The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

Before the officials could recover from the shock of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again.

"Next, I'll talk about the third thing, which is also of utmost importance!"

"We are preparing to send a heavy rain to the drought-stricken northern regions to alleviate the drought."

Rainfall?

The entire hall fell into an eerie silence.

The officials looked at each other, completely stunned.

This rain is from God!

When will it download? How much will it download? Where will it download?

That's all up to God!

No matter how powerful you, Zhu Yuanzhang, could you really command the wind and rain?

If you really have that ability

When you raised your army back then,

Why not just send a torrential rain down on the Yuan Dynasty and flood them all?

But no one dared to say it aloud.

Just then, Li Yan, the Minister of Rites, straightened up, cupped his hands, and asked:

"May I ask Your Majesty, how shall we pray for rain?"

"Will it be like the monarchs of the past?"

Upon hearing this question, many people in the hall perked up their ears.

Speaking of which, when ancient emperors encountered a severe drought, the scale of the response was enormous.

First, one must fast.

The emperor would bathe and change clothes, abstain from meat and close contact with his concubines for several days, and the court would prohibit slaughtering and abolish criminal offenses. Signs reading "Fasting" would be hung inside and outside the palace to show his sincerity.

Then, the emperor had to take off his dragon robe, change into plain clothes, and walk step by step to the Temple of Heaven without riding in a sedan chair, without ceremonial guards, or imposing martial law.

Upon reaching the altar, one must kneel and pray, and read aloud a carefully written prayer for rain.

To put it simply, it's like a letter of self-criticism to God, explaining one's faults in governing the world and begging God for mercy and to send down rain.

This kneeling often lasts for most of the day, or even several days.

Some emperors would kneel in the palace for three days and nights, eating only light dishes and not daring to eat their fill. This was called "reducing meals," and it was said that they had to use hunger to move the heavens.

To put it bluntly, it's about putting on an act of "we know we were wrong, God, please calm down," hoping that God will soften and send down some rain.

As for whether it works or not? That depends on luck.

Some emperors were lucky; after praying for rain, dark clouds rolled in and a torrential downpour followed the next day. It was so effective that the historians quickly made a note of it and sang their praises.

Some emperors were unlucky and knelt for three days without seeing a single drop of rain, which was quite embarrassing.

We can't exactly say that God is being unfair, can we? So we'll just have to add three more days and keep kneeling.

Therefore, although Li Yan asked these questions respectfully, all the officials understood the meaning behind his words.

Your Majesty, the rainfall you mentioned, could it be that you're taking us all to the Temple of Heaven to kowtow?

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Li Yan, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Pray for rain?" he said slowly. "Why would we pray for it?"

The entire hall paused for a moment, the sound of breathing stilled.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't explain further; he simply said, "At noon, everyone assemble in front of the Fengtian Hall."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and got up from his seat.

"Court adjourned!"

A eunuch's shrill voice rang out: "Dismiss—the court!"

The officials then seemed to awaken from a dream, and one by one they stood up shakily, supporting each other as they walked out of the hall.

My legs were weak and my hands were trembling.

This morning court session resulted in the execution of three people, the dismissal of a prime minister, the establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the final act of "summering rain."

No one understood what the emperor was trying to do.

But no one dared to ask.

They all lowered their heads, their steps hurried, wishing they could leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

Among them, two people looked the most disheveled.

One of them was the Left Chancellor, Wang Guangyang.

No, he should be called the former Left Chancellor.

After all, he had already been dismissed from his post.

Wang Guangyang walked out alone, still wearing his purple robe, but the color looked a bit duller than usual.

There was no one around.

There were no attendants, no sycophantic officials, and even the deaf old scholar had left without anyone knowing when.

When they arrived, they were surrounded by a large entourage, creating a stark contrast.

It truly proves the saying—when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Wang Guangyang lowered his head and moved out step by step, his back view exuding an indescribable loneliness.

The other one was Hu Weiyong, the Right Chancellor.

Goodness, this guy is anything but lonely.

His face was full of anger as he stormed toward the door, his steps quick and heavy, causing the hem of his official robe to flutter loudly.

Along the way, officials greeted him cautiously: "Prime Minister Hu..."

Hu Weiyong didn't even lift his eyelids, let alone pay attention to it, and walked straight out.

He has only one thing on his mind right now.

check!

We must find out the truth!

Who on earth dares to act recklessly in Hu Weiyong's name?!

And he even claims to be his cousin?!

He almost lost his entire family!

If this matter isn't thoroughly investigated, Hu Weiyong will have to sleep with one eye open from now on!

After the court session ended, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't waste a moment and went straight to Kunning Palace.

Before even entering the door, he started shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Ming'er! Where is our good son!"

Their affection was indescribable.

He was a completely different person from the murderous Hongwu Emperor who had just been in the Fengtian Hall, ready to kill at the slightest provocation.

The eunuchs and palace maids guarding the door were already used to it.

The emperor is the supreme ruler in public.

But upon arriving at Kunning Palace, he saw the Sixth Prince.

He immediately became just an ordinary old man.

He's still the kind of father who dotes on his son.

When Zhu Yuanzhang entered the room, he saw...

Zhu Mingzheng sat obediently at the desk, his small body ramrod straight, holding a calligraphy brush bigger than his hand, writing characters on the paper stroke by stroke.

Empress Ma sat beside him, acting as his teacher, patiently instructing him to read and write.

There was a reason why Empress Ma was so eager to teach Ming'er to read.

Some time ago, she asked Ming'er how he planned to treat the people under his command if he were granted a fiefdom in the future.

This kid just blurted out, "I want to prey on the people!"

Empress Ma was startled at the time, thinking that the child was already going astray at such a young age.

It turned out that after asking,

His understanding of "eating and exploiting the people" was to invite the people to eat large amounts of fish and meat every day.

Empress Ma was amused on the spot, but after laughing, she became worried. If this child wasn't taught something proper, who knew how many embarrassing things he would do when he went out in the future.

"The character '明儿' is pronounced 'mín'," Empress Ma said softly, pointing to the character on the paper. "The 'mín' in 'common people'."

"People—" Zhu Ming repeated in a childish voice, his little brows furrowed as he wrote with extra care.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt extremely pleased when he saw this scene.

Look! It has to be our son.

Despite being blessed with divine destiny and possessing so many invincible supernatural powers, he still obediently studies and writes.

Such a good son is one in a million!

He tiptoed over, not daring to disturb them, and just stood by and watched.

This little guy, although exceptionally intelligent, has never been to school, so he only understands the literal meaning of many words.

For example, right now—

Empress Ma taught us a phrase: "to exploit and oppress the people."

"Ming'er, do you know what this word means?" Empress Ma asked gently.

Zhu Ming's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his little hand: "I know! I've mentioned this before!"

He looked smug, his small chest puffed out high: "To exploit the people... to treat them to lavish meals of fish and meat every day!"

As he spoke, he gestured, "Fish! Such a big fish! So much meat! The people are all well-fed!"

Empress Ma: "..."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Good guy.

So it turns out that this is how this kid understood "exploiting the people" all along?