Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 215: What happened in Shencheng! Old Zhu was stunned!

Beside them, Yoshigaki and Jiang Lin were so frightened that their faces turned pale.

Jiang Li clenched his hands quietly.

He once wanted to take action and capture this rebellious "troublemaker".

But in the end I endured it.

After all, this time I am accompanying His Majesty on a secret visit.

His Majesty can decide when to reveal his identity, but he cannot make his own decisions.

After the man finished speaking, he added, "It's getting late today. I have to go home early. Goodbye."

Having said that, he left in a hurry.

Old Zhu turned around and looked at the man's departing back, his mind seeming a little dazed.

Silent for a long while.

When there was no one else around, he suddenly asked, "Are we really that bad at governing the country?"

"Those are just the absurd words of ignorant and unruly people. Your Majesty, why should you take them to heart?" Yoshigaki said hurriedly.

Old Zhu did not let him go, and asked: "Then tell me, who is better at governing the country, me or our grandson?"

The expression on Yoshigaki's face suddenly seemed to be numb, and he was motionless and pale.

At this moment, he was already covered in cold sweat, which soaked his underwear.

There is no other reason.

Your Majesty, this question is a life-threatening one.

Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger.

A few years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang asked the then Censor Yuan Kai a similar question.

At that time, the former Crown Prince Zhu Biao was still alive.

Once, the Ministry of Justice sent a list of criminals in a case. After reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote an order to execute all the criminals.

After giving his instructions, Zhu Yuanzhang sent the case to Crown Prince Zhu Biao for review.

Zhu Biao tried the case but only charged the criminal with a very minor crime.

So, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Yuan Kai, "Who is right, me or the prince?"

Yuan Kai quickly replied: "Your Majesty is strict in enforcing the law, and the prince is kind-hearted, both have their reasons."

This answer can be said to be very balanced.

Think you are infallible.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu was furious: "Well, you are so cunning, you don't want to offend both sides, right? I think you are a traitor! Send an order, Yuan Kai will be stripped of his official position immediately, demoted to a commoner, and then arrested and imprisoned."

Later, Yuan Kai escaped death in prison by pretending to be crazy and stupid, and even ate feces and dog shit.

Yoshigaki had been by the Emperor's side for many years and had also heard of this matter.

The question His Majesty the Emperor asked today is exactly the same as the question he asked Yuan Kai that day.

Advancing means death, retreating means death, neither advancing nor retreating means death too.

It is no wonder that Yoshigaki, who was always at ease in front of the Emperor, was stunned on the spot, stammering for a while, not knowing how to answer.

"I'm asking you a question. Why don't you answer?"

I originally wanted to get away with it by saying that I didn't hear it clearly, but unexpectedly, Lao Zhu was chasing me relentlessly.

Jiang Li subconsciously took a step back and hid behind Lao Zhu without making a sound.

At this time, you must not let His Majesty the Emperor notice your presence.

Beads of sweat were oozing out of Yoshigaki's forehead, and his mind was racing with thoughts.

He raised his eyes slightly and saw that the Emperor was staring at him with an angry look on his face, as if he was about to go berserk at any moment.

In a flash, Yoshigaki suddenly remembered what happened in the court that day and what Lan Yu said that day.

If Crown Prince Zhu Biao really wanted to rebel, then Lan Yu would follow him.

Correct.

That's it.

As soon as he thought of this, Yoshigaki suddenly had an idea in his mind.

"Your Majesty's ability to govern the country is unparalleled throughout the ages. Even if Yao and Shun were reborn, they would not be better than you."

Having said this, he stole another glance at the Emperor.

But Old Zhu's expression didn't improve at all.

Yoshigaki quickly continued, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is better at governing the country than Your Majesty."

"If we really have to compare, then I'm afraid His Royal Highness is more powerful."

Old Zhu's expression suddenly changed. He pointed at Yoshigaki with trembling fingers.

"You...you...you...how dare you say that I am not as good as that 'rebellious grandson'? It really makes me so angry!"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and brushed his sleeves, but just happened to bump into Jiang Li who had been hiding behind him, so he said again: "You come and judge, between us and that "rebellious grandson", who is better at governing the country and fighting a war?"

Jiang Li felt as if a thunderclap suddenly exploded.

After hiding for a long time, I still couldn't escape in the end.

"Your Majesty..." He stammered, really unwilling to answer, but he saw the Emperor's real eyes falling on him, like a knife or a sword.

"Your Majesty is certainly very powerful. Even the Tang and Song dynasties are not even one tenth as powerful as Your Majesty."

"But His Royal Highness is a little bit more powerful than Your Majesty."

"This is the case of the Yangtze River where the waves behind push the waves ahead, and each generation is stronger than the previous one. Your Majesty, this is a good thing!"

At the last moment, Jiang Li finally figured it out.

It's definitely right to follow Yoshigaki's words.

After all, this guy stays by the emperor's side every day and knows the emperor best.

He added a few more words just in case.

"Humph!"

Old Zhu's eyes were murderous. He glared at him fiercely, then turned around and got on the carriage.

"What's so great about that? He's just a 'rebel grandson'."

Lao Zhu's voice came from inside the carriage.

Jiang Lin and Yoshigaki looked at each other and both felt relieved.

Yoshigaki quickly followed and got into the car.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he got on the car, he saw Lao Zhu's eyes shooting at him again, "Even if I am not as good as him in governing the country, I have fought wars all my life. Can't I be worse than him in fighting a war?"

"He was just lucky and was able to pacify Japan."

"It's just a tiny country, is it worthy of such praise?"

"He underestimated the enemy this time when he sent troops to the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and only sent 6,000 soldiers. He is bound to be defeated."

Old Zhu raised his head like a proud peacock and said, "He is still too young. He thinks he can look down on everyone just because he has some talent. He looks down on everyone in the world."

"We just want him to suffer a little loss and learn a lesson, so that he will know how powerful we are in the future."

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty is not Japan, how can it be so easy to pacify it?"

"After he is defeated this time, he will behave himself."

Yoshigaki smiled but said nothing.

His Majesty the Emperor could say such words, but he would never dare to say them.

Saying that the expeditionary force sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to fail is just courting death, isn't that?

at this time.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from outside: "Great news! The imperial army defeated the Northern Yuan cavalry. The leader of the Northern Yuan, Borjigin Enke, surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. From now on, the Northern Yuan Dynasty will submit to the Ming Dynasty!"

The sound came from afar and approached quickly.

The man ran and shouted, extremely excited.

The workers working at the dock and the pedestrians on the road all looked sideways.

The man was holding a copy of the Daming Daily in his hand, and he shouted, "Really? This is the news published in the Daming Daily that was just delivered to you. Look, the Northern Yuan has surrendered to the Daming!"

The crowd of onlookers immediately rushed forward.

The Ming Daily was printed every evening and sold in the morning.

But that is for the city of Jinling.

In other places, people had to wait for the horse-drawn carriage to transport newspapers from Jinling.

Because the distances vary, the arrival time is uncertain.

It was almost sunset today and the newspaper had just been delivered to Shanghai.

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty surrendered to our Ming Dynasty?" Old Zhu found it hard to believe his ears.

Did I hear it wrong?

Although he just said that the new expeditionary army underestimated the enemy and would be defeated.

But those were just angry words. In his heart, Zhu still hoped to win a few battles.

Only 6,000 soldiers were sent out, but the grassland was vast and they might not encounter the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

It is not impossible to attack several tribes and then return to the capital victoriously.

However, let the Northern Yuan Dynasty surrender to the Ming Dynasty?

That's impossible.

It's impossible!

Not to mention a mere 6,000 new troops, even if an army of 600,000 were sent to attack, the Northern Yuan Dynasty could be forced to flee, but it would be impossible to force it to surrender.

Otherwise, Zhu Yuanzhang would have mobilized all his troops to launch an expedition against the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

After all, the Northern Yuan Dynasty has always been the biggest hidden danger to the Ming Dynasty.

As long as the Northern Yuan Dynasty was not peaceful, Zhu Yuanzhang would always have a knife hanging over his heart.

But it is easy to defeat the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but it is extremely difficult to conquer it.

If the Northern Yuan Dynasty cannot win, it will flee.

They are a nomadic people with no fixed place to live, and they can go very far north.

However, the Han army was unable to continue the pursuit.

The food supply alone cannot keep up.

It is unrealistic to rely on the enemy for food or to snatch food from the enemy to supply the army.

After all, once the nomadic tribes retreated, only empty grasslands and deserts would be left. Where could the army go to rob?

Eventually he had to return to Ming Dynasty.

Want the Northern Yuan Dynasty to surrender and submit to the Ming Dynasty? That's difficult!

It’s harder than climbing to the sky!

Just 6,000 new troops made the Northern Yuan Dynasty surrender?
Old Zhu would never believe it.

He rushed down from the carriage, ran to the newspaper seller over there and bought a newspaper. Yoshigaki hurriedly followed to pay.

Picking up the newspaper and reading it carefully, Old Zhu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Great! Great! Zhang Fu defeated 60,000 elite cavalrymen of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in one battle, and his prestige spread far and wide across the grasslands. Zhu Neng took the opportunity to advance into the Yuan court, and the Yuan Lord and the Grand Tutor seized power and surrendered to our Ming Dynasty. Hahahaha."

Old Zhu laughed triumphantly, unable to contain his joy.

If the news can be published in the newspaper, it must be correct.

The Yuan court really surrendered.

This is truly a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and the country.

At this moment, Lao Zhu had already forgotten what he had just said.

Yuan Ting was his lifelong enemy.

Subduing the Yuan court is definitely a great achievement that will be remembered for generations.

The people around were also cheering.

The Yuan court once ruled the Central Plains for many years. Although it was later expelled, many people still have deep disdain and fear of the Yuan court.

Especially the older people, who once lived under the rule of the Yuan court, still worry that one day the grassland cavalry will come again.

Now I can finally rest assured.

The news spread at the fastest speed, and soon the whole city of Shen became a sea of joy.

"Great! The Northern Yuan Dynasty has finally been pacified by our Ming Dynasty."

"From now on, there will be no more threats to the northern border of our Ming Dynasty."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is truly amazing. He defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty in one fell swoop."

"Thanks, Your Highness. I don't have to worry about Beiyuan attacking me again."

"What do you think? Will the northern border be opened in the future? We can do business with the Northern Yuan and make money."

"Don't tell me, this is a way out. Maybe you can earn more than going to Japan."

Everyone was talking about it.

What he said started out pretty normal, but quickly went off the track.

"All this is thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Yes, if it weren't for His Royal Highness, we wouldn't have the good life we have today, and how could the Northern Yuan Dynasty be pacified so easily?"

"Bah, it's not that I look down on those losers in the court, but when did they go to war against the Northern Yuan before, they sent hundreds of thousands of troops? They brag about killing a few enemies, but look at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who made the Northern Yuan surrender with only 6,000 soldiers. Aren't they much more powerful than those losers?"

"That's His Royal Highness's new army. How can they compare to those rubbish?"

"So, we are only now reforming the military. The useless soldiers should be laid off. We don't need so many of them."

"It's all thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that we can live such a good life today."

"Yes, this Shen City was planned and built by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"If one day, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince becomes the emperor, that would be the real good days."

"It's almost time. I heard that the current emperor is not in good health and he won't live long."

"That's great! When His Royal Highness ascends the throne, I will dig out the jar of wine that has been buried in my house for twenty years and drink it."

"Okay, on that day, I will also hold a big banquet to celebrate."

……

When Old Zhu first listened, he was quite happy. Everyone was happy for the victory of the Ming Dynasty.

But as I listened, I gradually felt that something was wrong.

Why are everyone speaking for that "rebellious grandson"? Is there no one saying anything good about me, Zhu?

Old Zhu's face turned ugly.

He returned to the carriage in a huff, looking unhappy.

As night falls, street lights are turned on in the streets of Shanghai.

Next to the pier, a blazing fire was lit on the towering lighthouse, and the light shone on the Huangpu River, illuminating the surroundings.

The water surface is shimmering.

Looking at the clouds, the scenery is extremely beautiful.

Historically, street lights first appeared in London around this time, or at most 20 to 30 years later.

Now, Zhu Yunhuan made it appear in Ming Dynasty ahead of time!
You know, other cities in the Ming Dynasty are still under curfew, so naturally there are no street lights.

As a newly designed and built new city, Shanghai started designing street lamps from the very beginning.

The street lights at that time relied on burning oil, and the light was not very bright.

But it is enough to illuminate the way for pedestrians.

Shanghai is different from other cities and does not impose a curfew.

At night, workers who had worked at the dock all day would flock to the restaurant next door in twos and threes, ordering a plate of fennel beans and drinking two glasses of rice wine.

There was not much entertainment, and the workers just drank, chatted, and played rock-paper-scissors to liven up the atmosphere.

Lao Zhu also lives in the restaurant.

He had never seen such a scene before, and for a moment he felt a mixture of emotions.

"The streets are all lit up, what a waste." Old Zhu said dissatisfiedly: "When I was a child, my family never lit up the lights. This 'rebellious grandson' actually lit up the streets. Extravagant! Wasteful! A spendthrift!"

“Also, why isn’t there a curfew?”

"If we let these people wander around at night, do you know how much trouble will arise?"

"There are no city walls outside. Aren't you really worried about bandits attacking the city?"

He kept nagging and picking out the faults that he didn't like.

Yoshigaki and Jiang Lin listened quietly beside them.

Both of them looked at their noses and their hearts, and no matter what the emperor said, they didn't say a word.

After a while, Old Zhu snorted again, "These people worked at the dock all day, and they can even eat fennel beans and drink wine at night. They seem to be living a pretty good life. No wonder they speak well of that 'rebellious grandson'."

Old Zhu's eyes fell on a group of people who were drinking and chatting at a table.

"Our Ming army is really powerful. Only a few thousand people can defeat the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"Hahaha, is there any need to explain that? The new army was trained by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself."

"From now on, those bastards from the Northern Yuan Dynasty will never dare to attack the Ming Dynasty again."

"Come, let us toast to the victory of the new army, to the Ming Dynasty, and to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank them all.

at this time.

A woman holding a pipa walked out of the restaurant and bowed to everyone.

Then, the woman started playing the pipa, singing a minor tune as she played.

The sound is melodious and beautiful, like the song of a yellow oriole, continuous and endless in the ears.

It often drew cheers.

"These Japanese women are quite charming!" someone praised loudly after the song was over.

Upon hearing this, the others also started chatting.

"Yes, I do. I play well, and I sing very well."

"I heard that there are many women from Japan coming to Ming to perform."

"Of course. Our Great Ming is extremely wealthy, thousands of times better than the poor and remote country of Japan. Of course they are rushing to run to the Great Ming."

"Old Zhang, you've been single for more than 30 years. I think you should just find a Japanese wife and go home."

"Haha, I think it's good."

"That's a good idea. From now on, when Old Zhang goes home, he will have a wife to hug him."

The man called Lao Zhang laughed and said, "Stop joking. How can I get a wife with the little money I have now? Last time I wanted to marry the daughter of the Wang family, they asked for a betrothal gift of fifty taels of silver. How could I afford so much money? I was humiliated for no reason. It was a pity..."

Old Zhang shook his head repeatedly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

"You don't know this." Another man laughed and said, "There are many Japanese women coming to Ming by boat. They don't ask for a dowry. As long as someone is willing to take them in, they are willing to go home with you."

Old Zhang was shocked and asked, "Are you serious?"

The man patted his chest and said, "We are brothers, why would I lie to you? There are many Japanese women gathered at the dock a few miles away from here, and the government has sent people to manage them."

"But I only want to be your wife, not your concubine, and I won't sell myself as a slave."

"Single men go there to register their identities. Once they are verified, they can choose a Japanese woman."

"If both parties are attracted to each other and are willing, we can sign the marriage certificate on the spot. We only charge a registration fee of 100 coins and an administration fee, and we don't need a penny of betrothal gift."

Old Zhang was still a little unconvinced: "You are not teasing me, are you? In the current market, how can you marry a wife without a betrothal gift?"

The man said, "Pah," "Don't be so rude. This is absolutely true. You can go and see for yourself."

At this time, another person nearby said, "What he said is indeed true. Those Japanese women just want to find a Ming man to marry. If someone is willing to marry them, they will thank him profusely and be overjoyed, without asking for any betrothal gifts."

Old Zhang's eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn't help but said, "Thank you for telling me, I'll go take a look tomorrow."

"Hahaha, Old Zhang, it looks like your bachelor life is over."

"It's terrible! From now on, Old Zhang will have to be taken care of by his wife!"

Happy laughter rang out in the restaurant.

"Come on, let's have a drink for Old Zhang. Cheers!"

"Dry!"

"Dry!"

……

Lao Zhu walked over and asked with a smile: "Brothers, how do you feel about your life now?"

He was beginning to feel a little confused.

Shouldn't drinking and enjoying oneself be a luxurious lifestyle that only wealthy people can enjoy?

But the people who are drinking, listening to music and chatting in the restaurant are obviously not rich people, but laborers at the dock.

How come they also become greedy for pleasure?
It shouldn’t be!

Besides, how do they have the money to drink and listen to music?

Lao Zhu himself was born into a poor family. In his opinion, this matter was quite weird.

For a coolie, it’s good enough to have enough food to eat, but how can he have spare money to eat fennel beans and drink wine?
Impossible!
If any official dared to report this in a memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang would criticize him severely.

If things go wrong, he will be demoted to a commoner or even arrested and thrown into prison.

After all, it is a crime of deceiving the emperor!
However, the facts were before his eyes, forcing Lao Zhu to believe it.

I just felt it was ridiculous.

"Of course it's good!" A middle-aged man who was obviously a little drunk said, "If it were in the past, we would have to go back to sleep after work, and there would be no way we could come to this restaurant to drink and chat! Isn't it obvious that life is getting better and better?"

Others said, "Yes, life is getting better and better."

“It’s getting better and better!”

Old Zhu asked again: "But you finally earned some hard-earned money, and you came to the restaurant to drink and waste it all. Do you still need to support your parents at home? What about your wife and children?"

He was deeply saddened and felt very disappointed with these people.

How could this be?

If you make money, you should save it and live frugally. This is how people live.

"Hahaha!" The half-drunk and half-awake dock laborers laughed.

One person said, "If it were in the past, we wouldn't come here to drink, and we couldn't afford it even if we wanted to."

"But you know what? We are now working on the docks, and the wages we get are twice as much as before!"

"One day's work is equivalent to two days' work."

"We can take some money from it, go to the restaurant to drink and listen to music, and save a lot of money to take home."

Another person nearby added: "We used to be frugal and didn't even want to spend a penny. We worked hard for a year, but we didn't have much money when we went home."

"Now that incomes are high, a plate of fennel beans and two taels of rice wine in a restaurant only costs a few dollars. It won't affect my family's income."

"The wages have gone up, but the price of food has not gone up. It is still the same price as before."

"Can you support your wife and children?"

Old Zhu was stunned when he heard this, and asked, "Everyone's wages are doubled?"

"Yes, why, do you want to come to work too? I think you may not be able to handle it at your age." The man said drunkenly.

Old Zhu stamped his feet repeatedly and said, "It's bad. Everyone's wages have been increased, but the grain prices in the national treasury granary have not risen. Then all the grain in our Daming will be bought up by you people. Daming will be short of food. What should we do?"

The restaurant suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked at the old man in surprise.

The drunkard was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "How could the Ming Dynasty be short of food? Our wages have doubled, but the amount of food we eat has not doubled, hahahaha."

Old Zhu suddenly came to his senses and was stunned for a moment.

……

PS: Both chapters are posted together.

(End of this chapter)