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

Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Tan to get out, but he was still worried.

In recent years, we have vigorously implemented new policies, but we have encountered considerable resistance in various places. This guy is a lazy person, so don't let him fool you!
After making up his mind, Zhu Yuanzhang changed into coarse cloth clothes.
The two guards also changed into casual clothes and dressed as attendants.

The three of them traveled in a light vehicle with a small entourage, in plain clothes, and headed straight for a small county in Jinan Prefecture.

That evening, the three of them arrived at a small county town under the jurisdiction of Jinan Prefecture.

Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately picked an inconspicuous little restaurant, ordered some home-cooked dishes, and while eating he listened carefully to the idle chatter of people around him.

"Hey, have you heard? Our county lord bought a few concubines a few days ago, and they are all beautiful!"

"That's right! I heard that the ceremony was even more grand than marrying a wife!"

"Tsk tsk, how much silver did this cost? I'm afraid all the silver we got from the fire consumption has gone into his pocket, right?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't say that!"

Zhu Yuanzhang listened calmly, but his brows furrowed slightly.

The new policy of returning the fire consumption to the public was personally ordered by the Tenth Lord to reduce the burden on the people and increase the revenue of the treasury. If these corrupt officials pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed and embezzled the money, it would be disastrous!

Zhu Yuanzhang was secretly angry and decided to meet this audacious county magistrate!

The next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang and his two companions arrived at the gate of the county government office.

I saw that the gate of the county government was closed and the entrance was deserted. It didn't look like any common people were coming here to file a complaint.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, walked forward and knocked on the door knocker a few times.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Soon, a yamen runner poked his head out and asked impatiently, "Old man, who are you? Why are you knocking so early in the morning?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice: "I am from the Prince of Lu's Mansion, and I want to see the county magistrate for something important!"

When the yamen runner heard that it was someone from Prince Lu's palace, his face suddenly changed and he put on a fake smile: "So it's you, the noble, please come in, please come in!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and two other men were led into the county government office, and the bailiff ran to the back hall to report.

Not long after, a fat, big-eared man in official uniform came out. He was the county magistrate.

"I didn't know you were coming, and I'm sorry for not welcoming you. I hope you'll forgive me!"

The county magistrate smiled widely and bowed.

"No need to be polite." Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "I came here on the orders of His Royal Highness Prince Lu to collect the silver from the fire consumption."

Upon hearing this, a trace of panic flashed in the county magistrate's eyes.

What's happening here?
How come they didn’t even report it before the investigation?

It's really baffling.

However, His Royal Highness Prince Lu always likes to do shocking things.

Their subordinates are used to it.

The county magistrate quickly covered it up:

"I see. Please go to the back hall for tea. I will order someone to prepare the accounts."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded calmly and followed the county magistrate to the back hall.

Tea and snacks were quickly served, and the county magistrate greeted Zhu Yuanzhang and the other two cordially, but there was no sign of the accounts.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a hurry. He drank his tea slowly, but sneered in his heart.

This county magistrate is clearly delaying time on purpose, maybe he is doing something fishy behind the scenes!

As the sun was setting, Zhu Yuanzhang finally lost his patience, put the teacup heavily on the table, and asked in a deep voice:

"Mr. County Magistrate, why haven't the accounts been prepared yet? Is there something shameful going on?"

The county magistrate had beads of sweat on his forehead and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, my dear guest. This account is complicated and needs to be checked carefully to avoid mistakes. Please wait for a moment. I will go and check it now."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the back hall.

Overnight, the back hall of the county government became Zhu Yuanzhang's temporary headquarters.

He knew clearly in his mind that the county magistrate had no intention of doing his job properly and was clearly trying to delay his actions.

Early the next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang was awakened by the chirping of birds outside.

He rubbed his eyes, and the fire in his heart suddenly burned again.

You dog official, do you really think we are made of clay?
"Someone come here!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared, startling the guards who were dozing off outside the door.

"Your Majesty, sir, what do you want me to do?" the guard asked tremblingly, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"Go, call the county magistrate over here! Tell him we have something to ask him!"

Not long after, the county magistrate came staggering in with dark circles under his eyes.

He didn't sleep well last night, and his mind was full of thoughts about how to deal with this great god of "Lu Palace".

"Your humble servant greets the distinguished guest. What instructions do you have?"

The county magistrate bowed and nodded with a smile on his face, just like a pug wagging its tail to beg for mercy.

"Where are the accounts? Are they ready?" Zhu Yuanzhang didn't waste any time talking to him and asked directly.

"This..." The county magistrate was embarrassed. "To answer your question, the account is too complicated. I have ordered people to work overtime to check it. Please give me a few more days..."

"Bullshit!" Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer bear it, slammed the table and roared, "I have waited for you here for a whole night, and you tell me how many more days it will take? Do you think I am a fool?"

The county magistrate was so frightened by Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden anger that he trembled all over and almost fell to the ground.

He stammered, "Please calm down, my dear guest. I... I would never dare to deceive you..."

"Hmph, I think you are very bold!" Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "The return of fire consumption to the public is our new policy. You pretend to obey but secretly disobey and embezzle it. Aren't you afraid that the court will punish you?"

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the county magistrate not only did not show any fear, but burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he fell backwards and tears came out.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. Is this county magistrate crazy?
"I laugh at you, at your stupidity!" The county magistrate pointed at Zhu Yuanzhang's nose and cursed, "Do you think the Prince of Lu is a good guy? He is just relying on your majesty's favor to bully others in Shandong! How long do you think he can be so arrogant? Your majesty will deal with him sooner or later!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he was struck by lightning and stood there in a daze.

He finally understood why Zhu Tan was so cruel in killing the Shandong gentry.

It turns out that in the eyes of these nobles, Zhu Tan is nothing more than a clown, someone who will be liquidated sooner or later!

A nameless anger surged in his heart, and Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to kill.

"Good, very good!" Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and said, "Since you are so loyal, I won't make things difficult for you. Go now and call all those nobles who dare not pay the money here! We want to see how bold they are to go against the court!"

The county magistrate was secretly delighted, and quickly nodded and agreed, then ran out.

In less than half an hour, several wealthy women with big bellies were taken to the back hall of the county government office.

These officials were used to abusing their power and domineering, and did not take Zhu Yuanzhang, a "servant of the Prince of Lu's Mansion", seriously at all.

"I say, you old thing, why did you call us here? Don't you know we are very busy?" A fat-faced official shouted impatiently.

"That's right! We are officials appointed by the imperial court, and not just anyone can see us!"

Another official echoed.

"Old man, get out of here if you know what's best for you. Don't delay our business!" "If you don't get out of here, I'll break your legs!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at this group of jumping clowns coldly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was unmoved, one of the officials pushed him and said, "Old man, are you deaf? Can't you hear us talking?"

Who is Zhu Yuanzhang?

He was a ruthless character who had fought his way out of a sea of ​​blood and corpses! How could he allow these ant-like creatures to act so recklessly in front of him!
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. These fat and big-eared guys actually dared to show off their power in front of him!
He took a sudden step forward and slapped the man who was speaking in the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed throughout the back hall.

The man was beaten so hard that he saw stars and staggered, almost falling to the ground.

He covered his face and stared at Zhu Yuanzhang in disbelief, spitting out a mouthful of saliva mixed with a few teeth.

"You...you old thing, you dare to hit me? Do you know who I am?"

"Who are you?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him coldly, his eyes full of mockery.

"I am Wang Fugui from the Wang family in Qingzhou! You old thing, you are dead today! I will cut you into pieces!" Wang Fugui covered his face and roared at the top of his lungs, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"Wang family? What a powerful family!" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "What about you? Which family are you from?" He glanced at the other officials, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

When these officials saw Wang Fugui mention his family name, they thought the old man would be scared, so they puffed out their chests and told him their origins.

"I am Li Yuan from the Laizhou Li family!"

"I am Zhao Dezhu from the Zhao family in Dengzhou!"

"I'm……"

They introduced themselves one by one, speaking in an arrogant tone, as if they were some great people. In their opinion, there was nothing in Shandong that they could not handle.

However, there was no fear on Zhu Yuanzhang's face, but instead an even stronger murderous intent was revealed.

He looked coldly at this group of self-righteous local tyrants, his heart filled with rage.

"Good, very good!" Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and said, every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "You all remember this! When I return to the capital, I will start with you!"

When they heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words, all the officials were stunned.

Is this old guy crazy?
How dare he say he wanted to take action against them? They were the local emperors of Shandong. Who the hell was this old man? How dare he act so presumptuous in front of them?
Wang Fugui was the first to react. He pointed at Zhu Yuanzhang's nose and laughed out loud as if he had heard some huge joke.

"Hahahaha... Old man, are you crazy? Do you know what you are talking about? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? How dare you say such big words?"

Other officials also echoed and mocked Zhu Yuanzhang.

"That's right, this old man must be tired of living, he actually dares to speak so arrogantly!"

"I think he is just a lunatic, ignore him!"

"Old man, if you want to live, kneel down and kowtow to us and admit your mistakes. Maybe we can spare your life!"

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored the shouting of these people. He slowly turned around and said in a deep voice to the guards behind him:

"Remember all these people. When we return to the capital, leave no one alive!"

The guards responded in unison:
"Yes!"

When those officials saw this scene, they suddenly felt a little uneasy.

This old guy really doesn't seem to be joking? Who is he?

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly raised his head and swept his sharp eyes over the crowd. He spoke slowly, his tone calm but with an unquestionable majesty.

"Don't you want to know who I am? I'll let you die knowing the truth!"

"I am the current Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire back hall fell into silence.

Dead silence, so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

The smile on Wang Fugui's face froze, looking as ugly as if he had eaten a fly.

He opened his mouth mechanically, but no sound came out. His eyes just rolled around in fear like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

The other officials were not much better. Their faces were pale, their legs were weak, and there was a faint smell coming from their crotches.

They never dreamed that this plain-dressed and unremarkable old man was actually the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Yuanzhang!
The Hongwu Emperor who was famous for his cruelty and bloodlust!
This thought was like a bolt of lightning, piercing through their last bit of hope.

They were used to abusing their power and domineering, and did not take the imperial court seriously at all, let alone the emperor.

In their view, the emperor is far away in the capital, out of reach. Isn't the land of Shandong just left to these local tyrants to call the shots?

But now, reality gave them a hard slap in the face!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked coldly at these frightened guys, with no mercy in his eyes, only endless anger.

He waved his hand, and the guards behind him immediately pounced on them like wolves and tigers, tied up these usually arrogant officials, and dragged them out like dead dogs.

"Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"I have offended the emperor because of my ignorance. I beg the emperor to show mercy!"

"..."

The mournful cry for mercy echoed in the night sky, but failed to move Zhu Yuanzhang in the slightest.

He watched all this with cold eyes, as if he was watching the dying struggle of a group of ants.

"Take them all back to the capital and interrogate them strictly. No leniency!"

"According to the order!"

The guards responded in unison, escorting the crying officials away into the night.

……

After dealing with all this, Zhu Yuanzhang dragged his tired body back to the Prince of Lu's Mansion. It was almost dawn, and the entire palace was shrouded in silence.

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang stepped into the gate of the palace, he saw Zhu Tan walking towards him with sleepy eyes.

"Dad, where did you go last night? Why didn't you show up all night?"

Zhu Tan rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked doubtfully, "Could it be that he secretly went to Chunfeng Tower?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang became furious and glared at him unhappily.

"Asshole, you just talk nonsense all day long! Am I that kind of person?"

"Hehe, this is just caring about you, old man." Zhu Tan said with a grin.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed helplessly. He was really too tired and too lazy to bother with this unreliable son.

He waved his hand, motioning Zhu Tan to follow him into the study.

"Old Ten, we encountered something today..."

In the study, Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Tan exactly what happened last night.

"Dad, are you saying that those officials dared to show off their power in front of you and even used their family power to suppress you?"

Zhu Tan's eyes widened, as if he had heard something out of the ordinary.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled bitterly and nodded, "Yes, I didn't expect that they would dare to be so bold and presumptuous in such a remote place like ours!" (End of this chapter)