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

Chapter 96 You guys draw lots to decide the top scholar (please subscribe)

The old man was surprised and asked, "Take over Fengyang Mansion?"

Zhu Zhanjun nodded and said, "Yes, ever since the empty seal case appeared again, my grandson has had a doubt in his heart."

The old man became interested and asked curiously, "Tell me about it, I'll think about it for you."

Zhu Zhanjun said, "Although you have promised me that those military households who join the Chamber of Commerce will not be bound by the local guards, the emperor is far away after all."

"Those officers have absolute command power in the garrisons. If they take a fancy to the benefits of high-yield grain, they will use various means to force the military households who have joined the Chamber of Commerce to hand over the grain seeds. Or they will directly use despicable means. Then what we want to avoid will still be unavoidable."

"Even if we find out afterwards and punish those people, it will be too late after all, and it will be very troublesome to operate."

The old man nodded in agreement. As an emperor, he deeply understood that human nature could not stand the test.

Faced with benefits right in front of them and ample rights at their disposal, few people can resist the temptation.

"so what?"

Zhu Zhanjun said directly: "Using Fengyang Prefecture as the base, those military households willing to join the Chamber of Commerce will be temporarily transferred to Fengyang Prefecture, and production and construction will be based there."

"Once Fengyang has a foundation in the future, we can transfer these military households that participated in the development back to their hometowns to promote high-yield grains."

"Of course, after they return, they will no longer be ordinary soldiers, but will become deputies of local garrison officers, or re-establish a position of equal power."

"In this case, it will not be easy for those officers to intervene again."

"Moreover, these people who have been transferred back have rich planting experience and can quickly help other military households to promote it."

"More importantly, with a few years of personal training, the loyalty of these people can be guaranteed for more than a decade."

"Loyalty is good." The old man nodded and said, "But you don't know the situation in Fengyang. It is close to the two rivers and there is a possibility of flooding. It is more difficult to develop high-yield crops than in other places."

"My grandson knows."

When the plan was first formulated, Xia Yuanji mentioned the hidden dangers there and indicated that if Zhu Zhanjun found it difficult, he could think of another place, such as the Huguang region.

But Zhu Zhanjun, Zhu Biao and Lao Zhu discussed for a long time and finally decided to set it in Fengyang Prefecture.

"If you knew that, why did you choose that place?"

Zhu Zhanjun looked at the puzzled old man and said solemnly: "That is the root of our Zhu family. It is the place where our great grandfather rose to prominence."

"The people are ignorant and do not understand what natural disasters are. In their minds, when disasters happen in a place, it means that someone has angered the heavens and the heavens have sent down punishments."

"If it happened in another prefecture, the blame could be put on the local officials or village bullies."

"But Fengyang is not an option. It is the root of our Zhu family. Once a disaster occurs, the first thing people will think of is that our Zhu family has done something that angers the heavens and the people."

The old man was touched.

Zhu Zhanjun continued, "I went to Fengyang on my way back, and the situation there was not as good as I had imagined."

"I also asked the people, and many of them have some complaints. I even heard some people say that the reason Fengyang has suffered disasters in recent years is because you, Grandpa, rebelled and angered the emperor."

After taking a look at the old man and making sure he wasn't angry, Zhu Zhanjun continued, "Although the court has been investing a lot, it's still just a drop in the bucket."

"If we want to solve this problem, we must ensure that the people have adequate protection."

"The high-yield grain in my grandson's hands is this guarantee."

"As long as the people farm for one year, they can guarantee two years of food supply. Even if a natural disaster occurs, they will not starve to death, and the court will be able to reduce a lot of pressure." In fact, Zhu Zhanjun had several reasons that he didn't say.

Fengyang, as the birthplace of the dragon, has always attracted worldwide attention. If he can manage the place well, the reputation and prestige he will gain will definitely be extraordinary.

With this kind of reputation and prestige, it will be very easy to intervene in other areas.

In such an ancient environment, the power of fame and prestige cannot be underestimated.

Later, Li Zicheng, with just one sentence, "The King of Rebellion has come and no taxes are required," was welcomed by the people wherever he went.

If Zhu Zhanjun could manage Fengyang, a place plagued by disasters, into a prosperous place, the people in other places would definitely be looking forward to it.

Just like demolition, a family in a certain place received tens of millions of yuan in compensation for demolition. When you learn that the developer may demolish your hometown, who wouldn’t be looking forward to it?

It was not until noon that Zhu Zhanjun left the old man's study.

The old man agreed to let him go to Fengyang, and handed over all the military and political power of Fengyang to Zhu Zhanjun.

After getting what he wanted, Zhu Zhanjun went straight back to the imperial farm and fell into a deep sleep.

While Zhu Zhanjun was sleeping, the imperial decree was announced.

The reason for moving so quickly was that they did not want the officials to be worried about these things and delay the preparations for the Northern Expedition.

Most of the officials involved in the Empty Seal Case and the main planners were sentenced to immediate execution, while those who just followed orders were treated as accomplices, stripped of their official positions and honors, and exiled to Fengyang.

More than 30 people who participated in the rebellion were beheaded, their property was confiscated, and their families were exiled to Fengyang Prefecture.

Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han who led the rebellion, was stripped of his royal title, and his entire family was exiled to Fengyang a year later. They were ordered to guard the ancestral tomb and were not allowed to leave without the emperor's order.

He was an accomplice of Zhu Gaosui and his title was demoted to that of a prince. After he turned one year old, he was immediately sent to become a fiefdom.

Most of the students and great scholars who sat in silent protest at the gate of the imperial palace were exiled for their involvement in the rebellion, and the rest whose crimes were less serious had their academic titles revoked and were never allowed to take exams again.

The old man's thunderous methods made all the officials and students in the court tremble with fear.

There were thousands of students who studied hard for more than ten years, but all their efforts were wiped out in one day by the emperor.

The Ministry of Rites was even more desperate, as almost all the candidates who went to Beijing to take the exam this year were wiped out.

The joint examination was held at the beginning of the year, but because the old man was concerned about the war in the north and because of Empress Xu's health, he did not have time to hold the palace examination.

The Empress has recovered recently, and His Majesty has agreed to hold the palace examination in November to end this stage of the imperial examination.

The result is now ready, no need to prepare.

Among those whose names were on the list released some time ago, only three were recuperating at home due to illness and did not participate in the sit-in protest, while the rest were all wiped out.

Those who were exiled were exiled, and those who were sent home went home.

There are only these three people left, what's the point of taking the exam? Just give the top three places to them and let them draw lots. Whoever draws the lottery gets it.

As for the empty imperial edict, the old man stated that Zhu Zhanjun had already written the content and gave it to him for preview.

The imperial edict has been sealed under the portrait of Emperor Taizu in the Taimiao, and will be taken out and announced when it is needed in the future.

What is written?
The old man did not say anything, but just stated that it was not what everyone thought, but was beneficial to the country and the people. Only then was the matter officially settled.

(End of this chapter)