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

Zhu Yuanzhang was wearing an outer coat and was wandering in front of the stall with his hands behind his back.

Zhu Xiongying turned around and saw Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Forehead."

Zhu Xiongying hurriedly said: "Old man, he doesn't want money, it's not that I don't give it to him."

Zhu Yuanzhang smacked his lips and said: "I am not blind, I can see it."

Zhu Yuanzhang seldom went out, and his activities were limited to the front door of Zhu Huai's residence and only for a short while in the early morning.

There are too many people and too many eyes, and I’m afraid of causing unnecessary trouble.

The people were accustomed to this old man.

The stall owner gave Zhu Yuanzhang a thumbs up and said, "Good morning, old man! Your eldest grandson is so well-educated by you. He is amazing!"

Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and smiled, his smile was a little swollen, but he waved his hands: "That's it, Sun can't be useful without a beating."

Several people joked, "Old Huang, please stop talking nonsense. Are you willing to hit me? Are you afraid to speak loudly?"

This touched upon the old man's lifeblood, and Zhu Yuanzhang blushed with shame. He snorted, "Bullshit! You still have to beat him!"

The old man is the one who can get along best with the people. Perhaps his experience has given him an innate sense of intimacy with the people.

It will also make the people respect and admire the old man from the bottom of their hearts.

After everyone laughed and joked with the old man for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang took Zhu Xiongying back.

When the old man walked, he seemed a little light and fluttery, well, very bloated!

After returning to the mansion, the grandfather and grandson were still the same as usual. Zhu Huai went to make a pot of strong tea for Zhu Yuanzhang in the morning.

The old man just minding his own business, he put the bun into his mouth and gobbled it up.

Finally, drink a bowl of soy milk and a pot of tea, and breakfast is completely over.

The red sunrise in the east shone over the earth. The old man smacked his lips and said to Zhu Xiongying: "Let's go out for a walk."

Zhu Xiongying thought about it and decided that there wasn’t much to do. He had been stuck in the prison cell of the Ministry of Justice for a long time and wanted to go out for a walk.

"to make!"

As he spoke, Zhu Xiongying took Zhu Yuanzhang's cup, poured a pot of strong tea, put it in the old man's hand, and the two of them walked out.

On the streets, you can see groups of Jinyiwei doing their work everywhere.

From time to time, the rich and powerful would be shackled out from some wealthy and powerful families, causing the people to point fingers and talk.

Zhu Xiongying watched everything in silence.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The matter of Wen Yuzhang is not over yet, and our emperor is still cleaning it up."

The corner of Zhu Huai's mouth twitched. The Hongwu Emperor was extremely furious about this kind of thing. He would not show any leniency at all!

The grandfather and grandson did not pay much attention to the Jinyiwei arresting people, and walked leisurely towards the outskirts of Yingtian countryside.

Shengri seeks Fang's Surabaya coast, the boundless scene is refreshing.

Waiting for leisurely knowledge to gain the east wind side, it is always spring.

In the suburbs of Jiangning, the ground is covered with a layer of green, and the air is filled with the long-lost fresh smell of spring.

On the ridges of the fields in the countryside.

Zhu Xiongying helped the old man sit on the ground.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't mind the dirt. He sat on the edge of the field and picked up a piece of dogtail grass and chewed it in his mouth.

Zhu Xiongying opened the teacup for him and the old man took a gulp.

Zhu Xiongying also took a sip.

Everything is so casual.

This iron-blooded and cold-blooded emperor who had frightened Zhu Yunwen to the extreme last night once again showed his kind and amiable side in front of Zhu Xiongying.

Zhu Xiongying looked up.

There are already many people doing spring ploughing in the fields, starting the year's spring farming season.

It's a bit surprising.

Zhu Xiongying rubbed his eyes and said incredulously: "Hasn't ox-drawn plowing become popular in our Ming Dynasty? Why…"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up.

In the farmland ahead, a group of people were working hard with a curved plow. Looking around, there were only a few families using oxen to plow the fields.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "Last year, there was a heavy snowfall, and I don't know how many oxen died in the capital."

"The calves haven't grown up yet, and we can't bear to keep using the older cows. The people have developed feelings for the cows, so we'll let them rest if we can."

In the Ming Dynasty, oxen and war horses were both scarce.

If the land was not really difficult to cultivate, ordinary people would not be willing to use oxen.

"In this way, won't the efficiency of farming be greatly reduced? Long-term use of manpower will also cause some people to have problems due to fatigue?"

Zhu Xiongying said to himself.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed: "What else can we do?"

Zhu Xiongying seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Why not put up tillage racks at both ends of the field ridges?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in confusion: "What is a farming rack?"

The Daigen frame was a major advancement in the development of farming tools in the late Ming Dynasty. Due to wars and conflicts in the late Ming Dynasty, the number of oxen decreased sharply, so the great working people came up with this kind of labor-saving farming tool.

Zhu Xiongying thought for a moment and said, "It's just to set up a human-shaped wooden frame at each end of the field, with a wheel on each wooden frame, and cross-shaped pegs on both ends of the wheel. The plow moves by itself... Well, that's about it."

Zhu Xiongying was trying hard to recall that although this kind of farming tool had epoch-making significance in farming in the late Ming Dynasty, it was still too unfamiliar to Zhu Xiongying in later generations.

He can only speak based on his own understanding.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang again. He found that Zhu Yuanzhang had been staring at Zhu Xiongying motionlessly with a dazed expression.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression gradually changed, sometimes red, sometimes green, unpredictable. At this moment, he probably understood the use of the farming rack that Zhu Xiongying mentioned. "You...you came up with this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little dazed, and his expression looked as if he wanted to eat someone.

"Is there...is there a problem?"

Zhu Xiongying was not sure, and didn't know whether this thing was good or bad for this era, but in terms of usage, Zhu Xiongying felt that it shouldn't be a big problem.

I don't know why the old man has this expression.

Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Xiongying, his eyes red, and shouted in annoyance: "Why didn't you say it earlier?!"

"what?"

The old man was born into a peasant family. Apart from fighting in the war, he also farmed.

He is very good at farming and is familiar with all kinds of farm tools.

Zhu Yuanzhang could figure out the purpose of the farming rack that Zhu Xiongying mentioned after a little thought.

Tilling frames are set up at both ends of the ridges, tied up with hemp ropes, and a sled is put in the middle. Then the old farmer standing on the ridge does not need to exert any force.

The ones who really need to put in some effort are the people at both ends of the ridges, and they just have to turn the pegs and the sled in the middle will be able to open up the land!
This is equivalent to a movable pulley device, which will greatly save manpower.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Xiongying with burning eyes: "Such a good thing, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Do you know how many cows die from working the fields in the Ming Dynasty every year?"

"Do you know how much less grain the people harvested because they didn't farm hard?"

“Do you know how much wasteland in our Ming Dynasty has been swallowed up by wealthy families because the common people are unable to reclaim it?” The old man’s cheeks were shaking when he finished speaking. He was really excited.

Zhu Xiongying shook his head: "This... I don't know."

"I've never farmed before, and then my master told me about this. I thought you would know all this, Grandpa."

"After all, our Master was also born into a peasant family, and so are you."

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "Bullshit!"

In my heart, I was blaming my father. What was going on? Why didn't he tell me these things before?

"Huh? Wait."

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to realize something and subconsciously looked at Zhu Xiongying.

He just roared and looked at the aggrieved Zhu Xiongying, and suddenly realized that he had lost his composure.

The old man was a little angry and blamed himself, and said apologetically: "I was impulsive just now, it really has nothing to do with you."

"It's a good thing!" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned again and thought about it, his eyes red and he seemed to want to cry. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this generation of farming frames had potential.

A palm as big as a palm fan slapped Zhu Xiongying's shoulder, and the old man trembled and said: "Okay!"

At the end of last year, heavy snow continued in the south of the Yangtze River, which was unprecedented in the more than 20 years since the founding of the Hongwu reign.

Because the south was busy dealing with the sudden heavy snow, spring farming became difficult.

"Okay, this thing is a good thing. Go back and ask the Ministry of Rites to see if it can be popularized and put into practice in Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Xiongying nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "If possible, I would like to trouble you, Grandpa, to send a sample to Jiaozhi."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "You are a kid who is unwilling to suffer any loss. We can save it. We will not forget you, the governor of Jiaozhi."

The grandfather and grandson were standing on the ridge of the field, watching the people doing spring ploughing leisurely, looking very happy and carefree.

The sun rises in the east and it rains in the west, there is peace and there is death.

Compared to the peaceful spring days in the suburbs of Jiangning, the situation in Yingtian City is completely the opposite.

As a result of the joint investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Censorate, the deputy directors of the Military Affairs Department and the Imperial Chariot Department of the Ministry of War had their homes confiscated and beheaded, and two deputy directors of the Ministry of Personnel's Wenxuan Qingli Department and the Ministry of Examinations also had their homes confiscated and beheaded.

These are all officials who hold important and powerful positions in the six ministries. Their positions are not high, but they have great power!
With the beheading and property confiscated of four Beijing officials, Yingtian City was suddenly plunged into a bloody storm.

All the officials are now in a panic.

It has only been four days since the incident on the 14th day of the first lunar month.

In four days, Zhu Yuanzhang had executed more than a dozen officials in the Ministry of Personnel, and even confidential officials in various government offices, without blinking an eye.

In just four days, more than three hundred officials and their families were implicated or even executed!
No one knows whether Emperor Hongwu will continue to wield the sword.

If we really investigate, we will find that there is no clean official in the capital!

When bloody death approached all officials, no one was not trembling, no one was not panicking!
……

Inside the Five Military Commandery.

Li Jinglong looked somewhat solemn.

Yuan made tea for Li Jinglong and her face looked a little bad.

"Master, the Ministry of Personnel's Minister of Examination... We also arranged for two of our nephews to enter the Five Military Commandery through him."

The sound was clear and crisp, yet a little trembling.

"Old man, will you be able to find us?"

Li Jinglong had a stern face, full of anger: "I told you not to run any crappy offices for your two useless nephews, but you didn't listen!"

"Will it burn us? I tell you, it won't!"

Yuan felt relieved and asked Li Jinglong: "Then why are you so angry, sir?"

"fart!"

"Do you think the old man wouldn't touch me because he treats me as a relative? Let me tell you, if Zhu Xiongying hadn't been there to stop them, the Li family would have been in trouble by now!"

"Just be happy. If we hadn't done good deeds to get to know Xiong Ying and the abbot of Tianyun Temple, who knows what would happen to us now!"

"People outside are saying that I am Li Jinglong's licker. You, a woman, must have been making up stories about me in your mind. Now?"

"Is it right to lick it? Huh?"

Yuan was a little scared, and then she looked at Li Jinglong with a bit more solemnity: "Master, you are powerful and have a long-term vision. I am a woman, of course I don't have such a long-term vision as you, but I know that you are a man who can bend and stretch. It's safe for me to follow you!"

"Ah!"

Li Jinglong rolled his eyes at him, but thinking back on it now, he still felt a little scared.

Especially when a few Jinyiwei passed by the mansion from time to time, carrying officials in shackles...that kind of shock was really unsettling!
I just don't know when the old man will stop killing.

There are already more than 300 people, and I don’t know if I can calm the old man’s anger.

Xu Mansion.

Compared with Li Jinglong's fear and relief, the Xu family seemed to be in panic!
I don't know whether Emperor Hongwu did it intentionally or unintentionally.

These officials who were executed were all more or less involved with the Palace of Prince Zhongshan.

"Fifth sister, why do I feel that the old man is targeting the Xu family?" Xu Huizu's face was extremely solemn.

Many of those killed were peripheral figures of the Xu family.

Although innocent people like Huang Zicheng were also killed, if we analyze it in depth, we will feel that Emperor Hongwu's killing seemed to have a purpose.

Xu Miaojin frowned.

When wave after wave of officials were executed in the past two days, she felt something was wrong.

If we analyze beyond the surface of the killing, Xu Huizu is right.

The officials who were executed were more or less the peripheral forces of the Xu family.

No matter how she looked at it, she felt that the old man was targeting the Xu family with a massacre.

First eliminate the periphery and then target the core. This seems to be reducing the influence and power of the Xu family little by little from the outside to the inside!

Xu Yingxu's face turned pale and he said, "Our Xu family has not offended the old man."

"Did we make a mistake? Aren't Huang Zicheng and his people also implicated?"

"Moreover, the people the old man killed were all related to Wen Yuzhang, and they were also protecting Wen Boqi."

"Let's not make a fuss about it and scare ourselves."

Xu Miaojin looked at Xu Yingxu and asked, "Second brother, let me ask you, the Examination Office and the Military Selection Office are both very important offices."

"When the emperor kills people, he also needs to consider and weigh the pros and cons. Who can be killed and who cannot be killed? The old man has killed people all his life, so doesn't he know better than you?"

"After killing these confidential officials, the balance of the families will be changed immediately. Don't you have any confidence, old man?"

"The balance has been broken, and many things in the regime are likely to be manipulated. It is impossible for the old man not to realize that this is not conducive to his control of the imperial power."

"The imperial power needs balance, and the old man also needs balance."

"It's fine to kill other people, but you killed these core government officials before they have selected their successors. This is not the way an emperor should behave."

"So, Zhu Yunwen, there is completely no hope."

After Xu Miaojin finished speaking, the three Xu brothers fell silent.

They all understood what he said. It made a lot of sense. It made a lot of sense. (End of this chapter)