The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 44 Drag this fang away, skin it, and stuff it with straw.

Hu Weiyong glanced at the gift box, his face instantly darkening. He abruptly kicked the box to the ground, scattering gold everywhere. He shouted sternly, "Insolence! I am the Prime Minister of the Great Ming Dynasty, dedicated to the country and its people. How could you, a corrupt and lawless scoundrel, possibly bribe me?"

"How dare you openly bribe me! You're utterly courting death!"

"Guards, drag him away and give him thirty lashes!"

Zhao Wude was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Your Excellency, please forgive me! I know I was wrong! I was confused for a moment, please be merciful and forgive me this time!"

Hu Weiyong snorted coldly, his tone softening slightly, but still carrying an air of authority: "Get up. I'll spare you this time because it's your first offense. But if you dare to do this again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He paused, then said in a deliberately elegant manner, "I have always loved calligraphy and painting, especially the works of Wang Xizhi from the previous dynasty. If you could find a few sets of his authentic works and send them to me, I could also copy and learn from them to improve myself, which would be a way of not failing His Majesty's trust."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wude was overjoyed and instantly understood Hu Weiyong's meaning.

He wouldn't accept the gold, but wanted more valuable calligraphy and paintings. It turns out I gave the wrong gift!

Zhao Wude hurriedly kowtowed and said, "This official understands! This official understands! This official will immediately send people to search everywhere. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we will definitely find Wang Xizhi's authentic work and deliver it to the Prime Minister. We will not dare to delay!"

Hu Weiyong nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand: "Get up. Business is important. The main reason I've come here is to talk about Zhu Yao, who beat up a court official and has no regard for the law. Tell me in detail, what exactly is Zhu Yao's background?"

Zhao Wude quickly stood up, a fawning smile on his face, and began to embellish Zhu Yao's story, deliberately distorting the facts: "Prime Minister, that Zhu Yao is a heartless and unscrupulous merchant!"

"He amassed enormous wealth by oppressing the people, seizing fertile land, and hoarding goods for profit, becoming a tyrant in Chenzhou, with no one daring to interfere!"

"I visited him a few days ago, but he not only refused to receive me, but also sent people to beat me and my clerk. He is utterly lawless and has no respect for the imperial court. Although the people are full of complaints about him, they dare not speak out!"

He exaggerated more and more, portraying Zhu Yao as an utterly wicked villain who oppressed the people, all to curry favor with Hu Weiyong and use Hu Weiyong to get rid of Zhu Yao and avenge the beating he suffered that day.

After listening, Hu Weiyong frowned and said disdainfully, "He's just a heartless and unscrupulous merchant. Why should I, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, waste my time personally taking action against him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he said in an icy tone, "By my order, effective immediately, Zhu Yao is to be designated as a remnant of Chen Youliang, secretly recruiting soldiers and stockpiling provisions, with the intention of rebelling and causing chaos!"

"After you go down there, make thorough preparations. Mobilize all the troops in Chenzhou, and tomorrow morning, send them out to suppress the Liu family. Execute everyone in Zhu Yao's household, regardless of age or gender, as a warning to others!"

"Minister Hu is brilliant!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wude was overjoyed and immediately bowed, replying, "Your humble servant obeys! I will make preparations immediately, and tomorrow morning, I will surely execute Zhu Yao and all his cronies, leaving no survivors, and will not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations!"

But then he thought again and a hint of worry appeared on his face. He said in a low voice, "Prime Minister, I have something to report. It seems that Liu Bowen has been in Zhu Yao's residence all along. Liu Bowen is a founding hero with extremely high prestige. If we take action, will it be...?"

"Liu Bowen?" Hu Weiyong sneered upon hearing this, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Perfect! Since he's there too, let's kill him together, saving me the trouble of going looking for him!"

His tone was icy as he recounted Liu Bowen's threats: "That Liu Bowen has always opposed our Huaixi faction, repeatedly slandering our Huaixi officials before His Majesty and hindering our important affairs. Over the years, I have long wanted to get rid of him, but I have never had the opportunity!"

"Today, he has walked right into our trap. We can eliminate him at the same time, which will not only avenge past grievances but also deter officials in the court who oppose our Huai-Xi Party. It's a win-win situation, so why not?"

Upon hearing this, the prefect's worries vanished instantly, replaced by a ferocious grin: "Your Excellency is wise! This humble official will certainly do his utmost to capture Liu Bowen and Zhu Yao tomorrow, thus eliminating this great threat to Your Excellency!"

.....

The next morning, outside Chenzhou City, Hu Weiyong sat upright in the main sedan chair while Zhao Wude led a large number of soldiers, armed with swords and spears, galloping menacingly toward the Liu family manor. The sound of hooves shattered the morning's tranquility, the air thick with murderous intent, causing the people along the way to flee in terror, not daring to utter a word.

The army stretched for miles, banners fluttering and swords flashing, looking as if they were determined to raze the Liu family mansion and slaughter everyone. Zhao Wude, mounted on his horse, had a ferocious expression on his face. He had already planned to take revenge today and tear Zhu Yao and Liu Bowen to pieces.

Just as the procession was halfway there, several miles away from Liu's residence, a group of people suddenly appeared in front of them. The leader was a dignified man, none other than Zhu Yuanzhang, who was supposed to be away from the capital for recuperation. Beside him stood Erhu, the commander of the guards, and behind him were dozens of elite guards. Their imposing presence blocked their way.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Wude was instantly enraged, assuming someone was deliberately obstructing them. He shouted angrily, "Which ignorant fool dares to block the procession of this prefect and the prime minister?"

"Get out of the way immediately, or don't blame this prefect for being impolite and taking you all down with him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Weiyong in the sedan chair vaguely sensed something was wrong. He quickly lifted the curtain and looked up. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang at the head, he was instantly dumbfounded. His whole body stiffened, and the smugness and ruthlessness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by endless fear.

Hu Weiyong scrambled down from the sedan chair, rushed forward, his knees buckled, and he knelt before Zhu Yuanzhang, kowtowing repeatedly. His voice trembled as he said, "Your subject... Your subject Hu Weiyong pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival; I have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

This is...the Emperor!?

Zhao Wude finally realized what was happening and was so terrified that he fell off his horse and scrambled to Zhu Yuanzhang's feet. He knelt heavily, trembling like a leaf, unable to utter a complete sentence, only repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, spare my life! I...I know I was wrong! Please forgive me this time!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on his horse, his cold gaze sweeping over the two men. A sneer curled at the corner of his lips as he said indifferently, "You know you're wrong? You're the kind of villain who embezzles, perverts the law, disregards human life, and intends to harm loyal and virtuous people. There's no need for you to admit your mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wude felt a strange sense of relief, thinking that Zhu Yuanzhang had only reprimanded him and might spare his life. He quickly kowtowed several more times, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you for your mercy! I will definitely repent and never dare to do evil again!"

But the next second, Zhu Yuanzhang's tone suddenly turned cold, and he sternly ordered, "Erhu! Drag this scoundrel away, skin him, stuff him with straw, and after the execution, hang him in front of the Chenzhou prefectural government office for three days as a public display, so that all officials can see the consequences of corruption, bribery, and wrongdoing!"