Chapter 45 225 The Case of Hu Weiyong

Ming Taizu was born in a farming family, so he knew a little about the life of farmers.After he came to the throne, he also paid attention to implementing the policy of recuperation.He warned local officials: "Now that the world has just stabilized and the people are poor in financial resources, they are like a bird that has just fled and cannot pluck its feathers; a newly planted tree cannot shake its roots." , increasing the burden on the people. Later, he recruited exiled farmers to reclaim wasteland, exempting them from three-year labor and taxation;He also built water conservancy and rewarded cotton and hemp.Therefore, the agricultural production in the early Ming Dynasty had a significant development.

The rule of the newly established Ming Dynasty was also consolidated. But Ming Taizu was always worried about those heroes who helped him found the country.He set up a special agency called "Jinyiwei" to monitor and spy on the activities of ministers.He inquired about the minister's movement outside or at home, and he knew everything about it.Whoever is found to be suspected of anything is in danger of being imprisoned or even beheaded. Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty treated officials extremely harshly. When ministers went to court, they provoked him to lose their temper, and they were pressed to the ground and beat with a board called "court stick", and some were beaten to death on the spot.This approach made some ministers all fearful. Every day when they went to court, they would say goodbye to their relatives with sad faces.If there is no incident on this day, and when he returns home, his relatives will be happy and thankful that he lived another day.

In 1380 AD, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was accused of treason and rebellion. Ming Taizu immediately executed Hu Weiyong's entire family and held his accomplices accountable.This investigation has implicated more than 15,000 civil and military officials.Ming Taizu became cruel and killed all those who were suspected of being a Hu party. Song Lian, a bachelor, was reused by Ming Taizu together with Liu Ji at the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty; later, he served as the prince's teacher. Song Lian was cautious, but Ming Taizu was not at ease with him.Once, Song Lian invited some friends to drink at home.When he went to court the next day, Ming Taizong asked him if he had drunk yesterday, which guests he had invited, and which dishes he had prepared.Song Lian answered truthfully one by one.

Ming Taizu smiled and said, "You didn't lie to me." It turned out that when Song Lian's family was entertaining guests that day, Ming Taizu had secretly sent someone to watch.Later, Ming Taizu praised Song Lian in the court and said: "Song Lian has served me for nineteen years. He has never said a lie or said a bad word about others. He is really a sage!" Song Lian returned home when he was 68 years old. , Ming Taizu also gave him a brocade, saying: "Keep it, and in another thirty-two years, let's make a hundred-year-old clothes!" After the Hu Weiyong case happened, Song Shen, Song Lian's grandson, was also exposed as a Hu Party member, so Song Lian was implicated.Ming Taizu sent Jin Yiwei to arrest Song Lian from his hometown in Jinhua and take him to the capital to execute him.

Empress Ma knew about this.Empress Ma persuaded Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, saying: "It is respectful and respectful for ordinary people to hire a teacher for their children, let alone the teacher of the emperor's family. Besides, Mr. Song has always lived in the country. How could he know about his grandson?" Know?" Ming Taizu was on fire and refused to forgive Song Lian.On that day, Empress Ma accompanied Ming Taizu to dinner.She sat at the table blankly, neither drinking nor eating meat.Ming Taizu felt strange and asked her if she was not feeling well.Empress Ma said sadly: "Mr. Song has committed a capital crime. I feel very sad. I am praying for Mr. Song."

Empress Ma was a husband and wife who shared hardships with Taizu when they were young. Ming Taizu usually respected her more. Hearing what she said, he was also a little moved, so he ordered the pardon of Song Lian's death crime, and changed his punishment to Maozhou (now Mao County, Sichuan) to 70 Song Lian, who was many years old, couldn't bear the horror, and he was tired on the road, so he died before reaching Maozhou. Ten years later, someone reported that Li Shanchang had a close relationship with Hu Weiyong. He knew that Hu Weiyong was treasonous and did not report it. He took a wait-and-see attitude and committed a crime of treason.Li Shanchang was the number one founding hero and the in-law of Ming Taizu.When Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty made great contributions to the meritorious officials, he once gave Li Shanchang two iron coupons to avoid death.This year, Li Shanchang was seventy-seven years old, but Ming Taizu turned his face and executed Li Shanchang and his family of more than seventy people.

Then, the Hu party was tracked down again, and more than 15,000 people were executed. Since the occurrence of the Hu Weiyong case, Ming Taizu felt uneasy about handing over the military and political power to the ministers, so he abolished the position of prime minister, and the emperor directly governed the ministers (official names) of the six ministries (official names) , the chief of the Ministry); and the Great Governor’s Mansion, which held military power, was abolished, and the left, right, middle, front, and rear five governor’s mansions were set up to train soldiers separately. When wars were needed, the emperor issued orders directly.In this way, the power of the Ming emperor was greatly concentrated.

Things didn't end here.Three years later, Jin Yiwei accused General Lan Yu of treason.Ming Taizu killed Lan Yu, traced his accomplices, and more than 15,000 civil and military officials were implicated and killed. These two major cases almost wiped out some heroes of the court, and Ming Taizu's autocracy and brutality became famous in history.