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

Chapter 279: Storm is coming, new and old carrots

Looking at the last words in front of him, Zhu Zhanjun was silent for a long time, then gently folded it and put it in his arms.

"He's in the prison, and there are guards at the door. Didn't anyone notice him?"

Ji Gang sighed helplessly.

"He is the commander of the Imperial Guard after all. Although he has been temporarily removed from his post, everyone knows his relationship with His Highness."

"In the eyes of the brothers, it is only a matter of time before he is reinstated."

"Isn't that how the officialdom works? The brothers will naturally treat him as the commander. When he orders someone to leave, the brothers who are guarding him will not dare to disobey."

"Later, a brother wanted to come in to get something when it was time to go on duty, but he found out..."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded and looked at Xiaohu who was squatting on the ground with his head in his hands.

"Collect his body, and you will personally escort him home. His eldest son will inherit the title."

Then he looked at Ji Gang, "After all, he used to be the commander of the Imperial Guard. It's inevitable that he will offend people with this position. Let the Imperial Guard help him more."

Ji Gang understood the meaning instantly.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could he not know that few people would have good results if they stepped down from this position.

Since ancient times, few commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have had a good end.

Liangzi's methods were cultivated by him personally, and they were even more ruthless than his own.

He valued her very much and always regarded her as his successor, but he did not expect that she would choose such a path. He felt regretful in his heart.

"Yes."

Zhu Zhanjun pressed his eyebrows, raised his hand and waved to let the two leave.

Soon, within the afternoon alone, news spread that Liang Zi, the current Jinyiwei commander and one of the thirteen people brought back by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, had unfortunately died when he was attacked by an assassin while on duty.

Some of those who had conflicts with him felt greatly relieved, and if they were not worried that the furious Jinyiwei would come to cause trouble, they would have planned to set off firecrackers at the door.

But people with deep thoughts smell a different scent from it, and always feel that a storm is about to come.

The next morning, officials in Beijing got up early.

In many people’s impressions, people in the Ming and Qing dynasties would get up early and run to the palace to stand guard and attend court meetings.

In fact, this is a misunderstanding of film and television.

There are many kinds of court meetings.

Everyone got up early and went to the Fengtian Hall to attend court, which was usually a grand court meeting held once a year.

Normally, when attending court, most of the people present were the heads of several important departments, who would go to the emperor's study to discuss matters.

Only when something major happens will an emergency court meeting be attended by all.

In addition to these, there is also a meeting of officials in Beijing on the first and fifteenth day of every month.

Those who came were the heads of various departments, and the deputies were not qualified to participate.

The content of the meeting is to report on the matters handled by various departments in the past half month, or matters that cannot be decided, and bring them up for discussion together.

However, there is one department that is special, and that is the Censorate.

No matter which court meeting it is, in addition to a few chief officials, a few people will be sent over.

Hai Rui took a steamed bun and an egg from the only servant and housekeeper in the house, and walked out while eating.

However, as soon as he walked out the door, his hands stopped moving.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoosh..."

The sound of armor rubbing against each other was heard. Hai Rui looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large number of Jinyiwei personnel appearing on the street under the light of the fire.

Every Jinyiwei had a tense face, holding the hilt of the Xiuchun sword at their waist, or holding the bow and crossbow in their hands, and followed their respective officers to rush to different places.

A member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who passed by noticed someone was observing him, so he took a quick look and then looked away.

How could they not know the Left Inspector of the Censorate? The other party was the Crown Prince's man and was not their target, so they naturally would not be idle and give orders to offend this big man.

Thinking about what happened yesterday, Hai Rui did not ask any questions. After the other team passed by, he ran over quickly.

He walked in deep thought all the way to the outside of Fengtian Gate, where many people had gathered to prepare to enter the palace for court.

"Hai Yushi!"

"Brother Hai."

Along the way, people kept greeting Hai Rui.

No matter who it was, Hai Rui nodded slightly without showing any smile on his face.

No one cared. This Hai Gangfeng was known as the Cold-Faced Bao Gong. He never smiled at anyone and everyone was used to it.

If Hai Rui smiles at you one day, you should be prepared to be impeached by the Censorate as well.

When Hai Rui arrived at his seat, he was just about to take out the bottle to drink some water and eat the egg he had just eaten when Jian Yi walked over. The people around him immediately lowered their voices and pricked up their ears to eavesdrop on some news.

When they came just now, they saw the Jinyiwei all over the street.

Considering the news of the assassination of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard yesterday, even a fool would understand that something big would definitely happen today.

But they don’t know the specific situation, they just hope to learn a thing or two from these big guys and avoid the risks.

However, they were disappointed.

Jian Yi walked up to Hai Rui and handed him today's roll call book. After Hai Rui wrote his name on it, the two nodded and returned to their respective seats.

How could others know that the two of them only exchanged glances and understood each other's meaning.

As the time approached, under the supervision of an imperial censor, everyone stood in line, walked into the open palace gate, and went straight into the Fengtian Hall.

However, upon entering the hall, everyone was stunned.

The chair where the old man used to sit was now empty, and there was an extra seat next to it. Zhu Zhanjun, dressed in court robes, was sitting sideways on the seat, with his elbow resting on the hand guard, his forehead resting on his hand, and his eyes closed in deep thought.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be well and safe."

Everyone's heart sank slightly, and after looking at the eunuchs on duty and confirming that the emperor would not come, they, led by the Minister of Rites Zhao Xian, bowed to Zhu Zhanjun. "No need to be polite, everyone!"

Zhu Zhanjun opened his eyes and raised his hand gently.

After everyone stood up, Zhu Zhanjun stopped the censor from reporting today's attendance and slowly said:

"In the fifth year of Yongle, I received news that there was food in a place thousands of miles away that could feed the people."

When Zhu Zhanjun spoke, many people's hearts skipped a beat and they secretly thought, "As expected, he's here."

Without paying attention to the reactions of the people below, Zhu Zhanjun slowly stood up and walked down the stairs.

"After more than two years of hardships, I led dozens of people to fight against the sky, the earth, jackals and wild beasts, and finally brought back the auspicious sign that would save the stomachs of all the people in the Ming Dynasty from thousands of miles away."

Coming to the bottom of the stairs, Zhu Zhanjun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at every face in front of him, and said calmly, "Originally, I thought that by promoting it step by step, everyone in the world would slowly accept this new thing, so that everyone could have enough to eat."

"But there are some people." His gaze lingered on a few people, and they lowered their heads guiltily.

"They just can't bear to see the common people live well. The rich are feasting and drinking, while the poor are freezing to death on the streets."

"Perhaps in the eyes of these high-ranking nobles, the lower-class people and the rude soldiers are only worthy of being their slaves and servants, and are only worthy of being driven like livestock."

There was a deathly silence in the hall, and no one present dared to look Zhu Zhanjun in the eye.

"When I first started studying, my teacher told me to read, learn to read, understand the truth, know good and evil, understand etiquette, establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, and inherit lost knowledge for the afterlife."

"I was deeply moved at the time and determined to become a great man who could save the world."

Zhu Zhanjun walked slowly into the queue of officials. Although his voice was not loud, everyone who heard it felt a chill in their hearts.

They have been officials for many years and understand the king's moods best. They can often find opportunities to resolve such moods.

This kind of calm attitude is the most terrifying, because you can never figure out what the king is thinking.

If you can't guess what the king is thinking, you won't be able to break the deadlock when you encounter difficulties.

Zhu Zhanjun stopped in front of an official and looked at him quietly: "Later, I realized that the words of the saints are learned to be told to others. If you use them on yourself, you are a fool."

The official who was stared at by Zhu Zhanjun had layers of cold sweat on his forehead and his body was trembling slightly.

He couldn't understand why the young prince in front of him had such a solemn aura and murderous aura.

"Liu Jianshi, do you think so too?"

Zhu Zhanjun's question frightened the official in front of him so much that his legs went limp and he fell to the ground.

"Chen...chen...chen..."

The official collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear and unable to utter complete sentences.

Zhu Zhanjun ignored him and stood next to another official.

"You said."

"thump!"

The official simply prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed continuously.

I asked several officials in a row, but no one dared to answer.

Zhu Zhanjun didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk up the stairs.

Before some officials could breathe a sigh of relief, Zhu Zhanjun's voice rang out again.

"Ji Gang."

These two short words were like a thunderclap, rumbling in everyone's mind.

The devil is back again.

"Crash..."

Before everyone could recover from the shock of Ji Gang's return, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

In just a moment, a large number of Jinyiwei personnel rushed in.

Zhu Zhanjun waved his hand: "Catch him!"

"Your Majesty, take the order."

Ji Gang knelt on one knee, shouted loudly, turned around and waved his hand.

"Arrests!"

The Jinyiwei, who had already assigned their targets, rushed directly into the group of officials and dragged them out one by one.

The officials who were dragged out had stiff bodies, but they instantly became limp when touched by the Jinyiwei.

Some cried for mercy, while others shouted their injustice.

But the Jinyiwei ignored them and dragged them out directly.

In just a short while, one-third of the people in the Fengtian Hall left, and the remaining people were so frightened that they dared not speak a word.

The people that Zhu Zhanjun targeted this time were not only those who interfered in the high-yield grain issue, but also those who were corrupt, engaged in favoritism, and protected each other among officials in various places.

There is a saying that goes, when the people brought a lawsuit against an official appointed by the imperial court, it was not because the people had evidence, but because someone above them wanted to deal with this guy.

Some guys have been inactive as officials and have not fallen yet. They must be protected by someone.

Zhu Zhanjun just went ahead and did it himself.

Since the superiors of these guys don't want to deal with them, then he, the superior of the superiors, will take action himself.

The positions in the imperial court are divided into individual positions. If the top position is not moved, the bottom position will not be able to continue working.

After cleaning out these rotten radishes, the students who have been interning in various departments of Daming Management College for quite a while, these new tender radish seedlings, can take over directly.

As a student of the School of Management, Zhu Zhanjun also understood that they might not necessarily become good officials in the future, but at least in the beginning, these students who had received new-style education had quite simple thoughts.

Even if they were only honest for two years, that would be enough. The Ming Dynasty lacked everything except officials. At most, they would be kicked back into jail after one or two years and replaced by a new batch of officials.

(End of this chapter)