Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 158 Unexpected Off-field Reinforcements

Although Xia Yuanji did not express it explicitly, this statement is actually no different from saying it directly.

To fill the Ministry of Revenue and let the people of the world have enough food, isn’t this bullshit?
The Ministry of Revenue’s warehouse is like a bottomless pit. Even if you fill it with the entire world, there will still be a large space left.

Could it be that Old Xia has been drinking so early in the morning and is talking nonsense here?

Although they were somewhat dissatisfied, everyone understood that Xia Yuanji was implicitly supporting the second grandson Zhu Zhanjun.

There is no way, since the second emperor's grandson controls high-yield grains and has veterans' chambers of commerce spread across half of Jiangnan, and will cover the entire Ming Dynasty in the next few years.

Not to mention anything else, just when Fengyang paid the military farm grain this year, Old Xia was so happy that he didn't sleep all night.

They also heard that the Veterans Chamber of Commerce would pay taxes to the court at the end of the year.

The head of the Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Honorary President Qiu Yuan, has already made a statement to the public.

By the end of the year, at least tens of thousands of taels of silver in taxes could be paid.

The Ministry of Revenue couldn't wait any longer and sent people every day to ask if it could be submitted in advance.

The existence of high-yield grain and the Veterans Chamber of Commerce, these two things, will make the second emperor's grandson Zhu Zhanjun a favorite of everyone in the Ministry of Revenue.

If for no other reason than to avoid having to worry when the court asked for money, the people in the Ministry of Revenue would choose Zhu Zhanjun.

Good Saint Sun, very good and powerful.

If you can't get food or a penny, that's just nice to hear.

Among the six ministries of the imperial court, the people in the Ministry of Revenue were the most practical.

"I second the proposal!"

As soon as Xia Yuanji finished speaking, a minister stood up and loudly supported him.

Just as everyone was about to turn around, several noises rang out at the same time.

"I second the proposal of Minister Xia and Minister Jian!"

It was like a chain reaction, with ministers standing up one after another.

There are the assistant ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, the director of the Ministry of Works, the minister of the Imperial Household Department, the minister of the Ministry of Rites...

Even the director of the Imperial Observatory stood up.

In just a short while, more than ten people stood up.

Except for the two Shangshu Xia Yuanji and Jian Yi, although the positions of the others were not top-notch, they were the backbone of their respective departments and had a strong voice in the court.

Zhu Zhanjun, who was standing on the stairs, looked at the person standing in front of him and felt confused.

When did he become so popular in the court?

Among the dozen or so people who stood up, he had only met many of them a few times, let alone nodding acquaintances, and some of them he had never even spoken to.

But these people, whom he had never even thought of, actually stood up at this time and supported him in fighting for the position of Crown Prince.

He cannot just speak out about this matter casually. Once he does, he will be labeled as a member of the Second Emperor's Grandson's party.

From now on, these people, whether openly or secretly, will be his people.

It can be said that they share life and death with him. If Zhu Zhanjun falls out of favor in the future, or if Zhu Zhanji takes the throne, these people will all be in trouble.

The vast majority of Jianwen's former ministers who were dealt with by the old man are the best lessons to learn from.

Wait...an old minister of Jianwen.

Looking at these people who stood up, Zhu Zhanjun's mind suddenly buzzed and a picture appeared.

He seemed to have seen these people somewhere before, maybe just last night.

He was placed on the throne by Lao Zhu, and these people were among the crowd of worshippers below.

"hiss!"

Zhu Zhanjun took a deep breath.

"What's wrong, little bastard?"

Noticing Zhu Zhanjun's situation, Old Zhu quickly asked him with concern.

"Grandfather, I think I know the significance of our visit to Jianwen Dynasty last night?"

"what?"

The few people who hadn't understood it yet were a little confused.

Zhu Zhanjun looked down and explained in his mind, "I just remembered that I have seen these people before. Just last night, you let me sit on the throne and pay homage to some ministers in the crowd below."

The space was silent for a moment, and some ideas gradually came into the minds of several people.

"Past, present and future."

Xu Shou, the top scientific researcher in the space, muttered to himself a few times, slapped his thigh and said, "This should be it."

Lao Zhu and others looked at him.

Xu Shou quickly explained: "I once discussed with Your Highness the matter of traveling to various time and space to select talents."

"The past, present and future, the entire space-time is a connecting line. We are in the present, but we have the ability to go to the past and the future."

"The past cannot be changed, but the present can influence the future. Our presence has slightly changed the past, but since it has been frozen, we cannot affect the present. We will affect the present in spirit, or to put it more mysteriously, in soul."

"At the beginning, His Majesty Hongwu once said that he had stepped into the dream of His Majesty Yongle, and this was an influence."

"Perhaps everything you experienced yesterday affected those who had experienced it before, either through dreams or other means."

"Coupled with your highness's performance and achievements, they have completely sided with your highness."

"Because in their hearts, they feel that Your Highness is both capable and recognized by Emperor Taizu Gao, so Your Highness is the best candidate for the crown prince, and it does not violate the ancestral agreement. After all, it was decided by Emperor Taizu Gao."

"Clap clap clap..."

Lao Zhu and others applauded after hearing this.

Although they were confused by what they heard, including words about the present and the future, it did not stop them from thinking it was amazing.

Zhu Zhanjun also felt that this was very possible. Otherwise, why would the people who stood up be people he had met last night, and there was not a single minister from the Yongle period?

The old man did not expect that so many people would stand up to support Zhu Zhanjun at once.

He originally thought that one or two would be good enough, and the rest would require him to debate with a group of scholars and convince these old stubborn people one by one.

I didn’t expect so many friendly troops to arrive at once. The pressure in my heart disappeared instantly and I felt much more relaxed.

"Your Majesty, I object." Amidst the voices of seconding the motion, someone suddenly jumped out to object.

Jian Yi and others who stood up all turned their heads to look at that man.

Facing dozens of gazes, Yang Shiqi remained calm, cupped his hands and said loudly: "Since Emperor Taizu Gao, the Ming Dynasty has established the rule of establishing the eldest son as the heir."

"Although the second grandson Zhu Zhanjun has talent, he does not conform to the rule of establishing the eldest son as the heir."

"Your Majesty should respect the ancestral laws, follow the wishes of the people, obey the wishes of the officials, and follow the ancestral system."

"Your Majesty, have you ever thought that now that you have made the Second Grandson the Crown Prince, someone will surely follow suit in the future?"

"If someone is dissatisfied, royal cholera will arise again. Your Majesty, please think twice."

"Mr. Yang is wrong."

Before the old man even opened his mouth, a person in charge of the Ministry of Personnel who supported Zhu Zhanjun started to refute him directly.

"We will naturally abide by the system of our ancestors, but should the people of the world give it up?"

"Do you still remember the disaster that Jianwen brought to the Ming Dynasty?"

Yang Shiqi raised his eyebrows and shouted coldly: "What do you mean by this? Are you saying that His Royal Highness will be as pedantic as Jianwen?"

"Master Yang, please be careful with your words. The crown prince hasn't been named yet. It's a bit too early to call him that."

Seeing his subordinate speak out of turn, Jian Yi seized the opportunity and counterattacked Yang Shiqi.

Yang Shiqi also knew that he had said something wrong, and snorted coldly, "You, the Ministry of Personnel..."

However, before he could finish his words, Jian Yi said leisurely, "Mr. Yang, you are wrong again. This is the Ministry of Personnel of the Ming Dynasty. This is your Majesty's Ministry of Personnel, not our Ministry of Personnel."

Seeing this scene, many officials shook their heads secretly. They thought that Yang Shiqi was still too young and was led astray by the old fox Jian Yi in just a few words.

It’s hard to imagine that there is still a Xia Yuanji next to him who hasn’t made a move yet. If Old Xia makes a move again, I’m afraid Yang Shiqi will really turn into a Husky.

"All right."

The old man spoke slowly, and the two sides stopped arguing.

The old man looked at the people below and pondered for a moment, then said, "I will give you half an hour. After half an hour, I want you to give me the result."

Having said that, the old man stood up and called Zhu Pangpang, Zhu Zhanjun and Zhu Zhanji to go to the back to eat.

Although the civil and military officials had known about the selection of the crown prince for a long time, they had always believed that Zhu Zhanji was the only candidate.

As a result, when the competition officially started today, there was one more person, and that person had a huge advantage.

Two people from the six ministries stood on Zhu Zhanjun's side, so there was no need to think too much about the Ministry of Works.

Zhu Zhanjun attached great importance to this aspect. Tiangongfang was an existence that made the Ministry of Works jealous. Old man Song Li had always wanted to find a chance to get involved, but he never found one.

Now that there is an opportunity and a way to control the flood, this old man named Song will definitely be fooled.

The three departments of the imperial court, the three people who do the real work, have all been taken away, which means that the war is half lost.

Yang Shiqi and other officials who supported Zhu Zhanji gathered in a small circle and discussed in a low voice, occasionally looking at the six ministers standing in the first place.

The acting Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice has clearly stated that he chooses to remain neutral on this matter.

Zhao Xian, representing the Ministry of Rites, put his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. It was unclear whether he was really asleep or doing it on purpose.

"What do you think?"

The Minister of War Jin Zhong, who was standing next to him, asked in a low voice.

Zhao Xian opened his eyes slightly, looked at him, and then closed them again.

Everyone in the court knew that Jin Zhong was a staunch supporter of the system of primogeniture.

Asking this question at this time was obviously an attempt to pull him over there as well.

But he didn't want to get involved in this, so he pretended not to hear.

Jin Zhong frowned and looked at Xia Yuanji and Jian Yi beside him.

"You two, are you guys lacking in consideration on this matter?"

"The eldest grandson of the emperor has excellent character and has been brought up by His Majesty since he was young. He is the most suitable successor and is also in line with the laws of our ancestors."

"I admit that the Second Imperial Grandson is right, but I'm sure you all know the consequences of enthroning him."

"If you don't want the Second Grandson's talent to go unappreciated, you can persuade him to assist the First Grandson."

"Based on my understanding of the emperor's eldest grandson, and the fact that they are brothers, I'm sure the emperor's eldest grandson will not bury him."

Xia Yuanji rolled his eyes at him when he heard that.

He complained in his heart: "Not bad, it's pretty good. The Ming Dynasty has given up Jiaozhi, which wasted countless efforts. The Liaodong region has also been almost abandoned."

Although he understood all this in his heart, Xia Yuanji was unable to tell anyone and could only speak it out in his heart.

He used to be quite optimistic about Zhu Zhanji, but ever since he met Zhu Qizhen in the space, he had little good impression of Zhu Zhanji left.

As an emperor of a country, you can't protect the territory of your ancestors, and you still have the nerve to say that you are good. "

Even if all this is not mentioned, just based on the Zhu Qizhen in the space, Xia Yuanji would not let the other party take the throne even if he risked being beheaded, and the other party died so young.

Jian Yi snorted and said, "Rules are dead, but people are alive. You and I both know that if we only follow the rules, we can do anything."

"I cannot deny that the succession of the eldest son has indeed stabilized the foundation of the country, but can you guarantee that all the eldest sons in the future will be as outstanding as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"If a Shang Zhou were to appear, we would be sinners for all eternity."

Jin Zhong's face immediately turned ugly.

"I am talking about the present. Why do you always talk about the future? I cannot guarantee that my eldest son in the future will be as outstanding as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Then can you guarantee that all the eldest sons in the future will be mediocre? Your words are just speculations and cannot be trusted."

Listening to the two people's suppressed quarrel, Xia Yuanji wanted to stretch out his hand and say that he could prove that the Ming Dynasty only prospered for three generations, and each subsequent one was more bizarre than the last.

He had a lot of exchanges with Kangxi. Apart from the taxation issue which was what he was most concerned about, he also understood the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty.

He learned from Kangxi that although there were a few emperors after Zhu Qizhen who were able to revive the country, most of them were a bit eccentric.

Zhu Youxiao liked to be a carpenter, some liked to be a Taoist priest, and some liked to raise livestock.

More importantly, all the rest were led by the emperor's eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji, because he liked to raise crickets.

When thinking of those weird emperors in later generations, Xia Yuanji felt that even if he had not entered the space, if he knew these, he would oppose Zhu Zhanji taking the throne without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)