When Zhu Yuanzhang led the crowd to the Meridian Gate, he found that the capital seemed extremely tired after the hustle and bustle in the middle of the night, so it was now quiet, with only three or two puppies occasionally barking unwillingly.
However, when he appeared at the Meridian Gate, Zhu Cixiang spotted him immediately and immediately led people to greet him.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart.
Then he saw Wu Mengming following Zhu Cihong, and said with some confusion: "Wu Qing, why are you here? Have everyone who should take it taken it?"
When Wu Mengming heard this, he said with some embarrassment: "Your Majesty, when General Mo led the team to maintain order, he captured dozens of people pretending to be Jin Yiwei and committed crimes. It was found that most of the people behind them were wealthy businessmen, and they were from Jiangnan..."
"Okay, let's go back to the palace and talk about it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted Wu Mengming's words loudly, and then turned to Zhu Cihong and said: "Prince, send someone to find Jiang Yingkui and Huang Nilu. If they have something to do, come to Dongnuan Pavilion to see us."
"In addition, inform all city gates that we will wait for our instructions on the opening time of the city today. Anyone who disobeys the order will be directly punished for treason!"
Zhu Cihong couldn't help but be shocked when he saw that although Zhu Yuanzhang's face was peaceful, his words were full of murderous intent.
Fortunately, he had experienced a lot of dangerous things these days. After being slightly surprised, he came to his senses and hurriedly ordered people to deal with the matters Zhu Yuanzhang told him.
At the same time, someone was sent to Kunning Palace to convey a message to Queen Zhou, telling her that the night terrors had passed and that Zhu Yuanzhang had returned safely, so there was no need to worry.
After doing all this, he hurried to Dongnuang Pavilion.
Zhu Cihong just walked into Dongnuan Pavilion when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's somewhat surprised voice: "They are all rich people. Is there not even a single court official?"
Wu Mengming shook his head and said, "Not one!"
In fact, Zhu Cihong was very surprised when he heard Wu Mengming mention this matter.
Because these wealthy businessmen have a close relationship with the gentry in Jiangnan, if they are really captured, Jiangnan will probably cause trouble immediately.
So when Wu Mengming asked him for his opinion, he asked Wu Mengming to send people to monitor the wealthy businessmen first, and then make a decision after Zhu Yuanzhang came back.
At this moment, he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang seemed troubled, and he felt anxious again.
Because there is a war in the north right now, they are relying on the south to deliver food. Once the south gets into trouble again and food is cut off, they will immediately fall into chaos.
The so-called recovery of rivers and mountains may be just an empty talk.
Just when Zhu Cihong was anxious, he suddenly heard Zhu Yuanzhang's voice: "Wang Qing, what do you think of this matter?"
When Wang Jiayan heard this, he was stunned, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I think this matter is quite strange!"
"You know, these wealthy businessmen are not in Beijing for just one or two days. They have always been honest and honest. Why did they suddenly cause trouble tonight?"
"I suspect that someone is deliberately framing this, trying to drive a wedge between Your Majesty and wealthy businessmen, or to drive a wedge between His Majesty and Jiangnan."
"Furthermore, even if there are some confused people, I feel that it is not appropriate for Your Majesty to deal with them at this moment. After all, the north is not at peace..."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the first half of Wang Jiayan's words, he frowned a little, but when he heard the rest, his brows gradually relaxed.
In fact, his question was not to ask Wang Jiayan to solve the problem, but to ask for Wang Jiayan's attitude.
Although Wang Jiayan did not say it explicitly just now, he also hinted that the southern gentry had different intentions, which shows that his heart is still towards the Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that if he followed Wang Jiayan's method, it would definitely increase the arrogance of the Donglin Party members, which would probably cause him countless troubles.
In addition, the people who jumped out this time were all wealthy businessmen, which was probably a test by the other party, so he felt that he had to use a heavy hand to intimidate him.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Wu Mengming and said: "Wu Qing, you immediately bring people to arrest those wealthy businessmen for interrogation. If the evidence is confirmed to be correct, the homes will be confiscated directly. The men will be beheaded and the women will be enslaved. There is no need to go through the review of the Ministry of Punishments!"
Wu Mengming was stunned when he heard this. Just when he was about to agree, he heard Wang Jiayan's voice: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Wang Qing,
We just listened to what you said and thought twice about it, but you only know one thing but not the other. "
"If they commit such a serious crime, if we turn a deaf ear, it will only make the gentry in the south more domineering. Not only the south, but also the Donglin Party in the north..."
As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he secretly observed Wang Jiayan's face. Seeing his approval, he nodded secretly in his heart.
However, although Wang Jiayan agreed with Zhu Yuanzhang's statement, he still tactfully suggested that the methods should be softened to avoid irreconcilable conflicts.
Just at this moment, Huang Nilu and Jiang Yingkui walked into Dongnuan Pavilion under the leadership of the young eunuch.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed the matter and asked them about the situation of Fuchengmen.
According to Huang Nilu's account, the person who defeated Li Zushu outside Fucheng Gate was like Ren Zhihua, but he could not confirm it because it was too dark.
Furthermore, they had already caught the person who had stolen the city gate, but those people had no direct relationship with Gong Dingzi, and they did not know each other, so they did not arrest Gong Dingzi now.
However, Wang Zhang has already submitted a letter of apology, but because no one has taken over the responsibility of defending the city, he is still awaiting punishment at Fuchengmen...
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but frowned after listening to their stories.
He originally thought that these wealthy businessmen were a test of him by the Jiangnan gentry, but judging from Gong Dingzi's situation, it seemed like a game played by Li Zushu.
Because judging from Gong Dingzi's attitude of not admitting guilt, it shows that Gong Dingzi has considered the failure of this matter, and Li Zushu, as the planner, must have also considered this.
But now these exposed wealthy businessmen have no cover, which shows that Li Zushu did this deliberately, and his purpose may be to lure him to touch those wealthy businessmen.
Then he thought about the silver being subcontracted, the payment demands from Taiyuan and Shanhaiguan, and Shen Weibing fighting for power on behalf of the Donglin Party...
The more Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, the more he felt that this should be a conspiracy, a conspiracy after failure.
Because now that Li Zushu was defeated and fled, the danger in the capital has been lifted.
As long as he arrests those wealthy businessmen, not only can he suppress the arrogance of the Donglin Party, but the problem of money shortage can also be temporarily alleviated.
But as long as Zhu Yuanzhang attacks those wealthy businessmen, he will also forge enmity with the gentry in Jiangnan. Then it will be easier for Li Zushu and the people behind him to gain a foothold in Jiangnan.
This also shows that Li Zushu and the people behind him are probably not from Jiangnan, which also explains why he wants to harm the interests of the Jiangnan gentry.
But if this is the case, why would those wealthy businessmen act according to Li Zushu's request?
Could it be that there is someone else behind them?
But if so, how could the people behind them agree to Li Zushu's plan?
"Wu Mengming, is Wang Dehua still hiding in Cangzhou?"
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.
Wu Mengming was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the general just received news that Wang Dehua rushed to Tianjin Port yesterday and seems to be going to sea."
"Going to sea?"
Zhu Yuanzhang repeated it with some confusion and said: "This time is consistent with Li Zushu's time. It seems that they are a group...Xu Yunzhen!"
For a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to understand completely.
