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

Chapter 201 Uproar, the grasslands have been taken over?
Tang He saw Zhu Yuanzhang shake his head and didn't say much. To be honest, Zhu Yunwen's current situation was no longer relevant. His words were just to comfort Zhu Yuanzhang. Since Zhu Yuanzhang had come to terms with it, he naturally wouldn't waste any more words on it.

Moreover, his relationship with Zhu Yunwen was very ordinary, and it was not worth it for him to have any arguments with Zhu Yuanzhang because of Zhu Yunwen. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's personality had changed a lot, he was still somewhat afraid if he had to face him alone.

The reason we mentioned Zhu Yuanzhang before wasn't because of his courage, but because he knew that Zhu Yunwen was standing behind him. Even if he caused some trouble, Zhu Yunwen would be able to protect him in the end. But this situation doesn't apply to Zhu Yunwen.

First, if he angered Zhu Yuanzhang because of Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen would definitely not step in to protect him. Second, given Zhu Yunwen's current situation, even if he stood up to protect him, he would most likely not be able to do so in the end. As a result, he might be used by Zhu Yuanzhang as a pawn to atone for Zhu Yunwen's sins and then severely punished.

Don't think this is a joke, or that just because he has a good relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang now, such a thing won't happen. But reality is often so surreal. He really knows Zhu Yuanzhang's personality all too well.

"By the way, Yunhu mentioned before that he would select a Grand Secretary. Among the current five members of the cabinet, who do you think is the most promising?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly changed the subject and looked at Tang He.

The cabinet system is another form of prime minister system. In this case, the existence of the Grand Secretary is almost equivalent to that of the previous prime minister. Of course, there are some differences between the two, but they are not significant.

"I don't know!" Tang He shook his head. He really didn't know the answer to this question. He had thought about it carefully before, but he couldn't make a decision. The main reason was that it seemed that any of the five cabinet members could be the chief minister. Even Fang Xiaoru had reasons to be the prime minister.

Besides his own thoughts, many people he knew had also carefully considered who among the five cabinet members would have the last laugh. He himself was not greedy for power, but it was obvious that there were still many people who were greedy for power. These people had already compared the five cabinet members in their minds, after all, everyone knew how much power the prime minister wielded.

In such circumstances, if one were to gamble before becoming the Grand Secretary and win the bet, it would be a resounding victory, yielding a very substantial reward.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "There are no outsiders here, so just say what you need to say."

Upon hearing this, Tang He gave a wry smile and said, "Your Majesty, I really don't know who can stand out and become the Grand Secretary. However, Xia Yuanji is currently the most popular candidate. If nothing unexpected happens, Xia Yuanji may eventually become the Grand Secretary."

He told Zhu Yuanzhang all the information he knew at once, letting him analyze it himself. This was just like Zhu Yuanzhang asking him a question. If it were someone else, he would have turned away as soon as he heard the question and wouldn't have said a word.

Look at the question he asked: who can become the Grand Secretary? Please, he has long since moved away from the center of power in the court. Now he is just an ordinary citizen of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, that may not be entirely accurate. After all, although he has retired from the center of the court, his relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang is still there, and he is also a Duke of the Ming Dynasty.

Tang He is not an ordinary person, but given his current situation, he doesn't have as much room to maneuver as one might imagine when facing the Grand Secretary, especially after his death. If the Grand Secretary were to target his family, the risks would be even greater.

In ancient times, the prime minister had a title that was second only to the emperor, which shows how great his power was. Although the chief minister might have less power than the prime minister, it was not much greater. Most importantly, Tang He had absolutely no need to offend a chief minister.

Although it seems he did nothing in this matter, his relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang was significant, and every move he made could have a great impact. It was very possible that a single careless remark from him could bring disaster upon himself.

At this point, some people may be puzzled.

To give a simple example, the position of Grand Secretary is now a five-to-one competition. Now Zhu Yuanzhang asks Tang He for his opinion. In this situation, what if the person Tang He chooses is different from the person who eventually becomes the Grand Secretary? Would the person who becomes the Grand Secretary resent Tang He for not recommending him to Zhu Yuanzhang?
That's hard to say!
In other words, Tang He took five times the risk in this matter, but the reward was very low. At best, he could gain the favor of the Grand Secretary. But as a Duke, did Tang He need to gain the favor of others, even if the other party was the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty?

"Xia Yuanji? We've observed him carefully over this period of time, and he is indeed a very good person." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, his expression very calm, revealing nothing of his true thoughts.

Tang He didn't respond. If he could, he would like to skip the current topic with Zhu Yuanzhang, because he knew that no matter how much he and Zhu Yuanzhang talked, the final decision would be made by Zhu Yunwen.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. After all, it's the Grand Secretary's decision, and in the end, it's Yunhu's turn to make the choice." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, ending the topic.

Of course, he also saw that Tang He was unwilling to talk, so he did not discuss it in detail. He could understand Tang He's considerations. After all, who would want to offend a prime minister for no reason? That would be a waste of time.

In particular, Tang He is known for his caution.

In the palace!
After Xu Miaojin, Zhang Yan, and Zhao Rou talked for a while, the three women fell silent and looked towards the direction of the grassland.

Although good news has been coming back from the grasslands recently, they are still very worried about Zhu Yunwen's safety.

The grasslands are too vast, and on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; what if something unexpected happens?

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress and Your Highness the Imperial Concubine!" Jiang Huan rushed over, her face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Get up. Look at the joy on your face. Tell me, what is it?" Xu Miaojin saw the joy on Jiang Huan's face, waved her hand, and her worries subsided a little.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jiang Huan stood up and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has subdued the grasslands. Mahmud directly killed the Northern Yuan Emperor and surrendered to His Majesty, Xiang Benyashiri. From now on, the grasslands will be the territory of our Great Ming. In addition, His Majesty will be returning to Yingtian Prefecture soon."

"What!" Xu Miaojin, Zhang Yan, and Zhao Rou were all stunned when they heard Jiang Huan's words.

Conquering the grasslands—although Zhu Yunwen's slogan for this northward expedition was to conquer the grasslands, few people believed this statement. Many thought that Zhu Yunwen was just making empty promises, and that he would eventually win a battle on the grasslands and then return to Yingtian Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yunwen actually conquered the grasslands in such a short time; it's simply unbelievable!
Xu Miaojin suppressed her shock, forced herself to calm down, and looked at Jiang Huan seriously, saying, "Jiang Huan, is what you're saying true? His Majesty has really conquered the grasslands?"

Jiang Huan nodded vigorously and said, "Absolutely true!"

"Your Majesty..." Xu Miaojin stared in disbelief, her mouth agape, unsure of what to say. Zhu Yuanzhang had always dreamed of destroying the Northern Yuan, but in the end, he never succeeded.

As a result, Zhu Yunwen kicked the Northern Yuan to death with one kick, and also conquered the grasslands in the process. The difference in their abilities was too great.

She admired Zhu Yuanzhang's abilities; even in the grand scheme of history, Zhu Yuanzhang was exceptionally brilliant, someone one could only look up to. But now, compared to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yuanzhang was like a firefly compared to the bright moon!
The difference between them is like a huge, deep chasm. Conquering the grasslands—throughout history, only Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty has accomplished this. But how many Li Shimins are there in the world? What's even more outrageous is that Zhu Yunwen conquered the grasslands in a simpler, more brutal way, and in a shorter time than Li Shimin.

"Alright, you can go now!" Xu Miaojin waved her hand. Jiang Huan nodded, turned around, and left.

"Wait!" Just as Jiang Huan was about to leave, Xu Miaojin suddenly called out to him.

Jiang Huan stopped and turned around, asking with a puzzled look, "Your Majesty, is there anything else you need?"

"Go and spread this news!" Xu Miaojin said.

Jiang Huan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Afterwards, seeing that Xu Miaojin had no further instructions, he cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

"Sister, what did Jiang Huan just say? His Majesty conquered the grasslands. Am I dreaming?" As soon as Jiang Huan left, Zhang Yan could no longer hold back and turned her gaze to Xu Miaojin.

"Sister!" Zhao Rou also looked at Xu Miaojin, her expression extremely excited.

They also knew that Zhu Yunwen's Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and Tiger Leopard Cavalry were very capable fighters, and they were prepared for the possibility that Zhu Yunwen's northward campaign might result in a great victory.

However, the result before them still stunned them; it far exceeded their expectations.

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "Alright, alright, judging from your expressions, although I don't know exactly what happened on the grassland, since Jiang Huan has already said it, then this matter should not be false."

"It's truly unbelievable that His Majesty has actually conquered the grasslands."

"Who can argue with that? I bet a lot of people will be stunned once this news gets out."

"The Great Ancestor's greatest dream in his life was to destroy the Northern Yuan. As a result, Your Majesty not only fulfilled the Great Ancestor's dream, but also conquered the grasslands in the process."

"No, no, it should be that His Majesty conquered the grasslands and incidentally helped the Great Ancestor fulfill his dream."

"There's no difference. Conquering the grasslands will leave a significant mark on His Majesty's history books. Perhaps we can even go down in history together."

"."

Zhang Yan and Zhao Rou were incredibly excited, talking back and forth. After all, this was about conquering the grasslands, something ingrained in the hearts of every son and daughter of the Central Plains. Although they were women, they felt a deep sense of pride.

After the Tang Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty ushered in a new golden age and once again conquered the grasslands. In addition, both women were quite certain that under the leadership of Zhu Yunwen, the future prosperity of the Ming Dynasty would likely far surpass that of the Tang Dynasty.

"Hehe!" Xu Miaojin looked at Zhang Yan and Zhao Rou, a smile involuntarily appearing on her face. The handsome face of Zhu Yunwen flashed through her mind: "Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei requests an audience!" A palace maid approached and said respectfully.

"Have someone come over!" Xu Miaojin waved her hand with a smile.

Although she hadn't seen Xu Huizu yet, she vaguely guessed his purpose in coming to find her: to conquer the grasslands. Who wouldn't be stunned to hear such a thing?
She could even imagine that Yingtian Prefecture was already in an uproar.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The palace maid nodded, turned around, and walked away.

After a while.

Xu Huizu walked over excitedly, but when he saw Zhang Yan and Zhao Rou, his joy subsided slightly. He bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress and Your Highness the Imperial Concubine!"

"Get up, brother!" Xu Miaojin waved her hand.

Looking at the scene before her, Zhang Yan exchanged a glance with Zhao Rou and said, "Sister, you and the Duke of Wei can continue your conversation. Consort Ning and I will go down first."

After saying that, the two walked away together.

They knew that Xu Miaojin and Xu Huizu would be more reserved when speaking in front of them, so they didn't want to be the annoying ones.

Xu Huizu bowed slightly, watching Zhang Yan and Zhao Rou leave. After their figures disappeared, he could no longer hold back and looked at Xu Miaojin, asking, "Little sister, there's a lot of talk in the city that His Majesty has conquered the land. Is that true?"

Although he knew in his heart that other things might be fine, no one would dare to talk about Zhu Yunwen's conquest of the grasslands, he still rushed over to find Xu Miaojin as soon as he received the news, wanting to confirm it.

"It should be true!" Xu Miaojin nodded with a smile, feeling proud.

Husband and wife are one. Now that Zhu Yunwen has conquered the grasslands, she, as Zhu Yunwen's wife, is very proud. Look how powerful her man is!
"This is truly incredible! Conquering the grasslands! This is the conquest of the grasslands! The grasslands are so vast, and His Majesty has only been heading north for a short time!" Xu Huizu exclaimed, his face filled with awe and his emotions were incredibly complex.

He was also a military general and knew very well what Zhu Yunwen's achievements meant. It was no exaggeration to say that he was unprecedented and probably would not be able to surpass him in the future. After all, conquering the grasslands in just over a month was truly terrifying.

(End of this chapter)