Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 328: Matters concerning the Imperial Kitchen, Zhu Yunhuan’s Divine Power!
In the imperial palace, Zhu Yunhuan stretched lazily on the dragon chair, and before he knew it, two or three hours had passed.

Power is truly a wonderful thing. It can make people tireless in handling state affairs.

If the eunuch serving beside him had not come to report that it was already lunchtime, he would probably still be immersed in the joy of commanding the country.

Today, the world is slowly changing according to the plan he had envisioned in his mind, and every step is on the track he expected.

Recalling his previous life when he worked for capitalists, he was always thinking about taking a break and slacking off, but now that he is an emperor, he no longer has such thoughts.

Once he devoted himself to state affairs, he immersed himself in them wholeheartedly, without even the slightest time to slack off or be distracted.

However, he also secretly reminded himself: "In the end, I still have to pay attention to the combination of work and rest."

But we must not follow in the footsteps of Lao Zhu and become a tireless "model worker" under the temptation of power.

After all, model workers often work too hard at the cost of excessive self-destruction, which is extremely detrimental to their health.

Although he did not pursue the illusory art of immortality like other emperors, he also hoped to maintain good health and enjoy more years of peace and prosperity.

After leaving the Qinzheng Hall, he went to the Nuanxin Pavilion in the back, where he had his lunch. The palace maids came in one after another and brought plates of delicacies to the table. No more, no less, exactly twenty-four dishes.

For an emperor, this scale is already quite simple, and is also the basic regulation set by the "ritual system".

If there are further cuts, the ministers will surely write letters to advise against it.

Because the number of dishes for the emperor's meals was fixed, the prince had to reduce his portion by one third or even one half, and the duke, marquis, and ministers of all levels had to reduce their portion in descending order of rank... and so on.

This means that if the emperor only had a few dishes for each meal, the ministers below would have nothing to eat. After all, the etiquette was strict and could not be violated.

If the emperor used a few dishes and his ministers used the same number, it would be a crime of great disrespect.

To put it mildly, it is disrespectful to the emperor and the father, and the offender will certainly be severely criticized by the censors; to put it seriously, the offender may even be convicted and dismissed from office or even exiled three thousand miles away.

In view of this, it was difficult to reduce the number of dishes for the emperor's meal, and these twenty-four dishes were already considered a frugal move.

If it is a festival, additional dishes will be needed, and there will usually be 120 dishes.

At first, Zhu Yunhuan thought this was too extravagant and wasteful. How could one person consume so many dishes?
But when he learned that the leftover dishes would not be discarded but would be given to the palace maids and eunuchs to enjoy, he felt relieved.

As a person who loves food, he would be happy to taste more delicious food as long as it is not a waste.

Zhu Yunhuan just picked up the chopsticks, and as if he suddenly remembered something, he turned around and asked Zhao Rui, who was serving beside him, "Have the meals from the Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office been delivered?"

When the Ming Manufacturing Bureau was established, Zhu Yunhuan sent Zhao Rui to Zhu Gaochi's side and asked him to keep a close eye on the financial expenditures of the Manufacturing Bureau.

After he ascended the throne, the Ming Manufacturing Bureau was abolished and replaced by the Ming Court Assets Department. The scope of its authority changed significantly, and it became a formal court agency, no longer independent of the court as before.

The Government Affairs Office also sent officials to the Assets Department, and the eunuch Zhao Rui was recalled by Zhu Yunhuan.

He had just ascended the throne and moved from the Eastern Palace to the Imperial Palace, and needed someone to take care of all the affairs of the palace. Both Zhao Rui and the palace maid Wen'er were people he had carefully cultivated, and now he should make full use of them.

Zhao Rui has been trained in the Ming Manufacturing Bureau for two years. His abilities in all aspects have improved, and he is able to handle palace affairs with ease.

As the core centers of the Ming Dynasty's military and political affairs, the Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office naturally have not only ministers, but also many officials to assist in the work. Although the number of people is not extremely large, there are more than a hundred people in each office.

Given the current traffic conditions, it would be too time-consuming for them to go home for lunch after a busy day.

The imperial kitchen was of considerable size and had many chefs, so Zhu Yunhuan ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch for the Government Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office. This was also an act of "favor" by the emperor to the ministers of the two offices.

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan's question, Zhao Rui hurriedly bowed and answered respectfully: "We are already speeding up preparations, but the imperial kitchen is short of staff recently, so I'm afraid it will take a while before we can send it to the adults in the Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but frown slightly.

The dietary management of the Ming Dynasty court was divided into two systems: internal and external.

The Guanglu Temple and the Taichang Temple were responsible for food matters at banquets and sacrifices in the outer court, while the Shangshenjian and the Shangshi Bureau were in charge of the meals for the emperor and his concubines in the inner court.

The Shangshenjian was responsible for cooking dishes, while the Shangshiju was responsible for serving meals.

There were more than a hundred chefs in the Shangshenjian alone, not including kitchen assistants and helpers.

With so many people, it should be easy to cook meals for the Military Affairs Office and the Political Affairs Office.

Besides, cooking for them is not as delicate and tedious as serving the emperor, so there is no reason why I would be too busy.

"Are you short of manpower these days?" Zhu Yunxun asked, "Why?"

Zhao Rui said softly, "Recently, many imperial chefs have asked for leave to rest at home."

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned at first, and asked hurriedly: "Is there any epidemic?"

When so many people suddenly took leave, this was the first situation he thought of.

This was also what Zhu Yunhuan was most worried about, but he had no good solution for the time being. He could only strengthen public health and try his best to avoid the outbreak of the epidemic.

"There is no epidemic." Zhao Rui's words made Zhu Yunhuan feel relieved. He then listened to Zhao Rui's report with a smile: "To be honest with Your Majesty, those people may have seen that the benefits of the imperial kitchen are not as good as before, so they feel resentful, but they dare not express it openly, so they found an excuse to ask for leave."

"How dare you!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan became furious and shouted like thunder.

Zhao Rui was so frightened that his legs went limp and he fell to his knees with a thud.

The palace maids and eunuchs serving nearby were frightened by this and quickly knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The crowd's cries for mercy rose one after another.

The palace maids and eunuchs all knelt on the ground with their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground. They were trembling and shaking like sieves, and they didn't even dare to look up at the emperor.

Since Zhu Yunhuan ascended the throne, he has always been kind and gentle to everyone.

This was the first time that they, the close servants, had seen someone as furious as he was today.

For a moment, everyone felt the dragon's mighty power, as if a mountain was pressing down on their heads. They were all terrified and extremely panic-stricken.

"When Grandfather Emperor was in power, he treated the imperial chef with special favor and looked at him differently."

Zhu Yunhuan suppressed his anger, but his voice was still a little cold, "The people in the Imperial Kitchen receive one of the highest salaries in the palace and enjoy extremely generous treatment."

"After I ascended the throne, I doubled their salaries in consideration of their hard work."

"Many imperial chefs hold fifth or sixth-rank official positions, and receive double salaries. This level of treatment is so generous that even many third-rank officials cannot even hope to obtain it."

"Why, they are so greedy and still not satisfied?"

"What do they mean by profit? Humph, I want to ask, what kind of profit do they want?"

Zhu Yunhuan became more and more angry as he spoke, and he slammed the table, "He just wants to take advantage of his position to embezzle the money!" After saying that, Zhu Yunhuan stood up abruptly, put his hands behind his back, and paced rapidly back and forth in the hall, his heart burning with anger.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, he always believed that the imperial chefs should be given special favors. The reason for this was that, to a certain extent, the imperial chefs controlled the life and death of the emperor.

Just like no matter how powerful the emperor is, if his close guards have evil intentions, are disloyal or unjust, they can be "assassinated" silently.

Although the imperial power is majestic, it has its limits: “ten steps away”!
The same applies to the imperial chef. After all, food is a matter of life and death, and any slight mistake can cost lives.

It was because they were afraid that they would poison them that they had always been treated with special favor.

However, this approach is not a long-term solution.

Greed is greedy, and people tend to become "arrogant because of favors."

The imperial chefs knew very well that the emperor was wary of them, so they dared to act so unscrupulously and arrogantly.

If it were any other department, let alone doubling their salaries, even if their salaries were cut completely, how could those people dare to feel resentful about it, let alone dare to "take leave" in large numbers to "protest" against him as the emperor?
Even if they had ten times the courage, they would never dare to do so.

But the royal chefs are so bold and presumptuous!
Zhu Yunhuan's thoughts suddenly drifted away, and he suddenly remembered the Emperor Daoguang, who was famous in history for his stinginess and frugality.

When Emperor Daoguang was in power, he promoted frugality everywhere, thinking that he could save a lot of money. However, he didn't expect that all his efforts did not save a single cent.

Take the Shangshenjian for example. Just for an egg to feed the emperor, he charged five taels of silver for each one, and Emperor Daoguang was helpless and could do nothing about it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan thought to himself: It seems that if I don't rectify the chaos in the imperial kitchen and continue to indulge and tolerate that group of people, I am afraid that I will follow the same fate as Emperor Guang in the future.

But Zhu Yunhu was not the indecisive and inactive Emperor Daoguang.

Even though these people's salaries have been doubled, they are still not satisfied. They are only thinking about embezzling money, trying to earn a hundred or a thousand times more money than their own salaries. Don't blame him for being ruthless, he is going to get serious about it.

Zhu Yunhuan knew very well that if he was unable to control the corruption within the palace and had to compromise and give in to these people, then the ministers outside would definitely follow suit.

As the saying goes, "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked." If this is the case, how can the world be governed?

How can he realize his grand ambitions?
"Your Majesty, I will go and severely punish those ungrateful imperial chefs in the Shangshenjian, so that they will know how powerful we are and will never dare to harbor resentment again." Zhao Rui said in a trembling voice, which was full of fear and uneasiness.

Zhu Yunhuan heard this, but shook his head slightly. He knew in his heart that once resentment was planted, it would not be easy to eliminate it.

If we really use punishment to punish them, it will probably only make their resentment deepen.

By then, there is no guarantee that these imperial chefs will take the risk and poison the emperor, and it will be too late to regret.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhu Yunhuan ordered sternly, "Go and summon Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong to see me."

Zhao Rui did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately went to pass on the order. Zhu Yunhuan looked around again, his eyes sternly swept through the crowd, and said loudly: "No one else is allowed to leave. Anyone who violates this order will be killed without mercy."

Although he was not fully aware of the twists and turns and intrigues among the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, he knew a thing or two.

Within the palace, the relationships among eunuchs and palace maids are complicated and intricate.

As long as one person leaves this place, the news of the emperor's rage will spread to the Shangshenjian as if it had wings.

He didn't want to see those people become desperate and do something drastic, otherwise the subsequent handling would be troublesome and difficult to handle.

The Government Affairs Office is not far from this warm room, and Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong happened to be on duty today.

After a while, the two of them hurried over.

As soon as they stepped into the palace and saw the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling on the ground, a barely perceptible strange look flashed in their eyes, but they quickly regained their composure and stepped forward to respectfully salute and greet the emperor.

"The chef in the imperial kitchen actually used the method of asking for leave to protest against me!"

Zhu Yunhuan's face was gloomy. He briefly explained the whole story, then looked at the two of them sharply and asked, "What do you think about this matter?"

"Villain people often fear power but not virtue!"

Yang Shiqi spoke first, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty can issue an order to severely punish those imperial chefs who take leave without reason, and give generous rewards to those imperial chefs who stick to their posts and do their duty. This two-pronged approach of kindness and severity will surely make them fearful and dare not make such mistakes again."

After hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan frowned slightly, a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes, and then asked: "How to punish severely?"

"Anyone who asks for leave without reason today shall be beaten with twenty sticks in the court as a warning to others." Yang Shiqi said firmly, with a resolute tone in his voice.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan did not answer immediately, but remained silent.

After a moment, he turned his gaze to Yang Rong and asked, "What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I think that the imperial chef should not be punished lightly by beating him with a stick."

Yang Rong said respectfully, "Once this punishment is imposed, their resentment will become even deeper and stronger. In the future, there is no guarantee that they will not rebel and endanger the safety of Your Majesty because of this resentment."

"Your Majesty, please be wise. The imperial chefs are in a key position to prepare meals for Your Majesty. If they have ill intentions, the consequences will be disastrous."

"I have thought about this matter over and over again, and I think that there must be someone behind this who is fanning the flames and misleading the people."

"So the most important task now is to thoroughly investigate the root cause of the matter, find out the leader of the rebellious gang, and punish him according to the law by beheading him in public, so as to demonstrate your majesty's majesty."

"As for the others who followed suit, I think we can issue an imperial decree to severely reprimand them, explain the interests involved, and at the same time show mercy and not punish them."

"This will not only effectively deter the imperial chefs, making them aware of your majesty's majesty, but also avoid causing them too much resentment due to excessive punishment, so that they will be fearful and virtuous, and from then on they will work diligently and conscientiously."

Zhu Yunhuan stared at Yang Rong quietly, his expression deep and reserved, and he did not say a word for a long time.

The atmosphere in the hall seemed to be shrouded in a heavy haze, so depressing that it made people almost breathless.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound. Only the mottled light and shadows shining through the carved window lattices moved quietly in the deathly silence.

After a while, two rays of light as sharp as cold stars suddenly shot out from Zhu Yunhuan's eyes.

Then, his majestic and steady voice resounded in the hall, and every word was loud and clear, just like the sound of a huge bell:
"In my opinion, the Shangshenjian is now terminally ill, rotten from the root, and beyond repair."

"The punishment you just proposed only punishes the main culprit, which is just a temporary solution and cannot fundamentally cure their chronic illness."

There was a hint of cold anger in Zhu Yunhuan's voice, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, with his knuckles turning white.

"I have decided to thoroughly clean up the Imperial Kitchen and will not allow this kind of corruption to continue to spread and grow in the palace."

"Pass on my order. Immediately mobilize the Imperial Guards to surround the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor. Do not let anyone escape."

Zhu Yunhuan's speech was not fast, but every word he spoke was filled with an unquestionable determination.

"All personnel in the Imperial Kitchen, regardless of their position, will be detained and await their fate."

"Those imperial chefs who have asked for leave are ordered to return to the Imperial Kitchen immediately. Anyone who dares to delay or refuse to return will be severely punished and will not be tolerated!"

……

(End of this chapter)