Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 102 Turbulent Times: The Abolition of Xun Gui's Privilege of Immunity from Death!

"daughter."

"See? I told you so."

Zhu Di spread his hands, presenting Empress Ma with an expression that said, "This is not what I wanted."

Empress Ma's anger surged, her eyes glaring at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Zhu Chongba."

"Girl!"

Zhu Yuanzhang disregarded everything else and even used the name he had used in his youth to explain: "Jianghuai is north of Yingtian Prefecture and the southernmost point of the Grand Canal."

"A vital hub for grain transport, densely populated, and with fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles."

It borders Hubei to the west, Henan to the northwest, Shandong to the northeast, and Jiangdong and the capital to the south.

"The Jianghuai region is truly the most important cornerstone of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Fengyang Prefecture is the largest prefecture in Jianghuai Province and the location of Zhongdu. It is also the ancestral burial site of our Zhu family."

"We can't let the people of Fengyang criticize us behind our backs. We can only let the fourth brother go down and see for himself what evil things these bastards have done. All the land that should be returned must be returned, and the servants who should be punished must be executed on the spot."

"All officials in Fengyang Prefecture, from top to bottom, and even those in Jianghuai who colluded with the government, were eliminated without exception, and then capable and shrewd people were selected from the capital."

""

"Only in this way can Fengyang be completely renewed and the sky over the Jianghuai region be clear and the clouds be light."

"You're making the fourth brother a thorn in the side of those older brothers."

Empress Ma, upon hearing this, pointed at Zhu Yuanzhang and trembled with rage.

If it were only Zhu Liangzu and his group, at most six marquises would be eliminated. Others, though indignant, would not take any extreme actions, since their own interests were not affected and they would not risk their lives against the emperor's son.

Fengyang Prefecture is of great importance; it is the hometown of the noble families of Huaixi. Many people there have seized fertile land and committed all sorts of evil deeds. These people are all ruthless and bloodthirsty, so how could they be afraid of a mere child like Zhu Di?

Once Zhu Di eradicates their roots, I'm afraid everyone in Huaixi will hate him to the core.

"We have no other choice."

Facing Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke with a lack of confidence, whispering, "He had a life-or-death friendship with Tie Xuan, the prefect of Fengyang."

"There is someone on our side down there who knows things that others don't."

"Furthermore, he idles away his time in the capital. Why not send him to Fengyang to visit his ancestors and sweep their graves?"

"you...."

Empress Ma was so angry at his stubbornness that her chest ached.

"daughter."

"Ugh, ugh."

"6

"I'll go then, do you think I'm afraid of these soldiers?"

Zhu Di hurriedly stepped forward to comfort Empress Ma, a stark contrast to Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude.

"Give it to me."

Empress Ma extended her right hand towards Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Take what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned, not understanding why.

"If the fourth prince goes to Fengyang, how can he make a big fuss? He will definitely only have some guards and attendants."

"His Prince Yan's Guard will be setting out for Beiping at the beginning of the year, so the Shenji Battalion cannot be easily moved."

"Fengyang currently has over 6 soldiers. If you don't give him the tiger tally, how can he mobilize these people?"

"The Jianghuai Province needs nine thousand soldiers for its nine prefectures, and the nearby Henan Province needs seven thousand more. The two provinces have at least a hundred counties with a vacancy of thirty thousand county soldiers. If these people recruit local young men, they will probably collude with each other and be difficult to control."

"Why not let the fourth brother take this opportunity to arrange the troops stationed in Fengyang to the two provinces, select some of them to form the Mausoleum Guard and guard the ancestral temple?"

Empress Ma was not an illiterate woman, but a wise and capable wife of Zhu Yuanzhang. She accompanied him in establishing the Ming Dynasty and was no less capable than men in terms of reasoning, politics, and military affairs. When she learned that Zhu Di had to go to Fengyang, she immediately put forward practical suggestions.

"Woman, you always have a way with things."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he praised, "How come we didn't think of this idea?"

Empress Ma rolled her eyes, ignored him, and continued to inquire about Zhu Di: "Fourth Prince."

"In military operations, no amount of intrigue or trickery can achieve anything significant."

"Mother knows you are invincible on the battlefield, but this time you are going to the frontier. It is easy to defend against open attacks, but difficult to guard against hidden arrows."

"Zhu Liangzu is not an isolated case. Our Great Ming Dynasty has only been established for a few years, and those gentry and powerful families are not to be trifled with."

"Mother, your son knows."

Zhu Di deeply felt Empress Ma's affection and obediently nodded in agreement.

This brat has never been this well-behaved in front of us.

Seeing the conversation between Zhu Di and Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a pang of jealousy.

"Old man."

Zhu Di bluntly stated his demand to Zhu Yuanzhang: "I can't be your pawn for nothing."

"Hey, you little brat."

Zhu Yuanzhang was about to take off his dragon boots to teach Zhu Di a lesson about who was the real father.

"Zhu Chongba, what are you doing?"

Empress Ma stared at him fiercely with murderous intent in her phoenix eyes.

"Wife, I didn't mean to..."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and said, "Why don't you ask the fourth prince what he wants?"

"I have three requests."

Zhu Di then spoke up.

Three?

Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to scold him, but faced with Empress Ma's expression, he had no choice but to agree: "Alright, alright, we agree, go ahead and say it."

"First, we can't go to Fengyang now. We'll go after the New Year. I need to prepare."

"Secondly, it's inconvenient for me to come and go from the palace, so I might as well move into the Prince of Yan's residence."

"Third, I want to control the power of Henan and Jianghuai provinces."

Zhu Di held up three fingers and said methodically.

"It's better to go after the New Year."

"It's not appropriate to leave after only staying for less than two months, which is more than half a year."

Empress Ma did not give Zhu Yuanzhang a chance to refuse and directly agreed to Zhu Di's first request.

"Move into the Prince of Yan's residence."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. Zhu Di's second request was no simple matter; it was to establish a government office.

According to regulations, a prince must be married before he can establish his own residence and government office. Currently, only Prince Qin, Zhu Di, has moved out of the palace in the Ming Dynasty. Even Prince Jin, Zhu Di, has not yet done so. If Zhu Di were to leave the palace ahead of time, it would inevitably cause controversy.

"Jupachi."

"It's not a big deal."

"The third son is getting married next year, so let's just let him move into the Prince of Jin's mansion ahead of time."

"The fourth prince was rewarded for his military achievements and left the palace to establish his own government office. No one would gossip about it."

Empress Ma saw through Zhu Yuanzhang's hesitation and offered a solution directly.

"Um."

Zhu Yuanzhang's tightly furrowed brows relaxed as he looked at Zhu Di: "We can give you the power to control two provinces."

"However, you have to tell us how much of a commotion you're going to cause."

joke!

This is no ordinary power; it is the control of the military and political power of two major provinces.

"Cao Zhen, the former commander of the Henan Provincial Guard, colluded with Tu Jie, and there must have been some exchange of benefits between them."

"Xu Xiuchuan and Wang Bing, the former Left and Right Grand Councilors of Henan, turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of the nobles of Huaixi who seized fertile land and oppressed the people. If they are not replaced, how can the two major provinces of Henan and Jianghuai be governed?"

"Your arrangement for Gao Qi to serve as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan is not enough."

"If necessary, I will take up the imperial sword and take action against Henan and Jiangbei, rebuilding the official teams of the two provinces from top to bottom."

"If there's anything fishy going on in the construction of Zhongdu Fengyang, don't blame me for acting first and reporting later."

With a deep, unfathomable gaze, Zhu Di spoke inexplicably.

"We've arranged for Wang Zhi, the Marquis of Liu'an, to be the Assistant Commander of Henan, and Hu Qiang, Hu Dahai's adopted son, to be the Assistant Commander of Jianghuai."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di and said something.

"hehe!"

Zhu Di chuckled and said sarcastically, "Old man, if you're going to play me to death, just say so."

"Wang Zhi was a distinguished official in Huaixi, and he had particularly close relationships with Feng Sheng, Hu Weiyong and others."

"Hu Qiang is indeed skilled in martial arts, but he's single-minded. Will he listen to me?"

"They hold the military power of the two provinces. Are they going to send me to investigate Xun Gui of Huaixi, or send Xun Gui of Huaixi to frame me?"

"you...."

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless and blushed.

"Fourth brother."

"What do you want to do?"

Empress Ma ignored Zhu Yuanzhang's expression and asked with concern.

"daughter."

"I want Hu Dahai's other adopted son, Hu Deji, to serve as the governor of Jianghuai."

"Let Gao Qi be the governor of Henan, and then transfer Ding Zhong, the commander of Longjiang Guard (now Xiaguan, Nanjing), to be the deputy commander of Henan."

"As for Marquis Wang Zhi of Liu'an, let him be the deputy supervisor of the Grand Canal transport."

"Can!!!"

Upon hearing their names, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately agreed.

In his early years, Hu Deji joined the army and rebellion with Hu Dahai, fighting across the north and south. He rose to the position of Left Vice Minister of Zhejiang Province. With him and Hu Qiang working together to guard Jianghuai Province, it was possible to ensure that Jianghuai Province was completely under Zhu Yuanzhang's control, impenetrable and unassailable.

Ding Zhong was the eldest son of Ding Dexing. Ding Dexing followed Zhu Yuanzhang and made great contributions in battles, participating in the campaigns to quell Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng. He died during the siege of Pingjiang (now Suzhou, Jiangsu). In the first year of Hongwu (1368), he was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Ji.

He didn't know if Zhu Di did it on purpose, but he couldn't find any reason to refuse these two candidates.

"Oh, right, I need one more person."

"I want your former personal guard, Qi Xiang."

Zhu Di suddenly thought of someone and said, "Let him be the commander of the Fengyang Mausoleum Guard."

Qi Xiang?

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a long time before remembering this personal guard who had followed him for many years. He should now be a commander of a thousand men in the Twelfth Guard of the Imperial Guard. He really couldn't think of anything special about him that made Zhu Di specifically want to make him the commander of the Imperial Guard.

"If the fourth brother wants it, then give it to him."

Empress Ma patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the shoulder, and Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to agree: "Okay."

"Um."

A smile appeared on Zhu Di's face. Qi Xiang was Qi Jiguang's sixth-generation ancestor, which could be considered as cultivating talent for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

"Fourth brother."

"You must personally visit Tiande."

"The previous farce hasn't ended yet, so we have to save face for your father-in-law."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave his earnest instructions.

"I know."

Zhu Di responded earnestly.

The elopement incident was a disgrace to the Duke of Wei's mansion, and he did need to apologize, at least to show sincerity in the eyes of outsiders, in order to save face for Xu Da and Xu Miaoyun. Besides, there were some things he needed to explain to Xu Da.

It was the fifth year of the Hongwu reign, at the end of the year, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

As the palace gates slowly opened from both sides, civil and military officials filed in, arranged in two rows. The six heads hanging high above Fengtian Gate sent chills down everyone's spines. Zhu Liangzu's head, hanging in the very center, was particularly ferocious and terrifying.

The nobles, including Duke Feng Sheng of Song, Marquis Geng Bingwen of Changxing, and Marquis Fu Youde of Yingchuan, felt a chill run down their spines.

"His Majesty has decreed that all dukes and marquises shall gather outside the Fengtian Hall to receive the imperial edict!"

A eunuch hurried out, his sharp voice echoing in all directions.

"Walk."

Xu Da and Deng Yu led the way, and the nobles of Huaixi trembled with fear as they followed them to the outside of Fengtian Hall.

At this time, before dawn, a huge three-legged round cauldron stood outside the Fengtian Hall. The firewood piled up like a mountain under the cauldron had already been lit. The rolling flames illuminated the sky as if it were daytime, and the scorching temperature made everyone even more anxious.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: In the third year of Hongwu, in gratitude for the brothers' valiant efforts in driving out the Northern Yuan and recovering China, I hereby issue this imperial edict, granting them official titles and ranks. May our Great Ming Dynasty last for thousands of years and be immortal."

"A true man bears the heavy responsibility of his country and the people's livelihood. We give you wealth and honor in exchange for loyalty and sacrifice, not for you to oppress the people and act like tyrants."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao loudly proclaimed the imperial edict in front of all the civil and military officials.

Thump!

These plain words were exactly in Zhu Yuanzhang's tone, which made the nobles of Huaixi break out in a cold sweat and their hearts leap into their throats.

"Your subject Xu Da is ashamed and humbly submits the imperial edict."

The instant Zhu Biao finished reading the imperial edict, Duke Xu Da of Wei took out the iron certificate with the cinnabar inscription from his bosom and threw it directly into the bronze cauldron.

"Your subject Deng Yu voluntarily submits the imperial edict and certificate."

"Your subject Changmao/Mei Liangzu..."

19

One after another, the nobles followed suit, as if the imperial edicts in their arms were hot potatoes, and threw them into the bronze cauldron.

"Clang! Clang!"

A dull thud echoed throughout the Fengtian Hall, but Zhu Yuanzhang's figure never appeared.

Not only were the meritorious officials of Huaixi, but also the Earl of Chengyi Liu Bowen, the Earl of Zhongqin Wang Guangyang, and the Duke of Han Li Shanchang handed over their iron certificates.

From this moment on, the nobles of the Ming Dynasty no longer had the privilege of being exempt from death.

"Tap tap."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back, looked down at his ministers, and said expressionlessly: "Tu Jie, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan and Jiangbei, colluded with local officials to embezzle and pervert the law. His crimes are unforgivable. I have decided to change the Censorate to the Grand Censorate."

"Liu Ji, the Earl of Chengyi, is appointed as the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a second-rank official."

"Chen Ning, formerly the Vice Censor-in-Chief, was promoted to Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official."

"Wang Yi is appointed as Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Bei Qiong and Xu Yikui are appointed as Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, respectively."

"The Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office was split into the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office and the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office. The Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office was placed under the Ministry of Justice, while the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office was directly under the jurisdiction of the Censorate."

Boom!

This edict shocked the court officials like a thunderclap in a dry land.

Apart from Chen Ning, the remaining high-ranking officials of the Censorate were all from Zhejiang. In addition, the establishment of provincial-level judicial commissioners directly under the Censorate meant that the Zhejiang faction had completely controlled the official supervision system of the Ming Dynasty. All the officials from Huaixi had gloomy faces.

"Your subject, Liu Ji, accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

Liu Bowen then stepped forward and publicly received the imperial edict.

Seeing this, the expression of the Imperial Censor Chen Ning was more unpleasant than ever before. He had finally waited for Liu Bowen to leave and take charge of the Censorate, but now he had become Liu Bowen's subordinate. What kind of situation was this?

Old Prime Minister!

Hu Weiyong clenched his fists tightly under his sleeves, his eyes fixed on Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang shook his head, signaling him to calm down.

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