The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 446: Man-Made and Natural Disasters
Zhu Biao didn't wake up until the fourth day, but before everyone could be happy, they realized that something was wrong.

When Zhu Biao woke up, he could not move or speak, and saliva was flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Stroke, everyone is clearly aware of this reality.

The worst situation Chen Jingke had anticipated happened.

Zhu Biao's expression seemed very excited, his eyes were wide open, as if he wanted to say something.

This is very normal. Anyone would be excited if they suddenly became like this.

Old Zhu was so grief-stricken that his eyes suddenly turned red.

Instead, it was Empress Ma who wiped her tears and came to Zhu Biao's bedside, holding one of his hands and trying to comfort him.

"Mom is well now. Mu Ying has sent your fifth brother over. You know your fifth brother's medical skills."

"Don't worry about the affairs of the court. Your father and Xiongying are here."

"Relax and take good care of yourself... Mom is still waiting for you to take care of her until the end of her life."

As she spoke, Zhu Biao's emotions slowly calmed down, and then he blinked hard at Empress Ma.

Madam Ma seemed to understand his thoughts and said:

"Mom didn't lie to you. This is just an old problem. It will be fine after I recover."

After that, the mother and son chatted for a long time.

After all, Zhu Biao had just woken up and was lacking in energy. He soon closed his eyes tiredly.

Madam Ma said, "You should have a good rest. I am right beside you."

Just as she was about to leave, Zhu Biao opened his eyes again and rolled his eyes around.

Madam Ma pondered and said, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhu Biao's eyes were still darting around.

This time Madam Ma said with certainty: "Should we let the cabinet scholars come in and listen to your advice?"

Zhu Biao's eyes finally stopped and he blinked at her.

Empress Ma knew that he had something to tell the cabinet scholars, and some things did need to be made clear.

Even though Old Zhu and Zhu Xiongying are still around, the country is not without a leader.

But the emperor is Zhu Biao, and he is the representative of law and etiquette.

Without his authorization, it would be against etiquette and law for Old Zhu and Zhu Xiongying to be in power.

And is it Lao Zhu or Zhu Xiongying who is the main focus?
This all needs to be decided by Emperor Zhu Biao.

Therefore, although Empress Ma felt sorry for her son, she did not stop him from meeting foreign officials.

Soon, seven cabinet scholars, as well as the six ministers, the chief judge of the Dali Temple and other important officials all came to the Qianqing Palace.

Seven cabinet scholars stepped forward and were responsible for communicating with Zhu Biao.

Li Shanchang, as the nominal Prime Minister, said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my disrespect."

"Your Majesty is ill and cannot travel, but state affairs cannot be neglected for a single day. You still need to appoint someone to oversee it."

Zhu Biao blinked his eyes to show his agreement.

Li Shanchang continued, "The next question from me is, if Your Majesty agrees, please blink once, if not, please blink twice."

Zhu Biao blinked again.

A minister immediately relayed the question and Zhu Biao's intention to the other ministers.

This is also the process, and no one said anything.

Then, Li Shanchang finally began to ask formal questions: "Can we leave state affairs to the retired emperor and the crown prince?"

Zhu Biao blinked twice.

Li Shanchang continued to ask: "All state affairs are handed over to the crown prince?"

Zhu Biao blinked twice again.

Not really? Several cabinet scholars were very calm, but other ministers were a little surprised.

Then many people secretly glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang who remained silent.

Sure enough, when Li Shanchang asked whether to let the emperor take charge of state affairs, Zhu Biao just blinked.

After hearing this result, all the ministers suddenly realized what was going on and praised Zhu Biao for his wisdom in their hearts.

Even in this situation, we can still do things flawlessly.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige was unmatched, so it would be safest to let him come back to power.

And in this way, Zhu Xiongying's final suspicion was cleared.

There is never a shortage of conspiracy theorists in this world. Since Zhu Biao suffered a stroke in his prime, it is inevitable that some people will spread some rumors.

Who is the most suspicious?
Whoever benefits the most is the suspect.

If Zhu Xiongying were allowed to govern the country, he would be the person who would benefit the most.

There is no doubt that many people will use this to attack him.

What? The prince can’t wait, and Chen Jingke and he are childhood friends...it’s too easy for him to take action.

Now that the power has been returned to Zhu, Zhu Xiongying will no longer be the biggest beneficiary of this matter.

The suspicion is naturally much smaller.

If anyone wants to use this incident to attack him again, they will not be able to stand firm.

As for whether anyone would suspect Lao Zhu...

The throne originally belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang. He could have passed it to his son in advance, so how could he harm his son?

Moreover, given how much Zhu Yuanzhang liked and was satisfied with Zhu Xiongying, it would never affect Zhu Xiongying's status as the crown prince.

It can be said that Zhu Biao's decision really took everything into consideration.

Everyone couldn't help but admire him secretly.

Then Qiu Guangan and others stepped forward and asked a few questions.

For example, whether the country's major policies should continue to change or return to conservatism.

The result is that everything went according to plan.

If there is anything difficult to decide, the emperor's opinion shall prevail.

After expressing this meaning, Zhu Biao closed his eyes and no longer answered any questions.

Zheng Liangqi, who had been standing by, stepped forward and said:

"My dear ministers, your Majesty has just recovered from a serious illness and should not be overworked. He needs to rest."

"If you have anything to ask, please come back another day."

In fact, everyone had asked all the questions they wanted to ask, so they all left together.

Then Li Shanchang and other cabinet scholars found Zhu Yuanzhang and asked him to take charge of the situation.

This also means that Zhu Yuanzhang came out again as the emperor emeritus and regained control of the Ming Dynasty.

Many people thought that he was just going through the motions and would then let the crown prince govern the country.

But that didn't happen, and he took over the heavy responsibility of the Ming Dynasty again.

Although the crown prince was still responsible for handling most government affairs, he still did not get the title of regent.

This made many people wonder, is it possible that Zhu is addicted to power?

Or are you reluctant to give up power?
However, these sounds were very weak and did not cause any waves, and soon no one paid any attention to them.

Just as Zhu Biao had imagined, the situation in the Ming Dynasty did not experience any fluctuations because Zhu Yuanzhang had returned to power.

The military and political circles were as stable as if nothing had happened.

There were no unfavorable rumors about Zhu Xiongying among the people.

On the contrary, many people felt sorry for him because Zhu Yuanzhang did not let him serve as regent.

Zhu Xiongying himself has also become much more low-key and no longer wants to get involved in everything as before.

It’s not because Zhu is suppressing him, but because he knows that he cannot be high-profile at the moment.

Your biological father is still lying in the hospital bed. As a son, what does it mean for you to be so high-profile?
You really think that if you are not the biggest beneficiary, people would not dare to spread rumors about you, right?
In any case, the emperor's stroke, which should have caused great turmoil, passed smoothly.

The Ming Dynasty is still the same Ming Dynasty, and everyone does their job and lives their own life.

But... is there really no change at all?
How is that possible.

How could Mr. Zhu, who was in such a bad mood, do nothing?

Within a few days, he produced hundreds of indictments, all of which were evidence of official corruption.

This is the evidence collected by the Jinyiwei and inspectors in the past two years.

He also had the final say in how to deal with these people, executing them all.

Moreover, their families were no longer exiled as before, but were executed together with them.

All in all, more than 6,000 people were killed.

For a moment, all the ministers were silent, and recalled the fear of being dominated by Emperor Hongwu.

The civil and military officials, who had been somewhat complacent because of Zhu Biao's lenient policies, suddenly became honest.

Office efficiency has increased by who knows how many times.

To outsiders, it seemed that Zhu Yuanzhang was venting his negative emotions on his ministers because his son was seriously ill. But Chen Jingke knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was actually very sober.

He killed people in a planned way.

Seventy percent of those killed this time were conservatives, and many of them even openly or covertly obstructed the implementation of the new policies.

The remaining 30% of the reformists are also the ones who have committed extremely heinous crimes.

In other words, on the surface, Lao Zhu treats everyone equally.

In fact, he had already screened the list before he came up with it.

Those main reformists whose crimes were less serious were all saved.

The purpose of his doing so was not only to intimidate his ministers, but also to clear the obstacles for reform.

This is the difference between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao wanted to make steady changes and gradually replace the conservatives.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to beat around the bush and just took drastic measures directly.

If you can't do it, just give up your seat. If you don't know how to behave, I'll give you a ride.

Of course, the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang could do this was actually related to Zhu Biao's five years of recuperation.

During these five years, he solved the problems left over from the Hongwu Dynasty, reshaped the bureaucratic system, streamlined the administrative system, and trained and promoted a large number of reserve officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang killed hundreds of people at one time. If it were the Hongwu Dynasty, it would definitely result in many positions being empty and officials being unemployed.

This time there was little impact on the administrative system.

On the contrary, the elimination of a large number of conservatives provided more opportunities for reformist talents.

Change is back on the fast track.

Chen Jingke had to admire him, Old Zhu was still Old Zhu.

Although he had retreated to the second line for many years, he always accurately grasped the pulse of the Ming Dynasty.

It seems like a brutal murder, but in fact it is full of conspiracy.

This was roughly the situation with the government. Zhu Yuanzhang was quickly digesting the achievements of Zhu Biao's five years in power in his own way.

As for Zhu Biao, after he woke up, Chen Jingke tailored a rehabilitation plan for him.

Various therapies are used every day, including acupuncture, medication, massage, etc.

If it had happened in his previous life, his sequelae would not have been so serious.

After treatment, there is a high probability that 80% to 90% of the disease can be recovered.

However, the medical level at that time was still too poor, and many medicines and medical equipment were unavailable. Chen Jingke was also helpless without the necessary resources.

It can only be treated with pure traditional Chinese medicine.

However, because the treatment has been delayed for too long, some sequelae are bound to be unable to be cured.

No one knows to what extent it will eventually recover.

But Chen Jingke himself privately judged that the most ideal situation would be to barely recover some mobility.

It is no longer possible to live like a normal person.

This also means that his career as emperor is basically coming to an end.

As for when to abdicate, we will wait until his condition stabilizes and then discuss it.

As for Empress Ma, she has proved with her actions what it means to be a strong mother.

In order not to worry Zhu Biao, she controlled her sadness and is now in good health.

I can also go to look after Zhu Biao every day.

This is the best news.

However, God seemed to think that this year's Ming Dynasty was not lively enough.

Soon, the provincial governors of Shandong and Fengwan provinces reported to the emperor that there had been no rain in the area for three months and that a large area of ​​farmland had suffered a complete crop failure.

Only the land close to the river can produce some harvest.

The secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard also confirmed the news.

Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to exempt the two provinces from autumn taxes and ordered the charity granaries to release grain to stabilize grain prices.

Chen Jingke also sent Jinyiwei spies to the two places to collect more detailed intelligence in order to grasp the specific information of the two places.

That’s not all, in October a typhoon hit the southeast coast.

The wind was so strong that trees as thick as buckets were broken in half and houses were blown over like pieces of paper.

The sea water flowed back along the rivers, countless lands were submerged, and even Wuchang was affected.

After the typhoon, there was continuous heavy rain, which lasted for more than ten days.

Millions of people were affected, tens of thousands were killed or injured, and countless others were missing.

When the news came, the capital was shocked.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately summoned his ministers to discuss disaster relief strategies.

However, facing the drought in Shandong, Fengwan and Anhui, the ministers were still able to come up with a solution.

Faced with a natural disaster of this magnitude, the ministers were helpless.

It’s not that they are incompetent, but the natural disaster this time is so severe that the local government alone is powerless to do anything.

Even if the imperial court sent people directly to provide disaster relief, they would not know where to start.

Transport food and medicine over there?
Of course they need to be transported, but where should these things be transported?

How can it be delivered to the victims?
How to deal with the raging floods?

In fact, every dynasty has had no way to deal with this kind of thing and could only let the floods rage.

Wait until the water recedes before rebuilding your home.

This is actually what the ministers meant. Let's wait until the water recedes.

However, how could Chen Jingke sit idly by and watch the victims of the disaster?

Wait for the water to recede?
I don’t know how many more people will die.

So he found Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying and got straight to the point:
"Send out the army to fight the floods and provide disaster relief."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying said in surprise at the same time: "What?"

Chen Jingke knew why they were like this.

Military disaster relief is rare in history.

When the army is dispatched in the face of a disaster, it is more to prevent the victims from rioting rather than to provide relief.

Now that he suddenly made this suggestion, it was naturally difficult for the two to accept it.

however……

"Millions of people are in imminent danger of disaster. The government cannot sit idly by."

"It is no longer possible to rely on local government offices for disaster relief."

"The only thing that can turn the tide is the army."

Old Zhu asked with a serious face: "Do you know what it means if the army gets into chaos?"

Chen Jingke said without giving in: "But...if we succeed, it will be a feat that has never been seen before in the history of the world."

“It is also the best governance ever.”

Old Zhu disagreed with this. He believed that no great deeds or good policies were as important as stability.

The army must not move lightly.

Chen Jingke knew that it was impossible to convince him so easily, and said without getting discouraged:
"The Ming Dynasty is about to usher in a new era. What is new about this era?"

"Is it because the territory is larger and the population is larger than the previous dynasty?"

“A new era, new in thought.”

Zhu Xiongying looked thoughtful.

Old Zhu said disdainfully: "The new idea is to ignore the safety of the country and send the army to provide disaster relief?"

"You know, once the army gets out of control, the harm it causes is ten or a hundred times more serious than a natural disaster."

Chen Jingke did not refute, but said:

"Your Majesty, do you still remember what a country is, what a monarch is, what an army is, and do you still remember the mission that history has bestowed on the imperial power?"

"The military pacification system has been implemented for ten years, and the court has also done ideological work for the soldiers for ten years."

"The slogan of loyalty to the emperor, patriotism and protecting the people has been shouted for ten years."

"Everyone knows what loyalty to the emperor and patriotism mean, and they also know what to do, but protecting the people remains a lip service."

"Now, it's time to let the soldiers know what it means to protect the people."

"Let's use this natural disaster to test the results of the past ten years of consolation."

Zhu Xiongying was the first to be persuaded. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Grandpa Emperor..."

Although he did not express his intention, his meaning was expressed vividly.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored the two of them and fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)