In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 1018 What is Loyalty and Treachery?
The chief eunuch took the documents and evidence, walked slowly to the imperial desk, and respectfully presented them to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it, glanced at it briefly, and set it aside, his tone calm yet imposing:

"only these?"

Those four short words made Du Pingping, who was standing solemnly below, tense up suddenly.

He instantly understood that His Majesty wanted to investigate more than just scattered private banks and black markets.
And then there are those underground banks that are backed by powerful figures in Beijing!
Du Pingping took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety, and said softly:
"Your Majesty, this is the result of my investigation last night."

The Jinyiwei colleagues are continuing their investigation, and more breakthroughs are expected.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will not show any leniency towards those who disrupt the monetary system."

"Ah"

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and nodded slightly:

"Then continue the investigation. The capital region is incredibly prosperous, with countless amounts of silver circulating daily."
"I'm sick and tired of hearing about exchanging silver for paper money and profiting by undercutting prices."

Du Pingping breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again, saying:

"Your Majesty, I have a request to make."
The subsequent raids by the Embroidered Uniform Guard will inevitably involve powerful figures in the capital, and some may resist stubbornly.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is short-handed; we earnestly request Your Majesty to dispatch the city's garrison to assist in the arrest.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him indifferently.
Naturally, he saw through Jinyiwei's intention to bring others along to share the pressure, so that Jinyiwei would not have to bear the pressure from the powerful alone.

He nodded and said, "Approved. Five hundred soldiers from the Left Guard of the Imperial Guard will accompany them. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy. There is no need to be lenient."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject and asked again:

"I've heard there are many rumors circulating in the capital lately? Even criticisms of me?"

Du Pingping's face stiffened slightly, but she dared not lie and said frankly:
"Your Majesty, there are indeed some scattered rumors circulating in the capital, but they are nothing to fear."
The Embroidered Uniform Guard is working with various government departments to quell the situation; things will be stable soon.

Are there any rumors about the Crown Prince?

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold.

Lan Yu also turned her head, her gaze falling on Du Pingping with scrutiny and questioning.

Du Pingping paused for a moment before whispering:
"Your Majesty, Duke of Liang, there are indeed some rumors circulating about the Crown Prince."

Most reports say that the Crown Prince has not appeared in public for a long time, and has not even attended the grand court assembly.

but
These rumors were quickly overshadowed by the matter of the precious paper money and did not cause any significant disturbance.

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, straightened up, picked up his teacup, and drank the tea in one gulp, not caring that there were water droplets on his beard.

"So, I should thank those who spread the rumors?"

"Your Majesty, that is absolutely not what I meant!"

Du Pingping knelt down with a thud, her head bowed low.

Seeing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and he shook his head helplessly:

"Get up. You are temporarily acting as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You kneel and kowtow at the drop of a hat. How can others be afraid of you?"

After Du Pingping got up, Zhu Yuanzhang gave the following instructions:
"The Imperial Guards will continue to keep an eye on things. If they find the source of the rumors, they should arrest everyone involved without hesitation."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Go back."

Du Pingping bowed deeply and slowly withdrew from the hall.

After he left, Lan Yu stepped forward, her tone urgent:

"Your Majesty, Kong Tianzong is from Shandong and has ulterior motives. He must be a traitor!"

Why not arrest him, torture him severely, and find out the truth!

"He's a third-rank official, a vice minister. How can you just arrest him like that?" Zhu Yuanzhang retorted.

"Moreover, where is the evidence?"
He proposed the Single Whip Law, and quite a few officials in the court agreed with this proposal. Should we arrest them all?

"So what if they arrest me!" Lan Yu's tone was firm.
There are few military generals in this world who can fight, but there are countless scholars who can write!
Fewer corrupt officials will not harm the country!

Zhu Yuanzhang rested his hand on his forehead, revealing a hint of weariness, and sighed softly:

"Lan Yu, don't let concern cloud your judgment."

The more critical the moment, the more important it is to remain calm.
Only when they all step forward will we be able to see the full picture of the situation.

"Your Majesty!" Lan Yu stepped forward again, her eyes filled with urgency.

"Kong Tianzong's nephew is on good terms with the newly appointed top scholar Xu Guan, who is in turn a student of He Zicheng! With such connections, how can it be said that there is no collusion?"

"Even if there is a connection, we need evidence." Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"The memorial to abolish the paper money may not have been written by He Zicheng himself."
Someone is using his name to pursue their own selfish interests.

Lan Yu frowned, her tone tinged with frustration:

"Your Majesty, the Three Departments have verified the handwriting, and it is indeed written by him!"
At this point, what's the point of talking about evidence?
In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary!

"The most important things are to arrest the perpetrators, find the real culprit behind the poisoning of the Crown Prince, and obtain the antidote!"

He took a deep breath and said again:
"Your Majesty, why did you let He Zicheng leave the capital in the first place?"
Now that he's dead, the trail has completely died down.

If we continue investigating, who knows how much more effort it will take!

A hint of weariness flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, yet he remained composed:
"Lan Yu, I know you care about the Crown Prince, but whether He Zicheng leaves or not is irrelevant to the overall situation."

Even if he lives, I will imprison him in the capital.

Will that reveal who's behind it all and where the antidote is?

Lan Yu was silent.

Over the past few days, he had already realized that this was not the work of one person or a group.
Rather, it is a large and consensus-driven force operating behind the scenes.
Some cooperated silently, some helped secretly, and some deliberately stirred up trouble.

While few members of the Imperial Party openly oppose them, they are also vying for power behind the scenes.

This scene reminded him of the chaos when Hu Weiyong was in power.

He paused, his tone softening slightly:
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince's health has not improved and he remains sickly."

If an antidote is not found soon, I fear... I fear the Crown Prince will not be able to hold on.

With a thud, all the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall knelt down, fearing the emperor's wrath.

But Zhu Yuanzhang did not get angry; he simply sighed silently.

"The Imperial Medical Academy is doing everything it can to find a solution, there's no need to rush."
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty; Heaven protects him, he will be fine.

Lan Yu said no more, only sighed inwardly.

He knew the Crown Prince's condition better than anyone else; although it hadn't worsened, it showed no signs of improvement either.

After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke:
"Is Chang Mao really dead?"

Lan Yu composed himself and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, Yang Wen and Han Guan have led their troops to quell the rebellion in Longzhou."

The interrogation of the local chieftain revealed that,

They only used Chang Mao's name to start the uprising; they never actually met Chang Mao in person.

It seems Chang Mao is indeed dead.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes darkened, and he nodded, saying:

"Issue an imperial decree ordering Yang Wen and Han Guan to return to the capital in triumph."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"I plan to relocate three thousand wealthy households to Guanzhong. Who do you think would be the most suitable person to handle this matter?"

A glint flashed in Lan Yu's eyes. He knew this was a difficult task, and one that was easily obstructed, so he spoke frankly:

"Your Majesty, for such an important mission, a trustworthy general should be sent to escort it. I believe that Marquis Han Xun of Dongping is capable of this task."

"Han Xun is currently training the Beijing troops with Zhang Quan and cannot spare the time," Zhu Yuanzhang said thoughtfully.
"What about Xu Zengshou? He's over twenty now, it's time for him to experience some trials and tribulations."

Lan Yu suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.

Relocating wealthy households was a significant event that demonstrated the imperial court's attitude.
Why send a junior officer with no combat experience?

"Your Majesty, Xu Zengshou has never experienced war. I believe it would be more prudent to send a more experienced and prudent person."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled:

"It's just escorting three thousand wealthy households, and we're all traveling on the official roads of the Ming Dynasty, so we don't need to use our battle experience."

"That's settled then. Have the Governor's Office draft the necessary documents and send the person away as soon as possible."

Although Lan Yu was puzzled, she still bowed and replied:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Alright, you can go and get back to work. I still have memorials to review."

"My minister retire."

Lan Yu walked slowly out of the Wuying Hall, her steps becoming slower and slower, her expression extremely solemn.

He clearly sensed that His Majesty had become depressed and even less assertive due to the Crown Prince's poisoning. Faced with the actions of the rebels, he even considered downplaying the matter.

"Could it be that His Majesty is truly getting old?"

As he was pondering this, he suddenly saw Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding approaching, so he stopped and bowed, saying:

"Marquis Wuding".

Guo Ying smiled and returned the gift:

"Duke of Liang, have you come out of the palace?"

"Ugh"

Lan Yu sighed, put her hands on her hips, and paced back and forth in front of the palace gate.
"What's wrong with His Majesty lately? He's been so passive about the rebellious faction, neither investigating nor arresting anyone, leaving us in this limbo!"

Guo Ying patted him on the shoulder and comforted him:

"A skilled warrior achieves no great feats; don't rush."
Having followed His Majesty for so many years, when has His Majesty ever suffered a loss? Just wait and see.

Look, quite a few dissidents are already eagerly jumping out.
Even if we don't deal with them now, they won't be able to escape later.

"call"

Lan Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but was still unwilling to give up.

"What I regret most is how Yesudier died so mysteriously!"
If he were alive, even the slightest movement on the border would make the rebels in the court behave themselves!

Guo Ying's face darkened, and she quickly stepped forward to hold him down, lowering her voice:

"Be careful what you say! If this gets out, many people will criticize you."

The situation is different now. The people in the capital are mostly our own; there's no need to use this method to unite the troops. Let's avoid mentioning it again.

"I'm just so angry!" Lan Yu gritted her teeth.
"What a fine prince he was, and now he's turned into this!"
The Crown Prince's residence also sent in Fang Xiaoru, claiming he was a disciple of Song Lian.

In my opinion, he's also a member of the rebel party!

These scholars, not a single one of them is any good!

"Watch your words!" Guo Ying shouted again.

"Fang Xiaoru is indeed quite talented, and he was chosen by the Crown Princess."

As your maternal uncle, you shouldn't interfere too much, lest you annoy people.

Besides, he's teaching Yunwen, not Yunhuo, so why are you in such a hurry?

"no!"

Lan Yu shook his head violently, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
"We can't let Yunhu stay in the Crown Prince's residence any longer! We have to bring him to the palace; it's safer here!"

Guo Ying's body stiffened, and she quickly grabbed him:
"Are you crazy? Either answer both or neither. There's no reason to only answer one."

Doing this will alert even those who were initially uninvolved, and things will only get worse!

"Damn it!" Lan Yu cursed under his breath.
"These people just want to find a docile emperor so they can control him!"
The crown prince was too ambitious and has now fallen ill.

Yunwen also possesses some talent in battle; if we don't protect him, are we just waiting for someone to strike in the shadows?

He clenched his fists, a cold glint in his eyes:

"This is a struggle for the throne; they will stop at nothing to achieve it!"

Guo Ying, with a cold expression, pressed down on his hand:

"Don't worry, the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards are secretly protecting the Crown Prince's residence."

"Let's focus on the immediate task at hand. The Market and Exchange Bureau is busy promoting the paper currency; let's not disrupt the process and cause trouble for our own people."

Lan Yu felt an unbearable unease in her chest, and kicked a pillar in front of the palace gate hard, cursing under her breath:
"gone!"

Watching his hurried departure, Guo Ying shook her head helplessly and muttered to herself:

"Be calm and don't act rashly."

Inside the West Warm Pavilion of the Crown Prince's Residence
Autumn sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices.

The light spilled onto the blue felt floor, casting dappled shadows.

The bookshelves were filled with classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections.
Zhu Yunwen sat upright at his desk, a pen in his hand.
The brush tip hovered over the rice paper, but was not dipped in ink, and his brow was slightly furrowed.

Since the Crown Prince entered the palace and has not returned...
The atmosphere in the mansion was like cotton soaked in water, growing heavier and heavier.

With a creak, the door to the warm chamber was gently pushed open.

Fang Xiaoru walked in carrying a blue cloth satchel.
He was dressed in a neat Confucian robe, his beard and hair were combed meticulously, and he was holding a scroll of the Book of Han in his hand.

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was distracted, he slowed his pace, placed his book bag on the corner of the desk, and bowed respectfully.
"Your subject Fang Xiaoru greets Your Highness."

Zhu Yunwen snapped back to his senses, quickly put down his pen, and stood up:
"Sir, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat."

He personally poured Fang Xiaoru a cup of chilled tea; the tea was clear and had two mint leaves floating on top.
"Sir, you've come early today. There are some things I'm having trouble figuring out."

Fang Xiaoru took the teacup, his gaze falling on the Analects on the table, and asked with a smile:
"Does Your Highness have doubts about 'governing with virtue,' or do you not understand 'guiding with governance'?"

"neither."

Zhu Yunwen shook his head, his tone carrying the confusion of a young man.

"Sir, the other day I heard from the eunuch that some people in the capital are privately exchanging silver notes, and they are only willing to pay 60% of the silver price for a single string of banknotes."

Some officials even said at court meetings that they wanted to abolish the paper money, calling it worthless paper.

I can't tell whether these people are loyal or treacherous.

Would someone in a high position really do things that harm the people?

Fang Xiaoru put down his teacup, his expression gradually becoming solemn:

"Your Highness asks a good question. The distinction between loyalty and treachery does not lie in the rank of an official, but in whether their heart is with the people."

Those who have the people in their hearts and act for the benefit of all people are truly loyal.
Those who seek personal gain and harm the people's livelihood are treacherous.

He picked up the Book of Han from the table, turned to the page on "The Biography of Huo Guang,"
"In the past, when Huo Guang was in power, he deposed the King of Changyi and welcomed Emperor Xuan to the throne."
It is not for personal gain, but for the stability of the Han Dynasty and the well-being of the people; this is loyalty.

Wang Mang held the position of Grand Marshal, yet he usurped the Han throne and established his own dynasty.
That which causes chaos in the world and displaces the people is wickedness.

Nowadays, the managers of money shops in the capital who privately exchange silver and paper money are corrupt, exploiting the people and making them rich through chaotic lending practices. They are wicked.
Those officials who allow the paper money to depreciate, solely to curry favor with the powerful and disregard the fact that the paper money in the hands of ordinary people is becoming worthless, are equally treacherous.

Zhu Yunwen listened attentively, but his brow remained furrowed.

"But they all say they are doing it for the good of the court."

Some say that silver is the only real currency, and that using paper money would harm the people.
Some people say that paper money is more reliable, while using silver will lead to chaos in the country.

I listened, and both sides had some merit.

"The reasoning depends on who you're speaking to," Fang Xiaoru said, pointing out the window.
In the courtyard outside the warm pavilion, several tenant farmers were counting grain with the foreman.

That was relief grain distributed by the Crown Prince's residence to the poor people in the vicinity, in order to accumulate some blessings.

"Your Highness, look, most of the people receiving grain have paper money in their hands."

If the paper money were to become worthless, the money in their hands would become worthless, and they wouldn't even have a meal to eat next.

Those who say that paper money is harmful, have they ever asked what these people think?

He leaned forward and lowered his voice:
The most straightforward way to distinguish between loyalty and treachery is to listen to the people's opinions.

Whether officials harass the people, whether taxes are too heavy, and whether government policies benefit the people are the people's best judged.

If an official's arrival in office brings peace and prosperity to the people, then he is a good official.

If a government decree is issued and the people are filled with resentment, then it is a bad government.

Zhu Yunwen nodded as if he understood, then asked:
"Then, sir, how can we make our nation strong and prosperous?"
I heard my father say that when Emperor Taizu was conquering the country, the people suffered terribly.

Although things are peaceful now, there are still places suffering from famine, and some people still don't have enough to eat.

Fang Xiaoru put down the Book of Han, picked up a brush, and wrote the four characters "休养生息" (rest and recuperation) on the Xuan paper. His handwriting was square and powerful.

"The strength of a dynasty does not lie in the number of soldiers and generals, nor in the abundance of the national treasury, but in the prosperity of its people."

In the early years of the Han Dynasty, when the empire had just been pacified,
Emperors Gaozu and Wenjing reduced taxes and levies, allowing the people to farm and raise silkworms with peace of mind.

In just a few decades, the prosperous era of "the granary overflowing with grain" arrived.

The Ming Dynasty has only been established for a little over thirty years.
The people have just recovered from the war; they are like newly planted saplings that need watering and fertilizing, not whipping them.

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious:
"When the imperial court interferes too much, it is actually harmful."

For example, when it comes to local agricultural matters, whether to plant wheat or rice, the common people know better than the officials.

For example, when merchants buy and sell, the market knows better than the imperial court whether to sell cloth or grain.

The imperial court only needs to set general rules to prevent powerful families from seizing land, officials from imposing heavy taxes, and displaced people from being homeless.

The rest is up to the local authorities and the people to handle.

As time goes by, the people become wealthy, and the nation naturally becomes strong.

Zhu Yunwen suddenly remembered something and asked again:

"The gentleman said that the imperial court should interfere less in local affairs, but there are imperial uncles and other royal princes serving as regional rulers in those areas."
Aren't they in charge of managing the local areas on behalf of the imperial court?
The other day, someone from the Prince of Qin's residence came to the capital and said that Uncle Qin had built an irrigation canal in Guanzhong, and the people all speak highly of him.

(End of this chapter)