The ceremony had already been prepared. The biggest reason why it was not held on that day was that the time when Yoo Seung escorted the prisoners into the city was not appropriate, so the ceremony was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Wang Gui, the eunuch of the celebrant and eunuch, was ordered to meet the officials of Honglu Temple, and after communicating privately, he met Zhu Gaoxu again in the Rouyi Palace. Wang Gui had to inform the emperor in advance of Zhu Gaoxu's ceremonial process tomorrow, because Zhu Gaochu was attending the prisoner sacrifice ceremony for the first time.

Fortunately, the program that Zhu Gaoxu was responsible for performing was quite simple, and there was no need for rehearsal practice. He is mainly responsible for sitting on the top seat and receiving people's worship, and his lines are only one sentence, concise and easy to remember.

The captured prisoners of the Annam rebels have been locked up in the edict, and everything is going well.

However, when it was almost time, Zhu Gaoxu decided to go to Hongwumen and meet the captives in person.

Zhu Gaoxu did not go to the prison, and outside the cell there was a Jinyi Health Office in charge of management. He waited in a gallery waiting for the person he wanted to see.

And the dark cell below, if it is not necessary, Zhu Gaoxu does not like to go there, such an environment will indeed make people full of negative energy. Especially now that it is approaching dusk, thinking that the gloomy night is coming, just getting close to here, Zhu Gaoxu has already vaguely felt the despair and darkness in the dungeon.

He didn't have to wait long, a thin black man in a dirty prison uniform and shackles came in, accompanied by a few brocade-clothed guards who escorted him. He was one of the war criminals, Ruan Jingyi, who served as the Taibao under the puppet power of Chen Jikuang, presided over the defense of the garrison in Thanh Hoa, and also came to Beijing as a deputy envoy.

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand lightly to make irrelevant people retreat, and he looked at Ruan Jingyi and said, "I don't see Chen Jikuo and Ruan Shuai, who are of higher status, but I only see you." Do you know why? ”

Ruan Jingyi was still moving slowly and his face was numb just now, and when he heard Zhu Gaoxu's first words, he immediately raised his head.

Although Ruan Jingyi's face was a little dirty, it became rich almost instantly, and his eyes began to roll. His eyes were still filled with fear and confusion, and there was a vague hint of hope that began to stimulate his senses.

Zhu Gaoxu also observed Ruan Jingyi's changes very carefully, and said in his heart: People are indeed weak.

The relationship between those important figures in Annanguo, Zhu Gaoxu knows it in his heart. Needless to say, Chen Jikuo is a banner, the banner of the emperor, what kind of person he is, whether he has the ability and sin, it doesn't matter at all now; After Chen Jikuo was captured, he was once the "Emperor of Dayue", which is the characteristic that overrides everything.

Taifu Ruan Shuai is a staunch supporter of Chen Jikuo, and he is Chen Jikuo's confidant in a series of struggles within the "Da Yue" regime. Only Ruan Jingyi was helpless to support Chen Jikuo after the defeat in the internal fighting.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu's words seemed to remind Ruan Jingyi, making him feel that his sin did not seem to be so big. For a person who is about to die, the hope of survival is of course the most exciting feeling, even if that hope is very vague.

Ruan Jingyi looked at Zhu Gaoxu blankly. At this time, Zhang Sheng, the commander of the Jinyi Guard, suddenly shouted: "The Holy Lord asked you!" Failure to answer is a great sin of disrespect. ”

This sentence should be Zhang Sheng's gaffe, after all, Ruan Jingyi's sin is much more serious than the great disrespect, and this threat is not done at all

Use.

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Zhang Sheng, Zhang Sheng stopped his mouth in amusement, and sure enough, there was an embarrassed look on his face.

"Ruan Jingyi, you have been to Jingshi before. When we were negotiating peace, I would like to discuss with you very sincerely, hoping to find a more rational way to solve the problem. But you don't take it seriously, look what has become of it now? Zhu Gaoxu said in a calm tone.

Ruan Jingyi closed his eyes in pain, and finally spoke: "Win the king and defeat the king." If you are not as strong as others, you will be to blame. ”

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and said, "This is not the result I want to see. To this day, I still think that the best way to avoid war is to avoid it in the first place. At least last year's war would not have happened, reducing a lot of military spending and the needless loss of many lives; Instead of being like now, they all paid the price, and no one got any good. ”

He sighed and said, "It should be easy to predict the consequences, why do people always not shed tears when they don't see the coffin?" And over and over again. ”

With a "clang", Ruan Jingyi fell to the ground, he struggled a few times, and suddenly cried bitterly: "The criminal knows that he is wrong!" ”

Zhu Gaoxu asked, "Do you really know that you are wrong?" ”

This question made Ruan Jingyi's emotions more and more broken, and he almost cried bitterly, repeatedly saying that he was guilty, and began to beg for mercy...... Zhu Gaoxu didn't say anything for a while, and observed Ruan Jingyi's performance. This person's emotions were very confused, but Ruan Jingyi didn't seem to realize what was wrong.

However, Ruan Jingyi was shaken very quickly, it seemed that this person did not have the same paranoid beliefs as the sect, and the instinctive fear immediately shattered his position. So Zhu Gaoxu felt that this person who coincidentally obtained a high position in the rebel army was actually the most common ordinary person.

Before Ruan Jingyi went to Daming, he was also threatened and should be afraid. But this time, Ruan Jingyi's fear and despair were obviously even stronger, because their entire regime and entire backing were no longer there. After all, people are living creatures, and the fear of being isolated is even more profound.

After waiting for a while, Ruan Jingyi's excitement was a little tired, and Zhu Gaoxu spoke again: "Zhang Sheng, don't let Ruan Jingyi participate in the prisoner sacrifice ceremony tomorrow, let him stay in the edict prison for a while." Then arrange for him to live in Beijing for a period of time, and when there is a team to go to Annam, he will be sent to Dongguan (Hanoi) and handed over to Zhang Fu to dispose of. ”

Zhang Sheng and the others around him all showed surprised expressions. However, Zhang Sheng still hugged his fists and said: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

Ruan Jingyi stopped crying bitterly, opened his eyes wide, and said, "The Holy Lord has forgiven the sinners?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "In the end, it depends on whether you can let go of misunderstandings and resentments." ”

Ruan Jingyi hurriedly kowtowed and thanked him.

The eunuch Wang Gui quietly reminded: "Emperor, the princes of the court are afraid that there will be doubts. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said quietly: "As long as it is an emperor, it is relatively easy to kill a person or remove a person. But if you can forgive and give favors as you like, then you really have power. ”

Wang Gui was slightly confused, and issued a meaningless reply: "Yes." ”

Zhu Gaoxu only saw Ruan

Jing Yi was a prisoner, and he left the edict before it was dark.

As for the "Taifu" Ruan Shuai, he once shouted for blood to wash Dongguan and massacre Han people, and Zhu Gaoxu knew the confession and the plot; But Zhu Gaoxu did not see this person again.

Ruan Shuai may show strong support and scolding, or fear of regret, which makes people lose interest. After all, it no longer makes sense for a person whose body is about to be destroyed before he dies, or whether he repents or not.

On the morning of the next day, the ceremony of sacrificing prisoners began according to the arrangement.

The location is outside the noon gate. The people of the Honor and Guard Division have already set up the throne, yellow cover, and card fan on the tower of the noon gate. After Zhu Gaoxu arrived, he first accepted everyone's worship. Countless people chanted hooray, and the square was so large that people in the distance could not see anything clearly.

Several noble generals stood on both sides of Zhu Gaoxu's throne. In addition, there are guards such as General Dahan of Jinyi Wei upstairs.

On the brick square outside the noon gate, countless Beijing officials had already arrived. Then a group of Annam rebel prisoners, dressed in shackles made of wood and iron cables, arrived, and they were driven to the square with great difficulty. After a shout from the soldiers, the war criminals fell to their knees or were kicked to the ground.

The grand palace towers, the wide brick floors, the number of people, and the noisy captives may be pleading. But the details of the individual, in such a grand ceremony, have already seemed insignificant, and no one is interested in paying attention.

Xue Yan, the secretary of the criminal department who followed Liu Sheng back to China, stepped forward, and he opened a file on the castle tower and began to read it aloud. The contents of the dossier were written in classical Chinese, and Zhu Gaoxu did not know whether the war criminals kneeling below could understand it.

There are roughly ten or twenty crimes, all of which are major crimes that are angry and resentful. Moral rebellion, rebellion against all kinds of laws, and crimes of murder, arson, rape, adultery, and plunder, were all read out in public.

Xue Yan finished reading, turned to face Zhu Gaoxu and bowed down and said: "The ministers play the saint, the above traitors, criminals, etc., people and gods are angry, and the crime is unforgivable." The minister asked the saint to take him to the city and behead him according to the law to show the public. ”

Zhu Gaoxu has the only line today, and it is time for him to say it, and he said: "Take it." ”

The noble Wang Bin and Wei Da, who were standing on the side, repeated Zhu Gaoxu's order together: "Take it!" ”

Then the soldiers of the Jinyi Guard passed the word one after another, and more and more people passed the word, and finally hundreds of brightly clad guards of the Beijing camp shouted in unison: "Take it!" ”

The righteous and stern and murderous shouts in unison, the sound was like a bell, and it was as if the palace was trembling, and the momentum was uncontestable and full of majesty.

So today's trial seems to announce the justice of the emperor and the Ming court for heaven. With such an atmosphere and confidence, even Zhu Gaoxu felt that all this must be unquestionable, and there could be no problems. Force and strength are not the point, because the righteous morality of the Ming Dynasty is the reason for all the destiny of heaven.

The prisoners in the square were a little noisy, and they had been escorted to the direction of Chengtianmen one after another. But the officials of the imperial court were still solemn and solemn, and once again bowed to the city tower, praising Zhu Gaoxu's martial arts.

Zhu Gaoxu also suddenly realized that justice can actually be very simple and simple in authority and "public momentum".

.。 Writing Chinese Network M.