I hurried downstairs. Jingyue and the eunuchs followed closely behind me, reminding me to be careful, Your Majesty. I suddenly realized a serious problem. I don't know any of my wives yet. This is a little difficult. However, I quickly thought of an idea. I slowed down my pace and smiled at Xiao Chun beside me. Xiao Chun, tell me, what are the characteristics of my concubines? I want to hear what kind of impression they have in your eyes.
Little Chun didn't feel that there was anything wrong with his words at all. To be frank, Your Majesty, I feel that all of your concubines are very beautiful, but Noble Consort Zheng is the most beautiful, the Empress is the most dignified, the Imperial Noble Consort is the most capable, Noble Consort Wang is the tallest, and Noble Consort Li loves to wear red the most. Finally, Little Chun Zi even mysteriously said, Your Majesty, you must not tell the Empress and the other noble consorts what I said, or else my life will be in danger.
I smiled and said," No, I'm happy that you're telling the truth."
Just as he was speaking, another young eunuch ran to the small sedan chair and said breathlessly,"Your Majesty, the Empress and Imperial Noble Consort are quarreling again. You'd better hurry up, or else I'm afraid they'll fight again and it'll be difficult to clean up."
When I heard this, the plot was a little different. Wasn't it always a secret fight? Why did it become an open fight in Wanli? As an outsider, I could only watch one step at a time.
I arrived at Yangxin Palace Hall and heard their intense argument from outside. Fortunately, the eunuch called out that His Majesty had arrived, causing the hall to instantly quieten down. I arrived at Yangxin Palace Hall with joy and mixed feelings.
The moment I entered the main hall, I almost felt dizzy. The entire room was filled with beautiful women in the harem. They were dressed in all kinds of colors. After seeing me, they all knelt on the ground. One of the most luxuriously dressed women knelt at the front. I guessed that this woman must be the Empress.
I asked everyone to stand up and give them a seat, then I sat on my own dragon throne. Only then did I openly admire the wives of Wanli one by one.
I wouldn't know if I didn't look, but when I did, I felt a surge of emotions. Although Wan Li was a little fat, his aesthetic sense was definitely not a problem. All of my harem beauties were peerless in beauty, each with their own merits. The ultimate dream of so many men has been realized by me. My excitement is indescribable. From an unmarried young man to having so many beautiful wives, my blood was obviously surging. In addition, Wan Li was too fat, so I felt my blood pressure soar.
I tried to catch my breath for half a day before returning to normal. The woman who was dressed the most luxuriously should be Empress Xiao Duanxian, Sister Wang Xi. When she saw my red face and sweat, she thought that I had just recovered from a serious illness and was not feeling well. She quickly said,"Your Majesty's body has not fully recovered yet. You should focus on recuperating and not overwork." A few imperial concubines echoed.
However, another similarly dressed woman sitting in the first row obviously disagreed with the Empress's words. She sneered and said that the Empress 'sister was too conservative. The Emperor was busy with state affairs and lacked exercise, which led to his fall and injury from riding a horse. According to the Empress, could it be that the Emperor had to lie in bed every day? A few imperial concubines nodded in agreement.
The Empress was not willing to be outdone. Imperial Noble Consort did not know why she had to twist my meaning. I wanted the Emperor to recuperate more when he was not completely healthy. What was wrong with that?
Imperial Noble Consort wanted to speak again, but I stopped her.
I understood at a glance. This was obviously a palace battle between two harem beauties. I wasn't bragging. If we were to talk about palace battles, I definitely wouldn't be able to live past two episodes, so I couldn't tell right from wrong for this group of women. Moreover, I was here to enjoy life. In a situation where I couldn't tell right from wrong, I could only pretend to be confused and lower my head to pretend to faint. This trick was indeed effective. The group of women no longer quarreled. They all fawned over each other and seemed to be very concerned.
The feeling of being surrounded by a group of beautiful wives was really a different feeling. I also set a rule for everyone to not quarrel or undermine each other for the next seven days. Whoever violates it will be punished.
The group of beautiful women did not know why it was the next seven days, but they all agreed readily.
This way, I can enjoy myself in peace. As for the seven days later, that would be the matter of Wanli. I believe that he must have a good way to deal with the palace fights in the harem. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the emperor who reigned the longest in the Ming Dynasty.
Next, I order the imperial kitchen to prepare the most sumptuous banquet at noon. I want to celebrate my recovery with my concubines. There's still some time before noon. I think the weather today is very good. I haven't been to the imperial garden of the imperial palace during the Ming Dynasty. I suggest that everyone enjoy the scenery and flowers together in the imperial garden.
When she heard that I was going to admire the flowers, the imperial noble consort immediately felt that she had the upper hand. She looked at the empress and said," Look." The emperor also felt that it was better to walk around more.
The Empress was about to retort, but I stopped her. I reprimanded the Imperial Noble Consort and said that you talked too much today.
Imperial Noble Consort was obviously not convinced, but seeing that I was really a little angry, she quickly blamed herself and said, Your Majesty is right, ChenQie knows her mistake.
It seemed that although Wan Li was a little weak, he was still a man of his word in front of his wife. I won't delve into it anymore.
We each took a small sedan chair to the imperial garden. This place was much better than the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City.
There were many tourists in the imperial garden of the Forbidden City, but there were very few exotic flowers and plants. And the imperial garden here has no less than a hundred types of flowers and plants that I can't name. Moreover, they are very well taken care of, and all of them are competing for beauty. There was no pond in the imperial garden of the Forbidden City. Instead, there was a pond that was 30 meters square. The pond was unusually clear. He did not know how they did it. There were all kinds of goldfish inside, and they were very beautiful.
On the way here, I already thought of how to pass the time. After admiring the flowers and plants for a while, I suggested that everyone play a game. This game is the one that everyone is most familiar with, Blind Blind Man. Everyone was within the stipulated range. I covered my eyes with a veil and grabbed them one by one. If I caught them, I would guess who I caught first. If I guessed correctly, the other party would drink a cup of wine as a punishment. If I guessed wrongly, I would drink a cup of wine as a punishment. It was just like the game in Journey to the West where the four Bodhisattvas teased Zhu Bajie. However, this was also the dream game of many men.
The concubines also thought it was fun. We set the rules and started the game. I'm fat now, so I'm afraid that I can't catch them. The range is very small, so it's very easy to catch them. I'll be able to catch one in a while. I'll touch their figures through Little Chun's introduction. Their appearance, especially in summer, where there are fewer clothes. Hehe, naturally, I'll be able to guess them. This game is too much. I can only comment on it this way. If it wasn't for the fact that it's almost noon and the weather is a little hot, I really want to play for a whole day. Just like that, I'm already covered in sweat. However, after sweating a little, I felt much more relaxed.
I reluctantly ended the game. After bathing and changing, I went to Yangxin Hall again.
I'm really a little hungry. After the concubines clean up, they all come to Yangxin Hall and sit down. I'll immediately pass the food to them.
The delicacies of the Ming Dynasty weren't much different from the present. A large table of monkey heads, bird's nest, shark's fin, and bear's paw was served in a short while. The rest of the dishes that I recognized were Panlong dishes, grilled clams, fried prawns, frog drumsticks, bamboo shoots, three dishes, boiled ham, lees, and roasted venison. There were also a large portion that I didn't recognize. I didn't stand on ceremony and directly picked up my chopsticks to eat. The concubines were obviously stunned.
Only then did I feel that my etiquette was lacking and added, Beloved concubines, there is no need to be polite today.
After everyone thanked him, they began to eat together.
Although they said that they were eating together, the concubines still paid great attention to etiquette. Perhaps they often ate these, so they all opened their red lips and chewed slowly. I was the only one who really let go. I stood up from time to time to pick up the dishes from afar. The eunuchs were also stunned. Usually, they were the ones who served the emperor when he ate. Today, I found it troublesome and took the chopsticks myself.
At first, the eunuch tried to persuade me, but he got used to it later and obediently stood at the side to watch me eat. In the afternoon, I wanted to continue drinking and having fun, but the memorials came one after another. I had no choice but to pretend. However, it was also simple. My method of dealing with them was the same.
In the evening, I began to enjoy the treatment of the emperor flipping the signboard. I flipped three imperial concubines in one go. This is really good. Even if modern people have money and power, they can't have such treatment. I flipped through the list and found that the most outstanding one was Noble Consort Zheng. This Noble Consort Zheng was involved in the famous Red Pill Case in the future, but the case was inconclusive, so I didn't have the heart to investigate it.
After flipping the cards, the eunuchs carried me, and Jingyue followed. About five or six minutes later, we arrived at Noble Consort Zheng's Xianming Palace. Noble Consort Zheng was already waiting at the palace gate.
The next morning, the three imperial concubines were all glowing with health and were in high spirits. And getting out of bed was a problem for me. After spending half a day, I finally sat up. It seemed that if this continued, Wanli would die early. I had to restrain myself.
Before I woke up, I planned my route for the day. When I woke up, Jingyue wasn't by my side. I told Little Chun, let's go to the national treasury first.
Little Chun Zi asked in surprise,"What is Your Majesty going there for? It's dark and damp."
There's no need to say anything more. I want to check if there's a deficit in the national treasury. Ask the officials in charge of the national treasury to wait for me in the national treasury with the relevant accounts. I pretended to be serious.
Little Chun saw that I was serious and quickly agreed.
After a simple rest, I was led to the treasury by Little Chun and the imperial guards. There was already a row of officials kneeling in front of the treasury.
I didn't come to the national treasury to check if it was empty at all. The main reason was that I had never seen so much money before. Moreover, this money still belonged to me in name. I had to satisfy my eyes first.
The officials in charge of the national treasury were all trembling with fear. It was unknown if they had really emptied the national treasury or if they had an instinctive reaction to seeing the emperor.
The security of the treasury was really tight. I walked through three checkpoints before I reached the treasury gate. I asked the official in charge of the treasury to open the treasury gate. The treasury gate was also three stories high, and the locks were the kind that required two keys to open at the same time. The officials of the treasury led the way with torches in hand, while I followed behind with a group of eunuchs. Finally, we opened the last door. It was indeed very dark inside, but it was not damp.
When the officials of the national treasury lit up the large oil lamps inside with torches, I saw a shocking scene. The national treasury was so big that one could not see the end of it. There were countless shelves neatly placed inside, and all the shelves were filled with all kinds of gold and silver ingots. The bottom of the shelf was filled with boxes of the same size. I opened one casually and found all kinds of gold and silver coins inside. I brainlessly asked Little Chun, All these jewels are mine?
Little Chun looked at me in surprise, then immediately replied as if she understood something, Of course, all of these belonged to His Majesty.
In the real world, I would think about how to bargain when I buy a pack of tissues. Now that I have such a large amount of wealth, I really can't stand it. I suppressed the excitement in my heart and tried my best to speak calmly to the surrounding eunuchs and officials of the national treasury. I told them to go out first and close the door of the national treasury. I want to check it myself.
The official of the national treasury quickly came forward and said," Your Majesty, the amount of gold, silver, and jewelry here is huge. I'm afraid that Your Majesty can't check it all in a short time. Moreover, the income and expenditure of the national treasury are more complicated. Without someone to explain it to you, it's difficult for you to understand it clearly in a short time." Do you need us to explain it to you at the side?
No need, I have my own way of checking. You guys go out first, I said calmly.
The eunuchs and the officials of the treasury looked at each other, knelt down, and left the treasury, closing the door.
I can finally check the wealth that belongs to me for the time being. Although there were no windows inside, the oil lamps inside had all been lit, so it was not dark at all. I ran for about 50 to 60 meters, but I still couldn't see the end of the treasury. It seemed that this place was quite big. I piled all the silver ingots on the nearby shelves together. I was so tired that I was sweating. Finally, I piled up a huge pile of jewelry that was 1.5 meters high and 4 meters in diameter.
I lay on it and enjoyed the pleasure of wealth. I would occasionally throw the silver ingots around and into the air. Although I knew that these could not be brought to the real world, this feeling was really wonderful. I walked into the distance. There were wooden boxes with copper locks on them. I used a crowbar nearby to open a few wooden boxes on both sides of the passage. They were all gold ingots. This one was more valuable. I poured all the gold ingots on the ground. I was holding gold ingots in my hands and stepping on a pile. I estimated that my current image must be similar to the God of Fortune in the New Year paintings.
I looked at the two sides of the passage. There were many large chests inside. I randomly pried open two more chests. As expected, the chests were also filled with gold. It seemed that the national treasury of the Ming Dynasty was still very abundant. Thinking that these gold ingots were temporarily mine, I excitedly and presumptuously picked up two gold ingots and threw them into the air. I had never thrown gold ingots like this before. The gold ingots tumbled and fell to the ground. Something unexpected happened. After one of them fell to the ground, it actually split into two halves. I picked it up and looked at it. The so-called gold ingot was actually made of brick-like material on the outside, with lead added inside.
I knocked on two more and it was the same. I went to the side of the passage to see how the gold ingots were. Fortunately, the gold ingots in the boxes at the side of the passage were real, but there were so many boxes. Were they all made of bricks? I came here to experience life and enjoy the taste of wealth. I didn't expect to find out about such a shocking scandal. I thought about it for a while and finally put the two pieces of gold back and closed the lid. He was also afraid that they would find these broken ingots when they checked the ingots.
Helplessly, I had to hide it for them. I put the broken gold ingots into my robe sleeves. Then, he walked towards the door. It seemed that the later generations had a reason for saying that the Ming Dynasty died in Wanli. I actually discovered such a big secret after only staying for two days, but I couldn't do anything.
I tossed and turned for a whole hour. Little Chun asked me about my situation from time to time. Every time, I told him that I hadn't finished checking. It wasn't until around 3 pm that I finally pushed open the door and left the national treasury. When the eunuchs and officials outside saw me come out, they immediately knelt on the ground.
I said no and strode out. The two main officials in charge of the national treasury were obviously trembling with fear. Others would think that they were acting like this because they had seen the emperor, but I knew it well, but I couldn't point it out. These two officials still had the face to bow behind me and ask for instructions. Your Majesty, please tell me if there are any loopholes in the management of the national treasury.
I tried my best to keep my tone flat and waved my hand. It looks okay for the time being, but you must do your best in the future. After saying that, I got into my red sedan without looking back. As for what they would think when they saw the pile of jewelry, I didn't care.
After leaving the treasury, I returned to Yangxin Hall. Jingyue appeared by my side again and busied herself with serving me. After drinking two sips of the tea she handed me, I began to think about what else I could do. As an Emperor, I felt that the most awe-inspiring thing was going to court. The feeling of receiving the worship of hundreds of officials and making decisions to kill would definitely be fascinating.
Thinking of this, I told Jingyue to arrange for me to attend the morning court session tomorrow.
Jingyue didn't seem to hear me clearly. She was still busy. I raised my voice and said,"I have to go to court tomorrow."
Jingyue still ignored me.
I was a little angry. I told Jingyue to stop and quickly arrange for me to go to court tomorrow. Jingyue stopped being so busy and looked straight at me. Then, he asked the other palace maids and eunuchs to leave.
I wondered why she would do that. After everyone else in the palace had left, Jingyue closed the door and came back to me. She sat down opposite me. How could a palace maid dare to sit on the same level as the Emperor? I was surprised.
Jingyue took a sip of tea and said," Forget it, I'll tell you. I was sent by the original universe. I was afraid that you would do something that would change history." You did the right thing by not exposing the scandal of the national treasury, so I didn't want to ruin your experience. However, seeing that you insist on attending the morning court assembly tomorrow, I have no choice but to interfere with your actions. There was a reason why Emperor Wanli did not attend court. Although this seemed to be a sign of laziness on the surface, Wanli was actually very smart. Most of the time, he did not really neglect the government. Otherwise, the country would not have maintained basic stability and won two consecutive foreign wars. The Ming Dynasty was a special dynasty. The officials 'understanding of loyalty was more to be loyal to the principles of Confucianism, rather than absolute obedience to the emperor's opinions. Do you think you have the confidence to deal with the wily Shen Shixing and the seemingly loyal Lü Tiaoyang, Zhang Siwei, and the others? It has been a few years since Wanli last went to court. Even if you don't make any decisions in this court session, it is very likely that you will change history. Therefore, we won't allow you to do whatever you want.
I understood immediately. When I was a beggar, the Meta-Universe would never arrange for someone to take care of me because I couldn't change anything at all. However, when I was an Emperor, it was different. No matter how much I promised that I wouldn't change history, the Meta-Universe would still send someone to watch over me. However, this is nothing. I thought about it and said,"If I don't want to go to court, so be it. Then can I meet the famous figures of this era?" For example, Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang, and Hai Rui?
Jingyue replied," Don't even think about it. Zhang Juzheng passed away five years ago. Hai Rui died of illness in Nanjing last year. Qi Jiguang is still alive, but he's far away in Guangdong. There's no high-speed rail in this era. Even if you send the order now, it'll probably take at least a month before you reach Beijing."
I have a good impression of these people. Is there anything I can do to let them or their descendants receive more gifts?
Jingyue shook her head and said," You're just here to experience life. You shouldn't use your own preferences to change history."
I shook my head helplessly.
Jingyue smiled and said," You're still helpless when you're the emperor, but you're very happy when you flip the board."
After saying that, he took out the tray filled with more than ten green cards from the table near the door.
I looked at Jingyue and asked, which sign here represents you?
Jingyue slowly came to my side and pretended to point at the sign. Suddenly, she grabbed my arm and said fiercely,"It's none of them."
It hurt so much that I begged for mercy and quickly said that I was joking. I changed another batch of concubines…
On the morning of the third day, Du Shangchun brought the beggar, Housekeeper Zhou and Mr. Zhang to Yangxin Palace Hall.
This Du Shangchun is quite efficient. After receiving my imperial edict, he immediately informed the Prefect of Tongzhou Province, Ban He. Ban He immediately gave the order to search for him. This beggar is easy to find. Everyone knows that this beggar is good at literature and has written three excellent poems. It's just that he hasn't written any new poems since then. Originally, this beggar did not know that he was wrongly accused of stealing sheep. It was a coincidence that Butler Zhou happened to meet the beggar when he entered the city once. The two of them even quarreled because of this matter, so everyone knew about the matter of stealing sheep. Through Butler Zhou, he found Mr. Zhang. It took him more than a day to find the three of them and bring them to the capital.
Du Shangchun let them enter the Forbidden City. This Yangxin Palace Hall was originally a place to nourish one's heart. I turned it into a temporary court. I ordered twenty eunuchs to stand on both sides of the hall. Then, I asked the beggar, Butler Zhou, and Rich Man Zhang to bring them to Yangxin Palace Hall.
Among the three, there was no need to mention the beggar. He had definitely never seen such a scene before. Even Butler Zhou and Rich Man Zhang entered the Imperial Palace for the first time. For some reason, they entered the Imperial Palace and kowtowed to the Emperor like chickens pecking at broken rice.
I began to ascend the hall. I asked them their names. I knew Butler Zhou and Rich Zhang, but I really didn't know the beggar's name. This rich man Zhang answered first. My name is Zhang Wanbao. Next, Housekeeper Zhou said that my surname was Zhou and my name was Hua. Finally, it was the beggar. The beggar said that his surname was Li and his name was Xue.
I ordered them to stand up. The three of them shook their clothes and stood up. I asked them, do you know why I called the three of you here?
The three of them were very afraid, but Steward Zhou was obviously more of a profiteer. He immediately had an idea and replied to me,"Your Majesty, this lowly one and our family's Director, Minister Zhang, have no dealings with this beggar. However, a few days ago, this beggar came to our Minister Zhang's house to beg for food. Minister Zhang kindly took him in and asked him to help herder the sheep and provide food and lodging. Unexpectedly, this beggar actually stole seven sheep from our Minister Zhang's house in one night." Our squire was angry and hit him a few times and locked him in the woodshed. I didn't expect this kid to run away in the middle of the night when we weren't paying attention.
This butler directly blamed the matter of stealing the sheep on Li Xue. This was called striking first. This beggar, Li Xue, was obviously not mentally prepared. When he heard others say that he had stolen sheep, he was even more frightened. He quickly kowtowed and shouted,"Your Majesty, I'm innocent. I was cold and hungry in the forest those days and fainted. Later, I didn't know what happened. I went to the city. Everyone said that I was outstanding in literature. As for stealing sheep, I didn't know anything."
I thought to myself,'You don't know. They're framing me.'
Before I could say anything, Steward Zhou kowtowed and said,"Your Majesty, please judge me. This beggar is obviously lying. How can anyone come to the city from the forest without remembering anything? Moreover, he must have made up the strange thing that others praised him for his literary talent. Now, this kid is not only stealing sheep, but also asking Your Majesty to punish him for deceiving the emperor."
This Li Xue wanted to argue back, but after opening his mouth for a long time, he couldn't say a word. Housekeeper Zhou became even more excited when he saw this. He said,"Your Majesty, this kid knows that he's in the wrong. He's speechless."
The beggar was speechless, and I was so angry that I couldn't say anything for a long time. Originally, I wanted to get rid of this Butler Zhou in a short time. He didn't expect that he would gain the upper hand for no reason. " Even the emperor has to be reasonable." I asked after a pause." Zhang Wanbao, is what Zhou Hua said the truth?"
This rich man was obviously not as unscrupulous as Zhou Hua, but he also understood that what Butler Zhou said was obviously more logical. Therefore, he also said directly that Butler Zhou had always been a righteous person. He was dutiful and responsible for our family and property. Therefore, what Butler Zhou said must be the truth.
Housekeeper Zhou was even more pleased with himself when he heard that. That beggar, Li Xue, obviously didn't have any resistance and was only waiting for my punishment.
I calmly thought about it. It was a little difficult for Li Xue to defend himself now. But how could I turn the case around? I got up and walked to the front of the hall twice. Suddenly, an idea came to me and I returned to the dragon throne.
I said, the reason why I called you here is because I had a dream a few days ago. I dreamed that there was a strange case of stealing sheep in Tong County. In the dream, someone else stole the sheep. "But today, I also believe that this beggar Li Xue is the one who stole the sheep. I am a benevolent monarch, but I must punish him.
I paused and pretended to think for a while. Then, I said,"How about this? I'm a fatty. It's uncomfortable to be fat. I'll punish him and let him become a fatty too. I'll let him taste the pain of being fat." From tomorrow onwards, she would give him all kinds of delicious food, good lodging, and good use. She would not let him work until he became a big fatty. As for Housekeeper Zhou, he was indeed a shrewd person and had contributed greatly to protecting his master. However, in order to verify the authenticity of this dream, I need Housekeeper Zhou to do something for me. From today onwards, you will put on the sheepskin and live in the sheep pen. You will eat, poop, and sleep with the sheep. In short, everything must be like a sheep. You must not reveal any flaws. If there is another thief who stole the sheep, you must catch the thief without any mistakes. Zhang Wanbao, you will start herding the sheep today. Firstly, you must supervise Butler Zhou and not let him be any different from a sheep. Secondly, you must catch the person who stole the sheep with Butler Zhou. Housekeeper Zhou grinned and wanted to say something. I said directly, it's settled. You can all leave.
This was the good thing about being the emperor. No matter what decision he made, others had to accept it. Satisfied, I returned to the harem to play with the imperial concubines.
Two days later, a eunuch on duty reported to me that there had been new developments in the case I was investigating two days ago. Housekeeper Zhou said that he had important information to provide.
I originally thought that this matter had already been settled, that Butler Zhou and Mr. Zhang had already been punished, and that most of my anger had dissipated. I didn't expect that this ignorant Butler Zhou would actually dare to cause trouble.
I thought for a moment and said," That's good. I don't have any other arrangements today. I'm still in Yangxin Hall to hear the case. Call the three of them up." Soon, Li Xue, Housekeeper Zhou, and Rich Man Zhang arrived at Yangxin Palace Hall. They hadn't seen each other for two days, and Li Xue had indeed gained some weight, and his complexion was especially good. Housekeeper Zhou's face was ashen, and without my decree, he was still wearing sheepskin. Rich Zhang's eyes were also sunken. After the three of them knelt down, I asked Housekeeper Zhou,"Zhou Hua, what information do you have to provide? Could it be that you have caught the real sheep thief?"
Zhou Hua hurriedly kowtowed and said, Your Majesty, I have a report to report. In fact, the sheep thief was indeed not this beggar Li Xue, but someone else.
I pretended to be surprised. Someone else? Who was the sheep thief?
Housekeeper Zhou quickly kowtowed and said,"I deserve to die. I was the thief who stole the sheep. I stole the sheep with my brother and a few friends."
I pretended not to believe it and said,"Don't talk nonsense. Are you trying to fool me because you can't catch the sheep thief?"
Housekeeper Zhou quickly said,"I don't dare to lie to His Majesty. I have a witness, and I'm waiting outside the Meridian Gate." Your Majesty, you can summon them and ask them.
At this moment, Yangxin Palace Hall was silent. Not only were all the eunuchs shocked, even Rich Zhang and Li Xue were shocked.
I asked someone to call a few witnesses outside the Meridian Gate to Yangxin Hall.
After a while, three so-called witnesses came in. All three of them were dressed as farmers. When they saw me, they bowed down. I asked them what they were doing here. The tallest of the three said that he was Zhou Hua's younger brother, Zhou Gang. He was the one who brought these two friends to steal the sheep with Zhou Hua. He had also explained the details of the situation. Zhou Hua was the mastermind. He stole things from Mr. Zhang's house from time to time. The old farmer who used to herd sheep had no choice but to buy the sheep and pay for it himself. Then, he resigned. Later, Mr. Zhang invited this beggar again. That day, Zhou Hua deliberately made things difficult for the beggar and made him do a lot of work. The beggar was already so tired that he could not wake up after falling asleep. He did not expect to be discovered by the beggar when he stole the sheep. Therefore, Zhou Hua knocked the beggar unconscious with a wooden stick and stole the sheep.
I thought to myself that these people were really bold to actually dare to come to the Imperial Palace to confess. I smiled and asked them why they came to confess. When they saw me smile, they became even bolder. Zhou Gang said that my brother said that he had been suffering for the past two days. The weather was hot, and he could only eat grass and sleep in the open. If he continued to suffer like this for two more days, he would definitely die. Moreover, the emperor was kind. Even if he admitted to stealing the sheep, the punishment was very light. It could even be said that it was very good. It just made the thief fat. The three of us brothers also knew that the Emperor punished the beggar, so we came to confess our crimes. We hoped that the Emperor would punish us like he punished the beggar. After that, we continued to kowtow.
I laughed again.
When they saw me smile, they thought that I had agreed, so they all laughed along.
I suddenly became stern and scolded loudly. You damned slaves, not only did you steal from the inside, but you also wronged the poor. You really can be killed but not spared. However, I am indeed a benevolent monarch. I will not kill you today, but I can spare you from death, but you will not escape punishment. So, Zhou Hua was the mastermind of this incident, and he was given 40 strokes of the cane. Zhou Gang was the main accomplice in the sheep theft incident, so he was given thirty strokes. The other two each received twenty heavy hits. Zhou Hua was even suspected of disregarding human life and selling himself as a slave. Zhang Wanbao was fined 3000 taels of silver for not distinguishing between good and evil. Li Xue was a kind and upright person who suffered all kinds of grievances. He was rewarded with 3000 taels of silver and a top-grade property in the capital.
The reason why I say he is kind and upright is because the consciousness that can reach the time and space domain must be kind and upright. As for giving him money and real estate, it's because in my opinion, having real estate and money in Beijing is already the best treatment. But later, I realized that the real estate in Beijing wasn't too expensive at that time, but it was enough for me to repay the debt of using his body. After the case was settled, I finally vented my anger.
For the next two days, I continued to indulge myself in debauchery and indulgence. However, the seven-day deadline soon came to an end, and all the special training ended.
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