Listened to the cries of these ministers.

Chongzhen's head was big for a while, and his good mood was ruined by half.

"Big companion, go and call the Qi representative of Xujiazhuang, confront the ministers face to face, and explain the matter of the miners in Shandong." Zhu Youzhen said to Wang Chengen.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Chengen retreated.

……

About half an hour later.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion.

Qi Chunnian, who had iconic short hair and was wearing the most popular tweed trench coat, entered the hall without hurry, and bowed to the emperor: "Xu Jiazhuang Qi Chunnian has seen Your Majesty." ”

"Bold! Why didn't you kneel when you saw Your Majesty? Liu Chongqing, the right attendant of the household department, jumped up and pointed at Qi Chunnian's nose and scolded.

"Xujiazhuang doesn't kneel, there are too many kneeling, and it is easy to get soft bones." Qi Chunnian straightened his back and said lightly.

"Rebellious and impudent, Your Majesty, please push this person down and behead him!" The Imperial History King Vientiane said with a murderous face.

"Enough!"

Chongzhen had to say: "I am not a place to quarrel here, a few Aiqing, representative of Xujiazhuang Qi are here, the matter of Shandong miners, you will talk about it face to face, what is going on?" ”

Liu Chongqing, the right attendant of the household department, knelt down with red eyes and said: "Your Majesty, Shandong miners and Xu Jiazhuang are enemies of the ministers, and they can't kill them with a knife, what else can you say?" ”

"Oh, I want to think about it, does Lord Liu have a concubine's younger brother, is the owner of an iron mine in Qingzhou, brings 20,000 taels of income to Lord Liu every year, and now the mine is bloodied by the rebels, and the new miners have taken over the mine, Lord Liu has lost a lot of money, so he sent his anger to the head of the new miners, yes, Xujiazhuang has some cooperative relations with these miners, but Lord Liu's accusations are unreasonable, people are killed by rebels, what do we have to do?" Qi Chun Nian Road.

"Don't think about quibbles, the rebels are far away outside Laizhou City, how can they go to Qingzhou to kill people, obviously it was killed by the Xu family Zhuang Ding and the miners, just to rob the mines, seek money and kill your life, let your tongue be like a spring, don't want to deceive Your Majesty!" Liu Chongqing said.

"What about the evidence?"

Qi Chunnian asked rhetorically, "What evidence do you have to prove that what you said is right?" With Your Majesty's intelligence, how can you be deceived by a person like you who uses power for personal gain, even if you send Jinyiwei to Shandong to investigate, I am afraid that the younger brother of Liu Shilang's concubine will be found. ”

"You're spewing blood! Come on, come on, push this demon down and kill it! Liu Chongqing hurriedly shouted.

"Qi never said anything groundless, and Lord Liu slandered and slandered Xu Jiazhuang without evidence, but I know that Lord Liu has served as a household servant for eight years, and the silver in the cellar in the house has increased from nothing to more than 300,000 taels, some of which are for personal gain, and some of them are from embezzling the treasury! Do you dare to let me bring someone to the government to investigate? Your Majesty, can this kind of impeachment be credible for this kind of corrupt official who only seeks wealth? ”

Qi Chunnian looked at the emperor above and said.

Zhu Youzhen's face darkened, especially after hearing the figure of more than 300,000, his heart was shocked, his internal money is not 300,000 taels now, this Liu Chongqing is richer than himself?

"Your Majesty, this demon is slandering the minister, Your Majesty don't listen to his bloody mouth, please behead him quickly!"

Liu Chongqing panicked, he didn't know how the people of Xujiazhuang figured out the details of his assets, and now he just wanted to kill people quickly.

"Your Majesty, you might as well send Jinyi Wei to check Lord Liu's family background first, if it is proved that Lord Liu is an upright and honest official, Xu Jiazhuang is willing to plead guilty and compensate, and let the miners leave Shandong; If it is proved that Lord Liu is not a clean official, His Majesty can send him to prison, enrich the family property, and save a lot of trouble in the investigation. "Qi Chunnian has a problem.

"No! You demon don't want to divide my relationship with Your Majesty. Liu Chongqing was so flustered that he was incoherent.

"Someone!"

Zhu Youzhen said suddenly, and a team of brocade guards entered the hall.

"Qi Chunnian!" Zhu Youzhen shouted at him, Liu Chongqing suddenly looked happy, thinking that the emperor was going to order the beheading of this Xujiazhuang demon, and then he fell into the bottomless abyss, "You take these brocade guards and go to Liu Chongqing's mansion to investigate, if you find hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, I will behead Liu Chongqing!" If you don't find it, I will behead you, and Xu Jiazhuang will confess your guilt! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Qi Chunnian arched his hand.

Liu Chongqing's whole person was paralyzed to the ground.

……

In the evening.

Boxes of gold, silver, jewelry, antique calligraphy and paintings were moved into the palace.

Emperor Zhu Youzhen personally participated in the inventory, and found that the value of these properties added up to at least 450,000 taels, and there were 300,000 taels of cash alone, which was much more than Qi Chunnian said.

Eight years.

A small right attendant of the household department, who has been on duty for eight years, has used his power for personal gain so much property, and even dares to stretch out his hand to the treasury, which shocks him, the emperor.

"Your Majesty spares your life!"

Liu Chongqing wailed and was dragged down by Jinyiwei, and the end was already conceivable.

And there is this living example, the household department Shangshu Bi Ziyan, the imperial history Wang Vientiane and others, naturally did not dare to continue to sue, let alone confront the trouble of Xujiazhuang in person, it is too insidious and vicious, the demons of Xujiazhuang never dare to quote the classics to engage in gentlemanly debate, only play some tricks, and even secretly investigated the net worth of the important ministers in the court and all kinds of black materials, and frantically framed them in front of the emperor, what do you want to do? can use such shameless means, in the future, it will be a rebellion and usurpation of the Ming Dynasty, which is also completely capable of doing it, and will definitely do it.

Your Majesty must be careful of Xujiazhuang, you can't get too close to the demons of Xujiazhuang anymore.

The ministers and civil and military officials have reminded the emperor to distance himself from Xujiazhuang and to be close to the virtuous ministers and demons, but except for a few incorruptible ministers and officials, who continue to attack Xujiazhuang with ill intentions and great harm to the Ming Dynasty, there are very few people who dare to attack Xujiazhuang head-on.

It's not that they don't hate Xujiazhuang, but if the attack is too powerful, if the emperor asks them to confront the demons of Xujiazhuang face to face, won't they follow in the footsteps of Liu Chongqing and be completely finished.

……

Chongzhen five years, the thirteenth day of the first month.

The military department also received the news of the military situation of 'Shandong's great victory, the total annihilation of the rebels', and immediately announced it.

The confirmed emperor Zhu Youzhen was also very happy and rewarded Wang Chengen well.

Then the whole palace became lively, and invited three famous opera troupes to sing in the palace, and then bought and bought for the queen, bought and bought for Tian Guifei, bought and bought for the prince Zhu Cihong, and then rewarded the eunuchs and palace maids, etc., and spent more than 200,000 taels of silver in a short time, yes, although the time is a little behind, but this year Zhu Youzhen still plans to have a fat year, and this is also the contribution of the corrupt official Liu Chongqing, for the sake of him to let himself have a good year, there is no need to behead, the whole family will be exiled for seven thousand miles, Give them a way to live.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, another good news came, Yang Yufan, Wang Hong, and Deng Xi, the three general soldiers who were originally in charge of clearing the rebels in Shandong, actually rushed to the capital non-stop despite the severe cold (in fact, they came by sleigh car in Xujiazhuang), and wanted to personally face the saint to report the victory!

"Immediately announce the three general soldiers to enter the palace, I want to see the three heroes!"

Zhu Youzhen immediately put down the affairs at hand, changed into a more ceremonious attire, and eagerly looked forward to seeing several great heroes.

Soon.

Inside the Wuying Palace.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The chief soldiers Yang Yufan, Wang Hong, and Deng Xi, who were all wearing silver plate armor, knelt on the ground and shouted long live.

"Flat, three Aiqing quickly flat!"

Zhu Youzhen walked over, helped them up one by one, shouted for warmth, and cared for them, and the three general soldiers were moved to tears.

The general soldier Yang Yufan and them, on the map of the Ming Dynasty hung in the Wuying Palace, told the detailed process of their counterinsurgency in Shandong, they unified the caliber in advance, highlighted the difficulties in the process of exterminating the rebels, and introduced how the officers and soldiers were unyielding, overcoming all kinds of difficulties, and finally all the soldiers with amazing blood and will, wiped out the rebels in one go, and restored peace in Shandong.

As for the fact that they captured nearly 200,000 rebel prisoners, their families and people's husbands, seized all kinds of materials and goods that totaled more than one million taels, and divided them equally with the miners' coalition army, now the three of them have all been distributed, each of them has exchanged 10,000 sets of Xujiazhuang armor, and each has earned nearly a million silver dollars, and after all the huge results of this batch are digested, they are confident that they will build a peerless strong army of more than 10,000 people - this information, they will not take the initiative to tell the emperor.

"Good, good!"

Zhu Youzhen shouted a few more times, and immediately rewarded each of them with 10,000 taels of silver, named their wives a good order, and Yin Yizi as a hundred households in Jinyi, encouraging them to make persistent efforts and make more meritorious achievements.

"The last general swears to serve the country to the death, and is willing to cut down all rebellions for the Ming Dynasty and return the world to peace!"

The three general soldiers knelt on one knee, grateful, but the corners of their mouths couldn't help but skimm, they made such a great achievement, and they actually rewarded silver ten thousand taels and some false names, this money is not enough to burn and bury the silver of the dead soldiers, it is better to work for Xujiazhuang, if they can, they are willing to fight the rebels for a lifetime and catch millions of prisoners.

Hearing the word 'the world is peaceful', Zhu Youzhen moved in his heart, and asked the three chief military officers: "The three Aiqing, the ministers of the DPRK and the central government said that there are armed miners in Shandong who are in turmoil, and the harm is no less than that of the rebels, and there is also the support of Xujiazhuang behind them. ”

Look at the emperor's expectant look.

Yang Yufan thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the miners in Shandong occupy the mines, just want to mine and seek wealth, and they have not rebelled and destroyed everywhere, but it is not difficult to exterminate them, as long as they give the ministers one million taels of silver, 100,000 stones of grain and grass, and wait for us to expand the army, we will definitely be able to exterminate the miners within a year!" As for Xujiazhuang, the minister needs at least 100,000 elite troops, 10 million taels of silver, and millions of stones, grain and grass, and then in the heart of the south of the Yangtze River, he will fight for more than three years, and there is no guarantee that he will win. ”

Zhu Youzhen frowned suddenly: "How can a mere businessman ask for so much money and food?" I am still fighting in the heart of Jiangnan for three years, and without the financial support of Jiangnan, my Ming Dynasty will not be able to last for three years! Mr. Yang, are you deliberately exaggerating the strength of Xu Jiazhuang? ”

Wang Hongdao, who was on the side, said: "Your Majesty, General Yang has not exaggerated in the slightest, and the minister can testify." ”

Even Deng Xi, who had experienced a hundred battles, said: "Your Majesty, the ministers are all martial artists, and they are never afraid of death, but they don't dare to learn from those civil officials, and they will kill this and that at every turn. ”

After Zhu Youzhen thought twice, he gave up the idea of eradicating Xujiazhuang.

Even if he was a Shandong miner, he dispelled the idea of extermination, because now he could not take out a million taels of silver and 100,000 stones of grain and grass, and a few days later, the Shandong miners sent several representatives to the capital, promising to pay 50,000 taels of mining taxes every year, and the matter of exterminating the Shandong miners was not to be stopped.