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

Old Zhu, oh Old Zhu!

You really never miss an opportunity to exploit me!
Your son has already fainted, and you still have the mind to ask me how to deal with Li Shanchang.

It seems you don't love your son that much.

Just as Ouyang Lun was thinking this, a voice came from inside the room saying, "His Majesty has woken up!"

Zhu Yuanzhang abandoned Ouyang Lun and walked into the house.

Ok.

He retracted what he just said.

Ouyang Lun pouted, then followed him inside.

Zhu Biao lay on the bed, his face pale and looking weak. Zhu Yuanzhang sat beside him.

"Biao'er, how are you feeling?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine. As the imperial physicians said, I caught a cold and was also tired. I will be fine after a few days of rest!"

Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"I told you long ago, never pile up all the government affairs on your own shoulders, or you'll exhaust yourself!"

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have thought of something, and looked up at Ouyang Lun, "You should learn a lot from Ouyang Lun on this point. How to be lazy is an art!"

"This kid is best at this. Once you're better, Ouyang Lun will teach you!"

Forehead.
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Ouyang Lun was speechless.

What do you mean I'm the best at being lazy? I'm Ouyang Lun, the busiest and most tired person in the entire Ming Dynasty!

Of course, given the situation, Ouyang Lun couldn't very well argue with Zhu Yuanzhang, so he turned to look outside and pretended not to hear.

"Everyone except Ouyang Lun, may leave!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, dismissing the others.

After everyone had left, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke up, "Ouyang Lun, what have you thought about the matter we just asked you?"

"Don't try to explain it to us. We don't believe anything we don't know. This matter could have been handled by Biao'er, but he's sick now, so we'll deal with it here!"

"Ouyang Lun, you don't have any objections, do you?"

Opinions? Of course!

We'll let it slide for Zhu Biao's sake!
"Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus, I do indeed have some ideas regarding Li Shanchang!"

"Based on my understanding of Li Shanchang, the reason he dared to do this is simply because he felt that the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty would not truly punish him!"

"Of course, Li Shanchang is indeed a great hero of the Ming Dynasty, and it would be unwise to deal with him rashly!"

"However, this stalemate cannot be resolved in this way, in my opinion."

Ouyang Lun did not state his thoughts directly, but paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I know that the Emperor Emeritus already has a way to deal with Li Shanchang, so I will not embarrass myself by offering my own."

Forehead.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but roll his eyes, inwardly cursing Ouyang Lun for being cunning.

However, Ouyang Lun was right about one thing, because he did indeed have a solution in mind.

Hearing the conversation between Zhu Yuanzhang and Ouyang Lun, Zhu Biao, who was lying on the bed, understood what the two were discussing.

At this moment, he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with great curiosity, because he also wanted to know what method Zhu Yuanzhang would use.

"Father, what are your plans?"

Seeing that Zhu Biao had also asked, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped hiding his intentions and slowly said, "Indeed, we cannot take action against them. We should leave Li Shanchang alone if possible!"

"After all, touching him would have too much of an impact, and we really can't bear to do it."

"However, not touching Li Shanchang doesn't mean we won't touch the others. There are so many noble families in Huaixi. We can still make an example of a few to warn others."

"Humph!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and continued, "If it weren't for your two efforts to persuade them, we wouldn't have given them the option of retiring peacefully to their hometowns!"

"Even among those nobles from Huaixi who have agreed to retire and return to their hometowns, many have committed crimes, and we have recorded them clearly in this little notebook!"

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang took out a small notebook.

Upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's little notebook, Ouyang Lun was quite curious. "I've heard that our Emperor Emeritus has a little notebook in his hand, which is used to record the crimes of his ministers!"

"I originally thought it was a rumor, but I never expected it to be true."

"Your Majesty, could I possibly take a look at this little notebook of yours? I won't just look at it for nothing, I'll give you money!"

Upon hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately rolled his eyes and put away the small notebook in his hand.

"This is something we can only see ourselves. We'll pass this little book on to Biao'er after we're gone. You absolutely cannot see it!"

"One hundred thousand!"

Ouyang Lun held up one finger.

"Ten thousand coins? Ouyang Lun, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?" Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes. "I've already told you, I'm not letting you see this document!"

"Half a million!"

Ouyang Lun offered no explanation and simply shouted.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, then shook his head again, "This is my private matter, and it's not convenient for you to see it!"

"one million!"

"no!"

"three million!"

"You think you're so great just because you have money! Even though the entire Ming Dynasty belongs to us, we're not as arrogant as you!"

"five million!"

"."

"Six million"

"we"

"Seven million!"

"hiss--"

“Nine million!” Ouyang Lun spoke again.

"I will never agree to this for your paltry sum of money." Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth, desperately trying to control himself. At the same time, he had another thought in his mind: Ouyang Lun's price would keep rising.

It might reach a terrifying number!

“Eight million!” Ouyang Lun said slowly.

"No, that's not right! How come you've become less?" Zhu Yuanzhang realized and asked with a face full of doubt.

"Seven million because, in my opinion, the highest value of that little notebook in the Emperor Emeritus's hands is only nine million. Since it has reached its peak, it will naturally decrease!"

"In other words, Your Majesty has missed the best opportunity for a deal!"

"Six million! And it will only get less and less from here on out."

Upon hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang visibly tensed up.

"Five million!" Ouyang Lun smiled. "The Emperor Emeritus is truly a man of great character, refusing to bow to money. Your son-in-law admires him!"

"That's right!" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a proud expression.

"Four million? I remember the Emperor Emeritus has recently been involved in the sale of massage foot bath tubs. This is a real business; setting up factories, sales outlets, and advertising all require a lot of capital!"

"With this sum of money, the Emperor Emeritus will basically no longer have to worry about money."

Ouyang Lun said with a smile.

this.
Zhu Yuanzhang was completely tempted, thinking about the large sum of money he would need to set up a foot massage tub manufacturing plant.

Suddenly, he felt that four million was a lot. "If the Emperor Emeritus reduces it by three million, there won't be any left!" Ouyang Lun remained remarkably calm.

"and many more!"

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly spoke up.

"Two million!" Ouyang Lun said calmly.

"No, we've already made you wait, why are you still reducing it!" Zhu Yuanzhang was completely exasperated.

"One million, reduced by one million with a single word, and even the Emperor Emeritus didn't agree to that!"

Ouyang Lun said with a smile.

"I agree, I agree, don't reduce it!" Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly tossed the small notebook in his hand to Ouyang Lun.

"Okay, then let's trade for one million!"

Ouyang Lun's lips curled up slightly as he looked at the little notebook he had just received.

"Damn it. What was originally nine million has suddenly become one million. I've lost a whole eight million!"

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with regret, Ouyang Lun opened Zhu Yuanzhang's little notebook.

As he watched, Ouyang Lun's expression grew rather grim.

"You're not the Emperor Emeritus, this isn't a notebook to record the crimes of civil and military officials! This is clearly a list of the offenses I, Ouyang Lun, have committed against you!"

"They insulted you, tricked you, ignored you—do you really have to remember all of that?!"

Ouyang Lun became increasingly speechless as he looked at it.

"Give it back after you've finished reading it!" Zhu Yuanzhang took the notebook back from Ouyang Lun's hands.

"It's fine if I show you! Let me tell you, you're the number one guilty person here!"

"If you want to reduce your punishment, you must work even harder for the court. Otherwise, any one of these offenses could be enough to get you sentenced to death!"

Thank you!
Old Zhu, you really are the number one PUA master in the Ming Dynasty!
What you've said might be useful to others, but it's completely useless to us!

"Your Majesty, please continue with your previous thoughts!"

Ouyang Lun was too lazy to argue with Zhu Yuanzhang about this matter and simply changed the subject.

"Yes, yes, Father, let's talk about how to deal with Li Shanchang's affairs!"

Zhu Biao quickly joined in from the sidelines.

"Oh, right, where were we?"

Zhu Yuanzhang also realized what was happening.

Ouyang Lun rolled his eyes again, this time not in his mind, but directly with the whites of his eyes.

"The Emperor Emeritus said to make an example of someone, to show them what's what!"

Ouyang Lun reminded him.

"Yes, yes, let's find a corrupt nobleman from Huaixi who is guilty of serious crimes but refuses to retire. If we do that, I believe no one will dare to go against the court."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke triumphantly.

"Since the Emperor Emeritus has already devised a countermeasure, then your son-in-law need not say more."

"However, regarding Li Shanchang, I think we should not be too hasty."

Ouyang Lun neither refuted nor commented on Zhu Yuanzhang's simple and brutal method.

Zhu Biao knew Ouyang Lun quite well, and upon seeing this situation, he immediately realized that Ouyang Lun had a better idea!
"Brother-in-law, do you have a better idea than Father's?"

Zhu Biao didn't waste any words and went straight to asking.

In fact, Zhu Biao did not entirely agree with his father Zhu Yuanzhang's methods.

After all, the Ming Dynasty is developing rapidly now. If a certain nobleman from Huaixi were to be forced to his death, it would not reflect the benevolence of the court.

It might deter die-hards like Li Shanchang, but it's not good in the long run.

Therefore, he wanted to know Ouyang Lun's method even more!
Is there an even better way?!

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became interested and urged, "We didn't hide anything, but you still did!"

"Speak quickly!"

"What are we waiting for? The longer we wait, the more trouble Li Shanchang might cause!"

Ouyang Lun smiled calmly, "Your Majesty, I think it would be a good thing if Li Shanchang really made a fuss!"

"Actually, my solution is still to wait!"

"Hasn't a group of noble families from Huaixi already agreed to retire and return to their hometowns?"

"The best response will be when they truly live a retired life and genuinely experience the benefits of the privileges of nobles retiring to their hometowns!"

“We don’t even need to do anything else; the nobles of Huaixi already know what choices to make.”

Upon hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback. "Ouyang Lun, do you mean that after these nobles retire and return to their hometowns, their lives will be even more comfortable than they are now?!"

“Of course!” Ouyang Lun nodded. “First of all, since their previous offenses can be covered up, there’s no need to worry about the future!”

"Furthermore, the imperial court's guidance in business is practically a guaranteed way to make money, and once they venture into commerce, they quickly fall in love with the thrill of making money!"

"Nowadays, the shipbuilding technology of our Great Ming Dynasty is advanced. A large ocean-going ship can have everything, and some of them even have a 'heaven on earth' (a euphemism for a private club or entertainment venue), which is simply a paradise on earth!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "Wouldn't this require the court to spend a lot of money?"

"What good would it do us to let these noble families from Huaixi retire and return to their hometowns?!"

"It's better to let them continue working for us!"

Forehead.
Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's outrageous remarks, Ouyang Lun smiled speechlessly.

Zhu the Skinflint truly lives up to his reputation!
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, according to the retirement welfare system for the nobles of Huaixi, the court will not spend any money at all!"

"Even if the noble families of Huaixi want to live well after retirement, they still need to work hard and make their own efforts. If they just sit around and do nothing, they will only be able to make ends meet in the end!"

"On the other hand, the imperial court can free up a large number of key positions for more young, capable, and ambitious officials!"

"No matter how you calculate it, the imperial court is making a profit from this deal."

"I see!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly. "Since we've come this far, let's do as you say!"

Upon hearing that he had made a huge profit, Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate at all and stopped worrying.

"Oh, right, I'd like to add something!"

"Judging from the current situation, the collapse of the Huaixi Party is inevitable. Li Shanchang and others may take extreme actions when they see no hope of turning the tide."

"We urge Your Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus to make preparations as soon as possible!"

Ouyang Lun spoke slowly.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao exchanged a glance, and Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, we and the emperor know what we're doing."

With the formal implementation of the welfare system for retired nobles in Huaixi to return to their hometowns.

Nearly two hundred nobles from Huaixi gradually completed the procedures for retiring and returning to their hometowns at the Ministry of Personnel.

These nobles from Huaixi were directly assigned to the Royal Business School of the Ming Dynasty—the Noble Class!

They were all dressed smartly and looked very energetic.

"Haha, I never thought that after so many years of fighting on the battlefield, I would one day be sitting in a school!"

"Our elite class is the most prestigious class for learning business. The teachers who teach us are all top-notch business owners!"

"Retiring now will be a huge relief, and I can even make a fortune with the imperial merchant caravans!"

"I'm all set to make a fortune, and then I'll live it up openly and honestly!"

"We still have to thank the Prince Consort. If it weren't for his suggestion to His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, we wouldn't have been able to land safely!" (End of Chapter)