
Rewards and punishments are clear, this is the most basic quality of a superior! How could Emperor Jiajing not even understand this principle? This shouldn't be the case. Emperor Jiajing is one of the few genius emperors in history. He is very good at playing political games and his ability to govern the country is not bad either.
But that was the fact. He even took off his pants to check the treasury, but was still fined two years' salary.
"Emperor Jiajing, the black-hearted one, give me back my hard-earned money."
Zhu Ping'an was so resentful that he even wanted to run naked to the gate of Xiyuan with a banner to protest.
Li Shu, who was standing by, opened her mouth in surprise...
In sharp contrast to Zhu Ping'an and others are the old lady of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion and the wife of Linhuai Marquis.
At first, the old lady and the others thought that the imperial edict was for Linhuai Marquis, and they thought that the emperor was going to promote Linhuai Marquis to a higher position. However, they did not expect that the imperial edict was for Zhu Pingan, not for their own son, which made the old lady very disappointed...
But now, the old lady was very grateful.
This is the emperor's imperial edict of punishment. Fortunately, it was not directed to his son, Marquis of Linhuai, otherwise it would be troublesome. Although the imperial edict only fined him 160 taels of silver, it was nothing for a family like theirs. However, although the fine was not much, the reputation would be ruined, which would affect their future career.
The old lady didn't like Li Shu's mother back then, otherwise she wouldn't have forced Li Shu's father to divorce his wife and remarry. However, unexpectedly, Li Shu's father forgot his mother after marrying his wife. Not only did he not obey and divorce his wife and remarry, but he moved out of the house with Li Shu's mother. This made the old lady angry with Li Shu's father and she disliked Li Shu's mother even more.
As a result, the old lady also disliked her granddaughter Li Shu.
Love the house and love the dog.
The house is also full of crows.
Compared with other sons-in-law, the old lady didn't like Zhu Ping'an very much. When she first met Zhu Ping'an, the old lady looked down on the simple and honest Zhu Ping'an. Although her attitude changed a little after Zhu Ping'an passed the imperial examination, she hoped that it was her grandson Li Yanzhou who passed the imperial examination, even if it was another son-in-law. She even had the idea that Zhu Ping'an had snatched the title from her grandson Li Yanzhou.
Of course, the old lady, who is getting more and more cunning as she gets older, will never show these thoughts on her face.
Now, when they heard the content of the imperial edict was to fine Zhu Ping'an silver, they even felt a little secretly happy in their hearts.
Especially the Sixth Miss, she even glanced at Li Shu deliberately, as if to say in a mocking tone, Fifth Sister, you are allowed to show off again... ...