The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 362 The Suddenly Appearing Crown Prince

Although many officials outside are saying that this war is a waste of manpower and resources, and that if there are other ways to replace it, it is better to do less trouble.

However, the wars launched by Zhu Xiong Ying over the years did not weaken the Ming Dynasty's national strength; on the contrary, they brought the Ming Dynasty a great deal of wealth.

Even the civil officials were too embarrassed to say anything. The happiest person was the Minister of Revenue. Previously, the Ming Dynasty's treasury was basically empty, and every year they had to find ways to save money from various places.

Things are much better now. Silver is flowing in from all over the country every day, and some decent projects can now be approved. The Ministry of Revenue is quite generous these days.

Zhu Biao sighed, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Perhaps it's true, as Xiong Ying said, that we should change our strategy. We're sitting in this position every day, feeling like we're sitting on pins and needles. We just hope that the people of the world can live a better life!"

"That is precisely why some of our decisions seem somewhat inflexible, which is not a good thing. On the contrary, the actions of these young people are sometimes more in line with the situation of our Great Ming!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.

"It's rare that you could discover these things, which is why I've always believed that U.A. High School could accomplish these things!"

"Over the years, the strength of our Great Ming has increased significantly compared to before, both in terms of grain production and wealth!"

"And there's absolutely no need to worry about the defense of the border areas!"

"It is said that some of these methods do not quite align with modern Confucian ideas, but they are extremely effective, cutting through the Gordian knot and resolving those extremely troublesome issues directly!"

"Although the impact is significant in the short term, in the long run, this sacrifice and effort is worthwhile!"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

The two then left the place and stopped pretending to be sick.

Now that Dayue and Dali have been wiped out by them, there's no point in pretending to be sick anymore.

Inside the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, secretly summoned a group of civil officials.

Officials, especially those in the Imperial Academy and the National Academy, were of paramount importance.

The Lü family was a prominent and influential family, composed of scholars from Jiangnan.

Naturally, it is believed that civil officials are extremely important. Although it was these military generals who conquered the country, it is essential to govern it well. Naturally, the decisions made by these scholars are more appropriate.

Therefore, he promised these people that when Zhu Yunwen ascended to that position, he would definitely take special care of scholars throughout the land, and might even restore the glory of the former Song Dynasty.

Hearing this, everyone felt a surge of excitement. During the Song Dynasty, scholars and officials wielded immense power, making it their most cherished golden age.

Unfortunately, the current emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, rose through the ranks from the bottom, and many of the nobles in the court were military generals.

This resulted in the military generals being slightly stronger than the civil officials.

Zhu Xiong Ying, in particular, fought several battles in a row, which made all the generals eager to serve him.

Many people have even started practicing martial arts to earn military merit, which makes them very dissatisfied.

At this moment, the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, looked at the officials and said, "If Yunwen were to one day ascend to that position, all of you gentlemen would be important ministers of the state!"

"I've heard of your reputation before, and I hope you can lend me your help when the time comes!"

These people were all excited when they heard this.

If they wanted to become officials, they would probably need to spend a long time doing so, since their academic knowledge wasn't particularly outstanding.

If we can seize this opportunity to help them rise to prominence, that would be a good thing.

At that moment, an official stepped forward and spoke.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, we will take care of this matter. Grandson Yunwen is not only wise and virtuous, but also respectful to scholars. He even has the support of the Confucius, Mencius, Zhu Xi, and Cheng families. We scholars admire him greatly. He is truly the choice of a ruler!"

"And Zhu Xiong Ying only knows how to fight wars and oppress other countries every day, and he even tries to harm the interests of us scholars, making us scholars just like ordinary people. He is truly despicable!"

"If such a person, who disregards social status and rank, were to ascend to that position, wouldn't he be ridiculed by the world? We will absolutely stand before Prince Yunwen on this matter!"

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Crown Princess Lü was very pleased to see the scholar in front of her, whose name was Huang Zicheng.

This man was extremely talented and upright. Upon learning the news, he stepped forward to express his support for Zhu Yunwen.

There were quite a few officials in the Imperial Academy who had a favorable impression of him.

When Crown Princess Lü saw these people stepping forward, she was extremely pleased. Zhu Xiong Ying was not in the capital at the moment, and even if he received the news, it would take him a long time to get back.

If anything were to happen to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang or Crown Prince Zhu Biao during this period...

They would immediately support Zhu Yunwen to that position, and even if Zhu Xiong Ying returned, it would be of no use.

Thinking of this place, he was extremely excited, as if his long-cherished wish was finally about to come true.

"Great! I'm finally going to become the Empress Dowager. This position was always meant for me. You never thought I'd actually get to this position. All those who oppose me and my son must die! Zhu Xiong Ying, you are doomed!"

After these people left, the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, looked at Zhu Yunwen beside her, her heart filled with excitement.

"Yunwen, don't worry, that position should have been yours. I will do everything in my power to help you get it. Don't let your mother down!"

After hearing this, Zhu Yunwen hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and agreed to the matter.

In fact, he had lived in Zhu Xiong Ying's shadow since childhood. In the court, most officials supported Zhu Xiong Ying, which made him feel that their plans would be very difficult to succeed. As long as Zhu Xiong Ying remained in Yingtian Prefecture, he would have no place to stand. Neither Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang nor Crown Prince Zhu Biao would allow him to take that position.

He had given up on himself, but who could have imagined that things would suddenly take a turn for the better, with one piece of good news after another coming in, making him excited to recruit Wei.

First, Zhu Xiong Ying insulted the Duke Yansheng of the Kong family.

This caused scholars across the land to abandon his cause and instead flock to his side.

(End of this chapter)