Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 287: Lao Zhu: What's going on? It's caused by a misunderstanding...

It is no wonder that Old Zhu would think in this way. In order to conceal his identity, Zhu Yunhuan made up excuses and created an image of himself being suppressed, excluded, and frustrated in the editorial department.

Even the articles submitted to the court were taken over by his superiors.

Based on this, isn't it natural for the boss to ensure that the secret will never be discovered and then kill people to silence them?
The more Old Zhu thought about it, the more it made sense to him, and the gloomier his expression became.

On the other side, the guard's expression was equally ugly.

As the saying goes, people rely on clothing, and Buddha rely on gold.

In later times, due to the great abundance of daily necessities, it is not easy to tell a person's social status just by looking at the clothes they wear.

Unless you know a specific brand.

Some people can recognize this, while others cannot.

Moreover, even if they know each other, the possibility of him being pretentious cannot be ruled out.

But it was different in the Ming Dynasty.

Even after Zhu Yunhuan came to power, he made great efforts to solve the food problem.

Nowadays, there are basically no signs of people starving to death, but the lower-class people can only barely fill their stomachs.

The clothes worn by ordinary people are still tattered.

Although Lao Zhu and his entourage were on a secret visit, they were still dressed like wealthy businessmen.

In this era, a good set of clothes is very expensive.

There is no need to identify any brand.

Just to make the fabric look presentable and not tattered, it would cost several taels or even dozens of silver coins to buy a set.

That is the amount of money that an ordinary person could save up even if they did not eat or drink for a year.

It is precisely because of this that there are stories of ordinary people at the bottom of society passing down a set of clothes for several generations.

These are not made up, but real things happened.

What's more, the carriage they were riding in was not something that ordinary people could afford.

Even if they spent all their money, ordinary people could not afford such a carriage.

In later times, Zhu and his group would be the equivalent of everyone wearing Hermès clothes, Patek Philippe watches, and driving a Rolls-Royce car, and arriving at the gate of the Academy of Sciences.

This is not what Lao Zhu and others intended.

Since it was a secret visit, Old Zhu of course wanted it to be as ordinary and common as possible.

But there is really no way.

In this age of scarcity of production materials, anything that can be worn and used is so "expensive"!
You can't let him dress the same way as when he was a beggar.

This is just like when Santana was first introduced, it was sold for 200,000 yuan per car.

You have to know that it was the 1980s, and ordinary people's wages were only a few dozen yuan a month.

A Santana that cost 200,000 yuan was equivalent to 20 million yuan in the era when monthly wages were only a few thousand yuan, which was even more expensive than a Rolls-Royce.

But if you want to travel in a sedan, Santana is your only option.

Others are more expensive!
The same applies to Lao Zhu’s travel.

Even though it's a secret visit, you still have to take a carriage, right?

Old Zhu is old and can't walk.

You should always choose a carriage with better "shock absorption" effect, right?
There can't be no "shock absorption" at all, right?

Otherwise, Old Zhu's old bones would be broken after sitting in the car for a few days.

Not to mention safety.

Is it okay for the emperor to travel without safety?
With these requirements combined, the carriage would definitely be extremely "expensive".

Ordinary people can tell at a glance that he is a "rich person".

The same applies to other aspects of clothing and appearance.

It looks a little bit like something, but it's expensive.

Just like in the 1970s and 1980s, buying a decent set of clothes required several months' salary of an ordinary person, which was just enough to wear.

However, due to the shortage of materials, the price was already equivalent to luxury clothing compared to the era of great abundance of materials in later generations.

The level of productivity in the Ming Dynasty was lower, so the relative prices were naturally more expensive.

The guard went in to report because he saw their attire.

If they were poor people dressed in shabby clothes, they would have been driven away long ago.

Do you really think that anyone can easily step into the threshold of the Ming Academy of Sciences?

However, this kind of thing is extra work for the guards.

In later generations, doormen don’t have to run errands, they just need to make a phone call and they will also make things difficult for others.

What's more, the guard actually went in and took a look around, walking back and forth for several hundred meters.

They can no longer make money or ask for rewards like they did before.

That would have been fine, but the key point was that I was scolded by the “adults” in the editorial department.

That he was disturbing their work for no reason.

The researchers in the editorial department were all arrogant and self-important, and did not take him, the gate guard, seriously at all.

I thought I had found the adult named "Zhu Sun" inside and could at least make friends with him.

Although now under the strict supervision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I cannot directly ask for "reward money" for this matter.

But anyone who is sensible and understands the ways of the world would reward the messenger with some food in the future.

If there are similar incidents in the future, you can report them promptly.

This is not a violation.

The court would not punish him for this.

After all, there is no way to forbid "friends" from giving each other "snacks".

As long as he doesn't directly ask for a "reward", he can be justified no matter who comes to investigate.

However, he didn't expect that there was no such person as "Zhu Sun" inside. Not only did he make a wasted trip, but he also received the cold looks and scolding from the "adults" inside.

The guard began to get angry.

Although Old Zhu and his companions were dressed luxuriously, this was the headquarters of the Ming Academy of Sciences, a place even the Crown Prince frequently visited. Even though he was just a guard, what dignitaries had he not seen?
This person came to see an ordinary editor there, and I guess he was just a wealthy businessman.

It was already polite enough to report it to him.

With this in mind, the guard waved his hand and said, "I have already asked everyone inside, and there is indeed no one named Zhu Sun. You can go now."

As he spoke, he sat down on the stool at the door, picked up the kettle beside him and started drinking it himself.

Old Zhu's face was uncertain. Although he had doubts in his heart, he was not an impulsive person. He did not want to act immediately before he figured out the situation. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I definitely wouldn't get the name wrong. Maybe I missed it. Could you please make another trip and ask for clarification?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't said this, but once he said this, the guard, who was already filled with anger, jumped up and pointed at Lao Zhu, saying:
"Where did you come from, you wild man? Are you trying to make fun of me? Don't you see where this is? Do you think you can act wild here?"

"I've already told you that there's no such person as Zhu Sun in there. If you dare to make trouble again, don't blame me for being rude."

After saying this, he pulled out the knife from his waist, which was already halfway drawn out.

Upon seeing this, the other guards also stepped forward and glared at Lao Zhu and his group.

Even though they were chatting and laughing with Lao Zhu before, now that a conflict had arisen, they would naturally stand on the side of "their own people".

Jiang Li hurried forward and stood in front of Lao Zhu, and the other guards also immediately surrounded him.

As the situation became tense, Lao Zhu's expression also changed slightly.

"Come on, take away their weapons and let's break in."

When he thought that Zhu Sun might have had an accident, Old Zhu finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Since you can't get in by nice words, just force your way in.

Anyway, he has arrived in the capital, so it doesn't matter if his identity as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is exposed at this time.

Besides, even outside, Old Zhu would definitely be willing to reveal his identity for the sake of his grandson.

Jiang Lin originally didn't know what to do. After all, the Emperor hadn't given any orders, so all he could do was to protect His Majesty's safety.

At this moment, upon hearing the imperial decree, he no longer had any scruples, and kicked the guard who had half-drawn his sword, hitting him squarely on the sword-holding hand. In an instant, his hand was kicked away, and the half-drawn sword fell back into its sheath.

Jiang Li moved as fast as lightning, stepped forward and pinned the guard down with his backhand.

At the same time, other Jinyiwei also took action and subdued all the guards in an instant.

Zhu Yuanzhang brought a lot of Jinyiwei with him when he traveled.

In addition to those who came with the carriage, there were also a number of hidden guards not far away, divided into several levels, guarding the surroundings outside.

Upon hearing the news, a group of people were sent to provide support.

At once, thirty to fifty people came.

On the other hand, at the Ming Academy of Sciences, there were only four guards at the door.

After all, although the Ming Academy of Sciences is an important place, this is Jinling City.

Who dares to act wildly in Jinling City?

Especially after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came to power, tall towers were built everywhere in Jinling City, with personnel standing on top to keep watch and send warning signals.

There are also security patrols constantly patrolling the streets.

There are also a large number of sentry boxes and constables on the streets.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince attaches great importance to public security.

Although the capital has a large population and complex traffic, public security has always been very good.

No one dares to act wildly.

Arranging four guards at the door is already an exaggerated configuration.

An ordinary government office usually has only two people.

After the guard was subdued, Lao Zhu walked straight inside.

At this time, a guard shouted loudly: "This is the Daming Academy of Sciences. How dare you beat the guards and break in without permission? Do you know what the consequences will be?"

After saying that, he whistled loudly.

In an instant, whistles sounded all around, as if firecrackers were lit.

At the same time, there were dense beeps coming from the towering watchtower.

Then, the second tower, the third tower...

At the same time, the officers and soldiers watching on the tower waved flags and made different gestures.

This is the flag signal and whistle warning.

The nature and scale of the emergency can be predicted based on the rhythm and number of whistles.

Flag signals convey more specific messages.

With these measures in place, the transmission of information will be like a falling domino, and will quickly reach Yingtian Prefecture, which is directly responsible for the public security of Jinling City.

Important warnings will also be seen by the Anti-Theft Division of the Ministry of Justice and will be processed accordingly.

In addition, there are the Imperial Guards responsible for guarding the palace, the Jinyiwei Yamen, the Imperial City Military Department Yamen, and the garrisons at the gates of Jinling City...

When Lao Zhu and his group broke into the Daming Academy of Sciences, they were seen by the soldiers on lookout in the high tower, who immediately issued the highest level of warning.

After all, what we usually see are petty thefts, fights, robberies and the like.

They were on a high tower, directing the detectives to go and handle the situation and arrest people.

But it was the first time that a group of people broke into the Ming Academy of Sciences and the soldiers on the high tower saw it.

You know, the security of the Daming Academy of Sciences was set up in accordance with the six ministries, and it was even further strengthened.

The government office in charge of the capital's public security has detailed instructions on which departments are important and their levels of importance.

The soldiers standing on the high tower of Jinling City and watching have also received training and are very clear about this.

Someone suddenly attacked the Ming Academy of Sciences, which was definitely a big deal.

This is a thousand times more serious than an ordinary fight or street robbery.

In fact, the guard didn't need to whistle because the soldiers on the tower had already observed it and would have sounded the alarm.

It's just that the incident happened suddenly, and they need a little time to react to see it clearly.

When the guard whistle blew, the soldiers on the tower just reacted.

Witnessing this scene, Lao Zhu, who was about to rush in, was also shocked and stopped.

Soon, a team of detectives patrolling the streets rushed over.

……

at the same time.

The Anti-Theft Division of the Ministry of Justice.

The face of the official in charge suddenly changed.

He looked up at the tower and said, "Level 1 alert? Daming Academy of Sciences was attacked by a group of people with unknown intentions, and all the guards at the gate were knocked down?"

"Quick, assemble urgently and head to Daming Academy of Sciences immediately."

Although the public security of Jinling City is the responsibility of Yingtian Prefecture.

But Jinling is the capital after all, and the Ming Academy of Sciences is a place that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince values very much, and it must not be lost.

Today, the Anti-Theft Division of the Ministry of Justice is in charge of public security throughout the country. If something happens to the Daming Academy of Sciences, the Anti-Theft Division of the Ministry of Justice cannot be separated from the responsibility.

……

The same scene also happened in the Yingtian Prefecture government office and even in the Imperial City Military Department...

The detectives from the Yingtian Prefecture Yamen went there as quickly as possible.

The Imperial City Military Department even immediately assembled a group of troops for emergency response.

At the same time, orders were issued to all garrisons to be on alert.

After all, level one warning is the highest level of warning.

Those who dare to attack the Ming Academy of Sciences are definitely not ordinary hooligans.

The gangsters in the capital city wouldn't dare to do that even if they had a hundred times more courage.

Then the nature of this matter is serious.

It might be the White Lotus sect causing chaos.

Not to mention, the scientific tradition was founded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is rumored that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince often visits the Ming Academy of Sciences.

What if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is inside right now, and the "bad guy" is targeting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince...

If anything happens to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince...even if he's just frightened, it would be enough to cost them their heads.

Thinking of this, which department would dare to neglect it?
Not only that, the Imperial Guards in the palace, the guards of the Eastern Palace, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard also responded immediately.

The gates of the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace were quickly closed.

The Royal Guards are ready for battle.

All the Jinyiwei in the Jinyiwei Yamen gathered urgently and sent people to the Daming Academy of Sciences.

Even the guards at the gates of Jinling City shouted immediately after hearing the alarm gongs: "Close the gates, close the gates, from now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

This is also their responsibility.

If there is any change in the capital, the city gates must be closed immediately.

……

On the streets, people could hear the sound of bells.

The officer who was directing traffic shouted, "Stray people, get out of the way!"

Soon, teams of soldiers rushed out from various government offices like a whirlwind and galloped towards the Ming Academy of Sciences.

At this moment, Lao Zhu and Jiang Li looked at the constables who had hurried over, and listened to the alarm sounds that kept coming from the high tower, with a look of confusion on their faces.

"What's happening here?"

……

(End of this chapter)