Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

Zheng He took a deep breath and said firmly: "No, my old man has raised me for a long time, but I am unfilial and have cut off my life. I feel sorry for him. I will repay his kindness in the rest of my life."

"You are also the benefactor of my life. Without you, I would have starved to death outside."

"Master, please accept it. Otherwise, I will feel uneasy when I go out to sea."

Zhu Xiongying thought about it and nodded, "Okay, leave the things here with me and I'll keep them for you."

Zheng He was immediately delighted: "Okay!"

Zhu Xiongying picked up the tea and started drinking it.

After chatting with Zheng He for a while, Zheng He left.

Reluctant to leave.

………………

The next day.

In the early morning, the wind seems to hide, no longer willing to give alms to the world.

The hot weather began to scorch Yingtian City the moment the sun came out.

Zhu Xiongying casually handed the old man a few lotus pods.

The grandfather and grandson moved a small stool and stood in front of the door, peeling lotus seeds intermittently.

The old man seemed somewhat happy, and he looked at the lotus pods with a long-lost smile.

"Do you know what kind of weather we like best?"

"You definitely don't like summer." Zhu Xiongying said.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "No, I like summer the most."

"When I was young, my family was poor. We relied on the summer to survive."

"When summer comes, every household goes to the river to soak."

"I am a brave man in the river. When I was young, I caught fish, snails, pulled lotus roots and picked lotus pods."

"The things that my brothers have collected are many times more than those of other families."

"When we get home, your great-grandmother will cook lotus pod porridge for us."

Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with nostalgia and took a deep breath, as if the air was filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers in the pond.

Since the last serious illness.

Zhu Yuanzhang sometimes missed the past.

It has been too long since he left Fengyang Prefecture, and those were the only happy times he had.

It was only during those few years when I was a child herding cattle.

The rest became monks in Huangjue Temple, begged on the streets, and joined the Red Army.

Zhu Yuanzhang hated monks, he hated them very much.

Ever since he left Fengyang Prefecture, he has never returned to his hometown.

"Grandpa, have you thought about it?" Zhu Xiongying suddenly spoke.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, staring at Zhu Xiongying blankly, and asked puzzledly, "What are you considering?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "Let's take some time to go back to your hometown. Old Yan has returned home. People return home when they grow old, but if they don't return home when they are rich and powerful, it's like walking in brocade clothes at night."

Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "Let's talk about it later. Everything will wait until after your coming-of-age ceremony."

Zhu Xiongying said, "Old man, you really want to make a big fuss about my coming-of-age ceremony. When Ma Sanbao came to see me yesterday, he also mentioned the coming-of-age ceremony. The six ministers also came to give me some gifts yesterday."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and whispered: "These old guys really know how to pick the right time. They know that they can't send gifts after the coming-of-age ceremony, huh..."

Zhu Xiongying threw the lotus seeds into his mouth and asked Zhu Yuanzhang, "Old man, what are you mumbling about?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

Zhu Xiongying continued: "Yes, the court's actions have been a little strange recently."

"First, the emperor pardoned the whole country and exempted taxes, and then reduced the charges of prisoners across the country. But the strange thing is that this year there is no disaster or hardship. The court suddenly made such a big move. I don't know what it is going to do."

Zhu Yuanzhang just said "oh" and didn't say much.

"Oh, the tax silver from Jiaozhi Provincial Government. Muchun was in charge of escorting it back."

Zhu Xiongying nodded: "If Mu Yufu intervenes, nothing will go wrong."

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat relieved. "130,000 taels of silver, it can help the court solve its urgent needs. Boy, you did a good job."

Zhu Xiongying shook his head: "Haha. Old man, this amount of silver will not be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue."

"Ah?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked suspiciously, "Why?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "Because this is my money. I paid for it myself and lent it to Jiaozhi. After collecting taxes, Jiaozhi will naturally return my capital and interest."

Zhu Yuanzhang, "..."

The old man was speechless and twitched the corners of his mouth.

But he was soon relieved, "Yes! It's yours, so it's yours."

Zhu Yuanzhang smacked his lips and continued, "Back then you asked Tie Xuan to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money, but the Ministry of Revenue refused to allocate funds. I'm afraid it's now the Duzhisi's."

Zhu Xiongying smiled and said, "I'm afraid Jiaozhi's fiscal tax revenue for the second half of the year will be even higher."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "I can trust you to do the job."

The old man looked at Zhu Xiongying and asked softly, "You have been governing Jiaozhi for a while. How do you feel?"

"very nice."

This is Zhu Xiongying's truest thought. All the information about the sand in Jiaozhi will be sent to Zhu Xiongying for his understanding.

Thousands of miles away.

Zhu Xiongying needs to know the situation over there clearly.

Even if it was something unimportant, Xie Jin would still send it to Zhu Xiongying to see.

Because Zhu Xiongying could not personally stand in Jiaozhi to see the whole picture of Jiaozhi. So many things can only be seen from the small. Many things must be prevented in advance.

This requires that Zhu Xiongying must know about and read every little thing there.

Zhu Yuanzhang peeled some lotus seeds and handed them to Zhu Huai, "Silly boy, how long are you going to peel them? This is not how you peel lotus seeds. Eat ours."

Zhu Xiongying was embarrassed.

"Thank you, old man."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You are only in charge of one provincial administration commissioner in Jiaozhi, and there are still fourteen provincial administration commissioners in Taiming, as well as Yingtian Prefecture in Zhili."

"It's tiring and difficult, but what else can we do? There will be more tiring and difficult things in the future."

The old man smiled and continued, "Although the Ming Dynasty is now a peaceful country, it is still far from a prosperous era. The development of the capital, Huguang and other places is good. Yunnan, Guizhou, Guanzhong, Hanoi, "the people of the family are still some poor and destitute. If we really want the people to learn to live a good life, we must find a way to distribute the wealth equally to the people and keep the wealth among the people."

The old man’s governing philosophy is naturally beyond reproach, and he is still wholeheartedly serving the people.

However, Zhu Xiongying did not quite agree.

The two Song dynasties also hid their wealth among the people, and the people were said to be richer than the imperial court. However, in the end, when the imperial court was conducting macro-control of wealth, it lost sight of one thing while focusing on another, which ultimately led to the two Song dynasties becoming too powerful to be controlled.

Zhu Xiongying knew that the old man cared about the people.

But this kind of thing is just like educating children. Blindly spoiling children will only cause the family to gradually fall into prison.

"Li Yuan, the Minister of Rites, have I shown you the Record of Ancestral Instructions?"

The old man changed the subject.

In fact, if the grandfather and grandson don’t have a specific purpose in chatting, they will always switch at random.

They talked about everything from all over the world, including family, people's livelihood, etiquette and rules.

Zhu Xiongying said: "I have read the Imperial Ming Ancestor Instructions."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Okay, how about it?"

What the old man meant was, has Zhu Xiongying finished reading it?

However, Zhu Xiongying misunderstood.

He said: "In fact, the Imperial Ming Ancestor Instructions has many constraints."

"Ok?"

This was the ancestral precepts that he personally revised in the third year of Hongwu, with the help of great scholars headed by Song Lian. What could possibly hinder this?
Zhu Xiongying thought for a while before saying to Zhu Yuanzhang: "The old man just said that we should learn to share our wealth with the people."

"If this governing philosophy is really realized, the court will not be rich."

"The Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts stipulate that future generations must act in accordance with the rules of the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts, which provides a framework for the emperor."

"Looking back a hundred years, as the country develops, will many of the current policies still be able to adapt to the era of rapid development in the future?" "If we follow the rules of the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts, when the people become wealthy, the emperors of successive dynasties want to increase taxes on the people. Someone will definitely stand up and refute it with the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts."

"The final result is that the country becomes poorer and poorer, while officials and local wealthy people become richer and richer, until the country's finances finally collapse."

Zhu Xiongying didn't continue speaking, he believed that the old man could understand.

Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes in deep thought, glanced at Zhu Xiongying, and murmured in surprise: "There is no era of policy, only the policy of the era."

The old man smacked his lips, a gleam in his eyes, and I don't know what he was thinking.

"Okay, I'll write it down. In the future, we will study this ancestral record carefully and make any necessary revisions."

He reminded the old man, "This is a matter between the court and you. We should not extend our hands too far."

"Didn't you always say that one should not meddle in matters that are not within one's jurisdiction? If one extends one's hand too far, it will bring danger."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter.

After he calmed down, the old man said with a domineering look: "In this world, the person who can put our grandson in danger has not yet been born!"

"With your grandfather alive, who can put you in any danger?!"

Zhu Xiongying: "..."

"it is good!"

……

The weather in the south of the Yangtze River was hot, and there was a heavy rain in the north.

In the courtyard of the palace, the black-robed monk Yao Guangxiao came hurriedly.

"Your Highness, Prince of Yan, the Ministry of War has given us a list of the number of firearms in the Taiming Firearms Bureau."

Zhu Di was shocked.

Looking at Yao Guangxiao, he said angrily, "Don't tell him to stop taking action?"

"Why do you dare to write to me?"

Yao Guangxiao explained: "Your Highness, this matter is too serious. You should take a look. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. He did nothing wrong."

The rain in Peking came heavier and faster than ever before.

Compared with the gracefulness of Jiangnan, the North is more rugged and heroic.

Those who have lived in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time will miss the mulberry trees in the north. Those who have lived in the north for a long time will miss the water platforms in the south of the Yangtze River.

When you’ve had enough of the wind in one place, you always want to move to another place to see the trajectory of other people’s lives.

Under the star rain, in the Beiping Palace, the lines in front of it could no longer be seen clearly within ten steps.

A military commander in armor came towards Wang Mazhong Hall from the heavy rain.

"Minister Zhu Neng!"

"Chen Qiufu!"

"See His Highness King Yan!"

Zhu Di waved his hand and asked the three generals to stand up.

These three men played a powerful role in the Jingnan Campaign in history. When they arrived in Yingtian, they were among the top ten generals under Zhu Di.

"Your Highness, there is news from Yingtian that the Firearms Bureau is equipped with firearms."

"They are Jinzhi firearms. Although the number does not seem to be large, this is not enough for the Jinzhi Fire Command. Hudundi is only the storage of the Firearms Supervisor. The Firearms Battalion that Master Tile is usually equipped with is also equipped with more than 3,000 fire mirrors, which also needs to be taken into consideration."

"If the power of the Pangdun Cannon is added, the imperial army will have the upper hand whether defending the city or attacking."

These three men are all battle-hardened warriors.

It is impossible for them not to know the power of firearms.

Zhang Yu asked, somewhat frightened.

"Is this news accurate?"

Zhu Di said: "It should be allowed. He has great power in the Ministry of War, so he should be able to get a glimpse of the situation of firearms."

"When you have free time, do more deductions. If that day really comes, how should we deal with these things?"

"Every premeditated rebellion requires years of planning."

Zhu Di has been running Peking for more than ten years. Whether in small aspects, military affairs or people's livelihood, Zhu Di has become mature enough.

He had learned all the basic qualities of an emperor and was fully prepared, waiting for Zhang Yu and his three generals to leave.

The black-robed monk behind the screen then came out.

Zhu Di asked suspiciously: "Why did you arrange for him to contact Rilianjiang?"

Yao Guangxiao smiled and said: "There are two more divisions in the southwest, they will definitely draw out the King of Shu's troops."

"If the White Lotus Society robs the tax silver and then puts the blame on the Southwestern Tusi, then we will set up control outside the Southwestern Tusi."

"This way, we can reduce our military strength."

Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, then he understood the deep meaning of Yao Guangxiao.

I couldn't help but be convinced.

Yao Guangxiao is filial.

"It is my great fortune to meet a wise master."

As they talked, they tacitly cast their gazes toward the southwest sky.

………………

southwest.

Thirty thousand taels of silver were slowly packed into ten large boxes under the escort of Dachun.

It was difficult to pass through the mountain road.

After Chencheng left the state and arrived in Fujian via the mountain road, he turned to travel by water.

There are many mountain bandits in Guizhou.

Muchun is very cautious.

They are all family generals and father-in-law of Prince Mu’s palace, and each of them is agile and skilled.

There were about three people among the troops escorting the tax silver, and they wanted to go to Huangbo, Zhongshan, Yingtian Prefecture to visit his father.

As soon as the team arrived in the central part of Guizhou, the horses and mules seemed to become restless.

Mu Feng was a little wary.

Waved violently.

"Attention alert!"

It is said that there is a kind of Gu master in Sichuan and Guizhou who has a terrible method that can disrupt the minds of livestock.

Mu Chun followed his father to guard the Tusi in Yunnan for more than 20 years. He knew that Tusi outside Yunnan and Guizhou were always fierce!
However, Mu Chun was not afraid. He had been fighting with the chieftains for more than 20 years and knew the combat effectiveness of these chieftains.

Muchun had a plan in mind.

A group of soldiers from the West were fully armed and were enough to deal with any attack from the chieftains, forming a defensive formation to guard both sides.

A scout said.

"My Lord, there is still fifty miles to go!"

"it is good."

He nodded, and his brows indeed furrowed even more tightly.

Livestock don't get agitated for no reason unless they sense extreme danger.

Horses' ability to sense danger is much stronger than humans'.

The BMW that Mu Feng was sitting in was now spinning restlessly in place.

Muchun knows.

Danger is approaching.

This place is only fifty miles away from Panzhou Prefecture. The best decision is to stay where we are and wait for the soldiers from Guizhou Prefecture to come and support us.

Temporary wars are always prone to chaos. If Mu Chun hurried on his way again, not only would he not be able to contact the troops of Guizhou Prefecture, but he might also be ambushed ahead.

Repairing on the spot and defending now seems to be the best option.

…………

(End of this chapter)