The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

May has passed.

As we entered June, the weather became increasingly hot and humid.

Fearing flooding, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered all regions in the Jiangnan area to strengthen their defenses to prevent loss of life and property.

As for the present, we have entered the initial fluctuation stage of the Little Ice Age, which explains why Henan, Shandong, and even the Jiangnan region frequently experience natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and locust plagues.

On the other hand, the grain theft case, which began in March and lasted for several months, has spread from the imperial court to the local areas and has entered a critical period for adjudication!

Every day, lists of people to be arrested, those to receive commutation of sentences, and those to be escorted for execution are sent from all over the country!

The documents here were first organized and reviewed by Crown Prince Zhu Biao before being sent to Zhu Yuanzhang's desk.

In summary

In just three months, nearly 50,000 people have been detained in connection with the case, from the capital to the Thirteen Departments!

More than 10,000 prisoners were sentenced to immediate execution by beheading!

Among them, there were 2,200 officials at all levels, and 8,000 clerks, grain officials, and wealthy people who participated in corruption, sharing the spoils, and harming the people!

These facts clearly demonstrate the severity of corruption in the government and the public, which urgently requires a strong crackdown!

The most significant effect was the issuance of "atonement debts".

There are three categories of people who can atone for their sins: officials and members of the public who have no subjective corruption, have not shared the spoils and harmed the people, and have only been passively implicated or made minor mistakes.

According to preliminary statistics, nearly 30,000 people meet the criteria, all of whom are grassroots personnel involved.

In just over a month, a total of 8,000 people have successfully redeemed their sins, and 1.2 million taels of silver have been collected as atonement money!

It greatly replenished the national treasury deficit, successfully prevented large-scale indiscriminate killings, and quelled the panic among the wealthy and the lower-ranking officials!

June 10th.

The Hall of Literary Glory is located inside the outer hall.

Zhu Biao stood with a bow, and after sealing the memorial, he spoke in a steady voice, giving a general account of the nearly one-month investigation into corruption.

Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, Lan Yu, and others each occupied the lower-ranking positions.

Some frowned in thought, some looked worried, and some remained expressionless...

After the Crown Prince finished speaking...

Zhu Yuanzhang placed the memorial beside him and said in a deep voice, "In matters such as redemption debts, have you discovered any instances of favoritism, corruption, or double-dealing?"

Upon seeing this.

Tang Duo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Your Majesty, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and the Three Departments, verified each case file and each person's record. We found that those included in the list of those to be redeemed were all victims of forced involvement, and there was not a single principal offender on the list!"

Zhao Mian, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, followed closely behind, and solemnly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Censorate has already dispatched thirteen supervisory censors to various regions to oversee the proceedings!"

"Furthermore, by imperial decree, anyone who uses the guise of atonement to extort money or release the principal offender shall be executed without prior notification!"

"Up to the time I entered the palace, not a single case of fraudulent reporting was discovered. The lists and records match perfectly, with no omissions!"

Immediately afterward, Ren Ang, the Minister of Revenue, also stepped forward shakily and handed the account book to the eunuch, saying, "Your Majesty, according to reports from various places, we have collected 1.2 million taels of silver for redemption, which has all been deposited into the Imperial Treasury."

"The relevant accounts have been verified by the Ministry of Revenue several times and are completely accurate. They are now presented for Your Majesty's review!"

When the head of the Ministry of Revenue issued the notification.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already opened the accounts.

The numbers recorded above were all in uppercase and accompanied by detailed descriptions.

After scanning the area, Old Zhu nodded.

Although most of the grain theft case has been solved, it is not yet over.

He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "In addition to local reports, all departments shall continue their investigations. Anyone found to have taken advantage of the situation to escape punishment or to have engaged in favoritism and malpractice, no matter who they are, will be thoroughly punished without exception!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Xu Da and the others bowed and withdrew.

Only Crown Prince Zhu Biao remained. Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I know how much trouble Biao has worked on this case these past few months!"

"But time is of the essence. According to our plan, all related cases must be concluded by mid-July!"

"The next month will be busy..."

The timing of the operation, before the autumn harvest, is also to prevent this case from affecting agricultural and other livelihood-related work.

Zhu Biao understood his father's intention, bowed deeply, and said, "As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to serve the country!"

"I will live up to the Emperor's trust and the expectations of all people!"

Then, he changed the subject, took out a report, and said, "In addition, my fourth brother sent an urgent military report from Beiping, stating that the northern barbarians are making unusual movements. I request that Father Emperor take a look!"

Because the military situation in the northern border region is of paramount importance!

Zhu Biao then refrained from revealing it publicly and instead handed it over privately.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at them, his eyebrows shot up, and he slammed his fist on his desk, exclaiming, "These damned bastards!"

"Back then, we drove them out like stray dogs, fleeing into the grasslands! Yet today, they dare to invade our borders on a large scale, plundering money and grain, and kidnapping our people! How can we let them get away with this?"

"First, send a letter to the fourth brother and his men, and also issue orders to all garrisons in Beiping, Datong, Shanxi, and along the border, instructing them to immediately fortify their defenses and scorch the fields, harvest the autumn grain first, and gather the people and store the grain in the fortresses!"

"Then dispatch the Imperial Guards to Datong and other places overnight, and execute Zhang Yi and his ilk, who delayed military intelligence and deserted in the face of battle, allowing the rebels to enter the pass, on the spot, and send their heads to the capital!"

"A separate decree was issued to the Ministry of Revenue, ordering them to immediately procure six months' worth of military provisions and equipment for transport to Beiping and other places. Anyone who dares to delay will be punished according to military law!"

"Furthermore, summon Duke Feng Sheng of Song and Duke Fu Youde of Ying... to come see us immediately!"

The commands were issued one after another, each one more forceful than the last.

After a dozen or so breaths, he looked at his eldest son Zhu Biao and the eunuch who had delivered the order, and then walked out of the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back on the dragon throne and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Barbarians fear power but not virtue.

Especially those brats from the Northern Yuan, only when they're beaten hard will they know what Mingwei is all about!

He cannot have peace of mind until such border troubles are eliminated!

Taking a break, Old Zhu glanced at the attending eunuch and asked, "Did our eldest grandson leave the palace today?"

Since May, the beloved grandson has been leaving the palace to inspect the construction projects every so often.

However, judging from the reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his childhood friend Tang He, etc.

His wonderful grandson often brings unexpected surprises to people!

For example, the blueprints he received previously listed the materials so clearly that even the preliminary budget was included.

Having discerned the advantages and disadvantages, he has ordered the Ministry of Works to use this as a model to supervise the entire country and eradicate the root of corruption!

And that bookkeeping method, it's a two-way correspondence, with both inflows and outflows...

Not to mention that the performance evaluation system proposed by Ai Sun a few months ago has now begun to be piloted from the Six Ministries onwards, taking advantage of the opportunity to combat corruption!

They noticed the emperor looking over.

The eunuch, gripping his whisk, shuddered and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the eldest grandson left the palace early this morning and should be back soon!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Glancing at the letter on the edge of the imperial desk, it was written a month ago by the fourth prince, Zhu Di, to his eldest grandson, Xiong Ying!

"If the eldest grandson returns to the palace, have him come here!"

"yes!"