Daming: My boss Zhu Yuanzhang

In the corner of the imperial platform outside Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting alone on a recliner, his eyes slightly closed, and the sunlight was shining on his half-white beard and hair, twinkling with light. Several guards stood silently in the distance, and it was quiet and peaceful.

There was also a banquet table in the middle of the imperial stage. The dishes were not many but exquisite. Looking at this scene, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be waiting for someone.

After a long time, Xu Shou came to Zhu Yuanzhang's side in small steps and called softly: "Your Majesty, Duke Wei has arrived."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the movement, his eyelids trembled slightly, he slowly opened them, and then he cheered up and sat up.

At this time, Xu Da happened to be led by the young eunuch and came to him.

"See Your Majesty." Xu Da bowed his body and saluted respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and raised his hand casually and said: "No need to be polite, come and sit down."

With that said, he took the lead and sat down at the table.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xu Dagong thanked him and then took his seat.

After the two finished drinking, they put down their glasses. Zhu Yuanzhang said worriedly: "It's just that the court is not peaceful now. Have you heard about Li Wei?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, shook his head, and sighed: "I'm getting old, and my energy is not as good as before. It's broad daylight and we're starting to feel sleepy and doze off."

These are the civil servants, while the military generals include Hu Hai and Sheng Yong, as well as many generals from the Shenji Camp and the New Navy.

Among the six ministries, there are Wu Chen from the Ministry of Rites, Jiang Shouqing and Jiang Quan from the Ministry of Work, and Wang Jie, who is almost half the size of the Ministry of Household Affairs. These clear Li Party members alone are equivalent to half of the imperial court, not to mention the There were He Li from the Ministry of War who had an unclear attitude, Han Yike from the Metropolitan Procuratorate who had a close relationship with him, as well as his students and northern scholars.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed softly, looking at Xu Da with a hint of guilt.

"Haha, he was right, how could we punish him without reason?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly laughed.

After drinking the farewell meal, Xu Da left the palace alone. When he returned home, he summoned his eldest son Xu Huizu to explain the funeral arrangements.

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he looked at him with a troubled expression, as if he sincerely hoped that he could come up with a solution that would meet both needs.

"Your Majesty is right, I understand."

At first, Li Shanchang was restrained by people like Liu Ji, while Hu Weiyong was at odds with Xu Da and even poisoned him. But now Li Wei is saving Xu Da's life. This relationship cannot be wiped clean. How? Can you reassure him?
Without Xu Da, Lan Yu and Zhan Hui could still be involved. With Xu Da, Li Wei would be unstoppable.

Xu Da was silent, his heart feeling cold.

"Hey, it's the same for us. We are all old, and it's time to leave this world to young people."

At that time, Li Wei would still be the little man who had no one to rely on and could only rely on the royal family. He could only be forced to work honestly.

"Your Majesty is still in his prime, but he is only like this because he overworked himself on state affairs." Xu Da said respectfully.

There is no doubt about the combat effectiveness of the Shenji Battalion and the New Navy. Although they have been transferred away now, no one is sure whether Li Wei's order can be transferred back.

Zhu Yuanzhang has made it very clear that only if he dies can Li Wei live.

He had been trying his best to distance himself from Li Wei, but Xu Huizu's speech brought him directly to Li Dang's side, which made him feel very uneasy.

If coupled with the help of him, the first hero of the founding of the country, even with Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige as the founding king, he would be so afraid that he could not sleep at night.

He and Li Wei are the first heroes in the founding of the country, and the other is the new most powerful official. If these two princes get together, what will happen?

With these words, Zhu Yuanzhang first decided that he did not want to kill Li Wei, but he was worried about his rebellion. It is not difficult to solve this problem. As long as Li Wei's power is reduced and all the party members are killed, there is no need to worry. .

If you don't want to kill the young man if he is still useful, then you can only kill him, the number one founding father of the country, who is already old and will only cause more trouble if he is left useless!
Xu Da said in a trembling voice: "I don't know, I am old and don't have many days left to live!"

Xu Da nodded slightly in agreement.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded lightly, and then warmly entertained him for a drink without mentioning political affairs again.

Xu Da was silent for a long time, and finally answered softly.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised a glass and invited him to drink with him. Xu Da quickly held the wine glass with both hands to accompany him.

"We old brothers don't need to say these polite words between us." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands and chuckled: "It's not good to be dissatisfied. Now we have left many state affairs to Biao'er to handle, and we will wait for him to pave the way." It’s time for us to enjoy peace and happiness.”

"From now on, the family will depend on you. Also, if you can't participate in the affairs of the DPRK, then try not to participate. The right thing to do is to be wise and protect yourself." Xu Dadu Dun Dun taught.

Xu Da looked up at him with a pale face.

Li Wei had saved his life, and he was not an ungrateful person. What's more, he had no choice.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him, his eyes changing.

But among these party members who need to be eradicated, the biggest one is him, the first founding father of the country!

"I have heard that my son acted recklessly yesterday. Please punish me, Your Majesty!" Xu Da said cautiously.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't wait for him to answer, and then continued: "Li Wei, this stinky boy, has indeed made countless contributions, and he is young. He may be of great use in the future. We are reluctant to kill him! It's just that he made such a big mistake this time, even Raising private soldiers, what do you think we should do?"

Although Li Wei's power has been reduced again and again, he is still unmatched in the court.

Xu Da couldn't help but feel shocked when he heard this.

Xu Shou quickly stepped forward and picked up the wine flask to pour wine for the two of them respectively.

Xu Da was no longer polite and started eating and drinking as he should, just like when the man in front of him was still Zhu Chongba.

Of course he knew about Li Wei. Xu Huizu told him in detail yesterday after leaving the court.

Seeing this, Xu Da felt even more uneasy.

Now that Zhu Biao is still alive, the crown prince's position is as stable as Mount Tai, and the officials in the court are also very satisfied with the future new emperor. There is no conflict at all such as fighting for the right to inherit the throne. In his opinion, Zhu Yuanzhang's words are taken for granted and there is nothing wrong with them. taboo.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang did not set a deadline, he could not delay it too long.

Xu Huizu felt very uneasy when he heard these words: "Father, what happened? Why did you say these suddenly?"

Xu Da shook his head: "No need to ask more."

Xu Huizu frowned and looked at him worriedly.

"It's a pity that I didn't die on the battlefield before." Xu Da sighed leisurely: "But it's okay. It was originally given by others. It has lived a few more years, so it is appropriate to return it to others."

"Who is father talking about?" Xu Huizu asked.

Xu Da didn't answer, but just ordered: "Please step aside first and stay by yourself for a while."

Xu Huizu wanted to ask again, but Xu Da waved his hand and said nothing.

After sending his son away, Xu Da sat alone in the room, recalling the past in his mind, his eyes full of sadness...

Time passed day by day, but Li Wei's matter was still unresolved. Zhan Hui contacted Lan Yu anxiously, and the two parties jointly submitted a letter with fierce words, making Li Wei a great figure comparable to Cao Thief and Sima. Traitor, if not killed, the throne of the old Zhu family will be shaken.

However, even so, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude was still unclear. He neither dragged the traitor to beheaded nor released him.

A few days later, when Zhu Yuanzhang was handling government affairs, the young eunuch hurried in and reported:
"Your Majesty, news came from the Xu Mansion that Wei Guogong's old illness relapsed and he died suddenly last night!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.

The young eunuch lowered his head and waited for instructions. After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly spoke: "According to the cabinet's decree, Xu Da was posthumously named King of Zhongshan and buried in Zhongshan with the rites of a county king." "Yes!"

The young eunuch responded respectfully and left in a hurry to deliver the order.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, looked out the door and said leisurely: "Brother, you take the first step, we will come to accompany you soon."

Low murmurs echoed in the empty hall, and Zhu Yuanzhang's old figure looked particularly lonely.

The next day, the matter of Li Wei, which had been pending for a long time, finally came to a conclusion. Zhu Yuanzhang personally issued an order to list Li Wei's illegal behavior since he entered the court, reprimanded him for forming a clique for selfish purposes, and having no regard for the emperor. After some reprimands, he deprived him of the title of Duke of the country. , ordered him to live in Yangzhou in seclusion and not to leave without permission.

To put it bluntly, it is house arrest.

After the decree was issued, people like Zhan Hui and Lan Yu, who were sworn in with Li Dang, had mixed emotions, while Wu Chen, Wang Jie and others were slightly relieved.

Although Li Wei was imprisoned, he was still alive at any rate. In addition, he was already old and the prince had a good relationship with him. In the future, perhaps the prince would release him immediately after he ascends the throne and put him to good use again.

Many of the ministers understood this, and Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao did indeed plan this. However, what they did not understand was that this was only part of the plan.

After issuing an order to imprison Li Wei, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately raised the butcher's knife again. First, he beheaded Jiang Quan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry who provided ships to Li Wei and escorted him to escape. Then Wu Chen and Wang Jie, two senior Li party members, also immediately beheaded. After being imprisoned and questioned, He Li could not escape, and they were beheaded together a few days later.

In addition to these high-ranking ministers and assistant ministers, other officials who had attached themselves to Li Wei also met with a bad end. Some were demoted, some were exiled, and within a few days, more than half of the important officials in the court were killed. If Zhu Biao had not tried his best to stop it, there would probably be even more deaths.

On the river, more than a dozen warships fluttered their flags. Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, who had followed Li Wei in the Japanese expedition, led tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to "escort" Li Wei, An Qing and their children and family members to Yangzhou.

Although Guo Ying was once his deputy general, he was also Zhu Yuanzhang's brother-in-law, so he was naturally loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Li Wei was silent along the way. An Qing looked after the two children while looking at him with a worried look from time to time.

The army went down the river and soon turned into the canal. After sailing for a while, they saw the towering Yangzhou New City.

Since the construction of Yangzhou New City, the business here has become more prosperous, and there is an endless stream of merchant ships on the canal. But when they saw these warships approaching, the merchant ships on the river immediately gave way.

The warship docked outside the Dongmen Gate on the east side of the new city. The city wall of the new city is close to the canal, and the ship can enter the city directly after docking.

Li Wei and An Qing were escorted off the ship by Guo Ying. Yangzhou prefect Tian Qing, Yangzhou guard commander Ji Gui and Wu Changming, who had rescued Li Wei, were all waiting outside the city gate.

"Meet Her Royal Highness the Princess, meet the Prince Consort!"

Several people bowed and saluted. Although Li Wei had been deprived of his title, he was still the consort. What's more, there was Princess Anqing here, so no one present dared be rude.

Moreover, people like Tian Qing and Ji Gui had also been favored by Li Wei, especially Wu Changming, who had saved Li Wei's life. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was one of Li Wei's confidants.

But even if he is Li Wei's confidant, don't even think about doing anything to help Li Wei. This time Guo Ying is not only responsible for escorting Li Wei here, but also leads troops to stay here. They can see Li Wei now, and then they will No chance again.

After everyone saluted, Guo Ying took Li Wei into the city and went directly to the mansion prepared for him.

"Li... Consort, princess, this mansion will be your residence from now on. This mansion covers an area of ​​more than 200 acres. It was specially ordered to be built by His Royal Highness. The servants and servants in the mansion have also been arranged. You can do whatever you want. Don’t worry, if you have any other needs, just ask and I will try my best to meet them.”

Guo Ying said to Li Wei as he walked.

Li Wei listened and looked at the cage, with mixed emotions.

According to the ritual system, the duke's mansion is 100 acres, and this mansion covers an area of ​​more than 200 acres, which is considered the treatment of a county prince, which can also be regarded as a gift.

However, he was not grateful at all. The prince's orders were all nonsense. Such a large mansion could not be built in two or three years. Zhu Yuanzhang probably had already prepared this, which meant that he had planned it for a long time. I want to imprison myself here. It's just an old trick to say that it's the prince's order.

Several people entered the mansion and walked around for a while. After the introduction, Guo Ying said a simple polite word, then he straightened his face and said seriously: "Consort Li, you can move around freely in this mansion from now on, but His Majesty's You know the decree. Without the decree, you will never leave the house, nor can you contact anyone from the outside world. Please forgive me."

Li Wei nodded and said calmly: "I know."

"That's good." Guo Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

After saying everything that needed to be said, he was no longer polite, left a few close friends and left.

He brought nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses to take over the city defense. Wu Changming and others had some old friends with Li Wei, so Zhu Yuanzhang naturally would not let these people be responsible for guarding.

After Guo Ying left, Li Wei strolled in the yard for a while, but no matter where he went, the few cronies arranged by Guo Ying always followed him, never leaving.

It was getting late, and An Qing and the children returned to the backyard. With Xiaohong and Xiaoyue taking care of them, he didn't need to worry too much, so he just found a house in the front yard to live in.

The reason why he didn't go back to the backyard with An Qing was because he didn't know how to face her.

Xiao Qing is dead, and the murderer is Zhu Yuanzhang. Although An Qing is completely unaware of it, with this kind of relationship, he can no longer be as loving as before with An Qing, and no matter what he does next, he will be even more unable to face her. .

"Go get some food and drinks."

Li Wei entered the room and said to Guo Ying's cronies behind him.

The leader of the group immediately waved his hand to his subordinates, who immediately turned and left.

"Please wait a moment, Prince Consort. The food and wine will be here shortly."

The man said respectfully.

Li Wei nodded lightly, then walked to the table and sat down.

Soon, the people who went out brought the wine and food and put them on the table.

Li Wei poured himself a drink, and these people stood by and watched silently.

Li Wei glanced at them and chuckled: "Do you want to come together?"

The leader shook his head: "You're welcome, Prince Consort, you can use it for yourself."

Li Wei nodded without forcing it, but then started chatting with this person: "What do you call this brother?"

The man was slightly stunned and said quickly: "I don't dare to call you brother. My humble surname is Zhao Mingshun. My consort can just call me by my surname."

"Zhao Shun." Li Wei muttered it again, nodded, and asked, "Where are you from?"

"I am from Haozhou." Zhao Shun said.

Li Wei was suddenly surprised: "So he is from Haozhou, the same hometown as your Marquis?"

"Yes, I have followed the Marquis more than ten years ago."

Zhao Shun said in a deep voice, he didn't know why Li Wei suddenly asked these questions. He just said this more to remind Li Wei not to play tricks, let alone try to instigate him, which was simply impossible.

Li Wei smiled and didn't care, but continued to chat with him: "Is your family a military household?"

"No, the humble position was originally a civilian household, but it was changed to a military household after joining the army."

"Why don't you farm the land and turn it into a military household?" Li Wei asked.

Zhao Shun frowned, wondering why he asked so many questions.

Although Li Wei is now a prisoner, he, a small captain, dare not look down upon the once powerful Duke of Han.

After pondering for a moment, he answered honestly: "Because I can't pay the tax."

"Oh? Tell me in detail." Li Wei suddenly became interested. (End of chapter)