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

Chapter 13 It really comes true

After Zhu Biao finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang's face had become very ugly.

"Biao'er, do you know that your grandparents passed away because of the persecution of corrupt officials?
At that time, father was still young, not as old as you and Xiongying, but what kind of life did we live?
You went to herd cattle for the landlord, and when you returned home you found your grandparents had hanged themselves!

From then on, I swore that if I have the ability in the future, I will make sure there are no corrupt officials in this world!

Since becoming emperor, I have worked hard to govern the country and enacted strict laws to make those corrupt officials understand.

In the Ming Dynasty, if anyone dares to take away money that does not belong to them, we must punish them severely!
But you, today, are actually going to increase the salaries of those who might be corrupt officials. Is this appropriate? "

I thought my father would be able to reason with him, but I didn't expect him to just bring up his grandparents whom he had never met.

Zhu Biao felt sweat on his forehead. Things had come to this point, so how should he respond?

Half a day later, when Zhu Yuanzhang's anger had subsided a little, he dared to speak.

"Father, I know you have worked hard, but the Ming Dynasty cannot rely solely on strict laws to govern the world.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, thousands of corrupt officials have been beheaded every year, under normal circumstances.

With these lessons learned from the past, they should be more restrained.

But father, you have seen how things have developed. Killing people alone cannot prevent the emergence of corrupt officials.

Not only that, the salaries we pay to low-level officials are so low that I feel really ashamed of them!

If an honest official cannot support his family due to low salary and is forced to take the path of corruption, isn’t it our fault? "

Zhu Yuanzhang thought he could get Zhu Biao back on the right track.

Unexpectedly, the other party still maintained his own opinions and ideas.

This immediately made him feel very dissatisfied.

"Biao'er! When the country was first established, the salaries of all officials were decided by us, your mother, and many other ministers!

Most of them have been oppressed by corrupt officials and finally took the path of resistance. Is there anything wrong with what we are doing now?

Go and take a look at the people of the world to see whether they approve of what we are doing.

As an emperor, I will severely punish corrupt officials in accordance with the will of the people. As for the issue of salaries, I will ensure that their salaries are only enough to support their families.

Otherwise, once they have too much salary, they will become lustful and prone to do bad things.

Since they are working for us, they must think clearly about what they should and should not do."

Seeing how stubborn his father was, Zhu Biao felt like he was about to suffocate.

"Father! You."

Behind the table, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Zhu Biao still wanted to persuade him, and then frowned and spoke in an unhappy tone.

"Alright! You are only the regent prince, not the emperor yet. Since your idea has been rejected by me, don't mention it again.

If there is anything, let’s talk about it when you become the emperor in the future.”

These words completely broke down Zhu Biao's psychological defenses.

He wanted to talk nicely to the other person, but the last sentence made him break down.

What does it mean to wait until he becomes emperor in the future?

This is a blatant disregard for him as the Crown Prince Regent.

"My son! I'll take my leave!"

The more Zhu Biao thought about it, the more disappointed he became with Zhu Yuanzhang.

He also knew that he was powerless to argue with the other party, so after paying his respects, he left.

Zhu Yuanzhang was still unhappy when he saw Zhu Biao's back. "Humph! This kid has been living a good life for too long. He doesn't know the harm of corrupt officials. He is joking to increase the salaries of corrupt officials!"

“But then again, Biaoer is indeed much more thoughtful. I never thought of the ancestral precepts regarding the support of the prince before.

What if there are too many descendants in the future and the Ming treasury can no longer bear the burden? What should we do then?"

Zhu Yuanzhang soon stopped taking Zhu Biao's behavior to heart and began to think about the issue of supporting his clan relatives.

After he became emperor, he vowed not to let his descendants suffer.

The experience of starvation was deeply imprinted in his mind, and he knew that this feeling was worse than death.

Because as the founding emperor, he believed he was qualified to have his descendants live under his blessing.

In any case, at least we won't starve or suffer from the cold.

Now Zhu Biao proposed that the population of future generations would increase and the national treasury would not be able to support it. What should we do then? Zhu Yuanzhang then thought of it.

When I formulated this rule, I only considered the last few decades and did not consider the next hundred years.

"Really? Biaoer mentioned this problem but didn't come up with a solution for us. It's really troublesome.

Forget it, I'll go back tonight and talk to my sister about it, and by the way, tell her about Biao'er's problem."

After getting rid of the unhappiness in his head, Zhu Yuanzhang started his work today.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Zhu Biao originally wanted to return to his own Eastern Palace to deal with memorials, but after thinking about it, he felt very upset.

Now he was sure that Yang Chen came from the future.

Because the other party said last night that if he mentioned these two things to Zhu Yuanzhang today, there would definitely be a big quarrel.

As a result, the other party really guessed it right, based on what his father had just said.

"He is not the emperor yet. If you have any opinions, wait until he becomes the emperor."

Zhu Biao felt very sad that such cold and unfamiliar words came from his father's mouth.

You know, he had always regarded Zhu Yuanzhang as his goal to surpass, but the other party's actions today hurt him deeply.

"I have to go find my mother. These two things are the foundation of the country. There must be no problems. Otherwise, it will inevitably be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty."

Thinking of this, Zhu Biao changed his route. He was originally going to the Eastern Palace, but turned around and headed towards the harem.

He also met Zhu Di on the way.

"Old Fourth, why are you not in your own palace, but visiting the Queen Mother?"

Zhu Di, wearing a dragon robe and with a tall and strong figure, walked towards his royal brother.

"Brother, Yang Chen's background is too mysterious. I am worried about him staying in the harem. I will go to see mother and be on guard against him.

By the way, big brother, I met big brother Mu on the way here, and heard him say that at the morning court today, big brother, you seemed to have made the emperor unhappy, what happened?"

Mu Ying was the adopted son of Empress Ma before she became pregnant with Zhu Biao.

When Zhu Biao was born, Mu Ying also accompanied him as his elder brother.

On the surface, he was a founding father of the country, but in private, all the princes of the Ming Dynasty, including Zhu Biao, called Mu Ying "big brother".

Hearing that what happened this morning had already spread, and thinking of his father's reaction just now, Zhu Biao could only sigh.

Then explain to Zhu Di everything that had just happened.

After knowing the truth, I thought about Yang Chen’s guess last night.

Zhu Di's face was suddenly filled with horror:
"So! Did what that guy said really come true? Father really had a big fight with you, big brother!"

(End of this chapter)