Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 278 The Noisy Scholars
"First of all, I congratulate all the virtuous and talented individuals on successfully obtaining their official positions."

Secondly, after Yunnan completes its expansion into Annam, it will not stop! Because there are still places like Myanmar that need to be expanded.

Therefore, if any scholars are not satisfied with this selection of officials, please work hard, as there will be opportunities to start anew in newly developed areas in the future.

"Everyone still has countless opportunities!" Zhu Zhanhe continued to paint a rosy picture for the crowd, but this rosy picture made many scholars' eyes redden. After all, the selection of officials had just taken place, and some people were now in high positions, while others hadn't even gotten the job of a county magistrate. But if they could become the head of a prefecture, wouldn't that be better than being a county magistrate or working under someone else's rule?! This was the true thought of countless scholars!

Zhu Zhanhe paid no attention to their thoughts; he simply continued speaking to the crowd.

"Thirdly, our further expansion in Yunnan will require more officials. After all, those officials from other ethnic groups are, to us, uneducated outsiders. We can never trust them as much as we trust our own people."

Therefore, all you esteemed scholars must focus on cultivating Confucian scholars in your efforts to develop this land and educate its people! Of course, if any of you have relatives, friends, or classmates who can also participate in the development of Yunnan, then I, on behalf of Yunnan, will extend the warmest welcome to them!” Zhu Zhanhe’s wishful thinking was quite shrewd, practically hitting the scholars in the face. Having just assigned official positions to the scholars, Zhu Zhanhe immediately instructed them to mobilize their networks to bring in friends and relatives. After all, who doesn’t have a few friends? Even Pang Tong had Zhuge Liang as a friend! And now was the most persuasive time, with tangible official positions right before their eyes!
"Fourthly, I hope that all of you virtuous and capable individuals will work diligently in your respective positions and achieve results. My cabinet in Yunnan is still short of people, not to mention the Grand Council that His Highness the Crown Prince is planning to establish!"

But if someone doesn't put their heart into their work, as everyone knows, every one of our positions is very valuable, and countless people are eagerly waiting for them later on! Zhu Zhanhe began to sow discord among the crowd, offering a sweet treat before threatening them with a stick.

As expected, Zhu Zhanhe's words immediately caused a slight change in the expressions of countless scholars, especially those who had obtained high positions this time. They were even more determined to work hard, after all, there was a vacancy among the prince's close advisors! And they absolutely could not allow anyone to take their place! As for the officials who had not performed well in this selection, they were even more excited after hearing the prince's words, after all, the opportunity was right in front of them!
"Sixth, in order to keep abreast of the progress of work in various places, in addition to dispatching the Embroidered Uniform Guard to each prefecture and county, I will also grant some officials in each prefecture the right to submit secret memorials, that is, the right to submit memorials directly to me. As for who will be given the power to submit secret memorials, you don't need to know. They may be subordinate officials, clerks, or so on."

Although official positions had already been assigned to the scholars, Zhu Zhanhe still needed to give them some advice. At the same time, Zhu Zhanhe made it clear to all the scholars that not only would the Embroidered Uniform Guard be monitoring their work, but his personal spies were also among their colleagues. Therefore, they should all just focus on working diligently for him and not have any other ulterior motives. He could easily control them all!

Zhu Zhanhe's words sent a chill down the spines of all the scholars. They all knew that if they didn't perform their duties diligently, their current official positions might soon be replaced by someone sent by the Crown Prince. Even more terrifying was the possibility that the Crown Prince might plant spies among them—spies within the scholarly community! Willing spies! If any of them didn't work hard, their colleagues might secretly report them, hoping to replace them!
After all, this secret reporting system sounds like it was specifically designed to control officials. Even though it's a spy everyone willingly and eagerly wants to be!
In an instant, the expressions of the many scholars changed. After all, they now knew that the Han Crown Prince before them was not an ordinary person who could be easily fooled and had only risen to power by relying on his father, the Prince of Han, but a true ruler, a power holder, and a schemer!
Because everyone can see that from beginning to end, the Crown Prince of Han has been using perfectly legitimate and open schemes in everything he has said and done! It's an open scheme that's just waiting for the greedy to jump in themselves—an unsolvable scheme! And right now, all the scholars are willingly stepping into the abyss of this scheme!

"My fellow officials need not worry," Zhu Zhanhe said. "As long as everyone works diligently, the Prince of Han's Mansion will certainly not treat you unfairly. Next, please listen to the details of Yunnan's policy regarding the distribution of land to the newly developed areas." Seeing that he had said enough and that the scholars had become serious, Zhu Zhanhe shifted his focus to the matter of land distribution, which was of great interest to everyone. He then gestured for his father-in-law, Xia Yuanji, to explain the details of the land distribution to the scholars.

However, as soon as Zhu Zhan'e finished speaking, before Xia Yuanji could step forward to begin his explanation, the scene descended into chaos.

"Boom!" As Zhu Zhanhe finished speaking, the scholars erupted in excitement. They had initially thought the land distribution was just a gimmick used by the Crown Prince to entice everyone. But they hadn't expected the Crown Prince to actually do it! He had even presented detailed rules. In an instant, all the scholars were excitedly discussing it.

"Crack! Silence!" Standing beside Zhu Zhanhe, Xiao Xizi, seeing the scholars in the Chengyun Hall becoming increasingly disorderly, produced a long whip from somewhere and lashed it out with a thunderous crack. This sound immediately drew the scholars' attention to the high platform. Seeing their gazes fixed on him, Xiao Xizi quickly shouted for everyone to be quiet.

In an instant, the scholars fell silent. All eyes were on the Crown Prince of Han on the stage. They wondered if he would be angered by their commotion, or if it would cause any other problems.

"Oh? Everyone's finished discussing? Then let me say something!" Zhu Zhanhe frowned as he looked at the now quiet scholars. He suddenly realized that since these scholars arrived in Yunnan, he had been very considerate, hosting them banquets every few days. Now it seemed he had been too lenient, making them a little arrogant and presumptuous! Therefore, Zhu Zhanhe decided to teach them a small lesson, make them feel the pinch, and let them learn their lesson.

"Before the official document is read aloud, I, the Crown Prince, have decided that the land allocations for the two hundred of you Crown Princes in this expansion of Annam will be reduced to 80%!" Besides the pain of losing a piece of flesh, the pain of spending money is even greater. In ancient times, the pain of losing land was far more painful than paying money! Therefore, in response to the scholars' outcry, Zhu Zhanhe decided to cancel a portion of their land grants!

"Ah~, uh~, hiss~" Zhu Zhanhe's words caused a stir of astonishment throughout the hall. The scholars, who had just learned of the land distribution, were suddenly informed that their land grants would be reduced to 80%, causing them, these scholars from humble backgrounds, to feel a pang of heartache. The scene erupted into chaos once again.

The renewed commotion in the Chengyun Hall caused Xiao Xizi, Xia Yuanji, Mu Sheng, and the others to close their eyes. They knew these scholars hadn't yet experienced the harsh realities of court life. The saying goes, "Thunder and rain are both expressions of imperial favor." Even if they had strong objections to the Crown Prince's punishment, they had to endure it, if not kowtow in gratitude. These scholars, however, had once again caused an uproar in the court. If this had happened in the main hall, it would have been considered a grave offense of disrespect before the emperor!
That's a serious crime that could cost you your head!
(End of this chapter)