Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 23 Rivalry between Grandfather and Grandson
"Your Majesty, Duke Cao Guo is back."

At dusk, when the voices of the eunuchs and eunuchs were heard in the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather and grandson, who were currently processing the memorial, looked up one after another.

"Call him in." Zhu Yuanzhang put down the ink pen in his hand and looked at Zhu Yunwen aside:
"Listen carefully to Gao Xu's answer..."

"Yes..." Zhu Yunwen bowed respectfully, and at this time, footsteps also sounded in the hall.

Li Jinglong led the palace eunuch into the palace. The eunuch was holding a wooden tray with examination questions and answer sheets on it.

"Your Majesty, Grand Duke Li Jinglong, pays homage to Your Majesty, Grandson..."

As soon as Li Jinglong entered the palace, he bowed five times and kowtowed three times to Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather and grandson, but Zhu Yuanzhang's mind at the moment was entirely on Zhu Gaoxu's answer.

"Get up and let me see how this kid responds."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved to the eunuch who was holding the answers. Upon seeing this, the eunuch quickly stepped forward and presented the 32 answer sheets and the answer sheet.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked through these answer sheets one by one, and Zhu Yunwen also stood up and walked to his side, checking Zhu Gaoxu's answer sheets with him.

Zhu Yunwen didn't understand the previous 32 questions very well, but he could tell from Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes how Zhu Gaoxu answered.

At the moment, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were full of kindness, and it was obvious that Zhu Gaoxu had answered well.

Of course, compared to this, Zhu Yunwen wanted to know how Zhu Gaoxu answered the last policy question.

It's just that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't look through it quickly, so he could only wait patiently.

On the other hand, Li Jinglong, who was standing at this moment, looked at his nose and heart with his eyes and nose. It was obvious that he was very relieved about Zhu Gaoxu's answer sheet.

"That kid Gao Xu answered quite well."

After watching for more than a quarter of an hour, Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke his first evaluation, and this evaluation also determined Zhu Gaoxu's future.

Even without looking at the last answer sheet, Zhu Gaoxu has already passed the level here.

However, when Zhu Gaoxu's last answer sheet appeared, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel a new expectation in his heart.

He opened the question and revealed the answer sheet at the back. At this moment, Zhu Yunwen, who was watching, also cast his eyes on the answer sheet.

Regarding the answer to the policy question, Zhu Gaoxu's response was not much, only one page and more than [-] words.

But these three hundred or so words made Zhu Yuanzhang feel elated, and at the same time, Zhu Yunwen's heart tightened.

"it is good!"

Looking at this answer sheet for the reduction of vassalage, Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, which had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but be a little excited.

Zhu Gaoxu's answer sheet is simply the best answer to the question in his mind about reducing vassal status.

It not only preserves the wealth of one's children and grandchildren, but also prevents them from threatening the orthodoxy. This answer is very good!

"Come here! Frame this answer sheet for me and send it to Chunhe Palace for the grandson to hang up."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Zhu Gaoxu's answer, so he couldn't help but have the answer sheet framed and sent to Zhu Yunxu's palace.

Such words moved Zhu Yunwen's face for a moment, but he quickly recovered and offered his congratulations without anyone noticing:

"Grandpa Huang, Gao Xu is such a talented person, he should be rewarded with something."

"Reward!" Zhu Yuanzhang put down the answer sheet and said with a hearty smile: "The Ministry of Finance will allocate twenty bolts of silk and five hundred ingots to this boy!"

"My grandson accepts the order..." Zhu Yunwen responded and at the same time motioned with his eyes to the eunuch and eunuch to prepare the order.

"This boy..." Zhu Yuanzhang walked back and forth happily, stroking his beard in the middle, and his joy was still uncontrollable.

Li Jinglong didn't say anything when he saw this, but quietly waited for Zhu Yuanzhang's arrangements.

Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, smiled and said, "Since Grandpa Huang thinks Gao Xu is talented, why not let him return to the north and guard the border for the imperial court?" "Huh?" After hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Zhu Yuanzhang turned around with a smile, nodded with satisfaction:

"That's true, but this kid is still young, and there is no teacher to teach him. I have to find a teacher for him first, and teach him for a year or two before sending him back to the north."

"Yunwen, please go to the Hanlin Academy to find some lists of talented bachelors."

"Yes..." When Zhu Yunwen heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he immediately smiled and bowed in return, and then left the Wuying Palace with the eunuch and eunuch.

As he withdrew, Zhu Yuanzhang also looked at Li Jinglong: "Okay, please step back first and let people continue to keep an eye on this kid."

"Yes, I will retire..." Li Jinglong saw this and retreated. Zhu Yuanzhang also watched him exit Wuying Hall little by little, the smile on his face not diminishing at all.

However, when Li Jinglong exited Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly stiffened, his expression gradually became dull, and finally even a little sinister.

He turned around and took a look at the remaining 32 test questions. He was no longer happy about Zhu Gaoxu's performance a second ago.

Looking at his condition, a military attache standing in the corner and wearing a bullfight uniform also walked up.

"This kid Gao Xu seems worthy of my trust. He and Lao Si are both good."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked towards a window of Wuying Hall with his hands behind his back and his steps steady.

In his eyes, the leaving figures of Zhu Yunwen and Li Jinglong were very eye-catching, and the military attache behind him also bowed:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness behaves normally. Since entering the military camp, he has not been involved with officials from the DPRK and China. He has only met with Duke Wei three times."

"Well...I understand. I'm still relieved about Yun Gong. As for this kid..."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the blue sky, his eyes a little dazed:
"If he can write such an article, I'm not afraid that he will be like Lao San Lao Wu. This kid follows his father... and obeys."

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang said this, his feeling still told him that something was wrong with this matter.

"The answer sheet, are you sure there are no problems?"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and asked again worriedly, and the military attache nodded in response without thinking:
"The soldiers who followed Cao Guogong had brothers who were inside. Everyone was watching. Moreover, His Highness also opened the window of the study room when he answered the exam, so the brothers had a clear view."

"Wait a minute..." Zhu Yuanzhang came to his senses: "Open the window?"

"Reply to Your Majesty, yes, Your Highness answered the question with the window open, but this is not surprising. Your Highness will close the window except after dark, and keep the window open the rest of the time, even if it rains."

The military attache answered all Zhu Yuanzhang's doubts carefully, but Zhu Yuanzhang's face still became serious.

Jiangnan is humid and it rains all year round. It is impossible for Zhu Gaoxu not to know what it would be like to open the windows. He did this just to make himself more public.

Zhu Yuanzhang's feeling told him that his grandson was not simple, as can be seen from the answer sheet of the vassal reduction.

Faced with such an extraordinary grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang had his own way.

"How are Duke Ying and Duke Song doing lately?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked the military attache, and the military attache all answered: "Stay at home and stay behind closed doors."

"Staying behind closed doors..." Zhu Yuanzhang tightened his hands: "Looking at them, they are still dissatisfied."

"But it doesn't matter if they are dissatisfied. As long as they don't involve the King of Jin and the King of Zhou anymore, I can still forgive them."

During the conversation, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gaoxu's 32 answer sheets again.

As far as the content of the answer sheet is concerned, Zhu Gaoxu's writing is quite satisfactory with a hint of brilliance. From the writing, Zhu Yuanzhang can see that Zhu Gaoxu is an adventurous person, but he suppressed this risk in this examination and chose to use safety. way to get through this difficult time.

"Adventure..." Zhu Yuanzhang thought of Zhu Gaoxu's natural power, and at the same time, a figure from long ago emerged in his heart.

Feeling that figure, the corners of Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth slowly raised:
"Since he likes taking risks, I will find a few people to suppress his spirit..."

(End of this chapter)