Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 265 A small episode and the big hidden danger discovered by Lao Zhu!

The guard leader was slightly stunned.

When the factories of the Manufacturing Bureau first started operating, many dignitaries and high-ranking officials from the capital did come to visit and tour the factories.

When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince offered the title of Duke and a reward to anyone who could invent the steam engine, it aroused the interest of many children of nobles and high-ranking officials.

Those second generations who had nothing to do all day long rushed to the factory of the Daming Manufacturing Bureau to watch the excitement.

At the beginning, how could the factory dare to offend such a powerful son?
They said they wanted to go in, so of course they were allowed in.

Later I found out that after these guys got in, they were really difficult to deal with and they seriously affected the normal operation of the factory.

Zhao Rui, who was in charge of the Manufacturing Bureau, reported the matter to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately issued an order that from then on, no officials or nobles, regardless of their identity or rank, were allowed to enter the manufacturing bureau's factory without permission.

If there was a need to go to do official business, such as the Ministry of Justice arresting people, or the Taxation Bureau checking taxes, etc., the relevant government offices would issue formal documents and submit them to the Manufacturing Bureau for verification before entry could be allowed.

The Censorate sent people to patrol and randomly check official documents. If anyone deliberately entered the factory to play under the pretext of doing official business and thus affected the production operations of the factory, they would be severely punished.

After punishing several people who didn't believe in the evil, no one came to the factory to cause trouble anymore.

Although the Jinyiwei was a daunting government office, its members were also the best at reading the winds and were extremely well-informed.

You shouldn't be so foolish as to run into the knife of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

If you really want to do business, you should bring official documents with you.

One identity token is enough to go anywhere else.

But it is not possible to enter the manufacturing bureau's factory.

Today, this "master" of the Jinyiwei seems to be different from usual.

His eyes turned to the carriage at the door again.

Since the Jinyiwei could personally escort him, the people in the carriage must be royal relatives.

It’s better not to act too rashly.

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued strict orders, we should naturally try our best to avoid conflicts with the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The guard leader is no fool.

He would be more than happy to have this kind of thing handed over to someone higher up to handle.

Thinking of this, the guard leader hesitated for a moment and ordered a subordinate next to him: "Go and report this matter to Lord Zhao immediately."

……

The tense atmosphere eased a little.

Jiang Li's face was still very ugly.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you'll be received respectfully wherever you go, right?

I have never been treated so humiliatingly.

He is just a doorman from the Manufacturing Bureau, yet he dares to stop me.

Jiang Li was not a generous person.

The reason why he was able to suppress his anger at this moment was because His Majesty the Emperor was present.

But precisely because of the presence of His Majesty the Emperor, Jiang Lin felt more confident and even angrier.

I'm afraid that in the eyes of His Majesty, he, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is incompetent and can't even handle such a small matter.

The leader of the guards on the opposite side was originally ready to take advantage of the situation, but when he saw that the other party still had a sour face, he didn't bother to pay attention to him anymore.

the other side.

Zhao Rui was in the office of the Manufacturing Bureau, carefully calculating the accounts.

This is what Zhu Yunhuan repeatedly instructed.

We must supervise Zhu Gaochi and manage every penny spent by the Ming Manufacturing Bureau.

Today, the Ming Manufacturing Bureau has become a behemoth.

The number of workers hired alone reached hundreds of thousands.

The daily cash flow expenses are greater than the expenses of the Ming Dynasty court a few years ago.

Despite holding such great power, Zhao Rui acted very cautiously.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to join His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Otherwise, I would not be enjoying the glory I have today and would have gone to the underworld to meet the King of Hell long ago.

Although he was a eunuch and could not perform human duties, he had a strong desire for power and was extremely serious about his work.

When Zhao Rui first started the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, he was completely in the dark and had no idea what to do.

It was only with the constant encouragement of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and slow attempts that we gradually achieved the situation we have today.

Of course, the Manufacturing Bureau has a dedicated accountant.

But Zhao Rui always had to go through the larger account expenses himself.

Just as I was watching, someone suddenly came to report from outside.

"Sir, there are Jinyiwei people at the entrance of the steel mill. They are wearing plain clothes, but they have shown their badges and said they want to enter the factory."

"We asked him if he had any official documents from the Jinyiwei Yamen. He said no, but he was very determined and insisted on coming in..."

Zhao Rui slammed the table without waiting for him to finish his words.

"It's just a small matter. How should we do it? We already have a routine. Did you forget the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Can't you handle it yourself? Do you need to report it to me?"

His tone was so stern that it immediately frightened the person who came to report.

Zhao Rui was indeed a little angry.

The people below clearly did not want to take the blame and were afraid of offending the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so they sent people to "report" instead of handling the matter directly and impartially.

On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with this matter, but in fact it is just a common tactic used by officials to shirk responsibility.

I am like a loach, slippery and neither side can offend.

However, if they don't take the blame, then Zhao Rui will have to take it himself.

Of course he was dissatisfied.

No matter whether the visitor is from the Jinyiwei, or the son of other nobles, royal relatives, and "borrowing" the badge of the Jinyiwei to join in the fun at the factory of the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, in short, the other party must not be someone who is easy to "provoke".

Otherwise, no one would have the courage to break into the factory of the Ming Manufacturing Bureau.

Even if his official position is lower than Zhao Rui's, and his connections are not as strong as his, he should still try his best not to offend him if he can.

Being an official in the imperial court, the emphasis was on “everyone carrying the fancy sedan chair”.

Being honest and upright is of course a must, and one must not go along with corrupt officials.

But being honest and upright does not mean being straightforward, ruthless, and ignorant of the ways of the world.

We still need to pay attention to the methods and approaches.

The Jinyiwei men tried to break in with their badges, but were stopped by their subordinates. The Manufacturing Bureau then sent people to negotiate with the Jinyiwei office and reported the matter to the Censorate.

Anyone who forced his way in was punished and suffered a loss. In the future, Zhao Rui only needed to say that he was not aware of the matter and that it was all handled by his subordinates and was limited by the regulations of the court. If he had offended anyone, he could only ask for forgiveness.

Even if the other party is still angry, the two sides will not have much hatred because of this.

Even if the other party is powerful, Zhao Rui can pretend to punish the person who stops him and the matter will be over.

This is the basic philosophy of officialdom.

His subordinates took the blame for him, offended people, and might even be "punished" afterwards, but Zhao Rui would not let his subordinates bear the blame for nothing.

The so-called "punishment" is just a formality, and in fact it is just a reshuffle of positions.

After a period of time, you may even be promoted and reused.

This principle can be understood by anyone who has held an official position, even the lowest-level official, except for some ignorant low-level clerks.

But the leader of the guards deliberately pretended to be stupid, for fear of offending others and afraid of taking any responsibility. Under the pretext of "reporting", he was unwilling to take any burden for his superior. How could Zhao Rui not be angry?
It seems that this person is no longer suitable to be the leader of the guard and needs to be "adjusted".

He glared at the person who reported it and shouted, "Get out of here!"

The man was originally just an ordinary guard, and he was already terrified in front of a powerful "big shot" like Zhao Rui.

After being scolded a few times at this moment, he dared not stay for a moment and quickly turned around and left as if escaping.

Zhao Rui shouted again, "Tell your boss that I'm not here. Let him handle this matter on his own. If he can't handle it well, he doesn't need to stay in the Manufacturing Bureau anymore and can just resign."

It seems that Lord Zhao is really angry, and the consequences will be serious!

The man felt a chill down his spine and couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Also.

Before this, it was not like someone had ever come to the Manufacturing Bureau with a Jinyiwei badge.

Didn’t you push it back anyway?
With the precedent, there is really no need to report to Lord Zhao about what to do. After all, although the young prince is the nominal head of the manufacturing bureau.

But everyone knows that the young prince only takes care of the main work, and the specific affairs of the Manufacturing Bureau and daily management are all in the hands of Lord Zhao.

The Manufacturing Bureau had hundreds of thousands of people, making it the largest government office in the Ming Dynasty.

Managing the Manufacturing Bureau is almost equivalent to commanding an army of hundreds of thousands.

If anyone comes to disturb Lord Zhao because of such a small matter.

Even if Lord Zhao had a hundred clones, he still wouldn't be able to handle the work.

The people of Jinyiwei should not be offended easily.

But as long as I stay in the Manufacturing Bureau, what can the Jinyiwei do to me?
If we really want to investigate, we were actually following the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

That Jinyiwei was so arrogant, it was a good opportunity to teach him a lesson.

He ran a few steps as fast as the wind, with thoughts running through his mind.

"return!"

Behind him, Zhao Rui's voice suddenly rang out again.

His steps froze subconsciously.

I was frightened just now, and now I am a little suspicious that I may have heard it wrong.

Until Zhao Rui's voice sounded again: "I told you to come back."

Only then did he confirm that it was correct, and somewhat confused, he turned around and went back.

"You just said that the man was in casual clothes?" Zhao Rui asked with a little confusion.

After he scolded the man away, he always felt something was wrong.

As soon as I thought about it, I immediately remembered the word "casual clothes" in his words.

If the other party really just wants to rely on his status and go into the manufacturing bureau's factory to have a look, he should put on the "tiger skin" of the Jinyiwei.

There is absolutely no reason to wear casual clothes on purpose.

"Yes!" the man replied in a low voice.

For fear of being scolded again, I dared not say a word.

"Please tell me in detail." Zhao Rui asked.

"That Jinyiwei came here to escort a carriage, and there were quite a few people traveling with him."

"He did not reveal his identity at first, and only took out his badge quietly after being stopped by the guards."

"He seems a bit mysterious, as if his identity as a Jinyiwei is a big secret."

"after that……"

He told the whole story in detail.

After a while, Zhao Rui finally understood.

"They drew their swords and threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop them... Also, they asked you to report this to the head of the Manufacturing Bureau. Why didn't you tell them this important information before?"

The man was stunned for a moment.

I was thinking, wasn't I planning to say it, but you interrupted me, so I didn't finish?

How come it was my fault?

I felt very aggrieved, but how could I dare to complain at this moment?

I had to lower my head and remain silent.

Zhao Rui didn't say anything else. He stood up and said, "Let's go and meet him."

In the powerful circle of Jinling City today, everyone knows what the Manufacturing Bureau is.

Since the other party is the Jinyiwei, it is impossible for him not to know.

It's not normal to be so fearless.

What's more, the other party specifically asked to see the head of the Manufacturing Bureau!
Is there really some important official business?

Or maybe it was the "noble man" guarding in his carriage, who was so powerful that even the Manufacturing Bureau couldn't afford to offend him?
There are not many people in the entire court who can allow the Jinyiwei to wear plain clothes and secretly protect them.

Thinking of this, Zhao Rui of course had to go and see it in person.

Soon, he saw the person who forced his way in.

Zhao Rui's mouth suddenly opened wide.

These guards did not recognize Jiang Li, but of course he did.

The people below only reported that the visitor was from the Jinyiwei, but did not say that it was the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei who came in person!

"Sir, it's him!" The guard leader pointed at Jiang Li and said, "He claims to be a member of the Jinyiwei and wants to enter the factory of our Daming Manufacturing Bureau, but he doesn't have an official document from the Jinyiwei Yamen."

"You are blind!" Zhao Rui shouted angrily, "He is a Jinyiwei..."

The sound stopped suddenly.

Zhao Rui suddenly came to his senses.

The people below only said that this person was a Jinyiwei, and did not mention that he was the commander-in-chief, which means that the other party only showed an ordinary Jinyiwei waist badge, not the token of the Jinyiwei commander-in-chief.

Otherwise, the guard would not have failed to mention it when reporting.

Besides, if the commander really revealed his identity, these guards would not dare to stop him, and it would be impossible for them to stop him.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, let alone just visiting the factory of the Manufacturing Bureau, even if he wanted to break into the Eastern Palace, who could stop him unless His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came in person or the Emperor issued an imperial decree?
The other party was unwilling to reveal his identity and force his way in, so he asked the guards to report to the boss of the Manufacturing Bureau.

There is only one possibility, that is, the other party has a mission and is not convenient to reveal his identity.

Therefore, Zhao Rui swallowed the rest of the words.

Jiang Li had the same reaction. He stepped forward quickly and said, "Excuse me, can you please talk to me?"

After the two of them left the crowd and walked away, Zhao Ruifang bowed slightly and said, "The guard was ignorant and didn't know that it was the commander-in-chief himself. Please don't blame me for offending you."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "How can I be angry with the popular person around His Royal Highness the Crown Prince because of such a small matter? It's just..."

He gestured towards the carriage.

Zhao Rui was shocked.

The news that Zhu Yuanzhang was on an incognito visit was top secret in the imperial court.

The ministers only knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was not in the palace, but was recuperating outside.

Lao Zhu did not tell anyone where he was going.

Zhu Yunhuan was in charge of the government and had the Secret Service as his eyes and ears, so he would naturally be able to find out.

Zhao Rui was in charge of the Manufacturing Bureau, so naturally he didn't know about this.

But the other party’s identity is obvious since he can be personally guarded by the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"I will arrange it now."

Jiang Li nodded slightly and said, "This matter needs to be kept secret and must not be known to outsiders."

Zhao Rui hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Commander, I know the severity of the situation."

After he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and said to the guards, "The Royal Guards have some official business to handle at the Manufacturing Bureau. I will lead them in. You stay outside and be on guard."

"From now on, the steel mill will be under temporary control. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order."

Although the identity of His Majesty the Emperor cannot be announced, necessary vigilance must still be increased.

There are many workers coming in and out of the steel plant every day, and when there are too many people, it will be chaotic, so we have to temporarily strengthen the control.

His Majesty the Emperor cannot allow any accidents to happen in his own territory.

Even being frightened is a serious sin.

Upon hearing this, the guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

It seems that today is indeed different from usual.

It turned out that the Jinyiwei came to the Manufacturing Bureau on official business. I wonder what happened.

Lord Zhao's sudden order to control the steel plant made the guards feel a little uneasy.

No matter what they thought, Zhao Rui had already led Jiang Li and his group, as well as Zhu's carriage, to the steel furnace.

This episode, which was neither big nor small, has come to an end.

Only Old Zhu in the carriage still looked serious, muttering: "How could Hu'er leave such a big hidden danger?"

……

(End of this chapter)