King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Yuanzhang threw the memorial in front of the Imperial Censor with an expressionless face and said coldly:
"This matter will be discussed later."

The Imperial Censor wanted to explain himself, but was frightened by Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp gaze and had to swallow his words back.

"Retreat!"

As the eunuch's shrill voice sounded, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and left, leaving all the civil and military officials in the court looking at each other in bewilderment.

Back in the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

He kicked over the stool at his feet and cursed:
"This rebellious son, if he is not disciplined for three days, he will tear the roof off the house!"

He was not completely unaware of what Zhu Tan had done.

The secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already reported to him every detail of what had happened in Shandong.

The reason why he did not stop it was because he understood that everything Zhu Tan did was for the sake of the Ming Dynasty.

Those Shandong nobles and powerful families, relying on the merits of their ancestors, oppressed the people, bullied the villagers, and even dared to ignore the laws of the court.

If this continues, the Ming Dynasty will sooner or later be destroyed by these parasites!
Although Zhu Tan's move was a bit radical, he had no choice but to do so.

However, despite all his calculations, he had not anticipated that the nobles would be so impatient. Just a few days later, they jointly wrote a letter to impeach Zhu Tan.

"You are a bunch of old bastards. You dare to ride on my head and pee and shit on me before I die!"

The more Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but curse.

No matter how much you curse, the problem still needs to be solved.

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his eyebrows and sighed inwardly.

Those aristocratic families are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and cannot be easily touched.

If it is not handled properly, it may cause turmoil in the government and the country, and even shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

"Someone come here!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted in a deep voice.

"I'm here." A shrill voice sounded, and an old eunuch walked in with his head bowed.

"Go, call the prince."

"Yes." The old eunuch responded, bowed and retreated.

Soon, Crown Prince Zhu Biao hurried over.

"Father, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the memorial in front of him and said, "Take a look for yourself."

Zhu Biao picked up the memorial and read it carefully.

After a moment, he put down the memorial, frowned, and said, "Father, this matter is difficult."

"Yes, I have long wanted to deal with these old bastards."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with a cold light, "But now the time has not come yet."

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment and said, "Father, in my opinion, it is better to call my tenth brother back to the capital to avoid the attack for a while. We can make plans after the storm has passed."

"That's the only way." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "But I'm sorry to have wronged Old Ten."

Zhu Biao consoled him, "Father, don't worry. Your Highness Prince Lu is a lucky man. Nothing will happen to him."

"I hope so."

A trace of worry flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

Zhu Tan was one of his most beloved sons, and he would never allow anything to happen to Zhu Tan.

"Biao'er, I'll leave this matter to you." Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.

"My son, I obey."

……

Shandong, Jinan Prefecture.

Prince Lu's Mansion.

Zhu Tan was hugging Princess Lu and admiring the flowers in the garden.

"Your Majesty, how do you think the Emperor will deal with those officials who wrote letters to impeach you?"

Princess Lu snuggled in Zhu Tan's arms and asked softly.

Zhu Tan had expected this.

That group of officials in Shandong.

They will definitely impeach him behind the scenes!

What he has to do is to kill all those disobedient ones!

"What else can we do with them? Of course we should chop them all to pieces!" Zhu Tan said nonchalantly.

"Ah?" Princess Lu was shocked. "Isn't this... too cruel?"

Zhu Tan burst into laughter: "Silly boy, I am teasing you. Father is so wise and powerful, how could he do such a thing?"

"Then you mean..."

Zhu Tan smiled mysteriously, leaned close to Princess Lu's ear and whispered a few words.

After hearing this, Princess Lu burst into laughter.

"My Lord, you are so evil!"

"Haha, this is the method we should use to deal with those old bastards!"

Zhu Tan said proudly.

At this time, a guard came hurriedly and reported: "Your Majesty, someone has come from the palace."

The smile on Zhu Tan's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a solemn look.

"go!"

The eunuch who announced the decree trotted into Prince Lu's palace, his heart beating fast.

His Royal Highness Prince Lu is not a good person.

In recent years in Yingtian, he could get whatever he wanted, and all the officials in the court had to avoid him when they saw him.

This time when the emperor asked him to announce the decree, he was very nervous, as this task was not an easy one.

"Your Highness Prince Lu, please accept the order."

The eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, holding the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, trembling slightly.

Zhu Tan was lying on the armchair, holding a grape in his hand, and said nonchalantly:
"Read it."

The eunuch dared not let the gentleman receive the order, so he could only bite the bullet and read in a shrill voice:

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims,

The content of the imperial edict was very official. It simply praised Zhu Tan a few words, and then said that the court was busy now, and asked him to return to Beijing as soon as possible to share the emperor's worries.

After hearing this, Zhu Tan sneered, threw the grape skin in his hand to the ground, stood up slowly, and walked to the eunuch.

The eunuch was so frightened that his legs went limp and he almost fell to his knees. He said tremblingly:
"Your Majesty, what are you..."

Zhu Tan didn't say anything, but just reached out and snatched the imperial edict from the eunuch's hand, and tore it into two pieces in front of the eunuch's horrified eyes.

"Your Highness Prince Lu! You...you are disobeying my order!"

The eunuch was so frightened that he turned pale. This was a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of his clan!
"Disobey the order?" Zhu Tan sneered, "Haven't I disobeyed enough orders?"

The eunuch was speechless. What the gentleman said was right. Over the years, he had done many things that disobeyed the emperor's orders.

The emperor turned a blind eye to it, because he is his own son.

"Get out." Zhu Tan threw the scraps of paper in his hand at the eunuch's face and said impatiently.

The eunuch felt as if he had been pardoned and ran out crawling, fearing that Zhu Tan would change his mind and chop off his head.

Zhu Tan kicked over the coffee table in front of him, and the delicate teacups and teapots were smashed to pieces:
"What is this old man trying to do? Do you really think that I can be fooled easily?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he paced back and forth in the room like an angry lion.

He turned back to the inner room, changed into a black suit, and wore a sword at his waist, which made him look even more heroic.

Seeing this, Princess Lu hurried forward and asked, "My Lord, where are you going?"

Zhu Tan hugged Princess Lu and whispered a few words in her ear. His tone was gentle, but his eyes were extremely cold.

"Your Majesty..."

After hearing this, Princess Lu's face suddenly turned pale:

"This...this is too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, I know what's going on." Zhu Tan patted Princess Lu's hand and comforted her, "Just stay home and wait for me to come back."

After saying that, he walked out without looking back, leaving Princess Lu alone, standing there with a worried look in her eyes and a heart full of uneasiness.

Zhu Tan led a team of personal soldiers, riding on tall horses, and galloped all the way straight out of the city.

It didn't take long.

it's dark.

Zhu Tan and his entourage galloped in the night, the sound of horse hooves shattering the tranquility.

They had no torches, only the faint moonlight illuminated the way ahead.

"Your Majesty, Licheng County is just ahead."

A personal soldier said in a low voice.

Zhu Tan pulled the reins, dismounted, and walked to a stone tablet on the side of the road.

With the faint moonlight, you can vaguely make out the two words "Licheng".

"This is it." Zhu Tan sneered, "I want to see who is so bold as to impeach me behind my back!"

After saying this, he jumped on his horse, waved his whip, and headed straight for the city gate with his personal soldiers.

The soldiers guarding the city were so frightened when they saw the group of people coming at them aggressively that they turned pale.

Before they could react, Zhu Tan's whip had already hit them hard.

"You are blind, open the door!"

The soldiers were angry but dared not say anything, so they could only open the city gate and let them in.

Zhu Tan and his entourage rushed through the city and came straight to a mansion.

This mansion covers a vast area, with carved beams and painted rafters, and it is obvious that it is the home of a wealthy family.

"Your Majesty, this is it. His surname is Zhao, and he is the richest man in Licheng County."

"He was the one who participated in the impeachment petition against you."

A man dressed as a spy came forward to report.

"Very good." Zhu Tan sneered, "Let's go in and meet him."

After saying that, he kicked open the vermilion lacquered door and walked in with big strides.

In the yard, the servants were drinking and gambling. When they saw Zhu Tan and others suddenly barging in, they were sobered up immediately and picked up their weapons, shouting:
"Who dares to trespass into the Zhao residence?"

Zhu Tan didn't even look at them. He walked straight to a servant who looked like a manager, grabbed his collar, and asked coldly:
"Where is Mr. Zhao?"

The steward was frightened by Zhu Tan's momentum and stammered:

"Master...Master is...in the backyard..."

"lead the way!"

Zhu Tan threw him to the ground and strode towards the backyard.

The backyard was brightly lit with the sound of stringed instruments, creating a luxurious scene.

Zhu Tan ignored those pretty girls and walked straight to a bedroom and kicked the door open.

In the room, a fat and big-eared man was hugging a disheveled woman and sleeping soundly on the bed.

"what!"

When the woman saw Zhu Tan suddenly appear, she screamed in fright and quickly covered her body with a quilt.

Mr. Zhao was also awakened by this sudden change. Seeing a group of ferocious soldiers standing in the room, he was sobered up immediately and asked hurriedly:
"You... who are you? What do you want to do?"

"Are you Mr. Zhao?" Zhu Tan asked coldly.

"It's...it's me. I wonder what can I do for you, gentlemen?" As Mr. Zhao spoke, he secretly took out a dagger from under his pillow.

Seeing this, Zhu Tan sneered and said, "Mr. Zhao, do you admit your guilt?"

"Crime? What crime have I committed?"

Mr. Zhao said this with pretended calmness.

"As an official appointed by the imperial court, you did not think about pleading for the people, but instead you took bribes, perverted the law, oppressed the people, and even dared to impeach me. Tell me, what crime should you be punished for?"

Zhu Tan's voice was icy cold, as if it came from the Netherworld.

When Mr. Zhao heard this, he was so frightened that his soul flew away, and the dagger in his hand fell to the ground. He fell to his knees with a plop, and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy:

"Your Highness Prince Lu, please spare my life! I will never dare to do it again! I was just confused for a moment, please have mercy on me, Your Highness!"

He knew very well how Kong Xianglin died. He was beaten to death in the palace by this gentleman!
"Someone come here!" Zhu Tan ignored his plea for mercy and shouted coldly.

"Here!" Two bodyguards stepped forward in response.

"Drag this bastard out here and beat him to death!"

"Yes!"

Two personal soldiers carried Mr. Zhao and dragged him out.

"Please spare my life, Your Highness Prince Lu! I know I was wrong! I will never dare to do it again..."

Mr. Zhao’s screams echoed in the silent night sky for a long time.

In the yard, the servants were already frightened out of their wits by the bloody scene. Their faces turned pale and their legs went weak.

They were used to bullying others by relying on the power of the Zhao family. How could they have ever seen such a scene?
Mr. Zhao's screams were like sharp blades, stabbing their hearts, making them feel as if they were falling into an icy cave, and filled with fear and terror.

However, Zhu Tan never even looked at them from beginning to end, as if they were just a group of ants, not worth mentioning.

He just stood there quietly, listening to Mr. Zhao's screams gradually weakening until they completely disappeared into the night sky.

"Next person!"

Zhu Tan said this coldly, turned around and left the Zhao Mansion.

In the yard behind him, there was only blood on the ground and trembling servants.

It silently shows what a horrific scene once happened here.

Zhu Tan did not ride a horse. He walked with a few personal soldiers towards the next target.

It was a dark night and the streets were empty. Only the footsteps of Zhu Tan and his group echoed on the bluestone slabs, sounding particularly clear and harsh.

"Your Majesty, this is the list, please take a look."

A man dressed as a spy walked quickly to Zhu Tan and handed him a list.

Zhu Tan took the list and looked through it carefully in the dim moonlight.

The people on the list were all local officials and wealthy gentry who had participated in writing letters to impeach him. Behind each name, their "crimes" were written in red ink, which was shocking.

"very good."

Zhu Tan handed the list back to the spy, with a cold smile on his face:

"Come one by one in the order on the list. I want to let them know that no one who offends me will have a good ending!"

"Yes!" The spy took the list and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Zhu Tan and his group soon arrived at the next house, which was a relatively simple house. Compared with the luxury of the Zhao Mansion, it seemed a bit shabby.

However, the place is heavily guarded, with high walls covered with sharp caltrops.

There were two guards armed with steel knives patrolling back and forth at the door, and it was obvious that they were well prepared.

"Your Highness, this is the residence of County Magistrate Liu Gui. This guy is more alert than Mr. Zhao."

The spy whispered.

Zhu Tan sneered and said, "Alert? In front of this king, it's useless to be alert!"

After that, he strode to the door and shouted to the two guards, "Open the door!"

When the two guards saw the soldiers behind Zhu Tan, their faces suddenly changed, but they still bravely asked:

"Who are you? How dare you break into a private house?"

"Are you so blind that you don't even recognize me?!" Zhu Tan shouted angrily.

The two guards were so frightened upon hearing this that they fell to their knees with a thud and said in a trembling voice:
"I...I didn't recognize the real master. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"Humph! Are you scared now? It's too late!"

Zhu Tan snorted coldly, kicked the door open, and walked in with big strides.

In the courtyard, Liu Guizheng and his family were guarding the courtyard and on high alert. When he saw Zhu Tan rushing in, he pretended to be calm and bowed, saying:
"I wonder what brings you here so late at night, Your Majesty?" (End of this chapter)