Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Everything that happened at the provincial government office caused a huge uproar in Henan Province.

Spies from all sides used every means to send the message to Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, across the river.

"Boss."

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang had just finished reading the report presented by Zhu Biao and was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"father."

"Tu Jie was not from Huaixi, but from Jiangxi."

"He once served as a local county magistrate, and was known for his integrity and swift and decisive handling of several corruption cases."

Zhu Biao spoke up.

"Um."

"It was we who transferred him to Henan to serve as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner."

"He was in charge of criminal cases and impeachments in the province, to uphold discipline and clean up officialdom."

"That fourth brother is a scoundrel, but he would never act so ruthlessly without reason."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were deep and sharp, capable of seeing through the ways of the world and the hearts of men, inspiring awe.

He had a strong intuition, an intuition honed from countless deaths and carnage, that Henan was hiding a tremendous secret.

"Xu Xiuchuan, the Left Chancellor of the Henan Provincial Secretariat, and Wang Bing, the Right Chancellor, led a group of officials to submit a memorial impeaching Tu Jie for abusing his power and for instructing the soldiers of the Provincial Capital Guard Command to arbitrarily blockade various prefectures and arrest Mongols and Semu people."

"A provincial judicial commissioner can command the military command."

Zhu Yuanzhang's words suddenly turned cold.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, it adopted the provincial system of the Yuan Dynasty. The provincial administration was set up to oversee the local areas, the military command was set up to control the various guard posts, and the judicial commissioner was set up to investigate and prosecute. The three commissions were established in parallel, without being subordinate to or interfering with each other.

The Provincial Judicial Commissioner and the Military Commander have colluded together—this is outrageous!

"Father."

Zhu Biao changed his form of address and solemnly said, "Cao Zhen, the commander of the Henan Garrison, was once Uncle Chang's subordinate."

"He joined our army in the sixteenth year of the Zhizheng era (1356), fought in battles all the way south and north, and was on good terms with the Duke of Song, the Marquis of Yingchuan, and others."

"Bo Ren, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde..."

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of these names, his eyes turned sinister; they were once again the meritorious officials of Huaixi.

Tu's ability to mobilize troops from the Capital Garrison Command indicates that he was also a member of the Huaixi faction.

Before the founding of the country, someone told him a term: arrogant soldiers and fierce generals. After the founding of the country, this term became Huai Xi Xun Gui.

"Boss."

"Some people are overreaching."

"Do they only feel at ease if they even plant their own people around me?"

Boom!

Zhu Yuanzhang's words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Zhu Biao was greatly shocked and quickly looked at his father: "Father."

"By imperial decree, Tu Jie, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan, has been found to have disrespected the Prince and abused his power. He shall be jointly investigated by the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Justice."

"Gao Qi is hereby summoned to serve as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Henan Province. He shall assume office immediately without delay."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order in a cold voice.

"Yes."

Zhu Biao's pupils contracted sharply.

Gao Qi was the foremost of the Four Outstanding Talents of Wuzhong and had served as a staff member under Zhang Shicheng.

In the first year of Hongwu (1368), he was summoned to the court and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He was appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang and was later ordered to teach the princes and compile the History of Yuan. In the third year of Hongwu (1370), Zhu Yuanzhang intended to appoint him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but he firmly declined and was given gold and released.

The real reason Gao Qi did not take office was that the influence of the Zhejiang literati in the court was declining and they could not withstand the suppression of the Huaixi partisans.

Zhu Yuanzhang is now sending him to Henan as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner, which is the stronghold of Huaixi. What is he going to do?

"Boss."

"Do you think what the fourth brother did was a coincidence or intentional?"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly changed the subject, focusing his attention on Zhu Di.

"Father, this... how could the fourth prince..."

Zhu Biao was astonished by his train of thought. The thirteen-year-old Zhu Di was unparalleled in leading troops into battle, which shocked the world. If he had such political skills, he would be a monster reincarnated.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Zhu Yuanzhang gazed in the direction of Kaifeng and seemed to see a tall, handsome young man.

"father."

"Wang Baobao and the others have already arrived in the capital and are staying at the post station."

"My son has already had the Imperial Guard keep an eye on them."

At this point, Zhu Biao added that the extraordinary man Kökö Temür had returned to Yingtian Prefecture before Zhu Di.

"Boss."

"We're all related by marriage, and the Northern Yuan has been wiped out."

"Wang Baobao has willingly submitted to our Great Ming, so let's stop these petty tricks to avoid being discovered and becoming a laughing stock."

"Simply staying at the post station is not enough; Wang Baobao is hereby granted the titles of Grand Master of the Palace and Left Pillar of State."

"He is granted a mansion, a thousand taels of gold, and five hundred bolts of silk and satin."

"Since the Duke of Yuan's mansion has already been built, it's fine to let him move in ahead of time."

"Go there yourself and reassure him."

Zhu Yuanzhang valued Wang Baobao, the top general of the Northern Yuan, highly. Although he was to wait until the grand court assembly at the beginning of the year to bestow official titles and ranks, he first granted him the title of a first-rank military officer and a meritorious post.

"Yes."

Zhu Biao nodded and agreed.

...............

Yingtian Prefecture, outside the Xi'an Gate of the Imperial City, west of Xuanjin Bridge.

This place is not far from the Ministry of Revenue and is the most prosperous area in the capital. Officials often purchase properties here for convenience when making requests.

A magnificent mansion covering dozens of acres sits in the middle, with two large vermilion characters engraved on the gate plaque: Hu Mansion.

"One Provincial Judicial Commissioner, and one Commander of the Capital Garrison."

"He was in charge of criminal cases in a province and the military in a city, yet he couldn't find a single living person."

"Is this what he meant by 'absolutely foolproof'?"

Hu Weiyong abruptly threw down the letter in his hand, his tone unusually sharp.

"Prime Minister Hu"

"There's no point in saying more now that things have come to this."

"Let's think of a way to fix this."

Zhu Liangzu's already dark face became even more gloomy.

"How can we fix this?"

"When the Prince of Yan returned to the capital, His Majesty issued an edict several months ago ordering His Highness the Crown Prince to prepare for the presentation of the captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

"Tu Jie's actions were a provocation against imperial authority. Even if the Prince of Yan had killed him, His Majesty would not have reprimanded the Prince of Yan for it."

Hu Weiyong was furious. He never expected that Tu Jie would lose his mind and do such a thing.

Even when facing the princes, Duke Li Shanchang of Korea still had to pay his respects. What was Tu Jie compared to him? He was far above the court's etiquette.

'Thump!'

Upon hearing the name of Prince Yan, Zhu Di, a fierce killing intent flashed in Zhu Liangzu's eyes.

"The old prime minister is returning to the capital."

"This matter must be settled before he returns to Beijing."

"Tell the Duke of Song and the others that if this mess isn't handled properly, even the old prime minister might not be willing to open his mouth."

Hu Weiyong remained silent for a while before speaking.

"Is the Korean prince returning to Beijing?"

"Okay, I'll tell Brother Feng and the others right away, and they'll make sure to suppress this matter."

When Zhu Liangzu heard that Li Shanchang had returned to the capital, the gloom on his face vanished completely.

With Li Shanchang as their pillar of strength, what do the Huaixi faction need to worry about?

"Marquis of Yongjia".

"You go first."

Hu Weiyong raised his hand.

"Um."

Zhu Liangzu strode out of the Hu residence, his figure disappearing into the night.