Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 92 The emperor leads the army in person to fight him!
In the late summer of June in the 13th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, as the new rice began to be widely planted in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, Zhu Yuanzhang was finally willing to give power to Zhu Biao.

On June 12, early in the morning, Zhu Yunfeng, Ji He and Zhu Di were called to Daming.

They are wearing different clothes today.

These were not the modern clothes they usually wore, but the casual clothes worn by the princes and dukes of the Ming Dynasty, all of which were clothes that showed their status.

Zhu Yunfeng was still wearing the same prince's uniform as before, a yellow round-necked shirt, a red cross-collared shirt on the outside, and a Yishan crown on his head.

Ji He wore a robe made of gauze, with a round collar and right lapel, and the sleeves were three feet wide. He also wore a hat with the feet curled up and spread out.

This is called public service.

In the early Ming Dynasty, it was stipulated that officials had to wear official uniforms when attending court every day, and change into ordinary uniforms when leaving court. Later, it was simplified, and officials wore ordinary uniforms when attending court on weekdays, and only wore official uniforms when attending court on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.

However, it was not until the 26th year of Hongwu that it was passed, so at least now one has to wear official uniform to work every morning court, which is still very troublesome.

Compared to winter clothes, summer official uniforms are much lighter and made of gauze and silk, and still look very beautiful.

Early in the morning, Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He went to court yawning.

As a duke, Ji He's position was not above but below, and his title was Duke of Chu.

Because Ji He was from Hunan and his family had no family tree, but the Ji surname in Hunan was most likely derived from the Ji Lian lineage of the Mi surname in the State of Chu, so it was reasonable to confer the title of Duke of Chu.

Since this was his first time attending the morning court, he was very excited.

The nobles saw a fat man weighing more than 200 pounds, almost 300 pounds, led by His Royal Highness the King of Wu. He walked along with a smile on his face. He nodded and greeted everyone he met, but his walking posture was very arrogant.

When two people stand together, the width of their body is almost the same as that of three people. In addition, the way they walk is so unrestrained that everyone along the way has to give way to them.

"Who is this person?"

"never seen it."

"In the uniform of a duke?"

"His Royal Highness the King of Wu is leading the way for him."

No one knew him or who he was. They only saw that he was wearing the clothes of a duke and that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu was leading the way. Everyone was puzzled.

Who is this big shot?

Could it be that a duke of some family passed away and was inherited by some playboy?
But I haven’t heard of any duke dying?
"Give way, give way."

"See His Highness King Wu."

"Well, Marquis Jiang Xia is polite. This is the Duke of Chu, and this is Marquis Jiang Xia."

"Meet Duke Chu."

"Hello."

Ji He excitedly bowed to Zhou Dexing.

He was too fat, and the official uniform looked out of place on him.

But he couldn't help feeling good about himself, and walked around confidently in the crowd with a big belly.

After all, although his title of Duke is nominal, the title is real. There may be a few people around him who are of the same level as him, but most of them are of lower level than him.

Therefore, as a person of high status, you must be more confident.

Even though he didn't know them, he was still able to stand straight and show his momentum.

of course.

Although he held a high position, he did not put on airs. When Zhu Yunfeng introduced people to Ji He, he responded politely with a smile and a bow.

These days, Zhu Yunfeng has become a familiar face among civil and military officials and nobles.

As Ji He had been helping Zhu Yunfeng manage the company for some time, he had been spending less time in Daming, so no one knew him.

Now, with Zhu Yunfeng's introduction, many nobles soon learned that a new duke had emerged in our Ming Dynasty.

"Humph."

Just as Zhu Yunfeng was introducing many nobles to him one by one, a cold snort came from not far away.

Ji He noticed it keenly, and when he looked over, he saw a young man in his twenties looking at him coldly, so he whispered in his hometown dialect to Zhu Yunfeng, "Who is that person? He seems to dislike me?"

"Chang Yuchun's son Chang Mao is a scumbag, don't bother with him."

Zhu Yunfeng glanced over.

"Scumbag?"

Ji He wondered, "What do you mean?"

"The history books say that he was arrogant and unreasonable, and he did many illegal things. He also raped the wives of soldiers and even his father's concubine."

"My Zhuo, is he such a beast? Shouldn't Lao Zhu kill him?"

"It's a feudal society, and Old Zhu still has deep feelings for Chang Yuchun."

Zhu Yunfeng shook his head: "But this guy is an idiot. Smart people know that you and I have unknown origins, and they would not dare to provoke us without knowing the details. But he doesn't like us. He is not very smart."

Seeing the two of them whispering, Chang Mao's eyes became even colder.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang first conferred the title of six founding dukes, and then conferred another four.

Among them, Feng Guoyong, Duke of Ying, and Hu Dahai, Duke of Yue, were posthumously honored.

However, Duke of Liang Lan Yu and Duke of Ying Fu Youde were rewarded only after they made great contributions.

Later, Duke Chang Yuchun of E and Duke Deng Yu of Wei died of illness.

Therefore, there are only six dukes in the Ming Dynasty at present: Duke of Wei Xu Da, Duke of Xin Tang He, Duke of Han Li Shanchang, Duke of Cao Li Wenzhong, Duke of Song Feng Sheng, and Duke of Zheng Chang Mao, who inherited the title of Chang Yuchun.

Since Xu Da is now guarding Peking, Tang He is training troops in Shandong, Feng Sheng is guarding Shaanxi, Li Shanchang is not in good health and is in semi-retirement, so he rarely attends court.

Therefore, apart from Li Wenzhong who serves as the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Commandery, the only Duke of Zheng, Chang Mao, who returned from military training with his father-in-law Feng Sheng in Shaanxi this year, is the Duke at the court meeting.

Chang Mao was an arrogant and domineering person, and he always regarded himself as the youngest duke. However, at this time, a duke who was about the same age as him, or even younger than him, appeared. Naturally, he was very unhappy.

"Stupid!"

Hearing that the other party was a scum, Ji He did not tolerate him and cursed him.

"What do you mean?"

When Chang Mao heard this, he glared at him angrily.

He didn't understand what it meant, but he understood the word "stupid".

"Say you're an idiot."

Zhu Yunfeng glared back without showing any weakness and asked, "Do you have any objection?"

"I"

Chang Mao originally wanted to get angry, but when he looked around, he saw that almost no one dared to speak for him, so he finally held back.

It is true that he is arrogant and domineering.

However, it also depends on the object.

The news that His Royal Highness the King of Wu even dared to fight the former King of Qin, now His Royal Highness the King of Han, had long been spread.

The King of Han is still imprisoned in Fengyang, and the King of Wu has not had any trouble at all. It is obvious that he is in the emperor's favor. No matter how arrogant he is, he dare not challenge Zhu Yunfeng.

"Humph, brain dead!"

Ji He swaggered to the front of the team and rudely pushed him to the third position, ranking only below Li Wenzhong, looking like the second-ranking duke.

Chang Mao was furious, but he didn't dare to, so he could only swallow his anger.

However, with so many dukes, marquises, and nobles around him looking at him, he felt hot on his face and felt embarrassed as if he was being humiliated in public.

He disliked Ji He because the newly emerged Duke Ji He seemed to be stealing his limelight.

Little did he know that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu was behind him, making him angry but not able to speak out.

"Chichi, you have to be a little more arrogant and domineering when dealing with this kind of idiot. Don't panic, I'll support you!"

Zhu Yunfeng patted Ji He's shoulder, then trotted up to the jade steps.

This reflects the class differences.

The descendants of the Zhu family were all on the steps looking down.

The civil and military officials could only look up from below.

Who gave Zhu Yunfeng the surname Zhu?

After the civil and military officials lined up, the eunuch Wang Dong came out and shouted, "Your Majesty has arrived!"

Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the Fengtian Hall, accompanied by Zhu Biao and Zhu Di, and sat on the dragon throne. The civil and military officials below bowed and saluted, congratulating him, "Long live your majesty!"

"Flat body."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" All the officials immediately stood up straight.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked down.

The situation in the court has changed drastically at this moment.

The aftermath of the Hu Weiyong case in history was very serious. From the 13th year of Hongwu to the 23rd year of Hongwu, in the ten years, Hu Weiyong's followers emerged one after another.

As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang frequently replaced the six ministers, with one department changing four chief officials a year. The personnel changes in the six departments were too fast, which kept the court in a state of turmoil.

The reason for this is that Hu Weiyong gave Zhu Yuanzhang a great sense of insecurity.

However, he did not use many experienced Yuan officials, and those transferred to him were all officials who entered the government through the imperial examinations in the early years of the Hongwu period.

These officials were not experienced and their poor abilities made him very dissatisfied. In addition, he always wanted to strike a balance, but he couldn't do it well, so he had to keep changing people to achieve the desired effect.

It was not until the late Hongwu period that the situation became somewhat stable after the appointment of capable and satisfactory officials.

But things are different now.

A large number of former Yuan officials with office experience were transferred up, and the remnants of the Huaixi Party and the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Party currently only occupy middle and senior levels.

Among the six ministers, five were from Huaixi and Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and nine were from the six vice ministers.

However, among the middle and lower-level officials who did practical work, the proportion of former Yuan officials was very high, reaching as much as two-thirds, which enabled the court affairs to run smoothly.

The struggles between high-level parties will not affect the officials working below. Everyone does their own thing and has a bright future.

Moreover, since the court affairs were handled in an orderly manner and not as chaotic as in history that troubled Zhu Yuanzhang, he did not make large-scale replacements and the situation was very stable.

At least in the past six months, apart from killing a few meritorious generals and their families who had violated the law such as Zhu Liangzu, Zhu Yuanzhang has not killed or replaced a large number of court officials. This is enough to prove this point.

So now that the government is relatively stable and Crown Prince Zhu Biao is smart and capable and can control the situation in the court, Old Zhu has already had other ideas.

soon.

All officials lined up and the morning court began.

Wang Dong, the eunuch supervisor, stepped forward, raised the imperial edict and shouted, "Your Majesty has an order."

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I have heard that the Northern Yuan Tuohuochi has stationed troops in Helin and has repeatedly invaded the borders of our Great Ming. This is intolerable. I will personally lead the army to fight Tuohuochi. However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The Crown Prince Biao is in charge of the government affairs, and God has praised him greatly. I specially order the Crown Prince to supervise the country and take charge of all matters inside and outside the court. I hope that the civil and military officials will work together to assist in the administration."

Not many words, but a big deal.

A big hit at the start.

Not to mention the civil and military officials, even Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He were shocked.

Wow, Zhu Yuanzhang is going to lead the army himself?
You should know that since Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor and established the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing in 1368, he has not left Nanjing for more than ten years, except for going to Fengyang Prefecture to worship his ancestors.

I didn't expect that he would leave so suddenly this time. It was really unexpected.

However, this undoubtedly sends an important signal - he is very confident in the crown prince's regent status.

Obviously, Zhu Biao's abilities during this period were recognized by Old Zhu.

But this sudden decision still surprised everyone. Even Zhu Biao was surprised, because his father had not discussed this matter with him.

The officials below were even more furious and talked about it.

Li Wenzhong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. How can you risk your life?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Although the Crown Prince is virtuous, Your Majesty is still needed to govern the country."

"Your Majesty, please take back your order."

All the officials below, whether sincere or not, have to give advice.

Zhu Biao also stepped forward and advised: "Father, should we discuss this matter again?"

Zhu Yunfeng whispered to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Grandfather, have you been watching TV series recently? Which one have you watched?"

Zhu Yuanzhang also responded in a low voice: "The fourth brother will personally lead the expedition to Mongolia."

"Okay, I understand."

Zhu Yunfeng curled his lips.

Probably because he saw his son marching north to Mongolia and sweeping across the desert, he got the urge to kill and itched in his heart.

"Okay, no need to say more, I will come to Shaanxi in person."

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice: "It just so happens that the Prince of Qin has been enfeoffed in Shaanxi for half a year. I also want to see what he is capable of."

After that, he said, "That's it. The six ministries will report to you."

Seeing that he had already made the decision, the officials below did not dare to say anything.

Zhu Biao thought about it and stopped persuading him.

It doesn't matter that my father, as the emperor, certainly can't go to the battlefield himself.

What's more, he has a lot of modern medicines sent by Zhu Yunfeng, so there is no need to worry about his safety.

Then the six departments began to report their work.

The work at the morning court is rather boring, with a lot of messy things to do, including matters concerning various places.

Since the current cabinet only does secretarial work and has no real power, Zhu Yuanzhang has to handle these matters himself.

The officials below who had nothing to report could only stand there and listen.

It's basically no different from being in jail.

Ji He, who was standing at the bottom of the jade steps, had already gotten over the excitement of his first court session. Now he felt like he was going to school and was very sleepy.

Just as Ji He was yawning, he suddenly felt someone elbow him from behind.

He turned around dissatisfiedly and saw Chang Mao's hideous face sneering at him. From time to time, he made a ferocious expression, as if trying to scare him.

"Stupid."

Ji He cursed inwardly, then turned back to continue listening to Lao Zhu handling state affairs.

However, after a few seconds, he suddenly felt someone kicking his calf. When he turned around, he still saw Chang Mao's disgusting face.

Damn, this guy looks to be in his twenties, how come he acts like a mentally retarded elementary school student?
Ji He didn't know how he had provoked this guy, but he knew how he should deal with it.

So he swung his arm, exerted force suddenly, and punched out fiercely in front of Chang Mao's shocked eyes.

"boom!"

Chang Mao flew out and bumped into Huang Bin, the Marquis of Yichun, who was behind him, and knocked down a group of people in the process.

In an instant, the noble team was in chaos, and those who were not hit quickly retreated.

"what happened?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was talking with the Minister of Revenue Qian Tang about the recent expenditures of various departments. When he heard the noise, he glanced over.

But the incident happened suddenly and the specific circumstances are unknown.

Zhu Yunfeng had already noticed that something was happening with Ji He, so he quickly trotted down to the stage.

Chang Mao's nose was bleeding. After the initial panic, he was happy. He rolled to the jade steps and knelt down, then cried and shouted: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Chu is committing a crime in the palace."

His little action was actually meant to disgust Ji He, just like when the kid sitting behind him poked the kid sitting in front of him on the back when they were in school. It was a shady move.

Even if Ji He complained, he could deny it and pretend to be innocent, or simply say that he bumped into her accidentally.

After all, in large-scale court meetings, it was common for one or two minor physical collisions to occur when people were not paying attention.

But Ji He didn't play by the rules and actually beat him up.

This gave Chang Mao an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Fighting in the morning court, especially in the palace, is a capital crime!
"ChiChi, what's going on?"

Zhu Yunfeng ran down and asked.

"This idiot kicked me."

Ji He pointed at Chang Mao and said angrily: "He elbowed me first, and I ignored him, but he still dared to kick me."

"Hit him!"

Zhu Yunfeng didn't hesitate at all and kicked Chang Mao who was kneeling on the ground.

This guy really wasn't very smart, the history books were right.

Even if the small action disgusts others, I will just have to endure it in the grand court meeting.

But it is really stupid to offend the other party without knowing their background.

Now let you, the feudal and domineering duke, have a taste of the power of my grandfather’s socialist iron fist.

(End of this chapter)