Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 174 Who Goes to Japan
In addition to finding an official position, Teng Yi also needs to make changes to some officials of the Ming Dynasty and participate in policy changes.

Without exception, these policies are centered around reform. If he cannot keep up with Zhu's thinking, then his position as the Minister of Personnel will be over.

Besides him, many other people who hold important positions are like this.

But no one dared to say anything, because ever since Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the official assessment system among the Crown Prince's Three Strategies.

The Ming officialdom began to fall into a trend of internal fatigue, and whoever fell behind would be in big trouble.

According to some rumors, Zhu Yuanzhang was also planning to set up a team independent of the officialdom in the capital. By then, the Minister of Personnel would have a lot of work to do.

Teng Yi picked up a document at random, which contained all the detailed information about Yang Chen.

Teng Yi was deeply impressed by this young man.

There was no other reason. It was because a few months ago, the other party was just an ordinary civilian. Unexpectedly, in less than two months,

He was promoted to a seventh-rank official and now had become the Left Censor-in-Chief, an important position in charge of supervising officials outside the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

There are only two highest-level censors in the Ming Dynasty Censorate. One is the Left Censor-in-Chief currently held by Yang Chen, and the other is the Right Censor-in-Chief who is stationed in the capital and supervises all officials in the capital.

Both of them held second-rank official positions and enjoyed treatment that others envied.

This job is also very difficult, especially for the Right Censor-in-Chief, who needs to monitor all officials in the capital of the imperial court. If he is not careful, he may easily offend people.

For this reason, Zhu Yuanzhang left the post of Left Censor-in-Chief stationed outside to Yang Chen.

"Where on earth does this guy come from? His Majesty and the Crown Prince keep speaking for him. Could he also be a 'prince'?"

In addition to Yang Chen’s basic information, the document also includes what he has done and other people’s comments.

Ever since he shined at the grand court meeting, rumors began to spread inside and outside the court, saying that Yang Chen and Zhu Biao were actually brothers, and even among the princes, Yang Chen was the second oldest.

Otherwise, how could such an iron-blooded emperor marry the daughter of one of his generals to him?

He also let His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, who was originally stationed on the border of the Ming Dynasty, be handed over to the other side to do the dirty work.

Zhenjiang Prefecture has now gone from being a place that was not ranked high to a place that everyone in the capital city yearns for.

Except for a small number of people who could enter and exit freely, most officials in the capital had to get Zhu Yuanzhang's approval before entering to investigate.

Otherwise, once discovered by the soldiers left behind by Ma Bin and others, Yang Chen, the Left Censor-in-Chief who is away, will have the right to punish them.

This is also the power given by Zhu Yuanzhang.

As you said, anyone who sees Yang Chen holding such great power would associate him with the emperor's son.

Thinking of the special mystery surrounding Yang Chen, Teng Yi began to flip through the documents and began to examine them carefully.

At the end, it is the suggestions that Yang Chen wrote to the court.

This suggestion was given to him, the Minister of Personnel.

The general content is as follows.

Dear leaders:
Hello!

In order to better promote the grassroots management of the Ming Dynasty to serve the people and let the people influence the three reports on policies, I hope that Minister Teng can mobilize several scholars from the academy, requiring them to be obedient, sensible, studious, and able to learn new knowledge.
After reading the entire document, Teng Yi felt it was extremely formal, as if this way of writing was the kind of report that every official should learn.

Although it was somewhat complicated and difficult to understand after reading, Teng Yi believed that this nonsense was far better than what most officials wrote who knew nothing.

That's why he took the trouble to read on.

In the end, he also understood what Yang Chen's hope was.

It took Zhenjiang Prefecture less than two months to transform its original poverty into its current prosperity.

Large quantities of fine salt, soaps, perfumes, exquisite glass gems and other items were produced and sold to the south, allowing some southern merchants to make money.

Logically speaking, the Jiangnan region was currently suffering from Zhu Yuanzhang's great purge, so how come this group of guys not only didn't feel sad, but instead went to do business?
The problem arises when Yang Chen's products are in line with Zhu Yuanzhang's new policies.

First, the new land reform regulations stipulated that within the Ming Dynasty, land was annexed through economic and bureaucratic means, resulting in the phenomenon that the people had no land to cultivate. Zhu Yuanzhang insisted that Lan Yu and others purge the army and implement the three whatevers.

Anyone who was unwilling to cooperate with Lan Yu in clearing out the army would be killed and their property would be confiscated.

The Ming Dynasty will give certain compensation to any merchant who is willing to cooperate with its new land reform policy, such as allowing them to go out to sea to do business. If they encounter difficulties, they can go to the port and apply for the Ming Dynasty navy to attack.

For any merchants and officials who voluntarily donated their land, the Ming court would not only not punish them for their previous mistakes, but would also provide them with multiple preferential treatments under the original compensation conditions.

Now, Yang Chen needs him to arrange for a few young people who are good at studying to be teachers in Zhenjiang Prefecture!

"Teach retired soldiers to learn Chinese, promote the establishment of grassroots service centers in the Ming Dynasty, and let the common people know the emperor's policies."

Teng Yi was muttering something, which was mostly some of Yang Chen's ideas.

This made Teng Yi a little annoyed, because the other party was only a second-rank official, while he, as the Minister of Personnel, was a first-rank official.

Why can the other party, who has a lower official position than him, order him to do this and that?
After drinking a few cups of tea, Teng Yi still felt unhappy. Now he had only one idea, which was to find a way to make Yang Chen stop talking like this and make suggestions.

Otherwise, the other party would just talk while he, an old man, would have to run around, which would make him feel very embarrassed.

But Teng Yi didn't know how to tell Zhu Yuanzhang about this matter for a moment.

"Mr. Shangshu!"

While he was thinking, a eunuch's voice came from outside the door. Teng Yi was very familiar with this voice. It was the eunuch in charge of Zhu Yuanzhang's affairs.

Although he was a first-rank official, he still had to be polite to the eunuch who held the seal, probably because it had been so throughout history.

There is an old saying that goes, It is easy to see the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with little ghosts. Teng Yi is clear about this truth.

Without any hesitation, he responded:
"Eunuch Lu, please come in directly."

Outside the door, Eunuch Lu didn't waste any time hearing this and pushed the door open directly.

Eunuch Lu, dressed in a crimson eunuch uniform, bowed first, and Teng Yi stood up to return the greeting. Only then did he begin to convey the words Zhu Yuanzhang had given him.

"I hope you won't be offended by my rash interruption."

Teng Yi waved his hand casually to show that he was fine.

"It's okay. I wonder if Eunuch Lu has anything to tell me? Is it His Majesty's intention?" Eunuch Lu nodded, and because he had his testicles removed when he was a child, resulting in insufficient testosterone and delayed development, a slightly thin voice sounded.

"Yes, I hope Minister Teng will come with me to meet His Majesty as soon as possible and do not waste any more time."

"Okay! I'll go with you right away."

After saying that, Teng Yi did not waste any more time. He stood up and casually packed up some documents. At the same time, he instructed his confidants to take care of the work of the Ministry of Personnel and not to slack off on anything.

Outside Zhu Yuanzhang's study, the Minister of Personnel Teng Yi, led by the eunuch in charge of the seal, quickly crossed the long corridor and arrived outside Zhu Yuanzhang's study.

When he saw a familiar figure standing at the door, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Because this person is Zhu Biao.

When Zhu Biao saw Teng Yi appear, a smile appeared on his face. He took the initiative to step forward and greet him:

"Haha, Minister Teng, it's been a long time since we last met. You seem to be in better shape than before. My father will be very happy to see you in this state of mind."

When Teng Yi arrived, the eunuch in charge of the seal left, and the remaining two people began to communicate.

"Your Highness, you are joking. I have only been practicing the Five Animal Exercises for many years. I do not expect to stay strong. I just want to be able to share more responsibilities with Your Majesty."

Teng Yi had once taught Zhu Biao about how to employ people, so the two of them were both teachers and friends.

"By the way, Crown Prince, you were not in the East Palace to handle government affairs, so why were you summoned here by His Majesty?"

In his subconscious understanding, Zhu Yuanzhang would only carefully call Zhu Biao to discuss things in the past, and would never let the other party appear outside the study door in broad daylight like he did today.

Now that this scene had actually occurred, Teng Yi subconsciously wanted to know the cause and effect of the incident.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao took a deep breath and said softly:
"Minister Teng, you should also know that a lot of things have happened in the entire Ming Dynasty recently. Whether it is you, me, my father, or even hundreds of people in the entire court, they are all busy.

This is not the case. My third brother left the capital and led tens of thousands of Ming navy to Southeast Asia to explore the unknown world outside the Ming Dynasty.

My father summoned you and me today, and it should be related to the overseas world."

After learning about these things, Teng Yi also made some preparations in his heart.

It is not known when it started, but some of Teng Yi's ministers began to clearly feel that Zhu Yuanzhang was gradually yearning for the overseas world.

This was something that had never happened before. In the past, those ministers would have done their best to stop Zhu Yuanzhang from exploring outward.

The reason is very simple, that is because the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was not good. However, it is different now. With the innovative technology brought by Yang Chen in Zhenjiang Prefecture, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty has slowly shown its fangs.

No matter how stupid the ministers in the court are, they can feel that if they do not set their sights on more pioneering positions in the future, sooner or later, they will be pulled down from their official positions because of their backward ideas.

Unfortunately, even if they want to yearn for the overseas world, not many people have such ability.

The thinking of the Central Plains has been constrained for too long. Even if some people know what the overseas world is like, a very few people will not be happy in order to choose to abide by the law.

This is a tough battle between conservatives and liberals.

Just as he was thinking, Zhu Biao's words pulled him out of the illusion.

"Minister Teng, let's not stand here and talk. Let's go in together. Otherwise, if we keep my father waiting for a long time, he will be angry."

Looking up, Teng Yi nodded and responded:
"Okay, please, Prince."

"please!"

The two pushed open the door and heard the sound of wood rubbing against each other at the joint of the door, followed by the sound of writing and putting down books in the study.

Passing the carved wooden screen, Teng Yi soon saw Zhu Yuanzhang sitting cross-legged on a huge bed. There were several steam stoves on both sides of the aisle where he was walking.

According to the original Ming Dynasty technology, they should have used burning coal for heating, but Yang Chen disliked the trouble and danger.

The carbon dioxide produced in a confined space is no joke. If you are not careful, it can kill a person in their sleep.

To this end, Yang Chen directly used external combustion water, and the steam pipes produced were connected to the heater generated in the house for heating. This thing would neither produce carbon dioxide to suffocate people, nor would it cause the charcoal fire to accidentally come into contact with combustible objects and cause the entire palace to be engulfed in fire.

When Zhu Yuanzhang finally saw this, he ordered people to arrange it in various places in the imperial palace where he would live for a long time.

It is now the end of October and winter has arrived. When he was walking outside before, the cold wind kept blowing. No matter how strong Teng Yi's body was, he could not withstand the invasion of the cold. Now that he was suddenly enveloped by warmth, he naturally relaxed subconsciously.

Looking up and straight ahead, Zhu Yuanzhang was just about to pack up the things in front of him, and next to him stood a man as strong as steel.

Mao Xiang!

This was the first Jinyiwei commander of the Ming Dynasty. He was the craziest dog around Zhu Yuanzhang. All the officials, except for a few, were terrified when they heard about him. If anyone was entangled by the Jinyiwei, he would be like a dog-skin plaster that could not be shaken off, like a maggot on the heel.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang sent Lan Yu to the south of the Yangtze River, he achieved many great achievements, and Mao Xiang gradually became active among officials.

As Zhu Yuanzhang's mad dog, Mao Xiang relied on the Jinyiwei's flexible nose to look for officials related to Jiangnan. As long as he smelled any clues, he would find many involved people.

In recent times, no less than three hundred officials have suffered tragic endings, which is more or less related to Mao Xiang.

Teng Yi felt bitter in his heart. As a high-ranking official, he could never gain the emperor's 100% trust. He had long known that the emperor was very suspicious. However, from ancient times to the present, if a capable emperor did not have a heart that questioned anyone, he would not have left his name in history.

According to the rules, move the recliner to the middle position, collect your mind a little, and put yourself in a state where you won't be disrespectful.

"Your Majesty! Minister of Personnel Teng Yi pays respect to His Majesty!"

"Okay, don't be so formal with me. I just asked you to come here today to have a casual chat. You don't have to be as formal as going to court. You know me. I don't like beating around the bush or playing tricks."

Zhu Yuanzhang supported his body with his hands and sat in a casual posture, just like an old man from Northeast China chatting with young people about family matters. There was no dignity of an emperor at all.

As a minister, Teng Yi certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to treat this moment as a casual chat. He knew the temper of the emperor in front of him very well.

He had originally planned that Zhu Yuanzhang would immediately ask him about the overseas world, but he did not expect that Zhu Yuanzhang would not mention this matter when he spoke, but instead talked about other things, which surprised him a little.

"Teng Yi, you have been working for the court for a long time. There is one thing I want to know from you. I hope you can answer truthfully and don't lie to me just to consider my temper.

Otherwise, we won’t get an accurate answer and won’t know what to do next, do you understand? "

Although he didn't know what the Emperor wanted to do, Teng Yi finally nodded and responded:

"Your Majesty, what are you talking about? As a subject, I will tell you the truth. What do you want to know from me?"

(End of this chapter)