Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 47: A sudden thunderbolt
"Father, forget it."

Zhu Biao saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was blushing again, so he quickly pulled him out of the house and consoled him, "Yunfeng's mistake was unintentional."

"Humph!"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not get angry immediately. He just snorted coldly, turned around and left.

Zhu Biao turned around to look at the Prince of Yan's residence, then shook his head, smiled bitterly and followed Zhu Yuanzhang away.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked very fast, with the gait of a tiger and the pace of a dragon, so Zhu Biao had to jog to keep up with him.

It was the coldest time of the year and there was no snow in Yingtian Prefecture, but a cold wind was blowing, causing the robes of Zhu Yuanzhang and his son to flutter and rustle.

Zhu Biao followed Zhu Yuanzhang without saying a word.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowed down his pace and sighed after a moment: "Biao'er, do you think your father is too indulgent to your brothers?"

"Father is also worried about the Ming Dynasty. But their actions still need to be restrained."

Zhu Biao shook his head.

He had spoken well of Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang in history, but not now.

But later, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer tolerate their behavior, so he summoned them back to the capital to question them.

Zhu Biao was worried that Zhu Yuanzhang would kill them in a rage, so he spoke out to persuade them.

After all, he is my own brother from the same mother.

Although Zhu Biao was benevolent, the values ​​of the ancients were very different from those of later generations.

Zhu Biao would not punish his own brother for the hundreds or thousands of dead civilians whom he had never met.

Moreover, Zhu Biao himself knew clearly that Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to kill his brothers, but just needed a way out, so he had to give him this way out.

So many times, even if he was a crown prince, and the crown prince with the most stable position in history, there were many helpless things.

Isn't it the same for Zhu Yuanzhang?

In the "Imperial Record of Misdeeds" he wrote in the 20th year of Hongwu, he recorded all the deeds of his sons.

But what's the use?
He knew very well what his sons had done in their fiefdoms, but he simply did not punish them.

So even if Zhu Yunfeng called his sons beasts, he would not be very angry, because he himself also called Zhu Chong worse than beasts.

What really made Zhu Yuanzhang unhappy was that Zhu Yunfeng could not understand his difficulties and only knew how to curse his sons as a group of beasts.

But he didn't know that he had no other choice.

Doesn't he know that his sons are beasts?
If he doesn't let them go out to establish fiefdoms and guard the borders, who will protect the Ming Dynasty?

The Mongols in the north were watching covetously.

There was also turmoil within the Ming Dynasty.

Those generals who command heavy troops on the border may rebel at any time.

Apart from his own flesh and blood, people whom he can trust, who else can go to guard the place?

"Ugh."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply, looked up at the night sky, his eyes full of sadness.

Obviously, as his descendants, he can understand how difficult it was for his father, but he cannot understand how difficult it was for his ancestor.

It's a bit sad after all.

now.

In the cold wind, Zhu Yuanzhang's thin body was filled with desolation.

However, Zhu Yunfeng obviously did not know that his drunken conversation with Zhu Di was heard by Zhu Yuanzhang, nor did he know that Zhu Yuanzhang was sad.

But even if he knew, he would not be able to sympathize with Zhu Yuanzhang's difficulties and would just watch coldly.

Because this reflects the difference in values ​​between ancient and modern times.

There are always people who think that if they go back to ancient times, they will be the best of the best and can do whatever they want, while the rest of the people are just grass in their eyes.

But I don’t know how you would feel if you went back to ancient times one day and became an innocent citizen brutally killed by Zhu Yuanzhang’s sons?
Or if you become an ordinary citizen in Nanjing, and suddenly one day they say you are in collusion with Hu Weiyong and are going to be beheaded, how would you feel?
In the final analysis, it's just a difference in stance.

Some people stand on the side of emperors and generals such as Zhu Yuanzhang, and treat the people like pigs and dogs in order to maintain their own rule.

Zhu Yunfeng was born under the red flag and stood on the side of the common people. He did not think there was anything wrong with Zhu Yuanzhang maintaining his rule, but maintaining rule did not mean killing innocent people indiscriminately.

To deal with nobles and corrupt officials, just execute those involved. What does it have to do with those innocent people, or even those who just live near the homes of those nobles and corrupt officials and have rarely seen them?
There is nothing wrong with the princes guarding the borders, but allowing them to act recklessly is a failure of character.

Therefore, it is understandable that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to maintain his rule.

However, wantonly expanding the scope of responsibility, indulging his son's cruelty, burying people alive, and treating the people according to the caste system and hereditary household registration are all indelible stains.

Although both were emperors who conquered the world, there was a world of difference between Li Shimin and Zhu Yuanzhang.

of course.

It is undeniable that Zhu Yuanzhang was also a great emperor.

Work is work, mistakes are mistakes.

Just because he killed too many people during his reign, we cannot deny his achievements in expelling the barbarians, rebuilding China, and restoring the Han people's country.

But for Zhu Yunfeng, because he knew Zhu Yuanzhang's character clearly, he was extremely cautious while maintaining his independence.

After all, Mr. Zhu is too overbearing and he never goes back on his word.

If I don't have a firm attitude, I'm afraid I'll be like a puppet at the mercy of others in the future.

Zhu Yunfeng got drunk at Zhu Di's place and slept in the palace all night. The next morning, he asked Huang Yan to wake Zhu Di up and go back.

The two men came out of the palace and came to the large square outside the Qianqing Palace. The cold wind blew and made them shiver, and even sobered them up a lot from last night's hangover.

There was no one in the square, and no one was allowed to approach the underground palace. There were only soldiers guarding and patrolling at a distance.

Zhu Yunfeng took out his cell phone with no signal and took a look. It was a little after 6 o'clock in the morning and the sky was still gray. The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit with candles.

"It's freezing cold."

Zhu Di hugged his arms and rubbed them to keep warm.

He was still wearing Zhu Yunfeng's winter clothes. It was colder over there in Shangfeng Mountain than here, but the wind was as strong as here.

"Where's my leather dog? And where can I get the gold?"

Zhu Yunfeng asked.

"Big brother said he will come over later, and he will also bring Pipi and Jinzi to you."

Zhu Di shook his feet and urged: "Let's go first."

"alright."

Zhu Yunfeng nodded and then went down to the underground palace.

No one dared to approach the underground palace.

This place has been designated as a restricted area and anyone who enters without permission will be killed.

Moreover, other people don’t know the mystery here, let alone the function of the stone tablet.

Therefore, it seems that there is no one guarding it, which makes people feel that there is a risk of being discovered, but in fact there is no need to worry about this at all.

Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di came out of the underground palace as if they were familiar with the route.

As soon as he crawled out of the cellar, Zhu Yunfeng's cell phone began to emit dozens of "ding ding ding" sounds.

He stood in the utility room, took it out and glanced at it. They were all missed calls and text messages.

Starting from last night, a number in Guangdong area kept calling until after 11 o'clock in the evening, including several calls from my father.

After thinking about it, Zhu Yunfeng called his father back, but the call couldn't be connected, so he dialed the Guangdong number.

"Hey."

The call was connected surprisingly quickly, and a middle-aged man's voice with a Cantonese accent came from the other end.

Zhu Yunfeng asked: "Who are you?"

"Is this Zhu Yunfeng? I'm your father's friend. My name is Liu Dong, you can just call me Uncle Dong. Are you home now?" "Hello Uncle Dong, I'm home."

"Okay, I'm still in Guangzhou now. I'll take the 7am high-speed train and will arrive at your county high-speed train station at 11am."

"Then I'll pick you up."

"No, just wait for me at home. I'm hanging up now."

"Ok."

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Yunfeng thought about it and sent a WeChat message to his father first.

I guess my dad either has something going on or he hasn't gotten up yet, or there's some other reason.

But gold is a big deal, so we still have to confirm the other party's identity first.

However, his father had not replied yet, so Zhu Yunfeng went to the kitchen first, looked at the leftovers in the refrigerator, heated them up and made breakfast.

Zhu Di returned to the living room, where Dandan cat was lying on the sofa. Seeing him, he did not avoid him. Zhu Di happily went up to rub the cat, then lay on the sofa waiting for food.

Zhu Yunfeng heated up yesterday's stewed chicken, then used the noodles at home to make a bowl of chicken noodle soup, fried two eggs, and served it to his ancestor Zhu Di.

"Chicken noodle soup is here."

"It smells good."

Zhu Di suddenly became alert and sat at the table waiting for his meal.

Zhu Yunfeng put the chicken noodle soup on it and said with a smile: "Anyway, if you follow me, you may not become the emperor, but you will definitely get delicious food."

"Hee hee hee."

Zhu Di smiled and started eating.

After breakfast, Zhu Yunfeng sent Zhu Di upstairs to watch TV series. He looked at the time and it was almost eight o'clock, so he called Ji He.

Not long after, Ji He answered the phone and said, "Hey, Chi Sang, what's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Have you asked about the agricultural company for me?"

"I asked, it's very easy. There are many agricultural companies in our county who want to sell, you can just buy one."

“Is the threshold for this thing so low?”

"Of course. People in this industry drive Mercedes-Benz in and ride bicycles out. Even with government subsidies, it's easy to lose all your money. They're just happy when someone takes over."

"Okay, make me one. Just tell me how much it costs and I'll transfer the money to your card."

"Okay, I'll go down and ask."

Ji He hung up the phone.

He returned to the county to resign and to inquire about the agricultural company.

Zhu Yunfeng’s plan was to first set up an agricultural company and legally operate seeds, fertilizers and related technologies under the name of the company.

In this way, purchasing large quantities of seeds and fertilizers will not arouse suspicion.

After that, when the agricultural company is on the right track, it can import agricultural products into Ming Dynasty and then sell them to other places online. As long as the taxes are declared, the subsequent transportation and terminal countries will not check.

Just like express delivery, when you buy something online and send it by express, the government is not so idle as to check the output and terminal of each express delivery.

Zhu Yunfeng fabricated a courier note online, and the actual shipment was sent to Daming Dynasty.

of course.

In order to cover up his tracks, he would still send out some orders to ensure that his company was indeed transporting agricultural products to other places, thereby covering up the company's main business.

After importing agricultural products to Ming Dynasty, earning gold from Ming Dynasty, exchanging it for money, and then starting to invest in industry.

The industrial method is simpler, just open a factory.

There are all kinds of metal processing plants. Their county is a major mining county. It not only has rich iron ore, antimony ore, manganese ore, graphite ore, copper ore, coal mine, lead mine, etc., but also gold mines.

But later, due to various reasons, many factories closed down and many workers were laid off.

But on the other hand, there are abundant industrial workers in their county, so it is absolutely easy to recruit enough workers for the metal processing plants.

After all, it is well known that the talents in a county are enough to found a country. Heroes like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang are typical representatives.

Their county has a population of 1.2 million, which is more than enough to set up a few metal processing plants.

With workers, precision lathes and modern instruments, making not only modern firearms but even anti-aircraft guns by hand is a piece of cake.

Because two laid-off workers tried it.

The only worry is that while I'm rubbing my guns, I'll be caught by the police.
So Zhu Yunfeng knew to think of other ways. As for what specific methods they were, he could only think about them at the time. He couldn't really let the workers rub the guns by hand.

But that is probably a long way off.

And the fantasies in our minds are just fantasies. The actual operation depends on the situation, just like it is hard to say whether online sales are reliable or not.

Zhu Yunfeng still wanted to set up the agricultural company first, supply seeds, fertilizers and related technologies to Daming, and then complete the first step of the plan he had set for Daming.

At the end of the morning, around 9 o'clock, Zhu Yunfeng was on the second floor using his computer to check information on Bihu when he heard someone shouting downstairs, "Yunfeng, fourth brother, are you there?"

"Wang Wang Wang."

The barking of the Pippi dog was heard.

After a while, Pipi ran upstairs and rubbed against Zhu Yunfeng.

Zhu Yunfeng patted its head lightly and scolded it with a smile: "You son of a bitch, you forgot about me now that you got a bone."

"Yunfeng, fourth brother."

Zhu Biao walked up panting and sweating, looked around, and saw Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di both in front of the computer, like a pair of internet addicts.

"Grandpa, you are here. Have you had breakfast?"

Zhu Yunfeng asked.

His house was too close to the Qianqing Palace, so Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao's visit was just like visiting neighbors.

Zhu Biao said, "After eating, you guys come down and help move some things."

"What to move?"

"What else could it be? Gold, of course."

"Gold?"

Zhu Yunfeng suddenly became alert and had forgotten about this matter.

It’s not that I forgot the gold, but I forgot how heavy two thousand taels of gold are.

According to the calculation in the Ming Dynasty, one catty is equal to sixteen taels, and 2000 taels is equal to 125 catties in the Ming Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, one jin was about 596 grams, which is equivalent to 149 jin in modern weight units, which is almost equal to 75 kilograms. Zhu Biao could not lift it at all.

Zhu Yunfeng immediately excitedly pulled Zhu Biao, who was still watching TV series, downstairs.

Soon they arrived at the cellar. Zhu Biao had people deliver the things to the gate of the underground palace first. After everyone was sent away, Zhu Biao dragged the things into the underground palace and brought them over according to the stone tablet.

But once he got into the cellar, he couldn't drag it anymore.

At this moment, there was a large sack next to the stone tablet in the cellar. Zhu Yunfeng climbed down the cellar, turned on the light, then walked to the sack and opened it.

All you can see are irregular golden nuggets inside.

There were gold ingots in the Ming Dynasty, but the national treasury was empty in the early Hongwu period and there was not much gold left, so they were not minted.

It was not until the late Hongwu period that gold ingots began to be minted. The earliest Hongwu gold ingot unearthed in later generations was made in the 23rd year of Hongwu by King Jin Zhu Gang in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and ordered the chief official of the royal palace to make it.

Therefore, gold from the early Hongwu period all had this irregular shape.

But even so, looking at the big bag of gold, Zhu Yunfeng's heart began to beat fast, and his eyes could not move away from the golden gold bars.

He has now become suddenly rich, like a bolt from the blue.

(End of this chapter)