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

Chapter 278 Desire is endless, greed is endless

"came back."

When Zhu Zhanjun returned to the palace, the old man actually came to Zhu Zhanjun's bedroom, which was rare.

Seeing that his grandson did not respond, the old man put his arm around Zhu Zhanjun's shoulders.

"It's been a while since we two have had a chat together. We have nothing to do today, so let's go for a walk."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded and walked towards the back garden side by side with the old man.

Not long after the beginning of summer, the flowers and leaves in the garden are in full bloom.

Huo Wenxiu liked flowers and plants, so Zhu Zhanjun had people plant flowers and plants behind the palace, which would bloom all year round.

As you enter the garden, the fragrance of flowers instantly hits you.

Various flowers bloom towards the sky, accompanied by the lit lights and the beautiful night view, which makes people feel relaxed.

The grandfather and grandson came to the pavilion, where some snacks and drinks had been prepared.

Sitting opposite each other, the old man picked up the wine jug and poured a glass for Zhu Zhanjun.

“The most greedy thing in this world is human beings, because human beings do not know how to be content.”

"You only make one cent a day, and you think to yourself, I wish I could make ten cents a day."

"But when you can earn ten cents, you will want to earn fifty cents, then a hundred cents, a thousand cents, and then silver and gold."

"In this world, it is rare to find one person in a million who can stick to his true heart."

"Most of the guards who followed you to the north were born in the lowest class."

"When you suddenly become rich and your status suddenly rises, it's hard for most people to stick to their original intentions. It's inevitable that they will become a little arrogant and lose their inner self."

"That's why, when the imperial court is selecting personnel, even if they are outstanding talents, they have to be trained step by step from the bottom."

"In addition to allowing them to gain experience, it is also to prevent them from losing their conscience due to changes in their status and power, and making decisions that harm the people and the court."

"Although your men have suffered, their status has suddenly changed since they were promoted from the bottom to earls. Without strong psychological suppression, it would be difficult for them to adapt."

If they were all the same, just an idle earl, that would be fine."

"But among these thirteen people, except for Xiaohu who is with you as a guard, the others have their own positions and control certain powers."

"And this results in some of them holding high positions and some holding low positions."

"The highest ones became the commander of an army, the commander of a government office, or the administrator of a vassal state, while the lowest ones were just a guard or the person in charge of a chamber of commerce area."

"Also, Qiu Yuan, the descendant of a criminal official, was able to control such a large influence just because of his sister in the eyes of others."

"People tend to compare with each other. Maybe in the early stage, they won't think too much about their loyalty to you."

"But as time goes by and the people around them change, they will inevitably have different ideas in their minds."

"We are brothers who have been through thick and thin together. Why can the other person sit in a high position while I can only be a lowly merchant manager?"

"Add to that money, beauty, and other temptations, and depravity is inevitable."

Looking at Zhu Zhanjun who was listening silently, the old man raised his glass and clinked glasses with his grandson.

After drinking the wine in the glass in one gulp, the old man exhaled the wine and gave advice: "As an official and manager, you need talent, knowledge, cognition, and decisiveness. None of them can be missing."

"Your guards all come from the lowest class, and more than half of them can't even read. If you don't learn how to improve yourself, it's only a matter of time before you fall."

"When you assigned them positions, I once said something to you. Do you remember?"

Zhu Zhanjun thought about it and recalled what the old man said leisurely that day when he came back to eat after arranging work for Xiaohu and others.

“Not everyone is suited to be an official or manager.”

At that time, he only thought that these people were loyal to him, and since he had no useful people under him, he did not pay too much attention to these words.

Now it seems that when the old man said this, he had already anticipated that something like this would happen today.

That night, the grandfather and grandson talked a lot.

From 5000 years of history to the current people's livelihood and the court situation.

It was not until dawn that the old man stood up, yawning, and patted Zhu Zhanjun on the shoulder.

"Don't think too much. The world is so big and people's hearts are so numerous. Even the gods in heaven can't control people's hearts, let alone an ordinary mortal like you."

"As the future emperor, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and standing at the pinnacle of power, you have to face this kind of thing every moment."

"What you need to do is not to sulk here or feel sorry for yourself, but to use everything you can to pull the carriage that has gone astray back on track."

"As a ruler, you should uphold the right principles and march forward courageously."

"Kick away the stones that block the road, cut off the thorns ahead, and continue to steer the carriage of the Ming Dynasty towards the bright and glorious future that you believe in."

Zhu Zhanjun looked up at the old man, and nodded heavily under his encouraging gaze.

The old man smiled, stretched and said, "I'm too old to stay up late. I'll go back and catch up on my sleep."

Looking at the old man leaving in a carefree manner, Zhu Zhanjun stood up and bowed deeply to the old man's back.

Ever since the old man identified him, he has been correcting his path every moment.

Most of the credit for Zhu Zhanjun’s current achievements goes to the teachings of his grandfather Zhu Biao and his grandfather.

As for later history, it serves only as a reference.

The way of the emperor, the way of the human heart, the way of balance.

History cannot teach these things. Only those who have experienced them personally can explain their essence and rationale.

When you are in your position, you should know your job, be clear-minded, and work hard.

Only those who have experienced it will understand that relying solely on conjecture or obtaining it from books is nothing but empty talk and castles in the air.

Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, only by seeing, listening, and experiencing it with your own eyes can you understand the truth and difficulties. After a night of conversation, Zhu Zhanjun's heart was completely calm.

Zhu Zhanjun went to take a look at the child sent back by the old man. Looking at the little guy who was sleeping soundly and smacking his lips from time to time, a happy smile appeared on his face.

A happy family and healthy old and young is the greatest happiness in the world, and all other difficulties are not difficulties.

After breakfast, Zhu Zhanjun came to the Jinyiwei and went straight into the imperial prison.

Because of his special status, Liangzi was not imprisoned in the lowest level, but was locked up in a relatively clean cell.

The Jinyiwei did not torture him. They knew in their hearts that their second-in-command had only angered His Highness and asked him to come in for a chat. He would probably leave after a few days.

If you dare to add insult to injury at this time, you will have no chance of recovery later.

When Zhu Zhanjun walked into the cell, Liangzi was sitting quietly on the bed, looking at the light coming in through the narrow window.

Hearing the noise, he looked back stiffly, and when he saw it was Zhu Zhanjun, he quickly stood up and knelt on the ground.

Zhu Zhanjun didn't let him get up. He asked the Jinyiwei to bring a chair and sit directly opposite him.

"Go ahead."

Looking at this subordinate who had no expression on his face due to a facial injury, Zhu Zhanjun spoke calmly.

Liang Zi was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice: "He deserves to die."

"anything else?"

"After he went to the south, he was fine for the first two years. Later, a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River arranged a marriage with him and married all three daughters to him."

"Haha." Zhu Zhanjun sneered, "Three daughters, what a generous gift, with sisters serving each other, it's really a blessing to have all the wives. Three rich young ladies, there should be quite a lot of dowry."

"Three hundred hectares of land, more than 50 maids of various beauties, gold and silver, shops, and dozens of mansions." Liangzi answered truthfully.

"His father-in-law's younger brother is a grain merchant. He approached him to get high-yield seeds, but he disagreed at first."

"Later, it should be his wives who persuaded him to do something. He was slightly moved. Seeing that Qiu Yuan only warned him and did not report to His Highness, he became bolder and caused what happened today."

"Who attacked Qiu Yuan?" Zhu Zhanjun asked again.

"His father-in-law."

"He is his father-in-law's backer. Once Qiu Yuan finds out about this, such a huge loss will be reported to His Highness. If he falls, his father-in-law's family will not have a good ending."

Zhu Zhanjun's expression was icy as he said, "So they're going to kill people to silence them, right?"

Liangzi remained silent and tacitly agreed to this matter.

"Does he know?"

Liang Zi shook his head: "I don't know. I wrote to him, but I haven't received a reply yet."

"When did you know?" Zhu Zhanjun asked again.

"On the day Qiu Yuan returned to Beijing seriously ill, I sent someone to investigate. I trusted him too much before and never sent anyone."

"Why didn't you report it to me?"

"He saved my life."

There was no sound in the cell, except for the sound of Zhu Zhanjun's fingers tapping on the armrest of the chair.

After a while, Zhu Zhanjun suddenly stood up and walked out of the cell without saying anything.

Liang Zi, kneeling in the cell, looked at the figure walking out and said to the Jinyiwei guarding outside the door: "Prepare paper and pen for me."

The Jinyiwei did not dare to delay and quickly brought paper and pen.

Liangzi picked up the pen and wrote silently. After finishing the whole article, he put down the brush, knelt silently in front of the table, and stared at the paper cutter beside him.

Half an hour later, Ji Gang rode his horse to the Veterans Chamber of Commerce and found Zhu Zhanjun who was checking the account books.

"What happened?"

When Zhu Zhanjun heard the noise, he withdrew his gaze from the account book and glanced at Ji Gang. Noticing that the other party had a complicated expression, he asked in confusion.

"Liang Zi committed suicide."

"Batt!"

The brush in Zhu Zhanjun's hand fell on the table, and red cinnabar dotted the account book.

Xiaohu, who was guarding nearby, suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Ji Gang by the collar.

"Ji Gang, you bastard, what do you think of that person? Did you send someone to do this?"

Xiaohu became more and more annoyed as he spoke, and he raised his hand to hit Ji Gang.

"enough!"

Zhu Zhanjun shouted coldly, and Xiaohu angrily let go of Ji Gang.

Ji Gang didn't care about the mess on his body. He took out a piece of paper and placed it in front of Zhu Zhanjun.

Zhu Zhanjun slowly opened it and read the contents clearly.

"I have followed you, Your Majesty, for more than ten years. I started from humble beginnings, and now, thanks to your grace, I have been promoted to a higher position, in charge of the imperial court, and above all others."

"I have no way to repay your kindness, my Lord. I should have risked my life to repay you, but because of our brotherly love, I hope to go astray."

"I know very well that this is a crime of deceiving the emperor, but the emperor cannot bear to punish me out of consideration for our old friendship."

"But the country has its own laws and the family has its own rules. I deserve to be put to death..."

"… Your Majesty's kindness and grace are so great that I cannot repay you in this life. If there is an afterlife, I will serve you like a dog and a horse to repay your eternal kindness."

(End of this chapter)