Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Xie Yuer, who usually has a strong character, somehow had red eyes.

Tears were welling up in Xie Yuer's eyes. Anyone who saw her expression could tell that she must be extremely worried.

The object of this concern was Xie Yuer's husband, Zhu Gang.

When Zhu Gang saw her like this, his heart ached.

He gently took Xie Yuer into his arms and held her tightly, as if time could stop at this moment and turn into eternity.

His brows unconsciously furrowed tightly, and a barely perceptible worry flashed in his eyes.

But Zhu Gang still pulled himself together and comforted her softly, "Yu'er, don't be afraid.

My husband will definitely come back safely, so you can rest assured."

But his hands seemed out of control and trembled slightly, inadvertently revealing the uneasiness in his heart.

Xie Yuer sobbed and said, "You will find dangers everywhere when you go there, so you have to be careful about everything.

If something unexpected happens, how can I live?"

Zhu Gang looked at her firmly, but there was still a hint of reluctance in his tone.

"Don't worry, for you and for our palace.

Even if it's a sea of ​​fire and swords, I'm going to give it a try.

We must get to the bottom of this matter.”

After a long while, Zhu Gang seemed to have made a great decision and resolutely let go of Xie Yuer.

He reached out and carefully straightened his clothes, then carefully put away the dagger.

Then Zhu Gang took a step and walked towards the palace gate with his guards.

The steps seem steady, but in fact each step is heavy.

Along the way, Zhu Gang's heart was beating like a little rabbit.

He pondered: "Why did the emperor suddenly summon me?"

The more Zhu Gang thought about it, the more he felt that the matter of the "Ming Dynasty Kitchen God" was fraught with doubts.

He had a bad premonition in his heart at this moment, thinking that this time he entered the palace, he might be in danger.

As they walked, when they passed a corner of the palace wall, Zhu Gang vaguely heard a few young eunuchs whispering something there.

His heart skipped a beat and he quickly signaled to the guards to keep quiet.

He tiptoed quietly, tilted his ear and listened carefully to the discussions of the young eunuchs.

One of the thin eunuchs said, "Have you heard? Something terrible has happened in the Ministry of Rites' Fine Food Department!"

Another round-faced eunuch quickly echoed, "Of course not. Jiang Yongming is going to lose his head this time!"

When Zhu Gang heard this, he suddenly became nervous.

Jiang Yongming is a doctor in the Ministry of Rites' Department of Food. What happened to him?
As he continued to listen, the voice of a young eunuch appeared again.

"Everyone selected by the 'Ming Dynasty Chef God' this time has problems. His Majesty is furious!"

Zhu Gang frowned even more tightly, and while walking forward quickly, he thought quickly in his mind.

"There was a problem with the selection of the 'Ming Dynasty Chef God', and Jiang Yongming, as a doctor in the Ministry of Rites's Department of Fine Food, must be to blame.

But why did my father summon me into the palace at this time?

Could it be that this is really related to me?"

He went on to speculate: "Jiang Yongming must have been coerced to tamper with the selection process.

Otherwise, Jiang Yongming would not dare to be so bold.

Among the selected people, Su Mingzhi is a secret agent of my Prince Jin’s Palace.

If my father knew about this, he would definitely suspect that I was involved in this matter.

It seems that my father will come to the palace to question me this time. This is really a severe test!"

At this time, the sky gradually became gloomy, and the heavy dark clouds, like spilled ink, weighed heavily over the imperial city, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.

The cold wind whistled and passed through the cracks in the palace walls, making low whimpers, as if wailing for what was about to happen.

Zhu Gang quickened his pace, becoming more and more anxious, wishing to find out the whole story immediately.

But with every step he took, he felt the stone pavement beneath his feet become heavier, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

As Zhu Gang hurried on his way, the atmosphere in the imperial study was as tense as a taut bowstring ready to explode.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne with a stern face. His gaze was like a sharp blade, shooting straight at Jiang Yongming, a doctor from the Ministry of Rites, who was kneeling on the ground.

He shouted loudly: "Jiang Yongming, do you admit your guilt?
The person chosen by the Ming Dynasty Chef God has many problems. Someone must be coercing you. Tell the truth!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice echoed in the imperial study, revealing a majesty that no one dared to disobey, as if it could penetrate people's hearts.

Jiang Yongming fell to his knees with a plop.

He clenched his fists slightly, his voice trembling with a hint of unwillingness and hatred.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty!

A few months ago, a group of people threatened me with the lives of my family members and forced me to tamper with the selection of the "Ming Dynasty Chef God".

"I...I was confused for a moment and made this unforgivable mistake!"

As Jiang Yongming spoke, a trace of self-blame and pain flashed in his eyes.

"I have always been dedicated to serving the people, and I have done some practical things for them during my tenure.

But faced with the life and death of my family members, I... I really have no choice!

I only ask Your Majesty to spare my wife and children. Even if I die, I will be able to rest in peace."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Jiang Yongming closely, with a barely perceptible hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

His tone softened a little, "In your eyes, am I just a tyrant who kills innocent people?

Although there are sometimes blood and gore in the court, our Ming Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous.

Besides, I have been the emperor for so many years, and I have only killed corrupt officials, but I have never been cruel to the common people.

Jiang Yongming, just go with peace of mind.

As for your wife and children, we will make our own arrangements."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, and Xu Lin, the commander of the Jinyiwei who had been waiting on the side, immediately rushed in with his men.

When Zhu Gang entered the palace and passed by Donghua Gate on the southeast side, he happened to see Jiang Yongming who had been stripped of his official uniform.

At this time, he was kneeling there, his face pale, waiting to be executed.

Zhu Gang couldn't help but sigh quietly, feeling a sense of sadness as if the rabbit had died and the fox had grieved over it.

But he knew his identity and situation clearly, so he could only suppress his emotions quickly and said softly: "Yongming, what on earth did you do wrong? How did you end up like this?"

Jiang Yongming looked haggard, and his eyes had long lost their former luster.

He looked at Zhu Gang and said with a face full of shame: "I, a guilty minister, have suffered the fate I have today, and it is all my own fault. Your Highness, please do not ask any more questions."

Xu Lin, who was in charge of supervising the execution, stood up immediately upon seeing this and respectfully reminded, "Your Highness, it was His Majesty's decision to execute Jiang Yongming.

If I miss the time, I am afraid I will not be able to complete my mission. Please don't make it difficult for me, Your Highness."

Zhu Gang knew very well that the so-called Ming Dynasty Chef Selection Contest was actually to find the person who could make the "Pearl Jade White Jade Soup".

But even if Fan Zhengqing, Liu Xiaoshuang and Su Mingzhi were brave enough, they would never dare to feed the pig manure to their father.

But doing so would only arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion.

After further investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the identities of the three Ming Dynasty chefs could no longer be concealed.

Despite such a huge mistake, the fact that Jiang Yongming, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites who was in charge of the matter, was not executed along with his entire family was already a pardon from Zhu Yuanzhang.

(End of this chapter)