Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 119 He is so brave
For a moment, everyone had their own little thoughts in their hearts.

The one who didn't understand why Zhu Yuanzhang was different from before was Hu Weiyong himself.

He thought he knew Zhu Yuanzhang very well since he was just a general. Even if he didn't say anything, he could guess what he was saying and get the general idea.

But who could have thought that I would fall flat on my face today.

Not to mention appreciation, I almost made a fool of myself when I stood up just now.

All that was missing was for Zhu Yuanzhang to make his words more clearly.

Fortunately, he was an old hand who had been in the court for many years. Even if he was rejected, he would not immediately show his weakness. Instead, he bowed and said:
"I understand."

Then he re-entered the ranks of civil officials.

"Old Four! Where is Yang Chen? Where did he go?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked his son with a completely dark face at this moment.

Facing his father's slightly oppressive questioning, Zhu Di could only respond with a wry smile:
"I really took him downstairs just now, and Brother Mu also came with us. But in the end, Brother Mu personally sent him to the ranks of civil officials. I don't know what happened next.

But I can guarantee that he has really arrived, but I don’t know why he didn’t show up at this critical moment! "

Seeing his brother explaining non-stop, Zhu Biao also understood that the other party must have done as he ordered, but why Yang Chen did not show up was an intriguing thing.

"Brother, this guy has been drowsy since he left the house. He seems to be completely unconcerned about the court affairs. Could he sneak away when no one is paying attention?"

Suddenly, Zhu Di gave such an absurd reason.

Hearing this, Zhu Biao's forehead was suddenly covered with a ball of black lines. Although this sounded absurd, if it happened to Yang Chen, it might really happen.

He was an indispensable part of this plan. Without his participation, the plan would not be able to be implemented at all.

Thinking of this, Zhu Biao couldn't help but feel nervous.

"It shouldn't be possible. The court has begun in the square and all the doors around have been closed. No one is allowed to leave without the emperor's order."

Although he knew that this was what Yang Chen would do, Zhu Biao shook his head repeatedly to reject it.

As the person involved, Yang Chen was chatting with the old official who had just spoken to him.

"What do you think? I told you that Hu Weiyong was a clown and you still didn't believe me. Are you convinced now?"

Although the old man's face was full of dissatisfaction, the fact proved that what Yang Chen said was really correct, so he could only flatter and admit defeat.

"It is true that the younger generation pushes the older generation forward, and the younger generation is better than the older generation. Although you are still young, you have a very far-sighted vision. I admire you very much!"

The old man in green official uniform stroked his long beard, and there was no falseness in his tone or expression. It was obvious at first glance that he truly admired him.

Looking the man in front of him up and down, Yang Chen began to feel a liking for him.

This kind of good feeling is the feeling towards good people.

You know, judging from his tone and the way he spoke just now, almost no officials in the Ming Dynasty could tolerate him.

But the old man in front of him was very magnanimous and could still advise him from behind.

It is rare to find people with such magnanimity in high-ranking positions.

"Thank you for being polite, Senior. I was just stating some facts. Maybe it was luck or I was lucky. But I was rude to you just now. I hope you can forgive me and don't mind my mistake."

Yang Chen bowed modestly as a token of his apology.

Unexpectedly, the old man's face was filled with horror.

“Hiss! I didn’t expect that you are not a reckless person. Instead, you take good care of me. I also misunderstood you before. We are even now, hahaha!”

Originally, Yang Chen wanted to continue chatting with this interesting old guy in front of him, but when he saw Lao Zhu on the stage, his face turned as black as the bottom of a casserole.

The atmosphere around him has fallen into a very strange cycle. If he doesn't stand up, he will probably lose face today.

For this, Yang Chen bowed and introduced himself to the old man.

"My name is Yang Chen, the new Censor of the Capital."

After understanding Yang Chen's meaning, the old man bowed subconsciously.

"My name is Luo Xing, and I am the co-prefect of Jiangxi Provincial Administration Office."

"Oh! I didn't expect you to be a fifth-rank official. I almost didn't realize you had a white pheasant on your chest."

Yang Chen was a little surprised when he found out that he was the prefect and the co-magistrate. He didn't expect that the person standing next to him was a high-ranking official of the fifth rank.

It should be okay to say he is a senior official.

The province in the future is now called the Provincial Administration Commission. The highest commander is the governor, followed by the prefect, and the associate prefect's assistant is there to assist the prefect. When the prefect is not around, the associate prefect's words are the prefect's words.

"What was your name just now?" Yang Chen suddenly remembered the introduction of the person in front of him, so he continued to ask with confusion.

"Me? Luo Xing."

After confirming the name, Yang Chen nodded slightly and looked at him with interest.

Luo Xing is not a high-ranking official, but his son will be a rare talent in the future.

To be precise, it was his stepson. During the Yongle period, there were three ministers known as the Three Yangs.

The three of them experienced many dynasties since the Hongwu period, especially during the reign of Yongle, when they were all important members of the cabinet.

Luo Xing's stepson was the leader among the Three Yangs, the famous cabinet minister Yang Shiqi!
He was an important founder of the Ming Dynasty cabinet and was highly valued by Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji.

Yang Shiqi's biological father died of illness during the turbulent late Yuan Dynasty. His mother remarried to Luo Xing and took him away. Luo Xing saw that the child was talented, so he sent him to school and even gave him his biological father's surname back.

No wonder Yang Chen wondered how this guy could be so generous to himself, a seventh-rank official. It turned out that he was a good person.

He can still be considered a good person. In Yang Chen's opinion, it is impossible for an honest person to hold such a high position as the prefect or the co-magistrate in the court.

"What happened, Brother Yang?"

Luo Xing looked Yang Chen up and down and found that the other party seemed to know him, so he was about to ask more questions, but Zhu Yuanzhang on the stage spoke at this moment.

"Is it possible! The Ming Dynasty has spent so much money and supported so many people, but you still can't even come up with a solution for us!
Are we all here to feed you?"

As his powerful voice rang out, no one dared to look into Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, which were ready to kill people at any time.

Luo Xing also stopped communicating with Yang Chen and quickly maintained his demeanor to avoid being caught by Lao Zhu. Among all the people below, only Yang Chen stood up with a smile.

"Your Majesty! I have something to say!"

In an instant, his words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge wave.

Countless pairs of eyes fell on him. These guys first looked at Yang Chen's official uniform and quickly identified his official position.

Those who were familiar with the group all looked calm, while those who were not familiar with the group asked around.

"Who is this guy? Why haven't I seen him in the capital?"

"I don't know. He looks very young. This seventh-grade official uniform seems to be very new. It should have been made not long ago."

"You don't know him? Those in the capital should know something about him, right?"

"how do I say this?"

"I heard that the fierce young lady from the Mu family has already spread the news that she has been engaged to someone. When my boy heard about this, he immediately bribed a subordinate of the Mu family and found out that the young lady of the Mu family has been betrothed to a young man.

Judging from his appearance, it should be the young man in front of me."

These ministers were not speaking for Yang Chen, each of them was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

You are a seventh-rank official. No matter how young or capable you are, can you say something more opinionated than the prime minister?
Besides, anyone with a discerning eye knows that Zhu Yuanzhang was just telling lies and he didn't really let you speak.

If you accidentally say something rude later, how could Emperor Hongwu treat you the same way he treats the prime minister?

"Yang Chen! What are you doing! Come down quickly! Come down!"

We were chatting happily, why did the other party suddenly act stupid and want to be the center of attention?

Luo Xingben thought that the two of them had a good chat just now, so he wanted to persuade them.

However, Yang Chen had already walked to the middle of the civil and military officials, and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and said:

"Your Majesty said that the vassal kings are a difficult problem. I have a solution, but I wonder if I can tell you."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was dissatisfied with Yang Chen's behavior of standing up immediately just now, he would not show it now. A capable person must understand the overall situation, otherwise how can he accomplish great things?
The play has not officially ended yet, and it must continue.

Old Zhu looked at everyone with disdain, and finally his eyes fell on Yang Chen:
"Look, look, look! Who are you all? I asked you to be well prepared in advance, but none of you dared to say a word until today. I am really disappointed!
Now that someone has come forward, it is up to you to tell us how to best resolve the prince's issue."

Yang Chen smiled slightly. How could he not know that Lao Zhu was very angry now?

But fortunately, I didn't just wake up in front of Lao Zhu, otherwise it would have embarrassed him and Lao Zhu would definitely be angry.

As everyone was looking forward to it, Yang Chen said calmly:
“Your Majesty, the affairs of the vassal kings can be big or small. Big ones can affect the fate of the dynasty, and small ones can affect the lives of ordinary people. However, how to deal with the vassal kings has been a difficult problem since ancient times. This is not the fault of your Majesty, nor the fault of the vassal kings, but a difficult and complicated problem left over from history.

Looking back at history, we find that there are too many reasons why the princes encountered disasters. I can summarize them in a few words.

Full of lust!
Facts have proved that people cannot eat too much, especially when they are full and have nothing to do.

For example, the King of Qin, as the first vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, was based in Xi'an, which was only a stone's throw away from the border.

Once a foreign race invaded, he would be able to respond immediately, leading the local commander and other generals to attack together to show the power of the Ming Dynasty.

But I believe that everyone here has heard of the crimes committed by the King of Qin today.

He acted tyrannically in his own fiefdom, bullied men and women, and committed all kinds of evil, which angered the people and caused them to complain.

Isn't this contrary to your majesty's original idea?
Your Majesty is wise and powerful. As the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he ordered countless powerful generals under his command to recover the territories lost in the Central Plains for a hundred years. As his sons, do you know why these vassal kings have become what they are today?

To solve a problem, you must find out the conditions under which the problem occurs.

When I heard Your Majesty mention the troubles caused by the vassal kings, I thought of Your Majesty's experience.

When considering the experiences of the princes, the problem quickly became apparent.

All the princes of the Ming Dynasty have been enjoying a life of luxury since the time when Your Majesty served as the Grand Marshal. They have everything they want and can come when their servants summon them and leave when they dismiss them.

How many people know the suffering of the people? How many people have eaten the tree roots that the people use to fill their stomachs?
No!

Therefore, they have lived in a comfortable environment for a long time, and inappropriate thoughts have gradually grown in their hearts. In addition, the court gives them a lot of annual salary every year, and they will not give them money even if they do not dare to do anything. Not to mention the prince, even I can't resist the laziness gradually taking over my body.

This is human nature, but since ancient times, those who can overcome and tame human nature are all great people without exception.

As a nominally capable person, how can a prince fulfill his responsibilities if he cannot overcome human nature?

Throughout history, many kings who lost their country did so because of their laziness and desire.

King You of Zhou who played tricks on the princes with beacons was one example, and King Fuchai of Wu who was obsessed with the beauty Xi Shi was another. There are countless similar examples.

In order to prevent the princes from becoming lazy, I suggest that the only way is to move the fiefs of the princes to outside the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and let the princes go out to fight for the Ming Dynasty on the battlefield. The princes will be granted fiefs outside the territory and fight for their own territories, thus establishing a territory that belongs to them.

Let the princes always keep moving forward in the midst of war and blood, and let them know that the real barrier of the Ming Dynasty is the sharp blades in their hands.

Any foreign enemy who dares to attack the Ming Dynasty will be hunted down by the princes and killed until they are terrified and disappear from this world!"

Yang Chen's voice was strong and powerful, echoing throughout the square.

Everyone looked at him in disbelief, wondering how this seventh-rank official, the Censor, dared to stand up?
What’s more important is that this guy actually gave a reason for his argument, which seemed to make sense at first glance.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was originally angry that Yang Chen did not stand up immediately, was now also inspired by the dramatic speech.

All the bad emotions disappeared, replaced by satisfaction.

The appreciation of history is irresistible evidence to anyone present.

He had already prepared himself for Yang Chen to talk nonsense, but he did not expect that Yang Chen could actually pay attention to the overall situation and speak so clearly, which was truly admirable.

"Damn it! Where did that thing jump out from?!"

During the discussion, a general in the front row stood up and scolded Yang Chen.

This man looked middle-aged, with traces of weather-beaten years on his face. He was Tang Shengzong, Marquis of Yan'an.

He was also one of the founding generals of the Ming Dynasty. He defected to Zhu Yuanzhang at the age of 18 and was later rewarded.

Some time ago, Zhu Yuanzhang committed a crime and stripped him of his title for riding the imperial post without permission. Later, his status was gradually restored after the efforts of Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong.

(End of this chapter)