The Ming Dynasty: Reshaping the Land

Chapter 29 Impeachment

The first day of the seventh lunar month is the day of the new moon and full moon.

Li Jinglong had no choice but to get up early, change into his scarlet duke's everyday clothes, put on his black gauze hat, and hold his ivory tablet to attend the morning court session on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month.

Li Jinglong, still half asleep, naturally began to complain about Zhu Yuanzhang in his heart. Compared to emperors of previous dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang had squeezed his subjects to the extreme.

Not only were the salaries low, but the work was also extremely arduous. Putting aside everything else, the court assembly system established by Zhu Yuanzhang was something that ordinary people could not endure.

Take the morning court session, for example. They even held a "meeting at the gate" and moved the meeting to an open-air square!

When Li Jinglong arrived outside the Fengtian Hall, the civil and military officials were already lined up along the steps, standing in two rows, east and west.

Li Jinglong quickly walked to Chang Mao's side and stood down. Since there were only the two of them as dukes in the capital at the moment, Chang Mao naturally became the head of the military officers.

After finally completing the formalities and just as the court session ended, Li Jinglong yawned and wanted to go back to catch up on his sleep.

Unexpectedly, a young eunuch approached Li Jinglong and said, "Your Excellency, His Majesty has decreed that you attend the morning court session!"

"Huh? The morning court session?" Li Jinglong was taken aback. He was going again? Hadn't he already gone a few days ago?

"Jiujiang, could it be about what happened a few days ago when you beat up Lü Ping?" Chang Mao asked when he saw Li Jinglong being stopped.

"Probably not!" Li Jinglong wasn't sure either, after all, he had been beaten up in public.

Li Jinglong stood in the middle of the group and began to close his eyes to rest.

"Your humble servant, Censor Lu Wenbang of the Censorate, impeaches Duke Cao, Li Jinglong!"

Old Zhu sat on the stage, glared at Li Jinglong in the crowd, and gestured for him to continue.

"Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, who was granted a fiefdom and ranked among the dukes and marquises, should have been dutifully upholding his duties as a subject, maintaining integrity and self-discipline, and serving as a model for the court and the people. Now, your humble servant has investigated and found that he has committed numerous illegal acts, lost his morals and customs, and his depravity is widely known. I hereby list his three crimes and risk my life to present them to you:"

Firstly, Li Jinglong, as a noble official of the court, did not restrain himself and openly allowed his servants to set up brothels, disregarding the dignity of a noble official, violating official precepts, and disgracing the court. This is his first crime.

Secondly, within the premises he established, women bound their waists and breasts, violating the "Great Ming Code," which was decadent, disorderly, morally corrupt, and a grave violation of the rites and laws of sages. This was his second crime.

Thirdly, Li Jinglong used the establishment of the academy to make a living and amassed a large amount of ill-gotten wealth. He was greedy and insatiable. This is his third crime.

Fourthly, he ordered his servants to commit violence in the street, causing serious injury and showing utter disregard for the law; this is his fourth crime.

"As your subject, I am bound by my duty to speak out, and it is my duty to remain silent. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to act decisively and order the relevant officials to shut down his privately established brothel and severely punish Li Jinglong for his immoral and harmful crimes, so as to uphold the order of the court, rectify public morals, and serve as a warning to your relatives and friends."

Although Li Jinglong was a little confused, he understood that they were coming for him!

He's really quick-witted; no wonder he became an imperial censor!

"Duke Cao, do you have any objections?" Old Zhu asked Li Jinglong with a cold face and annoyance.

Zhu Biao, who was standing nearby, also looked over. Although he knew that Li Jinglong had hit Lü Ping, he thought it was just youthful impetuosity. He never expected that Li Jinglong would quietly set up a brothel. He immediately frowned.

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang call his name, Li Jinglong stepped out of the queue, holding his official tablet, bowed respectfully, and then looked at the censor:

"May I ask, Imperial Censor Lu, Heaven on Earth is run by the steward of my prefecture, but it is not a brothel. I wonder why Imperial Censor Lu insists that it is?" Li Jinglong asked with a smile.

"On the day the establishment opened, someone saw its maids wearing corsets and breast wraps. What else could it be but a brothel?" Lu Wenbang shouted.

"May I ask, Imperial Censor Lu, did you witness this with your own eyes?" Li Jinglong asked with a smirk.

"No! It was the people who informed us!"

"Imperial Censor Lu has only heard rumors, I admire you!" Li Jinglong said sarcastically.

Lu Wenbang said sternly, "Duke Cao, with your debauchery, do you have any sense of propriety or law?"

"As far as I know, the maidservant was wearing a long skirt that day, which is a type of Korean clothing!" Li Jinglong glanced at the surrounding ministers and continued, "Just like the subjects of our Great Ming Dynasty, who wear brocade robes and aprons, women from different regions also have different clothing! Censor Lu is rather ignorant!"

Lu Wenbang snorted coldly: "It is said that Duke Cao is skilled in philosophical discussions, and I have seen it for myself today. His reputation is well-deserved; he truly has a silver tongue!"

"I am simply stating the facts, unlike some people who make baseless accusations and abuse their power!" Li Jinglong glanced at Lu Wenbang with disdain.

Seeing himself being slighted, Lu Wenbang was furious: "May I ask, Duke Cao, how do you explain letting a criminal run rampant in the street? How do you explain amassing wealth on a grand scale?"

"Heh! According to the Great Ming Code, all transactions must be conducted in accordance with the agreement between the parties, and forced buying and selling are strictly prohibited. If someone offers me a garden worth tens of thousands of taels of silver for a thousand taels, can't I just throw it away? If that's acceptable, then how about I offer you, Censor Lu, ten acres of land for one tael of silver?"

Upon hearing Li Jinglong's words, Lu Wenbang glared angrily, then took two steps forward, knelt on the ground with a thud, and cried out, "Your Majesty, Duke Cao is using clever words and flattery to deceive Your Majesty. His guild hall is filled with immoral and disrespectful behavior. Your Majesty, the law and propriety cannot be violated!"

Lu Wenbang's actions stunned Li Jinglong! He couldn't believe it! You can't just argue like that, you have to resort to bitterness?

"Jiujiang, I ask you, are there indeed people in the guild hall who are barely clothed?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked sternly.

"Your Majesty, no, there were only maids dressed in Korean attire!" Lee Kyung-ryong admitted.

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "My subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty should adhere to proper etiquette in their clothing. Why do you disregard the law?"

"Someone come here!"

Li Jinglong stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I would never dare to disobey the rules of etiquette. It is simply that the person wearing a long skirt inside the guild hall is not a woman of our Great Ming Dynasty, and our Great Ming's etiquette does not apply to her!"

Lu Wenbang was dumbfounded when he heard Li Jinglong's words!

"Is she really not a woman from my Great Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.

"Your Majesty, I would never dare to deceive you!" Li Jinglong said. "Your Majesty, Lu Wenbang has slandered me based on hearsay. I beg Your Majesty to punish Lu Wenbang, otherwise I will have no face to stand between heaven and earth!"

Li Jinglong naturally couldn't let those who came to him get away easily, otherwise, he would be in endless trouble in the future!

"Minister Lu, do you have anything to say?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Lu Wenbang expressionlessly.

"Your Majesty, although she is a woman from a foreign land, this precedent must not be set on our Great Ming territory!" Lu Wenbang continued to plead.

At this point, Old Zhu was also annoyed by Lu Wenbang's whining, so he waved his hand, signaling Lu Wenbang to leave.

"His Majesty!"

Unfortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him, and Lu Wenbang fell silent, left only standing in the queue, glaring angrily.

Li Jinglong didn't care at all, and didn't even glance at Lu Wenbang.

After court, Li Jinglong returned home and began to catch up on sleep.

At 3:45 PM, at Xihua Gate, Old Zhu, dressed in plain clothes, quietly walked out of the palace with several guards in similar attire.

Once inside the carriage, the group headed straight for the Heaven and Earth Paradise!