The stupid son of Chongba

Chapter 98 Old Zhu was furious and suddenly felt murderous!
Pfft!
Mao Xiang immediately knelt on the ground and said hurriedly:
"Your Majesty, calm down!"

"I will arrest the person who spread the rumors and bring him to justice!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes narrowed!
"Who told you to arrest the rumormonger?"

He ordered,

"Damn those who oppress the common people!"

"If the people had not been oppressed and could not survive, how could such rumors have spread? As the emperor, I do have an unshirkable responsibility!"

"In this situation, if we still ignore the main issue and arrest those who spread rumors, we will incite civil unrest!"

Mao Xiang knelt on the ground, lowered his head and dared not answer.

"Father, calm down."

Zhu Biao also stood up and walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, helping him calm down while saying,

"You are right. The source of this folk song does not lie with the common people, but with the villains who oppress the people, bastards like Lu Zhongheng and Zhu Liangzu. They enjoy the emperor's rewards and power, and bully the people and exploit them!"

"The people have nowhere to vent their anger, so they can only ridicule you, Father. After all, it was you who gave those villains their power! Therefore, the most urgent task right now is to investigate the case thoroughly, bring the villains to justice, and give the people a clear and bright future!"

"The human heart is like a mirror. After seeing what you, Father, have done, those folk songs and nursery rhymes will lose their roots and naturally disappear. Even if they exist, they will definitely be praises for you."

After hearing these words, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased a little.

Mao Xiang looked at Zhu Biao and also showed an expression of admiration.

As expected of the prince, he hit the nail on the head and grasped the most fundamental thing!
"You are right. The most important thing now is to get to the bottom of the case."

Zhu Yuanzhang supported the table with both hands, looked at Mao Xiang with a cold gaze, and said in a cold voice,

"Mao Xiang, you did a great job this time. You showed us your ability!"

"Investigate it thoroughly and get to the bottom of it, and hand over the evidence of the injustice to us!"

When Mao Xiang heard this, his expression suddenly became serious.

"According to the order!"

He suddenly folded his hands and said,

"I will not disappoint your Majesty and the Crown Prince, and I will investigate the case in the shortest possible time!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

"Wei Chen resigns!"

Mao Xiang stood up, bowed and left.

In the Huagai Palace, only the father and his son were left.

"Dad... calm down."

Zhu Biao patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the back and sighed,
"These nobles are so troublesome. The world is not at peace yet, but they start to abuse their power."

"Liao Yongzhong and Zhu Liangzu are still following Xu Da in the Northern Expedition. How dare their followers and relatives act so tyrannically? What will happen if they are given titles when they return?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed.

"And give them a title? It would be better if they died on the battlefield, then we would consider giving them a decent title!"

Old Zhu shouted angrily,
"If they come back alive, I will peel off their skins myself and hang them on the city wall of Fengyang for ten days and ten nights!"

"Bastard thing!"

Zhu Biao shook his head and sighed.

He knew that given his father's character, once the truth was revealed, these three people would be dead.

As for how to die, it all depends on the mood of the father. There are many options, such as skinning and strawing, beheading and hanging, slow slicing...

Now that I think about it, it would have been better for them to die on the battlefield. If they sacrificed their lives for their country, their descendants would at least have a good ending.

However, judging by the military reports he had read recently, the possibility of these two guys dying was extremely low. They were probably already grinning and dreaming of coming back to be granted titles and appointed prime ministers, enjoying wealth and glory.

"After all, the truth has not been revealed yet. Let's wait and see. Dad, don't let this matter make you sick."

Zhu Biao advised,

"There are still many good things happening right now. Look how hard our Sixth Brother works. His philosophy of mind is now very popular in Yingtian, and will soon sweep across the entire Ming Dynasty!"

"If you go to Yingtian now and sit in a restaurant, you can definitely hear those scholars and scholars discussing the philosophy of mind, and even the peddlers and hawkers will talk about it a little bit."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows.

“Is it so popular?”

Old Zhu looked a little surprised and said,

"How hard did you try?"

Zhu Biao smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't put in much effort. I just sent a copy to each of the senior officials in the court and asked them to taste it. I didn't expect that it would spread so quickly. This is beyond my expectation."

He said,

"Here, I think Master Song and Master Liu played a big role. They have joined together and have been discussing psychology every day recently, gathering a large number of scholars, and then... they have driven it forward."

"Master Song has been telling everyone, both openly and covertly, that the upcoming Imperial Examination in the Ming Dynasty is related to the School of Mind. Won't those scholars go even crazier this way?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered.

"Who said we should study hard to get a job? Song Lian is just making his own decisions and spreading rumors!"

Old Zhu snorted coldly.
"However, how did Liu Bowen get involved? When it comes to being noble, Song Lian can't even compare to him. How could he be willing to advocate for the School of Mind? There's something fishy going on here."

To Zhu Yuanzhang, Liu Bowen was a man of talent, and he was very talented, but because of his talent, he also had a sense of nobleness, which Zhu Yuanzhang, who came from a peasant background, did not like. In contrast, Li Shanchang was much more down-to-earth.

Therefore, he was somewhat surprised when Liu Bowen stood up to support Zhu Ju's philosophy of mind.

"I think there are two reasons. First, Sixth Brother's psychology is indeed a rare and profound knowledge. Otherwise, with Master Liu's knowledge, he would never condescend to get involved."

Zhu Biao said with a smile,
"He came here, maybe Master Liu wanted to please you. After all, he wanted to retire several times, but you didn't approve him, so he was worried."

"If I can make you happy this time, maybe you will approve his request, and he can go back to Qingtian to enjoy a peaceful life, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"This Liu Bowen, this is what he thinks!"

He stroked his beard and smiled.
"Look, why is he so noble? At the critical moment, he is trying to please us secretly. Isn't this just cleverness?"

"Aloof, what a bullshit!"

Zhu Biao also laughed.

It seems that the topic was changed well, and my father was finally happy.

"By the way, you said that the common people also like to talk about this psychology?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised.
"It's fine for students and scholars to chat, but can illiterate people also join in the fun?"

"This is strange. When I was a monk, I couldn't read a single word. If I were to say anything, I would be stupid. It's not as easy as reciting Amitabha Buddha!"

Zhu Biao burst out laughing.

"Dad, you are such a straightforward person."

He laughed for a while, then said,
"I was puzzled at first, but after thinking about it, I finally understood."

"What is the core of Xinxue? It is the original mind. There is nothing outside the mind! Everyone has it! There is no need to seek it from outside!"

"There is no need to discuss Confucianism, nor to pursue the principles of heaven, nor to talk about morality and ethics. As long as you think about it in your heart, you don't need Confucian knowledge at all!"

"Everyone has it, including peddlers and hawkers! As for the call to conscience, it is what the common people call checking one's conscience. No matter whether they understand it correctly or not, just tell them whether we can talk about it or not!"

"The answer is yes! Anyone can tell the story, so even peddlers and hawkers enjoy talking about it."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized.

"So, this knowledge is something that can be appreciated by all ages, both the elite and the common people?"

Old Zhu couldn't help but say,

"This kid accidentally created such a wonderful thing. I'm a little suspicious. When did he finally figure it out?"

“It’s really weird!”

Zhu Biao laughed, patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the back and helped his father sit down.

"No matter how you got the idea, Sixth Brother is truly the most popular this time!"

He said with some pride,
"I just gave him some guidance. Some people have already said that the King of Wu is a sage who has been suppressed by the gods for many years. Now he has made a great success and is like a flying dragon in the sky. In the future, he will definitely be on par with Confucius and Mencius!"

"The birth of a saint in the royal family is a sign that God approves of the Zhu family's rule!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, the gloom in his heart was suddenly cleared away and he smiled.

"This rumor is very well made! It deserves a reward!"

He twirled his beard and said,

"However, you should also be careful not to overdo it and make it seem deliberate. It should be natural so that the people and scholars can worship the King of Wu and respect the royal family."

"Slow and steady is the best way to go. If you make a lot of noise, it seems like you have no foundation."

Zhu Biao nodded.

"Son, save it."

After a moment of joy, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile slowly faded.

"Biao'er, please pass on an imperial decree."

Old Zhu said in a deep voice,
"Promote Yang Xian to the position of Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat, and temporarily take charge of the Secretariat's government affairs."

Zhu Biao was slightly stunned when he heard this.

"Yang Xian? In charge of all government affairs of the Secretariat?"

He was a little surprised and said,

"I remember Yang Xian is only in his thirties. Can he convince the people to lead the Secretariat?"

"Also, the current head of the Secretariat is Li Shanchang, the Prime Minister. Is it a bit… to let Yang Xian replace Li Shanchang, who has made great contributions?

If this imperial edict were to be issued, there would be a major earthquake in the Secretariat!

"Temporarily, we are talking about temporarily, do you understand?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice,

"When Xu Da comes back, we will have to confer titles on our meritorious officials. At that time, Li Shanchang must be given the title of Duke and the position of Prime Minister."

"But now, the people of Huaixi are behaving so perversely, oppressing the people and bullying the locals. Can we allow this arrogance to run rampant? We must kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and knock the mountain to scare the tigers!"

"Yang Xian is Liu Bowen's disciple. He is capable and ambitious. Liu Bowen wants to retire at the right time. Haha, then you can regard Yang Xian as a potential leader of the Zhejiang East Party! Taking advantage of the gap when Xu Da hasn't returned yet, we decided to give him a chance to see if he can be a good stepping stone!"

"Go, go and pass on the order!"

(End of this chapter)