Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 258 Zhu Yunxun is drunk, I have an idea for you!
"Yes, if something really happens to the court, won't we nobles still have to go to the battlefield? How can they treat us like this?"

"What's the point of giving benefits to those untouchables? At most, you can only get a few nice words. If the world is really unstable, do you believe that those untouchables will jump out one by one to rebel?"

"Well said! It's just that we, the nobles, share the glory and disgrace with the Ming Dynasty. Only with people like us can the Zhu family's kingdom be safe and stable."

"This is simply outrageous! We are a noble family. We followed the emperor to conquer the world. We went through wind and rain, sacrificed our lives, and shed our blood. Did it have it easy? Seeing the Zhu family take over the throne, we were all made dukes. We thought we would be able to enjoy the luxury from now on, but we didn't expect that we would end up with the same status as pariahs? We have to rely on the salary and rewards from the court to live. What's the point? The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"

"That's really the truth! Everyone here, who doesn't have hundreds or thousands of people at home? Maids, servants, sedan bearers, guards, guests, dancers, singers, cooks... who doesn't need money to support them? Every day when you open your eyes, the money in your home flows out like water. If you really count on the salary and rewards from the court, you will never be able to get enough!"

"Yes! To be honest, I recently fell in love with a troupe from Suzhou that came to Jinling, and I want to buy it back. They offered 20,000 taels of silver, which is not expensive, right? But my family can't even afford this little money, so I, the son of a marquis, have to go to a special theater to watch a play like those low-class people. Don't you think I'm angry?"

"You're still thinking of hiring a troupe to sing at home? I'm almost reduced to going to a brothel to listen to music!"

"Now prices are getting higher and higher. Except for food prices, everything is rising. Especially the wages of the untouchables, which are going up to the sky! In the past, a family could build a garden and hire hundreds of people to work, and it didn't cost much a day. Now it has increased several times!"

"Don't mention it. Carpenters and masons are so expensive now. They do menial jobs and their tails are almost cocky! No wonder they praise His Royal Highness the Crown Prince all day long! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Nowadays, wages are high and food prices are low. How can they not praise him? It's hard for us nobles!"

"We really need to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about this matter and remind him not to be too nice to those lowly people! We need to be nice to our nobles!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Brother Chang, only you are suitable to come forward for this matter. After all, you are his uncle!"

"Brother Chang, we will all listen to you. If His Royal Highness really wants to put us, the sons of nobles, to death, then we will accept it. We are only afraid of that Yang man and that evil monk Yao Guangxiao. These people are always trying to deceive people in front of His Royal Highness."

"His Royal Highness is too young, and he is obsessed with newfangled gadgets like steam engines, so he was deceived by scholars like Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji. Brother Chang, you are His Royal Highness's uncle, you can't watch him go astray!"

……

Everyone was talking at once, but everyone was filled with indignation.

"What are you talking about?" Chang Sheng's expression changed slightly, and he shouted angrily, "Have you said enough?"

Seeing Chang Sheng getting angry, all the noble sons fell silent.

"Now you say you don't rely on salaries to make a living, but when the court didn't pay salaries on time, you complained all the same!"

"Now that His Royal Highness has paid the salary on time, does that mean it doesn't count as his contribution? You can't be so shameless!"

Chang Sheng slammed the table and said, "As the saying goes, 'a new official starts with three big moves'. My nephew has just taken office, so how can he not start a few big moves?"

"You still say that His Royal Highness treated you badly? Why, many of you were also involved in Wang Bi's case? If it weren't for His Royal Highness's mediation, you would have been beheaded and your property confiscated long ago. How can you still sit here and drink?"

"Back then, you were a member of your family, and you led your servants to besiege His Royal Highness. Not only did His Royal Highness not blame you, he even pleaded for you and gave you a way out. Isn't that good?"

"There are also those who go out to fight, those who drink and cause trouble outside, and those who are jealous of others in brothels... I ask you, can you please calm down for a while? Do you have to take advantage of the court's current efforts to rectify public order and crack down on corruption to commit crimes?"

"You keep saying that you are loyal to His Royal Highness, but why don't you stop causing trouble for His Royal Highness?"

"Don't blame me for not reminding you. The Anti-Theft Bureau and the Metropolitan Procuratorate are now ruthless. If you fall into their hands, don't come to me crying and begging for mercy. I can't afford to lose face!"

Chang Sheng got angry and the whole place fell silent.

After a long while, someone raised his glass and said, "Brother Chang is right. After all, we are all his Highness the Crown Prince's people. If he doesn't take care of us, who else can he take care of?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just taken office and needs to rectify the government. We really can't cause trouble or hinder him at this time."

"If you have any complaints, just say them here."

"If anyone dares to say anything bad about His Royal Highness outside, I will be the first to go up and fight them to the death."

As soon as the words fell, other noble sons responded one after another.

"Yeah!"

"We just complained a few words because there are no outsiders here today. Don't take it seriously, Brother Chang!"

"Yes!"

"Come! Come! Come! Drink!"

Chang Sheng raised his glass and drank with everyone.

Zhu Yunxun clapped his hands, walked out, and said with a smile: "Everyone is in such a good mood!"

Everyone was startled when they saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly appear.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

……

Everyone saluted quickly.

Everyone was filled with fear and anxiety.

On the one hand, I didn't know how long Crown Prince had been here, and I was worried that his complaints just now had been heard.

On the other hand, in the feudal era, due to insufficient production, the imperial court and social opinion were very unfavorable to eating and drinking.

Don’t think that it is common for these people to buy singers to sing for themselves, buy dancers to enjoy themselves, and raise opera troupes.

In fact, these things are only compared and shown off casually among the children of nobles and the circles of rich and powerful.

He would never admit it in front of outsiders, especially in front of the censors.

I can only say that these are all false.

I always read and write at home, and never do anything ridiculous.

The same applies to eating and drinking.

"Eating, drinking, whoring and gambling", eating and drinking ranks before whoring and gambling.

This is because in the feudal era when food production was severely insufficient, public opinion hated any good food or drink other than what was needed to meet basic survival and living needs.

When others are hungry, you waste food at home, which naturally makes people annoyed.

On the other hand, because food and drink are very expensive, the average middle-class landlord cannot afford to eat and drink lavishly and can easily go bankrupt.

Of course, these children of nobles have no such worries.

But he was also afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would reprimand and accuse him for this.

After all, these were enough "moral stains" for the censors to report to the court.

According to the requirements of Confucian scholars, eating and drinking should only be done during meals, and at other times only snacks can be eaten.

Of course, people of different social status may eat different meals.

The main meals of noble families could be very luxurious, with ten dishes in one meal. This was "ritual", the embodiment of the Confucian concept of hierarchy, so it was not considered extravagant or wasteful.

For example, Duke Yansheng, the descendant of the most polite saint, had three meals a day, each of which consisted of eight dishes and one soup. Moreover, the dishes for each meal had to be freshly cooked and he would never eat any leftovers.

Such extravagance and waste were regarded as a model of observing "propriety" by Confucian scholars.

When the children of nobles are not having formal meals, they gather together to drink, eat and watch the singing girls dance. This is definitely the kind of wasteful behavior that would make the old Confucian masters furious, and it is a shameful moral stain.

Those who do this are playboys who corrupt social morals, and the court must severely reprimand them.

Once discovered, we will investigate and deal with it.

Never tolerate or condone it!

If Zhu Yunhuan had not yet become the crown prince and was not in power, he would have been just a prince or a duke.

Of course, it was just in time for us to drink, watch singing and dancing and chat together.

But Zhu Yunhuan was now in power, and the court laws were becoming increasingly stringent, so of course they were afraid.

Does this count as catching someone in the act today?

It was Chang Sheng who was loyal and took the "blame" very generously.

"Your Highness, I invited them to drink and watch singing and dancing today. If you want to punish them, punish me alone."

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Indeed, I have to be punished. Uncle, you invited people to drink at home, but you didn't invite me. You have to drink three cups of wine as punishment." After that, he sat down next to Chang Sheng, poured a glass of wine, and said: "Come on, drink!"

Chang Sheng was still a little scared and said, "Don't you blame your uncle for not doing his job and drinking and having fun with a bunch of bad friends at home all day?"

It seems that I have accumulated a lot of prestige during this period of time.

Chang Sheng didn't see me like this before.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Why should I blame you? Uncle, you said that you should enjoy your life well, so as to be worthy of the spirit of the Kaiping King in heaven."

"I remember them all."

"That's a good idea of yours!"

He raised his wine glass, slowly glanced at the many noble children in the field, and said, "If any of you go out to cause trouble and oppress the people, I will punish you severely."

"But there is nothing wrong with drinking, listening to singing and dancing at home and spending your own money."

"Which article in the Ming Dynasty law prohibits this?"

"The laws of the Ming Dynasty do not forbid it, so it is allowed."

"Come, I will drink with you today, everyone just drink happily."

The originally tense atmosphere in the field disappeared in an instant, and the sons of nobles felt relieved and cheered.

"drink wine!"

"drink wine!"

"Let me offer a toast to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

For a while, everyone was toasting and in high spirits.

It is such an honor for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to drink with them.

The previous complaints have long been thrown to Java.

Zhu Yunhuan kept toasting everyone.

Although the wine consumed in the Ming Dynasty at that time was all low-alcohol rice wine.

But after drinking too much, they gradually became a little drunk.

However, when it comes to drinking, the drunker you are, the better the atmosphere.

Zhu Yunhuan then knocked on the bowl and started singing.

"The scenery of life is like the wind surging on the sea."

……

"A cup of wine, two dimes, come and get together from time to time."

……

"If we talk about winning affection, I am number one in the world."

……

"A brave man cut open his stomach to come and see me, without any fear or disturbance, a loyal and righteous brother."

……

"Take advantage of your youth to pursue fame and fortune, as money cannot buy you a good life."

……

These noble and dissolute young men usually only heard opera troupes perform and actors sing, but the lyrics and tunes were completely different from this kind of music.

Listening to the Crown Prince's singing at this moment, I suddenly felt it was both novel and interesting.

It also sings about the brotherhood between these people.

What's more, this song was sung by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Doesn't that mean that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince regards them all as brothers?
All the nobles and rich men were immediately moved to tears.

I had drunk too much and was very emotional.

At this time, everyone was crying and sobbing.

He cried and swore to be loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince until death.

Zhu Yunhuan was still extremely lucid.

In fact, it’s different from these people.

Although he had a few drinks, he was not drunk.

The reason was very simple. After all, Zhu Yunhuan was the Crown Prince. When others toasted him, he picked up the cup and took a sip, which was considered a great respect.

No one dared to say that he used a small cup, and no one dared to say that he drank too little, etc.

But the person who is toasting, he drinks it in big bowls!
Otherwise, wouldn't it be disrespectful to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
He respects others in the same way.

In addition, the alcohol content of the rice wine itself was not high. Although Zhu Yunhuan drank a few glasses just right to show his generosity, he was still a long way from being drunk.

However, he had developed the skill of pretending to be drunk in his previous life.

At this moment, he pretended to be drunk, staggering from side to side and unable to stand steadily.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was undoubtedly drunk.

After all, he is not very old and no one knows how much he can drink.

If you pretend to be drunk at this time, no one will suspect you.

After singing a song, Zhu Yunhuan lay on the table, pretending to be very drunk.

The waiter beside him hurried forward and said, "Your Highness, you can't drink anymore. It's time to go back."

"Why are you replying?" Zhu Yunxun waved his hand to push the person away and said, "Bring the wine, keep drinking!"

He stood up, taking slow steps, holding a wine jug in one hand, and pointed at the people in the field, saying: "I tell you, the court and your noble families have always shared weal and woe."

"In the past, my grandfather, the emperor, led your elders to conquer the world together. We were all good brothers who shared life and death. Even if we had to go through fire and water, we didn't frown."

"In the future, I will also lead you all to conquer the world together. Are you willing?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" There was an immediate and enthusiastic response from the crowd.

However, in the eyes of many people, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was drunk.

The era of conquering the world has long passed, so why bother conquering the world?

However, they were still very happy to hear His Royal Highness the Crown Prince say this.

Of course, I will respond immediately.

"That's good!" Zhu Yunhuan pushed away the person who came to help him, staggered a few steps, and said, "I heard all your complaints just now."

Everyone's expressions changed slightly at once.

Before they could think about it, they heard Zhu Yunhuan continue: "I came here today specifically to tell my uncle a way to make money."

"Since everyone is here, and we are all good brothers... then I won't hide it from you. I will tell you all about this method today."

"So that you won't complain about the court not treating you well in the future."

……

(End of this chapter)