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

Before the fake smile on Liu Gui's face disappeared, Zhu Tan had already drawn the long sword from his waist like lightning.

There was a flash of cold light, and before Liu Gui could even let out a scream, he was split in half.

Blood spurted out, covering the bluestone slabs in the yard, and the air was filled with a sickening smell of blood.

This scene happened so fast that no one could react.

The servants and guards were all stunned, looking at the scene before them which looked like hell, and were terrified out of their wits.

Even the weapons fell to the ground, making a crisp "bang" sound.

"you you……"

A servant who was a little braver pointed at Zhu Tan, his fingers trembling, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Noisy!"

Zhu Tan didn't even look at him, but chopped off the servant's head with another blow.

"Who else?!"

Zhu Tan looked around, his eyes as cold as a knife.

The servants and guards were terrified by his gaze. They fell to their knees, kowtowed repeatedly, and begged for mercy.

"Please spare us, my Lord! We were all forced to do this!"

"We don't know anything!"

"I beg your lord to be merciful!"

……

Zhu Tan turned a deaf ear to these people's pleas. He just said coldly:

"The only person I want to kill is Liu Gui. If you don't want to die, just get out of here!"

Hearing this, the servants and guards fled out of Liu's mansion as if they had been pardoned.

Zhu Tan ignored the fleeing servants. He just stood there, looking at Liu Gui's body quietly.

There was not a trace of pity or sympathy in his eyes, only endless coldness and murderous intent.

"Time is running out, next one!"

Zhu Tan wiped the blood off the long sword onto Liu Gui's clothes, then turned and left without any hesitation.

Behind him, there was only blood and corpses on the ground in the Liu Mansion, as well as the eerie silence.

……

This night was destined to be a sleepless night for the gentry and officials in Jinan City.

Starting from Zhao Mansion, Zhu Tan led his personal soldiers and began a bloody massacre.

The people on the list fell in a pool of blood one after another, and no one was spared.

Screams, pleas for mercy, the sound of weapons clashing...

Various sounds intertwined together, resounding throughout the entire city of Jinan, making people feel creepy.

And Zhu Tan is like an emotionless god of death.

He held a long knife in his hand and shuttled between the mansions. Wherever he passed, he left behind corpses and a strong smell of blood.

……

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone on Jinan City, the entire city fell into an eerie silence.

The streets were empty and every household stayed indoors.

Only the strong smell of blood still lingered in the air, silently telling of the tragedy that happened last night.

Some brave people secretly opened the door and looked out.

When they saw the shocking scene on the street, they were so frightened that their souls left their bodies and their faces turned pale as paper.

The originally clean and tidy bluestone road surface had now turned into a sea of ​​blood, with broken limbs and corpses lying everywhere.

Some of those corpses were hacked to death with knives, some were shot to death with arrows, and some were even beaten to death. Their deaths were extremely miserable.

And those gentry officials who were once high and mighty and arrogant.

At this point they had all turned into cold corpses, lying in a pool of blood, unable to issue orders anymore.

"Oh my God! What...what on earth happened?"

"Last night...what happened last night?"

"It's terrible! It's terrible!"

……

The people looked at the scene before them, their faces turned pale and they trembled with fear and anxiety in their hearts.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from a distance.

Broke the tranquility of the street.

The people looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of cavalry slowly walking towards them.

The leader was a man wearing a black dragon robe, with a sword hanging from his waist, and riding on a tall horse.

His face was stern and he looked intimidating without even getting angry. It was none other than Zhu Tan.

When the people saw Zhu Tan, they were so frightened that they fell to their knees, trembling and not daring to make a sound.

Zhu Tan rode his horse and walked slowly along the street.

He glanced coldly at the people kneeling on the ground, without any ripple in his heart.

"This king is here to quell the rebellion."

Zhu Tan's voice was cold and merciless, echoing in the silent street for a long time.

"From today on, there will be no more noble families in Shandong!"

The cold voice exploded like thunder in the quiet street, making everyone's ears buzz.

The people looked at each other, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

What? There are no more noble families in Shandong? Then who will manage them? Who will collect taxes?

"My Lord, this... this is absolutely not allowed!"

A brave old man stood out from the crowd, trembling:

"Since ancient times, the nobles have governed the land. If the nobles were gone, then this world..."

"The world?" Zhu Tan sneered and interrupted the old man:
"The world belongs to all people, not to you nobles! You oppress the people, bully the people, take bribes, pervert the law, and commit all kinds of evil. And now you still have the nerve to talk about governing the world?"

The old man was frightened by Zhu Tan's aura. He was suddenly speechless and collapsed to the ground.

Zhu Tan ignored him and continued:

"From today on, Shandong will implement a new policy! All land will belong to the people! All taxes will be halved! Anyone who has talent and ability can become an official!"

As soon as the words fell, the crowd exploded.

"What? We own the land?"

"Taxes cut in half? Is that true?"

“Anyone can be an official?”

The people were talking about it, some were shocked, some were ecstatic, and some were confused and had no idea what was going on.

Zhu Tan ignored their discussions. He just stood quietly on his horse, scanning everyone with cold eyes, as if announcing something.

He knew that these new policies would be difficult for the people who were accustomed to being ruled.

Too advanced, too unbelievable.

But he doesn't care. All he wants is a result, a result that allows the people of Shandong to live and work in peace and contentment.

"Your Majesty, are you serious?"

A young scholar asked excitedly, with hope glittering in his eyes.

Zhu Tan glanced at him and said calmly:
"This king never breaks his word."

Hearing this, the young scholar knelt down excitedly, kowtowed to Zhu Tan, and shouted loudly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the first one, there was a second one. Soon, more and more people knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Zhu Tan to express their gratitude.

They didn't know what these new policies meant, but they knew that the prince really wanted to change their lives.

"Everyone, get up." Zhu Tan said calmly, "This king always keeps his word." After saying that, he turned his horse around and rode away with his personal soldiers.

All that was left were corpses all over the ground and a group of excited people.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Tan fell exhausted on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Last night's killing and today's new policy had drained all his energy.

He didn't know that while he was sleeping, a bigger storm was quietly brewing.

The news that Zhu Tan had killed twenty Shandong noble families in anger spread quickly throughout the Ming Dynasty as if it had wings.

For a time, the entire aristocratic class was in an uproar.

"What? Zhu Tan actually dared to kill the nobles?"

"Is he going to rebel?"

"Must punish severely! Must punish severely!"

The patriarchs and heads of various families came forward one after another and jointly wrote a letter to the court, demanding that the court severely punish Zhu Tan.

Officials who had close ties with the Shandong gentry submitted memorials to impeach Zhu Tan and demanded that he be brought to justice.

For a time, the entire court was filled with discussions about Zhu Tan, and almost all of them were negative.

Everyone knows that Zhu Tan has really blown the lid off this time.

……

In Jinling City, inside the imperial palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed frozen.

Memorials came in like snowflakes, filling up the imperial desk and Zhu Yuanzhang's already exhausted heart.

His rough fingers trembled as he picked up a memorial, and the large scarlet characters came into view:

"The Shandong nobles have signed a petition to Your Majesty, begging him to severely punish Zhu Tan, the Prince of Lu!"

"Bastard thing!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and stood up, his face filled with rage, which frightened the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall so much that they knelt on the ground and trembled.

"This rebellious son, I asked him to return to the capital, but he dared to kill the nobles! Does he still have me and the laws of the Ming Dynasty in his eyes?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious; his voice echoed in the empty hall, making people's eardrums buzz.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The usually calm old eunuch carefully advised, "Your Highness Prince Lu is young and impulsive, so please think twice!"

"Impulsive? He is going to rebel!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was even more furious. "Killing twenty noble families, is he trying to turn all the noble families in the world against me?"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was born a beggar.

But since he joined the army.

I've been reading all the time.

Therefore, he was well aware of the power of the gentry.

Now, Zhu Tan’s behavior is undoubtedly a challenge to the entire aristocratic class and also a challenge to his authority as the emperor!
"Pass on my decree to temporarily relieve Zhu Tan of all his duties and order the Royal Guards to escort him back to the capital to await his fate!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and spoke word by word.

"Your Majesty..." The old eunuch wanted to persuade him again, but was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp eyes.

"Go! Do it now!"

"Yes..." The old eunuch dared not say anything more. He bowed and retreated quickly to convey the emperor's order.

Zhu Yuanzhang paced in front of the imperial desk with a gloomy face.

He knew that this matter could not be handled hastily, and if not handled properly, it might very well cause unrest in the world.

"Someone come here!" he shouted in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty!" A guard immediately stepped forward and knelt.

"Tell the Minister of Revenue Liu Sanwu, the Minister of Personnel Li Chenshi, and..." Zhu Yuanzhang paused, "and Duke of Wei Xu Da to come to the palace to see me immediately!"

"Yes!" The guard took the order and left.

In less than half an hour, three important ministers hurried to the imperial study.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!" the three of them saluted in unison.

"Everyone, stand up!" Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and waved his hand to signal the three to excuse themselves from the formalities. "I summoned you three here today because of the Shandong issue."

"What happened in Shandong?" Liu Sanwu frowned slightly. "I wonder what Your Majesty is referring to..."

"What else could it be? It's all because of that rebellious son!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he threw the memorial in his hand heavily on the imperial desk.

"What? Your Highness the Prince of Lu killed twenty noble families in Shandong?"

Li Chenshi, who was always mature and steady, couldn't help but exclaim.

"Your Majesty, is this absolutely true?" Xu Da asked in a deep voice.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him coldly and said nothing, which was considered as his agreement.

"This..." Xu Da fell silent.

He knew Zhu Tan's temper and also knew the power of the Shandong gentry. If the two came into conflict, the consequences would be disastrous.

"My three beloved ministers, how should this matter be handled?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the three people, his eyes full of fatigue and helplessness.

He knew that no matter how this matter was handled, some people would be dissatisfied.

He needed a balance point, a balance point that could both calm the anger of the gentry and save Zhu Tan's life.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the most urgent task is to appease the emotions of the Shandong nobles."

Liu Sanwu spoke first, "I suggest that Your Majesty issue an order to thoroughly investigate the matter and give an explanation to those nobles."

"Well, Liu Aiqing's words make sense." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "What should we do after the thorough investigation? How should we deal with the Tenth Master?"

"This..." Liu Sanwu hesitated for a moment, glanced at Xu Da, and said nothing.

"Your Majesty, I believe that although His Royal Highness Prince Lu has committed a serious mistake, he is still a prince after all, and his crime does not deserve death."

Xu Da said with a stiff upper lip, "Why not call His Royal Highness Prince Lu back to Jinling and confine him in the palace to serve as a warning to others."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said nothing.

He knew that Xu Da was thinking about him. After all, even a tiger would not eat its own cubs, and he didn't want to really kill Zhu Tan.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal made by Duke Hanguo."

Li Chenshi also spoke up, "His Royal Highness Prince Lu is young and energetic, so it's inevitable that he will act impulsively. Imprisoning him for a period of time will help him reflect on himself."

"Um……"

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and said slowly:
"In that case, then let's do as you say. Pass on my decree to temporarily relieve Zhu Tan of all his duties, and order the Royal Guards to escort him back to the capital and confine him in the palace. No one is allowed to visit him without my decree!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" the three ministers said in unison.

"Let the three of you handle this matter."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said tiredly, "I am tired, you all should leave."

"I'm waiting to retire."

The three men bowed and left the imperial study, leaving only Zhu Yuanzhang alone.

Alone facing a table full of memorials and endless worries.

Outside the imperial study, Xu Da, Liu Sanwu, and Li Chenshi walked side by side, but the atmosphere was solemn. After walking a long way, Xu Da sighed and shook his head, saying:

"Your Highness Prince Lu has really blown the lid off this time! Which of the noble families in Shandong doesn't have a complex network of connections and enormous power? He has killed twenty families in one go. This is going to cause a big uproar!"

Liu Sanwu stroked his graying beard, also with a worried look on his face:
"Yes, His Royal Highness Prince Lu has always been overbearing, and this time he has caused such a disaster. I don't know how His Majesty will deal with it."

In contrast, Li Chenshi seemed much calmer. He said calmly:

"Although His Majesty is furious, he still loves His Royal Highness Prince Lu. Otherwise, he would not have just said confinement without a more severe punishment."

Upon hearing this, Xu Da could not help but nod his head and say:

"Lord Li is right. It seems that His Majesty has made up his mind. However, I'm afraid that we old guys will have to take care of the aftermath."

After that, the three of them looked at each other, their eyes full of helplessness and bitterness. At this time, things had completely gotten out of control. (End of this chapter)