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

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Inside the Xu residence, Xu Yingxu excitedly gathered everyone together.

"Big brother, fourth brother, fifth sister, we worry too much, hahaha!"

Xu Huizu looked at Xu Yingxu in confusion, frowned and asked: "What? Are you worrying too much?"

Xu Yingxu said: "Didn't Fifth Sister say last time that the Wen Boqi case was the old man targeting the Xu family? Now it seems that it is not the case!"

Xu Huizu looked at Xu Yingxu suspiciously and asked, "Why?"

Xu Yingxu said: "Today I was on duty at Longxiang Guard, and someone from the Ministry of Personnel came and transferred Liu Lan to Southern Xinjiang."

Xu Miaojin looked at Xu Yingxu in confusion: "Jiaozhi?"

Xu Yingxu said: "Yes! Not only Liu Lan was transferred there, but also Lan Polu and Bai Hong."

Xu Miaojin frowned and thought for a while: "Lan Polu and Bai Hong are nobles from Huaixi, and Liu Lan is from our Zhongshan Palace. This is indeed in line with the emperor's way of using people to control and balance."

Xu Yingxu said happily: "Yes! That's why I said that the old man is not targeting our Xu family. The Wen Boqi case involves many people. I think we are worrying too much."

Xu Miaojin was also a little confused and nodded: "I hope so."

The haze that had been lingering over Xu Huizu's head for many days disappeared at this moment. He smiled, which was rare, and said, "This is good news."

"It would be easier for Liu Lan to establish merits by going to Southern Xinjiang than staying in the capital."

Speaking of Jiaozhi's governor, Xu Huizu suddenly thought of something and said, "In Jiaozhi, Xie Jin was also killing people a few days ago, but the strange thing is that the old man didn't seem to blame Xie Jin."

Xu Zengshou was puzzled: "Brother, what's so strange about this? Maybe Xie Jin killed people at the old man's instruction to balance the situation in Jiaozhi."

Xu Miaojin shook his head: "The old man doesn't have that much time to take care of Jiaozhi. No scholar would be optimistic about Jiaozhi's future. Besides, the emperor was busy killing people in Yingtian some time ago. How could he have the energy to take care of Jiaozhi's affairs?"

Xu Zengshou said: "That's Xie Jin's own decision."

Xu Huizu said coldly: "Even if Xie Jin had ten guts, he wouldn't dare to do it! He is a minister, and there was no authorization for the murder. How dare he do it without the permission of the three judges? Even if he has the flag of the king of heaven, he dare not oppress his colleagues at will!"

Xu Zengshou was stunned. "Uh, big brother, fifth sister, what are you talking about? This is not it, that is not it, is it possible that someone else is governing Jiaozhi?"

When he said this, he was shocked himself.

Xu Huizu and Xu Miaojin's expressions suddenly became serious.

Could it be that there is really someone else who controls the power of life and death in Jiaozhi?
Who will the old man hand over the management of that place to?
"No matter what, things are still developing in a favorable direction for our Xu family."

Xu Huizu couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

After he said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Liu Lan's transfer did show that Emperor Hongwu did not deliberately target the Xu family in the Wen Boqi case.

Just when the brothers and sisters were about to go their separate ways.

"Master, Lord Li wants to see you."

Xu Huizu was a little stunned. Why did Shouchun Hou Li Gui want to see him at this time?
"welcome!"

Xu Huizu hesitated for a moment, then asked the steward to bring the person over.

Xu Miaojin rarely sees guests, so he said, "Brother, you guys chat, I'll go back first."

"Ah."

But before Xu Miaojin could leave, Shouchun Hou Li Gui came running over in a hurry.

Sweat was dripping down his anxious forehead.

Xu Miaojin was a little suspicious and simply continued to sit in her original seat.

"Mr. Zheng, Marquis Zheng, was wiped out."

As soon as Li Gui finished speaking, Xu Huizu immediately stood up from his chair and his face changed drastically: "Who?!"

"Old Zheng, Marquis of Luzhou, Zheng Yong."

Xu Huizu was horrified: "Who did it?"

"Uh... no one can do this except the emperor!"

"Why?!" Xu Huizu was still in shock!

This incident had a huge impact on him!

Wen Yuzhang had a very close relationship with the Xu family, and Zheng Yong was Xu Da's vanguard officer back then.

It is no exaggeration to say that these two forces are the left and right arms of the Prince of Zhongshan's Palace!

Wen Yuzhang’s death was understandable, at least they were mentally prepared for it.

But the news that Zheng Yong's family was suddenly wiped out was too unexpected!

Just now they were analyzing the old man and found that he was not targeting the Prince of Zhongshan's Palace.

At this moment, a basin of cold water was poured down on him, and a chill surged into Xu Huizu's heart!

Li Gui and Zheng Yong were both from Haozhou and had a close relationship. Zheng Yong's death frightened Li Gui and made him even more confused.
"Zheng Yong's embezzlement of grain, illegal salt trafficking, and selling of official positions and titles were exposed by the doorman of his mansion."

Xu Huizu took a deep breath, calmed down, and said: "Even so, there is still room for maneuver. How could the emperor execute him at will?"

Li Gui said: "This is not the point. When the emperor summoned Lord Zheng to question him, the Jinyiwei found out in Zheng's mansion that the imperial edict of the Yuan Dynasty was found..."

"The emperor was furious and beheaded Zheng Yong on the spot for his conspiracy to commit treason."

Xu Huizu said in a trembling voice: "Zheng Yong is not a fool! How could he hide the imperial edict of the previous dynasty, unless...hiss!"

Unless the old man wanted to kill him anyway!
Xu Huizu didn't continue.

Li Gui's eyes contained the same palpitation as Xu Huizu's.

"Young Master, we need to get to the bottom of this matter! The Emperor's actions... are not simple!"

What Li Gui fears more is that now it is Zheng Yong, and the next one will be himself.

If he didn't figure it out, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat, so he came to find Xu Huizu.

Xu Huizu tried hard to keep himself calm and comforted Li Gui: "Uncle Li, don't worry. Go back first and try your best to control the servants in your house. If there are any unclean people, deal with them... as soon as possible!"

"it is good!"

Li Gui nodded and left anxiously.

After he left, the main hall of Xu's mansion fell into deathly silence.

Xu Huizu's heart was beating wildly, and Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou's faces were as pale as paper.

"Fifth, Fifth Sister...what do you think?"

Xu Miaojin's forehead was already covered with cold sweat, "One date and one kill... What on earth is the old man planning?"

First, Liu Lan was transferred away. On the surface, it seemed like he was trying to show goodwill to the Prince of Zhongshan's Palace, but who would have thought that he would turn around and kill Zheng Yong!
If he wanted to cut the Gordian knot as soon as possible, there was only one charge, treason, and the old man used exactly this method to kill Zheng Yong.

Everything seemed so coincidental, so coincidental that it was weird! A noble marquis, a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, was killed without even being questioned by the three judicial officials!

That old man on the dragon throne is so scary! So scary!

Xu Miaojin was shocked and looked at Xu Huizu: "Brother, you have to find out as soon as possible. The old man must have a candidate for the crown prince, for sure!"

"Don't waste time, don't waste time any more!"

"Hurry up, this is a serious matter! If...if you are slow..."

Xu Miaojin didn't say anything else. She could even feel that the Prince Zhongshan's Palace was vaguely shrouded in the aura of death!
Xu Huizu's face was also somewhat solemn and dignified, and he muttered: "Could it be that the old man has no other intentions?"

Xu Miaojin looked at Xu Huizu who was mumbling to himself, and said crisply: "Brother, are you still deceiving yourself now? Regardless of whether the old man has other ideas or not, we must save ourselves quickly!"

"We have just started the academy business. If the old man's killing speed spreads too quickly, we simply won't have any capital to save our lives!"

……

After entering February of this year, the weather gradually became warmer.

The weather has warmed up, but people's hearts are still as cold as winter.

The dignified Marquis of Luzhou was confiscated and his entire family was exterminated by Zhu Yuanzhang for the crime of treason within just three days.

All officials were terrified, the Prince of Zhongshan’s Palace was terrified, and the entire Ming Dynasty was shaking.

Since the cases of Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang, the Ming Dynasty has been relatively peaceful for many years.

Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that killing too much and killing too long would be detrimental to the stability of the country, so after that year, the old man put away his killing knife and even dismissed the Jinyiwei military guards on a large scale.

It is to stabilize the hearts of the officials of the Ming Dynasty and allow them to devote themselves to national construction with peace of mind.

The Ming court had been stable for many years, but after entering this year, no one could have imagined that the elderly Zhu Yuanzhang would suddenly start to draw his knife again.

This signal is unusual.

If it was just a matter of killing Wen Boqi, the officials of the Ming Dynasty would not be too frightened, because Wen Boqi deserved the punishment, and confiscating his property and destroying his family were also reasonable. Some people would even applaud the old man!
However, Zheng Yong's sudden rebellion and the sudden confiscation of his property and extermination of his family by the Embroidered Uniform Guards sent out a signal that immediately caused panic among all the officials in the Ming court!
Without going through the review of the three judicial departments, the old man mobilized the Jinyiwei violent organization and brutally wiped out Zheng Yong's entire family.

Zheng Yong was the Marquis of Luzhou. He followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the world and was the vanguard officer of Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan. Despite so many honors, he did not receive the slightest sympathy from Zhu Yuanzhang, who just killed him!

The Yingtian City immediately fell into a turbulent and strange atmosphere, and everyone was in danger.

Few people can guess what the old man is planning, and no one knows whether Emperor Hongwu will use Zheng Yong to implicate more people!
However, three days after the death of Luzhou Hou Zheng Yong, Yingtian regained order. The old man did not seem to take the incident seriously and did not involve more people, which put the hearts of civil and military officials at ease again.

This is Zhu Yuanzhang!

He would never let his ministers guess what he was going to do!
For the Ming treasure ship on the southeast coast, two small cruisers have been built, and a large ship 44 zhang 4 chi long, 18 zhang wide, with 12 masts and sails is under intensive construction.

It could be launched as early as July this year.

Super battleship!

At that time, the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding technology must have been world-class.

Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor who cared more about his reputation. The inland area of ​​the Central Plains could be a little poor, but if the Ming Dynasty wanted to go out, it had to show off its national power.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang had very high requirements for the ships that sailed to the West this time.

Of course, having ships alone is not enough, and the Ministry of Industry also began to build tiger squat cannons in full swing.

The tiger squatting cannons were to be hung on the bow, stern and sides of the ship. According to the five-story requirement of the treasure ship, at least thirty tiger squatting cannons were needed to man the Ming treasure ship.

Local areas were not allowed to produce firearms. All firearms in the Ming Dynasty came from the military weapons shop of the Yingtian Ministry of Works. It was a secret among secrets.

The Tiger Crouching Cannon has extremely high requirements for wood. There is little oak to be found in Fujian and Guangdong, and the higher-quality ironwood has been cut down. As for wood such as fir, it is very likely that this wood will explode when the cannon is fired at high temperatures.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty conquered Jiaozhi, a rainforest area with abundant timber, which could meet the Ming court's demand for ironwood for firearms.

Far away in Jiaozhi.

Xie Jin had already received the transfer order from the Ministry of Works. Batches of felled ironwood had already been loaded onto trucks and would depart from Jiaozhi today.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

A cough was heard among the soldiers escorting Tielimu.

"Old Ma, you've been coughing for a whole day. Do you want to go to Yunnan Post Station and see a doctor?"

The old soldier named Lao Ma waved his hands weakly: "No, it's just a cold."

"When did you start coughing?"

"Today, I feel both hot and cold. I think I have caught a cold. It's just a minor illness. Don't make a fuss. Let's catch up with the team and deliver the wood to the Ministry of Industry as soon as possible."

"it is good!"

Spring is a pleasant time for leisure and relaxation.

After entering February, it is truly the season when the willow breeze blows without making you feel cold.

Yingtian City is the ancient capital of Six Dynasties, with an elegant environment and breathtaking beauty.

Outside Tonghuai Gate, you can see a vast expanse of green rice fields.

Outside the city gate, an old man and a young man were walking slowly.

"Grandpa, you said you wanted to come out and see what? You want to see outside the city."

Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes, facing the warm sun, breeze and shallow grass, raised his head and looked forward. He pointed with his old hand and said: "Look at them."

They, naturally, refer to the farmers.

Zhu Xiongying was a little puzzled. It was true that the old man paid attention to the farming season, but now the rice in the rice fields had been planted and there were very few old farmers busying around on the ridges of the fields.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Do you know why the rice is planted so fast this year?"

"Because of your tillage rack, haha."

When talking about the farming frame, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little proud. "This seemingly insignificant invention of yours immediately caused an uproar after it was promoted nationwide by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue. The people's farming efficiency has increased, so this year's farming can be completed so quickly."

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "But I'm not showing you this stuff. I'm showing you the taxation of the Ming Dynasty!"

Last year's Little Ice Age caused difficulties in the autumn harvest, so the farm tax naturally could not be paid, and it had to wait until this year to be paid.

Now, local governments have begun to organize the collection of taxes.

The old man is in a good mood today, perhaps because the taxes that were delayed in collection last year are finally going to be deposited into the national treasury. With a full treasury, he can do a lot of things, so the old man is naturally in a good mood.

Zhu Xiongying nodded, opened the lid of the teacup for Zhu Yuanzhang, let the old man drink some tea, and then accompanied him to the village head in the suburbs.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said to Zhu Xiongying: "The annual tax revenue in the capital is something we are proud of. We can always collect the land tax in time and in full."

As they were talking, Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yuanzhang arrived at a village on the outskirts of the city.

There were many common people gathered here, as well as minor government officials wearing black robes and tall black crowns with red feathers on their heads.

The old man said to Zhu Xiongying: "This is the government coming to collect the land tax."

(End of this chapter)