Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 711 The Emperor's Wrath

Zhu Yuanzhang sat high on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, his gaze sharp as a knife, coldly sweeping over the assembled officials below. This morning at court, several ministers had jointly submitted a memorial requesting the relaxation of the maritime ban, allowing private merchant ships to sail overseas for trade.

"Absurd!" Zhu Yuanzhang's anger surged, his fingers gripping the armrests of the dragon throne so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Your Majesty, coastal merchants are going to sea without permission, and this has been repeatedly prohibited but not stopped. Rather than imposing harsh laws, it would be better to guide them and make it legal. The court can also collect taxes from them..." A civil official was speaking eloquently, completely unaware that the emperor's face had become ashen.

"enough!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the imperial desk, causing the memorials on it to rattle loudly. The entire court fell silent, and the civil official was so frightened that he knelt down, his forehead pressed against the cold gold brick, not daring to raise his head.

"You ignorant ants!" Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. He suddenly stood up, grabbed the palm-leaf fan next to the dragon throne, and smashed it down hard.

"Snap!" The palm-leaf fan slammed down in the center of the hall, making a crisp sound. The officials all lowered their heads, none daring to look directly at the emperor's face.

"I have been emperor for so many years, don't you understand my will?" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the hall. "The maritime ban is a national policy; how dare you presume to discuss it?"

The hall was deathly silent; even breathing became cautious.

Zhu Yuanzhang coldly surveyed his assembled officials, his anger still burning. These ministers, enjoying their stipends from the court, were always thinking of personal gain, and even dared to question his decisions! Since ascending the throne, he had devoted himself tirelessly to purging corrupt officials, rectifying bureaucracy, and restoring the people's livelihood. Yet these people dared to speak ill of national policies!
Zhu Yuanzhang's rage plunged the entire Fengtian Hall into an icy abyss.

He slowly descended the imperial steps, his boots clattering heavily on the golden bricks. Each step seemed to pound on the hearts of his courtiers.

"I know that some of you are colluding with merchants behind the scenes, hoping to profit from this," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was low and dangerous, "but I tell you, the Ming Dynasty's empire is not your money bag!"

Several ministers broke out in a cold sweat and dared not raise their heads.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to the civil official who had submitted the memorial, looking down at him condescendingly: "What is your name?"

"Your subject... Your subject is Chen Wenyuan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites..." The civil official's voice trembled.

"Chen Wenyuan?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "I remember you. Last year you submitted a memorial requesting the reduction of commercial taxes, and today you're proposing to lift the maritime ban. You have quite the audacity!"

Chen Wenyuan trembled all over, repeatedly kowtowing: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I...I only acted for the benefit of the country, I had absolutely no selfish motives!"

"For the benefit of the country?" A cold glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. "I think you're just seeking profit for the merchants, aren't you?"

Chen Wenyuan's face turned ashen, and he dared not argue any further.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, turned and walked back to his throne, but his mind gradually calmed down. He knew that although his outburst of anger had intimidated his ministers, it might have also chilled the hearts of loyal officials.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and sat back on the dragon throne.

"In the end, this land must be protected by loyal ministers."

Zhu Yuanzhang murmured softly, his voice echoing slightly in the empty hall. He reached up and rubbed his throbbing temples; the days of government affairs and his recent outburst of anger had left the nearly sixty-year-old emperor feeling exhausted.

Wang Jinghong, the chief eunuch standing by his side, carefully presented a cup of ginseng tea: "Your Majesty, please have some tea." Zhu Yuanzhang took the teacup; the temperature emanating from the celadon cup was just right. He took a small sip, the bitterness of the ginseng tea spreading on his tongue, clearing his muddled thoughts. As he set the cup down, the bottom touched the table, making a crisp "ding" sound.

"Jinghong," Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke, his voice tinged with rare hesitation, "have I been too harsh today?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinghong immediately knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cool gold brick: "Your Majesty's wisdom shines brightly, and your rewards and punishments are clear; this is a blessing for all the people."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled lightly, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice: "Rise. I was merely asking casually." His gaze shifted to the painting "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" hanging in the hall, its ink-wash landscape dotted with vermilion-painted cities and walls. "Chen Wenyuan, I recall he was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the third year of the Hongwu reign?"

"Your Majesty, that is indeed true," Wang Jinghong replied with a bow. "Lord Chen previously served as the Prefect of Hangzhou and was only transferred to the Ministry of Rites last year."

Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm sometimes fast, sometimes slow. He suddenly recalled the secret report presented by the Embroidered Uniform Guard half a month ago, stating that merchants in the Jiangnan region had close ties with court officials. At the time, he had taken it as ordinary social interaction, but now it seemed...
"Send word to Mao Xiang," Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said.

Within half an hour, Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, appeared silently in the hall. He was dressed in a flying fish robe and wore an embroidered spring knife at his waist, yet he moved without making a sound.

"Your subject Mao Xiang pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly: "Has Chen Wenyuan encountered any problems while serving in Hangzhou?"

Mao Xiang lowered his head, his voice steady: "Your Majesty, during his tenure as Prefect of Hangzhou, Lord Chen accepted five thousand taels of silver from a merchant surnamed Zhang to secure a degree for his son at the county-level imperial examination. Last year, when he was transferred to another post, he also accepted several antiques and paintings from a cloth merchant surnamed Zhou in Lin'an."

A candle flame suddenly flickered in the hall, casting a dim light on Zhu Yuanzhang's face. He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I understand. You may leave."

After Mao Xiang withdrew, Zhu Yuanzhang rose and walked to the window. The Forbidden City was shrouded in a pale purple mist at dusk, and the faint sound of bells and drums could be heard in the distance. He suddenly remembered the poor monk who swept the floor of Huangjue Temple forty years ago, whose greatest wish at that time was simply to have a full meal.

"Corruption." Zhu Yuanzhang spat out the two words through gritted teeth, his hands clenching unconsciously. He turned to Wang Jinghong and said, "Draft an edict ordering the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review to thoroughly investigate the Chen Wenyuan case immediately. All those involved, regardless of their official rank, shall be severely punished without exception!"

"This old servant will take care of it right away." Wang Jinghong was about to leave when Zhu Yuanzhang stopped him again.

"Wait a minute." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly softened. "How has Liu Bowen been feeling lately?"

Wang Jinghong bowed and said, "Lord Liu caught a cold the day before yesterday, and the imperial physician said he needs to rest."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to his desk, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote several lines of vigorous characters on bright yellow silk: "I bestow upon Liu Ji two ginseng roots, ten jars of imperial wine, and order the imperial physicians to examine him daily." After finishing, he paused and added: "Furthermore, I bestow upon him a plaque inscribed with the words 'A Pillar of the State' personally written by me."

Wang Jinghong accepted the imperial edict with both hands and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Zhu Yuanzhang say, "After the morning court tomorrow, have the Crown Prince come to see me."

As night deepened, candles flickered to life in the Fengtian Hall. Zhu Yuanzhang stood alone before the enormous map of the Ming Dynasty, his gaze slowly sweeping from Yingtian Prefecture to the northern border. He ran his hand over the border fortresses marked on the map, his fingertip lingering on the characters "Beiping" for a long time.

"The remnants of the Northern Yuan, the Japanese pirates along the coast, and the gentry of Jiangnan," Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself, each word like a boulder weighing on his shoulders. He suddenly coughed violently, and Wang Jinghong quickly stepped forward to drape a cloak over his shoulders.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, and after his cough subsided, he looked out at the dark night sky and said softly, "This empire is far more important than I imagined."

(End of this chapter)