Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 86 questions civil and military officials: Is this still the Zhu family's empire?

"His Majesty."

"How can the bloodline of emperors be underestimated?"

"The assassination of a prince is a heinous crime of treason. I request a thorough investigation into the mastermind behind this."

Duke Xu Da of Wei appeared in awe and spoke loudly.

"Your Majesty, we beseech you to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this!"

Then, Duke Wang Baobao stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, we beseech you to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this!"

"Your Majesty, we beseech you to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this!"

Marquis Tang He of Zhongshan, Earl Gu Cheng of Jiangdu, Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping, and Marquis Nai'er Buhua of Suining all stepped forward.

"I also believe that this matter must be dealt with according to the law."

Cao Guogong Li Wenzhong also voiced his support for Xu Da.

All the civil and military officials in the hall were stunned. Three dukes, three marquises, and one earl. Unbeknownst to them, the support behind Prince Yan, Zhu Di, had become so powerful that it could not be ignored. And all of this was achieved by Prince Yan, Zhu Di, through his own hard work.

Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, Feng Sheng and others looked on with apprehension. This was a new elite group that had been forcibly created outside of Huaixi.

Xu Da, Wang Baobao, and Li Wenzhong alone controlled the Grand Commander's Office, while Tang He, Gu Cheng, and Mu Ying...

Nairbuhua and Zhu Di controlled the most elite border troops of the Ming Dynasty: the Northern Desert, the Northern Court, and the Southern Desert.

At this moment, even Crown Prince Zhu Biao's expression changed. He was unwilling to escalate the matter, as the situation had developed beyond his expectations.

"Fourth brother."

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and asked, "You were the one who brought this up first. What do you think?"

"Your subject dares to offer this advice."

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, stepped forward and solemnly said, "The events in Henan and Huaixi undoubtedly reveal that officials inside and outside the court are colluding, working together to deceive Your Majesty, and oppressing and exploiting the people. If this continues, the country will cease to exist."

"The Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate failed to effectively supervise officials and local authorities."

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, there were embroidered-robed envoys who were tasked with investigating traitors, handling prisons, supervising officials, and monitoring the extravagance of relatives and nobles.

"Anything that exceeds the bounds of propriety or is illegal."

"The Cao Wei state had the 'Inspectorate,' the Northern Wei state had the 'Inner and Outer Marquis Offices,' and the Song state had the 'Imperial City Guard,' all of which were the sharpest weapons of the state and the eyes and ears of the emperor."

"Your Majesty, I, Prince Yan Di, request that Your Majesty establish officials to supervise lawlessness and arrest rebels."

Boom!

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall was astonished.

All the civil and military officials were horrified; it was as if a sword was hanging over their heads.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Li Shanchang was the first to react, and passionately declared: "Our Great Ming is the land of China, a nation of civilization and etiquette. How can we allow such tyrannical policies to be implemented?"

"Is this not the conduct of a wise ruler?"

"I second that proposal!"

Hu Weiyong and other officials from Huaixi stood up and loudly objected.

"His Majesty."

"Where will the Prince of Yan establish the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate?"

Censor-in-Chief Chen Ning righteously and eloquently criticized Zhu Di.

The Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, Wang Guangyang, remained calm and composed, completely refusing to get involved in their affairs. The officials in eastern Zhejiang, like everyone else, sat back and watched the tigers fight.

"This humble general impeaches the Prince of Yan for spreading heretical rumors and plotting to bring chaos to the country!"

Duke Feng Sheng of Song immediately stood up and loudly questioned Zhu Di.

"This humble general secondes it!"

"This humble general secondes it!"

Marquis Zhu Liangzu of Yongjia, Marquis Tang Shengzong of Yan'an, Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an, and Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia, among other nobles from Huaixi, all came from prominent families.

madness!"

Seeing this, Crown Prince Zhu Biao couldn't help but curse inwardly.

If it were just civil officials collectively advising Zhu Di, Zhu Yuanzhang might have listened. But with military generals involved, it was no simple matter. The fact that officials from the Huaixi faction and the nobles of Huaixi spoke out against Zhu Di at the same time, what were they trying to do?

Today they can target Prince Yan, Zhu Di, but tomorrow they might want to overthrow the Zhu family's empire. Does His Majesty need his subjects' approval to do or not do anything?

hehe!"

Looking at those ferocious faces, Zhu Di felt a sense of familiarity; the matter was almost settled.

"???"

Korean official Li Shanchang glanced at Hu Weiyong, his wrinkled old face filled with gloom.

"I!!!"

Hu Weiyong was completely bewildered; he had no idea that Huai Xi Xun Gui would step forward at this moment.

"Okay, okay."

"This is the first time my court has been so orderly and uniform."

Zhu Yuanzhang scrutinized his ministers with an expressionless face, his deep voice echoing in the Fengtian Hall.

not good!"

Immediately, all the civil and military officials in the hall sensed an impending storm.

"The Secretariat and the Censorate knew absolutely nothing about the affairs in Henan and Huaixi."

"I also need my son to tell me."

"Weapons manufactured by the Fengyang Guard have appeared in the hands of assassins."

"Can anyone tell me what exactly is going on?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly rose and looked down, an invisible sense of oppression enveloping the entire Fengtian Hall.

"hiss!!!"

The assembled officials all gasped in shock, their scalps tingling.

They now remembered that the emperor before them was not a prince raised by women in the inner palace, but a founding monarch who had fought his way out of bloodshed and fire.

In the past, Zhu Yuanzhang once wrote a poem entitled "Showing to the Monk at Bu Re Temple": "Having killed a million soldiers in Jiangnan, the blood on the sword at my waist is still fresh! The mountain monk does not recognize the hero, but only asks for his name."

Perhaps it was because the Ming Dynasty had enjoyed several years of peace that the nobles, civil officials, and military generals present gradually forgot the ruthless side of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"His Majesty."

Just as the courtiers were silent, a voice rang out in the hall. Lan Yu, with his neck stiff, shouted, "This is all based on the words of the Prince of Yan. This is unfair!"

"Lan Yu, step back!"

Zhu Biao suddenly shouted to stop him.

"This is unfair."

The nobles of Huaixi immediately realized what was happening and echoed in unison.

"What I do, and what I don't do."

"Do we need your opinions?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his old subordinates who had followed him in conquering the country and said coldly.

"Huh?"

The assembled nobles were all speechless.

"Korean Duke"

"So, what's your opinion? Should there be a department responsible for this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang then turned his attention to Li Shanchang, the leader of the Huaixi faction.

"This old minister agrees with the Prince of Yan's proposal!"

Li Shanchang looked dejected and began to speak.

What?

The hall erupted in uproar, and the nobles of Huaixi all stared at Li Shanchang with disbelief.

Only Hu Weiyong knew why Li Shanchang did this, because Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was about to burst forth. The tip of his sword was held to everyone's neck, and if they were not careful, the Fengtian Hall would be filled with heads.

"Since the Duke of Han agrees, then I will grant the Fourth Prince's request."

"The Imperial Guard Commandery and the Imperial Ceremonial Office were renamed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was in charge of guarding the emperor, patrolling, and arresting criminals."

"The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is a third-rank official, and he only obeys my orders."

"The Prince of Yan shall have full authority over all matters concerning the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order in a cold voice.

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

Zhu Di cupped his hands in response.

Embroidered Uniform Guard!

A new term emerged in the minds of the court officials: "person in charge of the emperor's personal guards, patrolling and arresting criminals." Everyone felt the presence of an invisible blade.

"Ministers, if you have something to report, please speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Yuanzhang got up and walked towards the rear hall, not giving the civil and military officials a chance to continue submitting their memorials.

"Court adjourned!"

As the eunuchs inside the hall screamed, the assembled officials quickly left the Fengtian Hall, many of them looking distracted.

With a long wave of his sleeve, King Lee Seon of Korea left the main hall.

"Minister Hu, what is the Duke of Han doing here...?"

Feng Sheng and the others gathered around Hu Weiyong, hoping to get advice from Li Shanchang, but Li Shanchang had already left.

"Duke of Song, you all..."

"Good luck to you!"

Hu Weiyong shook his head, turned around and followed Li Shanchang.

"Duke Zheng, General Lan, please wait. His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."

A eunuch blocked Chang Mao and Lan Yu's path.

"Um,"

Chang Mao and Lan Yu exchanged a glance and followed the eunuch to the East Palace.

A moment later, at the Qianqing Palace.

"That guy?"

"I am thirsty, bring me tea."

Zhu Di sat casually in his chair, beckoning to the eunuchs attending him in front of the palace.

"Yes."

The eunuch hurriedly poured Zhu Di a pot of freshly brewed Biluochun tea, and its delicate aroma filled the air.

"You've started drinking."

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw his leisurely demeanor, he was furious and took off his dragon boots to smash him.

"!!!"

Zhu Di was quick-witted and dodged the attack in an instant. He said with dissatisfaction, "Old man, have you lost your mind?"

"I didn't do anything in Henan, why are you hitting me?"

"I'm still the victim. I was just staying at the inn when more than three hundred people came to kill me."

"Is there any justice left in this world?"

"You little brat."

Zhu Yuanzhang cursed, "Such a big matter, and you didn't send me a message the whole way. Do you think we don't know you're up to no good? You deliberately waited until today to announce it to everyone at the grand court assembly. What are you planning to do?"

"Do you realize that if this happens, the whole world will know that Xun Gui of Huaixi has committed numerous evils? How will the imperial court deal with Henan then?"

"For your words, am I to send all the officials in Henan to the execution ground?"

Zhu Di's actions today put Zhu Yuanzhang in a very difficult position. He couldn't show the world to the people if he didn't punish the nobles of Huaixi, and he couldn't face the elders of Huaixi if he didn't govern Henan. This made Zhu Yuanzhang's head spin.

"Old man."

Zhu Di put down his teacup and said with a serious expression, "I'll only pick one argument from you."

"Are they more important, or are the people of the world more important?"

"If the Huaihe River region is gone, there can be the Hebei region, the Guanzhong region, or even other regions."

"If we anger the people, can the Ming Dynasty continue to rest easy?"

"you....

'

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless after being asked these questions.

"I know you don't want to be Liu Bang, you want to be Zhao Kuangyin."

"Human hearts are like ghosts, hard to fathom. The more you indulge them, the more reckless they will become."

"You made a mistake in issuing the imperial edict."

"The ironclad certificate is equivalent to a get-out-of-jail-free card; if they're given one, why would they be afraid of death?"

"Ask the elders and folks of Fengyang if these nobles are more arrogant than the emperor in their daily lives."

"You have planted a time bomb for the Ming Dynasty that could explode at any moment."

Zhu Di's resounding words echoed in the hall, causing Zhu Yuanzhang's expression to change repeatedly.

For the first time, the 44-year-old founder of the Ming Dynasty felt disheartened. He had cleaned up an unprecedented mess, yet he could not satisfy the people's hearts.

From the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion in 755 BC to the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, 613 years passed. Chinese civilization was shattered from its territorial framework to its core order, its cultural roots, and the sense of belonging among its people. The six hundred years of rifts in civilization are enough to make people despair.

Zhu Chongba used his own hands to rebuild the backbone of China, piecing together the fragmented civilization bit by bit from the three dimensions of territory, order, and culture.

The corrupt practices in the officialdom and the oppression of the people by local powerful families left over from the Yuan Dynasty continued. He wanted to eliminate these bad habits by reforming the bureaucracy, but he found that in the end, it was his old brothers who had helped him conquer the country who destroyed the Ming Dynasty.

He didn't understand why they would do this when he had already given them everything he could: official positions, titles, wealth, and blessings for his descendants.

"father."

"I went to Henan in person."

"The Henan Provincial Government, from top to bottom, turned a blind eye to this matter."

"The Henan Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office colluded with the Provincial Military Commissioner's Office to intercept and kill Tie Xuan and others, cutting off their route to the capital to file a complaint."

"Although Henan, Huaixi and the capital are separated by only a great river, they are like an insurmountable chasm that divides people's hearts."

"I know who assassinated me in Anqing, but I have no evidence, or rather, I don't need evidence."

"You know it too, you know it better than I do, don't you?"

Zhu Di stared at Zhu Yuanzhang, his words revealing his doubt about the emperor of the Ming Dynasty: was his son more important, or was his merit and honor more important?

"This is true not only in Henan, but also in Hebei, Shandong, Gansu, and Shaanxi."

"You think your father just sits around in this palace all day doing nothing?"

"Most of the officials in the Ming Dynasty were the same as those in the Yuan Dynasty, and local forces were intertwined and deeply entrenched."

"The South is still at war; Yunnan and Liaodong have not yet been recovered. One move can shake the whole country."

Zhu Yuanzhang, with a stern face, lectured Zhu Di.

"Old man."

Zhu Di smiled and said sarcastically, "You yourself know that local areas are difficult to govern, yet you still let these guys go and harm the common people."

"Aren't you afraid that the people of Fengyang will talk behind your back and dig up our Zhu family's ancestral graves?"

"you....

'

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless.

As the ancients said: "Cultivate oneself, govern the state, regulate one's family, and bring peace to the world."

"It's definitely not going to work if we treat local governance like we treat our own families, being so calculating and petty."

"If it's as extensive and crude as the Yuan Dynasty, it won't work either."

"I won't go into all that now, I'll just say two sentences."

"First, will the corrupt official from Huaixi be investigated and punished?"

"Secondly, should we carry out the assassination or not?"

With piercing eyes, Zhu Di instructed Zhu Yuanzhang, speaking each word carefully.

"The matter of Fengyang cannot be tolerated."

"Assassinating a prince is an unforgivable crime!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gave his answer without hesitation.

"it is good."

Nodding slightly, Zhu Di said coldly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is in my hands. What I do is none of your business."

"In short, I will entrust you with an organization that will oversee the entire world."

"However, there is one thing I need to ask your opinion on."

"What is it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat unaccustomed to the fact that Zhu Di actually sought his opinion on certain matters.

"The scouts and military officers left over from the former Yuan dynasty were responsible for gathering intelligence on the military and the imperial court."

"The reason why Kuokuo knew the movements of our Ming army so well was because of the person in charge of the scouts."

""

"She is my second brother's principal wife, Minmin Timur."

Zhu Di frankly stated, "If we can integrate the scouts and spies, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will have a foundation."