Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 164 The spring breeze of reform, attack Japan!

"Clap clap clap..."

Amid the sound of firecrackers, the Spring Festival arrives as scheduled.

New Year's Eve.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, the Ming Manufacturing Bureau lit up the newly developed fireworks in the wilderness outside the city of Jinling.

It is said that it was made by students of the Imperial College, who worked with craftsmen and made it after many trials.

When the fireworks are set off, the flames shoot straight into the sky, sprinkling beautiful colorful flames in the night sky.

At this time in the Ming Dynasty, there were no obstructions from tall buildings and no haze caused by air pollution, and visibility was particularly high on clear nights.

Therefore, people throughout the city of Jinling saw the fireworks rising into the sky.

The children ran, shouted and laughed happily.

Everyone is filled with festive joy.

A lot of things happened in Daming in the past year.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao died of illness, and the grandson Zhu Yunhuan took over as regent.

After the publication of the Da Ming Daily, branches of the Da Ming Bank sprang up everywhere like mushrooms after a rain.

The new version of Ming Dynasty treasure notes was issued, and the old silver and copper coins quickly disappeared from the market.

Many people in Jinling City felt that they had become richer in their pockets.

But the prices in the market have not risen.

Because restrictions on business have been relaxed.

As long as you submit an application to the Taxation Department and apply for a business license, you can start a business.

And the original identity remains unchanged.

The rapidly increasing number of businessmen broke the situation where the market was monopolized by a few big businessmen.

Therefore, although there is more money circulating in the market, prices have remained relatively stable.

All in all, everyone feels that their lives are getting better and better.

The country is peaceful and the people are safe.

The festive atmosphere during the Chinese New Year is even more intense than in previous years.

The fireworks on New Year’s Eve have become a hot topic on the streets.

The Ming Manufacturing Bureau is becoming known to more and more people.

It is said that many ingenious things can be made there, which are mysterious, powerful and terrifying!
Zhu Yunhuan is very busy.

The royal family celebrates the New Year with many sacrifices and rituals.

The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.

Old Zhu was in poor health, and as the crown prince, he was naturally responsible for the activities of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors.

Zhu Yunhuan was exhausted to the point of being half dead.

I can't understand why there are so many troublesome and cumbersome rituals to torture people.

When I become emperor, I must simplify things.

But now I can only think about it.

Old Zhu is still here, so he has to at least act in a pretense manner.

……

Xi'an is too far away from Jinling, and when the news of Qin Wang Zhu Chong's death reached Jinling, it was already the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

A dignified prince was poisoned to death by several old women in his mansion, which immediately shocked the court and the country.

Zhu Yunhuan ordered the Minister of Rites to decide on the funeral rites for the King of Qin and chose the posthumous title "Min", which means heartbroken and pity, and this was the King Min of Qin.

Zhu Yuanzhang believed that he had bad morals and deserved death, so when he bestowed the posthumous title on him, he specifically stated in the imperial edict:

"The one who mourns is the affection between father and son; the one who posthumously honors the emperor is the public of the world."

"I have enfeoffed my sons, and since you are the oldest, I will enfeoff you in Qin first, hoping that you will always enjoy the position of honor and serve as a shield for the imperial family."

"How could he be so unvirtuous that he finally died? His posthumous title is Min."

A few days later, Old Zhu once again personally wrote a memorial to Qin Wang Zhu Chong, and wrote:

"Er Chong, the youngest of the Eastern Palace, was first enfeoffed in Qin."

"There is no good name for your country. You indulge in villains, debauchery, and wine. You wreak havoc within your borders, bringing wrath to heaven."

"I have repeatedly taught you a lesson, but you never came to your senses, and this led to your death. Although you are dead, my guilt is clear."

"I will now list the crimes you have committed during your lifetime and make them known to you. Please listen to them."

"One..."

"Second..."

"Third..."

……

The memorial lists in detail the many evil deeds committed by Qin Wang Zhu Chong during his lifetime.

Of course, there is no mention of him sending people to assassinate Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan.

However, it is not difficult for those who are interested to taste something different from the sacrificial text.

After all, the King of Qin has been doing evil for a long time.

Old Zhu had known about this a long time ago.

But why were there no severe punishments before, but instead, after Qin Wang Zhu Chong was poisoned to death, his crimes during his lifetime were listed in detail?
According to common sense, as a father, shouldn't the Emperor be extremely sad after suddenly hearing the news that Prince of Qin Zhu Chong was poisoned to death?
At this time, I'm afraid no one will remember the crimes Zhu Chong once committed.

But the fact is just the opposite.

After the death of Qin Prince Zhu Chong, His Majesty the Emperor began to recall the many crimes he had committed.

The reasons behind this inevitably make people think about it.

It is said that the three old ladies who poisoned the King of Qin bought the poison from the drugstore opposite the King of Qin's palace.

That drugstore was newly opened.

After the death of King Qin, the pharmacy was burned to ashes.

The whereabouts of the drugstore owner are also unknown.

From this, it seems that the death of King Qin is far from as simple as it seems.

However, these are just suspicions in everyone's mind, without any basis, and it is impossible to write them into history books.

According to historical records, King Qin Zhu Chong died at the hands of three old women, and that was all.

After the death of King Qin, the city of Xi'an quickly became prosperous.

The common people no longer had to endure being robbed and persecuted by the King of Qin, and the number of pedestrians on the streets increased significantly.

What puzzled everyone was that the eldest son of the King of Qin did not inherit the title of prince, but was only granted the title of a county prince, and his other sons were only granted the title of general guarding the country.

This is inconsistent with the hereditary system of the royal family previously formulated by His Majesty the Emperor himself.

For a time, rumors spread like wildfire that the Emperor and the Crown Prince wanted to reform the clan system.

There are various versions of rumors about how to reform.

But the imperial court never issued an edict.

With the King of Qin setting an example and rumors of reforming the royal family system, the princes and royal family members in various places became much more restrained in their behavior.

No longer dare to oppress the people without reason or act recklessly.

They were afraid that they would be reported to the relevant officials and be severely punished.

Died for no reason or was stripped of his title.

Because Prince Jin Zhu Gang had left the capital without permission before, he was severely reprimanded by his father-in-law, and even the Jinyiwei were sent to arrest him and take him to Nanjing City to be punished. It was only because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intervened and pleaded for Prince Jin that he was spared.

For this reason, the Prince of Jin submitted three consecutive memorials of apology, with sincere words and respectful attitude.

It seems that the death of King Qin really frightened him.

When the Prince of Qin was beaten with a stick by Zhu Yunhuan after Zhu Yunhuan was assassinated, many people suspected that he was involved in the assassination of Zhu Yunhuan.

Now that the King of Qin died suddenly, the princes of the royal family naturally suspected that it was the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan who took revenge.

What kind of means are required to kill a vassal king who is thousands of miles away and heavily protected without anyone noticing?

All the princes and royal family members were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats.

It also became increasingly clear that I had to keep a low profile and behave myself.

Taiyuan, Shanxi, Prince Jin's Palace.

The cold wind in the first month of the year is very biting.

The leaves had long since fallen, and the bare branches swayed in the wind.

In weather like this, we should be sitting indoors by the fire.

But Zhu Gang set up a banquet in the pavilion in the backyard garden.

The northwest wind and the food with wine have a unique flavor.

At least that's what Zhu Gang thought.

Sitting opposite him, drinking with Zhu Gang, was his relative, Fu Youde, Duke of Ying of the Ming Dynasty. Among the surviving noble generals, Fu Youde had the highest prestige in the army.

Compared with Lan Yu, it is even better.

"What do you think of the death of my second brother, the King of Qin?"

After a few drinks, Zhu Gang asked calmly.

Fu Youde's daughter married Zhu Gang's son Zhu Jihui as a concubine, so Zhu Gang called her this.

There is also an intention to please.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has a good plan!" Fu Youdao said as he drank, "I heard that the King of Qin died within a moment after eating the snack."

"Even the palace's doctors haven't had time to arrive at the scene yet."

"It's so toxic that even the red-crowned crane is not as toxic as this."

"Where did the three old ladies serving in the palace get such a poisonous substance?"

"No ordinary pharmacy would have such a strong poison."

"I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Daming Manufacturing Bureau is good at making all kinds of strange and bizarre things that have never been seen in the world."

"If this poison came from the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, it would make perfect sense."

There was a gleam of light in Zhu Gang's eyes, which disappeared in an instant.

"My second brother and I have been punished by our father since we were young."

"When we were little, we were both very naughty and often got spanked together."

"We never give in, and we keep committing the same offense after being beaten."

"When I came to Taiyuan to take up my fiefdom, I beat up the cook on the way."

"After my father found out, he ordered me to be severely reprimanded."

"He told me that in all his years of fighting, he would severely punish anyone who made a mistake, but he never punished his own cook."

"Because the cook is in charge of the food, once he feels resentful, he is very likely to poison the food."

"So, if a cook makes a mistake, either just kill him or don't punish him at all."

"I listened to my father and killed the cook who was punished."

"After that, no cook was ever punished again."

"My second brother is not careful about this."

"I just beat up the cooks, and now I'm asking them to make snacks for me."

Zhu Gang shook his head repeatedly.

He drank another glass of wine and said, "This nephew of mine is much more capable than his father."

He thought of Nie Huaner whom he had arranged.

Zhu Chong's poisoning must be related to Nie Huan'er.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gang's eyes twitched for no reason.

Zhu Chong thought Nie Huan'er was one of his own until his death.

But only he knew that Nie Huan'er was his, King Jin's, person.

He vaguely felt that Zhu Yunhuan seemed to know the truth.

After all, Nie Huan'er's strategy did not work. Instead of overthrowing Zhu Yunhuan, it led to the death of the King of Qin.

This is the most severe warning to myself.

The King of Qin and he are both sons of Queen Ma.

If the King of Qin can be killed, then what about the King of Jin?

Whenever Zhu Gang thought about it, he felt a wave of fear.

Fu Youde didn't know about these things and thought that Prince Jin was not involved. He smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Jin doesn't have to worry too much."

"Although Your Highness was a bit rash in leaving the capital without permission and was reprimanded, there were reasons for it after all."

"Your Majesty sent the Royal Guards to arrest you, just for show, so that the Crown Prince will plead for you and let Your Highness owe you a favor."

Zhu Gang smiled and said, "Of course I know all this."

"I am just wondering how my nephew can be so sure that the Northern Yuan army will not march south."

The Northern Yuan Dynasty's invasions to the south were seasonal.

Normally, they move south at the beginning of winter.

When winter ends, it's time to go back.

Now it is the end of the first month of the lunar year.

The Northern Yuan army has never been seen.

It was obviously impossible to go further south.

After all, after a winter, the horses on the grassland were starving and thin.

Spring is approaching, and the nomads are now anxious to fatten up their horses, cattle and sheep again.

It would be foolish to go to war with the Ming Dynasty at this time.

Although the nomads on the grassland have not read many books and are uneducated, they are all very cunning people.

They are well aware of this.

Fu Youde pondered and said, "Perhaps it was the information collected by the Jinyiwei spies and inspectors arranged by His Majesty?"

Zhu Gang nodded slightly: "That's the only possible reason."

He suddenly laughed and said, "It has only been a few months since my father asked him to be regent last year, but there have been earth-shaking changes."

"I heard that a branch of the Ming Daily and a branch of the Ming Bank are going to be opened in Taiyuan City."

"The tax collectors from the Department of Taxation will soon be sending people over to take over the collection of commercial taxes from the local government."

"It's really fast!"

"However, his strict business taxation has offended many people!"

"He is my eldest brother's child after all. For my eldest brother's sake, I will not argue with him too much."

"But Yunwen is also my eldest brother's son, and now he is being held captive on the grounds of 'madness'."

"There were quite a few people in the court who supported Yun Wen before."

"Those people may not be convinced even though they are silent now."

"They will jump out again if they get a chance."

The figures of Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and others appeared in front of Zhu Gang's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up even higher.

Fu Youde looked at him in surprise and advised: "The example of the King of Qin is not far away. Your Highness the King of Jin must be cautious and careful. Unless you are absolutely sure, you must not easily get involved in the dispute over the crown prince."

To be honest, Fu Youde certainly hoped that Zhu Gang could seize the throne.

In this way, when Zhu Gang's son succeeds to the throne, his daughter will also become the empress of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

The Fu family will become more prominent because of this.

Old Zhu's health is getting worse day by day.

You never know when he might suddenly pass away.

Each of the princes holds a large army, so it would be a lie to say that they have no desire for the throne.

But for things like this, you can just think about it in your mind, but you have to be extra careful when you do it.

"I know what's going on!" Zhu Gang said, "Don't worry, my dear father-in-law. Our father is still alive."

"I will never become that traitor despised by everyone."

"If we really want to snatch it from him, we have to wait until our father dies."

"However, he has now refused to allow his second brother's son to inherit the throne. I'm afraid he has the intention of reducing the power of the prince."

"If the Northern Yuan Dynasty doesn't send troops south, we, the vassal kings, will have no place to use our military power."

"We must find a way to save ourselves and keep the military power in our hands."

Fu Youde smiled and said, "Why should His Royal Highness Prince Jin be so worried?"

"If the Northern Yuan doesn't move south, we can lead our troops north!"

"After a winter of starvation, the horses on the grassland should be thin. This is a good opportunity for us to head north."

"Fighting a few battles not only makes contributions to the court, but also trains the troops."

"The war continues, and the imperial court can't find a reason to reduce the power of the vassal states."

Zhu Gang's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and said, "My father-in-law and I think alike."

"Let's plan carefully to attack Bei Yuan."

Zhu Gang spread out a map and was about to analyze it when someone came to report from outside.

"We just got the news that the Japanese pirates attacked Shouzhou in the Ming Dynasty, so the entire family of the Crown Princess Lu was slaughtered, and the government and the public were shocked."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was furious and intended to send troops to wipe out the Japanese pirates and attack Japan to avenge his mother."

……

(End of this chapter)