Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

When the imperial power swept towards Zhu Yunwen, all he could do was watch.

He can't do anything!
Even though his most beloved teacher died so cruelly in front of him, he was powerless to do anything to save him!

This is imperial power!
Cold and emotionless!

This is Zhu Yuanzhang! He is the emperor who is high above everyone else. If he wants to kill someone, no one in the world can stop him!

Boundless fear spread in Zhu Yunwen's heart.

But, the Emperor clearly promised me that he would not kill Teacher Huang. Why, why did this happen, why did it have to happen!

Zhu Yunwen couldn’t figure it out!
He couldn't figure out Zhu Yuanzhang, his beloved grandfather, but he suddenly found that he had become so strange and so ruthless.

Perhaps, he was used to being spoiled, and when he was actually exposed to the killing of imperial power, it caused such a shocking blow to his heart!
Huang Zicheng is an innocent person and is not part of Zhu Yuanzhang’s killing plan. He was not like that before, but he is now.

It was just an old man who cut some branches and leaves for Zhu Xiongying.

Since you are of no use to Zhu Xiongying and since you are against Zhu Xiongying, there is no need for you to live.

When Zhu Yunwen was released from the Jinyiwei prison, his whole body was shivering.

He finally understood the cruelty of imperial power. Even when his mother told him about it before, he still didn't fully understand it. Only when he experienced it himself could he experience it personally.

But if one day, the fight between me and Zhu Huai fails, if one day, Zhu Xiongying takes power and ascends the throne, what about me?
"Will he become like Zhou Dexing and Huang Zicheng?"

"No!"

Zhu Yunwen's eyes were filled with shock: "No! Never!"

……

It was late at night.

Zhu Xiongying soaked in the bathtub alone, and all the fatigue from the past few days was swept away as the hot water seeped into his skin.

At this moment, he finally understood why the old man liked hot baths so much.

It's really comfortable.

After getting rid of all the physical and mental fatigue, Zhu Xiongying stood up, wiped his wet body, put on his coat, and walked towards the study.

It was chilly outside in spring, and it had been raining all day, making it even colder.

Zhu Xiongying tightened his collar and pushed open the door of the study.

A warm feeling swept over me, and I felt comfortable all over.

"Fuck!"

Zhu Xiongying staggered and found himself at the desk, where the old man was sitting upright. Under the light, he was writing and reviewing memorials.

The memorial was in a blue scroll, which Zhu Huai recognized as belonging to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even turn his head: "Are you scared?"

"You're not afraid of killing people, so why are you afraid of an old man like me?"

Zhu Xiongying shook his head, walked to the table, poured himself a pot of water, drank it down, and then brought a pot of strong tea to the old man.

"The main thing is that you suddenly acted like a ghost, and I didn't feel comfortable at all."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Slippery tongue!"

Zhu Xiongying smiled and said, "No, why did you suddenly come here so late at night?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You just got out of prison, why don't we come and see you? How do you feel when so many people in Yingtian Street respect and love you?"

Zhu Xiongying was stunned for a moment, and seeing the old man's eyes full of envy and jealousy, he smiled and said: "It feels great!"

"Ah!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "We work diligently and do so many practical things for the people. Those unscrupulous people have never made such a big scene."

Zhu Xiongying thought for a moment and said, "How about I go to the grassroots to promote the old man, so that we can have some fun together?"

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes at him and said, "Forget it! A forced melon is not sweet. Besides, we don't need the people to be grateful to us."

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang taught respectfully: "People are sometimes so sensitive. Whether you treat them well or not, their hearts are like a mirror."

"Governing the people has always been like this. If you want to do good for them, you should be upright and not mixed with any utilitarianism. If you want to fool the people one day, you will suffer the consequences one day."

Zhu Xiongying nodded in agreement: "The old man is right. The Zhenguan political essentials say: Those who govern a country must first save the people. If they sacrifice the people to serve themselves, it is like cutting off one's own thigh to feed one's stomach. The stomach will be full but the body will die."

Zhu Yuanzhang smacked his lips. Zhenguan Zheng asked him to read a lot. He glanced at Zhu Huai and said, "So some officials in Yingtian City are harming the people to serve themselves."

As he spoke, the old man asked Zhu Xiongying to sit down and knocked on the Jinyiwei memorial on the table: "These are the lists you wanted."

Zhu Xiongying was puzzled, so he opened them one by one and looked at them carefully.

After looking at it for a while, Zhu Xiongying frowned: "Three county magistrates, four assistant officials, six heads of various departments in the county government, and nine detectives!"

The people on the list are guilty of numerous crimes. They together protected Wen Yuzhang, and their crimes are heinous!
"How to deal with it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Xiongying coldly with an indifferent expression.

Zhu Xiongying's eyes were red: "There are so many! Kill them! If we don't kill them, it won't be a good example!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said straightforwardly: "Approval!"

Zhu Xiongying simply drew a red x at the end of the memorial and then circled it in red.

The red pen and cinnabar ink made it look bloody, and it was actually bloody, because once Zhu Xiongying put pen to paper, it meant that these people would be confiscated and beheaded soon!

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "There are also some officials in Beijing and the Jinyiwei who are also focusing on the case."

Zhu Xiongying felt like he was about to say something but stopped himself after hearing the old man's chilling words.

"Well, what do you want to say?"

Zhu Xiongying scratched his head, looked straight at Zhu Yuanzhang, and said: "Not good."

Ok?
Zhu Yuanzhang was a little confused: "What's wrong?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "The lives and deaths of these people cannot be decided by the Jinyiwei."

"These are all state affairs. If we simply rely on the emperor's personal killing machine to handle them, over time, the Jinyiwei will inevitably do things according to the emperor's preferences. Maybe they will be fair and just for a while, but over time, they will be more or less biased, or even a little cruel."

The Jinyiwei was a brutal killing machine. After it was changed from the Gongweisi to the Jinyiwei, it became the emperor's deadly minions.

After all, this era is different from later generations. In later generations, many things were based on laws, but now, once they are not bound by the law, they will definitely try to figure out the emperor's intentions when handling cases.

Old man Hongwu may have the courage to kill those he thinks should be killed and make the right decision.

But what about people in later generations?
For many things, rules must be established first. After all, these are the family rules passed down by our ancestors. If one is not done properly, future generations will suffer.

In this era where filial piety and ancestral worship are valued, ancestral rules are greater than heaven.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled knowingly: "It's not easy for you to think of this, you're right, so the Censorate is also involved in this case."

"We are not as simple as you think."

Zhu Xiongying was shocked, staring at Zhu Yuanzhang blankly, and said sincerely: "Grandpa, you are indeed not simple."

Hearing his grandson praising him like this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little swelled up...

"That is."

Zhu Xiongying seemed to remember something and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "By the way, Grandpa, last time you said that you would give me full authority over Jiaozhi, including the power of life and death of officials?" "The matter is urgent. Yesterday I wrote to Jiaozhi and killed a man."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned and looked at Zhu Xiongying: "Oh? Who?"

He did not blame Zhu Xiongying for whether to kill or not. He was simply curious and didn't know why Zhu Xiongying suddenly wanted to kill the official.

Zhu Xiongying said: "Hong Xuebin."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, thinking about it, and said: "It should be the compilation of the Yuan History. It will be a bit troublesome. There are many people he brought with him in the History Museum."

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter, Grandson, why did you want to kill him?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "In fact, he can be killed or not, but the regime in Jiaozhi is unstable, so they need to kill people to establish their authority. We can only sacrifice Hong Xuebin."

"If he doesn't die, Jiaozhi's work will not be able to function in the short term. Once the officials start to oppose Jie Dashen, subsequent governance will be even more troublesome."

"Simply put, Hong Xuebin is a victim."

Zhu Yuanzhang gasped and glanced at Zhu Huai.

This brat is really courageous!

The sentence 'you can kill or not' is so domineering!
Zhu Yuanzhang showed admiration in his eyes: "Then kill him. We will hand Jiaozhi over to you, which means that you are the sky over there and can decide everything!"

Zhu Xiongying said with emotion: "Thank you, old man."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Why are you being polite?"

"In the Ming Dynasty, we select scholars as officials because literature is the carrier of truth. The teachings of the sages that scholars read are the great way to govern the world, educate the people, and benefit the people."

"That's what being an official is like. While enjoying enormous power and status bonuses, officials and scholars have an obligation to be dedicated to the king and the world!"

"Killing an official can save the lives of all people. Just kill him."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Xiongying and said slowly: "Grandson, you did the right thing."

"No emperor in the history of the country dared to use extremely high moral standards to demand his officials. It is normal for lazy officials to appear in Jiaozhi, because everyone is human, has seven emotions and six desires, and loves power. Even the most majestic and holy ruler will turn a blind eye to many officials. Because he can't control them, let alone manage them."

"But if you want them to obey, sometimes you have to be a little ruthless. Killing one person to shock the other officials, why not? It's a good thing, it's the right thing to do!"

After receiving the old man's affirmation, Zhu Xiongying smiled innocently: "In this case, I feel relieved. It's all because of grandpa's good teaching."

"Stop flattering me. I never taught you this. You are getting better and better at killing people! Ha!"

The plan for a year is in spring, and the plan for a day is in the morning.

Early in the morning, Zhu Xiongying got up early as usual.

The days seemed to have returned to the same state as before, progressing slowly and methodically.

The sky in the east was turning pale, but the old man was still sleeping soundly.

Zhu Xiongying did not disturb the old man. He stood outside the window of the side room and heard the old man's loud snoring. Zhu Xiongying grinned and smiled towards the shy rising sun which had not yet appeared.

The old man would never tell him what he did behind his back, but Zhu Xiongying knew that the old man must have been busy these days.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be released from prison so soon.

The old man was tough-talking but also wanted to save face. He never knew what it meant to boast about his achievements. He silently helped Zhu Huai deal with everything, right or wrong, behind the scenes.

Very moved.

In the words of later generations, both the grandfather and grandson were typical straight men who did things quietly and did not care about their reputation.

According to the old man, those empty things are useless, and we all need practical work.

Zhu Xiongying faced the early spring breeze and started his morning run around the Qinhuai River as usual.

The morning light ushers in a sunny day. The houses of Yingtian City are lined up one after another, built beside the water. Rows of fish-scale tile houses, gray walls and hundreds of tiles are arranged in an orderly manner, standing there quietly and peacefully.

Typical Jiangnan Huizhou architecture looks refreshing and pleasant.

The smoke from people's cooking began to rise with the spring breeze.

On the bluestone steps of the Qinhuai River embankment, women were carrying baskets and beating clothes vigorously in the water.

Zhu Yuanzhang was running along the Qinhuai River and occasionally met a few acquaintances. When they saw Zhu Xiongying, they waved and greeted him, and Zhu Xiongying nodded in response.

However, the way these neighbors looked at Zhu Huai was more awe-inspiring than before.

Everyone has more or less heard about Zhu Xiongying's deeds. Which family does not have the highest respect for Zhu Xiongying?
After running around, Zhu Xiongying came to a familiar stall.

The vendors' business is still very hot, with many people queuing up to buy the steaming buns fresh out of the oven.

It was strange that many people were waiting for seats, but the familiar little table was still empty.

"Give way, give way!"

The stall owner pointed at the people queuing in front.

"Mr. Zhu, the seat is ready for you. Go and sit down. The soup dumplings and soy milk will be served to you soon!" The stall owner was smiling.

The people around were unhappy and began to murmur when they heard the words.

But after a few people said something in their ears, the crowd quieted down.

No one thought that Zhu Xiongying's queue-cutting was immoral anymore, and they even took the initiative to make way for Zhu Xiongying.

Zhu Xiongying scratched his head, feeling a little ashamed.

"Well...I should just wait in line."

amount.

The people were unhappy.

"You have a seat but you don't want to sit? Are you stupid?"

"That's right! Are we in a hurry to eat this bun? Not in a hurry at all, you eat first, why are you being polite?"

An old man simply urged Zhu Xiongying to sit down and offered him steamed buns and soy milk. He even prepared the steamed buns and soy milk that Zhu Xiongying wanted to pack.

Zhu Xiongying felt a little embarrassed.

But the next moment, the people were still talking, as if they had forgotten Zhu Xiongying.

A group of caring people.

Zhu Xiongying knew that they were afraid of embarrassing themselves, so they were careful not to pay too much attention to Zhu Huai. They tried to be the same as before, being humble and confident, and getting along with each other on an equal footing.

Zhu Xiongying was touched.

These are the people of the Ming Dynasty, the peasants of the Ming Dynasty whom he has high hopes for.

These are the cutest group of people, throughout every dynasty!
Zhu Xiongying finished his breakfast and was about to pay, but the store manager waved his hand and said, "What do you need from me? Go away, don't make trouble. We are busy with business and can't take care of it!"

Zhu Xiongying was ruthlessly driven away by Dr. Dian.

The people did not have any complaints about Dr. Dian's kindness to Zhu Xiongying. Even after Zhu Xiongying left, they still felt it was natural.

If you care about the people, the people will repay you with the greatest kindness!

In this era, there is a huge gap between the common people and the powerful and wealthy. No one will speak for them. They are dust, and no one cares about their life or death.

But Zhu Xiongying let them know that their lives and dignity cannot be trampled upon! They are no less noble than any other powerful person!
(End of this chapter)