Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 460 Old Zhu got slapped in the face?

"Please, everyone, don't argue! This old man must have suffered losses in the stock market today and is in a bad mood, which is why he said that."

He was tall and richly dressed, and with a broad smile, he surveyed the entire room and announced loudly, "Today, I, He, am extremely lucky. The stocks I bought have soared, and I've made a fortune!"

"Alright then, I'll cover all the expenses for today!"

"Please feel free to order whatever you'd like to eat or drink, so everyone can leave satisfied. How about that?"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall, with thunderous applause and cheers rising and falling.

"Young Master He is so heroic!"

"Young Master He is truly a generous man!"

"Since it's Young Master He who's treating, then we won't stand on ceremony!"

The guests cheered, and the atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly became much more lively.

Many people were already calling out to the waiter, vying to add more wine and dishes, afraid of disappointing this rare hospitality.

The waiter standing to the side smiled even more ingratiatingly, bowed closer to Old Zhu, and said in a gentle tone: "Esteemed guest, since Young Master He has generously booked the entire meal, you may order any dishes you like without paying a penny."

"How about we order some dishes?"

He fully expected that if someone else paid for it, Old Zhu would surely turn his anger into joy.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu's anger erupted like a raging fire.

He suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, making the cups and saucers clatter, and said in a booming voice, "Why would we be greedy for such a small amount of money for a meal?"

"We just can't stand your extravagant and wasteful lifestyle!"

His cold gaze swept across the entire room: "A plate of vegetables costs one tael of silver. Such extravagance! Do you know that one tael of silver is enough to support an ordinary family for a month?"

"While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone."

"With your extravagant spending, have you ever thought about the suffering of the common people?"

Old Zhu's voice grew louder and louder: "Where is the manager of this restaurant?"

"Who exactly built this shop?"

"Come out here right now! We want to see how he dares to run his business like this and corrupt public morals!"

At this moment, Old Zhu's imposing presence was like a mountain, and his majesty like a tiger, silencing all the guests in the hall.

In an instant, all eyes in the hall turned to Old Zhu.

The waiter's smile vanished abruptly, his face darkened, and his tone turned cold: "Sir, are you deliberately coming to our shop to cause trouble?"

"Do you know who owns this restaurant? How dare you cause trouble here? Do you really have the guts of a bear or a leopard?"

Old Zhu's anger surged like a raging fire. He took a step forward and roared like thunder: "Who cares who he is!"

"Today, we will make him understand that such extravagance and waste, which corrupts the morals of the people, is not tolerated under the emperor's nose!"

"This restaurant is extravagant and corrupts morals. If we report it to the authorities, it can be shut down immediately, and its owner and manager can be put in shackles and displayed in public for three days as a warning to others!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.

A burst of laughter immediately followed.

Laughter swept through the hall like waves, mixed with undisguised mockery and contempt.

"Haha! Where did this old man come from, this country bumpkin?"

A guest dressed in fine clothes laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Old Zhu with a mocking expression.

"Such an arrogant tone, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew!"

The other person shook his head repeatedly, his eyes full of mockery.

"How strange! They don't even know who owns this restaurant, yet they dare to spout such nonsense?"

Someone laughed as they spoke, their tone full of disdain.

After laughing, another person squinted and looked Old Zhu up and down, saying slowly, "In my opinion, this man is probably used to bullying others in the local area. He is new to the capital and doesn't know his own limitations."

"You should know that Nanjing is right under the emperor's nose, a place where dragons coil and tigers crouch. Even imperial relatives, nobles and high-ranking officials would not dare to be so arrogant and domineering!"

His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

In this era, local gentry often acted like "local emperors," running rampant in the countryside, bossing everyone around and looking down on everyone else.

Since the opening of the Jinling Stock Exchange, although many wealthy merchants from various regions have entrusted the Daming Bank to manage their transactions and send bills over long distances, there are still a few who are not at ease and have come in person with large sums of money or sent their direct descendants to Jinling to investigate.

Many of these people knew that the capital was no small place, so they kept a low profile and were cautious in their words and actions after entering the city.

However, some were unable to change their nature and brought their extravagant and wasteful habits from their hometowns to Nanjing, remaining arrogant as ever.

In everyone's eyes, Old Zhu's "ignorance of the immensity of heaven and earth" behavior must be that of a local tyrant who, relying on his usual prestige in the countryside, mistakenly believes that he can run rampant in the capital as well.

Countless similar reckless men have stumbled and become laughingstocks in the capital due to their arrogance.

At this moment, the guests in the hall laughed unrestrainedly, their eyes filled with pity and mockery, as if they had already foreseen that Old Zhu was about to bring shame upon himself.

The waiter, unperturbed and with a slightly mocking smile, said loudly, "Distinguished guest, please feel free to do as you please!"

"If you can really shut down this restaurant today, I'm willing to cut off my head and offer it to you as a chamber pot, without any hesitation!"

"However, if I may be frank, I'm afraid you can't shut down our restaurant!"

His tone was confident, with a hint of disdain, as if mocking Old Zhu's boastful words.

Jiang Huan stood to one side, and upon hearing this, his heart skipped a beat, and his gaze lingered on the waiter for a moment longer.

In recent years, the capital city has developed rapidly, with the city walls expanding, shops springing up everywhere, and new restaurants and shops emerging one after another.

Among them were properties secretly managed by imperial relatives, nobles, and high-ranking officials.

Although the new tax system is strict and blatant tax evasion is virtually impossible, Nanjing is full of business opportunities, and even those who follow the rules can still make huge profits.

In recent years, Jiang Huan himself has secretly acquired many shops in the capital.

However, they all operate under other people's names to avoid being too ostentatious and attracting criticism.

After all, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he held a high position and wielded great power, and his identity was sensitive, so he needed to keep a low profile.

They could only use a "white glove" to cover their tracks.

This restaurant is located next to the stock exchange, in a prime location where every inch of land is precious. Its decor is extremely luxurious, and even the waiters have an extraordinary air about them and are dressed exquisitely. Clearly, it is not a business that ordinary merchants can run.

The person behind this must have a very powerful background.

Perhaps he was a member of the imperial family or a high-ranking official. However, no matter how illustrious his backing, what did it matter when he encountered the reigning emperor?
Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Which powerful figure could rival him?

Jiang Huan's mind raced, but he also secretly weighed the situation: if this matter was not handled carefully, people might misunderstand him as someone who deliberately brought the founding emperor to cause trouble, thus making enemies for no reason.

Although he was not afraid of offending people, in officialdom it was better to avoid trouble. If he could avoid offending people, he would try his best not to.

At the very least, one must put on a show of respect to avoid gossip and criticism later on.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huan stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "You're just a waiter, don't spout nonsense here!"

"We disdain to entangle with servants like you. Go and summon your manager or master!"

"This matter should only be discussed with the person in charge; you are not qualified!"

Jiang Huan's rebuke, on the surface, was directed at the waiter's insolence, but in reality, it concealed a hidden agenda: to protect his life without making a sound.

After all, if this waiter continues to speak recklessly and provoke Old Zhu, he might not even be able to keep his head, and things will only escalate and become uncontrollable.

Jiang Huan summoned the shopkeeper to handle the situation, assuming that the other party would be more tactful and able to stabilize the situation than the reckless waiter.

At the same time, he also subtly reminded Old Zhu that the person in front of him was just a waiter. Even if the restaurant was at fault, this servant should not bear the blame. There was no need to hold him accountable.

Unexpectedly, the waiter not only failed to appreciate the good intentions, but also laughed loudly, saying, "I would love to invite the master here, but alas, my status is too lowly, how could I possibly have such an ability?"

He glanced sideways at Old Zhu and Jiang Huan, and said jokingly, "Sir, you look like someone of high status and power. If you really have the ability to invite our boss to this restaurant, I will burn incense and kowtow to you every day from now on, and treat you as a living Bodhisattva. How about that?"

The guests in the lobby burst into laughter.

Jiang Huan's face darkened, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he cursed the waiter inwardly for being so reckless.

Seeing his calm demeanor and friendly smile, I thought he was a reasonable person. Who knew he would be so arrogant now, speaking without any restraint, he simply doesn't know his place!
I wonder which wealthy family raised him to be so rude and ignorant!
That's it.

Jiang Huan's mind raced. He had already done his duty to dissuade the waiter, and if the waiter insisted on courting death, he couldn't blame anyone else.

Even if his employer investigates later, they will not be able to pin the blame on Jiang Huan.

They dared to provoke the Supreme Emperor; they can only blame their bad luck.

Thinking of this, he sneered, his gaze fixed on the waiter, and said loudly, "What a sharp tongue you have! Then why don't you tell me, who exactly is your master?"

"I'd like to see if there's anyone in this vast capital that I, Jiang, can't persuade to come!"

Jiang Huan's words were not mere boasting.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he wielded immense power and influence. In Nanjing, which powerful figure would dare to disrespect him?
Which powerful figure can't he persuade?

unless……

A slight chill ran through him as a thought flashed through his mind, but before he could dwell on it, the laughter of the guests erupted once more in the hall.

"He doesn't even know who owns this restaurant, yet he dares to spout such nonsense, claiming there's no one in the capital he can't hire. What a load of rubbish! He's a laughingstock!"

A guest dressed in fine silk spoke sharply and mercilessly to Jiang Huan.

"Interesting, what a lively scene!" Another person clapped his hands and chuckled, "I've seen arrogant people before, but I've never seen anyone so ignorant of their own limitations!"

"They've probably gotten so used to bullying others in the countryside that they think they can do whatever they want even under the emperor's nose!"

“Ignorance breeds arrogance.” Someone chimed in, “They must have been used to being bossy and domineering in their local areas, looking down on the lowly commoners. Now that they’ve come to Nanjing, they think they’re someone important too.”

"The capital is a deep and treacherous place, far beyond what your small towns can compare to," a middle-aged merchant shook his head and advised, "You should go back to where you came from as soon as possible, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves here and suffer the consequences!"

“That’s right!” someone chimed in. “Even the Empress’s own brother, a man of such stature, was imprisoned and sentenced to labor reform simply because he was too arrogant. If you continue to act so recklessly, you’re just asking for your own destruction!”

Inside the hall, everyone began to speak.

The sounds of mockery, ridicule, and admonition blended together, resembling a noisy farce.

The guests' gazes, whether contemptuous or pitying, were all fixed on Old Zhu and Jiang Huan.

Old Zhu's anger flared even more, his chest heaving, his eyes burning like raging flames. How dare these commoners so brazenly ridicule him, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
What enraged him even more was that the people's words seemed to imply that the restaurant had an unfathomable background, and that even ordinary powerful people would not dare to provoke it easily.

His mind raced, and he sneered inwardly: Good, let's see just how powerful this restaurant is!

Just as they were pondering this, the waiter casually spoke up: "If our esteemed guest truly possesses extraordinary abilities, then go and invite him!"

"Go out of the main gate of this restaurant and walk straight along the avenue. At the end of the road is the majestic Forbidden City. Our restaurant's owner is located in that palace."

Was it opened by someone in the palace?

Jiang Huan was startled.

Before he could think any further, the waiter stopped being mysterious and raised his hand, bowing high towards the palace: "To tell you the truth, the owner of my shop is none other than the current emperor!"

boom!
These words struck like a thunderbolt.

Old Zhu and Jiang Huan were both taken aback, their expressions changing drastically.

The waiter smiled and said, "If you have enough influence, then go and invite our boss over! I'll wait here patiently!"

Laughter erupted again in the hall as the guests clamored, their voices rising and falling: "Go! Go! Quickly go to the Forbidden City and invite His Majesty!"

"I'd like to see for myself whether you have such extraordinary abilities!"

"Speaking of which, the last time His Majesty visited the Jinling Stock Exchange was when it had just opened. If you could invite His Majesty here... hahaha!"

"If His Majesty were to visit the stock exchange again, the stocks we hold might rise by several times. Then you would be our benefactors."

"How pitiful, how lamentable, how laughable! They don't even know that this restaurant is owned by the imperial court, yet they dare to spout such nonsense."

"Storming a government office is considered treason! Storming a restaurant that's under the imperial court is probably the same. You even said you'd shut down the restaurant, look at how capable you are... Why don't you go and shut down the Forbidden City?"

……

Hearing the jeers and jeers coming from all directions, Old Zhu's face turned extremely ugly. He asked Jiang Huan in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Sweat poured down Jiang Huan's forehead like rain, and in an instant, his clothes were soaked through.

The emperor had been in the inner palace for nearly two years and was naturally unaware of the situation outside.

But as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he should have known.

Unfortunately, in the last two years, Beijing has developed too fast and changed too much.

There are many places he has never been to.

Even if one occasionally sees it in intelligence reports handed over by subordinates, why would one pay special attention to it?

I never expected that today, after escorting the Emperor on his incognito visit, such a thing would happen.

……

(End of this chapter)