Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 274 There aren't many coincidences in the world! Zhu Yunhuan's anger!
"Selling sesame cakes! Selling sesame cakes! Fresh and delicious sesame cakes, come and buy them!"

"Look, look, here is the best plaster for bruises and injuries..."

"I'm selling wine. This is the best wine. It's so good that it can make you drunk. It's rare to hear it in the world."

"Don't miss it if you pass by. It's fresh..."

……

On the streets of Jinling City, various hawking sounds can be heard one after another.

After Zhu Yunhuan came to power, the streets of Jinling City became more than twice as prosperous as before.

In the past, crowds of people could only be seen on market days, but now they can be seen almost every day.

As for the reasons, the increase in the number of migrant population is certainly one of them, but it is not the main reason.

After all, no matter how fast the population grows, it is impossible for it to increase several times in just one or two years.

Not to mention that the area of Jinling City is limited after all and cannot accommodate too many people.

The most fundamental reason why the streets are bustling and lively is that people have money in their hands and like to go out shopping.

If the same number of people come out to shop and no one goes out, the number of people on the streets will naturally be a world of difference.

The Daming Manufacturing Bureau hired a large number of workers and offered them high salaries.

Not only can you support your family, but you will also have extra money to buy your family some delicious snacks, beautiful accessories, and fun toys to satisfy their spiritual consumption needs.

As a result, the business of shops around the manufacturing factory is also improving.

The wages of employees have also risen accordingly.

The market is certainly becoming more and more prosperous.

But overall, there are relatively few entertainment activities in this world.

People's favorite activity is still getting together to gossip and chat.

Humans are social animals, and social needs are always their first need.

In later generations, there are many people who like to stay at home. It’s not that there is no need for this, but because of the development of technology, this need has shifted to the Internet.

Whether it is using WeChat, QQ to chat, or watching Douyin and videos, browsing forums to read posts, or browsing websites... essentially they are all about satisfying this social need.

There are people who can truly disconnect from the Internet, completely cut off contact with the outside world, and continue to stay at home for a long time without going out. Although it cannot be said that there are no such people, they are definitely very few.

In this era without the Internet, people can only communicate offline, so the need to get together and chat is naturally greater.

The speed of news spreading is not slow, on the contrary it is very fast.

The news that a few days ago a pretty girl who sold jewelry in the West Market left in a carriage with a rich young man spread quickly to every corner of Jinling City as if it had wings.

Over the past few days, the little girl's fame has been growing.

There were even many people in the city who went out of their way to walk a long way just to go to the West Market to see her.

Gossip about pretty little girls naturally attracts special attention.

"Have you heard? The pretty girl who was selling accessories at the stall in the West Market got on a carriage with a young man today."

"Is this a beautiful girl with a boyfriend? I wonder who that young man is and how he could win her heart?"

"I heard before that many people came to ask for the hand of that girl, including some from wealthy families, and even nobles from the imperial court and dukes."

"Yes, I have heard about this, too. It is said that there is a hereditary duke who wants to marry her and even promised to marry her in a formal ceremony with a sedan chair carried by eight people, but the girl still doesn't want to."

"Is her request so high? She doesn't even want to marry the Duke? Does she want to marry the old emperor?"

"Perhaps it's because the Duke is too ugly that the girl didn't want to get married. Otherwise, why would she get in the car with a young man today?"

"That does make sense. I heard that the young man who went there today is handsome, elegant, and suave. He is as handsome as Song Yu and as good-looking as Pan An. The little girl liked him as soon as she saw him, so she followed her into the car."

"Why did I hear something different? I heard that it was because the young master was so powerful that he even scolded the noble lady who came to embarrass the little girl and drove her away. The little girl was grateful for his help, liked his youth and handsomeness, and saw how powerful he was, so she couldn't refuse him, so she got on the car with him."

"Nonsense, nonsense, it's not like that. It's true that the young man scolded the young lady, but the reason why the young lady got into his car and left was because he was quick-witted and talented, and he matched the young lady's painting with an eternal masterpiece. The young lady admired the young man's talent, so she got into his car."

"Good, good. If that's true, it would be a good story. As the saying goes, 'a talented man and a beautiful woman', there are beautiful women in books. It's reasonable for the girl to admire the boy's talent."

"We scholars are all proud of this, hahahaha."

"No, no, you scholars should stop flattering yourself. It's not true at all."

"I heard that the pretty girl is a martial artist. Although she is thin, she is actually as strong as an ox or a tiger. Her martial arts skills are also top-notch. Even a dozen or so strong men can't get close to her."

"That makes sense! Otherwise, why is she so beautiful and yet she can still walk around the streets without anyone daring to bully her? If it's because she's so skilled, then that makes sense."

"Yes, I heard the news too. The reason the young lady got on the carriage with the young man this time was because they had a fight and the young lady lost to the young man. The young lady admired his martial arts skills, so she followed him on the carriage."

"Hahaha, if that's true, it's truly an honor for warriors like me."

"Learning martial arts well is indeed useful. I will also practice hard in the future. If any girl comes out to compete in martial arts to find a husband in the future, I will definitely win first place."

"You bunch of crude warriors, this is clearly nonsense!"

"This is the truth! The girl is pretending to be setting up a stall, but in fact she is having a martial arts competition to find a husband."

"She is so frail and thin, I feel sorry for her. How can she be as strong as an ox or a tiger?"

"Haven't you heard that 'you can't judge a person by his appearance'? This is what we call a hidden talent. Look at the pretty girls in the storytellers' stories. Which one of them doesn't have extraordinary skills?"

"That's a made-up story!"

"This is the truth! Are only scholars able to win the hearts of women with poetry and songs? Can't we martial artists win the hearts of women with our own skills?"

……

In every teahouse in Jinling City or in the places where people rest and gather on the streets, people argued over this issue with their saliva flying and their faces turned red.

There are various versions of the story.

There is even a story that the girl selling things at the stall was originally a fairy from heaven, but was rescued by a mortal when she came to earth a thousand years ago, and now she has come back to repay her gratitude.

Similar versions include that the beautiful little girl is actually a snake demon, a fox demon, a ghost... and so on.

In short, there are all kinds of bizarre versions.

Zhu Yunhuan probably never dreamed that just because he took Gu Panjun on the carriage, he would be rumored to be the second Xu Xian, the second Dong Yong, and the second Ning Caichen...

Of course, if we really knew it, we could only sigh at the horror of rumors and admire the gossip spirit and rich imagination of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Zhu Yunhuan was sitting in the carriage, and Gu Panjun was sitting beside him.

The girl at this moment no longer had her previous free and lively self. Instead, she lowered her head and said nothing, like a child who had done something wrong.

But, beauty is beauty after all.

The way she looked at this moment was completely different from when she was laughing.

She looked aggrieved, helpless, pleading, and pitiful. Seeing her, one could not help but feel the soft spot in one's heart, and could not bear to blame her anymore.

Zhu Yunxun recalled an image he had seen on the Internet in his previous life, of a beautiful little girl looking at people with a pitiful face and tearful eyes.

At that time, netizens were amazed and said, if this was my daughter, even if she made a huge mistake, I wouldn't have the heart to scold her even if I saw her like this.

This is the feeling that Gu Panjun gives people at this moment.

However, the impact that real people bring to people is much greater than photos and videos.

This may not be her intention to beg for others' forgiveness and mercy.

It's just because he looks like that, so when his expression changes, it happens naturally like that.

Zhu Yunhuan still had a stern face and said nothing.

Yang Rong sat opposite, looking somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

"When did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince discover it?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

"If I can't spot such an obvious trap, won't I become a fool who can be fooled by others?" Zhu Yunheng snorted coldly and glared at him again.

He became alert when Yang Rong first introduced Gu Panjun.

The other party was obviously well prepared.

And what a coincidence, just when he needed to find a woman to pass Old Zhu's test, such a stunning girl happened to appear in the market in Jinling City a few days ago.

She also caused quite a stir because of her extremely beautiful appearance.

All of this looks like it was deliberately arranged by someone with ulterior motives.

If Zhu Yunhuan was just an ordinary person, he wouldn't think too much.

But Zhu Yunhuan was not an ordinary citizen, but the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

The most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty besides His Majesty the Emperor.

It's not just himself who has power, but also the people around him. Any one of them is powerful enough to call the wind and rain if placed outside.

It's not difficult for them to arrange something and create some coincidences.

However, at that time, Zhu Yunhuan was still not sure.

Until the girl in military uniform appeared.

At the beginning, Zhu Yunhuan was not clear about the identity of the girl in military uniform.

But later, through her words, I thought of a person.

Xu Miaojing, daughter of Xu Da, one of the founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty.

The brother she was referring to was naturally the eldest son of the Xu family, Duke of Wei, Xu Huizu.

The Xu family's family style has always been rather strange.

Different from families who believe that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent", the daughters of the Xu family have all been taught by famous teachers since childhood.

The eldest daughter, Xu Miaoyun, who later married Zhu Di, was well-read since childhood and was proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics. She was called a "female scholar" by outsiders.

As for Xu Miaojin, she likes to wield swords and sticks, and also loves reading. She is good at both literature and martial arts, has a hot-tempered personality, and likes military titles. She often calls herself a "female man".

In addition, Xu Huizu was a man who doted on his sister. After Xu Da died and Xu Miaoyun got married, Xu Miaojin had the final say in the affairs of the Xu family.

This point was also mentioned in the intelligence reported by the Intelligence Department.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "I didn't know at first, but you should never, ever bring Xu Miaojin into this situation."

Yang Rong was a little puzzled and looked at Zhu Yunhuan.

“The highest level of lying is half truth and half lie, or even nine truths and one lie.”

“It’s the same with acting.”

"It's a fake play. If we add Xu Miaojin, a real person who doesn't know the truth, it will be more realistic."

"Unfortunately, you have forgotten one thing." Zhu Yunxun sighed: "In this world, as long as the women have no problem with their brains, they always want to marry a good man."

"Xu Miaojin's elder brother Xu Huizu was a founding hero, the eldest son of King Xu Guo of Zhongshan, and the Duke of Wei of the Ming Dynasty."

"Xu Huizu was young, tall and mighty, handsome, and well-dressed. He was well-read since childhood, and was proficient in both literature and martial arts. He also had excellent character and had never had a bad reputation."

"Princess Shang is more than qualified for such a person."

"What's more, he is willing to condescend to marry her in a formal ceremony, and bring her to the palace in a sedan chair carried by eight people."

"If she is really an ordinary woman, I really can't understand why she would refuse."

"Unless she has other intentions..."

Yang Rong was stunned for a moment, and said, "Your Highness, is this your conclusion? What if the girl has someone she already loves and therefore doesn't want to marry the Duke of Wei?"

"Yes, there is such a possibility."

Zhu Yunxun nodded and said, "But she happened to appear in Daming's West Market at this time. This is the first coincidence."

"Xu Miaojin happened to come to persuade me today, and I saw a good show. This is the second coincidence."

"She rejected Xu Miaojin's request and refused to be the Duke's wife. This is the third coincidence."

"There are some low-probability events in this world, but they are extremely rare."

"When so many coincidences happen, it is very likely that they were arranged by someone with a purpose."

"Besides, when Xu Miaojin persuaded her, she looked hesitant and conflicted, but she didn't have the sweet smile of a girl who thought of her lover."

"From this point of view, she didn't have anyone in her heart, but she rejected Xu Miaojin's advice, which was even more abnormal."

"That's Xu Huizu, the hereditary Duke of Wei in the Ming Dynasty. He's still a young man, in his twenties, handsome, elegant, and well-known. He doesn't have the bad habits of an ordinary playboy..."

"It's really strange to reject such a person outright."

"If all these are put together, what else could it be but acting?"

Yang Rong bowed deeply and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is very careful and attentive. I admire you."

Zhu Yunxun said coldly: "You don't need to flatter me."

"Yang Rong, you actually dared to collude with outsiders to set up a trap to deceive me. You are so brave!"

His tone suddenly became sharp.

Yang Rong didn't dare to sit there anymore, and he fell to his knees with a plop.

……

(End of this chapter)