Chapter 99 : Then Let's Just Exterminate the Nine Relations
Chapter 99 - Then Let's Just Exterminate the Nine Relations
Annihilating a large number of Wokou was a great merit no matter what. As the Provincial Governor of Song Prefecture, Fang Hai naturally also wanted a slice of the pie.
Fang Hai was very clear that although the Fang family was a great aristocratic family, it lacked solid merit to its name. And Luo Yuheng also needed the Fang family's support. It could be said that they hit it off immediately.
Perhaps if you really let Fang Hai lead troops into battle, he would most likely lose miserably. But in the affairs of the imperial court, even Luo Yuheng and Song Yan combined couldn't compare to him.
There is an art to writing a memorial.
First, you can't write that there were no casualties.
A large group of Wokou entered Ningping County, and you say not a single person died? Only a fool would believe that. Everyone will suspect that your 'large group' was padded, and that there were maybe only a few scattered Wokou. Even with the Jingguan as proof, some people will suspect you of killing commoners to claim merit.
Therefore, a group of people had to die.
But this number couldn't be too high. If too many people died, the merit would be erased, and you might even be punished.
Second, the number of Wokou must be appropriate. With so many people waiting to share the credit, how could a few thousand Wokou be enough? Falsely reporting military achievements is what everyone does; it's a tacit understanding.
Of course, just doubling or tripling the number of heads is enough; it can't be too much. If you write one hundred thousand Wokou, not even an idiot would believe it.
You also have to highlight Luo Yuheng's contribution. Even if the Ning Emperor and Luo Yuheng's relationship is not good, she is still a member of the imperial family. For his own sister to lead household guards to slay Wokou and protect the peace of a county, even Emperor Ninghe would feel it brings him honor, and it is also conducive to the Ning Emperor winning the hearts of the people.
Lastly, slightly describe your own injuries. You don't need too much of this. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough.
Of course, you must also praise Emperor Ninghe. If not for Emperor Ninghe's wise governance, how could there be the great feat of officials and commoners uniting as one to resist the Wokou?
This is all extremely precious experience.
The vast Hall of Supreme Harmony was as quiet as an ice crystal. Those who could ascend to the imperial court were all old foxes. If such a battle report were to be submitted on a normal day, the officials would probably have heaped on a large pile of flattery. But now that the matter involved the Yang family, it became a bit delicate.
"Everyone, this is the memorial sent by the Provincial Governor of Song Prefecture, Fang Hai. What do you think?" On the Dragon Throne, Emperor Ninghe coughed lightly twice, as if it had pulled at his lungs, and his brow furrowed.
An official stood out: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this battle report is not credible."
It was the Vice Minister of Works, Guo Yanchang.
Emperor Ninghe lifted his eyelids with some difficulty: "Oh? Is Minister Guo suspecting that the matter of the Wokou was fabricated by Fang Hai?"
"That is not the case. The Wokou should be real, but it's impossible for there to be thirteen thousand of them. How could a mere county town resist so many Wokou, especially when they had already entered the city? Your subject suspects that Fang Hai falsely reported the numbers for the sake of military merit. I request Your Majesty to investigate strictly."
On the military officials' side, many people frowned. Their gazes towards Guo Yanchang were somewhat unfriendly. This old thing, he's making an indirect accusation, isn't he?
"Then in Minister Guo's opinion, what should be done?"
"An imperial envoy can be dispatched to Ningping to investigate. If it is a fabrication, then the content of the memorial cannot be trusted."
Guo Yanchang was trying to negate the crimes of the three Yang family members by negating the numbers on Fang Hai's memorial.
Seeing his son being questioned, the President of the Department of State Affairs, Fang De, had his eyes slightly closed and said nothing, as if he had heard nothing at all.
"Ahem..."
Emperor Ninghe coughed again. The eunuch beside him hurriedly stepped forward and gently patted his back. After a while, Emperor Ninghe's breathing finally smoothed out. He waved his hand, and the eunuch retreated.
"This memorial was received half a month ago. I have already dispatched an imperial attendant to Ningping. The results he brought back are identical to what is on the memorial, and even more so." Emperor Ninghe spoke slowly. Although his voice was not loud, it held a natural majesty:
"Outside Ningping County, there are three Jingguans."
"Within the old forests, white bones are piled into a mountain."
"Near the seashore, the wreckage of sea vessels and Wokou corpses can still be found."
"Within Ningping County, there is no one who does not curse the three, Yang Siye and the others, as being worse than pigs and dogs. To this day, the one hundred-plus corpses of the three Yang households are still exposed outside the city, and are pissed and shat on daily..."
"Beloved Minister Guo, is this investigation sufficient?"
Guo Yanchang had not expected Emperor Ninghe's preparations to be so thorough. For a moment, he did not know what to say. Just then, another official stood out. It was a Supervising Secretary from the Chancellery, Li Shoushan.
"Your Majesty, the common people are mostly ignorant and foolish. Their words cannot be taken as truth."
"If Yang Siye and the others were truly colluding with the Wokou, they would surely have done it in extreme secrecy. How could they let the commoners know?"
This one didn't even bother to act anymore, clearly wanting to stand up for the Yang family. Although Yang Siye and the others were already dead, if this matter were to be pursued, the problem would be immense.
Sounds of 'the Supervising Secretary is right' and 'that makes sense' rose from the surroundings.
Emperor Ninghe raised his eyes and glanced at Li Shoushan. The expression on his face gradually turned angry. After a few breaths, he suddenly flew into a rage:
"The common people are ignorant and foolish? Could it be that in all the world, only you, Li Shoushan, is the smart one, is that it?"
His voice was hoarse, almost a roar.
It was obvious that the current Emperor Ninghe was extremely furious.
Although imperial power was currently in decline, when Emperor Ninghe was enraged, he was still quite terrifying.
Even if an old male tiger is old, it is still a fierce tiger.
Li Shoushan's face changed in a whoosh, and with a thump, he knelt on the ground, repeatedly crying out that he wouldn't dare.
Just then, Emperor Ninghe picked up several envelopes from the imperial desk and threw them with force, directly hitting Li Shoushan in the face:
"These are the secret letters between him and the Wokou, found in Yang Siye's home."
It was clearly Yang Miaoqing who had contacted the Wokou, so why would there be secret letters between Yang Siye and the Wokou? It was probably because Yang Miaoqing was a legitimate daughter of the Yang family. The crime of exterminating the nine relations had too great of an implication, and now was not the time for a complete falling out.
"I also have Yang Siye's memorials here. Supervising Secretary Li, would you like to compare the handwriting?"
By the end, his voice was already sinister and cold.
Li Shoushan knelt on the ground, shivering, and did not dare to speak again.
For a moment, the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony was dead silent. Only Emperor Ninghe was roaring:
"A county's Magistrate, Deputy, and Commandant! Three 'father and mother officials'! Three!"
"They actually all colluded with the Wokou to harm the people of my Great Ning! Very good, very good indeed."
"These are the officials of my Great Ning! In the face of the Chu Kingdom's invasion, they only know to cede land and sue for peace, only know of annual tributes of silver and cloth, only know to make me recognize that Chu Emperor as an uncle..."
"But in the face of the people of my Ning Kingdom, they can collude with foreign tribes to slaughter them at will."
"These are my key ministers!"
"These are the pillars of the state of Great Ning!"
Roars, as if venting, echoed in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The court officials were as silent as cicadas in winter, all of them bowing their heads without a word.
Only a few old men, with their eyes watching their noses and their noses watching their hearts, had expressions that were as calm as ever.
Emperor Ninghe's condition was a little off. After a burst of roars, he was panting for breath, his body even swaying slightly.
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the sound of panting continued for a long time before gradually subsiding.
Below, there was still not the slightest sound.
Emperor Ninghe grinned: "Good. No one's talking, right? Then I'll talk."
"According to the laws of Great Ning, for colluding with foreign tribes to harm the people of Great Ning, resulting in the deaths of nearly two thousand people, what should be the crime?" Emperor Ninghe's eyelids drooped as he asked in a cold voice.
"The entire family should be executed." A Vice Minister of Punishments stood up, trembling, and replied in a low voice:
"But, Yang Siye, Yang Zhongning, and Yang Cheng'en, all three have already had their entire families wiped out, therefore..."
Emperor Ninghe was already too lazy to listen to his voice. He looked towards an old man at the front: "Lord Zhao, you speak."
An old man stood out, his brow tightly furrowed: "They should have their nine relations exterminated!"
Emperor Ninghe sat back down on the Dragon Throne and waved his hand, seemingly casually: "Since that's the case, then let's just exterminate the nine relations."
"Ah, never mind. We have always been magnanimous. Exterminating the nine relations is too cruel. Why don't we... just exterminate the three clans."
Ssss.
A strange sound could be faintly heard.
To change from exterminating the nine relations to exterminating the three clans, and you call that magnanimous?
Do you have some misunderstanding of the two words 'magnanimous'?
On a literal level, exterminating the nine relations is of course more cruel. But in terms of actual execution, exterminating the three clans is the truly cruel punishment.
Theoretically, exterminating the nine relations covers nine generations of relatives from the great-great-grandfather to the great-great-grandson. But in actual execution, because too many people are often involved, it is ultimately limited to the patrilineal blood relatives. The maternal and wife's clans are often deliberately ignored.
Historically, there are many people who were nominally sentenced to have their nine relations exterminated, but almost none were actually carried out.
But exterminating the three clans is different. Exterminating the three clans mainly targets the three core groups: the paternal clan, the maternal clan, and the wife's clan. If they say three clans, it's three clans, with no discounts. Even married daughters, maternal grandfathers, and maternal grandmothers cannot escape death. Even the family's surname and legacy will be completely erased. Even friends and distant relatives are not allowed to erect a memorial tablet or offer sacrifices.
The three, Yang Siye and the others, were a side branch of the Yang family, already seven or eight generations removed from the direct line. Even exterminating the three clans wouldn't involve the direct line. But the number of people who would be implicated and executed would be an extremely exaggerated number.
Dozens or even hundreds of low-level officials would be purged.
These people's positions were not high, and their power was not great, but they were also an indispensable link in the Yang family's network of power. If these people were gone, a huge loophole would appear in the Yang family's control over the local regions. That would be a loss that would give even the Yang family a headache.
For a family to truly have long-lasting prosperity, what is needed is not just control of the imperial court, but local influence is also essential.
Seeing Emperor Ninghe's rage, no one in the surroundings dared to speak. At the very front of the officials, a man in his sixties finally stood out.
This person was the current President of the Central Secretariat, Yang Hetong.
Although he was old, his voice was still sonorous, unhurried, as if he had not been affected by the tense and oppressive atmosphere at all:
"Your Majesty, Yang Siye is already dead. His punishment is not urgent for the time being. This time, the Grand Princess... hmm, the County Mistress of Ningping and the Provincial Governor of Song Prefecture have rendered meritorious service in resisting the Wokou attack. To avoid disappointing those who have rendered meritorious service, the court should first issue rewards."
Emperor Ninghe's expression also eased: "Grand Tutor Yang, what rewards do you think are appropriate?"
When Emperor Ninghe was still the Crown Prince, Yang Hetong had held the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.
"The County Mistress of Ningping was brave and fearless, utterly loyal, guarded the borders and pacified the state. She is a role model for the imperial family. Perhaps her venerable title of Grand Princess can be restored.”