The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 111 Lan Yu's Accident

After Old Zhu finished speaking.

Zhu Xiong Ying hurriedly replied, "Grandson has remembered it all! He will learn from His Majesty and treat the people with leniency—"

Then, his brows furrowed, and he said casually, "I heard on the way that Uncle Lan is currently training troops in Taiping Prefecture?"

"But in a few months, he'll be transferred to the northern front lines?"

These words were spoken.

Thinking of the report sent from Fujian this morning.

Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded. He put down the porcelain bowl and said in an unfriendly tone, "What's the point of training soldiers? We'll issue an edict tomorrow summoning him back to the capital immediately!"

Yo!

What did Uncle Lan Yu do to make Old Zhu so angry?

Last December, his grandnephew specifically reminded him of this!

They should restrain their behavior!

When things come to a head and a real emergency occurs, we cannot stand by and watch someone die, for both moral and logical reasons!

Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes darted around, her heart pounding as she pondered deeply.

Empress Ma also sensed something was wrong, thinking about her husband's temperament.

She quickly turned to the side and asked softly, "Chongba, what's wrong with Xiong Ying's great-uncle? Why are you so upset?"

"I remember you said Lan Yu was quite good at his job a while ago, so why the sudden call-up?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard, chuckled coldly, looked up at his wife and grandson, and said, "Hmph! If we let him stay out any longer, his men will probably cause us a huge mess again!"

With just one sentence, Zhu Xiong Ying understood immediately.

It wasn't actually my maternal uncle, Lan Yu, who committed the crime!

The problem arose from one of his adopted sons!

The only course of action now is to find the root of the problem, take the initiative to admit the mistake, and strive for leniency.

Moreover, this incident serves as a good opportunity to give a warning before the Northern Expedition begins!

It's not a bad thing.

Perhaps Old Zhu thought the same thing.

The next moment, Zhu Xiong Ying stepped forward and bowed again, saying, "Grandfather, please understand that my uncle is of a rough and careless nature and has never been good at disciplining his subordinates! If he has made any mistakes, I apologize to you on his behalf. Please calm down!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger subsided somewhat, but he still maintained a stern face. He reached out and helped his eldest grandson up, saying, "This has nothing to do with our eldest grandson; you don't need to apologize on his behalf!"

"We won't immediately put him in jail. We just want to call him back and ask him face-to-face how he led this soldier and how he managed his men."

Upon hearing this...

Empress Ma also noticed something amiss and breathed a sigh of relief.

She then asked, "Zhongba, tell me, what exactly went wrong?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then said, "More than twenty days ago, news came from Fujian that members of the White Lotus sect had gathered to cause trouble—and just a few days ago, another White Lotus sect case occurred in Jiangxi!"

"It turns out these two locations belong to the same group of people. Fortunately, the local magistrate was alert enough to notice the commotion in advance and, together with the military commander, launched a night-long operation to capture them all!"

"According to our orders, in another half month, their ringleaders and key members, more than seventy in total, will be escorted to the capital."

Upon hearing about the White Lotus Rebellion, I recalled the popular uprisings that occurred in many places during the nineteenth year of the Hongwu reign.

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately felt confident.

Empress Ma pulled her eldest grandson to sit beside her, and said thoughtfully, "Cases of such wicked monks misleading the public have existed in every dynasty. They should be dealt with according to the law. How did they implicate Lan Yu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger flared up again, and he coldly snorted, "Sister, you're mistaken. It's more than just being implicated!"

"Let's talk about the case in Fujian first. At first, we also thought it was just a case of a wicked monk misleading the public, but when the three judicial departments investigated further, we found that it was not simple at all!"

"Think about it, girl. Why would ordinary people give up their peaceful lives to follow this wicked monk in rebellion?"

Before his wife and grandson could speak.

With a loud bang, Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the table and rebuked, "Just like us back then, we were forced to join the Red Turban Army!"

"In the past two years, the north has suffered from severe drought, while many areas in the south have frequently experienced flooding. We waived half of our taxes and allocated disaster relief funds, and what was the result?"

"The officials of the prefecture and county colluded with the military officers of the garrison, and most of the disaster relief grain was embezzled. The taxes were not reduced at all, and the money was all put into their own pockets!"

"Even after the grain theft case, when we ordered the local authorities to investigate, it was a case of the blind spot; most of the work was done perfunctorily, with oversights and omissions! It wasn't until the beginning of the year, when the people couldn't survive anymore, that they were deceived by that wicked monk's lies and joined the White Lotus Society to rebel!"

"Especially Zhou Yi, the commander of a thousand households, who was most deeply involved! This man is Lan Yu's adopted son, and he followed Lan Yu in the conquest of Sichuan and the pacification of the southwest—"

"This scoundrel, he's only been in office for a short time, yet he's already seized thousands of acres of fertile land from the people, withheld tens of thousands of bushels of military rations, driven several people to their deaths, and even allowed his soldiers to become bandits, robbing merchants and committing all sorts of atrocities!"

"When ordinary people sue the government, the officials, knowing their backgrounds, dare not even accept the complaint."

Having experienced the hardships of the late Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang hated this kind of behavior the most!

But since he ascended the throne, he has killed at least 50,000 corrupt officials, including those in the Guo Huan case!

However, Lan Yu's adopted son, the maternal uncle, happened to offend him.

I noticed that Ai Sun's eyebrows were furrowed.

Empress Ma clapped her hands, offering words of comfort, and then said softly, "Zhongba, his maternal uncle probably doesn't know, does he?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Although I was unaware of the situation, that doesn't mean I'm innocent!"

"He is the Marquis of Yongchang, whom we have appointed! He is our adopted son, receiving a salary from the imperial court, yet he acts as a henchman for evil in the local area, inciting public resentment and nearly causing a major disaster. How can he escape responsibility?"

"We summoned him back to ask him if he respects the laws of the court and the emperor. If he can't even manage his own people, how can he lead troops into battle in the future?"

He knew a great deal about Lan Yu's character.

The marriage alliance was originally intended specifically for Biao'er!

Some mistakes need to be corrected in time to avoid causing serious problems in the future!

Empress Ma gently advised, "Chongba, I know you're upset, but don't let anger harm your health!"

"Lan Yu was in the wrong first; he deserves to be punished, scolded, and taught a lesson!"

"But as you know, Chongba, Lan Yu is straightforward and a master warrior, but he doesn't understand the intricacies of officialdom. However, he's not as adept at dealing with the imperial family..."

He has always been utterly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, without the slightest hint of disloyalty!

After his grandmother offered some words of comfort, she noticed that Old Zhu still had something on his face.

Zhu Xiong Ying then said, "Grandfather, Grandmother is right!"

"This matter is entirely due to my great-uncle's lax discipline; he is largely to blame! I will speak to him about it again after he returns to the capital—"

You can't teach someone by just anyone; you can teach someone by doing something once.

This experience will temper any arrogance!

His great-uncle should really think this through!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest grandson beside him and said, "We understand what my sister and eldest grandson have said!"

"But today, we're not just here to give Lan Yu a warning over this one case!"

"This is to serve as a reminder to all the founding heroes: don't think that just because you have military achievements or are related to the imperial family, you can be lawless and indulge your subordinates! We can give them wealth and honor, and we can take it all back!"

After the husband had vented his anger.

Empress Ma smoothed things over, laughing and saying, "Alright, alright! Today is the day Xiong Ying returns to the capital for a family reunion, let's not talk about these things anymore!"

"The day after tomorrow, I will also meet with the villagers and elders—"

"If you have something to say, just say it to Lan Yu when he returns—"