Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 129: Murderous Intentions and Feelings! Old Zhu's Shock!
The atmosphere in the hall was very peaceful.

Calm.

Perhaps only the two parties involved knew that just now, Yao Guangxiao had avoided three fatal disasters.

The first time was when entering the temple.

If he cannot recite the Buddhist scriptures silently, then his crime as a fake monk will be confirmed and Old Zhu will have to kill him.

Reciting Buddhist scriptures with His Majesty the Emperor is not simply listening and reciting one sentence at a time.

Instead, we must speak with one voice.

It would be impossible to do this unless you are familiar with the Buddhist scripture.

The second time was when Lao Zhu asked him what else he wanted if he didn't want power and wealth?
What His Majesty the Emperor was questioning was what was Yao Guangxiao's motive for helping Zhu Yunhuan?

If he couldn't come up with an explanation that satisfied Zhu, it would mean that he had ulterior motives, and Yao Guangxiao would surely be killed.

The most dangerous one was the third time.

Old Zhu asked him what good methods he had for governing the country and how he planned to govern the country?

On the surface, it seemed that His Majesty the Emperor was humbly seeking advice, but this was precisely the time when Zhu Yuanzhang showed the most murderous intent.

Only the emperor has the power to govern the country.

Other regent ministers can make suggestions to the emperor when the emperor asks.

Apart from this, any other thoughts would be unreasonable.

This was not the view of all emperors, as there were many who did not think so.

But this is what Lao Zhu thinks.

The emperor's power does not allow outsiders to interfere.

That's why Zhu Yuanzhang even abolished the prime minister and announced that the position would never be re-established.

If Yao Guangxiao really proposed some good policy for governing the country, how to govern the country, one, two, three... and so on.

No matter how reasonable what he said was, there was only one outcome - death!

Because in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, this was ironclad evidence that the old monk was lurking beside Zhu Yunhuan, deceiving the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty and governing the world according to his own ideas.

This is an attempt to steal the emperor's power!

For such people, the only option is to kill them all.

No wonder Lao Zhu has such a strong desire to kill.

Since ancient times, wise rulers have been very wary of Taoists and monks entering the court.

The chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was largely due to Emperor Shundi of Yuan's favoritism towards foreign monks.

The lesson of the previous dynasty was not far away, so Zhu Yuanzhang certainly would not allow Zhu Yunhuan to have a "evil monk" who could "bewitch" him.

This is Lao Zhu's weak spot, and anyone who touches it will die.

But Yao Guangxiao said that he did not have any good ideas for governing the country and he only followed the orders of His Royal Highness the King of Wu, which is how he averted the danger.

But what really made Zhu Yuanzhang give up his murderous intention was his subsequent "theory of lone ministers".

There are military generals and scholars in the court. They can form cliques and factions, and there are natural alliances among them.

But Yao Guangxiao was a monk.

With the favor of the King of Wu, he would be extremely powerful.

On the contrary, if he fell out of favor, killing any official in the court would be as easy as killing a chicken.

Such people pose no threat to imperial power.

It’s as if eunuchs are born to exist only by relying on imperial power.

But there is not just one eunuch, there are many eunuchs.

Eunuchs can also form alliances with each other.

But Yao Guangxiao was a monk all alone and could do nothing.

Historically, Wu Zetian's male favorite Xue Huaiyi was also a monk.

Because Wu Zetian favored him, Xue Huaiyi became powerful in the court and his influence was feared throughout the world.

When the prime minister saw him, he had to bow to him.

But in fact, because Xue Huaiyi had no foundation in the court, once he fell out of favor, it would be easy for court officials to kill him.

There was not a single false word in what Yao Guangxiao said.

Even the black-robed prime minister in history, who reached the peak of power by helping Zhu Di start a rebellion, still had no foundation.

All power comes only from the emperor's favor.

Since he was a lone minister who could be used by the King of Wu but would not pose any threat to him, there was certainly no need for Zhu Yuanzhang to kill him.

"Huer is really good at judging people!"

Yao Guangxiao had deliberately emphasized this point in his answer just now, which shows that he also understood the emperor's implicit meaning.

This shows how intelligent this person is.

Old Zhu looked up at the Buddha statue above and sighed, "I have been entrusted with the mandate of heaven for more than 20 years, and I have always been worried that I can't govern the country well."

"I work diligently on state affairs every day, not daring to slack off for even a moment, and only want to do something useful for the people of the world."

"But I was born in a poor family and read few books when I was young. I don't have the profound knowledge of the ancient wise kings."

"Although we have tried our best to implement good governance and avoid bad governance, we are still far from it!"

"Huer is different."

"Even though he is so young, he already has the talent to look down on the world."

"Governing a country is as easy as cooking a fresh fish."

"We feel relieved to have the Ming Dynasty handed over to him."

"I'm old now, and I just want to spend the last few years of my life in peace."

"We will no longer be involved in government affairs in the future."

"Whatever you want to do, just do it."

As Yao Guangxiao listened to what Old Zhu said, he looked at his nose with his eyes and at his heart with his nose. He was like a stone and did not react at all.

Old Zhu was not asking him a question, but expressing his own feelings, so Yao Guangxiao certainly didn't say much.

The Buddhist temple became extremely quiet.

After a while, Lao Zhu spoke again: "You are in charge of the Ming Daily now, right?"

"Yes!" Yao Guangxiao responded.

"Well done! I like what you wrote."

Old Zhu picked up a copy of the Ming Daily that day, pointed to the serialized legend of the Hongwu Emperor on the front page and said, "I am old now, and I can't remember many things from my youth."

"You have collected the people and events of the past and published them in the newspapers, which is a great achievement!" "In my life, I have risen from a commoner to an emperor, which is also a magnificent life."

"I'm not bragging. Throughout history, I'm the only emperor who came from a poor family like me, right?"

"The ministers in the court only know how to say that I am a genius, wise and brave. They keep saying the same few words over and over again. I am fed up with their flattery."

"Our grandson is the best. He knows how to collect our past deeds."

"It is only convincing if someone has facts and evidence to support what is written."

"Just like the common people today, who love to recite the legends of the Three Kingdoms."

"Isn't it because the story is clear and the facts are there?"

"If you just praise without any concrete examples, how can people believe it?"

Old Zhu was very excited when talking about this.

"Remember, when you write about your past, it must be true and reliable, with witnesses and physical evidence. You can't just make up stories or talk nonsense just to brag."

"If you encounter something you are unsure of, you can ask the people who followed you to conquer the world."

"We are old now, and we have forgotten many things from the past, but they should still remember them."

"Having them come out to testify and have it published in the newspaper will also make people more convinced."

Yao Guangxiao kept it in mind.

Many of the events in the past of Emperor Hongwu recorded in the Da Ming Daily can be called legendary.

Someone needs to stand up and endorse it, proving it to be true, so that no one in the world can doubt it.

Before this, Zhu Yunhuan only instructed that the story must include names, surnames and addresses, but he did not allow the parties involved who were still alive to come forward to testify.

His Majesty the Emperor is reminding them.

Although no one would say that what was written in the newspapers was false and that the emperor was not so powerful back then...

However, taking the initiative to interview them and directly publishing their testimonies can better silence the world's gossip.

Anyway, His Majesty the Emperor himself has forgotten it, so as long as it is written brilliantly, interestingly, and well-reasoned, and can enhance His Majesty the Emperor's prestige and popularity among the people, then you can write it with confidence.

"Your Majesty's instructions have enlightened me. I will do as you say after I return."

Old Zhu nodded slightly and added, "Also, the Ming Daily can't just focus on writing about our story, it also has to write about Hu'er's story."

"Huer will inherit the throne and rule the Ming Dynasty in the future."

"How can his deeds be missing from the newspapers?"

"For example, a few days ago, Huer wrote a poem in public at Juxian Building, which is a story that will be passed down through the ages."

"It should be published in the newspaper so that everyone in the world can know Hu'er's talent and ability, so that he can inherit the Ming Dynasty in the future. Do you understand?"

Yao Guangxiao quickly responded, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. I understand!"

This matter is extremely sensitive. I wouldn't dare to write anything without Lao Zhu's permission.

Old Zhu suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard that the Ming Daily is widely circulated and the people are eager to read it. How many copies are printed every day now?"

"As of yesterday, the daily print run of the Da Ming Daily has reached over one million copies." Yao Guangxiao added: "This number is still rising, and it is expected to reach two million or even three million in the future!"

"Ahem..." Old Zhu was obviously shocked by the number.

Previously, the data reported to him by Jinyiwei spies and inspectors amounted to only about 100,000 or 200,000 pieces.

This has already made Lao Zhu shocked.

This cannot be blamed on the Jinyiwei and the censors for reporting false information.

They haven't really got it yet.

After all, the Ming Daily was still in a period of rapid expansion, constantly opening branches in various places and transporting newspapers to various places by horse-drawn carriages.

The printing volume is also updated every day.

But now, some time has passed since the Jinyiwei spies and inspectors last reported the matter to Zhu.

The number of copies printed is incomparable.

With more than one million copies printed every day, plus word of mouth among those who read the newspaper, it can be said that once anything appears in the newspaper, it will be known to everyone in the world.

"Such a large printing volume must cost a lot of money, right?"

Old Zhu was already calculating quickly in his mind.

In his opinion, printing and distributing a newspaper should cost more than ten cents, which was already a low estimate.

Selling it for four cents a copy is definitely a loss!
Previously, the cost of printing official bulletins for the imperial court was as high as fifty or sixty coins per copy.

Old Zhu had also heard that Zhu Yunhuan had reduced the printing costs of the Ming Daily to a very low level.

But no matter how low it is, it will definitely cost at least a dozen cents.

One copy costs more than ten wen, and one million copies would be ten million wen, equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver.

There are 365 days in a year, so 3.65 million taels are needed.

After calculating this number, Lao Zhu was also shocked.

You have to know that at that time, the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty was only more than 20 million taels of silver.

In fact, most of the value is calculated based on grain.

Although the Ming Daily is good, its cost is too high.

No, we can’t print so many. It’s such a waste!
Just as Old Zhu was about to speak, Yao Guangxiao said, "Each newspaper costs four cents, the cost is about one and a half cents, and the profit is about two and a half cents."

"The current Da Ming Daily can earn more than 2,500 taels of silver per day."

"By analogy, the profit can reach more than 900,000 taels per year."

"However, the Ming Daily is still expanding. In a few months, the daily circulation should reach two million, or even more than three million."

"I estimate that the Ming Daily can make at least two million taels of silver a year."

When the voice fell, Old Zhu beside him was stunned.

Just a newspaper, and a profit of more than two million taels of silver a year?

Equivalent to one-tenth of the entire Ming Dynasty’s tax revenue?

This...this...how is this possible.

"Daoyan, don't deceive the emperor!" Old Zhu's tone suddenly became serious: "We know exactly how much the court spent on printing court bulletins before."

"On average, a copy of the court newspaper costs at least fifty or sixty coins."

"Even if Hu'er has the ability to reach the sky and reduce the cost of newspapers to the lowest, it should at least cost a dozen cents per copy, right?"

"A newspaper costs one and a half cents? How can you say that?"

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

……

(End of this chapter)