Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Fu Youde walked into the hall with his head held high and chest puffed out, clasping his fists and saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to write a letter of guarantee and swear allegiance to the Ming Dynasty until death!"

Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes to look at the brave general, and nodded slowly: "Okay! We agree!"

Wang Bi who came in next was not so lucky——

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, also want to write a letter of guarantee." Wang Bi's forehead was covered with sweat and his voice was weak.

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "Wang Bi, I remember that you were impeached by the censor for embezzling military pay in the army a few years ago?"

Wang Bi's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees: "Your Majesty, it's all a misunderstanding."

"What about the time at the Ministry of Revenue? We asked you to be the Minister of Revenue, but you almost ruined the treasury of the Ming Dynasty!"

"I can't even figure out the accounts!"

"That's enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, "You are not young anymore, I will allow you to retire and return home. I will give you a thousand taels of silver, and you can return home to spend your remaining years in peace!"

Wang Bi's face turned pale, but he did not dare to refute: "I thank the emperor for his grace."

Similar scenes continue to play out -

Zhu Yuanzhang readily accepted letters of guarantee from those who had made outstanding military achievements;

Those who are incompetent will be directly approved to retire;
Some with a history of bad deeds were not only ordered to retire, but also had their salaries cut.
Outside the palace gate, a group of "retired" nobles gathered together, anxiously turning around -

"How could this happen?! Didn't you say I can stay if I write a letter of guarantee?" Wang Bi grabbed his hair, looking unwilling.

A Huaixi noble gnashed his teeth and said, "We've been fooled! The emperor is taking this opportunity to cleanse us up!"

Hu Hai, the Marquis of Dongchuan, was worried: "What should I do? Without my official position, what will happen in the future?"

Everyone looked at each other and saw fear in each other's eyes.

Suddenly, someone lowered his voice and said, "How about we go find Mr. Han?"

"Are you crazy?!" Wang Bi was so scared that he almost jumped up. "If I go find him now, wouldn't that be courting death?"

Everyone fell silent again, and the air was filled with despair.
At the same time, in the Korean Palace——

Li Shanchang smashed the teacup to the ground, shards flying everywhere: "A bunch of rubbish! Just defeated one by one like that?!"

He staggered back a few steps, fell down on the armchair, and muttered to himself: "It's over. It's all over."

Inside the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the long list of retirees and stroked his beard with satisfaction.

"Ouyang Lun is such a wonderful guy."

"This move not only divided the Huaixi Party, but also allowed us to justifiably clean out a group of mediocre people."

Wang Zhong said worriedly at this time: "Your Majesty, these Huaixi nobles are all arrogant and brave generals. Although the comfortable life in recent years has made them less sharp than before, if they are pushed into a corner, I am afraid there will be a big chaos!"

"We have anticipated this, otherwise we would have taken action against these Huaixi nobles long ago."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

“Since Your Majesty knows the harm of this matter, why do you still?” Wang Zhong asked in confusion.

"Haha! I was doing this alone before, and when the Huaixi nobles started making trouble, it was a headache for me. Now Ouyang Lun has joined us!"

"You were there that day, too. Ouyang Lun and I had already agreed that I would be responsible for eliminating people, while Ouyang Lun would be responsible for appeasing these eliminated Huaixi nobles. If they fail to appease them."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Then we will settle the score with Ouyang Lun. At worst, we can push Ouyang Lun out to take the blame!"

"It was Ouyang Lun who came up with the idea of ​​eliminating the Huaixi nobles and letting them retire and return home."

what--!
Wang Zhong was obviously surprised when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, this is a good idea, but I am worried that if the Prince Consort finds out, he will have a problem with you."

"Opinions? Doesn't Ouyang Lun have enough opinions about me?" Zhu Yuanzhang said indifferently: "Let's just be the bad guy. It's better than this kid having opinions about me in the future!"

"Besides, Ouyang Lun is a smart guy. I believe this won't be a problem for him!"

"Wang Zhong, hurry up and urge them. Is there anyone who wants to write a letter of guarantee for us? Spread the word. If they don't come to us in the next few days, you will bear the consequences yourself!"

"Yes, I will do it now."

As the news released by Wang Zhong quickly spread among the nobles, the entire city of Nanjing was shrouded in a strange atmosphere.

The Huaixi nobles gathered in groups of three or four in teahouses and taverns, whispering to each other.

"Have you heard? The Marquis of Dongping went to write a letter of guarantee this morning, but his military token was taken away on the spot!" A nobleman in a brocade robe said in a low voice.

The people around him gasped: "This is not a letter of guarantee, it's clearly the King of Hell's book of life and death!"

"Hush--keep your voice down!" Another nobleman looked around nervously, "What do you think, should we go or not?"

"Go? Isn't that walking into a trap?" A general with a face full of flesh took a gulp of wine. "When I was fighting in Hongdu for three days and three nights, Ouyang Lun was still breastfeeding! Now..."

"As long as I don't go, my position will remain, unless the emperor himself dismisses me!"

"It would be even worse if we don't go!" The elderly Marquis Yongchang stroked his beard worriedly, "Don't you know the temper of the emperor? It's obvious that he wants to take this opportunity to eliminate us."

"That person in the palace has leaked the news. If we don't take the initiative, then he will take the initiative and we will be in trouble."

After a moment of silence, someone whispered, "Actually, retiring to my hometown wouldn't be bad. I bought three thousand acres of land in Fengyang."

"Bullshit!" Someone immediately slammed the table and said, "We risked our lives to build this kingdom, and now we are gone just like that."

Before he could finish his words, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the restaurant.

Everyone was silent until the footsteps faded away. Someone wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "I think we should go. Since the emperor has given us a way out,

“Stairs?” someone said sinisterly, “Is this how he treats us heroes?!”

"That's better than implicating all your clan members." The youngest noble suddenly had tears in his eyes. "My wife just gave birth to a son."

"If we go, we still have about a 50% chance. If we don't go."

Everyone fell silent again, with only sighs heard one after another.

On the last day of the three-day deadline, a long queue formed outside the Fengtian Hall.

Some people hold their heads high, while others are trembling with fear.

The eunuch on duty called out the names in a shrill voice, and the nobles walked into the hall one by one like lambs to be slaughtered.

At sunset, the statistical results shocked the government and the public - nearly two hundred nobles chose to retire and return home!
"This is too much!" In a house outside Andingmen, more than 30 "retired" nobles stood up and slammed the table.

The food and wine on the table had already gone cold, but no one was eating.

Yongping Hou Xie Cheng's beard was shaking: "The one in the palace is so cruel! We have so many brothers, but he eliminated most of them!"

Wuding Hou Guo Ying said gloomily: "The emperor is going to learn from Emperor Gaozu of Han and kill his meritorious officials!"

"Brother Guo, please be careful with your words!" someone tried to dissuade him, but more people's eyes were already red with anger.

"What are you afraid of!" Dongchuan Marquis Hu Hai opened his shirt, revealing a hideous arrow wound on his chest. "This scar is from the Battle of Poyang Lake! If I hadn't risked my life to protect the emperor, there would be no Ming Dynasty today!"

"Yes! We can't just sit there and wait for death!"

"Rather than being driven back home in a cowardly state, we'd better fight to the death!" "Everyone! In this situation, we must not rebel!"

Yongping Hou Xie Cheng said loudly, "But I really don't want to admit defeat and retire like this!"

"I have a suggestion. Let's kneel down at the gate of the palace! Let the whole world see how the Ming Dynasty treats its founding heroes!"

"Okay! Let's go together!"

"Let the people of Yingtian Prefecture come and judge the matter!"

Soon, dozens of nobles who were ordered to retire dressed neatly and marched towards the palace in a mighty procession.

They deliberately put on the armor of that year, but they did not carry any weapons.

Hu Hai, Marquis of Dongchuan, even had people carry out the military flag of Chen Youliang that was captured in the Battle of Poyang Lake.

"Look! Aren't those the founding heroes?"

"Oh my god, why are they all wearing armor?"

People along the way stopped to watch and talk about it.

The nobles deliberately slowed down their pace to allow more people to see this tragic team.

Only in this way can we exert the greatest pressure on the person in the palace.

However, not long after they walked out, they were stopped by Zhou Bao.

"My Lords, His Majesty and His Royal Highness have prepared some wine in Heaven and Earth, and have specially ordered me to serve it."

"The Prince Consort said that he already knows what the marquises and generals are thinking, and he is here to deal with it according to orders."

Wang Bi rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "What? The Hongmen Banquet?"

"Everyone knows that this time it was your Prince Consort who instigated the Emperor and His Majesty to eliminate us, the meritorious old ministers!"

"Ouyang Lun is a traitor!"

Zhou Bao bowed calmly: "General Wang, you are joking. The Prince Consort specifically told me that as long as you all show up today, I will be able to solve it."

"If I can't solve your problem, then there seems to be nothing to lose by taking further action. You should know that once you go outside the palace, the nature of the situation will change completely."

"We have prepared wine from the Western Regions for this banquet. In addition, all expenses for tonight's Heaven on Earth will be paid by our Prince Consort!"

Everyone looked at each other.

After a while, Wuding Hou Guo Ying stood up and said, "Go! Why not? It's a good opportunity to ask His Majesty what law we old bones have violated!"

"We have to ask Ouyang Lun. Although we have always been at odds with him, we have never offended him. Why do we have to kill him?"

"That's right, I have to give Ouyang Lun a good beating tonight!"

With a few Huaixi nobles taking the lead, other nobles followed.

In the largest private room on the third floor of Tianshang Renjian, Zhu Biao was nervously adjusting his clothes: "Ouyang, if these uncles start making trouble..."

Ouyang Lun peeled the grapes slowly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I have prepared an offer that they cannot refuse."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor.

When the door opened, a group of nobles with gloomy faces filed in.

When they saw Zhu Biao sitting in the main seat, everyone was visibly stunned, and then they saluted in a scattered manner.

"I will pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"Uncles, please take a seat." Zhu Biao raised his hand with forced calmness, "Today..."

"Your Majesty!" Wang Bi suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face. "I have been following the Emperor since I was sixteen. Now..."

Ouyang Lun suddenly clapped his hands, and twenty maids came in carrying gilded trays. On each tray was a gilded document.

"Everyone." Ouyang Lun smiled and unfolded one of the documents. "This is the 'Special Provisions for Retired Honored Nobles of the Ming Dynasty'. Anyone who voluntarily retires will receive an additional subsidy of 500 dan per year in addition to their original salary."

"In addition," he deliberately dragged out his tone, "you are allowed to form the 'Ming Dynasty Ocean Caravan'. The court will grant you a franchise for overseas trade, and the tariff will be halved."

The whole room was in uproar. Yongping Hou opened the document with trembling hands, and suddenly his eyes widened: "Is this true? Can we go to Japan and Southeast Asia to do business?"

Ouyang Lun nodded with a smile: "Your Majesty has also granted you the right to subscribe to Liaodong Development Bonds with priority, with an annual interest rate of 8%."

The nobles who were furious just now were now all immersed in studying the documents.

Some people were counting the profits on their fingers, while others were discussing in low voices.

The tears on Wang Bi's face had not yet dried, but he had already leaned over to whisper in Guo Ying's ear.

Zhu Biao was stunned and quietly pulled Ouyang Lun's sleeve: "Brother-in-law, where did you get so many benefits?"

Ouyang Lun blinked: "The wool comes from the sheep. They have to pay taxes for doing business, and buying bonds is equivalent to lending money to the court."

"Don't worry, everyone." Ouyang Lun turned around and smiled, "Your Majesty has already made arrangements. Now, let's continue to talk about going to Japan to acquire the silver mine?"

The old nobles looked out the window, then at the charter documents in their hands, and suddenly felt that retiring to their hometowns seemed like a good idea.
Although the nobles were moved by the generous conditions, they still had doubts.

Hu Hai, the Marquis of Dongchuan, was the first to speak out: "My Lord, this ocean-going caravan is good, but the sea is dangerous. If it encounters pirates, will the court send troops to help?"

Ouyang Lun was prepared. He clapped his hands and an attendant immediately presented a coastal defense map: "Please see, everyone. The court has established 36 naval guard posts along the coast. Any merchant ship with a special charter can apply for naval escort."

Yongping Hou Xie Cheng narrowed his eyes and said, "Then how many years can the tariff be halved?"

"Ten years." Ouyang Lun raised a finger, "And if the business is run well after ten years, it can be renewed."

Wuding Hou Guo Ying suddenly sneered: "That's easy to say! How can we, the rough folks, understand the art of doing business?"

Ouyang Lun clapped his hands calmly. Several accountants walked in and said, "These are professors from the Royal Business School. They are here to train you on how to do business. In addition..."

He paused meaningfully, "If your sons and nephews are interested, they can be given priority to attend the business school, and the tuition is free."

Wang Bi suddenly interrupted: "What if the court defaults on the Liaodong bonds?"

"General Wang, you are worrying too much." Zhu Biao finally found an opportunity to speak, "The bonds will be mortgaged with salt vouchers and will be redeemed directly by the Ministry of Revenue."

The nobles were whispering to each other, and the atmosphere was noticeably relaxed.

But he still did not give up and continued to ask: "Our old subordinates in the army."

Ouyang Lun immediately responded: "Those who are willing to stay can continue to stay, and those who are unwilling can be assigned to the caravan as guard commanders, and their salary will be doubled."

"Then our mansion."

“Keep the original house and halve the property tax.”

"The clan's children will take the imperial examination."

"Add five additional places for the martial arts examination."

Questions were thrown out like a string of cannonballs, and Ouyang Lun answered them fluently. (End of this chapter)