Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 114 The Young Emperor is Baring His Fangs
"Damn it!" Zhang Yu's face was gloomy and he looked at Zhu Gang, Zhu Yu and others with cold eyes.

His mind was working at high speed, and he felt both relieved and anxious.

Fortunately, Zhu Di did not come.

What’s worrying is that Zhu Di is on the way.

"I must find a way to inform the prince!" Zhang Yu said to himself.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

Zhu Gang was stunned and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"I thought all the princes were heroes, but I didn't expect that they were such cowards. It's really funny." Zhang Yu said.

"Swish!" Tuoerhuocha, Azhashili and Haisanandaxi's expressions changed at the same time when they heard Zhang Yu's words.

Now they have fallen into the hands of Zhu Gang and others. In the current situation, they just need to accept their fate. They never thought that Zhang Yu would dare to insult them. He must be tired of living.

The key point is that they are now one with Zhang Yu. Who knows if they will be implicated in the future?
"Zhang Yu, you are so outrageous!"

"Zhang Yu, do you want to die?"

"."

The princes were enraged by Zhang Yu and stood up one after another, glaring at him.

"What? Am I wrong?" Zhang Yu said calmly.

"you"

The expressions of the princes were gloomy.

"Everyone shut up!" Zhu Gang said.

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and they turned their heads and looked at Zhu Gang with puzzled eyes.

Zhu Gang didn't explain anything. He stared at Zhang Yu, then suddenly smiled and said, "Is the fourth brother coming?"

"what?"

When everyone heard Zhu Gang's words, their expressions froze.

Immediately, a gleam of light flashed in their eyes.

If Zhu Di is also captured, the weight of this "gift" will be even greater!

Zhang Yu's heart sank, but he didn't show it on his face. He asked, "What? Prince Jin, do you still want to capture my prince and hand him over to Zhu Yunhuan?"

"That's right!" Zhu Gang nodded, not hiding his intentions at all.

"Haha, I'm afraid Prince Jin will be disappointed. It will take more than 20 days for my prince to arrive." Zhang Yu smiled softly, his expression calm.

"Alas, it turned out to be a false alarm."

"Fourth Brother is really too cautious. It would be great if he and the three Duoyan guards came together!"

"What a pity! Otherwise, if we had captured Fourth Brother, Yunxun would have been safe."

"."

Zhu Yu, Zhu Tan and others looked somewhat disappointed.

Zhu Gang shrugged and said, "Why do I feel that the fourth brother will come in the next few days?"

"Really? In that case, King Jin, just wait!" said Zhang Yu.

Zhu Gang was stunned when he saw Zhang Yu's appearance. He thought to himself, "Could it be that I am really overthinking it?"

Officially!
After Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian and Li Jinglong left the princes' residences, they went straight back to Yingtian Prefecture.

"Jinglong, I really didn't realize before that you can do it!" Zhu Chun said.

Li Jinglong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I am merely borrowing the power of Your Majesty. If it weren't for Your Majesty's support, the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Gu would not have tolerated me."

"Why are you still being modest? Where is your arrogance just now?" Zhu Gaoxu said with a smile.

Immediately, he said to Zhu Chun and Zhu Jian, "Eleventh Uncle, Fourteenth Uncle, don't underestimate Jinglong. Even Hun Ge'er has affirmed his abilities."

"Oh?" Zhu Chun and Zhu Li showed a hint of surprise on their faces when they heard this.

They looked at Li Jinglong, with a strange look in their eyes.

If Li Jinglong was so good, why did he perform so poorly in the battle with Zhu Yunhuan? Moreover, he even surrendered the city in the end.

Could there be something fishy going on?

"We were shortsighted before!" Zhu Chun and Zhu Liang clasped their fists towards Li Jinglong.

They did not delve into whether there was any secret between Zhu Yunhuan and Li Jinglong. Now that the overall situation has been decided, even if they really found out something, what use would it be?
Anyway, it will definitely not benefit either of them.

"By the way, Jinglong, do you think my third brother and the others will attend the banquet?" Zhu Liang asked.

"Yes!" Li Jinglong answered without thinking.

Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun and Zhu Jian were stunned.

Isn't this response a bit too fast?
"Jinglong, are you so sure?" Zhu Gaoxu was a little curious.

"Yes, although what I said just now was unpleasant, Prince Jin and others must have listened to it. Moreover, this matter does not require the consent of everyone. As long as half of the people come, the rest will have to follow even if they don't want to. The reason is that they can't afford to offend Your Majesty." Li Jinglong vowed.

"This..." Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, and Zhu Yan all had strange expressions.

Looking at Li Jinglong in front of them, it was as if they had just met him for the first time.

"Your Majesty really knows how to employ people!" Zhu Chun's face was full of emotion.

Immediately, he looked at Zhu Gaoxu who was standing beside him and said, "Gaoxu, I heard that Fourth Brother is also heading towards Yingtian Prefecture."

"Yes, I plan to find a time to talk to Hun'er, and then I will go to meet my father." Zhu Gaoxu shrugged.

"Uh..." Zhu Chun was startled when he heard that. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he smiled bitterly and said, "If you go, that's fine. It will be easier to explain to Yun Hun when the time comes. After all, you have followed Yun Hun from the beginning."

"Ahem, well, actually, I've always had a dream since I was a child, which is to defeat my father once!" Zhu Gaoxu coughed twice and said somewhat unnaturally.

"Swish!"

Zhu Chun and Zhu Liang turned their heads to look at Zhu Gaoxu with strange looks in their eyes.

"Good boy, give your dad a beating?"

The two men thought of Zhu Di's temper, and if Zhu Gaoxu knew about it, he would probably be in a miserable state.

However, after hearing what Zhu Gaoxu said, the two of them suddenly became a little excited. If Zhu Gaoxu really defeated Zhu Di, the scene would surely be very interesting.

Imperial Palace, Hall of Supreme Harmony!

Fang Xiaoru and Tie Xuan came before Zhu Yunhuan and bowed, "Your Majesty!"

"Get up!" Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Fang Xiaoru and Tie Xuan stood up.

"I wonder what instructions Your Majesty has for us?" Tie Xuan asked.

After a rebellion, Yingtian Prefecture gradually settled down. Except for the fact that the Ming Dynasty had a new master, nothing seemed to have changed much.

In fact, because the speed was so fast, some remote areas of the Ming Dynasty did not even have time to be notified.

"As the ancients said, there are three types of unfilial behavior, and having no descendants is the worst. As the emperor, continuing my bloodline is of utmost importance to me. But the palace is deserted, and I feel weak even though I have the strength!" Zhu Yunhuan said.

Fang Xiaoru and Tie Xuan were stunned when they heard this.

The next second, a thought popped up in their minds at the same time: "Your Majesty is preparing to fill his harem!"

Although the speed was a bit faster, the two did not say much.

Continuing the bloodline, in some ways, is also to stabilize the hearts of the people and facilitate governance.

It is not a good thing for the emperor to have no children.

If Zhu Yunhuan had succeeded to the throne smoothly, he would have been married and had children by now. Unfortunately, Zhu Yunhuan was imprisoned behind the walls of Fengyang.

"Your Majesty, Lord Fang and I will go and find a suitable candidate to enter the palace for Your Majesty." Tie Xuan said.

"No need, I already have a suitable candidate in mind." Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

When Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

They were a little curious about which family the girl came from to have such good luck.

"Xu Miaojin from the Duke of Wei's Mansion, Zhao Rou, the daughter of the military commander Zhao Sili, and Zhang Yan, the daughter of the military governor Zhang Qi, you two should worry about me and run errands to get things done as soon as possible. This way, I can work harder to stabilize the Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Yunheng said.

"In order to stabilize the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible?" Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru looked strange.

That's right, yeah!
"Your Majesty, there are some rumors in the market today, saying that you are going to appoint a prime minister?" Fang Xiaoru hesitated for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to ask.

He did not connect the Prime Minister with the Chancellor, as that would have been too obvious.

"Swish!" Although Tie Xuan was a rigid person, he immediately pricked up his ears when he heard the question asked by Fang Xiaoru.

He was also one of the civil officials.

If the Prime Minister could recover, he would also welcome him with applause.

"Yes, I do have this plan." Zhu Yunhuan nodded.

"It's actually true!" Fang Xiaoru and Tie Xuan were stunned when they heard this, and then they felt delighted.

That’s great! The Prime Minister is going to be reinstated, and the path for scholars all over the world will be resumed.

"By the way, since we mentioned the matter of the Prime Minister, I have another matter. You can help me with some advice." Zhu Yunhuan said.

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Fang Xiaoru said with a very respectful attitude.

He was the leader of scholars all over the world. Now that Zhu Yunhuan had restored the broken path for scholars all over the world, his hostility towards Zhu Yunhuan dissipated a little again.

"I think the preferential treatment granted by the emperor to gentry, which allows them to not pay taxes or grain, needs to be cancelled," said Zhu Yunheng.

"what!"

Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru were shocked.

The gentry did not pay grain or taxes. This was Zhu Yuanzhang's preferential treatment for scholars all over the world, which encouraged scholars all over the world to study hard, pass the imperial examinations and serve the court.

Fang Xiaoru looked a little anxious: "Your Majesty."

"Shh!" Zhu Yunhuan made a gesture to Fang Xiaoru to keep quiet.

Fang Xiaoru was stunned.

"Have Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi and Yang Shiqi arrived?" Zhu Yunhuan asked Ma Sanbao beside him.

"Your Majesty, the person has arrived and is waiting in the imperial study!" said Ma Sanbao.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "Bring the person here!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ma Sanbao nodded, turned around and walked away.

Fang Xiaoru hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty."

"My dear Fang, don't be anxious!" Zhu Yunhuan said lightly.

Fang Xiaoru looked up at Zhu Yunhuan with a look of great confusion. He didn't know what Zhu Yunhuan wanted to do. After hesitating for a while, he didn't say anything else.

"Canceling the preferential treatment for gentry who do not pay grain or taxes is probably not going to be easy!" Tie Xuan thought to himself.

He understood Zhu Yunhuan. Once Zhu Yunhuan made a decision, no one could dissuade him. In this respect, he was very similar to Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

However, the preferential treatment for gentry has been implemented for many years, and many people have become vested interests, including the officials in the court.

Just think about it, once this matter is announced, there will definitely be a huge shock.

"Brother Hun!"

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian and Li Jinglong came over.

"Your Majesty!" Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian, and Li Jinglong bowed and saluted.

"You came back quite quickly. How did things go? What did the uncles say?" Zhu Yunheng asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, Duke Cao angrily scolded Prince Jin, Prince Gu and others. I guess they will all come tonight." Zhu Chun said.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said, "Brother Hu, you didn't see it. Jinglong's performance today was amazing. I feel that even if he went alone today, he would be able to complete the task."

"Oh? Really?" Zhu Yunheng's gaze fell on Li Jinglong with a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, this is all due to your prestige. Otherwise, it is another matter whether the princes will take me seriously." Li Jinglong shook his head.

"Okay, it's a merit. You guys just stand here and wait for a while. I'll take care of something." Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian and Li Jinglong bowed, walked aside and looked at Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru with curiosity.

"Li Jinglong performed well? What the hell?"

"What did Your Majesty send Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Shu, the Prince of Su, and the Duke of Cao to do? From what they said, it seems they were contacting the princes outside the city."

Fang Xiaoru and Tie Xuan were extremely surprised.

They knew that Li Jinglong was a complete waste. Apart from anything else, the battle of Fengyang had allowed everyone to see through Li Jinglong's underwear.

As a result, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun and Zhu Jian all praised Li Jinglong endlessly. What is going on?

While Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru were puzzled, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian and Li Jinglong were also looking at them with curiosity.

"Your Majesty, what do you want to talk to Tie Xuan and Fang Xiaoru about?"

After a while.

Ma Sanbao brought Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, and Yang Shiqi over and said, "Your Majesty, the people are here!"

"Huh? Why are there so many people?"

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi and Yang Shiqi were all stunned when they saw Tie Xuan, Fang Xiaoru, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian, Li Jinglong and others.

Immediately, they gathered their composures and stepped forward, bowing and saluting: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Everyone, get up!" Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "I called the four of you here to discuss a matter. I think the Emperor's policy of exempting the gentry from paying taxes and grain is extremely inappropriate and I want to abolish it!"

"what!"

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi and Yang Shiqi were shocked when they heard this. Even Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Chun, Zhu Jian and Li Jinglong were extremely surprised.

The new emperor took three actions upon ascending the throne, the first of which was to target the civil service system. Apart from anything else, he was really bold.

The gentry began to flourish in the Ming Dynasty, and civil servants were part of the gentry.

Therefore, forcing the gentry to not pay taxes and grain can also be seen as an attack on the civil service system, because this actually affects the interests of the civil servants.

Zhu Yuanzhang played a very important role in the prosperity of gentry in the Ming Dynasty.

As we all know, Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Yuan Dynasty and restored the Han Dynasty.

However, what many people don’t know is that during the Yuan Dynasty’s rule over the Central Plains, they did not consider themselves part of the Central Plains, but merely regarded the Central Plains as an object to be plundered.

It was precisely because of this kind of thinking that people were divided into four classes during the Yuan Dynasty.

The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty never thought about how to govern the Central Plains. All they thought about every day was how to extort as much money as possible.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the Central Plains was ruthlessly ravaged and devastated.

Those were dark times.

After Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Yuan Dynasty, he established the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Central Plains, which had been plundered by the Yuan Dynasty, was severely damaged and in ruins.

Since the Yuan Dynasty came from the grassland, they did not attach importance to the so-called culture at all and only advocated the use of force.

If the rulers are like this, how can the people under their rule value learning?
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he encountered the biggest problem: insufficient management personnel.

This management does not refer to the court, but to the people.

The Yuan Dynasty ravaged the Central Plains severely, although they did not rule for too long, only a hundred years.

However, a hundred years is a long time, and there has been a cultural gap.

In order to fill the shortage of grassroots managers, Zhu Yuanzhang put the brakes on the imperial examination system.

The imperial examination system generally cannot be touched because it involves too many issues.

The imperial examination system can basically be regarded as the foundation of a dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice.

The Ming Dynasty needed to recover quickly. If it proceeded step by step, it would take at least several decades for the Central Plains to recover its lost culture.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to wait that long.

The imperial examination system was reformed.

After the reform of the imperial examination system, new problems emerged.

Anyone could take the new imperial examination, even ordinary people.

However, the education received by the common people and the children of officials is different and cannot be compared at all, while the number of people recruited in the imperial examination every year is constant.

This is very embarrassing.

You are allowed to take the exam, but due to different resources, you cannot pass it as well as others.

In any era, learning is something that costs money, and this cost is not limited to books, but also includes food, drink, defecation, urination, etc.

Especially in ancient times, people studied while farming?
It cannot be said that it is absolutely impossible, at least, it is not possible for most ordinary people.

In ancient times, most scholars could only study hard, leaving the burden on their family members, especially their wives.

After all, people got married early in ancient times.

Maybe they already have children but are still studying hard.

Can’t pass the exam in one year?
Can’t pass the exam in three years?
Can’t pass the exam in five years?
Slowly, who can continue to persevere?

Over time, the enthusiasm for reading will be eroded little by little.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang came up with another idea. If he failed the exam once, he would take it every year. And once he passed, he would not have to pay taxes or grain from then on!
Everyone knows the principle of quenching thirst by looking at a plum.

The imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty were similar to quenching thirst by looking at a plum, except that although the chance of passing the examination was very small, there would always be some lucky people who stood out every once in a while.

Whenever this happened, the imperial court would publicize it widely to give new motivation to those scholars who failed the exam.

(End of this chapter)