Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

"Chu Ze! The emperor has ordered that you be stripped of your title as King of Dingbei and be imprisoned immediately in the Heavenly Prison to await your fate!" A gloomy voice sounded.

"Someone, catch him!" As soon as the words fell, countless swords were pointed at Chu Ze.

Chu Ze remained calm and said loudly: "I, Chu Ze, have a clear conscience! Your Majesty, please understand!"

After that, he took off his sword, had his hands tied, and walked into the prison with his head held high. Thus, a famous minister fell into an irretrievable situation.

There was an uproar in the capital, and people were talking about it, all lamenting the fate of this enlightened and capable minister.

"The King of Dingbei was captured?" "Oh my God, isn't this a loss for the imperial court?" "Of course, without the King of Dingbei, who will resist foreign enemies and pacify the border?" The people were all gloomy.

In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright, surrounded by a group of old ministers who were fanning the flames.

"Your Majesty, Chu Ze is an ambitious man and should have been eliminated long ago!" "That's right, this guy is lurking outside and may rebel at any time!" "If Your Majesty does not take action, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!" Slanderous words mislead the emperor and make people angry.

At this moment, a loud voice suddenly resounded throughout the palace: "Wait! Chu Ze is loyal, how can you criticize him?"

When everyone looked back, they saw the Minister of Personnel Li Si standing proudly in front of the hall, holding a memorial in his hand with a stern expression.

It turned out that he presented Chu Ze's last memorial to Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang looked complicated and read the memorial silently for a long time without saying a word.
Zhu Yuanzhang slowly raised his head and looked around at his ministers. All the old ministers were terrified and secretly thought that something was wrong.

"Pass on my oral order to release Chu Ze immediately and summon him to an audience!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's order exploded in the court like thunder.

The whole court was in uproar. The old officials who had framed Chu Ze were terrified and pale.

"Hurry, go and invite Lord Chu!" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at them and said coldly.

Several guards rushed out of the palace and returned carrying Chu Ze. Although Chu Ze had been in prison, he was handsome and had a bright look, which made people respect him.

"Your humble servant Chu Ze pays homage to His Majesty!" Chu Ze knelt steadily in front of the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and helped him up. Looking around, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly said, "My dear Chu, it seems that I have wronged you. You have fought so many victories in the northern border and planned so many reforms that benefited the country and the people. How could you be a traitor?"

"But I was blinded by slander and confused for a moment, and actually put you, a loyal minister, into jail. It was really my fault!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, feeling very ashamed.

"Your Majesty is very attentive, and I am grateful to you." Chu Ze said respectfully, "If I encounter any problem, I will have no complaints. It is the duty of a minister to devote himself to the country!"

"What a 'devoting oneself to one's work'!" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Chu Ze and praised him sincerely, "I really didn't make a mistake in choosing him. From now on, I will never again believe in slander and allow villains to sow discord between us."

"My dear Minister Chu, you have worked hard for many days. Have you taken some rest? I want to use you in an important position, so you must not suffer any damage!" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with concern.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I am fine now and can report back at any time." Chu Ze raised a loyal and confident smile.

"Good! You are indeed a pillar of the country!" Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed. "I will issue an edict to restore your official position and title. From now on, you will have a seat in front of the palace!" After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately picked up the pen and wrote furiously. With the issuance of an imperial edict, Chu Ze not only restored the honor of King Dingbei, but also became a cabinet minister and took charge of government affairs.

Chu Ze knelt down to receive the decree, his heart surging with mixed feelings. He did not expect the emperor to be so trusting and generous that he not only pardoned him but also gave him great honor.

"I swear to be loyal to you till death and will never let you down!" Chu Ze swore through gritted teeth.

From then on, Chu Ze discussed state affairs with other ministers in the court. His profound and wise views impressed everyone present.

"Lord Chu has no rivals in the capital!" "That's right, no wonder the emperor appreciates him so much. With such a talented person's assistance, the future of our Ming Dynasty will be tremendous!" The whole court praised him.

But just when Chu Ze's political achievements reached their peak, a thorny problem was put before everyone.

"Your Majesty, locusts are raging in the Jiangnan region, causing heavy losses to crops!" The Minister of Revenue knelt in front of the palace, holding his head and pleading, "If this continues, I'm afraid the victims will be displaced and there will be nothing to harvest!"

"Locust plague?" Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked. "Why did a locust plague suddenly occur during the harvest season? Did something go wrong?"

The civil and military officials in the court were at a loss as to what to do. Everyone knew that once the locust plague became widespread, it would be out of control. By then, the people would suffer, the country would be damaged, and the consequences would be disastrous.

"The reason why the locust plague is rampant is that we lack effective means to kill it." At this time, Chu Ze stood up and said after a moment's hesitation, "In my humble opinion, it is better to develop a special pesticide to deal with these locusts. As long as it is sprayed in time, it will definitely be effective!"

"Pesticide? What is it?" Zhu Yuanzhang had never heard of this new term.

"Your Majesty, this is a chemical agent that kills insect pests." Chu Ze spread out a blueprint and explained, "As long as the sulfur, tobacco and other raw materials are extracted to obtain their essence, and then mixed in appropriate proportions. Put it into a spray bottle and spray it. The locusts will die when they smell it, and the crops in the field will be spared!"

"Is this method feasible?" The ministers asked doubtfully. After all, locusts have been farmers' nightmares for thousands of years, and who has ever heard of a panacea like pesticides?

"Your Majesty, I have devoted myself to studying the agricultural books of the imperial court and agricultural sciences from abroad, and I know this truth very well. As long as the pesticides are prepared according to the law, the power will certainly be extraordinary!" Chu Ze said firmly, "I beg the emperor to allow us to test it in the Jiangnan area first. If the effect is significant, we will promote it nationwide. We will be able to eliminate the locust plague before it happens!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled with satisfaction when he heard this. After a long while, he slowly nodded and said, "Minister Chu has great foresight. I will leave this matter to you. You have one month to develop pesticides to curb the locust plague in the south of the Yangtze River! When you succeed, I will reward you handsomely!"

Chu Ze was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately kowtowed and said, "I accept your order! I promise to fulfill my mission and eliminate harm for the country!"

Chu Ze immediately called in skilled craftsmen to work on the research and development of pesticides. They collected raw materials during the day and cooked pesticides at night, working day and night without sleep or food.

Just like that, after three days and three nights of hard work, a black, smelly medicine juice finally came out. Chu Ze grabbed a bottle and rushed out of the laboratory excitedly.

"It's done! The locusts are dead now!" He said to everyone around him with a flushed face, "Come on, prepare the carriage, we will set off immediately to Jiangnan to test the medicine!"

"promise!"

The group traveled day and night, exhausted, and soon arrived at the worst-hit area in the south of the Yangtze River.

The fields in front of me were desolate, with swarms of locusts jumping among the rice seedlings. The fields were destroyed beyond recognition, and the farmers gathered on the ridges and cried. (End of this chapter)