The stupid son of Chongba

Chapter 175 Old Zhu woke up in shock from his illness and sharpened his knife to attack Zhu Ju!
Two days later, early in the morning.

The inner courtyard of Kunning Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang was lying beside Ma Xiuying, with one leg unscrupulously resting on her body, sleeping soundly.

"Chongba, Chongba."

Ma Xiuying pushed twice, but seeing that he was unable to move like a dead pig, she became angry and ordered,

"Zhu Chongba!"

"You want to crush me to death?"

Wow!
She pushed so hard that she almost pushed Zhu Yuanzhang off the bed!
"Hey you...sister, you are going to murder your husband!"

Old Zhu supported himself on the edge of the bed with one hand and avoided falling. He turned his head suddenly to look at Ma Xiuying, only to see that she looked angry.

"How many times has this happened tonight? Can you sleep better?"

Ma Xiuying spat,
"You've been tormenting me all night and I couldn't sleep. In my dreams I either dreamed of hanging myself or someone strangling me."

"Get up, get up, go back to your bed!"

As she said this, she was about to push Lao Zhu again.

Zhu Yuanzhang: "￥%...&@#!!!"

Is there such a cowardly emperor? He was kicked out of bed by his own queen!
"We are here to accompany you! You really don't know how to appreciate kindness!"

Old Zhu straightened up and muttered,

"The concubine is so eager for us to sleep with her every day! But you chase us away every day."

"If this palace wasn't filled with eunuchs, we would all suspect that you were in love with someone else. You... Ouch!"

Before he could finish his words, Ma Xiuying hit him with a pillow!
Swish!
Zhu Yuanzhang jumped up like a tiger and punched the pillow to the ground.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you to death!"

Ma Xiuying glared.

"tigress……"

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered something, got out of bed and picked up the pillow.

After being tormented by Ma Xiuying, he lost his sleepiness and simply put on his clothes and shouted outside:
"Bring breakfast!"

After a while, the maids pushed the door open, first bowed to the emperor and empress, and then placed the dishes on the table.

pat, pat.

The emperor's breakfast consisted of eight dishes including rice!

At a glance, there are fried lamb, steamed pig's trotters, fried fish, bean soup...

Zhu Yuanzhang was not vague either. He sat down and slurped a full mouthful of bean soup. Then he put pig's trotters, fresh fish and mutton on the rice and began to eat with relish.

He can eat so much for breakfast! This is how he got such a strong body!

In a moment, he had eaten half of the breakfast on the table.

“You really can eat…”

Ma Xiuying couldn't help but say,
"Among so many sons, the one who inherited your talent is probably only Little Orange. That child is also a big eater. As soon as he sits down, he starts looking for food. It seems like his stomach can never be filled."

She had seen it with her own eyes. Zhu Ju finished several bowls of rice in no time and then asked her for fruit after the meal.

For him, being 'full' means having finished the staple food, but not the snacks yet!

This character is probably inherited from Chongba, and he is even better than his master.

"Isn't that good? Being able to eat is a blessing."

"You just eat too little, that's why you are so weak."

Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his mouth and said nonchalantly,

He seemed to feel that eating like this was not satisfying enough, so he lifted one leg and put it on the stool, resting the bowl on his knee.

Hmm! This is just right!
"Look at the way you eat..."

Ma Xiuying looked at Zhu Yuanzhang speechlessly, then said,

"Zhongba, I see that your body has recovered! You can eat and sleep well, and your complexion is good."

Zhu Yuanzhang grinned.

"Of course! What's my physique?"

He raised his head and said,

"No matter how serious the illness is, as long as we get some good sleep, we will be back to normal in no time!"

"I've been lying down for three or four days this time, which is considered slow! But there are also benefits. I stayed up late every day a while ago and felt a little tired. Now I've had a good rest for a few days and I'm full of energy!"

"It's like making up for what I owed you before!"

Ma Xiuying also smiled slightly when she heard him say that.

Now that the pillar of the house has been repaired, the sense of security will naturally return.

"Then you can let Little Orange take a rest."

Ma Xiuying reminded,

"He has been holding court meetings every day these days and taking care of so many government affairs. He must be exhausted."

"Now that you are well, go to the front court to govern the country! The order of the country still needs to be maintained by you as the emperor. With your personality, you must be worried about Xiaojuzi holding up such a big scene by yourself, right?"

Chi-li-chi-liu.

Zhu Yuanzhang drank two mouthfuls of bean soup, shook his head and said:

"You know what, when I was so busy before, I didn't want to rest at all. I wanted to fill every day with things to do, but now that I have some free time, I actually like this feeling."

"I can sleep until I wake up naturally, then have breakfast, and then go boxing if I have nothing to do. If I feel like it, I can go out for a walk... It's quite comfortable."

"Compared to the days when I was busy with affairs of state, the days I'm living now... are the days a true emperor should live! Sister, I really want to retire early, enjoy this world with you, spend a lot of money, and then enjoy the mountains and rivers!"

Ma Xiuying was stunned.

"That's not something you can say..."

In her impression, Chongba has always been a person who is willing to sacrifice his life for his career!

what is it today? Transitioned?

Or did the fever damage your brain?

"Haha, sister, you don't know me well enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said,
"If our children and grandchildren are ambitious, why not give them our family business in advance?"

"Those emperors in history were unwilling to hand over power to their sons, and they kept testing and threatening their sons, eventually driving a good prince crazy! We will never do that!"

"It's impossible for our son to harm us! So, when the time comes, we will hand over all the kingdom we have worked so hard to build to him! Then we can enjoy our lives and do whatever we want!"

"Do you agree?"

After all, Lao Zhu still has the thinking of an old farmer.

A wife, children and a warm bed were his ideals in the first half of his life.

My ideal for the second half of my life is to hand over the family business to my son, and then enjoy my old age by playing with my grandchildren. Isn’t that wonderful?
"That's good... I also want to, but for now you have to take care of it, okay? Biao'er is not yet at the age where he can take on the responsibility alone."

Ma Xiuying nodded and said,

"If you don't take care of things, aren't you afraid that the brat will make trouble for you? This brat... is unpredictable."

As for Zhu Ju, she could be said to know him very well.

The situation has been calm in recent days, which makes Ma Xiuying feel a little strange and even uneasy.

It seemed that it was normal for Zhu Ju to make trouble. If he didn't make trouble... then he must be holding back a big one!
"Haha, it's just a few days, what could happen?"

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his stomach, burped, and waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Besides, if there is something serious, Mao Xiang will come to report to us. He is probably busy with government affairs these days, so he has no time to chat."

"I guess Hu Weiyong and his men must be holding back and are trying every possible way to deal with him! Hehe... We might as well see how much pressure he can handle."

"Rest for a while. Let's go outside and do some boxing to loosen up your muscles."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the house.

"what--"

Ma Xiuying yawned, slowly stood up and said,

"Why are you still taking a break? I don't feel sleepy at all."

"I'll get up and have breakfast too. Uh... Cuizhu, take away all these greasy things and just give me a few steamed buns and a bowl of bean soup."

"Yes, your majesty." Cuizhu responded and left.

……

call!
call!
Zhu Yuanzhang stood in the courtyard, practicing his fists and feet. Each move was fierce and powerful, and his punches were as powerful as a tiger.

After a while, he took a deep breath and retracted his fist.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty has recovered and is still as graceful as ever. This is a blessing for all the people in the world!"

Song Zhong, deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, knelt on the ground and congratulated respectfully.

"Haha, what do you mean by still as charming as ever? I am old now, and I caught a cold, and I haven't recovered completely yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched his muscles and waved his hands,

"Back then, this set of punches could have killed a cow!"

"Okay, get up. What do you want to report to me?"

As he spoke, he panted and lay down on the rattan chair.

After this set of punches, I was actually a little out of breath!

It seems that my body has not yet recovered to its best condition and still needs to be nurtured.

The palace servants quickly brought warm tea.

"Your Majesty, I am currently in charge of the public situation and public opinion."

Song Zhong said in a deep voice,
"In recent days, there has been some public opinion, and I think it is necessary to report this to Your Majesty in private."

Gurgling.

Zhu Yuanzhang rinsed his mouth with warm tea and then swallowed it.

"Public opinion?"

"Tell me, what are the people talking about now?"

He had given instructions on the division of labor among the Imperial Guards.

As the commander, Mao Xiang was mainly responsible for monitoring officials, while the deputy commander Song Zhong was mainly responsible for collecting useful intelligence from the public.

In this way, both the government and the world will be in his hands!
However, generally speaking, even if Song Zhong obtained civilian intelligence, he should report it to Mao Xiang, who would then report it to the emperor.

This time he reported the matter directly to his superiors, which also made Zhu Yuanzhang feel strange.

"Your Majesty, according to the information I have collected, there is a voice among the people now..."

Song Zhong presented the memorial in his hand, and then said in a deep voice,
"It is said that His Majesty and the Crown Prince are seriously ill, and His Royal Highness Prince Wu will ascend the throne and inherit the Ming Dynasty!"

"It is also said that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu is now setting up a temporary cabinet to change the dynasty and create a new Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "???"

Swish!
Hearing this, Lao Zhu stood up from the rattan chair in an instant!

"Shit!"

He clapped his hands suddenly and said angrily,

"I am alive and well! The prince is also fine!"

"Who the hell dares to spread such rumors? Catch them all and kill them!"

This rumor is unlucky as soon as you hear it!

You're seriously ill from typhoid fever? Who are you looking down on?
It is even more absurd to say that Zhu Ju ascended the throne! Anyone who spreads such rumors should be killed along with all his clans!
"Yes, I am already investigating."

Song Zhong bowed in response.

"And... what's that? King Wu wants to create a new Ming Dynasty?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said,

"What is that interim cabinet?"

He had been resting for the past two days and had no idea about what was happening in the outside world, let alone control over it.

Therefore, he was a little confused when he heard these unfamiliar words.

"Your Majesty doesn't know?"

Song Zhong raised his eyes to look at Zhu Yuanzhang and said,
"Didn't the commander report to you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.

"That is a temporary agency set up by His Royal Highness the King of Wu to handle government affairs."

Song Zhong knew that the emperor did not like nonsense, so he quickly got to the point.
"The chief minister of the cabinet is Liu Bowen, and the remaining few are Song Lian, Xu Da and Mu Ying."

"These four cabinet members are the core of the cabinet and have the power to directly review and deal with memorials."

"The other three are Jie Kai, Wu He and Li Jiusi, who are in the top three of the first division. They are in the audience to assist the cabinet members in governing the country."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "!!!"

"Directly review and deal with memorials?"

Old Zhu said angrily,

"Does this mean that all memorials are now going to Liu Bowen?"

"What is Zhu Ju doing? Ruling the country without doing anything?!"

"This bastard actually gave the most important power directly to Liu Bowen! Where is he now?!"

This little bastard really deserves to be punished!

How dare they let others hold such great power! Are Liu Bowen and Song Lian really trustworthy? !

"This……"

Song Zhong shook his head and said with difficulty,

"I don't know where the Regent is now. I don't know either. Only the commander knows his movements."

Swish!
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand suddenly.

"Tell Mao Xiang to come see us right away!"

"If it takes less than one stick of incense, the black hat on his head will be gone, along with his head!"

Song Zhong's expression was stern.

"As you command, I will go and pass on the order right away!"

He bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, then quickly turned and left.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy at this moment. When he thought of the thing that annoyed him, he slapped the stone table directly.

boom!
"Chongba, what are you doing?"

Ma Xiuying was just finishing her millet porridge at this moment. Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's angry expression, she couldn't help but frowned and said,

"What made you angry again?"

"It's because of this little bastard you gave birth to!"

Old Zhu said angrily,
"He set up a temporary cabinet and let Liu Bowen and his people take power!"

"Now, Liu Bowen and his people are in charge of the decisions and handling of various memorials. They have become the emperors of the Ming Dynasty!"

"This little bastard... He must have wanted to be lazy, so he came up with this idea just to make himself feel relaxed! But although he was relaxed, the most important imperial power was lost!"

"It's really... a sin!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he kept stamping his feet in anger!
"Hey, don't be angry first... Getting angry won't solve the problem."

Ma Xiuying supported Zhu Yuanzhang's back and comforted him,

"He also said it's temporary. Since it's temporary, it's easy to cancel it! If there really is a problem, can't we just cancel it?"

"Perhaps, he has a good idea and wants to try it out?"

"You have to allow your child to be innovative! This child always has a lot of ideas. They may look absurd, but who knows, there may be some rules behind them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

"You're still speaking for him?"

He said angrily,
"What kind of innovation is this?"

"If we want to be like him, then we can just appoint him as the Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat, and we will be relieved! Why do we need to set up a cabinet?"

"Take off your pants and fart, it's getting more and more messy!"

"He is really a jerk if he is not beaten for three days. No, we have to beat this kid up!"

Ma Xiuying: “…”

Well, she knew that this would happen sooner or later!
Zhu Yuanzhang was angry, and Mao Xiang had already run into the yard in a panic.

"See Your Majesty!"

"See the Queen!"

Pfft!
Mao Xiang knelt down on the ground without any hesitation.

When he saw Song Zhong coming to summon him, he knew something bad was going to happen. This guy was his competitor and was eager for him to step down.

Therefore, when he heard the emperor's summons, Mao Xiang rushed over without stopping, and then slid to his knees at the speed of light.

"You are such a bad person!"

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered,

"Let me ask you, has the King of Wu set up a temporary cabinet in the past two days?"

Mao Xiang nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"His Royal Highness the King of Wu announced at the court meeting that..."

boom!
Before he could finish his words, Zhu Yuanzhang kicked him with a big kick and knocked him to the ground!
"Then why don't you report to us!"

"Your Majesty, I am a minister..."

"Whose food are you eating? Let me ask you why you don't report it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was like an angry lion at this moment. Mao Xiang looked bitter. Although he wanted to explain, he also knew at this moment...

The angry emperor would not have the patience to listen to him finish his words!

All I can do now is apologize!

"Your Majesty, I admit my guilt!"

"Your Majesty, please punish me!"

Mao Xiang knocked his head on the floor tiles, confessed his crime and accepted his punishment.

"I...I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you now!"

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly drew away Mao Xiang's sword and shouted,

"Where is that little bastard now? Take us to find him!"

Mao Xiang hurriedly stood up and led the way for Zhu Yuanzhang.

The two of them left Kunning Palace in a hurry, one after the other.

"My lady, why don't you follow and take a look?"

Cuizhu came close to Ma Xiuying and couldn't help but say,
"Your Majesty has a knife!"

"In case of impulse..."

Why is the Queen so calm today? Doesn't she love His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu the most?

Ma Xiuying shook her head when she heard this.

"It's okay."

She smiled calmly and said,
"Little Orange will be fine. You heard it too. His Majesty just called him a little bastard."

"This shows that he is not angry to the point of violent rage."

"Otherwise, he should have called him 'this little beast' or 'this evil creature'."

"So, it shouldn't be a big problem... At most the brat will get beaten up by him, and as for the knife... it's just to scare people."

Cui Zhu: “???” Has the Queen’s control over His Majesty become so meticulous?
No wonder he can control His Majesty!

……

Forbidden City, by the lake in the back garden.

Blah, blah!
Zhu Ju threw a ball of meat filling into the lake, then cast away the fishing rod and fished leisurely.

Da da!

Suddenly, the jade pendant on the chest began to vibrate.

"Ok?"

"Is Dad around?"

Zhu Ju had just grasped the fishing rod when he felt the strangeness of the jade pendant and immediately raised his head.

Not far away, Zhu Yuanzhang was already galloping towards him with a knife in his hand. When he saw Zhu Ju sitting on a small stool fishing, the veins on his neck suddenly bulged!
"You little beast!"

Old Zhu was furious.

"I gave you the imperial power and made you regent. Did I do that to let you go fishing here?"

"Have I ever told you that you should never let go of power at any time? Once you give it to someone else, it will be hard to take it back! If you encounter a treacherous official, you will even be sidelined and become a puppet!"

"You ignored everything I said to you, didn't you?"

"We'll chop you up!!!"

He wasn't that angry at first, but then he saw Zhu Ju was fishing here!
what is this?
This guy is a complete tyrant!

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger could not be suppressed at that time, and it started to rise!

If he was originally just angry and wanted to teach this brat a lesson, now he is in a state of rage!
He can't control what he will do!
boom!
"Father, stop!"

Mu Ying, who was walking out of the pavilion, was holding some bait in his hand. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang was about to chop Zhu Ju, he was immediately shocked! He threw the bait in his hand into the lake and rushed over to save Zhu Ju!
Swish!
Zhu Ju seemed to have predicted it and dodged the blade by moving sideways.

boom!
It’s a pity that the little stool was split into two halves by Lao Zhu’s knife!
Mu Ying: “!!!”

He opened his eyes wide, his face full of disbelief.

It was the first time he saw his adoptive father being so brutal! He actually used a knife to chop Zhu Ju!
He’s my own son!
For a moment, Mu Ying was so shocked that he stood there like a fool.

"Dad, your sword skills are not so good anymore."

Zhu Ju touched his neck and said provocatively,
"Come on, cut here, aim and cut."

"Wait until you kill me, then go to my grave and regret it, hug the grass on the grave and cry. Remember to burn more paper for me, so that I can have a better life in the afterlife."

He had long been accustomed to Lao Zhu's behavior... Lao Zhu certainly didn't really want to kill him, he just wanted to vent his anger.

Therefore, the incoming attacks were all horizontal and vertical, and they could be easily avoided.

As for how to deal with his furious father, Zhu Ju already had a mature methodology, and he knew what to say to be effective.

Sure enough, after hearing these words, Zhu Yuanzhang showed a hint of sneer.

"Haha, regret?"

"Why would I regret it? It's all the bastard things you did! I won't regret killing you at all! Even if you die, I won't shed a single tear for you!"

"You still regret it? What I regret is that your mother and I gave birth to a spendthrift like you! Fortunately, you are not the eldest son. If you were the eldest son, you would have squandered all the family business we worked so hard to build in a few days!"

Zhu Ju shrugged.

"Lose all? Why do you say that?"

He raised his head and said,

"What have I done? Why do I feel that under my leadership, the Ming Dynasty is thriving and has a bright future?"

"The temporary cabinet system is simply a genius invention! I am truly a genius!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he didn't get angry but laughed instead.

"what?"

"A genius? You?"

"What are you dreaming about? You are such a fool!"

Zhu Ju shrugged.

“The person who does not try to understand new things but simply rejects them rudely is the real fool.”

He said,

"Or maybe he's just an old-fashioned person."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Zhu Ju, and seeing that he was calm and confident, he suddenly threw away the knife.

"You're scolding us openly or secretly, right?"

"Okay, since you are so confident, I will give you a chance to talk!"

"Let me be frank with you. If you are not satisfied with what I have heard, I will not spare you any mercy!"

Mu Ying; “…”

As he watched the situation develop, he suddenly had an illusion:
My godfather is like a high-speed spinning top, and seems to be quite dangerous.

But Zhu Ju was the one spinning the top, and the spinning top was no threat to him at all. If he wanted it to slow down, the spinning top would slow down.

Although this analogy might offend his adoptive father, he just felt that way...

"it is good."

Zhu Ju waved towards Mao Xiang and said,

"Get three more stools and two more fishing rods."

"Let's talk while we fish, okay?"

Mao Xiang left immediately.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes also fell on Mu Ying, and he said with a rather unfriendly look:
"It's fine if this little bastard just makes trouble, but why are you playing along with him?"

"Shouldn't you stop him?"

Mu Ying: “…”

Faced with his adoptive father's questioning, he wanted to refute, but he didn't know how to refute. The words were stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken or swallowed.

Fortunately, Mao Xiang's quick return resolved the embarrassment.

"General Mu, this is yours."

"Your Majesty, the fishing rod."

Two fishing rods were handed over. Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, swung the fishing rods violently, placed them on the shore, and then sat down on the stool.

"Brother Mu Ying, you sit down too."

Zhu Ju said,
"Don't be nervous. Dad and I often have fights. You can think of it as a performance."

"Just pretend we are acting for you."

Mu Ying: “…”

acting?

Is there anyone who acts like this?

That was really eye-opening!
"Who's acting with you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly,

"Don't talk to me about anything else! Let's get to the point!"

Zhu Ju moved the pole slightly, and seeing the ripples on the lake, he said:
"Dad, let me ask you a question first—"

"How many people in the world do you think are as energetic as you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Don't worry about it, answer me first."

"Probably... not much. My physique is top-notch among generals. Even Xu Da is not as good as me."

Zhu Ju nodded slightly.

"That is to say, someone with a strong physique like you would be among the best even among the generals."

He said,

"Then the second question is - do you feel tired of handling government affairs every day according to the previous model?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"Of course I am tired! But being tired is definitely not an excuse to be lazy! Let me tell you, as a ruler..."

"Okay, okay, stop, stop, stop talking so much, just listen to me first."

Zhu Ju quickly stopped Zhu Yuanzhang's preaching.

"There are very few people with your physical fitness in the world. Even for you, handling a huge amount of government affairs every day makes you feel exhausted and even overdrawn."

He said,

"Then, let me assume that now that you have passed away..."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

"You little bastard, are you cursing me?!"

Can the word "pass away" be said casually? !

"Hypothesis, hypothetical! Don't get excited. I'm just making a random assumption. It won't affect your life span."

Zhu Ju waved his hand and said with a smile,
"To put it another way, now it's my eldest brother who has ascended the throne and become the emperor!"

"So, given the current strength of governance, and Big Brother's physical condition, if you use your method, what do you think will happen?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.

"What will happen? Will the Ming Dynasty prosper?"

He was still satisfied with Zhu Biao's abilities.

Even if he really died now, he would have nothing to worry about. The Ming Dynasty could still develop in Zhu Biao's hands.

"Well, that's possible."

Zhu Ju nodded seriously, and then said,
"But, my eldest brother will probably pass away in less than two years."

Zhu Yuanzhang: “?!”

"What do you mean?"

Old Zhu frowned.

"Literally."

Zhu Ju said in a deep voice,
"You should know about my brother's health, right? It's more than ten times worse than yours. He's even worse than an ordinary person."

"If someone like him stayed up all night every day like you to handle government affairs, working all night long, how long do you think he could live?"

"Two years? That's too much! Don't forget, he also had a heart attack. The risk of a recurrence of this disease is very high! As long as he is overworked and overdrawn, it is very likely to be triggered! And every time it recurs, the chances of survival are even lower."

"Generally, patients with a heart attack do not survive until the third attack."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy.

"Are you trying to say that your elder brother is not fit to be the crown prince, and is not fit to inherit the Ming dynasty?"

Old Zhu said coldly,
"Do you think you are more suitable?"

He originally did not believe the rumors that the King of Wu wanted to take the throne and establish a new Ming Dynasty.

But now after hearing what Zhu Ju said... he was a little skeptical.

This kid couldn't have any real ambitions!

"Of course not! What kind of chicken feathers do I deserve?"

Zhu Ju held his forehead and said helplessly,

"Dad, can you please stop focusing on weird things like this?"

"What we are discussing now is a serious issue concerning the orderly succession of the country! What I mean is... if Big Brother governs according to your system, he will definitely not be able to withstand the intensity. If he forces it, he will definitely die quickly!"

"And by that time, even if my eldest nephew had a child, he would definitely be just a child. The emergence of a child emperor would cause great turmoil in the regime. Do you know this better than me?"

"A child is definitely not capable of governing the country. Even a genius needs a process of growth, so the imperial power will definitely be controlled by someone, either a royal relative, a powerful official, or even a eunuch!"

"Then you see, after my deduction, your method will actually create huge risks for the second and third generations of our Zhu family's imperial power! It is very likely to cause the power to fall into someone else's hands, and the emperor will become a puppet at the mercy of others!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face changed.

"You are exaggerating a bit..."

He murmured,

"Is it alarmist or not? Dad, you should make your own judgment."

Zhu Ju looked calm and said,

"I think the situation I'm talking about is very likely to happen."

"Besides, Dad, you know it in your heart."

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.

Yes.

Given Zhu Biao's current physical condition, if he continued to govern with high intensity, he would inevitably die young.

Think about it, his eldest grandson has not yet been found. Even if he has one in the future, he will definitely still be a child...

Thinking about the history of young emperors being controlled in turn by empress dowagers, powerful ministers and even eunuchs, he felt a bit of a headache.

Could it be that... I really should change the crown prince?

That’s right, Lao Zhu is just that stubborn.

The first thing he thought of was not that there was something wrong with his method, but that his prince was not competent.

"Let's take a step back and say that even if Big Brother's physical fitness is good enough."

Zhu Ju seemed to see what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking, and said,

"Just assume that his body is as strong as yours! Then, he will work day and night and live to be sixty or seventy years old."

"What about the emperors after him? Can you ensure that your grandson will be just as strong? What about your grandson's grandson?"

"As long as one of them is not strong enough, this trick won't work. In addition, I must remind you, even if everyone is physically OK, as long as there is someone as lazy as me, this trick won't work."

"So, do you think this strategy of governing the country by doing it yourself and being a model worker can still work?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Mu Ying, who was standing by, couldn't help but nod repeatedly as he listened to Zhu Ju's words.

Although I had already heard Zhu Ju’s general introduction yesterday, I still gained a lot from listening to the details now!

"Let me tell you the conclusion. It's definitely not going to work!"

Zhu Ju said seriously,
"I know you are an idealist, but ideals are beautiful and reality is cruel."

"Your descendants are most likely not healthy and hardworking enough. Don't think that the descendants of the Zhu family are so great. Except for you, aren't all of them poor farmers? What's so great about them? Why do you think that all your descendants are elites?"

"Especially under the system of primogeniture, mediocrity is a high probability."

"You must have this plan, you must accept this conclusion, and you must design a system around this conclusion. Otherwise, even if you design a good system, I dare say it will be useless."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent again.

He could hardly bear the truth spoken so loudly!

"...Okay, let's admit that you have a point."

Finally, Lao Zhu sighed and said,
"There are indeed not many people like me, otherwise, I would not be able to become the founding emperor."

"We cannot expect all of our descendants to have the ability of a founding emperor. It would be good if we could occasionally have a few wise rulers, like the Han Dynasty, which would be good enough."

"After Liu Bang, there was the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, followed by Emperor Wu of Han. Although there was a period of chaos due to the witchcraft incident, Emperor Xuan of Han soon emerged as the ruler who revived the Han dynasty."

"We in the Ming Dynasty...don't know if we don't have such a blessing and destiny."

Zhu Ju laughed.

It's okay. Although the Ming Dynasty didn't have Emperor Xuan of Han, it had the Emperor Jiaomen, Ming Baozong Zhuqizhen, who single-handedly broke the Ming Dynasty's flying wings. In the midst of chatting and laughing, hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out, but they were only his own.

Oh, by the way, your eldest grandson Zhu Yunwen is also a talented person. He had hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, but he was able to be defeated by the fourth brother.

There are also the hunting emperor, the monk emperor, the bad emperor, the carpenter emperor...

If this were to be said out loud, it would probably make Old Zhu mad to death.

However, at this moment, as long as I am here, the fourth brother's lineage can just take a rest!
Zhu Ju will not allow Zhu Yunwen, who loves to kill his uncle, to take power, nor will he give the fourth brother a chance to turn the tables.

"What are you laughing at? Why are you laughing so happily?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, somewhat displeased.

He felt that the smile on Zhu Ju's face was somewhat mocking!
"Ahem, ahem, nothing... You are right to think so! We need to design a stable system! It will allow those monarchs with mediocre qualifications in the future to be good monarchs who maintain the status quo."

Zhu Ju coughed twice and said seriously,
"This system will not restrict the development of wise monarchs, but it can provide a safety net for ordinary monarchs!"

“This is good system design!”

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard.

Zhu Ju's assumptions and deductions helped the anger in his heart dissipate.

At this moment, he was already thinking seriously about Zhu Ju's words.

Old Zhu agreed with Zhu Ju's words - a good Zhu Di would not restrict wise rulers but would provide a safety net for mediocre rulers to ensure the smooth operation of imperial power!

Designing such a system is indeed a topic worthy of further study!

"…You mean, your so-called cabinet is a good design?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

Zhu Ju shook his head.

"I don't know, but it's the best solution I can think of."

He said,

"The original power of the prime minister was too great, and could even compete with the power of the monarch. I think this is why you, father, have always been unwilling to establish a left prime minister in the Secretariat."

"You even want to abolish the prime minister system, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed slightly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

“We haven’t thought about this!”

Having said that, his expression clearly betrayed him.

Mu Ying also looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a somewhat shocked expression.

My foster father... actually wants to abolish the prime minister system! This is a system that has been passed down for thousands of years!

"In fact, I also think that the prime minister has too much power, so the capable monarchs in history would frequently change the prime minister to improve their control."

Zhu Ju said,
"But the emperor has limited energy and cannot control all power, because while having power, he also has obligations. Managing government affairs is an unavoidable issue."

"So, we have to share power with others and let them help with the work! But we also have to be careful that these people who are doing the work may overthrow the master!"

"So I set up a temporary cabinet and set the number of cabinet members at seven. The power that was originally controlled by the prime minister alone is now controlled by seven people. In this way, isn't the risk much smaller?"

"Although the chief minister has the greatest power, he cannot ignore the opinions of the second and third ministers. In addition, there is the emperor above him, which can frame him. Generally speaking, this is the case."

Zhang Juzheng doesn't count, he himself said that he was not an assistant, but a regent! Zhu Ju added in his mind.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized.

"So this is how your cabinet is designed..."

He murmured,

"I thought you..."

Zhu Ju rolled his eyes.

"You think I just want to be lazy and just hand over the work to someone else, right?"

He said angrily,

"Don't underestimate me, okay? I'm mature now and I won't act silly anymore!"

"But you, are still like a little kid, getting angry without knowing right or wrong!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

(End of this chapter)