The First Corrupt Official of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 323: Zhu Yuanzhang kills three birds with one stone and declares war on the scholar-bureaucrats all over the world, right now!
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had returned from the next court, immediately brightened up when he looked at the person in front of him, and he even quickened his pace.

Calculating the time, this is not the time for them to come for routine reporting.

Coming back to see him at such an unusual time must be because Ye Qing has done something worthy of his trip.

In the Imperial Study Room, under the dome surrounded by golden dragons,
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang sat down, he asked: "Tell me, what did Ye Qing do?"

After the young man from Jinyiwei who was stationed in Ningbo Prefecture saluted, he stood up and said: "Three days ago, the expansion of the Ningbo Prefecture Magistrate's Yamen was completed, and the plaque of [Ningbo Special Administrative Government] was officially hung."

"Below the door plaque, there is also His Majesty's seal stamped and engraved."

"Your Majesty, is this the plaque given by you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, and the young man from Jinyiwei immediately shut up, feeling that he had asked something he shouldn't have asked.

In fact, this is not the case. Although Zhu Yuanzhang is already a noble, he does not like to show off.

When he was in a good mood, it was common for him to hang out with farmers and squat in the fields to drink tea.

But when he is in a bad mood, he likes to fuss over everything!
Especially for Ye Qing, no matter how great his achievements were, he had to be careful. Even if he couldn't kill him, just skinning him would give him a great sense of satisfaction.

Besides, the crime Ye Qing committed was really not a small mistake that could be blamed on Zhu Yuanzhang for being so fussy about it.

He was so brave that he dared to fake the emperor's gift of a plaque?

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that if he did not punish Ye Qing, he would have to acquiesce that this plaque was given by him.

In this way, the door of his Ningbo magistrate's house will only become more and more prosperous, and people who go there will flock to it more and more.

If he really wanted to speak, he would smash his door plaque!

But when I thought about it again, I felt that by smashing this door plaque, he was smashing his own brand and his reputation of "keep your word".

The [Ningbo Special Administrative Government] was originally established with his approval, and in the eyes of outsiders, it was still his own idea, and Ye Qing was just the executor.

Thinking about it this way, when the magistrate's Yamen was officially opened, he should have given the plaque with a royal pen. It is unreasonable for him not to give it!

Ye Qing thought what he couldn't think of and got things done properly in advance. How could he not reward him but punish him?
If he really punished Ye Qing for this matter, what would the world think of him?

I'm just afraid that his backbone, which holds the weight of heaven and earth, will be directly scolded by the people!
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he had no other choice but to say that he was the one who gave the plaque to congratulate the opening of the mansion.

"Hey!"

"When someone tells a lie, they have to use thousands of lies to cover it up."

"Have we dug a hole for ourselves and we have to jump down one hole after another?"

"."

After a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang simply smiled and said: "Yes, that's the plaque we gave you."

"Isn't this why you came all the way back?"

Having said this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly, and was ready to curse at anyone with a frown at any time.

The young man in Jin Yiwei cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the ceremony of opening his mansion is just like the opening of a brothel and wine shop, yes, just like the opening of our Yingtian Qinglou Street."

"The lion dances and picks green flowers to win the prize, the firecrackers and gongs and drums sound like a wedding, money is scattered all over the sky to gather wealth, and there are long queues to receive gifts. In short, it is extremely extravagant."

After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he only thought it was interesting. This young man also had a talent for poetry.

He just waved his hand casually and said, "That's all, this is not a big deal to him."

"In the future, if it's just such a small matter, don't come to report it. It will waste our time and waste our human and financial resources."

After the young man from Jinyiwei heard this, he immediately understood what it means that there are differences between people.

Did he waste manpower, money and material resources just to come back for business?
If others had done this, they would have ransacked their homes and wiped out their families, but Lord Ye's committing such a serious crime was just a trivial matter in the eyes of the emperor.

Of course, it's not surprising that the young Jin Yiwei newcomer thought so. After all, he was not one of the 'old men' who followed Zhu Yuanzhang to Yanmen County for the first time.

Those 'old people' are now at least starting from the Jinyiwei Hundred Households!

Then, he continued: "Your Majesty, it's strange to say that Mr. Ye is a corrupt official. He is really greedy. He accepts gifts from everyone."

"But while he was throwing money all over the sky, he also severely reprimanded the people not to loot and to take good care of the elderly and children."

"For this reason, he also asked people to give out money to the elderly and children who came to congratulate them."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he felt a little relieved, and finally felt that the young man's trick was not in vain.

This is the reason why Ye Qing doesn't have to die!

If he lost even this bit of character, how could Zhu Yuanzhang not kill Ye Qing?

At the same time that Zhu Yuanzhang showed a look of relief, the young man from Jin Yiwei's eyes immediately lit up.

Because what he was going to report next was the main reason that prompted him to come back.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Ye ordered people to publicly beat up the Japanese merchants, and loudly said that no matter how big the Japanese merchants are, in Ye Qing's eyes, they are just small traders and not worth seeing."

"They are only qualified to go to Ningbo Shipping Division to go through the procedures, not to discuss cooperation with Ye Qing."

"Looking at the entire Japanese country, only Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third general of the Japanese country, is qualified to visit him!"

"Your Majesty, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is not just a businessman!"

Having said this, the young man from Jinyiwei's eyes immediately lit up, and his eyes suddenly became as sharp as a sword.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became sharp.

He looked in the direction of Ningbo Mansion, his eyes twitched slightly, and his whole temperament became gloomy.

The young man from Jinyiwei did not raise his head to look into Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, but he could already feel the strong murderous intent.

"Go back to Ningbo Mansion!"

"If there is any trouble, report it immediately!"

"."

After the young man from Jinyiwei left, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately sent someone to invite Queen Ma and Prince Zhu Biao.

If he had followed his previous temper and ordered his death directly to avoid future troubles, there would be no need for unnecessary actions.

But Ye Qing is different now!
If he didn't convince his sister and his eldest son, he wouldn't be able to kill Ye Qing!

Soon, Queen Ma and Zhu Biao came to the imperial study room one after another.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the two people in front of him, and without going around in circles, he directly explained the reason for calling them over.

When Queen Ma and Zhu Biao heard that Ye Qing was going to deal forcefully with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, their eyes immediately lit up.

You must know that this person is a 'red card figure' in the eyes of the three of them!
In the third year of Hongwu, when Zhu Yuanzhang decided to make the first start, he also sent envoys to the Japanese country to issue letters of credence.

First, he hoped that they would pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and second, he ordered them to quickly solve the problem of Japanese pirates disturbing the Ming Dynasty.

But after the letter of credence was delivered, the Japanese country not only did not pay tribute, but also chopped off the heads of the Ming envoys.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he threatened to send troops to conquer the Japanese country by force.

But the Qin Tianjian at that time suddenly came and said that the Japanese country could not be conquered even during the heyday of the Yuan Dynasty. This was God's will, and the Japanese country could be defended but not attacked!

Zhu Yuanzhang had just ascended the throne, and his most taboo thing was talking about God's will!

In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards the Japanese country also changed to a precautionary approach of severing diplomatic relations, and even issued a comprehensive maritime ban, leaving the Ningbo Shipping Department alone to open to the outside world.

The person who caused this situation was Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was only 12 years old and had just succeeded the Japanese general.

Yes,

The order to kill the Ming envoys without giving Zhu Yuanzhang face was issued by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was only 12 years old at the time. "Tell me what you think about this."

"He actually openly announced that he wanted to deal with the person we hate the most. What is he doing?"

"This man is not even a businessman, but he can talk better than that ghost emperor, the great general of Japan!"

Queen Ma and Zhu Biao did not speak immediately, but just thought quietly.

They knew what Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about.

Let alone Zhu Yuanzhang, anyone in his position would have such worries.

Ningbo Prefecture is not Yanmen County, it is too close to Yingtian Prefecture.

Not only that, there are no big mountains to obstruct it, and the connected waters are wide and deep, making it very suitable for large ships.

The Longjiang Wharf area on the Yangtze River bank to the west of Yingtian Mansion is where the Ming Dynasty's strongest navy and largest shipyard are located.

Thinking of this, they remembered the lessons Ye Qing taught the generals of Ningbo Prefecture.

Thinking about it now, I just feel that it was not a tour of Suzhou and Hangzhou, but a familiarity with the waters of the ring.

Especially the lessons that taught them how to seize the Longjiang Pier and how to attack Yingtian Mansion from the waterway make people shiver when I think about it now.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang and Mao Xiang learned from him best!

Empress Ma looked in the direction of Ningbo Mansion. Her eyes were so serious and profound for the first time, and there was even a hint of Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous intent.

But soon, the killing intent in her eyes disappeared.

Because he thought of a key point!

Empress Ma immediately said, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much."

Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled, so he just rolled his eyes at his sister and said, "Tell me, why are we worrying so much?"

Empress Ma just smiled lightly and sat on Zhu Yuanzhang's throne, her eyes full of confidence.

Empress Ma said rigorously: "He doesn't know that you are Zhu Yuanzhang, but he knows that you and I are both people who can talk to the emperor and His Majesty."

"To put it bluntly, he is both an imperial merchant and an imperial envoy!"

"Not only did he not put his guard up against us, he also devoted himself to teaching you, which is enough to show that he didn't put his guard up against the emperor."

"How can a servant who is defenseless against the emperor have any bad intentions?"

"Perhaps His Majesty has forgotten that he said as early as when he was in Yanmen County that although the Japanese country is just an island, it does have the Great Silver Mountain."

"When he was dealing with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he was not trying to get into trouble with His Majesty, but he was trying to take advantage of Dai Ginzan."

"Just imagine, when he is dealing with ordinary Japanese businessmen, can he get the idea of ​​Dayinshan or other people's minerals?"

"Even if he deals with the biggest wealthy businessmen in Ming Dynasty, won't he still be unable to get the idea of ​​Ming Dynasty's salt and iron mines?"

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately lit up and he said: "Yes, this is only possible unless we deal with 'Master Guo' like us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately understood everything.

Zhu Yuanzhang could become a wealthy businessman because of Ye Qing's talents, but couldn't he Ashikaga Yoshimitsu?
It’s nothing more than a pseudonym named Mr. Guo, and a pseudonym that can’t be changed!

When Zhu Biao heard this, he nodded thoughtfully and said, "Dad, my son thinks mother is right."

"You can't unjustly kill a good person just because of your own suspicion!"

"Of course, we can't completely rule out the possibility that he might have your idea. We just need to take precautions."

"You only need to send people to guard him, report back whenever there is any trouble, and keep track of his movements at all times."

"It's not far from Yingtian. Although it's convenient for him to attack Yingtian, it's also convenient for us to attack Ningbo!"

"Even if he really wants to attract your attention, he will definitely build ships and weapons on a large scale. This cannot be accomplished in a day or two."

"But you have a strong army of water and land, so you don't have to worry about this at all."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that it was very reasonable, as long as he was not given a reason to build ships and cannons.

But then, he felt that it was not worthwhile.

If he were not given a reason to build ships and cannons, wouldn’t Zhu Yuanzhang be missing a [Southern Army Arsenal]?

After a while, he immediately thought of a strategy to achieve three goals with one stone!
He has to defend Ye Qing, he has to defend the Japanese country, and he also wants the [Southern Army Arsenal]!

"Come on,"

"Go to Zhongshu Province to announce the decree, draft an edict, and then go to Ningbo Prefecture to deliver the decree, declaring the Japanese country as a country that cannot be conquered, can be defended but cannot be attacked, and will always be customized!"

"."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved.

Who does the Ningbo garrison need to guard against?
Isn’t it just to prevent Japanese pirates and Japanese pirates from plundering?
As long as such a decree is issued, even if Ye Qing builds ships and cannons, he can only build them according to the defense level, not the conquest level!
In this way, everything is within his control.

Building ships and artillery according to the defense level allowed Ye Qing to effectively prevent Japanese pirates and Japanese pirates from plundering, but it was far from being able to threaten Yingtian Mansion.

Not only that, you can also get a [Southern Army Arsenal] of appropriate size!
As long as the core technology is in hand, as long as things are completely controllable, it is not Zhu Yuanzhang's business to say how big he wants the so-called [Southern Army Arsenal] to develop.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but praise himself secretly.

No matter how talented Ye Qing is, the food he eats is not as salty as the food he eats, but the old ginger is still spicier!
As long as the military is controllable, then Zhu Yuanzhang can let it go and ignore Ye Qing's dealings with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

If he's lucky, he can even earn a lot of money from Japan!

After he thought about these beautiful things, he immediately laughed.

When he looked at Queen Ma and Zhu Biao, he was praised as "good girls" and "good men".

As for Empress Ma sitting on his throne, Quan pretended not to have seen it, because he knew that her sister was sitting on the throne because of him.

"Queen, please take a seat!"

"You have always been the one making us health tea. Today you sit here while I make you health tea."

With that said, Zhu Yuanzhang rolled up his sleeves and went to Queen Ma's small kitchen.

Zhu Biao looked at this scene and suddenly felt full and didn't want to have lunch.

"Mom, please sit down."

"I won't eat with you anymore. I can still eat some when I go back to the East Palace, but I can't eat here!"

With that said, Zhu Biao smiled and left this place where he could not stay for a long time.

Early the next morning,
Zhu Yuanzhang once again wore the dragon robe and sat on the superior dragon chair in Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Biao, wearing a small dragon robe, also stood under the dragon chair, first on the left.

The father and son looked at the still empty hall, and suddenly felt like they were facing a formidable enemy.

Because as soon as the officials arrive, a 'big battle' will happen here.

Yes,

Today was the time that Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and Wang Baobao agreed to announce the three major national policies proposed by Ye Qing.

They know what these three major national policies represent, which means that they will formally declare war on the world's scholar-bureaucrats and cut off their financial resources.

As the saying goes, cutting off a person's wealth is like killing his parents!
This also means that these people will become the 'father-killing enemies' of the scholar-bureaucrats all over the world!
Of course, whether they can successfully become the 'father-killing enemies' of the scholar-bureaucrats all over the world depends on their on-the-spot performance today! .
　Please follow up with the support of the officials, and please support the recommendation ticket and monthly ticket, thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)