novelSusiti Chapter 134 The crime of deceiving the emperor is heinous!
Chapter 134 The crime of deceiving the emperor is heinous!
Chapter 134 The crime of deceiving the emperor is heinous!
Zhu Houzhao looked at the officials brought in by the Eastern and Western Depots and asked coldly, "Why haven't you come to court?"
The arrested officials knelt before Zhu Houzhao, drenched in cold sweat and trembling like leaves, yet not one dared to answer him.
A deathly silence filled the air. After surveying his ministers, Zhu Houzhao spoke softly.
"Since no one has anything to say, then they are absent from the court assembly without a valid reason."
"Min Gui, you are the Minister of Justice. Tell me, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, what is the punishment for unexcused absence from court assemblies?"
Min Gui, the Minister of Justice who was over seventy years old, had previously escaped several court struggles, but this time he was directly named by Zhu Houzhao.
Min Gui raised his head and said loudly, "Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, those who are absent from court assemblies without cause shall be punished with flogging, caning, salary deduction, demerit, or even suspension, demotion, or dismissal, depending on the severity of the circumstances."
"Very well, all officials who are absent will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and fined three months' salary. Their performance evaluations this year will all be recorded as unsatisfactory!"
"Execute him immediately!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Upon receiving the order, Cao Zhengchun immediately arranged for men to carry out the execution in public, armed with court rods.
Immediately, the officials who were absent from the court assembly showed expressions of fear on their faces.
Don't underestimate the seemingly short punishment of twenty strokes of the cane. It involves striking with a heavy bamboo stick, and whether someone lives or dies depends entirely on the executioner's decision.
The art of flogging in court can be considered a skill.
Regardless of the severity of the beating, it can determine a person's life or death.
If His Majesty wanted him to live, let alone twenty strokes of the cane, even a hundred strokes would only require a few days of rest before he would be fine.
For example, Zhu Houzhao punished Liu Jin with one hundred strokes of the cane, but after receiving those strokes, Liu Jin rested at home for a few days and was back to his usual lively self.
But if His Majesty is going to die, these twenty strokes of the rod would be enough to beat him to death.
If His Majesty desires a state of being neither alive nor dead, then twenty strokes of the cane would be enough to damage bones and nerves, directly causing paralysis.
So don't underestimate the number of strokes; before the execution, no one knows whether they will live or die, or remain in a state of neither life nor death, after the punishment.
Immediately, an official knelt down and took two steps forward, kowtowing to Zhu Houzhao.
"Your Majesty, you've been wronged! You've been wronged, Your Majesty!"
"Your humble servant has requested leave due to illness! Your humble servant's absence is not without cause!"
"Last night I caught a cold and suffered from palpitations. Today I feel weak all over, and the doctor said I need to rest in bed!"
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! Your Majesty, please see the truth!"
'
""
The official's words were like stirring up a hornet's nest; the next moment, a chorus of pleas for mercy erupted in Fengtianmen Square.
"Your Majesty, I was also on sick leave!"
"Your Majesty, I am also ill and need to rest in bed. Please grant me this favor."
"Your Majesty! I am also ill! I have taken sick leave! I dare not be absent without a valid reason!"
"
"One official after another was trying their best to prove that they were absent due to illness."
They knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Zhu Houzhao, weeping bitterly in fear.
Zhu Houzhao sneered and said to the crowd, "Who among you is sick? Step forward and face me."
As soon as Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, a row of people stood up.
"Your Majesty, I! I'm really sick, cough cough!"
"Your Majesty, me too!"
Of the more than two hundred officials absent, more than half of them stepped forward and said they were sick.
"Very well, do you know the consequences of deceiving the emperor?"
This one sentence immediately changed the expressions of those officials who claimed to be ill.
Before they could react, Zhu Houzhao immediately gave the order.
"Cao Zhengchun, write down all these people's names for me!"
"Yu Huatian, go to the Imperial Hospital and immediately summon all the imperial physicians there for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At Zhu Houzhao's command, Cao Zhengchun immediately led a team to take stock of the officials who claimed to be ill. Yu Huatian, on the other hand, rushed to the Imperial Hospital.
This abrupt order caused a dramatic reversal in the attitudes of these officials who claimed to be ill.
"Your Majesty, I am not ill—I—I—I am guilty, I—"
"Your Majesty, I feel my illness is almost cured. The medicine I took this morning probably worked, so I—"
I----"
"Your Majesty, I am cured of my illness, and I feel much better now—"
"...
."
Zhu Houzhao truly lived up to his reputation as a divine physician; with just one sentence, he cured the illnesses of numerous officials instantly.
Many officials tried to sneak back to their knees, but their figures were spotted by the agents of the Eastern Depot, and they were immediately dragged out.
The officials' faces turned deathly pale, and their legs trembled like two noodles.
Soon, Yu Huatian led a group of imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to Fengtianmen Square.
Zhu Houzhao sneered: "Min Gui, what punishment should you receive for deceiving the emperor?"
Min Gui's eyes showed a hint of pity. He sighed and said helplessly, "Your Majesty, the crime of deceiving the emperor is a serious offense."
"He could be executed, his property confiscated, flogged in court, or exiled three thousand li away."
"Very good, imperial physicians, go and examine these of my beloved ministers carefully to see if they are truly unwell."
"If you dare to deceive me, your entire family will be executed!"
The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy were filled with trepidation and hurriedly bowed to Zhu Houzhao, saying, "Your Majesty, we dare not! We would never dare to deceive you!"
"Go ahead," Zhu Houzhao waved his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
At Zhu Houzhao's command, the imperial physicians, led by agents of the Eastern Depot, began to examine the officials who had claimed to be ill and were absent.
The emperor personally ordered that the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy examine him, which should have been a great honor for an ordinary official.
But to these officials who were feigning illness at this time, these imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were no different from judges in hell.
When the imperial physicians approached these officials and took their pulses...
The officials were sweating profusely, trembling all over, and looking at the imperial physicians with pleading eyes.
Their lips trembled as if they wanted to say something, but under the watchful eyes of the Eastern Depot agents, they dared not utter a sound.
Soon, an imperial physician had already diagnosed the situation: "Your Majesty, this gentleman's pulse is healthy, and apart from some kidney deficiency, he has no other symptoms."
Upon hearing this, the official who was receiving the patient froze on the spot, as if he had been sentenced to death.
Suddenly, a foul smell wafted over, and the man's lower body was soaked; he had been so frightened that he had lost control of his bladder.
Zhu Houzhao tilted his head slightly: "Pull him over there."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Eastern Depot agents took action, dragging all the officials who had just been diagnosed as healthy to the side of Fengtianmen Square.
The official was completely exhausted and had to be dragged away by the agents of the Eastern Depot.
With the mobilization of all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy, the diagnosis of all the more than one hundred officials who had come to claim illness was completed in a short time.
Indeed, more than twenty of the officials were genuinely ill.
The remaining nearly one hundred officials were absent from court without cause and lied to Zhu Houzhao, claiming to be ill.
To put it more seriously, that would be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!
"Your Majesty, a total of twenty-seven officials are ill, while the remaining ninety-one officials are in good health and have no illness."
After bowing to Zhu Houzhao and reporting his arrival, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy discreetly stood in a corner of the crowd.
Zhu Houzhao's gaze fell upon the officials who had been divided into two groups.
The officials who had been diagnosed with the disease looked radiant, energetic, and had contented smiles on their faces.
The officials who were diagnosed as healthy, on the other hand, were all pale-faced, mournful-looking, and looked as if they had lost their parents.
It was really hard to tell at the moment which of these two groups of people were sick and which were not.
Zhu Houzhao looked at the two groups of people and said, "These are indeed officials who are ill. I will not punish you, but you must attend today's court assembly."
"Thank you for your wise judgment, Your Majesty!"
"Attending court assemblies is the duty of the officials of the Ming Dynasty. Although we are ill, we should still attend!"
"Such a minor illness has troubled His Majesty to send the imperial physicians to examine us. We are truly unworthy of such an honor!"
The officials spoke gleefully, trying hard to suppress their laughter.
But the officials who deceived Zhu Houzhao were not so lucky.
"As for the remaining officials—"
Zhu Houzhao paused slightly, but those two seconds of pause put immense pressure on the officials who had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.
One official, unable to withstand the immense pressure, suddenly rolled his eyes back and fainted.
"Everyone involved will receive one hundred strokes of the cane, a six-month salary deduction, a three-rank demotion, and be expelled from the capital!"
Zhu Houzhao said coldly, "Li Dongyang, write down these people's names."
"If he survives after one hundred strokes of the cane, he will be exiled to the frontier as an official!"
"Go to Liaodong, go to Hami, go to Danzhou, go to the most remote places!"
Li Dongyang quickly accepted the imperial decree: "Yes, Your Majesty."
At the same time, the officials who had been sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane immediately knelt on the ground, crying and begging Zhu Houzhao for mercy.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us! Your Majesty, please forgive us!"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! You have shown me great kindness and virtue; I beg you, Your Majesty, to forgive me this time!"
"Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"...
'
Under Zhu Houzhao's orders, the agents of the Eastern Depot immediately seized these officials and prepared to execute them.
Officials who did not falsely claim illness were punished with two strokes of the cane, while those who did were punished with one hundred strokes.
At this moment, Cao Zhengchun bent down and asked Zhu Houzhao, "Your Majesty, should the court flogging be carried out literally, or should it be done with care?"
"To really hit" and "to hit with all one's might" are the slang terms for court flogging.
Fighting fiercely means risking death, while fighting with all your might means risking survival.
Zhu Houzhao snorted coldly: "Follow the rules."
Cao Zhengchun was slightly taken aback, but then he understood: "Yes, Your Majesty."
If you play by the rules, then life and death are preordained, and wealth and honor are determined by fate.
They only cared about carrying out the executions; whether the person lived or died depended on their individual physical condition.
Cao Zhengchun immediately relayed Zhu Houzhao's order.
The agents of the Eastern Depot then began to execute these officials!