activa-t Chapter 9: Hu Weiyong's legs went weak, and Tie Long shocked the officials.
Chapter 9: Hu Weiyong's legs went weak, and Tie Long shocked the officials.
"Of course, history has two sides. To the officials of the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang may have been the greatest tyrant of all time, but to the people of the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang was the greatest wise ruler of all time."
"Starting from the humblest of positions, he united the Han people and created the last prosperous dynasty of the Han people. He was able to understand the suffering of the common people, hated corrupt officials, and established a strict legal system, thus creating the first prosperous era of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty."
"Zhu Yuanzhang's achievements are evident to all, and his merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. Whether he was a tyrant or a wise ruler, the phrase 'recreating China' is an apt description of Zhu Yuanzhang."
As the sound faded, a gentle breeze arose.
Every word Liu Yan uttered was as light as a feather to him, but to the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty, it was as if the sky had fallen.
The sky above was displaying the ruins of the Forbidden City, but the Hongwu court was completely silent.
The four major cases during the Hongwu reign implicated hundreds of thousands of people, including nine generations of their families.
At this moment, these voices were like knives piercing everyone's hearts.
No one knows if they are among the hundreds of thousands of people involved, nor do they know if they will one day be caught in a nine-family annihilation game.
Liu Yan's voice hung over everyone's head like a sword of Damocles.
Zhu Yuanzhang was still in a daze at that moment.
To be honest, what Liu Yan said did indeed sound like Zhu Yuanzhang's style.
Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free!
Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and looked at the civil and military officials behind him. At this moment, the atmosphere outside the Fengtian Hall was somewhat oppressive.
No one dared to say a word, for fear of offending Zhu Yuanzhang.
Seeing the officials' submissive expressions, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and then spoke.
"What is said on the celestial canopy concerns the future. I will not hold a grudge against you for things that have not yet happened."
"As long as you remain loyal to the emperor and love your country from this day forward, and do not engage in corruption or bribery, I will not implicate you in any crimes."
"However! Anyone who, after hearing these words from Heaven, still knowingly breaks the law, I may as well tell you all today, I will surely slaughter them until rivers of blood flow!"
"Don't say you weren't warned!"
The sound was deafening.
The court officials bowed again, and Hu Weiyong, one of the officials, felt so frightened that he was about to wet his pants.
When all the officials stood up, only Hu Weiyong remained kneeling on the ground.
After all, among the four major cases of the Hongwu reign mentioned earlier, the Empty Seal Case was a case involving local officials. Guo Huan had just entered officialdom through the "Recommendation of Virtuous and Talented Individuals" and was serving as the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi Province, a local prosecutor, and had not yet entered the central government.
Lan Yu is still out there fighting against the remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. Of the four major cases, only Hu Weiyong is still around. If he's not worried, who is?
While all the court officials stood up, Hu Weiyong remained kneeling on the ground.
Chen Liang, the Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat, spoke up.
"Hu Canzhi, please get up quickly. His Majesty has said that he will not hold a grudge over things that have not yet happened."
Hu Weiyong's face showed a hint of embarrassment upon hearing this.
"My...my legs are weak, can you help me up..."
No one cared about Hu Weiyong's disgraceful behavior, after all, everyone was on edge at the moment.
While strolling around with Xu Miaoyun, Liu Yan also told him a lot of unofficial historical accounts.
The most widespread and bizarre story is that Hu Weiyong was ticklish, so Zhu Yuanzhang tailored a tickling punishment specifically for him.
They stripped him naked, tied him to a wooded area outside Nanjing, and left him to be bitten by mosquitoes and ants until he died from the itching and poisoning.
Upon hearing the sound, Hu Weiyong, who had just been helped to his feet, was so frightened that he fainted and was rushed to the Imperial Hospital.
As noon approached, sunlight filtered through the plane tree leaves at Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, scattering golden light across the ground.
Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun out of the cemetery gate and stretched.
"You must be hungry after shopping all morning?"
Xu Miaoyun nodded obediently and touched her belly.
"I'm a little hungry. Husband, where shall we go to eat?"
Liu Yan took out the thing that Zhu Yuanzhang called a "square box", swiped it a couple of times, and then said with a smile.
"Since we're in Nanjing, we definitely have to have a bowl of authentic Nanjing duck blood vermicelli soup."
"My friend recommended one to me. It's not far from here, only two subway stops away."
After saying that, Liu Yan pulled Xu Miaoyun and walked outside.
The scene shifted, and in the next moment, a tunnel leading deep underground appeared before everyone's eyes.
"What kind of place is this? It's so secluded and dark!"
"Could it be a tunnel used for siege warfare?"
For a time, the court officials were abuzz with discussion.
Meanwhile, in the sky above, Liu Yan and Xu Miaoyun were already riding the escalator downwards when suddenly the view opened up before them.
The spacious lobby is astonishing, and the floor is as smooth as a mirror.
Rows of long, narrow light sources were embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft white light that was hundreds of times brighter than a candle.
Looking around, the hall was bustling with people of all ages, but no one was making a fuss; everyone was queuing in an orderly fashion.
"How can such a large group of people be gathered underground without causing any chaos? What kind of magical thing is this subway?"
Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun through the security check with practiced ease and into the subway hall. Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss, a deep rumbling sound came from the depths of the ground, getting closer and louder.
The sound was neither like a horse-drawn carriage nor an oxcart, but rather like some giant beast panting underground.
Zhu Yuanzhang unconsciously clenched his fingers.
The next moment! A silver-white streak shot out from the dark tunnel, accompanied by a whistling sound, and came to a steady stop at the edge of the hall.
It was an "iron dragon" made up of several connected carriages, all silver-white with smooth lines, and the doors opened automatically with a crisp beep.
"Beep—Please be aware of the gap between the train and the platform."
Zhu Yuanzhang was greatly alarmed upon seeing this!
"What is this? What is this thing? Could it be an earth dragon?"
At this moment, not only the Hongwu Dynasty, but everyone in the entire Chinese dynasty was so shocked by what they saw that they were speechless.
Looking at the endless silver dragon, Xu Da stared wide-eyed for a long time before finally managing to utter a single sentence.
"How many warhorses would it take to pull such a colossal dragon!"
Under the canopy, Liu Yan had already led Xu Miaoyun into the carriage. The carriage was spacious and bright, with rows of seats neatly arranged and armrests hanging overhead. Xu Miaoyun sat in a chair, looking around curiously, her little hands touching the smooth seat.
Liu Yan said with a smile.
"Hold on tight, the subway will have momentum when it starts moving."
"Inertia? What is inertia?"
Before he could finish speaking, a slight tremor came, and the scenery outside the window began to move backward, faster and faster.
Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils suddenly contracted.
The lights outside the window formed streaks of light that rushed past, and you could vaguely see the GG sign on the tunnel wall flash by, but you couldn't make out what it said at all.
That speed! That speed!
Zhu Yuanzhang spent half his life fighting, riding the fastest warhorse and chasing after fleeing Mongol cavalry on the battlefield.
Even the wildest horses on the grasslands can only reach their maximum speed of thirty miles per hour.
However, at this moment, the speed at which this giant dragon was running in the sky was at least four or five times that of a warhorse!
Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and the officials of the Hongwu era felt as if their breaths were about to stop.