Originally everyone thought that judging from the current situation, the political situation in the Ming Dynasty must be very stable, and it was impossible for something to happen at such an important moment.

But it just so happened that something big really broke out at this time, and it was even the Crown Prince, who seemed to be the most cautious, who took the initiative to detonate it. This was something no one had expected.

There is no way to solve the problem. It has really happened, so it naturally means that it needs to be solved.

After leaving the court, Zhu Yunhuan directly called the six ministers to the Wenhua Hall, as some things needed further implementation.

When they arrived at Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Zhang Fusheng, go and call Jiang Lin and Zhu Zhong. Bring us some information about Hongcang, the early evidence, etc."

Listening to Zhu Yunhuan's words, Ru Hong and others felt even more uneasy. This was because this matter had exceeded their expectations. It was something they had never anticipated before and caught everyone off guard.

If we had known about this earlier, we could have tried to take some remedial measures. But now that we suddenly know about this, everyone is panicking and really doesn’t know how to deal with it.

But there is nothing that can be done about it. This is how it is in the court. There will always be unexpected things happening suddenly.

There is no need to worry about things that are unsolvable. Even if some things happen for the first time, similar events may have occurred before and can be used as a reference.

Specific matters should be analyzed and treated specifically. In fact, all the civil and military officials in the court knew how to handle cases similar to Hongcang's. It was just a matter of to what extent they should be handled.

Huo Xian looked at Bao Zhao and said seriously, "You are the Minister of Justice. The officials involved this time must not be forgiven!"

Bao Zhao immediately knelt down and said, "I will obey your orders!"

"I don't really like to implicate others, but I think it's not appropriate." Zhu Yunxun said slowly, "Sometimes I feel it's a bit hard to implicate family members, especially children."

Just when everyone thought that Zhu Yunhuan had really become merciful, and that the Crown Prince was really going to start considering maintaining his reputation when he was about to ascend the throne, the next moment they felt that they were overthinking it.

Zhu Yunxun spoke again, "Now think about it, if the disaster does not extend to the family, then the benefit should not extend to the family, isn't that right?"

Others couldn't say anything at this time, as they were naturally very clear about what Zhu Yunhuan said. Sometimes it does seem bad to implicate too many people, but doing so is deterrent.

"You are living a carefree life with the stolen money that your family members got through corruption and abuse of power, but now you want to seek justice and complain. How can this be justified?" Zhu Yunhuan said, "This matter is still unforgivable!"

At this point, everyone present obviously understood Zhu Yunhuan's position. Naturally, a major case was basically settled, and the crown prince would not show any mercy this time.

Bao Zhao and others wanted to advise the emperor, but after thinking about it, they felt it was not easy to speak. After all, some people nowadays are not so confident and they do not have enough confidence to advise the emperor.

Just look at some of the people involved in this incident and you will know that the six ministers are unable to protect themselves and are also feeling ashamed.

In the final analysis, it is just a shame. Among the six ministers, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice were all involved in it to varying degrees, and they can be regarded as parties involved.

Bao Zhao and others naturally felt like they were walking on thin ice. They might be the ministers of six ministries now, but they might be arrested and thrown into prison the next moment. This was a very likely thing to happen.

After all, in some of the actions that Lao Zhu had taken before, he had dealt with some people directly and cruelly.

However, Bao Zhao and others did not say anything. Not only because they could not protect themselves, but also because those who were dealt with were basically people in the palace and belonged to the royal family, so it was normal that they did not say anything.

In addition to the fact that they are now in a difficult situation, most of the offending officials are civil servants, and the gentry class is another protagonist in this major case.

What's more, the direct trigger of this incident was the students of the Imperial College, those scholars who tried to gain benefits from Hongcang.

These people no longer care about the lives of the orphans and widows, and even try to gain benefits from them and make money by doing things against their conscience. This naturally means that these people have no morals at all.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Bao Zhao and said seriously, "This time, we must not show mercy. The court has finally managed to curb the corruption left over from the previous dynasty. How can we allow the government to become corrupt again?"

Zhu Yunhuan then looked at Ru Hong and said, "When the Ministry of Personnel evaluates people, in addition to their reputation and achievements, should they also look at their character?"

Ru Hong knelt more properly at this time, "I am ashamed!"

It is very normal for Ru Hong to have such an attitude. It can be said that after such things happened, it is very difficult for him, the Minister of Personnel, to stay out of it, and it is actually very easy to cause trouble for him.

The ones who are most worried right now are actually Ru Hong and Chen Di. Bao Zhao and Yu Xin are slightly better off. Although they may also be involved, they don't seem to be the "direct parties involved".

Jiang Li and Zhu Zhong both came. These two big spy chiefs were obviously fully prepared. After paying their respects, they immediately handed over the prepared evidence.

Zhu Yunhuan did not take over the matter and asked the ministers to take a look at the evidence first before making any comments.

Ru Rong and others were undoubtedly even more embarrassed, because the evidence was extremely detailed. In the final analysis, it was almost ironclad evidence, and it was almost impossible to overturn the verdict even if they wanted to.

What an embarrassing thing this is. The last bit of luck is completely shattered at this moment. A major case is bound to break out. There is no room for negotiation at all.

Looking at these officials, Zhu Yunhuan said with a straight face, "Tell me, what do you think after seeing these evidences?"

Naturally, there were sounds of apologies and shame. The situation of these officials is now even more embarrassing, and they are also worried about whether they can keep themselves safe at this time.

After all, according to past practices, it is obvious that many officials will be implicated in such cases, and the more important the officials are, the heavier the punishment they may receive.

These are the actual situations. Everyone is now in a situation where they cannot protect themselves. No one can guarantee in which direction this case will develop.

Since these officials did not seem to raise any objections and were accepting their future fate and arrangements with a lack of confidence, Zhu Yunhuan naturally felt a lot more relieved.

In the final analysis, when such cases occur, some officials still want to be stubborn and resist stubbornly. After all, their lives are at stake, so they want to resist to the end. Zhu Yunhuan continued, saying, "The scholars will be stripped of their honors and the officials will be punished according to the law. This is my decision!"

After hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Ru Hong and others became even more frightened. They knew that the initiative was no longer in their hands, so they should think about how to save their lives and official positions.

Daoyan and Xia Yuanji standing by were also very anxious at this time. They naturally knew about this matter and were also worried that it would have a huge impact on the civil service system.

If the emperor were really allowed to handle this matter, it would definitely be another major case and would most likely get out of control.

And now that Zhu Yunhuan is handling this matter, it is actually possible that it may get out of control or further escalate.

In addition to the possibility that the crown prince was ruthless and wanted to rectify some administrative issues at one time, it is also possible that he took the opportunity to clean out a group of disobedient officials. After all, he had previously intended to replace some officials left over from the previous dynasty.

If we really want to find a reason now, it seems impeccable. The crown prince is very good at adding fuel to the fire. He is also very decisive and courageous. He is not afraid of things getting out of hand.

It is simply unrealistic to expect the Crown Prince to keep quiet in order to maintain stability. It is simply a daydream.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "The court also knows to favor scholars, but these scholars have repeatedly committed crimes. Before, there were scholars who made irresponsible comments on state affairs, and now they don't think about the court's grace and ignore the moral principles. It's really hateful!"

Chen Di quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I think these scholars are a minority after all. The court has convicted and punished them, and I think they have brought this upon themselves."

Chen Di and others naturally would not sympathize with these scholars who started committing crimes before they officially entered officialdom.

Now he is doing despicable things for petty gains. If he becomes an official, he will definitely cause greater harm. It is really his own fault. There is no need to regret it.

But Chen Di still hoped to preserve some scholars, as they were fresh blood. He certainly did not want Zhu Yunhuan to take advantage of the situation and kill these scholars with one blow.

Not only Chen Di had this idea, Daoyan and others actually had a similar mentality.

After all, they all knew that Zhu Yunhuan was not very close to some scholars. If he really took advantage of the situation, they might have to find ways to continue to take back the privileges of some scholars.

There is nothing wrong with punishing some scholars who have committed crimes, but if the privileges of most scholars are really taken back, it will definitely cause chaos. In fact, everyone knows what those scholars are thinking.

They talk about the relationship between the emperor and his subjects, father and son, and the country and the world, but they are more concerned about their own interests. If some privileges are gone, the sense of superiority of scholars will naturally disappear, which is definitely not acceptable.

If such a situation really happens, some scholars may consider looking for a wise leader.

Although everyone knew that the scholar's rebellion had failed in three years, they also understood that some scholars did have considerable abilities.

Even though the nobles of the Ming Dynasty seemed extremely powerful, they would not be too presumptuous in front of Li Shanchang, Wang Guangyang, Hu Weiyong, Liu Ji and others, and they would still show due respect.

Even an emperor as powerful as the Hongwu Emperor did not deny the contributions of some civil servants in establishing his empire, and he would also make use of these people.

So it is inevitable to crack down on some scholars this time, but this matter really cannot get out of control, otherwise it will be bad.

In fact, everyone understands this principle, and Zhu Yunhuan is naturally very clear about it.

Even though he seems to be wary of and suppressive towards many civil servants in recent years, he still has to use them when necessary. There is really no way to govern the world without these people.

The tone of the matter has basically been set. Zhu Yunhuan believes that Ru Hong, Bao Zhao and others actually know how to deal with these matters further.

The initiative of this matter is really not in the hands of these civil servants. What they should pray now is that the Crown Prince who is in charge of this case will not expand this matter indefinitely. This is what they should consider.

Or how to get out of this vortex, which is what they should care about now.

As for other things, there is no need to think too much. Once you lose the initiative, you will be controlled by others in many things.

Zhu Yunhuan was quite satisfied with this. Although he seemed to be in power in recent years, there were times when some officials would still stand firm in their positions and sometimes seemed to disagree with him.

Or maybe those officials think there is nothing wrong with themselves, so they dare to fight for something with confidence.

But now it’s different. These officials seem to know that they are in the wrong and will not try to fight for unrealistic things.

This was naturally a very good thing for Zhu Yunhuan. Seeing that he was about to ascend the throne, he would of course hope to hold great power. Once power is in hand, it will never be too much.

After the six ministers left, Zhu Yunhuan said to Daoyan, "The more capable you are, the more work you should do. You should keep an eye on these things. I don't believe that Ru Hong and others are cruel, nor do I believe that Jiang Li and others are lenient."

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Daoyan naturally agreed quickly. This was his role. He was like a firefighter in front of Zhu Yunhuan, and he would go to make arrangements if there was anything to do.

People who don’t know think that Zhu Yunhuan is suspicious and does not trust his subordinates.

This is partly true. He really doesn't want the civil servants to get away with it by just handing over some people to get the job done. He also doesn't want people like Jiang Li to take the opportunity to make a big deal out of it and exclude dissidents.

After all, there is a natural conflict between civil officials and the imperial guards, so now there is a need for some "independent third party", and Daoyan, the "imperial envoy", seems to be more suitable.

He was Zhu Yunhuan's confidant and was not lacking in ability. He seemed close to the civil servants, but he was not overly partial.

Zhu Yunhuan thought that this matter must be handled, and the scale of the case could not be small, otherwise it would not be effective. But it could not get out of control, otherwise it would be out of his expectations.

'Fighting without breaking', this is also a very necessary thing! (End of this chapter)