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

"In the second year of the Hongzhi reign, the emperor ordered Ma Wensheng to go to the Beijing camp. More than 30 generals were dismissed from their posts. Ma Wensheng was almost assassinated on his way back. However, a few days later, another arrow came into Chang'an City with a letter that accused Ma Wensheng of wrongdoing. The emperor was worried that something might happen to Ma Wensheng, so he specially sent 12 masters of the Imperial Guard to protect him. All of this was arranged by the Duke of England."

Zhu Tan gasped. This was the second year of the Hongzhi reign, not even ten years yet!
He could never have imagined that Zhang Mao, who looked so carefree, would actually do such a thing.

He attempted to assassinate the Minister of War and shot an arrow in front of the Chang'an Gate. Could it be that he was planning a rebellion?
Zhu Youtang asked him to cooperate with Ma Wensheng and Zhang Mao as the censor. How could Zhu Youtang not be aware of the grudge between these two old men?
No way, he had to drag himself into this. Zhu Tan felt that getting married was secondary. This royal brother must have other plans. Did he treat him as a knife?

"Third brother, hearing what you said, I really feel a little embarrassed for you!"

Guo Ning chuckled: "Second brother, what you said is wrong. I don't know the emperor's intention, but I know that this is a very simple method, that is to do things."

Zhu Tan understood in his heart that his third brother's brain was much more useful than that of his eldest brother. When it came to the word "getting things done", he clearly grasped the meaning of the emperor's brother-in-law.

Besides, I'm just an assistant. No matter how severe the punishment is, it won't fall on me.

When he returned home in the evening, Zhu Tan was still thinking about Li Guang's mansion, so he summoned Zhang Wei to give him instructions.

Zhang Wei agreed and said he would move out the next day. Within a few days, he had moved out of the house.

He also reminded Zhu Tan to keep the fields and private salt business that were not convenient to exchange for cash in his own hands.

In fact, Zhu Tan didn't care about the gold and silver at all.

Fang Yuan already knew the original owner's wealth. After Li Guang's death, he still had more than 300,000 taels of silver on him. His other assets added up to more than 500,000 taels of silver, which was a huge sum of money.

However, if you can get a good deal, you’d better take advantage of it!
Zhu Tan continued Zhang Wei's words: "You will do this. If you are short of manpower, you can borrow some people from the Imperial Guards from my third brother. Take as many as you want. If you can really lay golden eggs, remember to inform me and hire more capable managers to manage it."

"My Lord, don't worry, I will do everything properly. My Lord, just wait!"

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, he left like a fighting rooster. He wanted to get some benefits from Li Guang.

Moreover, he can make more money, so he is naturally motivated.

Zhu Tan took another bath and after seeing the green bamboo, he suddenly remembered that there was something he had not finished.

He sat there, wiping his back with a bamboo stick, and then said, "The impeachment has been resolved. Mr. Ye Shen and I have no conflicts. You can write a letter to your family later, and I will have someone take it to Mr. Ye."

This made Luzhu wait for several days, and finally he got the exact news.

Her father Ye Shen and mother Wang were in poor health to begin with. If they were exiled from the capital and drifted to remote areas, wouldn't they be left there at their old ages?

Seeing that Zhu Tan seemed to be in a good mood and did not bother him again, he mustered up his courage and asked, "Uncle, can I go back and take a look?"

"Okay! I'm busy tomorrow. I'll go with you. It'll be considered a trip home, right?"

Luzhu was stunned for a moment. She really wanted to go back and see her parents, but when she thought about the fact that she had brought Uncle Jianchang with her, and her father blaming Uncle Jianchang, her mind went blank and then she felt a little swollen.

She really wanted to refuse, but she couldn't say it out loud because she was afraid that Zhu Tan would be angry and make her lose the chance to go back.

After bathing, Zhu Tan did not drag Luzhu to the couch to serve her as Cuizhu had worried.

It’s not that Chu Tian doesn’t care about his little brother, but he needs to conserve his energy and prepare for tomorrow’s training.

Moreover, Qingzhu is a delicate child who is not suitable for making mistakes and does not want to show off in bed.

The next morning, Zhu Tan was having breakfast!
A servant reported that Ma Wensheng's son Ma Cong wanted to see him.

Zhu Tan was stunned. His brother was indeed an official. He immediately asked someone to welcome Ma Cong in.

After asking around, I found out that he hadn't eaten at all. He probably hadn't slept all night, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Ma Cong could not resist Zhu Tan's hospitality, so he sat down and had his meal with him.

But it felt like there was a nail in my butt and I couldn't say it out loud for several times.

If it weren't for the Confucian precepts that forbid speaking, he would have wanted to know what exactly he was going to do.

Zhu Tan had already guessed the purpose of Ma Cong's visit today. After dinner, he drank tea and said, "Since you are waiting for a position in the Ministry of Personnel, you don't have to wait any longer. I am the commander-in-chief appointed by the emperor! I just happen to be short of a commander here. If you don't mind, you can give it a try."

When Ma Cong heard this, he immediately became interested. Dutong refers to the General of the Palace in a prefecture, which was equivalent to an assistant minister in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Tan is now the governor, so the officials in the commanding office are at least sixth rank.

Of course Ma Cong would not refuse, and immediately clasped his fists and said, "What's wrong with this? That's good."

You have to know that with his background, he was at most a county lieutenant or a chief clerk or something like that, and he didn't even have the "diploma" of a county magistrate.

Zhu Tan recommended him to be the lowest-level sixth-rank commander right away. He almost used up all his strength to hold back his laughter!
Zhu Tan and Ma Cong came out of the Jianchang Earl's Mansion together. Ma Cong was wondering whether he should ride a horse or use a sedan chair.

The door was pushed open, and forty or fifty strong servants came out, carrying two carriages.

This is the luxurious version that Zhu Tan asked Zhang Wei to have craftsmen build, inspired by a TV series about the villain Liu Jin.

It is a very comfortable feeling for a person to sit in a rocking chair similar to a massage chair and be carried by eight people.

Ma Cong was slightly startled when he saw Zhu Tan half-lying on the railing. Then he realized that it was set up for him and he couldn't help rubbing his hands.

"Uncle, are you going too far?"

Zhu Tan said with a smile: "Brother, you came to me. Since you are my staff, you should act in a dignified manner. Zhang Laoliu, go take care of Mr. Ma."

Zhang Laoliu and others responded in unison, they were all hooligans, and they were very powerful.

The two men helped Ma Cong, who was lying on the railing, up, and walked side by side towards the direction of the five camps, followed by a group of strong servants who cleared the way for him.

When did Ma Cong get such a great face? Although he was the son of the Minister of War, he had been waiting in the Ministry of Revenue for so many years and had not been selected.

Even if you are not excluded, you will definitely be looked down upon.

Zhu Tan, on the other hand, was housed in an orderly manner. He was always graceful when he went in and out and was called Lord Ma.

At this moment, he felt like he was floating in the air. This is what a real man does.

Zhu Tan and Ma Wensheng agreed to meet at the five major camps and to first conduct an inspection of the five major camps in case of emergency.

The reason why he mentioned these two extravagant sticks was not for fun, but also to show his majesty as the emperor's uncle. Just as Zhu Tan expected, he and Ma Cong half-raised their bodies and walked forward very ostentatiously, as if they were warmly welcomed.

Fortunately, he did not reveal his identity, otherwise if he saw Zhang Guojiu coming out, he would probably be treated like a rotten egg and a piece of rotten cabbage.

Ma Wensheng had just arrived at the gate of the Fifth Army’s base.

This time, he did not bring too many followers, but instead brought the actual heads of several small departments.

Under the leadership of Ma Wensheng, official robes and official uniforms of various colors were mixed together, forming a sharp contrast.

At this time, Zhu Tan and Ma Cong also arrived. Their appearance naturally caused a lot of discussion.

Especially the luxurious scooter, which is eye-opening.

When Ma Wensheng saw it, he was so frightened that he almost fainted. What was going on?

Her son, who was obsessed with officialdom, was now sitting cross-legged on a chair-like thing with a look of satisfaction on his face.

The old man's face changed, and he felt an urge to resist.

As the fishing rod was put down, Zhu Tan slowly stood up, but Ma Cong next to her almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and pulled her up in time, thus avoiding his own embarrassment.

Only then did he realize that the culprit, Ma Wensheng, cast a pair of thunderous eyes on Ma Cong, making him shiver.

Zhu Tan understood and laughed, saying, "Minister Ma, you know that I just became the governor's office and there are no available people. You happened to be waiting for the selection of people in the Ministry of Revenue. Isn't this a coincidence? You are gifted! That's why I killed him first, let him suffer a little injustice, let him become the commander, and then report to the emperor."

"Call the officer?" a voice came from behind.

Ma Wensheng's face darkened, and everyone understood what this meant.

Strictly speaking, even a great general like Zhu Tan was only a priest, and had not gone through the procedures of entering the cabinet, and had always been criticized by those ministers of noble and upright families.

Zhu Tan naturally understood that the reason why Li Guang was able to gain Zhu Youtang's trust was because he trusted Li Guang very much, which was why so many people praised him.

After all, the envoys were officials too! They just didn't get the approval of the cabinet.

Seeing that Ma Wensheng was not giving up, Zhu Tan smiled and said, "Master Ma, now that everyone is here, we can start!"

Ma Wensheng stared at his son Ma Cong, making him feel uncomfortable, and then instructed an official from the Ministry of War: "Today we will inspect the military equipment in the capital, starting with the Five Great Camps, then the Three Thousand Great Camps, then the war horses and armor, then the Shenji Camp, and finally the guns and ammunition."

Under his leadership, everyone came to the headquarters of the Fifth Battalion.

When the war drums sounded, the entire Five Army Camp was in an uproar.

It took a stick of incense time to beat the drum and gather the troops. An hour later, the five military camps had gathered on the training ground.

Neither Zhu Tan nor Ye Qingchu had ever been to the army, so when she saw the Ming army being sent to Kyoto to carry out a mission, her face changed slightly.

How can this person be called an elite? He is just like a beggar!

Most of those weapons and armors were covered in rust.

However, the soldier's expression was the same as Zhu Tan's at the moment, both were confused.

Zhu Tan had heard that after the Ming Dynasty experienced a great chaos, the army lost all its pillars and the situation did not improve during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. It was not until the reign of Emperor Hongzhi that the army recovered. In wars with foreign countries, the army lost more than it won.

But is that the end? It is conceivable that the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were facing a bunch of rubbish.

Zhu Tan was just an assistant in the administration, and Zhu Youtang told him to listen more and not talk too much, and then watch how Ma Wensheng reviewed the soldiers.

The generals of the five camps took out their lists and began to call out names.

Zhu Tan reacted quickly. In fact, his timing was just like when he was a student being asked to answer questions in class at school.

A rough count showed that twenty out of a hundred soldiers had "duplicates", which means that the number has exceeded 20%, which is a very serious situation.

However, Zhu Tan found that Ma Wensheng ignored him and did not take advantage of the situation.

Ma Wensheng had experienced a lot, and it was normal for more than half of the troops to be reduced. However, a 20% reduction in the Fifth Army Battalion was what he least wanted to see.

Seeing that Ma Wensheng had no intention of asking further questions, the generals felt relieved.

They were wrong, it's not that they took it for free, but they really had no money!

Ma Wensheng was a man who understood military affairs. After counting the supplies, he suddenly asked, "Why are there so many people?"

The leading general grinned, and a row of snow-white teeth popped out from between his teeth.

"Your Highness, Prime Minister Ma, the one in charge of grain is Jiang Lun, and today it is Mr. Jiang who is renovating the mansion, so -"

Ma Wensheng cleared his throat and said, "He is a eunuch, why would he build a house?"

As Ma Wensheng spoke, he looked at Chu Qianqian. The old man and the young man had made it very clear just now that all the eunuchs should be dismissed. Now it was Zhu Tan's turn to take charge of the situation.

Zhu Tan understood what he meant, stepped forward, and said loudly: "Master Ma, how come there was one person missing when you were checking the weapons? You are so arrogant!"

Since Zhu Tan did not participate in the military operation, all the generals did not know who Chu Mu was.

However, they knew that Zhu Tan was wearing high-quality official uniform. For such a young man to be able to sit in such a position, he must have an extraordinary background.

A lieutenant said cautiously, "Sir, Master Jiang Lun is a guard in the palace. Unlike us rough soldiers, he rarely lives in the barracks. Perhaps he came late because he heard the sound of the war drums."

Well, it’s obvious that this captain has a good relationship with Jiang Lun.

Zhu Tan suddenly made a "Pooh" sound and spat on his face.

"Haven't you heard of the fifty-four commandments? You didn't even come to the drum to gather the troops. You're simply asking for your life."

Zhu Tan was furious and turned to Ma Wensheng and said, "Master Ma, such a person is simply a scum of the army. Please allocate hundreds of soldiers and horses so that I can investigate what is going on." (End of this chapter)