"Dang...dang...dang..."
In the early morning, while Zhu Gaoxu was lying down, the morning bells of Nanjing City slowly sounded inside and outside the city.
At the same time, Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jixi in the large teaching ground also got up one after another. According to what Lao Zhu told them yesterday, they led their respective royal guards to the camps of the guards and horses in the teaching ground to review the troops.
The Qin and Jin governments did not have so many conflicts of interest, so Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jixi could review the troops in the camp in harmony.
The two of them wore round-collared robes of two colors, one scarlet and one green, with white cloaks draped over their shoulders. They were walking in the camp with guards from the two palaces.
The guards of the two mansions beat gongs and drums to notify the soldiers in the camp to get up for drills. Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jixi also looked at the soldiers who got up, but they did not pay attention to the soldiers' actions. They only regarded this review as a show of their faces.
"It is not difficult to review troops and train troops. It is enough to find two generals who can train troops."
The Crown Prince of Qin, Zhu Shangbing, was talking eloquently, and the Crown Prince of Jin, Zhu Jixi, nodded in agreement and looked at another military camp not far away.
In that military camp, although many soldiers got up, they were busy eating breakfast, and no one informed them to drill.
Looking at this scene, Zhu Jixi couldn't help but laugh and said: "I think Zhu Gaochi overslept. That's right. He doesn't look like someone who can get up early."
Indeed, even he had to admit that he was not as good as his younger brother Zhu Gaoxu.
The two of them walked silently into Duke Ying's mansion and walked towards the backyard.
The two of them spoke very quietly, but Zhu Gaochi could still hear them.
Zhu Gaochi looked disappointed, Zhu Jixi also pretended to step forward and patted him on the back, but Zhu Shangbing ignored it.
But they didn't wait for the two of them, only the eunuch who came to deliver the message.
"Gaoxu!" Fu Zhong's voice came from the door, and Zhu Gaoxu also handed Chi Huan's horse rein to the soldiers who came to pick it up.
In the past, he could still say that his younger brother was only as brave as a man, but now more than half a year has passed, and his second younger brother has grown rapidly. Whether it is marching, fighting, or handling government affairs, he can always dominate him. Even Zhu Gaochi has begun to feel guilty.
In addition to these, Zhu Yuanzhang would also hold evening dynasties from time to time to see how the officials were performing government affairs and whether they had completed all government affairs during the day as scheduled.
I don't know why, but he was a little panicked today, and his eyelids kept twitching.
"Thanks for the comfort, brother..." Zhu Gaochi forced a smile and bowed. Zhu Yunwen also smiled and nodded in agreement, and then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's back.
"Use banknotes to offset taxes?" Zhu Jixi's words surprised Zhu Shangbing. After all, Su and Song's two palaces account for 10% of the world's tax. If these two palaces use banknotes to offset taxes, the Ming Dynasty's annual income next year will probably be reduced a lot. After all, the current treasure Only two hundred and fifty dollars can be exchanged for money, but the taxes paid are collected as usual.
"Congratulations -"
"..." After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Yunwen was stunned. He didn't expect this day to come so quickly.
"Your Highness, Duke, Consort..."
Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's expression, Fu Zhong's steps also slowed down. Perhaps he had already guessed the result in his heart.
"The eldest son of Jin Dynasty, Xi, meets the Emperor's grandfather..."
It's a pity that Fu Youde and Jin Wang Zhu Fan are related by marriage, and Zhu Fan clamored for the heir apparent.
"Although I can't figure out the connection, the news has already spread around the imperial city, and it is estimated that it will spread throughout Jiangnan in a few days."
More than 600 civil and military officials stood in the square in front of Fengtian Hall, waiting for the next process.
"alright."
Such a move made Zhu Yunwen feel a little uneasy. After all, he had previously strongly opposed the new policy of "paying taxes with cash". This change was too big. Why didn't his grandfather ask?
Time passed little by little, and it was not until half an hour later that a head of the household department came up and knelt down to say something:
Not long after, the ritual music started playing, the soldiers on the left and right of the palace gate fired their whips again, and the ministers also kowtowed to the emperor again.
Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen on the side immediately stepped forward and bowed with a smile: "Your Majesty, if this benevolent policy can benefit the Susong and Song Dynasties without damaging the national treasury, it should be implemented in the south of the Yangtze River."
Not long after, when Zhu Yunwen also finished eating and returned, the grandfather and grandson dealt with the memorial in silence. It was not until six o'clock in the morning that the silence in the palace was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and the sound of singing.
After half an hour of this, Zhu Gaochi arrived late with a guard horse.
"Your Highnesses..."
The things they talked about were actually small things about banditry in the county or town, routine, or promotions, but Zhu Yuanzhang sat in his seat and listened carefully.
The profit in this process is close to 700 yuan...
"What did Grandpa say?" Zhu Gaoxu looked at the eunuch anxiously. The eunuch also bowed when he saw this, maintaining a bowing posture and said:
The eunuch who accompanied him went up to the high platform and bowed to the two of them. The two of them could not hold back and asked directly: "When will the emperor's grandpa and grandson come?"
"Xu Yunzhong, the head of the household department, hereby pays homage to your majesty..."
He held court meetings so frequently because he did not want to lose touch with the people, and these little things were his way of observing whether his ministers were hiding anything about people's livelihood.
At five o'clock in the morning, when the sound of singing and singing rang out in Fengtian Square, the sound of cleaning whips also exploded one after another.
He knew better than anyone why Zhu Yuanzhang was unhappy.
After the guard stood firm, Zhu Gaochi walked up to the high platform out of breath, and bowed to Zhu Shangbing: "Brother, Brother Bing..."
"After reviewing the army in the military camp, what insights do you have?"
In the end, only Zhu Yunwen stepped forward to comfort him: "Grandpa is very satisfied with your answer. It's just that some unhappy things happened last time. Don't take it to heart."
Zhu Yuanzhang asked them to take the exam, but Zhu Jixi and Zhu Shangbing subconsciously looked at each other.
"Today's review will be inspected by a slave." The eunuch reported in return, but the answer made Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Shangbing look a bit unhappy.
"His Majesty has spoken, saying that His Highness has achieved success in his studies and there is no need to study in Duke Ying's mansion in the future..."
"Two quarters of an hour passed before he came. He will feel better later."
"Hu, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials..."
Zhu Gaochi was panting and his face was red. He had obviously been running all the way.
The eunuch only saluted Zhu Gaoxu, Fu Youde and Fu Zhong, but did not pay attention to Fu Rang.
"Although this policy is a benevolent policy, it was only implemented for four days after all. The details still have to be seen later."
"Pity……"
"These soldiers and horses are not his, so he is very excited."
"Indeed." Zhu Shangbing also laughed, but he stopped smiling after smiling: "Compared to him, Zhu Gaoxu's behavior is eye-catching."
But before he could think about it, Zhu Jixi next to him said to him in a gloating tone: "Look, he just came now."
"Let's talk about it in the mansion first."
According to the etiquette system, ministers need to cough in advance before playing, and then go from the end of the class to kneel in front of the emperor to play.
Zhu Jixi and Zhu Shangbing came to Wuying Hall, which meant that they had finished reviewing the army.
"That's good..." Brother Fu Zhong sighed, and Fu Youde also felt relieved.
But before they could feel at ease, footsteps came from outside the study. The four of them looked up and saw a maid walking to the door of the study and saluting:
Zhu Shangbing mocked Zhu Gaochi, and then together with Zhu Jixi urged the soldiers in the military camp to go to the large training ground to practice martial arts.
Zhu Yuanzhang watched the two people sit down and said nothing. He just concentrated on processing the memorials and discussed with Zhu Yunwen from time to time whether the contents of some memorials were in compliance with the rules.
Can he, who is inferior to Zhu Gaoxu in everything, really be able to overpower him and become the King of Yan by virtue of his status as the direct eldest son?
Since Zhu Gaoxu was on holiday yesterday, these memorials were handled by Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Gaochi.
Two quarters of an hour later, the two men returned to Wuying Hall with a large number of eunuch soldiers. Zhu Yuanzhang also sat back on the dragon chair and began to read the memorial.
After all, a consistent banknote can only be worth two to three hundred cash in the market, but it is a real consistent note that is given to the court as tax.
"My grandson thought..."
In his opinion, the daily morning and afternoon dynasties, as well as the occasional evening dynasty, are really unnecessary, because such frequent dynasties would be too torturous for the ministers.
"Since July 15th, the method of using banknotes to offset taxes in the Su and Song Prefectures has been very effective. The people of the two prefectures have been very active in paying taxes. As of yesterday, they have paid tax bills of 176,432 yuan and 600 yuan. Twenty-three coins.”
The connection between Zhu Gaoxu and Fu Youde was cut off. It seemed that the connection was only cut off, but what was really cut off was probably Fu Youde's livelihood.
"It's only been two days since you came to see me. I'm afraid His Majesty will be unhappy if he finds out."
"Gao Xu's changes are really too big..."
After doing all this, Zhu Yuanzhang exhaled. His whole body became a little sluggish for a moment, and he seemed to have made some decision:
Seeing this, the accompanying eunuch couldn't help but sigh in his heart. After a while, he turned his attention to the large training ground to watch the military sergeants practicing martial arts.
In Fengtian Square, famous ministers sang salutes one after another, and then came to kneel in front of the emperor to play.
"Uncle..."
"Not to mention the troops and horses here, even the troops and horses of the Yan Mansion and the troops of Peiping and Daning in the future, I am afraid it will not be his turn to control them. After all... haha."
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and waved to them, indicating that they should enter the palace. Upon seeing this, the two of them also thanked him.
Zhu Gaochi looked up to the end of the sky, looking at the slowly rising sun, with mixed emotions.
His expression made Zhu Yunwen's heart skip a beat...
The wives of Fu Youde and Fu Zhong both passed away early, and apart from a few rooms for concubines, there were no female dependents in the backyard.
"Well..." Zhu Yuanzhang responded without asking Zhu Yunwen the reason.
It's just that... Zhu Yunwen looked back at Zhu Gaochi and couldn't help but squint his eyes.
It can be said that the early dynasty had very high requirements for the quality of the emperor and civil servants. The emperor had to have extremely strong political abilities to ensure that he could handle political affairs skillfully in the court meetings, and the civil servants also had to have organized thoughts to avoid making mistakes.
"Um……"
Since he abolished the prime minister system, he has been most worried about being deceived, so he made large-scale morning and noon dynasties precisely to understand the sentiments of the people and avoid being deceived.
"Have you read these memorials?"
"I..." Zhu Gaoxu wanted to say something more, but Fu Youde shook his head and said:
Perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a good mood today, so everything he looked at was distracting to him. He asked Zhu Gaochi with a straight face: "Why did you arrive just now?"
"Chi, the eldest son of Yan, comes to see the Emperor's grandfather."
Zhu Gaoxu bowed with a complicated expression. He didn't know how to tell Fu Zhong and Fu Youde about this.
Whether Fu Youde can die or not, I am afraid half of the variables still depend on Zhu Gaoxu.
He used the title "I", which showed that he was very unhappy.
In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the golden platform in the hall in regular clothes. On his left stood his eunuch and Zhu Yunwen, who was also in regular clothes.
"..." After hearing the word "Oral Order", the expressions of Fu Youde and his son changed. Even Zhu Gaoxu, who had always been favored, couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at this moment.
This kind of benevolence is very good in a future vassal king, especially among the vassal kings and county princes who mostly do evil things in Lao Zhu's family.
"The Duke, Your Highness, the Young Master... the palace has sent someone to deliver a message. Please go down to the main hall to give a speech."
After receiving Zhu Gaoxu's information, they felt relieved.
It is said to be a push, but in fact no one with any sense will reject this tax offset with banknotes.
"Back to grandpa..." Zhu Gaochi took a breath before continuing to respond: "My grandson felt that the early morning was too cold for the soldiers to perform martial arts, so he waited until the generals and soldiers in the army had finished their breakfast before asking them to perform martial arts."
Zhu Jixi was three years older than Zhu Gaochi, so he naturally had to salute. However, Zhu Shangbing, who was two years younger than him, did not look down upon him and continued to bow.
"It should be fine." Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but said: "A few days ago, the direct chiefs of the three palaces of Qin, Jin, and Yan have all joined the Wuying Palace to manage the government. If something happens to the crown prince, the crown prince of Jin will probably make some changes, but I didn't notice it."
Zhu Jixi and Zhu Shangbing only felt that their cheeks were red. Zuoyi expressed that he knew, and then moved into the position under Zhu Yunwen's eyes, waiting to deal with today's memorial.
At this moment, Zhu Yunwen couldn't tell what he was feeling. He didn't really want Fu Youde to die. After all, Fu Youde did not pose any threat to him, but could instead protect him.
"But on my sister's side..." Fu Rang couldn't hold his breath and wanted to say what would happen to Fu's side, but after his words came out, Fu Youde and the other two fell silent.
"My grandson accepts the order..." After reacting, he nodded in agreement, and then absentmindedly ate his breakfast.
As soon as he got off his horse, the door to Duke Ying's mansion opened.
Not long after, when the four people arrived, a eunuch and two leopard guards were waiting in the main hall.
Zhu Gaoxu rubbed his twitching left eye and comforted himself, but the panic in his heart always lingered.
Currently, they are imprisoned in the palace by Zhu Yuanzhang and cannot get news from the outside world, so they don't know what is going on with the Fu family.
"Huh?" Zhu Shangbing followed Zhu Jixi's gaze, and then saw Zhu Gaochi who was rushing to the military camp with the Yanfu guards.
"It is precisely because there are many gold and silver mines in Yunnan that the imperial court announced that the Su and Song Dynasties will use banknotes to offset taxes this year."
"I heard that he has the ability to look at Shandian mines. He has identified six mines in Yunnan with huge output."
"The left eye will make money..."
However, after returning the gift, the two of them did not intend to have an in-depth chat with Zhu Gaochi, but instead played chess on their own.
Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen also breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously glanced at His Highness Huang Zicheng.
"Hail, holy bow..."
In order to contain Zhu Fan's strength, Fu Youde had no choice but to die.
"Tell the people below and Gao Xu that he will no longer have to study at Duke Ying's Mansion."
Seeing this, Zhu Jixi on the side just smiled and comforted the eunuch who was with him. Then he returned to his position with a smile on his face, ordered someone to fetch the chessboard, and played chess with Zhu Shangbing under the watchful eyes of thousands of troops.
"The people of both Su and Song Mansion shouted long live in response to His Majesty's benevolent government!"
Compared with his slowness, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly satisfied his appetite and got up and returned to Wuying Hall to deal with the memorial.
Zhu Yunwen was so preoccupied with listening to the officials that he was not interested in trivial matters at all.
After the ministers got up, they entered the stage of performance.
"Red man?" Zhu Shangbing looked over in confusion, and Zhu Jixi also sneered:
"As soon as the news spread, many Su Song merchants bought Baobao. Now the price of Baobao has risen to 300 yuan."
Zhu Yunwen, who was standing aside, looked at this scene and was not happy, but felt helpless.
Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through several memorials, but his brows never relaxed.
The memorialist is not allowed to use spoken language, but reads the memorial aloud.
Fortunately, Zhu Gaochi's attention was not on the chess game. Instead, he walked to the high platform and looked at the three guards and horses training with an unstoppable smile on his face.
About a quarter of an hour later, tens of thousands of soldiers from the two guards inspected by them gathered in the cathedral. The two of them also went to the high platform to wait for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen to arrive.
He kept looking at Huang Zicheng not far away, and Huang Zicheng responded with his eyes, as if to say that the matter was almost done and the results would be achieved soon.
He couldn't help but speed up the rush to Duke Ying's Mansion, and arrived at Duke Ying's Mansion two-quarters of an hour later.
But when they saw the expressions of Zhu Gaoxu and Fu Zhong, the smiles on their faces froze.
Zhu Jixi reminded Zhu Shangbing: "You have collected so many treasures from the palace in your house. Look for the right opportunity and throw out all the treasures."
Perhaps Fu Zhong had someone notify Fu Youde and Fu Rang when he arrived, so when he came to the backyard study, Fu Youde and Fu Rang were already standing in the study neatly dressed.
Not only the ministers, but also he, the prince, felt quite tortured.
Looking at Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Yuanzhang's satisfied eyes couldn't help but reveal a bit of regret, perhaps thinking of Zhu Gaoxu, who was Yun Wen and Wu.
Zhu Jixin was about to speak, but was interrupted by Zhu Yuanzhang, with a somewhat impatient expression on his face: "If you don't understand, go there again tomorrow. There's no need to make up lies to deceive me."
"This is a good way to make money." Zhu Shangbing rolled his eyes, obviously thinking of a way to make a fortune.
Zhu Gaochi's answer made Zhu Yuanzhang less tempered. Even if Zhu Gaochi's answer did not satisfy him, at least he could feel Zhu Gaochi's love for the people and soldiers.
"Never." Zhu Yunwen shook his head. Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and took a sip of the tea. He did not spit out the tea used to rinse his mouth for a long time.
Although he had a good temper, he couldn't help but clenched his fists when he heard these words, but then relaxed them.
Zhu Yunwen knew that this was the state that Zhu Yuanzhang was in when he was thinking about something, but he could not guess what his grandfather was thinking.
"His Majesty and the grandson have returned to the palace a long time ago, and they are probably organizing a court meeting now."
Just at this time, breakfast was delivered, and the grandfather and grandson got up and went to the side hall to have breakfast.
"Hail, holy bow..."
At the dinner table, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced out of the already bright window: "Has Gao Xu been to Duke Ying's Mansion in the past few days?"
"My lord, I..." Zhu Gaoxu bowed in shame, and later told everything about what happened that day.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked without raising his head. Zhu Yunwen also shook his head when he heard this: "No, you didn't ask your grandson to read it, and he didn't dare to move lightly."
After getting Huang Zicheng's look, Zhu Yunwen cheered up a bit.
Before he could ask, Zhu Yuanzhang spit the brewed tea into the basin held by the eunuch beside him, and wiped his mouth and beard with a Shu brocade handkerchief.
Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the golden platform, and the old god responded to Xu Yunzhong and Zhu Yunwen: "Let's take a look at it for a few months, and then I will make a decision when the documents from the Ministry of Household Affairs are presented in October."
"Hail, holy bow..." Xu Yunzhong sang loudly, then stood up and returned to his class.
Zhu Yuanzhang's words just now were sung loudly by powerful men outside the palace. After Xu Yunzhong retreated, Huang Zicheng also heard Zhu Yuanzhang's reply, and began to think about how to promote the policy of using banknotes to offset taxes in Su Song's second house.
"Haha..." Zhu Jixi chuckled a few times: "I am now a popular person in front of my grandfather. You and I can't compare."
Xu Yunzhong said this, but Zhu Yuanzhang showed a bit of a smile on his face.
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and left the Wuying Hall. People who didn't know why thought he was disappointed with Zhu Gaochi's answer.
"If Gao Chi can be as good as Gao Xu, then Northern Xinjiang will have no worries, but right now..."
Huang Zicheng was active and Zhu Yunwen also had his own thoughts. They stood like this until the end of the morning dynasty. After the morning dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang also stood up and left the golden stage, and the ministers sang farewells.
The content made the Fu Zhong brothers despair. Even Fu Youde sighed after hearing it: "I actually guessed it, but I am still holding on to a bit of luck."
Zhu Yunwen followed Zhu Yuanzhang, and the two of them walked towards Wuying Palace. On the way, Zhu Yunwen reported some of the contents of the memorials last night, so that Zhu Yuanzhang could process all the memorials quickly.
If the official wants to accept the decree or answer, the response sound at the end needs to be lengthened to let the officials know that the performance is completed.
The person who really deserves to die is Zhu Fan, but his grandfather is not willing to kill his third uncle.
"Perform martial arts!"
"Reset——"
Seeing how polite he was, the two of them had no choice but to put down their chess pieces and return the favor.
He got up and wanted to take his three grandchildren to the side hall next door for dinner, but unfortunately Zhu Gaochi walked into Wuying Hall at this moment.
The four of them did not respond, but just walked out of the study and walked to the main hall.
While he was thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu also parted ways with Yang Zhan after lunch, riding Chi Huan towards Duke Ying's mansion.
Not only that, Zhu Yuanzhang also formulated the Dachao to be held only on the Zhengdan, Winter Solstice, and Wanshou Festivals, as well as the Shuowang Chao to be held on the first and fifteenth day of each month.
Zhu Shangbing greeted the guard commander next to him, then returned to his seat and sat down. It seemed that he didn't pay much attention to the review.
"You can read it and give it to me in the future." Zhu Yuanzhang expressed his thoughts, and Zhu Yunwen agreed.
That look was seen by Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jixi, and they couldn't help but whisper carefully:
After half an hour of this, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't realize that it was noon until his eunuch came to remind him.
