Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 131 That Damn Ghost
Lü Ben was extremely satisfied with his daughter.

I've never had to worry about anything since I was little.

He was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and he also excelled in the classics, history, philosophy, and literature.

She learns things very quickly, even if you teach her from a young age.

Especially in interpersonal relationships, they are exceptionally good.

She's exceptionally good at interpersonal relationships and handling situations.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to receive such extraordinary favor in such a short time after entering the palace.

Whether it was Crown Prince Zhu Biao, the Emperor, Empress Ma, or Crown Princess Chang, they were all extremely satisfied with their daughter.

Although his own daughter was a concubine, she did not suffer any grievances in the palace.

He had only been in the palace for a short time, yet he had already managed to get one of his nephews, who was almost five generations removed from the imperial family, into the Eastern Palace and make him the Grand Steward of the Eastern Palace.

Now, everything inside and outside the Eastern Palace is decided by her own daughter.

The many servants in the Eastern Palace only knew of the Crown Prince's concubines, but not of the Crown Princess.

The respect shown to the Crown Prince's concubine has long surpassed that shown to the Crown Prince's wife.

These are the strongest pieces of evidence that my daughter is good at handling things.

If it weren't for her good looks and ability to get things done.

How could one possibly obtain these things in such a short time?

In other words, he was of low social standing and could not compare to Chang Yuchun.

There was Chang Yuchun's daughter ahead, blocking our way.

Otherwise, their own daughter could at least become the Crown Princess in the future.

After the crown prince ascends the throne, he can become the empress, and I can become the legitimate father-in-law of the emperor.

However, judging from the current situation...

If, in the future, Crown Princess Chang were to encounter any misfortune, the position of Crown Princess would certainly belong to my daughter.

I can definitely control my own daughter.

When this thought arose in his mind, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

An idea popped into my head.

Is this...is it possible that in the future, I can think of some ways to remove the obstacle that is Crown Princess Chang?
As long as she can be eliminated, given her daughter's status and position, she will surely be able to successfully replace Chang Shi.

The thought stirred something within him, and his heart skipped a beat.

I just felt it was exceptionally good.

Unfortunately, the Crown Princess Chang has now given birth to a son, Zhu Xiong Ying, who is the eldest grandson of the emperor.

He is the eldest son and grandson of the Zhu family.

My own daughter, when she has children in the future, will inevitably be ranked after Zhu Xiong Ying.

Could it be that... we can also think of ways to get rid of the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, without anyone noticing?

Therefore, the throne will inevitably be inherited by the son born to one's own daughter.

If this is the case, then the Lü family will surely enjoy continuous wealth and become the greatest noble family since the founding of the Ming Dynasty!

The more Lü Ben thought about it, the more he felt that his ideas were indeed feasible.

However, the difficulty lies in its implementation; there's no way to do it without anyone noticing.

In particular, the goal was to kill them all so that the emperor and his men would not suspect their own daughter.

He could even ensure that his daughter would still enjoy the emperor's favor.

Lu Ben sat there scratching his head, beginning to delve into the matter.

After thinking for a while, I still couldn't come up with a good solution.

However, a thought lingered in my mind and wouldn't go away.

He decided to wait until his daughter came home to visit her family in the future, or until he himself entered the palace to see his daughter.

You should seize the opportunity to tell your daughter about this idea.

Based on his daughter's abilities and her position in the Eastern Palace.

There might actually be an opportunity to do that.

The thought of her daughter becoming an empress, or even an empress dowager, filled her with joy.

The Lü family, too, rose in status along with the tide.

Lu Ben couldn't help but feel extremely excited, and he increasingly felt that his family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke.

I think this daughter is truly wonderful.

A bout of smallpox took away his son and wife, leaving only his daughter.

Having survived two near-death experiences, I knew that good fortune was on its way.

My daughter is destined for great wealth and honor.

Now it seems that what I thought was right.

This is God's compensation for the disaster of that year.

My own daughter is truly outstanding and exceptional.

Having such a daughter is truly the greatest fortune for the Lü family.

I am certain that I will continue to have a successful official career and stand firm in the ever-changing and extremely dangerous Hongwu court!
……

"Dad, you're really good at keeping your mouth shut."

Even now, you still wouldn't tell me the truth, you've been hiding it from me.

At the Duke of Han's residence, Li Qi looked at his father, Duke Li Shanchang of Han, and said with a smile, his face full of excitement.

It has to be your own father; he'll handle things perfectly.

Once you realize something, you must be able to keep up with it in your actions.

In a short period of time, they had completely sided with the emperor.

Not only did it completely eliminate the emperor's hostility towards his family, but it also led the emperor to betroth the princess to him.

Their own family had become in-laws with the emperor!

Now the Li family is finally at peace.

Looking at her son, whose face was full of excitement.

Li Shanchang felt utterly exhausted.

This matter is truly impossible to explain.

By now, he's too lazy to explain anymore.

Or perhaps it's just that there's nothing that can be done, and there's no way to explain it.

"This is what I taught you before: there are some things you can do but you can't say."

Especially before everything settles down, you must keep your mouth shut. Have you learned that?

Looking at his son, Li Shanchang decided to make the best of a bad situation.

"I remember, Father."

This incident has left a very deep impression on me, and I will certainly remember Father's words and deeds forever.

This will surely benefit the child for life.

Li Qi nodded very seriously.

He finally admitted it was his own father!
He knew that his father was behind it.

"Good that you've remembered. Now you can go down."

Li Shanchang waved his hand at his son, revealing a mysterious expression.

It was as if, at the beginning, he had gone to great lengths to explain to his son that he hadn't done it, but had done it intentionally.

Li Qi didn't leave, but stood there looking at his father, and spoke again.

"Father, do you think this matter can be accomplished?"
Will those maritime merchants agree to the conditions proposed by His Majesty?

In the past, Li Shanchang wouldn't have talked too much about these things with his son.

But it's different now.

He now realizes that his son is growing up.

From now on, the Li family will still be handed over to him.

His status will also change; he will become the emperor's son-in-law.

There are many things I need to talk to him about.

Doing so will only bring benefits and no harm.

"Difficult, extremely difficult."

How could these maritime merchants possibly agree to that?
In the past, when they were smuggling, a lot of the money went into their pockets.

Now, according to the emperor's plan, they will not only be subject to the court's management in the future, but also be bound by rules and regulations.

They also need to collect six out of ten taxes directly.

This is no different from cutting their flesh with a knife.

Moreover, it's the kind of treatment that cuts them to death; these people definitely won't be happy about that.

Even though he has seen many storms and has been in control of the central government for many years.

When Li Shanchang talked about these things, he couldn't help but show a troubled expression.

I feel mentally exhausted.

This is really too difficult.

Even if the current emperor were a man of great talent and ambition, he might not be able to accomplish this.

There are too many variables.

Upon hearing what his father said, Li Qi was taken aback.

He had previously thought this would be difficult.

But I believe that with His Majesty's current abilities, even if it's difficult, he can still get it done.

How come now, coming from my own father's mouth, it sounds as if the emperor can't do it at all?
"Father, the most difficult part of this matter is dealing with the brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, as well as the naval forces prepared against the Japanese pirates."

His Majesty has now resolved all of these issues.

The rest were just some businessmen.

"Given Your Majesty's great talent and strategic vision, these tasks, while difficult, are not too difficult."

Li Shanchang shook his head: "Qi'er, you're wrong."

The most difficult part of this matter was not Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, nor the tens of thousands of Japanese naval troops.

It is precisely these businessmen.

These are the toughest ones to crack.

Otherwise, why would the emperor personally meet with them at Tianjie Temple on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month?

Hearing his father say this, Li Qi was stunned again.

This was clearly beyond his comprehension.

To ordinary people, many of these businessmen seem aloof and unapproachable.

They are extremely important figures.

But for someone of Li Qi's status, these so-called important figures are nothing special.

Compared to officials, they are nothing.

There are far too many businessmen who grovel and fawn over their own countrymen.

There were even many businessmen who, in the past, could never get involved with their families, no matter how hard they tried.

If you really wanted to deal with these businessmen, it would only take a single word.

Now, the one who wants to take action against them is the current emperor.

His Majesty is a man of exceptional skill.

He was also the founding emperor, who won the empire on horseback.

With their prestige at its peak, how could these merchants possibly contend with the emperor?
How could they be even more troublesome than Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, the two founding dukes and marquises, and tens of thousands of Japanese naval troops?

"Father, surely not?"

What are merchants anyway, that they're being compared to Wu Zhen and Wu Liang?
It shouldn't exceed tens of thousands of Japanese naval troops.

Moreover, just this year, in the case of the blank seal, how many officials in the country did His Majesty kill?
So many officials were killed without any apparent cause for concern.

What His Majesty wants to deal with now is a group of smuggling merchants.

Even if these people are difficult to deal with, how difficult can they really be?

After hearing what his son said, Li Shanchang felt even more that it was right for him to talk to his son about this matter.

"It's different; there are big differences here."

Although the blank seal case involved many officials and generated a lot of buzz, it only involved officials.

Many of these officials did not wield that much power.

The implications are not that widespread.

The emperor ordered his execution without hesitation.

Once concrete evidence is found, they can manipulate the situation however they want.

But now, these businessmen are different.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi became even more puzzled.

"What's the difference?"

When did merchants in the Ming Dynasty achieve such a high status?

Even the emperor himself couldn't win? How come I didn't know that?
"If they were just businessmen, it would be easy to solve."

None of these businessmen can make any waves.

But this time is different.

This time, the emperor wanted to deal with far too many merchants.

Most importantly, these businessmen are not simply businessmen.

Many of these businessmen have large and successful families.

In those places in Jiangnan, there are far too many people who depend on them for their livelihood.

It can be said that the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people in Jiangnan depend on it. If things are not handled properly, it could lead to major chaos.

In the previous case of the Empty Seal, when the emperor killed so many officials, the common people would only applaud and cheer.

Standing on the sidelines watching the excitement.

I will absolutely not side with officials.

But things are different now. The rise and fall of these merchants are related to the food supply of many ordinary people.

Once these people are determined to cause trouble and challenge the emperor.

Then many ordinary people will inevitably participate.

Throughout history, the most feared thing about many things is the involvement of ordinary people.

Without the participation of ordinary people, whether they are officials, merchants, or generals with troops, they cannot make much of a splash.

But if many ordinary people also participate, then things will be quite different.

This will inevitably cause a huge mess.

One wrong move and it could topple the dynasty!

That's the hardest part of this.

That's why the emperor would give these merchants such great respect.

They also need to come to Tianjie Temple together to see them.

Not because of them, but because of the many ordinary people behind them.

Upon hearing his father's words, Li Qi froze on the spot.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my father was absolutely right.

It turns out there were so many things in this matter that I hadn't understood before.

So, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding this matter?
"Father, I believe His Majesty will be able to resolve this matter."

These people were no match for the emperor.

Even if things get chaotic, with so much wealth at stake, the emperor wouldn't allow things to continue like this.

"The stronger the opponent, the stronger they become; the current emperor is not one of those weak and easily bullied emperors."

As Li Qi spoke, his eyes involuntarily drifted towards his father.

He recalled Zhongdu City, and how his father later gathered the power of officials from all over the country to put pressure on His Majesty.

Then the emperor took a picture of it.

Perhaps, this time will be the same.

Li Shanchang nodded, then noticed that his son's gaze was somewhat different.

After a moment's thought, I understood what this bastard was thinking.

Damn it, I can't keep this son!
He would make his father a negative example for no reason.

"Let's wait and see. Anyway, there's less than a month until the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month."

Let's see what the emperor does on that day.

But what about the reactions of the merchants?

Li Shanchang cursed his dutiful son in his heart, and finally gave this reply...

……

Liu Bowen held the imperial edict for a long time before putting it down.

But his expression showed no sign of relaxation.

His brows remained furrowed.

This matter is extraordinary and cannot be compared to ordinary events.

If things aren't handled properly, it could really cause a huge mess.

He paced back and forth for half an hour before getting up and leaving the room.

He has made his decision to go and seek an audience with the emperor.

We must have a serious talk with the emperor about some things.

Even though he knew that, given the current emperor's personality, he would never make such a decision rashly in this matter.

It is very likely that they have already planned this carefully and taken all aspects into consideration.

However, given the gravity of the matter, he couldn't resist the urge to go to the palace and have a proper discussion with the emperor about it.

Otherwise, I would truly feel uneasy.

The Ming Dynasty is now flourishing, and the emperor is eliminating malpractices and striving for innovation.

As for himself, he naturally had to do his best to contribute to the Ming Dynasty.

I just hope that there will be less turmoil in the future.

Let's get fewer people involved and handle things smoothly...

……

"Hu Weiyong, you think you can just hand over so much money like that? This is all my money!"
Did you ask me?

Give me back my money!

At Hu Weiyong's residence, Hu Tianci looked at Hu Weiyong and questioned him.

His words were unusually unfriendly.

If anyone else had dared to speak to Hu Weiyong like that, Hu Weiyong would have been furious long ago.

But now, it's his son who's talking to him like that.

Hu Weiyong showed no anger whatsoever; on the contrary, he even had a smile on his face.

It was as if his son calling him by his name and talking to him was a wonderful thing.

He was already completely satisfied.

“Tianci, this time things are different.”

The emperor has his eye on me.

This money is mandatory.

"If you give it to the emperor, how am I supposed to spend it?"

Hu Tianci's expression remained grim.

"Don't worry, Li Bai was right, 'Even if you spend all your money, it will come back again.'"

With your father around, how could he possibly shortchange you on money?

As long as your father is still the prime minister, our family will never lack money.

I will certainly not let my son lack money for expenses.

When he learned of what Zhu Di had done while he was in the palace, he secretly resolved to teach his son a lesson and guide him onto the right path.

Hu Weiyong, stop wasting your time on cockfighting and dog racing, and stop doing anything productive.

Upon actually seeing her son, her expression quickly changed.

He couldn't utter a single word.

He felt that serving as a servant to Zhu Yuanzhang was already an exceptionally arduous task.

I live alone in my own home, so this kind of hard work is enough.

There's no need for my son to go through such hardship.

He'll do anything as long as his son is happy.

"Hu Weiyong, do you think this emperor's head was kicked by a donkey?"
Why do these things if you have nothing else to do?
A lot of our family's money came from gifts from those maritime merchants.

If the emperor's dog causes such trouble, then the money from the maritime merchants will all be taken away by the imperial court.

Where would we get any money here?

Hu Tianci still didn't quite believe it.

"Don't worry, things aren't that easy to do."

Establishing a maritime trade office is not so easy.

Those maritime merchants weren't so easy to control either.

Whether things will succeed or not remains to be seen.

Even the emperor would find this difficult to handle.

When this matter was mentioned, Hu Weiyong seemed very confident, and the expression on his face became somewhat intriguing.

"As for money, even if we lose income from maritime trade, we will not lack money elsewhere."

An official position is the greatest wealth.

I've never heard of a prime minister being short of money.

Hu Weiyong's words were perfectly reasonable and justified.

Hu Tianci's expression softened.

Hu Weiyong said, "Come, Tianci, call me father."

"father."

"Hey!"

That one word, "Father," made Hu Weiyong beam with joy, as sweet as if he had eaten honey.

I couldn't be happier.

……

"Mr. Yushan, what do you think of this matter?"

Suzhou, a place with an extremely beautiful garden, is where a large group of people gather.

These people were dressed in silk, with jade pendants hanging from their waists, and each of them looked exceptionally smart.

They all look like they're either rich or powerful.

Like previous dynasties, the Ming Dynasty suppressed commerce.

Merchants also had a very low social status.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants were ranked lowest.

Furthermore, there are various regulations governing merchants' attire, transportation, and many other aspects.

For example, the most basic rule was that one was not allowed to wear silk or satin; one could only wear cloth.

However, there is a saying: "The law despises merchants, while merchants have become valuable."

These people are all very wealthy, so how could they not wear fine silks and satins?

Except for some extremely formal occasions, when I will follow legal provisions and wear plain clothes.

Most of the time, it's all about getting richer and more luxurious.
At this moment, there were seventy or eighty people gathered in the garden.

They were all well-known and influential figures among the merchants in Suzhou.

Ordinary things can't bring them together.

"What do you think? The emperor wants us dead."

They want to devour us all!
They're trying to cut off our source of income.

The man being questioned had a prosperous appearance and clearly held a very high position among the merchants in Suzhou.

“What Master Yushan said is right, and I think so too.”

This beggar is short-sighted and ruthless.

They actually acted so recklessly.

This is treating us like pigs to be slaughtered.

Why didn't Zhu Hongwu just rob it?

These words immediately caused an uproar, with countless people shouting and cursing.

The sentiment is exciting.

It can be said that what Zhu Yuanzhang did ignited the anger of so many people.

"What does Master Yushan think about Zhu Hongwu's request for us to meet at Tianjie Temple on the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month?"

"What do you think? We're not going. Let the dog emperor play by himself!"
Who could condone the things he's done?

"That's right, I'm not going! Let's see what he can do!"

"Yes! We're not going!"
No emperor would act like this; he truly doesn't treat people like human beings, and he leaves us no way to survive!

Yu Shan Gong remained silent, but the others couldn't help but chime in with their opinions.

I have something to say.

Once everyone's voices had mostly faded away, Yu Shan Gong finally spoke.

Upon seeing this, everyone fell silent and quieted down.

"Go, why wouldn't you go?"
If you go, you can also meet the emperor and have a good talk with him about the price.

If no one even shows up, how can you negotiate terms?

Some people nodded in agreement after hearing what Yu Shan Gong said.

I think what Yushan Gong said is very true.

But some people looked worried.

"Lord Yushan, Zhu Hongwu is not someone to be trifled with."
They already have a lot of opinions about people from Suzhou and other places.

Now that this has happened again, this guy is even more upset.

This trip to Tianjie Temple was definitely not a pleasant one.

It could easily turn into a trap.

"This journey... I fear the odds are against us."

Upon hearing this person's words, many others echoed his sentiments and expressed the same view.

"Don't worry, Zhu Hongwu wouldn't dare!"

Lord Yu sat up straight, his expression full of majesty...

……

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang stretched.

It's already the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, time to go and see these loyal men of our Great Ming!
(End of this chapter)