Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 44 Removal of the Grand Secretary! A Joint Investigation by the Three Judicial Offices

As soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, Xie Jin's pupils contracted, and he looked at Zhu Di with disbelief.

He hadn't expected Zhu Di to investigate these matters so thoroughly, nor had he expected Zhu Di to hold onto this point so firmly.

He did indeed travel on the night boats of the Huai River many times and collected famous paintings and works of art, but he mostly used his own salary and never gave anyone any special privileges. What happened to him?

As for his expressions, what did they have to do with him? He had never accepted anything from those people that he shouldn't have.

He now accepts that Zhu Di has pinned all the blame on him, but even so, compared to many others, his problems are insignificant.

But these are not the main points. Zhu Di wanted to use these things against him, but he didn't say anything.

But what problem are we talking about now?

We're talking about the construction of the relocation of the capital to Beiping!

Turning a matter of state into his personal affair, hoping to use this incident to stop his opposition, was something Xie Jin could not tolerate.

"Your Majesty, I do have my own selfish reasons. Most of the officials in the Ming Dynasty today come from the south."

Although the Emperor said he was only building up Beiping, everyone knew perfectly well whether he was really moving the capital.

My opposition to moving the capital stems from this personal motive.

Once the capital moves north, the imperial court will be in turmoil.

With many officials in the south, the relocation of the capital will inevitably weaken the court's influence in the south. At that time, how will the court be able to keep abreast of events in the south?

When Emperor Taizu built Fengyang, the country had been stabilized, people's livelihoods were gradually recovering, and there was very little corvée labor, so the scale of Fengyang Palace was limited.

"Relocating the capital concerns the very foundation of the nation. I implore Your Majesty not to undertake this drastic measure. The Ming Dynasty cannot withstand such upheaval! I beg Your Majesty to consider the well-being of the people!"

"Hehe, Xie Jin, I have already made myself very clear. I am simply building Beiping in the same way that Emperor Taizu built Fengyang."

You keep saying that I want to move the capital, yet you dare to slander me in front of me. How dare you!

What? Does my construction of Beiping make me a foolish emperor? Does it mean I have no concern for the people of the world?

As the Grand Secretary, I value you highly and have entrusted you with the task of compiling ancient and modern books and documents. But have you ever thought about the suffering of the people in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty who often suffer from the plundering by the Tartars?

Are you aware that before Emperor Taizu drove out the Tartars, North China was ruled by foreign tribes for more than two hundred years, and the Yan and Zhao regions were ruled by foreign tribes for more than four hundred years?

We, the sons of Han, are almost extinct in the north!

During the Hongwu era, the North and South examination cases revealed the Emperor Taizu's intentions to the whole world: whether in the south or the north, both were part of the Ming Dynasty's territory, its people were all Han Chinese.

Now tell me, are you doing this for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and its people?

I am telling you today, you, Xie Jin, are selfish and disregard the Han people of the North. Do you deserve your current position in the Cabinet?

I also want to tell you that I not only plan to build Beiping, but also to relocate a large number of Han people to the north.

Now that the northern lands have returned to Han territory under the Ming Dynasty, I, as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor of the Han people, should develop the northern lands!

I am not the emperor of the South, but the emperor of all Han people under heaven!

The construction of Beiping was thus decided.

"Let posterity judge right and wrong, merit and demerit!"

Zhu Di looked coldly at Xie Jin, a man who greatly disappointed him.

Xie Jin was someone he personally promoted to the position of Grand Secretary, essentially his trusted chief advisor. Yet now he's refuting this and speaking to him like this – it's a blatant betrayal.

The issues that Xie Jin mentioned had actually already been raised by Zhu Gaochi.

But Zhu Gaochi knew one thing: moving the capital was not a problem, provided that these problems could be solved.

Can Jie Jin be removed?

He used these questions to prevent him from moving the capital, rather than raising the questions to solve them.

Zhu Di knew exactly what many of his opponents were worried about.

These people were worried that if the capital were moved north, the south's influence would decrease, which would affect their interests.

As his trusted advisor and head of staff, Xie Jin should have helped him find solutions to these problems, rather than using them to hinder him.

If each department does this, he can actually understand it, because each department has its own actual responsibilities and its own obligations.

But in the end, Xie Jin was nothing more than his advisor, an advisor indeed!

To put it bluntly, Xie Jin and his ilk were his guests. They shouldn't have held any official positions, but he established this cabinet to give them honorary titles and statuses in order to better help him handle problems.

He was eating the food Zhu Di gave him, and now Zhu Di was trying to sabotage him. How could Zhu Di tolerate this?

The various ministries are fed by the Ming Dynasty, but the cabinet members like Xie Jin are fed by him!

This is also why he was extremely disappointed in Xie Jin, and why he was extremely angry before.

He's not blind yet; he can see who truly cares for the Ming Dynasty and who is acting out of self-interest.

Thinking of all this, Zhu Di then angrily said, "Xie Jin has offended the emperor, he shall be removed from his position as Grand Secretary!"

He should have been imprisoned, but since the extraordinary book was not yet completed, he would be dealt with afterward, and his position in the cabinet would be retained in the meantime!

As soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, everyone was startled.

Before this incident, Xie Jin was an absolute favorite of Zhu Di, and it could be said that Xie Jin's words and actions could influence Zhu Di's decisions.

Although Xie Jin did not have real power, no one in the Six Ministries dared to underestimate him.

Even so, Xie Jin is still being severely punished by Zhu Di, and has lost his favor.

Li Zhigang felt a sense of relief, but not quite enough, because he hadn't managed to kill Xie Jin.

But he also knew that too much of a good thing could be bad, and now that Xie Jin had lost favor, he was no longer a threat.

The cabinet members were both somber and passionate.

The tragic part is that Xie Jin lost Zhu Di's favor in this way. From being the center of attention to now falling into obscurity, it was all due to a single decision.

The exciting news is that Xie Jin was removed from his position as Grand Secretary, which presented them with an opportunity.

There is also competition among these people within the cabinet.

Xie Jin looked at Zhu Di with utter disbelief.

He never imagined that Zhu Di would actually take action against him simply for opposing the relocation of the capital, and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty.

Xie Jin was unwilling to believe this fact. From this moment on, had he really lost power?

In Xie Jin's eyes, Zhu Di had always valued him highly, and he originally thought that it was all due to his own abilities that Zhu Di should be able to do without him.

However, at this moment, Zhu Di's voice came again.

"A decree is drafted, ordering the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate to thoroughly investigate Liu Zongping, Zhao Zhe, Xie Chaofu, Xie Rong, Jiang Yin, and others, and to sentence them according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone's pupils contracted.

Because the people Zhu Di just mentioned were all Xie Jin's students and relatives.

Zhu Di's move completely wiped out Xie Jin's forces.

However, no one was willing to plead for Xie Jin.

This was not only because Xie Jin was arrogant and looked down on everyone, but also because Zhu Di did not order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take action, but instead used the Three Judicial Offices to conduct a joint trial.

On this point, they couldn't refute anything; Zhu Di followed the proper procedures.

Because the innocent will remain innocent and the guilty will remain guilty. If someone cannot even withstand the joint trial by the three judicial authorities, then there is truly a problem.

What shocked them was that Zhu Di did not let go of anyone connected with Xie Jin.

At this moment, everyone's awe of Zhu Di deepened even further.