I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 166 Other People’s Children Are Just Good

That night.

In the Forbidden City of Yingtian Prefecture, the lights in the Wuying Hall are still on.

The eunuchs outside the door lowered their heads, not daring to peek into the palace, even though they were all confused in their hearts.

Recently, haven't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan come to Your Majesty too often?

Even when the Prince of Yan was still in the palace and had not been sent to Fengyang to suffer, he could not enter the Wuying Palace whenever he wanted. Many years ago, the Wuying Palace was the imperial study of His Majesty. Only His Majesty the Crown Prince and a small group of close ministers could enter to discuss matters. Ordinary princes and nobles were not allowed to enter unless they had something to discuss or to review their homework.

But since His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan returned to Beijing from Fengyang ahead of schedule, the situation has changed a little.

He could actually follow the prince into Wuying Palace, and come almost every night!

Hiss, looking at the situation, the two princes Qin and Jin who are still on the way may fall out of favor... No, it should be said that it is the Prince of Yan who has clung to the thigh of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and even His Majesty has begun to pay attention to him!

If the princes really will not go to their fiefdoms to be vassals in the future, then they, the palace servants, will have to carefully consider how to treat His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan.

…………

Inside Wuying Hall.

The father and his two sons had no idea of ​​the palace servants' inner thoughts.

Sitting in his seat, Zhu Yuanzhang pushed the thick pile of memorials on the table forward with an expressionless face.

"Look, these are all sent to us by the Secretariat from this afternoon until now."

"They don't dare to scold me openly, but if you look closely, they are scolding me for being a tyrant who doesn't understand government affairs and messes around."

He didn't get angry, didn't yell at anyone, didn't get red in the face, and his voice was very calm.

But no matter how you look at it, it's really creepy.

Zhu Di was so frightened by his father's tone that his skin instantly tensed up and he subconsciously looked at his elder brother.

Since they were little, when their father got angry, these younger brothers would ask their elder brother for help and avoid being beaten. In most cases, they would be spared. However, they had hardly ever participated in government affairs. If they did, it was just a random case that their father would ask when testing their homework. It was not considered real participation.

It's different now.

The piles of memorials on the table were all freshly prepared by the Secretariat. It was obvious that my father had called them here to ask for their opinions.

Zhu Di was sweating a little and just wanted to leave.

Why don't you discuss this matter with your elder brother? Why ask me, a lazy prince, to come here? I am busy with the parts of flintlock rifles every day, looking for good craftsmen all over the world. I am not interested in anything except military affairs, let alone the intrigues in the court.

I don't want to listen, can you please let me go!!!

However, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of letting him go.

"Fourth, tell me."

Zhu Di's knees went weak and he almost knelt down on the spot.

What can I say now?

He just wanted to ask for grace to go to Peking to eat sand!

"Uh, ah, this..."

Zhu Di hesitated for a long time, and finally found an idea.

He said tentatively:
"I think the people in the Secretariat are being too lenient."

"Although you did not discuss the matter with them in advance, the Central Secretariat is responsible for reporting the memorials from various departments to the Prime Minister and then submitting them to you. As for when you plan to hold the imperial examination, that is your business as the Emperor. Why should they make a fuss about it?"

"In just one afternoon, these memorials have come flying in like snowflakes. I'm afraid there will be even more tomorrow. What on earth are they trying to do?"

It was as good as saying nothing. Anyone with eyes could see that Zhu Yuanzhang was angry about this matter. But also because of this, Zhu Di only needed to scold the people in the Secretariat for being ignorant and overreaching, and nothing big would happen.

really.

After listening to this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not scold him for talking nonsense, but just snorted and laughed coldly:

"Yeah, we also want to know what they are going to do."

"Biao'er, tell me, what are they going to do?"

Zhu Biao, who was named, was already flipping through the memorials on his desk - this was certainly within the rules between father and son. He could read all of Zhu Yuanzhang's memorials and secret letters at will, and could even pick out the parts he wanted to deal with and take them to the Wenhua Hall next door for revision.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao's hand, which was flipping through the memorials, paused, and then he stuffed the memorials back on Zhu Yuanzhang's desk.

"Dad, if you want to provoke them, you don't have to be so rude..."

Zhu Biao sighed. Today, when his father ordered the posting of the imperial edict in Kunning Palace, he was standing by the side. He wanted to stop it, but he couldn't let his father down in front of others, so he could only watch.

"You knew that this time the imperial examination for craftsmen would make these people desperate. Didn't you expect the Secretariat to swarm in to advise against it?"

"It's good now. When we go to court tomorrow, I wonder how many people will want to bang their heads against the pillars and die. How will it end then?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said nothing, just stared at the memorial spread out in front of him, his eyes gloomy and no one knew what he was thinking.

The atmosphere in Wuying Hall was a bit awkward.

If it was the old Zhu Di, he would have secretly asked his eldest brother to speak for him and then ran away. Apart from his eldest brother, few brothers could speak with their father's anger, which was like the eve of a storm.

But times have changed.

What I did in history had displeased my father. Even though my eldest brother helped to persuade him, it seemed that my father had not mentioned it again recently. But this did not mean that the thorn in my father's heart had been completely removed.

In addition, the national policy of not allowing the kings to become vassal states has been decided. Zhu Di knows that if nothing unexpected happens, he may have to stay in Yingtian Prefecture for the rest of his life. In this situation, if he does not seize the opportunity to cling to his eldest brother's thigh to share his worries, but instead runs away, he will be a complete idiot.

"Father, it's not that my elder brother thinks this is not possible, he's just worried that you might take too big a step and fall."

Zhu Di secretly gritted his teeth and prepared himself mentally before finally speaking:
"Regarding the excessive power of the Secretariat and the Prime Minister, even if the people in our family do not care about state affairs and are as carefree as I am, we have all guessed that you have already made plans. It's just a matter of time before this matter is resolved."

"If you want to remove some of the power from the civil servants, you can do it slowly after dealing with the Secretariat and the left and right prime ministers. It is only natural for them to force you to commit suicide when you act so violently as you did today..."

Having said this, Zhu Di suddenly stopped talking and dared not continue.

Seeing his father's eyes stabbing at him, no matter how low his emotional intelligence is, the sense of crisis about his life will always be stronger.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang did not lose his temper. He just swept the memorials on the table to the side in a huff, and they fell to the ground with a clatter.

"What the hell are you two talking about? If we deal with the Secretariat and Hu Weiyong first, and then hold the special examination, what will the scholars in the world think?"

"First, they killed all the people in the Secretariat, and then promoted the craftsmen. It's obvious that they want to kill the Confucian scholars?"

"By then, I won't just be an ordinary tyrant, I will be cursed and infamous for eternity!" "Moreover, do you think everything will be fine if we get rid of the Secretariat? How many people in the court are in the Secretariat? Compared with them, the number of civil servants in other positions is dozens or even hundreds of times. Even if we kill all the people in the Secretariat, can we kill all the other civil servants as well?"

"Then it will only cause greater turmoil in the court, even more chaos than it is now."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Zhu Biao and Zhu Di were silent, so he lowered his head and was unable to refute.

He was satisfied after winning the debate:

"So, we should take this opportunity to see how many people in the court have rebellious tendencies. That's our plan."

"Take a good look at the memorials on this table. There are hundreds of them, and not all of them were written by the people in the Secretariat. They have submitted all the memorials related to the imperial edict without missing a single one. Oh, maybe there are some that are missing. They didn't submit the ones that agree with me. I don't believe that there is no one in the court who supports me."

"Also, Hu Weiyong took leave today and stayed at home instead of going to the government office. Do you think he will plan something tonight and will go to court tomorrow to deal with this matter?"

Zhu Biao and his brother beside him looked at each other, and even their breathing slowed down.

Good guy.

This……

The atmosphere in the hall fell silent again, but this time it was not as awkward as before, just a little anxious. The expressions on Zhu Biao and Zhu Di's faces became much more serious, and they were pondering what their father had just said.

At this moment, a report from the eunuch came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, Xu Yungong, son of Duke Wei, requests to see you."

Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily turned his attention away from his two sons and called people in.

Therefore, when Xu Yungong entered the room, he also felt that the atmosphere among the father and his two sons in the Wuying Hall was a little bit strange.

"Yun Gong, you came to the palace to ask for an audience so late at night. Do you have something important to report?"

Facing this future loyal minister, the young man now, Zhu Yuanzhang put away his just-looked-down attitude and appeared to be very amiable.

Xu Yungong quickly saluted.

"Your Majesty, allow me to report this to you. I, a humble commoner..."

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's disapproving look, Xu Yungong immediately changed his words:

"I came to see you late this evening because I have something important to tell you."

"In the afternoon, I saw the imperial edict posted in the city, so I hurried to Song Shen's house to meet him. I wanted to take this opportunity to present the flintlock rifle in his name after it was made. No matter how high or low it is, such an important thing can at least get a title. Although he still has his previous official status, he has moved out of the Song residence and lives alone. It is always much better to have a title."

"But before I could explain my plan, Song Shen directly refused and told me not to get involved in En Ke's matter."

Including Zhu Yuanzhang, the three people in the hall were stunned for a moment.

After a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up from his seat, cordially pulled Xu Yungong to sit next to Zhu Biao and Zhu Di, and gave Zhu Di a look, asking him to get a cup of tea.

Xu Yungong was young, and even though he had been treated quite kindly by Zhu Yuanzhang last time, it was difficult to get rid of the awe he had ingrained in his bones for the emperor. It was even more frightening that His Majesty now even wanted his brother-in-law, the Prince of Yan, to serve him tea.

He tried to refuse in panic, but was pinned to his seat by His Majesty's iron-like hands, unable to move.

can't.

After Zhu Di put the tea on the table beside him with a wronged look, Xu Yungong could only tell Zhu Yuanzhang about his conversation with Song Shen in the afternoon.

"If it were a normal day, if there was any movement in Song Shen's family, someone would have come to tell us. But you saw the imperial edict, and you know that the palace is very busy today. There is a shortage of manpower, and those who can be evacuated have evacuated. The Song Shen family didn't keep anyone. If you hadn't taken the initiative to report it, we wouldn't know it."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled amiably, just like a kind-hearted old man from the neighborhood:

"Yun Gong, what does he think about recruiting craftsmen for the special examination?"

Xu Yungong only felt that the chair under his butt was like a needle pricking him.

But he couldn't resist and could only reply honestly.

"Your Majesty, Brother Ziwei thinks that your move is targeting all the civil officials and the left prime minister in the court. As long as this matter is not stopped, the court will not be at peace. There will be people who will die if they advise against it. And one of us is the grandson of a great scholar, and the other is the eldest son of a nobleman. If we get involved, it will be even more troublesome."

"He didn't say outright that I couldn't participate. He just told me to write to my father and ask him, or to wait until the end of the year when he returns to Beijing to report on his work and discuss it with him."

"But looking at Brother Ziwei's expression, it seems that he is quite sure that my father will not want me to get involved..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became more and more weird, causing Xu Yungong's voice to become smaller and smaller, and he was a little afraid to continue speaking.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di next to them also had their faces and eyes twitching, as if they had been slapped in the face.

"Hahahaha, look, look at Song Shen!"

Old Zhu's face was gloomy before Xu Yungong came in, but now he seems very happy.

He patted Xiao Xu's shoulder and turned to his two sons:

"Song Shenren stayed at home, with no source of information except Yun Gong and Zhang Wei, but he was able to hear so many things from an imperial edict. You two, on the other hand, had so many memorials from the Secretariat in front of you, but you didn't figure it out!"

Xu Yungong felt that his shoulders were bruised, but he didn't dare to move.

He was completely bewildered.

If Brother Ziwei is not wrong, then His Majesty has clearly been blocked by the civil officials, and it is very difficult to move forward or backward...

Why is Your Majesty so happy?

This is too weird!
However, as one of the two people in the world who knew Zhu Yuanzhang best, Zhu Biao did notice some clues.

Zhu Biao also relaxed his expression and asked:
"Yun Gong, besides asking you not to get involved in this matter, did Song Shen say anything else? For example, speculations about the future situation?"

Xu Yungong hesitated for a long time, and finally felt that he was not even angry about such a thing. His Majesty and the Crown Prince were indeed very tolerant of Song Shen, so he said honestly:
"Have."

"He said that no matter what happens this time, Hu Weiyong is definitely going to die, and after his death, the Secretariat and the position of prime minister will be abolished. And this is not groundless speculation, but a well-targeted statement."

"Last September, Your Majesty abolished the provinces and established thirteen provincial administrative commissions, with left and right provincial governors in charge of civil affairs and finances of each province. Under the provincial administrative commissions, there were prefectures and counties, and the judicial commissions and military commissions were in charge of law and military affairs, working together with the three commissions."

"The Tongzhengshisi was established as the emperor's 'mouthpiece', with the chief official called Tongzhengshi, who was in charge of the receipt and rejection of memorials, and slightly took away the power of the Zhongshusheng."

"Brother Ziwei said that this is actually a warning. If Hu Weiyong and others were more cautious, they would know that His Majesty is afraid of the power of the Secretariat. If they want to survive, they should take the initiative to hand over the power. But the Secretariat refuses to give up power, and instead becomes more arrogant. They will die sooner or later. The longer they delay, the more people will die when the outbreak occurs."

"So he told me not to get involved in the Enke incident, to stay at home and work on the flintlock rifle, and not to take the lead in anything. If I want to support His Majesty, I have to wait until my father returns to the capital. This is not something that young people of our rank can get involved in. If we get it wrong, our whole family will be implicated."

There was dead silence in the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his two sons looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the worst among them!

Even though we know that Song Shen's words were deduced based on historical facts, it is still extremely impressive that he was able to pick out this one from many decrees... At the very least, he has a keen sense of danger and storms!
(End of this chapter)