King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Biao followed Zhu Yuanzhang in silence all the way back to the imperial study.

Looking at his father's gloomy face, he felt very nervous and didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Biao'er," Zhu Yuanzhang sat down on a chair beside him and rubbed his temple tiredly, "Do you think what Lao Shi said today makes sense?"

Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment, then said carefully:

"Father, although what my tenth brother said is a bit extreme, it is not without reason. Over the years, I have heard of the royal family's children taking advantage of their status to do evil things. But..."

"Just what?"

"But I think the situation is not as serious as what my tenth brother said."

Zhu Biao said with a stiff upper lip:

"Although the royal family members occasionally overstep the boundaries, most of them are still well-behaved. Father has also been restraining them over the years, so I guess..."

"What do you want? Do you think they will come back to the right path and understand my painstaking efforts?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"Biao'er, you are still too young and too naive! These people are my blood relatives, what can I do? I can't do it!"

"But if this continues, the national treasury will be bankrupt sooner or later!"

Zhu Biao couldn't help but say, "Father, you can't indulge them like this anymore!"

"How could I not know?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the room, "But, they are my relatives after all..."

He suddenly stopped and looked at Zhu Biao, with a gleam of determination in his eyes:
"Biao'er, go to the clan house and find out for me how much grain these royal relatives spend on the imperial court every year!"

Zhu Biao was shocked. He knew that his father was really angry and was going to take action against the royal family.

The next day, Zhu Biao came to the clan house with Zhu Yuanzhang's order.

The Zongrenfu was in charge of the names, salaries and other matters of the royal family and could be said to be the "chief steward" of the royal family.

The clan leader Li Jinglong had already received the news and was waiting outside the mansion to greet him.

He bowed and welcomed Zhu Biao into the mansion, with a flattering smile on his face:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has come to visit me, and I am honored to have you here!"

Zhu Biao glanced at him indifferently, his tone cold:

"Master Li, you are too polite. I came here today on the orders of my father to investigate some matters."

Li Jinglong's smile froze, and he asked cautiously, "What does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince want to investigate?"

"Father, I want to know how much money and grain the court has spent every year to support the royal family over the years?"

Zhu Biao spoke straight to the point.

Li Jinglong's face changed, and he stammered:
"Well... well, I need some time to check the accounts before I can give a reply to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Then check it out as soon as possible!" Zhu Biao snorted coldly, "I will be waiting in the side hall. I hope Lord Li won't keep me waiting for too long!"

Li Jinglong groaned in his heart, he knew that the prince came with ill intentions!

He did not dare to delay and immediately ordered his men to go to the accounting office to check the accounts.

Zhu Biao was waiting in a side hall, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

Although he knew that the expenses of being a member of a royal family were huge, he did not expect it to be so horrific.

According to accounting records, last year the court paid as much as 1.2 million taels of silver in salaries to the royal family alone!
This does not include various rewards, subsidies, and various expenses.

If the income from farmland, estates and shops is added, the figures will be even more staggering.

Zhu Biao made a rough estimate that the royal family would cost the court at least three million taels of silver a year!

What does three million taels of silver mean?
The Ming Dynasty's annual tax revenue was only over 4 million taels!

In other words, the imperial court spent almost two-thirds of its annual income on supporting the royal family!

The more Zhu Biao thought about it, the more frightened he became. He finally understood why his tenth brother said that.

If this continues, the Ming Dynasty’s finances will sooner or later be dragged down by these parasites!
……

When Zhu Biao returned to the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing memorials at his desk.

When he saw Zhu Biao coming back, he put down the pen in his hand, rubbed his eyebrows, and asked, "Biao'er, how is the investigation going?"

Zhu Biao handed over the account book in his hand, "Father, please take a look at it yourself."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the account book, flipped through a few pages at random, and his expression became increasingly uglier.

As he read on, his hands began to tremble. He slammed the account book on the table and said angrily:

"How ridiculous! They want three million taels a year! How dare they?!"

Zhu Biao sighed and said:
"Father, please calm down. This is just a conservative estimate. I think the actual number is probably much higher."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat dejectedly on the chair, muttering to himself: "How could this happen? How could this happen..."

He thought of what Zhu Tan said yesterday. At that time, he thought that the kid was just exaggerating, but now it seems that there is some truth in it.

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent.

Yes, at the beginning he only thought about "using his descendants to protect the imperial family", but never thought about this problem.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been established, the treasury is still full, but if this continues, I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty will really be dragged down by these parasites!
Zhu Biao looked at his father's expression and felt mixed emotions.

He had been familiar with classics and history since childhood, and was well aware that throughout the dynasties there were numerous examples of princes becoming powerful and difficult to control.

But he didn't expect that this problem would be so serious.

"Father, what my tenth brother said is not alarmist!" Zhu Biao said in a deep voice, "There are only tens of thousands of royal family members now, and it is still like this. If a hundred years later, the descendants multiply, this world..."

Zhu Biao didn't say anything else, but Zhu Yuanzhang understood the meaning of his words.
He sat back on the dragon throne dejectedly, his eyes full of pain and struggle.

Throughout his life, he was decisive and merciless in killing people, but when faced with these relatives who were his blood relatives, he could not bear to be cruel.

"I, I just wanted them to have enough food and clothing..." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was a little hoarse.

"Father."

Zhu Biao took a step forward:
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been established, the people can still tolerate it, but if this continues, the people's resentment will boil over, and it will definitely shake the foundation of the country!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent. He looked at the account book in his hand, as if he saw the future of the Ming Dynasty, which was declining step by step under the greed of the royal family.

He closed his eyes and Zhu Tan's face appeared in his mind.

“I didn’t expect that the tenth brother, at such a young age, has such insight…” Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, with a hint of bitterness and relief in his tone.

It turns out that this kid had seen through all this a long time ago?

"Biao'er," Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "What do you think I should do?"

Zhu Biao understood that his father was determined to reorganize the royal family.

He thought for a moment and said, "Father, the affairs of the royal family are very complex, so we need to take a long-term view and work slowly."

"Biao'er, you are right. We must pay attention to the affairs of the royal family."

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his temple tiredly, with a stern look in his eyes:
"Tomorrow you should go to Prince Lu's mansion and call your tenth brother to the palace. I want to hear what other ingenious ideas he has!"

Zhu Biao was startled, knowing that his father was really angry, and quickly bowed and said, "Your son obeys your order."

……

On the second day, the sun was shining brightly, illuminating the magnificent Prince Lu's Mansion, but it could not shine into Zhu Tan's study.

Inside the study, the light was dim, and all kinds of odd-shaped parts were scattered on the table. Several drawings covered the table, covered with all kinds of lines and symbols that ordinary people could not understand at all.

Zhu Tan was concentrating on fiddling with the parts in his hands, his brows furrowed.

From time to time, he would pick up a round piece of metal on the table and look at it carefully against the light.

Beside him, a woman in gorgeous palace dress was holding her cheek and looking at him with interest, her beautiful eyes full of tenderness and doting.

This woman was none other than the princess.

Her skin was whiter than snow, her features were picturesque, and her every frown and smile revealed her elegance and grace.

It forms a sharp contrast with this slightly messy study.

"Your Majesty, what new things are you working on?"

Princess Lu looked at the metal piece in Zhu Tan's hand and asked curiously.

"Hehe, Princess, you may not know this, but this is the latest artifact I developed - a pocket watch!"

Zhu Tan raised his head and proudly showed the "masterpiece" in his hand to Princess Lu.

"Pocket watch?"

Princess Lu picked up a blueprint on the table and looked at it carefully for a long time, but she was still confused:
"What is this painting about? Why does it look like... a turtle shell?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tan almost vomited blood and said unhappily:

"Princess, this is a precision instrument. How can you call it a turtle shell? Look carefully. There are scales on it. It can be used to tell time!"

"Timekeeping?" Princess Lu was even more confused. "Don't we have sundials and hourglasses to tell time? Why is Your Majesty going to all this trouble to tinker with this?"

Zhu Tan sighed and explained patiently:

"Princess, you don't know that the sundial can only be used in the sun. It is useless on cloudy or rainy days. As for the hourglass, it is inconvenient to carry and the timekeeping is not accurate enough."

"This pocket watch developed by the king is small and exquisite, easy to carry, and accurate in timing. It is not affected by the weather. It can be said to be a must-have artifact for home travel, murder and arson!"

"Is it true?" Princess Lu obviously didn't believe it. She picked up the "turtle shell" and looked at it from left to right. "Can this thing really tell time?"

"Of course!" Zhu Tan said confidently, "Madam, please look!"

After that, he wound up his pocket watch, pointed at the hands on it, and said:

"Look, this hand moves one circle for one hour. When it reaches here, it means..."

Zhu Tan was proud and wanted to brag a few more times, but Princess Lu covered her mouth and laughed:
"Alright, alright, Your Majesty, I am naturally convinced of your extraordinary talent. But this pocket watch, I think, looks more like a token of love that Your Majesty gave to some delicate little beauty!"

When Zhu Tan heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he said to himself, "Not good."

This princess of mine may seem gentle and lovely, but in fact she is extremely intelligent. Once she becomes jealous, it is no joke!

He quickly put on a smile, hugged Princess Lu, and whispered sweet words in her ear:
"Your Highness, you are joking! Is there anyone in this world who is more charming and beautiful than you? This pocket watch was made specially for you! When it is finished, when you wear it, it will surely highlight your stunning beauty!"

Princess Lu was so delighted by his coaxing that she punched him on the chest coquettishly:
"You are just a smooth talker! If this pocket watch can be made well, I will wear it. If it is not made well..."

"If I fail to do well, the princess will punish me as I please!" Zhu Tan promised solemnly.

The two were being affectionate with each other when they heard hurried footsteps outside the house.

Followed by.

A servant ran in in a panic, knelt on the ground, and reported loudly: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is here to visit!"

When Zhu Tan heard this, he thought to himself that this elder brother came at a really bad time!
He quickly stood up, straightened his clothes, ordered his servants to prepare tea and snacks, and then hurried to the main hall to greet Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao was wearing a plain green robe today, looking gentle and elegant, but there was a hint of fatigue between his brows that could not be concealed.

When Zhu Tan saw this, he secretly guessed that his father was angry again because of the bad things that happened to the royal family.

The two brothers exchanged a few pleasantries, and Zhu Biao said directly: "Tenth brother, the emperor wants you to come to the palace."

Zhu Tan's heart sank, knowing that he probably couldn't avoid going to the palace this time.

He ordered his servants to bring him a new outer robe, which he quickly changed into, and then followed Zhu Biao into the palace to meet the emperor.

In the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright with a gloomy face, holding a memorial in his hand, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

Zhu Tan took a quick glance and saw the words "royal family salary" written in large letters on the memorial, and he immediately understood something.

Sure enough, when Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Tan, he slammed the memorial in his hand on the table and said angrily:
"Tenth Brother, look at your good nephews! They are all lazy and greedy, and have no ambition to make progress. They only know how to ask the court for money! Sooner or later, my kingdom will be ruined by them!"

Zhu Tan sneered in his heart, thinking, this is what your own good son taught you, what does it have to do with me?

But he naturally didn't dare to say this out loud. He just stood aside with his head lowered, pretending to be willing to learn.

"Father is teaching us that these royal family members, relying on their royal kinship, idle away their time and commit crimes all day long. This is really hateful! As the emperor's uncle, I will definitely discipline them and never let them ruin the reputation of the royal family!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, obviously not satisfied with Zhu Tan's answer.

He threw the memorial in his hand at Zhu Tan's feet and said unhappily:
"Discipline? How do you plan to discipline them? Do you want to use a stick? These are all your good nephews, can you bring yourself to do that?"

Zhu Tan rolled his eyes secretly and thought to himself, I would like to use a stick, but I'm afraid that you, as a father, will not be happy!
However, Zhu Tan was a reckless person after all, and was scolded by Zhu Yuanzhang in front of Zhu Biao.

I felt a little unhappy and couldn't help but say a few sarcastic words:

"Your Majesty is right. How could I have the guts to do that? Those nephews are all precious. I dare not offend them easily. Besides, if they are really useless, it is because of your poor parenting. What does it have to do with me?"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the imperial study suddenly dropped to freezing point. (End of this chapter)