I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 119: Shitting on the Emperor's Head

Song Shen scratched his head.

After all, Zhu Yunwen was the second son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao. It was normal that his miscarriage for unknown reasons had some impact on the royal family.

Zhu Yunwen was gone, and then Zhu Di received the good news that Xu Miaoyun was pregnant. He even said this this morning. It seems that Zhu Di took Xu Miaoyun to see the imperial physician for a pulse check...

If you have to say it, it makes sense that this matter is related to him.

After thinking for a while, Song Shen asked again:

"The first imperial decree ordered all the princes of Fengyang to return to the capital with their families. What does this mean and why is it so?"

At least in his impression, such a thing did not happen in the tenth or eleventh year of Hongwu. At the very least, it was not until the fifteenth year of Hongwu when Empress Ma died that a bunch of princes ran back to mourn.

But Song Shen had just seen Empress Ma a while ago. Even if he was blind and couldn't see her complexion, he could at least hear that Empress Ma was still full of energy when she spoke. It was impossible for her to be terminally ill in just a few days.

So, why?

Xu Yungong secretly looked up and saw Jiang Lin on the beam silently pointing the crossbow at him again. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and felt that he had never thought so well in his life.

He paused, then tried to answer in a calm voice:

"I don't know about that either, but the Prince of Yan just returned to the capital, and it just so happens that the Princess of Yan is pregnant. Maybe the other princes in Fengyang also have children? Think about it, after all, the Eastern Palace has lost a grandson for no apparent reason, and the baby is so old that it has taken on a human form. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very sad, and the Crown Princess is also very scared. For such an unlucky thing, it's probably normal to have everyone come back to celebrate."

Song Shen scratched his head again.

is that so……?
Although he had long known that feudal superstition was very serious in ancient times, he did not expect that feudal superstition would be so serious nowadays.

It's a bit outrageous.

After thinking for a long time, Song Shen could only attribute it to the butterfly effect. He didn't know which of his actions led to the change in history, but such a relatively trivial matter probably wouldn't have much impact.

He decided not to discuss the imperial edict anymore and asked:
"By the way, Yun Gong, you came at the right time. I wanted to talk to you about something, and was wondering when it would be convenient to find you, but I didn't expect you to come here by yourself now."

"Because you are the son of the Duke of Wei, you know more about the military than I do, so I want to ask, which department controls these firearms?"

Xu Yungong didn't know what to do and subconsciously looked up at the beam.

Jiang Li was also stunned for a moment, then nodded at him, indicating that they could talk about this.

After getting official permission, Xu Yungong said with confidence:

"Oh, firearms and ammunition are now managed by the Baoyuan Bureau. Brother Ziwei, I know you have lost your memory and can't remember many things. Do you still remember what the Baoyuan Bureau does?"

Song Shen didn't expect that this boy was so considerate that he had actually predicted that he didn't know about this.

So he nodded quickly:
"Yes, I have indeed forgotten a lot. Please tell me more. The imperial physician said that this will also help restore memory."

The imperial physician has said so many things. Anyway, Song Shen has learned bad habits from Zhang Wei and always blames the imperial physician for any problems he is undecided about. The Imperial Hospital cannot be so idle that they can inquire into everything.

Xu Yungong didn't say anything more and explained directly:
"The Baoyuan Bureau was originally the place where the imperial court minted coins. When it comes to smelting, no other government office is more skilled than them."

"So in addition to casting copper coins, torture instruments, and agricultural tools, the Baoyuan Bureau also made firearms, all made of copper and iron. They did a pretty good job, but they did less and slower. After all, there were so many things waiting for them, and they couldn't put all their energy on this."

"Although His Majesty has asked the Baoyuan Bureau to forge firearms, there is no rush. If there is enough time, they can naturally take their time."

"However, my father once told me that the northern barbarians have been trying to attack the border, or the remnants of the Mongols are accumulating strength to attack the Central Plains, such as the failed Northern Expedition in the fifth year of Hongwu... In short, there will probably be a few more tough battles to fight in the future. If there are more such situations, I think the court will set up a government office just for firearms in the future."

Song Shen nodded thoughtfully.

Also.

Although the Ming Dynasty had just been established, Zhu Yuanzhang was a ruthless and decisive person. If he said he was going to attack you, he would slap you in the face and would not spare your life. That was why Zhu Yuanzhang launched thirteen northern expeditions after he established the country and ascended the throne. He was the kind of person who would fight to death anyone he hated, so it was normal for him to start storing up armaments in advance.

Thinking of this, Song Shen lowered his voice and whispered in Xu Yungong's ear:
"So, I once saw a drawing in an unknown book."

"It is a firearm that is several times or even dozens of times more powerful than the firearms we have today. It can be fired with just a flick of the finger in the blink of an eye. It is also extremely light and compact, so you can even carry it with you without anyone noticing."

"Are you interested in trying it?"

Xu Yungong's brain exploded!

He was stunned for a full minute before he said blankly:
"Brother Ziwei, you didn't trick me, did you?"

As a descendant of a military family, and the eldest son of a duke who spends every day in the army and has a good relationship with the soldiers, Xu Yungong's sensitivity to military equipment far exceeds his sensitivity to human relationships.

He knew very well that if what Song Shen said was true, then this kind of thing would directly change the existing military structure.

It should be noted that the current muskets equipped in the army include smaller hand cannons weighing three to five pounds, and larger bowl-mouth cannons weighing more than thirty pounds.

The latter is of course installed on ships. Although the former is lighter, it is still as inconvenient to fire as a heavy musket, and both require a fire stick or flint to ignite.

If the kind of portable musket that Song Shen mentioned could be equipped on every soldier, and when encountering the enemy, they could take it out and fire directly in the blink of an eye... that would save a lot of effort!
Xu Yungong's breathing became visibly rapid.

But he didn't dare to act rashly, but instead glanced at Jiang Li on the beam.

Jiang Li's scalp also went numb after hearing this -

He couldn't believe that Song Shen, who was highly valued by His Majesty, could actually come up with such a thing.

No wonder His Majesty almost worshipped him... If this musket is real, what's the point of the Northern Expedition? Not to mention the north, it's not impossible to attack Bui'erhai in one go!
Jiang Li suppressed his excitement and nodded slightly at Xu Yungong.

Chat! Chat to death!!!

While signaling to Xu Yungong, he took out a separate small piece of paper, hurriedly wrote a few words on it, then lightly lifted a tile from the beam and handed the note upwards.

A hand took the note from above and made a gesture.

Jiang Li also made a gesture, indicating that the other party should take the letter directly to His Majesty.

…………

Imperial Palace, Wuying Hall.

It was already getting dark outside and curfew was only a few moments away.

The hall was brightly lit, and Zhu Yuanzhang was handling official business here.

It must be said that he has been much more diligent recently. Since Zhu Biao grew up and was able to handle government affairs a few years ago, he liked to just walk away and leave everything to his son. But now that he heard that Zhu Biao might die young, Zhu Yuanzhang had to take this matter to heart and split the government affairs with his son in half, so as not to make the child sick from exhaustion.

While he was reading the memorial, a eunuch suddenly ran in from outside and bowed to report:
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan requests an audience from the Duke of Wei's residence."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up from the pile of documents, frowning with some doubt:

"What is he here for?"

The eunuch also shook his head:
"I asked His Highness, but he insisted on talking to you in private. Oh, and he also brought a package, which seemed to be filled with hardcover paper such as memorials."

Zhu Yuanzhang was confused.

This kid was so happy when he left the palace today, and he couldn't wait to leave. It seemed that if he hadn't been summoned by the emperor, he would not have been willing to come to the palace. But now it was dark, and the fourth brother was eager to bring his things into the palace...

What are you getting?

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the things at hand and said calmly:
"Since the fourth one is coming so late, let's arrange for him to come over."

"Also, go to the Wenhua Palace next door and inform the Crown Prince and ask him to come along."

The eunuch left immediately.

Not long after, Zhu Biao and Zhu Di came to Wuying Palace together.

Compared with the luxury of the Fengtian Hall, this place is more like Zhu Yuanzhang's study, only a little bit bigger than the study in an ordinary person's home.

So the two brothers who came in were arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang to sit closer to his desk. He himself did not leave the desk, but just glanced at the package in Zhu Di's hand.

After the ceremony, Zhu Biao and Zhu Di both sat down.

It was Zhu Biao who looked at his father's expression and asked first:
"Old Four, you came here so late, is there something urgent?"

Zhu Di also glanced at his father who was sitting at the top of the table, and when he saw that he didn't say anything, he understood.

He opened the package he brought and revealed the contents.

It was indeed a hard-cover document similar to a memorial as the eunuch had said, but it was not a memorial but rather visiting cards.

The cover of a visiting card usually introduces the owner and states which household the visitor is visiting. The content inside is mostly polite words, roughly meaning that I would like to visit your home at a certain time, but I wonder if you have time or if you can reschedule the time. Please give us a reply, etc.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was old, his eyesight was good and he saw the top letter at a glance.

His brows immediately raised:

"Hu Weiyong's visiting card? Is it directed to you?"

Zhu Di placed all the visiting cards on his father's desk and bowed respectfully, saying:
"Whether it is directed at us or not, I am not sure."

"However, since you issued the imperial edict today, within just a few hours, Yingtian Prefecture has been in turmoil. I am now staying with Miaoyun at the Xu family. As a result, in the evening, my wife's eldest brother Xu Yungong came to tell us that the visiting cards at the gatehouse were piled up like a mountain, especially those from the prime minister and other important officials of the Secretariat."

"He doesn't know what to do, and I don't know how to respond. Although I am not afraid, I am also worried about bringing trouble to my father-in-law's family, so I have no choice but to rush to see the emperor with these visiting cards."

"I did this out of urgency. If there are any mistakes, please forgive me, Father."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a long time.

It was not until Zhu Di's palms began to sweat that he laughed at Zhu Biao and pointed at Zhu Di and said:
"See? After this kid became a father and got beaten up by me, it seems like he has finally come to his senses!"

"When he encountered this problem, he actually came back to tell us and asked for our help. Good, at the age of 18, it's time for him to grow his brain!"

Zhu Di then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, in this regard, my daughter-in-law is much more perceptive than me.

Only in this way can my father put aside his doubts and make my current situation better.

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked to the desk, picked up the visiting card given by Hu Weiyong, opened it and looked at it carefully.

After a while, his expression became subtle:
"In the visiting card from Prime Minister Hu, he said that he heard that the King of Yan was getting happy and that he was going to come and congratulate him in two days..."

"How did the news of the diagnosis made by the Imperial Hospital just this afternoon reach him?"

Zhu Di was stunned.

He came in such a hurry that he just waited for Xu Yungong to pack up all the visiting cards before coming over. He had asked his eldest brother-in-law before, and Xu Yungong said that most people came to visit under the pretext of welcoming Prince Yan. Of course, no one dared to say openly that they wanted to inquire about the two imperial edicts today, which was understandable.

But Hu Weiyong's reason was actually because Prince Yan was pregnant, which obviously showed that he already knew that Xu Miaoyun was diagnosed with pregnancy.

As Zhu Biao said:

How did this matter reach Prime Minister Hu Weiyong in just one afternoon?
Could it be that the Imperial Hospital in the deep palace is now under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat? How could he not know about this!
"Biao'er, now you should know why Song Shen asked everyone to stay away from Hu Weiyong that day."

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face disappeared at some point, becoming serious and terrifying.

He took the visiting card from Zhu Biao, looked at it, and threw it into the pile of memorials:

"The Secretariat was originally a place to help the emperor with his affairs, but now, not only are they stirring up trouble in the previous dynasty, they are now even trying to reach directly into our harem."

"Whenever there is a happy event for the empress, the crown prince, or the prince, it will be kept secret until three months have passed. This taboo has been in place for thousands of years from the royal family to the common people. There is no need for us to remind them."

"But you see, the news from the Imperial Hospital's diagnosis at noon was immediately reported to Hu Weiyong's case."

"He even dared to put this in the invitation. He thought that your Highness the Prince of Yan would be concerned about his father-in-law's family and would not dare to tell us!"

"The position of prime minister is second only to the emperor, but it seems that Hu Weiyong is unwilling to be second only to the emperor and wants to surpass me."

"What do you think?"

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di looked at each other, both with shock in their eyes.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to take action against this group of founding heroes, and his sons had long anticipated it, but they never expected that things had reached this point.

Hu Weiyong not only exceeded his authority...

Are you really going to shit on the emperor's head?!
(End of this chapter)